Search results

Title: What Has the Study of Digital Games Contributed to the Science of Expert Behavior?.
Creator: Charness, Neil
Abstract/Description: I review the historical context for modeling skilled performance in games. Using Newell's (1990) concept of time bands for explaining cognitive behavior, I categorize the current papers in terms of time scales, type of data, and analysis methodologies. I discuss strengths and weaknesses of these approaches for describing skill acquisition and why the study of digital games can address the challenges of replication and generalizability. Cognitive science needs to pay closer attention to...
Show moreI review the historical context for modeling skilled performance in games. Using Newell's (1990) concept of time bands for explaining cognitive behavior, I categorize the current papers in terms of time scales, type of data, and analysis methodologies. I discuss strengths and weaknesses of these approaches for describing skill acquisition and why the study of digital games can address the challenges of replication and generalizability. Cognitive science needs to pay closer attention to population representativeness to enhance generalizability of findings, and to the social band of explanation, in order to explain why so few individuals reach expert levels of performance.
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Date Issued: 2017-04-01
Identifier: FSU_pmch_28176450, 10.1111/tops.12259, PMC5409862, 28176450, 28176450
Format: Citation

Title: Valuation of active blind spot detection systems by younger and older adults.
Creator: Souders, Dustin J, Best, Ryan, Charness, Neil
Abstract/Description: Due to their disproportional representation in fatal crashes, younger and older drivers both stand to benefit from in-vehicle safety technologies, yet little is known about how they value such technologies, or their willingness to adopt them. The current study investigated older (aged 65 and greater; N=49) and younger (ages 18-23; N=40) adults' valuation of a blind spot monitor and asked if self-reported visual difficulties while driving predicted the amount participants were willing to pay...
Show moreDue to their disproportional representation in fatal crashes, younger and older drivers both stand to benefit from in-vehicle safety technologies, yet little is known about how they value such technologies, or their willingness to adopt them. The current study investigated older (aged 65 and greater; N=49) and younger (ages 18-23; N=40) adults' valuation of a blind spot monitor and asked if self-reported visual difficulties while driving predicted the amount participants were willing to pay for a particular system (BMW's Active Blind Spot Detection System) that was demonstrated using a short video. Large and small anchor values ($250 and $500, respectively) were used as between subjects manipulations to examine the effects of initial valuation, and participants proceeded through a short staircase procedure that offered them either the free installation of the system on their current vehicle or a monetary prize ($25-$950) that changed in value according to which option they had selected in the previous step of the staircase procedure. Willingness to use other advanced driver assistance systems (lane-departure warning, automatic lane centering, emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and self-parking systems) was also analyzed, additionally controlling for prior familiarity of those systems. Results showed that increased age was associated with a higher valuation for the Active Blind Spot Detection System in both the large and small anchor value conditions controlling for income, gender, and technology self-efficacy. Older adults valued blind spot detection about twice as much ($762) as younger adults ($383) in the large anchor condition, though both groups' values were in the range for the current cost of an aftermarket system. Similarly, age was the most robust positive predictor of willingness to adopt other driving technologies, along with system familiarity. Difficulties with driving-related visual factors also positively predicting acceptance levels for adaptive cruise control and emergency braking systems. Results are discussed in comparison to older adults' willingness to pay for other home-based assistive technologies aimed at improving well-being and independence.
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Date Issued: 2017-09-01
Identifier: FSU_pmch_27567729, 10.1016/j.aap.2016.08.020, PMC5325821, 27567729, 27567729, S0001-4575(16)30306-2
Format: Citation

Title: Supportive home health care technology for older adults: Attitudes and implementation..
Creator: Charness, Neil, Best, Ryan, Evans, Jarrett
Abstract/Description: Healthcare delivered at home via telehealth technology may save on both individual and societal healthcare costs. Three studies investigated potential attitudinal barriers to home healthcare adoption. Results from the first concerning adults' privacy concerns and mobile device preferences showed that attitudes clustered into 4 factors and that older adults, particularly males, showed less concern than younger adults about privacy. The second and third studies explored comfort with a wearable...
Show moreHealthcare delivered at home via telehealth technology may save on both individual and societal healthcare costs. Three studies investigated potential attitudinal barriers to home healthcare adoption. Results from the first concerning adults' privacy concerns and mobile device preferences showed that attitudes clustered into 4 factors and that older adults, particularly males, showed less concern than younger adults about privacy. The second and third studies explored comfort with a wearable device and the role of aesthetics over 2-week and 6-month intervals. Results showed that older adults had stable ratings for comfort while wearing a watch device designed to collect data in real time and that aspects of physical comfort predicted use over a six-month time period. Taken together, the studies provide evidence that attitudes about privacy and comfort for wearable health devices are unlikely to be significant barriers to adoption, though first impressions are important for all age groups.
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Date Issued: 2016-02-23
Identifier: FSU_pmch_29033700, 10.4017/gt.2016.15.4.006.00, PMC5640315, 29033700, 29033700
Format: Citation

Title: Assessing the Comorbidity Gap between Clinical Studies and Prevalence in Elderly Patient Populations.
Creator: He, Zhe, Charness, Neil, Bian, Jiang, Hogan, William R
Abstract/Description: Well-designed and well-conducted clinical studies represent gold standard approaches for generating medical evidence. However, elderly populations are systematically underrepresented in studies across major chronic medical conditions, which has hampered the generalizability (external validity) of studies to the real-world patient population. It is the norm that intervention studies often require a homogeneous cohort to test their hypotheses; therefore older adults with co-medications and...
Show moreWell-designed and well-conducted clinical studies represent gold standard approaches for generating medical evidence. However, elderly populations are systematically underrepresented in studies across major chronic medical conditions, which has hampered the generalizability (external validity) of studies to the real-world patient population. It is the norm that intervention studies often require a homogeneous cohort to test their hypotheses; therefore older adults with co-medications and comorbidities are often excluded. The purpose of this study is to assess the gap between clinical studies on comorbidities and prevalence in elderly populations derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (MIMIC-II) dataset. A comorbidity gap between them was observed and reported in this work.
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Date Issued: 2016-02-01
Identifier: FSU_pmch_27738664, 10.1109/BHI.2016.7455853, PMC5058342, 27738664, 27738664
Format: Citation

Title: Older Adult Video Game Preferences in Practice: Investigating the Effects of Competing or Cooperating..
Creator: Souders, Dustin J, Boot, Walter R, Charness, Neil, Moxley, Jerad H
Abstract/Description: Video game interventions with the aim to improve cognition have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older adults (e.g., Toril, Reales, and Ballesteros, 2014). Most studies suggest that fast-paced action games produce the largest benefits, but a recent video game intervention with older adults found that an action game intervention can result in poor adherence (Boot et al., 2013). To increase intervention adherence, we investigated older adult video game preferences...
Show moreVideo game interventions with the aim to improve cognition have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older adults (e.g., Toril, Reales, and Ballesteros, 2014). Most studies suggest that fast-paced action games produce the largest benefits, but a recent video game intervention with older adults found that an action game intervention can result in poor adherence (Boot et al., 2013). To increase intervention adherence, we investigated older adult video game preferences that might bolster adherence by having participants play a competitive game (Mario Kart DS) or a cooperative game (Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) alone or with a partner. Although hypotheses regarding cooperative and multi-player gameplay were not supported, converging evidence suggests multi-player game play may lead to greater enjoyment, which was related to intervention adherence in a previous study (Boot et al., 2013). Insights for gaming intervention studies in older populations are also provided.
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Date Issued: 2016-01-01
Identifier: FSU_pmch_29033698, 10.1177/1555412015603538, PMC5640170, 29033698, 29033698
Format: Citation

Title: The Impact Of Domain-specific Experience On Chess Skill: Reanalysis Of A Key Study.
Creator: Burgoyne, Alexander P., Nye, Christopher D., Macnamara, Brooke N., Charness, Neil, Hambrick, David Z.
Abstract/Description: How important are training and other forms of domain-relevant experience in predicting individual differences in expertise? To answer this question, we used structural equation modeling to reanalyze data from a study of chess by Charness, Tuffiash, Krampe, Reingold, and Vasyukova (2005). Latent variables reflecting serious chess activity and formal instruction, along with a manifest variable indexing serious starting age, accounted for 63% of the variance in peak rating. Serious starting age...
Show moreHow important are training and other forms of domain-relevant experience in predicting individual differences in expertise? To answer this question, we used structural equation modeling to reanalyze data from a study of chess by Charness, Tuffiash, Krampe, Reingold, and Vasyukova (2005). Latent variables reflecting serious chess activity and formal instruction, along with a manifest variable indexing serious starting age, accounted for 63% of the variance in peak rating. Serious starting age had a significant negative effect on peak rating (beta = -.15), even after we controlled for domain-specific experience, indicating an advantage for starting earlier. We also tested the prediction that formal instruction increases the effectiveness of serious study (Ericsson & Charness, 1994) using moderated regression. This claim was not supported. Overall, the results affirm that serious study and other forms of domain-specific experience are important pieces of the expertise puzzle, but other factors must matter too. Supplemental materials are available at https://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/ajp/media/chess_skill
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Date Issued: 2019-01-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000459946700002, 10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.1.0027
Format: Citation

Title: Is Episodic Memory Performance More Vulnerable To Depressive Affect In Older Adulthood?.
Creator: Evans, Jarrett, Charness, Neil, Dijkstra, Katinka, Fitzgibbons, Joanna M., Yoon, Jong-Sung
Abstract/Description: This study examined how age, depressive symptoms, demographic variables, frailty, and health factors jointly influence episodic memory across the lifespan in two large, diverse samples. Hierarchical regression analyses from both samples showed that depressive symptoms negatively impacted episodic memory performance with the effect being more pronounced for older adults. Health and frailty tended not to be associated with episodic memory. However, the main effect of depressive symptoms tended...
Show moreThis study examined how age, depressive symptoms, demographic variables, frailty, and health factors jointly influence episodic memory across the lifespan in two large, diverse samples. Hierarchical regression analyses from both samples showed that depressive symptoms negatively impacted episodic memory performance with the effect being more pronounced for older adults. Health and frailty tended not to be associated with episodic memory. However, the main effect of depressive symptoms tended to remain significant over and above other predictors, while the interaction with age was weakened with the addition of demographic variables. The unique contribution of this study is demonstrating that the relationship between depressive symptoms and episodic memory is moderated by age across relatively large non-clinical lifespan samples of adults. The findings indicate the importance of measuring and studying depressive symptoms during the course of aging in order to better understand the complex relationship between age, affect, physical functioning, and memory.
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Date Issued: 2019-03-04
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000456821200006, 10.1080/13825585.2018.1424314
Format: Citation

Title: Evidence for Narrow Transfer after Short-Term Cognitive Training in Older Adults.
Creator: Souders, Dustin J, Boot, Walter R, Blocker, Kenneth, Vitale, Thomas, Roque, Nelson A, Charness, Neil
Abstract/Description: The degree to which "brain training" can improve general cognition, resulting in improved performance on tasks dissimilar from the trained tasks (transfer of training), is a controversial topic. Here, we tested the degree to which cognitive training, in the form of gamified training activities that have demonstrated some degree of success in the past, might result in broad transfer. Sixty older adults were randomly assigned to a gamified cognitive training intervention or to an active control...
Show moreThe degree to which "brain training" can improve general cognition, resulting in improved performance on tasks dissimilar from the trained tasks (transfer of training), is a controversial topic. Here, we tested the degree to which cognitive training, in the form of gamified training activities that have demonstrated some degree of success in the past, might result in broad transfer. Sixty older adults were randomly assigned to a gamified cognitive training intervention or to an active control condition that involved playing word and number puzzle games. Participants were provided with tablet computers and asked to engage in their assigned training for 30 45-min training sessions over the course of 1 month. Although intervention adherence was acceptable, little evidence for transfer was observed except for the performance of one task that most resembled the gamified cognitive training: There was a trend for greater improvement on a version of the corsi block tapping task for the cognitive training group relative to the control group. This task was very similar to one of the training games. Results suggest that participants were learning specific skills and strategies from game training that influenced their performance on a similar task. However, even this near-transfer effect was weak. Although the results were not positive with respect to broad transfer of training, longer duration studies with larger samples and the addition of a retention period are necessary before the benefit of this specific intervention can be ruled out.
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Date Issued: 2017-02-28
Identifier: FSU_pmch_28293188, 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00041, PMC5328998, 28293188, 28293188
Format: Citation

Title: Age, Metamory, & Skill Acquisition: Judgments of Learning during Technology-Driven Task Training.
Creator: Yordon, Ryan Erin, Charness, Neil, Kelley, Colleen, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Research examining age differences in metamemory has consistently found that the ability to monitor one's memory remains relatively intact as we age. Recently, researchers have been striving to understand the relationship between monitoring and control during encoding and retrieval in an effort to find ways of increasing the efficiency of learning. The current study explores the impact of monitoring on performance for both younger and older adults in an everyday technology-driven task....
Show moreResearch examining age differences in metamemory has consistently found that the ability to monitor one's memory remains relatively intact as we age. Recently, researchers have been striving to understand the relationship between monitoring and control during encoding and retrieval in an effort to find ways of increasing the efficiency of learning. The current study explores the impact of monitoring on performance for both younger and older adults in an everyday technology-driven task. Participants learned 20 tasks in Quicken and made judgments of learning (JOLs) about their ability to recall a 3-4 step task on a test immediately following training. The timing (immediate vs. delayed) and inclusion of the JOL into the training session varied across the 3 conditions. Results suggest that the incorporation of JOLs into the training of these tasks improved recall performance for both younger and older adults. Timing of the JOL cue did not impact monitoring accuracy in younger adults, but delayed JOLs improved monitoring accuracy in older adults.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0847
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring the Effectiveness of Countermeasures to Prevent Wrong-Way Crashes: Laboratory and Driving Simulator Studies.
Creator: Azzeh, Betoul, Boot, Walter R., Charness, Neil, Mitchum, Ainsley, Roque, Nelson, Stothart, Cary, Barajas, Kimberly
Date Issued: 2016-04-12
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1460472063
Format: Citation

Title: Workspace Availability and Soft Constraints.
Creator: Dachoach, Avner, Charness, Neil, Boot, Walter R., Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: According to the soft constraints hypothesis (SCH), when engaging in an interactive task, behavior could be broken down into selection between perceptual-motor and cognitive components. This approach holds that effort (measured in the time cost to perform each routine) guides selection, where quicker routines are more likely to be selected regardless of their origin (i.e., perceptual-motor or cognitive). This study examined the influence of SCH on a novel aspect of the task; the workspace...
Show moreAccording to the soft constraints hypothesis (SCH), when engaging in an interactive task, behavior could be broken down into selection between perceptual-motor and cognitive components. This approach holds that effort (measured in the time cost to perform each routine) guides selection, where quicker routines are more likely to be selected regardless of their origin (i.e., perceptual-motor or cognitive). This study examined the influence of SCH on a novel aspect of the task; the workspace area, where information was to be inputted. Study results support the idea that workspace availability influences the cost-benefit tradeoff driving soft constraints, and that the nature of that influence is guided by the role of the workspace area.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0859
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effect of Age on Discounting of Technology-Related Learning.
Creator: Best, Ryan, Charness, Neil, Boot, Walter R., Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Two experiments used the discounting paradigm to investigate the effect of age on how individuals value technology and technology-related learning. Previous literature has shown that older adults display a lower monetary discount rate than younger adults. It was hypothesized that this trend would be reversed in the current study due to older adults' increased costs associated with technology-related learning as well as lower perceptions of value for technology related rewards when compared to...
Show moreTwo experiments used the discounting paradigm to investigate the effect of age on how individuals value technology and technology-related learning. Previous literature has shown that older adults display a lower monetary discount rate than younger adults. It was hypothesized that this trend would be reversed in the current study due to older adults' increased costs associated with technology-related learning as well as lower perceptions of value for technology related rewards when compared to younger adults. Both experiments used technology-related measures based on the format of the Monetary Choice Questionnaire to determine individual discount rate. In Experiment 1, 37 older (mean age = 72.9) and 39 younger (mean age = 18.8) adults completed the MCQ and two devised technology-related measures. Previous findings for age and monetary discount rate were replicated but there was no significant difference in discount rate between age groups for the devised technology-related measures. In Experiment 2, 40 older (mean age = 74.9) and 40 younger (mean age = 20.2) adults completed six devised discounting measures. Older adults displayed a significantly higher discount rate for four out of six discounting measures, including three out of four technology-related measures. Implications for older adults and technology adoption are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7097
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Repeated Administration on Intensity Scales.
Creator: Stothart, Cary R., Charness, Neil, Boot, Walter, Johnson, Frank, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study assessed the extent to which multiple administrations of an intensity scale; in this case, the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), influences participant responding on subsequent administrations of the same scale. The first experiment sought to determine this by using a laboratory task in which one group of participants were asked to watch a number of identical videos depicting a simulated drive from the driver's point of view, and fill out an SSQ and Center for Epidemiological...
Show moreThis study assessed the extent to which multiple administrations of an intensity scale; in this case, the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), influences participant responding on subsequent administrations of the same scale. The first experiment sought to determine this by using a laboratory task in which one group of participants were asked to watch a number of identical videos depicting a simulated drive from the driver's point of view, and fill out an SSQ and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) between viewings of the videos. Another group of participants were asked to view the videos, but were only asked to fill out the SSQ and CES-D once before the first video and once after the last video. Overall, it was found that multiple administrations of the SSQ and CES-D do not substantially influence subsequent responding on both scales. The second experiment sought to replicate the findings from the first experiment online by using Amazon's Mechanical Turk service. Here, the same pattern of responding to the SSQ was found. Together, these findings suggest that additional administrations of an intensity scale; in this case, the SSQ, do not substantially influence participant responding on subsequent administrations.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7616
Format: Thesis

Title: Remote Health Monitoring for Older Adults and Those with Heart Failure: Adherence and System Usability..
Creator: Evans, Jarrett, Papadopoulos, Amy, Silvers, Christine Tsien, Charness, Neil, Boot, Walter R, Schlachta-Fairchild, Loretta, Crump, Cindy, Martinez, Michele, Ent, Carrie Beth
Abstract/Description: Remote health monitoring technology has been suggested as part of an early intervention and prevention care model. Older adults with a chronic health condition have been shown to benefit from remote monitoring but often have challenges with complex technology. The current study reports on the usability of and adherence with an integrated, real-time monitoring system over an extended period of time by older adults with and without a chronic health condition. Older adults 55 years of age and...
Show moreRemote health monitoring technology has been suggested as part of an early intervention and prevention care model. Older adults with a chronic health condition have been shown to benefit from remote monitoring but often have challenges with complex technology. The current study reports on the usability of and adherence with an integrated, real-time monitoring system over an extended period of time by older adults with and without a chronic health condition. Older adults 55 years of age and over with and without heart failure participated in a study in which a telehealth system was used for 6 months each. The system consisted of a wireless wristwatch-based monitoring device that continuously collected temperature and motion data. Other health information was collected daily using a weight scale, blood pressure cuff, and tablet that participants used for health surveys. Data were automatically analyzed and summarized by the system and presented to study nurses. Forty-one older adults participated. Seventy-one percent of surveys, 75% of blood pressure readings, and 81% of daily weight measurements were taken. Participants wore the watch monitor 77% of the overall 24/7 time requested. The weight scale had the highest usability rating in both groups. The groups did not otherwise differ on device usage. The findings indicate that a health monitoring system designed for older adults can and will be used for an extended period of time and may help older adults with chronic conditions reside longer in their own homes in partnership with the healthcare system.
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Date Issued: 2016-06-01
Identifier: FSU_pmch_26540369, 10.1089/tmj.2015.0140, PMC4892222, 26540369, 26540369
Format: Citation

Title: Intentional Binding of Negative Items in Memory.
Creator: Zimmerman, Carissa A., Kelley, Colleen, Eklund, Robert, Charness, Neil, Kaschak, Michael, Plant, Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Memory for individual negative items, such as words and pictures, is consistently superior to memory for individual neutral items; however, recent research has found that relational memory for pairs of negative items is not enhanced relative to their neutral counterparts. The current experiments investigated the boundary conditions for this lack of negative associative memory enhancement and repeatedly found that memory for negative word pairs was not better than memory for neutral word pairs...
Show moreMemory for individual negative items, such as words and pictures, is consistently superior to memory for individual neutral items; however, recent research has found that relational memory for pairs of negative items is not enhanced relative to their neutral counterparts. The current experiments investigated the boundary conditions for this lack of negative associative memory enhancement and repeatedly found that memory for negative word pairs was not better than memory for neutral word pairs. In fact, cued recall of negative stimuli exceeded that of neutral stimuli only when word pairs were encoded holistically, as in the case of adjective-noun pairs. Findings are discussed in terms of the important dissociation between item and associative memory, and the implications of this distinction for theories of emotional memory in general. Finally, a discrete-emotion approach to emotional memory is introduced as one fruitful avenue for exploration.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0487
Format: Thesis

Title: Individual Investor Reaction to the Earnings Expectations Path and Its Components.
Creator: Pinello, Arianna Spina, Morton, Richard, Charness, Neil, Dusenbury, Richard, Fennema, Martin, Department of Accounting, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The Securities and Exchange Commission and popular press have expressed concern that corporations guide analysts' forecasts with the purpose of managing earnings surprises and producing desired market reactions. Evidence suggests that firms that guide analysts' forecasts downward during the period and then beat the latest forecast earn a market premium. Furthermore, alternative paths by which earnings expectations evolve over the reporting period are associated with differential valuation...
Show moreThe Securities and Exchange Commission and popular press have expressed concern that corporations guide analysts' forecasts with the purpose of managing earnings surprises and producing desired market reactions. Evidence suggests that firms that guide analysts' forecasts downward during the period and then beat the latest forecast earn a market premium. Furthermore, alternative paths by which earnings expectations evolve over the reporting period are associated with differential valuation consequences. In an experiment, I explore potential explanations (rooted in judgment effects) for observed market reaction patterns to the earnings expectations path and its components. I conjecture that the presence of uncertainty affects investor reaction to the expectations path in predictable ways. I further examine how investors respond to analyst forecasts and forecast revisions in forming their own earnings expectations. I find that investors are more pessimistic than analysts in their earnings expectations. Further, the divergence between investors' and analysts' expectations plays an important role in their reaction. My finding of a premium to beating the latest forecast appears to stem directly from the difference between the investors' own expectations and the analysts' consensus forecast. Because investors tend to be more pessimistic than the analysts, they perceive a positive (negative) earnings surprise to be larger (smaller) than reported which explains why investors appear to reward positive earnings surprises more than they penalize negative earnings surprises.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0708
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effect of Assigned Achievement Goals, Self-Monitoring, Interest in the Subject Matter, and Goal Orientations on Students' Computer Skill Achievement, Use of Learning Strategies, and Computer Self-Efficacy Beliefs.
Creator: Al-Hassan, Riyadh, Reiser, Robert, Charness, Neil, Kamata, Akihito, Baylor, Amy, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of two self-regulated learning strategies, assigning achievement goals to students (process or outcome) and self-monitoring of learning, on students' computer skill achievement and self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, the study sought to identify the effect of students' initial goal orientations and interest in learning on their achievement, self-efficacy, and use of learning strategies. Participants in this study were 96 college students...
Show moreThe purpose of the study was to examine the effects of two self-regulated learning strategies, assigning achievement goals to students (process or outcome) and self-monitoring of learning, on students' computer skill achievement and self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, the study sought to identify the effect of students' initial goal orientations and interest in learning on their achievement, self-efficacy, and use of learning strategies. Participants in this study were 96 college students enrolled in four sections of an introductory course in educational technology. Students' ages ranged between 18 and 20, and majority of the students were females. Students' initial goal orientations, self-efficacy beliefs, their use of learning strategies, and interest in the subject matter were examined using the relevant sub-scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Students' skills in writing simple and complex search statements for Internet search engines were measured using a 12-item posttest. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the main and interaction effects of the independent variables on the study's dependent measures. Three regression models, one for each dependent variable, were computed. Results of the study partly supported the hypotheses on the positive effect of goals and self-monitoring on the dependent variables of the study. Goals and self-monitoring had appositive effect on student's computer skill achievement on complex posttest items. However, the effect of goals and self-monitoring on computer self-efficacy and the use of learning strategies was not consistent with the hypothesized effect. Moreover, the hypotheses concerning the positive effect of interest and goal orientations on the dependent measures were not fully supported. Students' interest had a positive effect on students' computer self-efficacy and use of learning strategies, but its effect on complex computer skill achievement was not significant. Goal orientations did not have a significant effect on any of the dependent variables. Limitations concerning the methodology and results of the study and implications of this study for learning and instruction were discussed and suggestions for future research on computer skill learning, self-regulating learning strategies, and motivational variables were provided.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0148
Format: Thesis

Title: The Impact of Yoga on Psychological Health in Older Adults.
Creator: Bonura, Kimberlee Bethany, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Charness, Neil, Kelly, F. Donald, Eklund, Robert, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Currently, 17% of individuals over age 50, and 6% of individuals over age 65, have tried mind-body therapies (Wolsko et al., 2004); 16.5% of yoga practitioners are age 54 or older (Saper et al., 2004). National survey data indicates a large portion of mind-body therapy users implement these practices for the management of disorders, which are either psychological or psychosomatic. Among yoga practitioners, 63.7% reported implementing yoga techniques for wellness and preventative benefits, and...
Show moreCurrently, 17% of individuals over age 50, and 6% of individuals over age 65, have tried mind-body therapies (Wolsko et al., 2004); 16.5% of yoga practitioners are age 54 or older (Saper et al., 2004). National survey data indicates a large portion of mind-body therapy users implement these practices for the management of disorders, which are either psychological or psychosomatic. Among yoga practitioners, 63.7% reported implementing yoga techniques for wellness and preventative benefits, and 47.9% reported implementing yoga techniques for the management of specific health conditions. Because increasing numbers of older adults are engaged in yoga, it is important to understand how yoga impacts this population. Older adults (N = 98; Mean age = 77.04, SD = 7.28) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Chair Yoga, Chair Exercise, and no-treatment control group. Classes were held for 45-minute weekly sessions, over six weeks, and daily home practice was supported. All participants were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up for anger, anxiety, depression, well-being, general self-efficacy, and self-efficacy for daily living. Time by group interactions were significant for all trait variables. Yoga participants improved more than both exercise and control participants, in anger (ES = 1.01, 0.12, and 0.11 respectively, from pretest to posttest; and 0.89, -0.01, and 0.17 from pretest to follow-up), anxiety (ES = 0.58, 0.31, 0.18, and 0.89, 0.28, 0.27), depression (ES = 0.53, 0.07, 0.05, and 0.54, 0.01, 0.04), well-being (ES = 0.49, 0.36, 0.01, and 0.53, 0.28, -0.08), general self-efficacy (ES = 0.98, 0.35, -0.12, and 0.73, 0.43, -0.12), and self-efficacy for daily living (ES = 0.87, 0.35, 0.07, and 0.51, 0.24, 0.09). Changes in self-control were associated with changes in general self-efficacy and trait anxiety. Self-control is proposed as a mechanism underlying the impact of yoga on psychological health.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3549
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effect of Different Types of Worked Examples on Student Learning and Transfer of a Problem Solving Task.
Creator: Huang, Xiaoxia, Reiser, Robert, Charness, Neil, Driscoll, Marcy, Olina, Zane, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of worked examples on student learning, transfer, cognitive load, and attitude. In a context of learning two comma rules, four types of worked examples were examined: standard worked examples, worked examples with self-explanation prompts, worked examples with instructional explanations, and worked examples with a transitional combination of instructional explanations and self-explanation prompts. In addition, a...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of worked examples on student learning, transfer, cognitive load, and attitude. In a context of learning two comma rules, four types of worked examples were examined: standard worked examples, worked examples with self-explanation prompts, worked examples with instructional explanations, and worked examples with a transitional combination of instructional explanations and self-explanation prompts. In addition, a control group, the conventional problem condition, was included. Two hundred and five 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in nine Language Arts classes in a middle school in northwestern Florida were randomly assigned to one of the five conditions. All students studied a five-lesson self-paced instructional program on using two comma rules over a period of seven days. On each day of the first five days, students studied one lesson and completed a corresponding condition-dependent practice exercise. On the sixth day, students completed a final practice exercise. Students in each of the worked example conditions received example-problem pairs during each practice, with examples varying depending on the conditions, while students in the control group received problems without any worked examples. All students completed a pretest one week before the study and a posttest and attitude survey on the seventh day of the study. Student learning, transfer, cognitive load, and attitude were measured. Learning was measured by an achievement test consisting of 18 individual sentences without any commas inserted. Transfer was measured by a 3-paragraph prose passage punctuated only with periods. Students were required to place commas whenever appropriate by applying the two comma rules. Cognitive load was measured by a single item 9-point rating scale developed by Paas and van Merriënboer (1994), and attitude was measured by a 12-item survey. In addition to the quantitative measures mentioned previously, a think-aloud protocol was used to examine how learners studied the different types of worked examples. Four students with average ability were selected to think aloud while studying the program. Each of them participated in five think-aloud sessions, one for each of the five lessons that were part of the instructional program. Analysis of the data found that when self-explanation prompts were not provided, students who received instructional explanations performed better on both learning and transfer test than students who did not receive instructional explanations. In addition, it was found that students presented with self-explanation prompts reported higher cognitive load and spent more time during practice than students who did not receive such prompts; while students presented with instructional explanations reported lower cognitive load than those who did not receive such explanations during practice. The factors that may have contributed to the results are discussed. Where appropriate, results from the qualitative data analysis are used to support the discussion points. Limitations and implications for research and practice are also provided.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3679
Format: Thesis

Title: A Knowledge-Based Theory of Rising Scores on "Culture-Free" Tests.
Creator: Fox, Mark C., Charness, Neil, Barrett, Anne, Kelley, Colleen, Boot, Walter, Connor, Carol, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Secular gains in intelligence test scores have perplexed researchers since they were documented by Flynn (1984, 1987), but few have attempted to understand them as a cognitive phenomenon. Gains are most pronounced on seemingly "culture-free" tests, which require analogical reasoning in the near-absence of familiar content, prompting Flynn (2007) to attribute rising scores to improvements in abstract reasoning conferred by a 20th-century emphasis on scientific thinking. Building upon Flynn's...
Show moreSecular gains in intelligence test scores have perplexed researchers since they were documented by Flynn (1984, 1987), but few have attempted to understand them as a cognitive phenomenon. Gains are most pronounced on seemingly "culture-free" tests, which require analogical reasoning in the near-absence of familiar content, prompting Flynn (2007) to attribute rising scores to improvements in abstract reasoning conferred by a 20th-century emphasis on scientific thinking. Building upon Flynn's theory and Singley and Anderson's (1989) conceptualization of transfer as common productions, I propose that recent-born individuals have developed a relatively general procedural knowledge structure, or "weak method" (Singley & Anderson, 1989, p. 230), for analogical mapping. I test the theory first with archival data, and then with think-aloud verbal reports obtained while participants from two cohorts completed the Raven's Matrices, the test with the largest Flynn effect. Consistent with the theory, it is found that individuals from the earlier cohort are less able to map objects corresponding to higher levels of relational abstraction. Previous research suggests this weak method may be cultivated by learning to solve a wide variety of the kinds of unfamiliar problems that require an initial process of working through an example. The work identifies a plausible cognitive mechanism for the Flynn effect, makes testable predictions, reveals new insights into the cognition of matrix reasoning, and highlights the indispensible role of cognitive theories in advancing and testing cross-cultural generalizations.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5629
Format: Thesis

Title: When Do Opportunity Costs Count?: Vague Opportunity Costs, the Completion Effect and Management Accounting Experience.
Creator: Victoravich, Lisa Marie, Fennema, M.G., Charness, Neil, Gerard, Gregory J., Stevens, Douglas E., Department of Accounting, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Although prior research has established the importance of opportunity costs and identified factors influencing their inclusion in decisional analyses, researchers have overlooked several factors likely to be present in an actual managerial setting. In an experiment, I investigate how two situational factors, vagueness of opportunity cost presentation and stage of project completion, affect individuals' tendency to attend to opportunity costs. I also investigate how attending to opportunity...
Show moreAlthough prior research has established the importance of opportunity costs and identified factors influencing their inclusion in decisional analyses, researchers have overlooked several factors likely to be present in an actual managerial setting. In an experiment, I investigate how two situational factors, vagueness of opportunity cost presentation and stage of project completion, affect individuals' tendency to attend to opportunity costs. I also investigate how attending to opportunity costs affects project continuance judgments and decisions. The two situational factors are examined across two groups of participants with varying levels of management accounting experience. I find that vagueness of opportunity cost presentation and a nearly complete project decrease inexperienced participants' attention to opportunity costs. Experience moderates the effect of these factors as experienced participants attend to opportunity costs despite presence of the two situational factors. As well, the tendency to continue a project is influenced by both the number of opportunity costs attended to and decision-maker experience.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4554
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Part-Task and Whole-Task Instructional Approaches and Learner Levels of Expertise on Learner Performance of a Complex Cognitive Task.
Creator: Lim, Jung Hyun, Reiser, Robert A., Charness, Neil, Spector, J. Michael, Olina, Zane, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The study investigated the effects of two instructional approaches (part-task vs. whole-task) and levels of learner expertise (novice vs. advanced) on learner acquisition and transfer of a complex cognitive skill (e.g., preparing a grade book in Excel). In addition, the study examined the effects of these variables on learners' cognitive load, instructional efficiencies, time on task and their attitudes towards the instruction. Fifty-one undergraduate students (pre-service teachers) in four...
Show moreThe study investigated the effects of two instructional approaches (part-task vs. whole-task) and levels of learner expertise (novice vs. advanced) on learner acquisition and transfer of a complex cognitive skill (e.g., preparing a grade book in Excel). In addition, the study examined the effects of these variables on learners' cognitive load, instructional efficiencies, time on task and their attitudes towards the instruction. Fifty-one undergraduate students (pre-service teachers) in four sections of an Introduction to Educational Technology course participated in the study. Two sections were assigned to each of the two instructional approaches (part-task vs. whole-task). In the part-task condition, a complex skill was decomposed into a series of smaller tasks, each of which was demonstrated and practiced separately; the whole skill was practiced at the end of instruction after practicing part skill. In the whole-task condition, which was based on the 4C/ID-model (van Merrienboer, 1997), learners were exposed to the entire complex skill right from the beginning of the instruction and were required to practice performing a series of whole tasks. Two 60-minute instructor-led lessons were designed and developed for this study. In each treatment group, the two lessons were presented on the same day, with a five minute break separating the two lessons. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups (whole-task > part-task) on (a) whole-task performance, (b) far-transfer performance, (c) instructional efficiency on the whole-task performance, and d) instructional efficiency on the far-transfer performance. However, no significant differences were found for (a) cognitive load, (b) time spent on the whole-task test, (c) time spent on the far-transfer test, and (d) attitudes toward instruction. In terms of the levels of learner expertise, the results yielded no interaction among the groups on any of the dependent measures described above; in many cases, however, there were significant differences between the novice and advanced learners, with the advanced learners demonstrating (a) higher scores on the far-transfer test, (b) higher efficiency on the whole-task test, (c) higher efficiency on the far-transfer test, (d) less time spent on the part-task test, and (e) more confidence toward the instruction.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4526
Format: Thesis

Title: Getting on the Same Page: Exploring the Development and Execution of Team Coordination Through Cognitive Field Research.
Creator: Tran, Katy B., Eccles, David W., Charness, Neil, Eklund, Robert C., Tenenbaum, Gershon, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Team coordination has been an area of interest for researchers in military, business, social, and cognitive psychology, while only relatively recently emerging as area of growing interest for researchers in sport psychology. Research on teams in sport traditionally has been focused on the social characteristics of the team, such as cohesion and leadership. Additionally, when the role of cognition in skilled performance in sport has been examined, the interest primarily has been in the...
Show moreTeam coordination has been an area of interest for researchers in military, business, social, and cognitive psychology, while only relatively recently emerging as area of growing interest for researchers in sport psychology. Research on teams in sport traditionally has been focused on the social characteristics of the team, such as cohesion and leadership. Additionally, when the role of cognition in skilled performance in sport has been examined, the interest primarily has been in the cognitive processes at the individual level. As a response, Eccles and Tenenbaum (2004) proposed a socio-cognitive conceptualization of team coordination in sport that has been used to frame much of the extant research in sport. However, to date most research on team cognition and coordination in sport has been conducted using the individual as the unit of analysis. The present study is a response to the need for research that captures the experience of the team as a whole and in context, to further understanding of cognitive processes underlying skilled team performance. A study was conducted with a men's collegiate soccer team over the course of a competitive season. Cognitive field research was used to investigate how the team developed, modified, and executed coordinated action in a natural setting. This method was selected on the basis that it affords the opportunity to capture contextual and social factors that influence the cognitive processes underlying skilled team performance. The key themes to emerge from the research were the importance of team members' long-term shared knowledge, moment-to-moment shared knowledge, and challenges to team coordination. The findings presented support the conceptualization of team coordination as a socio-cognitive construct. Furthermore, the results indicate that social properties of, and social processes within, a team impact the cognitive processes mediating coordination in teams. As such, the study demonstrates that the traditional focus on the cognitive processes of the individual, removed from context, might provide an incomplete explanation of the cognitive processes underlying skilled team performance. The findings have implications for current understanding of team coordination and for practitioners seeking to enhance the functioning of sports teams.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5233
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Age and Concurrent Verbalization on Cognitive Task Performance.
Creator: Fox, Mark Carver, Charness, Neil, Ericsson, K. Anders, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Few studies have examined the impact of age on reactivity to concurrent think-aloud (TA) verbal reports. The aim of this project was to test whether older adults exhibit greater negative reactivity to concurrent verbal reports than younger individuals. In Experiment 1, 31 older (mean age = 72.3) and 30 younger (mean age = 19.0) adults performed four cognitive tasks -- paired associates with instructions to form mediators, cube-comparison, a shortened version of the Raven's Matrices, two-digit...
Show moreFew studies have examined the impact of age on reactivity to concurrent think-aloud (TA) verbal reports. The aim of this project was to test whether older adults exhibit greater negative reactivity to concurrent verbal reports than younger individuals. In Experiment 1, 31 older (mean age = 72.3) and 30 younger (mean age = 19.0) adults performed four cognitive tasks -- paired associates with instructions to form mediators, cube-comparison, a shortened version of the Raven's Matrices, two-digit mental multiplication -- while either thinking aloud or remaining silent. An age group by condition interaction emerged as older adults performed more accurately and took longer on the Raven's Matrices while thinking aloud. Condition did not affect performance on the other tasks. In Experiment 2, 30 older adults (mean age = 73.0) performed the Raven's Matrices, mental multiplication, and two modified matrix reasoning tasks in four varied orders while thinking aloud or remaining silent. Modified matrix reasoning tasks were used to test the hypothesis that older adult facilitation while thinking aloud is due to reduced effects of age-related inhibitory deficits. Once again older adults performed significantly better only on the Raven's Matrices while thinking aloud, however, the hypothesized explanation for the effect was not supported.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4408
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring the Effect of Cognitive Load on the Propensity for Query Reformulation Behavior.
Creator: Na, Kyoungsik, Burnett, Kathleen, Charness, Neil, Burnett, Gary, Stvilia, Besiki, School of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: With the aim of improving information retrieval system design, this study explored the effect of cognitive load on the propensity to reformulate queries during information seeking on the Web, specifically the effect of manipulating three affective components that contribute to cognitive load--mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration A significant difference in the propensity of query reformulation behavior was found between searchers exposed to cognitive load manipulations and...
Show moreWith the aim of improving information retrieval system design, this study explored the effect of cognitive load on the propensity to reformulate queries during information seeking on the Web, specifically the effect of manipulating three affective components that contribute to cognitive load--mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration A significant difference in the propensity of query reformulation behavior was found between searchers exposed to cognitive load manipulations and searchers who were not exposed. Those exposed to cognitive load manipulations, namely, mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration, made 2.18 times fewer search queries than searchers not exposed. Furthermore, the NASA-TLX cognitive load scores of searchers who were exposed to the three cognitive load manipulations were higher than those of searchers who were not exposed. However, the propensity of query reformulation behavior did not differ across task types. The findings suggest that a dual-task method and NASA-TLX assessment serve as good indicators of cognitive load. Because the findings show that cognitive load hinders a searcher's interaction with information search tools, this study concludes by recommending strategies for reducing cognitive load when designing information systems, or user interfaces.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5062
Format: Thesis

Title: Beyond the Body Burden: Social Consequences and Causes of Chronic Inflammation.
Creator: Nowakowski, Alexandra C. H., Quadango, Jill S., Charness, Neil H., Taylor, Miles G., Taylor, John R., Department of Sociology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Objectives and Theoretical Framework This study addresses the social dynamics of associations between chronic inflammation and quality of life in older adults, as well the ability of social factors to cause inflammatory disease. It builds on growing evidence in sociological and clinical literatures that chronic inflammation has negative net effects on quality of life across the life course, as well as negative indirect effects via social mechanisms (Hamer and Chida 2011; Lal 2006; Marnell et...
Show moreObjectives and Theoretical Framework This study addresses the social dynamics of associations between chronic inflammation and quality of life in older adults, as well the ability of social factors to cause inflammatory disease. It builds on growing evidence in sociological and clinical literatures that chronic inflammation has negative net effects on quality of life across the life course, as well as negative indirect effects via social mechanisms (Hamer and Chida 2011; Lal 2006; Marnell et al. 2005; Testa and Simonson 1996; Sprangers et al. 2000; Epel et al. 2004; Finch and Crimmins 2004; Willson et al. 2007). Biomarkers are used to capture inflammatory pathology, ensuring that people with rare inflammatory conditions are included and thus avoiding many of the challenges presented by the diagnosis data used in previous research (Mirowsky and Ross 1989; Mirowsky and Ross 2003; Crimmins and Seeman 2001). Using this more inclusive method for studying people with chronic inflammation, elaboration models are created to explore how social factors influence the consequences and causation of chronic inflammation. Methods and Data Sources Data from Wave I of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) are used to examine relationships between levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein and two different sets of quality of life outcomes. Because many inflammatory diseases are present at birth, studying older adults can reveal long-term effects from living with chronic inflammation (Geronimus 1992). Quality of life is measured in two ways: self-ratings of satisfaction with life in general (happiness, enjoyment of life, and sadness), and self-ratings of satisfaction with intimate relationships (overall happiness, physical satisfaction, and emotional satisfaction). Three types of social factors are examined: structure variables (age, race, sex, income, education), sociomedical sequelae (disability, pain, diagnosis), and process factors (communication and social support, relationship participation). The unique role of each of these elements of social life is explored via mediation, moderation, and fundamental causation analyses. All analyses use ordinal logistic and ordinary least-squares regression techniques as theoretically and mathematically indicated. Findings reveal how chronic inflammation may entrench and even foster social inequality. Key Findings Bivariate models suggest that total effects of chronic inflammatory biomarker levels on quality of life are significant and negative, indicating that chronic inflammation can decrease satisfaction with life and relationships. However, effect significance varies somewhat depending on the measure used; the effects of chronic inflammation on quality of life may thus be sensitive to slight differences between domains of psychosocial experience. Each additional milligram per liter of C-reactive protein appears to reduce the odds of reporting high levels of quality of life between 7 and 10 percent for the following outcomes: overall happiness, happiness with intimate relationships, physical satisfaction with relationships, and emotional satisfaction with relationships. Including sociomedical, interactional, and sociodemographic variables reveals inconsistency in the effects of different social attributes and processes. Associations between emotional quality of life and chronic inflammation may be partially mediated by sociomedical sequelae and social relationship factors. Associations between relational quality of life and chronic inflammation appear to be partially mediated by social relationships, but not by sociomedical sequelae. In both cases, dynamics related to partner intimacy may play an important mediating role. Social structure factors do not appear to moderate overall associations between chronic inflammation and quality of life. However, these constructs do demonstrate consistent ability to predict both emotional and relational outcomes when incorporated into models containing C-reactive protein as the main predictor. Likewise, both social structure and relationship factors may play a role in causing chronic inflammation. Extant research and theory from both sociological and clinical disciplines support these findings, and recommend multiple strategies for further study. Significance and Future Directions Using biomarker data to measure inflammation status reveals important information about how chronic inflammation may impact psychosocial quality of life. Looking at a variety of quality of life outcomes in tandem suggests that several individual domains of emotional and relational quality of life may be especially vulnerable to detrimental effects from chronic inflammation, and that these negative effects occur through different social pathways. Emphasizing social structure and relationship factors that shape relationships between inflammation and different quality of life outcomes can illuminate specific ways that chronic inflammation may predispose people to psychosocial disadvantage and/or exacerbate existing social inequalities. Relational processes, especially those related to participation in and dynamics of intimate partnerships, may be more important than social structures in shaping the effects of chronic inflammation on quality of life. Likewise, further research is needed to explore how different social factors may fundamentally cause chronic inflammation. Future scholarship on these topics can contribute immensely to understanding of both social inequality and medical risk. Finally, effects of chronic inflammation are likely underestimated due to very small samples of people with extremely high C-reactive protein levels; more data on these individuals are thus needed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-8712
Format: Thesis

Title: Increasing Adherence in Aging Interventions Using Action Video Games by Adding a Social Component: Investigating the Interaction Between Game Type and Multiplayer Game-Play.
Creator: Souders, Dustin J., Charness, Neil, Boot, Walter R., Shute, Valerie, Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Video game interventions have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older populations (e.g., Basak, Boot, Voss, & Kramer, 2008) in improving various cognitive abilities. A recent video game intervention study with older adults (Boot et al., 2013) observed a disparity in adherence between the action video game and the brain-training game groups. The current study sought to increase adherence in future video game intervention studies in this population by investigating...
Show moreVideo game interventions have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older populations (e.g., Basak, Boot, Voss, & Kramer, 2008) in improving various cognitive abilities. A recent video game intervention study with older adults (Boot et al., 2013) observed a disparity in adherence between the action video game and the brain-training game groups. The current study sought to increase adherence in future video game intervention studies in this population by investigating older adult video game preferences for game type (competitive or cooperative), as well as playing alone or with a partner. Data from 50 older participants who were randomly assigned to play a cooperative action game (Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) or a competitive action game (Mario Kart DS) either alone, or with their spouse or partner is reported. The a priori hypothesis that older adults would play a cooperative game longer than a competitive game was not upheld (F(1, 42) = 0.193, p = 0.663, Partial η2 = .005), and the hypothesis that older adults would report enjoying a cooperative game more than a competitive game was found to be significant opposite the hypothesized direction (F(1, 42) = 9.439, p < 0.004, Partial η2 = 0.187). Playing either game with their spouse/partner was not found to produce any significant difference over playing their game alone in average session enjoyment rating (F(1, 42) = 0.399, p = 0.531, η2 = 0.010), or total time played (F(1, 42) = 2.816, p = 0.101, Partial η2 = 0.064). Recommendations for future gaming intervention studies in older populations are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-8718
Format: Thesis

Title: Want to Stand Out or Blend in?: Cultural Differences in Meeting the Need to Belong.
Creator: Park, Jina, Baumeister, Roy F., Kim, Daekwan, Charness, Neil, Plant, E. Ashby, McNulty, James K., Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The present investigation tested the hypothesis that people with individualistic cultural orientation favor an experience of standing out, whereas those with collectivistic cultural orientation prefer an experience of blending in as a means to meet the need to belong. In Study 1, more often than Koreans, Americans recalled an incident of standing out when they were asked to think about an experience of social acceptance. In contrast, Koreans recalled an experience of blending in more than did...
Show moreThe present investigation tested the hypothesis that people with individualistic cultural orientation favor an experience of standing out, whereas those with collectivistic cultural orientation prefer an experience of blending in as a means to meet the need to belong. In Study 1, more often than Koreans, Americans recalled an incident of standing out when they were asked to think about an experience of social acceptance. In contrast, Koreans recalled an experience of blending in more than did Americans. In Study 2, highly independent participants favored a situation in which the self stands out. Those who were highly interdependent, however, preferred a situation in which the self blends into others. In Study 3, regardless of cultural orientations, rejected participants deviated from the cultural defaults more than those in the neutral control condition. Taken together, individualists differed from collectivists in preference for standing out versus blending in as a means to cultivate the sense of social acceptance. However, following recall of intense experience of social exclusion, the cultural differences decreased or even trended toward the opposite direction to those in the neutral condition.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9068
Format: Thesis

Title: Attention and Effort in an Investment Decision under the Influence of Gains and Losses.
Creator: Fulmer, Bachman P., Gerard, Gregory J., Charness, Neil H., Fennema, Bud, Boot, Walter R., Department of Accounting, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: I use multimodal physiological measurements to examine changes in investor behavior over a series of gains and losses. Specifically, I examine what information more- or less-sophisticated investors emphasize and characteristics of their associated effort over a series of decision rounds as they choose whether to take a long or short position in a stock. Using eye tracking, I measure where attention is directed. Using GSR, pupillometry, and EEG data, I measure characteristics of the effort...
Show moreI use multimodal physiological measurements to examine changes in investor behavior over a series of gains and losses. Specifically, I examine what information more- or less-sophisticated investors emphasize and characteristics of their associated effort over a series of decision rounds as they choose whether to take a long or short position in a stock. Using eye tracking, I measure where attention is directed. Using GSR, pupillometry, and EEG data, I measure characteristics of the effort expended by investors as they evaluate the information available to them. I find that investors emphasize information that trends in the same direction as the decision they ultimately make. Additionally, overall effort levels are greater when investors make investment decisions under the influence of prior losses. I also document evidence that suggests the magnitude of a participant's change in effort is greater when they go from experiencing gains to losses than from losses to gains. I provide new insight into the process of investment decision-making and how framing and experience impact that process. This dissertation is one of the first examples in the accounting and finance literatures to make extensive use of eye tracking and introduces the use of GSR, pupillometry, and EEG measurements in investment decision-making research.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-8784
Format: Thesis

Title: Reviewing Expert Chess Performance: A Production Based Theory of Chess Skill.
Creator: Roring, Roy W. (Roy Winn), Charness, Neil, Fennema, Bud, Ericsson, K. Anders, Kelley, Colleen, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Explaining expert chess players' dramatically superior skill represents an outstanding unsolved theoretical problem for cognitive psychology. This review extends and re-evaluates the current state of theories on chess skill, highlighting the strengths and weakness of various theories ranging from general abilities to chunking theory to more modern variants. After describing limitations with earlier approaches, a new theory is described based on Productions RElating STored Organizations ...
Show moreExplaining expert chess players' dramatically superior skill represents an outstanding unsolved theoretical problem for cognitive psychology. This review extends and re-evaluates the current state of theories on chess skill, highlighting the strengths and weakness of various theories ranging from general abilities to chunking theory to more modern variants. After describing limitations with earlier approaches, a new theory is described based on Productions RElating STored Organizations (PRESTO) of chess pieces in memory. I discuss how this theoretical framework, extending and elaborating Ericsson and Kintsch's (1995) proposal for long-term working memory in chess, addresses established empirical findings, makes testable new predictions, and how it is related in several respects to the earlier theories. These predictions are examined in three studies, illustrating how the model can explain characteristics of chess problem solving and planning behavior as well as a historic increase at the highest level of skill.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1771
Format: Thesis

Title: Age-Related Changes in Information Processing on Tasks of Perceptual Speed.
Creator: Roring, Roy W., Charness, Neil, Ericsson, K. Anders, Maner, Jon, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The general slowing theory of cognitive aging claims that age-related decline in cognitive performance results from the global slowing of processing functions. This theory derives from evidence showing how tests of perceptual speed account for virtually all the age-related variance in many tasks. However, these tasks may reflect more than individual differences in general speediness, such as different strategies resulting from the different possible ways of understanding the task,...
Show moreThe general slowing theory of cognitive aging claims that age-related decline in cognitive performance results from the global slowing of processing functions. This theory derives from evidence showing how tests of perceptual speed account for virtually all the age-related variance in many tasks. However, these tasks may reflect more than individual differences in general speediness, such as different strategies resulting from the different possible ways of understanding the task, differential memory abilities, or a speed-accuracy trade-off. Using verbal protocol analysis and eye tracking, different models for common tests of perceptual speed were evaluated. Participants completed the number comparison, digit-symbol, and backward digit span tasks in either a "think-aloud" or a silent control condition. In both conditions, participants' eye movements were recorded for number comparison and digit-symbol, and each participant was given one of three types of instructions for these two tests, one focusing the participant on speed, accuracy, or both. Overall, results show that the number of fixations during encoding potentially mediates age-related decline on these tasks, whereas other variables, such as fixation duration and switches between interest regions, did not correlate with age. The results have implications for theories of aging, as only one model, based on encoding delay, fully accounted for the observed results.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1774
Format: Thesis

Title: Age-Related Differences in Memory Accuracy and Memory Monitoring: Relationship to Executive Processes.
Creator: Rhodes, Matthew Gerard, Kelley, Colleen M., Bourgeois, Michelle, Charness, Neil, Dijkstra, Katinka, Plant, E. Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The current study examined the neuropsychological correlates of memory accuracy in older and younger adults. Participants were tested in a memory monitoring paradigm developed by Koriat and Goldsmith (1996), which permits separate assessments of the accuracy of responses generated during retrieval and the accuracy of monitoring those responses. Participants were also administered a battery of tests designed to measure executive functioning and speed of processing. Results indicated that both...
Show moreThe current study examined the neuropsychological correlates of memory accuracy in older and younger adults. Participants were tested in a memory monitoring paradigm developed by Koriat and Goldsmith (1996), which permits separate assessments of the accuracy of responses generated during retrieval and the accuracy of monitoring those responses. Participants were also administered a battery of tests designed to measure executive functioning and speed of processing. Results indicated that both age and executive measures were predictive of accuracy, while speed of processing measures accounted for little of the variability in accuracy. In addition, executive measures explained a moderate amount of the variability in monitoring. Mediational analyses demonstrated that a large portion of the effect of executive function measures on accuracy was mediated by memory monitoring. These data suggest that individual differences in executive function are important in memory accuracy.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1879
Format: Thesis

Title: Predictability and the Parafoveal Preview Effect in Younger and Older Adults.
Creator: Kathryn Sawyer, SachsEricsson, Natalie, Radach, Ralph, Charness, Neil, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Several studies have examined age differences in eye movement behavior during normal reading, but have not determined the causes of these differences. Therefore, the current experiment investigated two possible causes of age differences in eye movement behavior during reading: visual deficits leading to a reduced visual or perceptual span, and differences in the use of predictability information. Older adults have a smaller functional field of view than younger adults; thus they may also have...
Show moreSeveral studies have examined age differences in eye movement behavior during normal reading, but have not determined the causes of these differences. Therefore, the current experiment investigated two possible causes of age differences in eye movement behavior during reading: visual deficits leading to a reduced visual or perceptual span, and differences in the use of predictability information. Older adults have a smaller functional field of view than younger adults; thus they may also have a reduced perceptual span during reading and show a reduced parafoveal preview effect. However, lexical access and ability to use predictability information is preserved in older adults; thus, they may use predictability information to compensate for a reduced perceptual span. Our design crossed parafoveal preview (boundary change vs. no boundary change) and predictability (high vs. low predictability) in a sample of younger and older adults. The results documented a reduced preview effect in older adults compared to younger adults. Additionally, older adults derived greater benefit from predictability information than did younger adults. However, both older and younger adults had an increased preview effect when target word predictability increased. Thus, this study points to two likely causes of age differences in eye movement behavior during reading. First, older adults' visual deficits reduce the size of the visual or perceptual span. Second, older adults' working memory deficits lead to difficulty in integrating new information into the representation of sentence meaning. Nevertheless, older adults are able to use predictability information to compensate for a reduced perceptual span and for working memory deficits. These findings highlight the importance of increasing text size and contrast and providing context in reading materials designed for older adults.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2065
Format: Thesis

Title: How Learning a Mnemonic Structure Influences Attention Demand at Retrieval.
Creator: Kirk, Elizabeth P., Kelley, Colleen, Driscoll, Marcy, Charness, Neil, Johnson, Frank, Wagner, Richard, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The studies reported here suggest that elaborative encoding of a well-learned mnemonic structure facilitates effective retrieval by reducing demand for controlled attention. The literature provides conflicting support for how elaborative encoding will influence controlled attention demand at retrieval. Some research indicates that attention demand increases with elaboration level; other studies suggest that elaborative encodings can be retrieved with minimal demand for controlled resources....
Show moreThe studies reported here suggest that elaborative encoding of a well-learned mnemonic structure facilitates effective retrieval by reducing demand for controlled attention. The literature provides conflicting support for how elaborative encoding will influence controlled attention demand at retrieval. Some research indicates that attention demand increases with elaboration level; other studies suggest that elaborative encodings can be retrieved with minimal demand for controlled resources. To investigate this issue, one group was trained to use mnemonic structures and a control group to make anagram solutions and pleasantness ratings. The mnemonic group recalled significantly more words than controls under both full and divided attention when the mnemonic structure was practiced. The mnemonic group also recognized more words when attention was divided, and was generally faster, although the RT difference was significant only for correct rejections. Dividing attention still significantly reduced RT and accuracy on the continuous reaction time secondary task.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2891
Format: Thesis

Title: Mental Representation Mediation in Expert Golf Putting.
Creator: Hill, Leonard A., Ericsson, K. Anders, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Charness, Neil, Johnson, J. Franklyn, Plant, E. Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The current study is an initial investigation of expert performance theory in golf putting. According to Ericsson and colleagues (Ericsson & Smith, 1991; Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer, 1993), a performer's mental representations are the primary mediator of performance and the degree of refinement of those representations determine the level of performance in a domain. This study's purpose is to investigate golf putting performance in situations that require representational guidance to...
Show moreThe current study is an initial investigation of expert performance theory in golf putting. According to Ericsson and colleagues (Ericsson & Smith, 1991; Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer, 1993), a performer's mental representations are the primary mediator of performance and the degree of refinement of those representations determine the level of performance in a domain. This study's purpose is to investigate golf putting performance in situations that require representational guidance to analyze, plan and execute putts in various putting situations. Using a screen to block visual access to the putting situation (occluded condition), this study examined expert and novice golfers in various putting situations to determine their ability to perform using only their mental representations to establish direction and distance when putting to targets of different lengths and over different terrain. Results showed that on a level putt from 23 feet, both experts and novices averaged within just over two feet laterally from the target (direction) and overall 3.5 to 5.5 feet from the target. This represents general competence in putting under occluded conditions, though none were trained in this condition. On substantially more difficult occluded putts, all golfers averaged within 10 feet of the target, on targets where they averaged more than 8 feet in the visible condition. Having acquired more refined representations, the experts, on the 23 foot occluded single target, were 35% more accurate than the less skilled golfers, and in the most complex putting situation (multi-breaking 28 foot putt), experts were 37% more accurate. These results support Ericsson and colleagues expert performance theories in mental representation mediation of performance and representational refinement mediation of levels of performance.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4045
Format: Thesis

Title: Parallel Processing of Behavioral Sequence and Repertoire in a Cortical Premotor Nucleus.
Creator: Basista, Mark Jonathan, Johnson, Frank, Tschinkel, Walter R. (Walter Reinhart), Bertram, R. (Richard), Charness, Neil, Hyson, Richard Lee, Wu, Wei, Florida State University,...
Show moreBasista, Mark Jonathan, Johnson, Frank, Tschinkel, Walter R. (Walter Reinhart), Bertram, R. (Richard), Charness, Neil, Hyson, Richard Lee, Wu, Wei, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: In this Dissertation, I report parallel processing in the avian vocal premotor nucleus HVC. First, I review historical ideas and recent evidence about the function of HVC. HVC has historically been viewed as a distributed network, and it has been modeled as an associative chain. Recent evidence shows that HVC intraconnectivity is biased along the rostral-caudal axis and that transecting HVC along the rostral-caudal axis does not disrupt singing. This evidence casts doubt on the historical...
Show moreIn this Dissertation, I report parallel processing in the avian vocal premotor nucleus HVC. First, I review historical ideas and recent evidence about the function of HVC. HVC has historically been viewed as a distributed network, and it has been modeled as an associative chain. Recent evidence shows that HVC intraconnectivity is biased along the rostral-caudal axis and that transecting HVC along the rostral-caudal axis does not disrupt singing. This evidence casts doubt on the historical views of HVC organization. Next, I explore the cytoarchitecture of HVC in order to determine whether distinct subregions within HVC exist. I then ablate these subregions to determine their functional significance. I find that the lateral portions of HVC encode the repertoire of song syllables, while the medial portions of HVC encode the sequence in which the syllables are sung. Finally, I utilize reversible inactivation of these subregions to confirm their functions. These results are the first evidence for parallel processing within the avian song control network and correspond with recent evidence for parallel processing in the neural control of human speech.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_2016SP_Basista_fsu_0071E_13192
Format: Thesis

Title: Sexual Orientation Differences in Health Status and Treatment Seeking Behaviors Among Older Adults.
Creator: Ritter, Lacey J., Ueno, Koji, Charness, Neil, Taylor, John, Taylor, Miles G., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Sociology
Abstract/Description: The importance of older adults' health is increasing with extending lifespans. Despite a large amount of research conducted on older adults' health, little is known about sexual orientation differences. Although some studies have examined sexual orientation differences in health, many of them tended to focus on young and middle adulthood or paid little attention to life stage contexts. When studies do focus on older adulthood, they tend to focus solely on differences by sexual identity, and a...
Show moreThe importance of older adults' health is increasing with extending lifespans. Despite a large amount of research conducted on older adults' health, little is known about sexual orientation differences. Although some studies have examined sexual orientation differences in health, many of them tended to focus on young and middle adulthood or paid little attention to life stage contexts. When studies do focus on older adulthood, they tend to focus solely on differences by sexual identity, and a very few studies have focused on reporting of same-sex contact (SSC) as a measure of sexual orientation. Using a population-based sample of older adults, the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, this dissertation focused on two major areas of comparison between SSC and non-SSC older adults that have received limited attention in past research: STDs as a sexual health outcome (Chapter 2) and alternative medicine usage as a treatment seeking behavior (Chapter 3). I argue that sexual orientation is associated with older people's health status and treatment seeking behavior. Analyses based on negative binomial regressions and propensity matching models found that older adults who report any SSC in their lifetime have higher lifetime rates of STDs and are more likely to use alternative medicine as a type of treatment seeking behavior. Primary analyses were based on negative binomial regression models, and supplemental analyses included propensity score matching models, stratified regressions, zero-inflated negative binomial regression models, sensitivity analyses, and additional tests based on alternative measures of the focal variables. These findings extend the sociological literature on sexual orientation differences in older adult health by examining outcomes of health status and treatment seeking behaviors that have previously been overlooked despite their important theoretical and policy implications.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_2017SP_Ritter_fsu_0071E_13705
Format: Thesis

Title: Productive Failure: Examining the Impact of Need for Cognition and Cognitive Flexibility on Conceptual Learning in Chemistry.
Creator: Arrington, Thomas Logan, Darabi, Aubteen, Charness, Neil, Klein, James D., Paek, Insu, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and...
Show moreArrington, Thomas Logan, Darabi, Aubteen, Charness, Neil, Klein, James D., Paek, Insu, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
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Abstract/Description: Productive failure refers to an instructional strategy that tasks students with attempting to solve a complex and/or ill-structured problem prior to instruction about the topic. In their problem-solving attempts, the students are anticipated to fail. Failure is a subject of discussion in many theories related to learning (e.g., expertise and self-regulation). In these theories, failure is considered as a natural occurrence where the learners must identify a method to recover. However, recent...
Show moreProductive failure refers to an instructional strategy that tasks students with attempting to solve a complex and/or ill-structured problem prior to instruction about the topic. In their problem-solving attempts, the students are anticipated to fail. Failure is a subject of discussion in many theories related to learning (e.g., expertise and self-regulation). In these theories, failure is considered as a natural occurrence where the learners must identify a method to recover. However, recent literature has begun to investigate the efficacy of leading learners directly to experience failure as an instructional strategy. This study investigated the effectiveness of the instructional strategy “productive failure” in improving learners’ conceptual knowledge in chemistry. Productive failure is comprised of two phases, exploration and consolidation. Exploration refers to learners having the opportunity to generate multiple solutions to a problem (i.e., attempt to solve the problem through multiple representations). Consolidation refers to an event where learners refine, correct, and/or consolidate the knowledge generated in the exploration phase. The research on productive failure has traditionally used a complex and/or ill-structured problem during the exploration phase and teacher-led instruction in the consolidation phase. Thus, productive failure is defined as a preparation for future learning activity, in that the exploration phase prepares individuals to learn from the subsequent consolidation phase. Compared to other instructional strategies, productive failure has led to improved knowledge gains on concepts, whereas other learning outcomes result in minimal or no gain. While the efficacy of this approach has been documented throughout the literature, many of the learner characteristics moderating their success under this strategy have not been identified. The types of elements that lead to improved learning under this approach should relate to learners’ abilities to persist through the exploration phase and realize the connection among explored concepts during the consolidation phase. Two characteristics that fit these criteria are cognitive flexibility and need for cognition. Cognitive flexibility deals with a person’s ability to adapt to a learning situation and quickly restructure their way of thinking. Need for cognition refers to a learners’ disposition towards difficult activity. The purpose of this study was to document the effects of productive failure against direct instruction with practice on conceptual learning. Also, this study aimed to identify a moderating role between learners’ need for cognition and cognitive flexibility in their conceptual learning outcomes. In addition, the study investigated four exploratory hypotheses dealing with learners’ satisfaction and process variables of problem solving. The study occurred in an undergraduate chemistry course with 64 students enrolled at a research three university in the southeastern United States during the Fall 2017 semester. This study focused on the topic of chemical reactions, where learners were tasked with explaining molecular changes in a substance. Of the 64 students invited, 58 attended the session where the learners had an opportunity to consent. Of the 58 students, 52 consented to be a part of the study. Those 52 students were randomly assigned into one of the two conditions. Throughout the implementation of the study, six participants dropped out by not attending one or more sessions. This left a remaining 46 total students, with 24 in the direct instruction with practice condition and 22 in the productive failure condition. The difference between these groups was in the sequence of events. Learners in the productive failure condition were tasked to solve a complex problem before instruction on the topic (i.e., chemical reactions), whereas these events were reversed for participants in the comparison group. All participants completed five separate instruments: a demographic and background survey, the cognitive flexibility measure, the need for cognition measure, a satisfaction measure, and a knowledge test before and after instruction. In addition, information on learners’ problem solving performance (i.e., self-reported problem solving time and number of solutions generated) was gather in each group. A combination of t-tests and two-way ANOVAs were conducted to investigate the seven hypotheses laid out within this study. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the conditions in their posttest scores (i.e., conceptual learning). While cognitive flexibility approached being a significant predictor, neither it nor need for cognition were significant factors impacting learning in either group. The exploratory hypotheses indicated that cognitive flexibility impacted the amount of time learners spent on problem solving, while need for cognition had no impact. Finally, learners’ satisfaction on productive failure was not originally equivalent but in a delayed measure there was no significant differences among the groups. The implications, limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Arrington_fsu_0071E_14375
Format: Thesis

Title: Adaptive Mechanisms of Superior Judgment under Uncertainty: Rational Choices from Simple Heuristics and Elaborative Strategies.
Creator: Cokely, Edward T. (Edward Tucker), Kelley, Colleen M., Bourgeois, Michelle, Ericsson, K. Anders, Charness, Neil, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State...
Show moreCokely, Edward T. (Edward Tucker), Kelley, Colleen M., Bourgeois, Michelle, Ericsson, K. Anders, Charness, Neil, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: Several studies demonstrate a consistent, positive relationship between cognitive ability measures and normatively superior judgment and decision behavior. However, little is known about the cognitive processes and mechanisms that give rise to these individual differences or more generally produce rational judgments under uncertainty. In a series of two experiments, protocol analysis and individual difference measures were used to demonstrate that, in contrast to the processes predicted by a...
Show moreSeveral studies demonstrate a consistent, positive relationship between cognitive ability measures and normatively superior judgment and decision behavior. However, little is known about the cognitive processes and mechanisms that give rise to these individual differences or more generally produce rational judgments under uncertainty. In a series of two experiments, protocol analysis and individual difference measures were used to demonstrate that, in contrast to the processes predicted by a rational theory (i.e. expected value calculations), rational choices often arise from combinations of simple considerations. These processes are similar to those predicted by the priority heuristic, although the priority heuristic generally predicted choices poorly, at or below chance levels. Critically, individual differences in elaborative adaptive strategies (e.g. more and more varied combinations of simple considerations) were strongly positively related to rational choices and fully mediated the cognitive ability and rational choice relationship. Implications for descriptive and process level models of choice are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3569
Format: Thesis

Title: The Model Human Processor and the Older Adult: Validation and Error Extension to GOMS in a Mobile Phone Task.
Creator: Jastrzembski, Tiffany S. (Tiffany Susan), Charness, Neil H., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Kelley, Colleen, Zwaan, Rolf, Licht, Mark, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Using a novel form of meta-analysis, this research estimates information processing parameter estimates for older adults using the Card, Moran, & Newell (1983) Model Human Processor model and applies these perceptual, motor, and cognitive parameters to mobile phone usability studies across tasks of increasing complexity. Older adult models predicted older adult human performance data extremely well (R = 0.99), and older adult models produced equivalent goodness-of-fits to previously validated...
Show moreUsing a novel form of meta-analysis, this research estimates information processing parameter estimates for older adults using the Card, Moran, & Newell (1983) Model Human Processor model and applies these perceptual, motor, and cognitive parameters to mobile phone usability studies across tasks of increasing complexity. Older adult models predicted older adult human performance data extremely well (R = 0.99), and older adult models produced equivalent goodness-of-fits to previously validated younger adult models for task completion time, suggesting that older adult parameters are valid for modeling purposes. Critical path analyses for mobile phone tasks supported and substantiated human factors findings and were also decomposed to highlight places where errors would likely occur as a function of cognitive workload, hardware or software design (including menu depth/breadth, button size, environmental supports), and user characteristics. Errors were then classified in ways amenable to modeling and error probabilities were extracted from known human performance. These were implemented in a novel GOMS model for error prediction in a more complex task, and analyses revealed no differences between model predictions and human production of error across all types of classified errors and across young and old age. As such, this research validates older adult parameters so that capabilities and limitations may be better understood with regard to existing designs, and so future technologies may be better designed around the needs of older adults. Further, this research decomposes errors into classifications amenable to human performance modeling, and extends a modeling technique to account for error prediction.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3546
Format: Thesis

Title: Deliberate Practice, Mental Representations, and Skilled Performance in Bowling.
Creator: Harris, Kevin R. (Kevin Russell), Ericsson, K. Anders, Spector, J. Michael, Kelley, Colleen M., Charness, Neil H., Plant, E. Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State...
Show moreHarris, Kevin R. (Kevin Russell), Ericsson, K. Anders, Spector, J. Michael, Kelley, Colleen M., Charness, Neil H., Plant, E. Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: The acquisition of skilled performance via deliberate practice is posited to result in consistency of task performance via refined representations of task requirements (Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996). In the present study, skilled ten-pin bowling performance was captured with standardized tasks and the execution variability of the bowling movements were monitored and related to success rate. Two approaches are introduced, the expert performance approach, which proposes cognitive mediation of task...
Show moreThe acquisition of skilled performance via deliberate practice is posited to result in consistency of task performance via refined representations of task requirements (Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996). In the present study, skilled ten-pin bowling performance was captured with standardized tasks and the execution variability of the bowling movements were monitored and related to success rate. Two approaches are introduced, the expert performance approach, which proposes cognitive mediation of task performance via mental representations, and the ecological/dynamical systems approach, which proposes that environmental information is the primary mediator of performance. Skilled and novice participants were asked to bowl twenty times each under a combination of full- and occluded- environmental (visual and auditory) conditions for spares and strikes. Skilled participants were found to exhibit low levels of execution variability and high success rates during normal spare and strike conditions. Analysis of the estimates of hours engaged in deliberate practice activities support the development of reduced variability through engagement in such activities. The role of environmental information on task performance was directly tested during the occluded conditions. The findings indicate that skilled participants maintain low execution variability during occluded conditions for both spare and strike trials. However, skilled participants maintain their performance advantage for success rate during occluded-environmental conditions for strike trials but not the spare trials. Further investigation of the decrease in success rate despite low execution variability revealed that participants were scaling down (shortening) the approach, likely due to a fear of falling by crossing the foul line. The accumulated evidence of the present study supports a mental representations approach but future research is proposed to buttress the current findings.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4245
Format: Thesis

Title: Partner Influence, Team Brainstorming, and Fraud Risk Assessment: Some Implications of SAS No. 99.
Creator: Carpenter, Tina Daly, Reimers, Jane L., Fennema, M. G., Charness, Neil H., Gerard, Gregory J., Hillison, William A., Department of Accounting, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Brainstorming sessions are now a requirement on each audit per Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, but concerns have been raised about their effectiveness in helping auditors better detect fraud. Standard setters recognize the potential for partners of the audit team to dampen the effectiveness of brainstorming by their influence on the brainstorming session, particularly when they stress efficiency over effectiveness....
Show moreBrainstorming sessions are now a requirement on each audit per Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, but concerns have been raised about their effectiveness in helping auditors better detect fraud. Standard setters recognize the potential for partners of the audit team to dampen the effectiveness of brainstorming by their influence on the brainstorming session, particularly when they stress efficiency over effectiveness. Additionally, audit team interaction has been shown to improve auditors' judgments, but interaction among individuals brainstorming has been shown to diminish the overall number of ideas generated. In an experiment, I test partner influence on a brainstorming session and the effects of this brainstorming session on auditor fraud judgments. I find that partners influence the amount of time spent brainstorming by the audit team. The results also indicate that, although brainstorming among the audit team does reduce the number of unique fraud ideas identified, it increases auditors' fraud risk assessments and questioning mind, potentially improving their ability to assess the risk of fraud.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4175
Format: Thesis

Title: Reactive Effects of Memory Performance Predictions.
Creator: Mitchum, Ainsley L. (Ainsley Linn), Kelley, Colleen M., LaPointe, Leonard L., Charness, Neil, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Ericsson, K. Anders, Department of Psychology, Florida State...
Show moreMitchum, Ainsley L. (Ainsley Linn), Kelley, Colleen M., LaPointe, Leonard L., Charness, Neil, Ehrlinger, Joyce, Ericsson, K. Anders, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: Does asking participants to monitor their performance alter the way metacognitive processes operate? Judgments of learning and other similar metacognitive judgments are recognized as a type of verbal report, and although reactivity is often a central concern in other verbal report methods (see Fox, Ericsson, & Best, 2011), surprisingly little work has specifically evaluated reactivity in JOLs. The two experiments presented here demonstrate that immediate JOLs are reactive under self-paced...
Show moreDoes asking participants to monitor their performance alter the way metacognitive processes operate? Judgments of learning and other similar metacognitive judgments are recognized as a type of verbal report, and although reactivity is often a central concern in other verbal report methods (see Fox, Ericsson, & Best, 2011), surprisingly little work has specifically evaluated reactivity in JOLs. The two experiments presented here demonstrate that immediate JOLs are reactive under self-paced study conditions. Specifically, immediate JOLs change how participants allocate their self-paced study time, which in turn affects memory performance. I argue that this occurs because the expectation that a JOL will be requested for a given item changes participants` criteria for terminating study. Implications for theories of self-regulated study are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5046
Format: Thesis

Title: Investigating Skilled and Less-Skilled Golfers' Psychological Preparation Strategies: The Use of a Think-Aloud Cognitive Process-Tracing Measure.
Creator: Arsal, Güler, Eccles, David W., Co-, Robert Eklund, Ericsson, K. Anders, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Charness, Neil, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida...
Show moreArsal, Güler, Eccles, David W., Co-, Robert Eklund, Ericsson, K. Anders, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Charness, Neil, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: The study of psychological skill use in sport is a key area of research in sport psychology. Skilled athletes have been shown to use a variety of psychological skills in practice and competition to regulate their psychological states (Taylor, Gould, & Rolo, 2008; White & Hardy, 1998). However, the methods used to investigate psychological skill use have been questioned (Eccles, 2012). In particular, some studies have employed experimental procedures that constrain researchers' ability to...
Show moreThe study of psychological skill use in sport is a key area of research in sport psychology. Skilled athletes have been shown to use a variety of psychological skills in practice and competition to regulate their psychological states (Taylor, Gould, & Rolo, 2008; White & Hardy, 1998). However, the methods used to investigate psychological skill use have been questioned (Eccles, 2012). In particular, some studies have employed experimental procedures that constrain researchers' ability to elicit valid verbal reports of athletes' cognitive processes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the use of psychological skills by golfers, as they prepared to putt, using a think-aloud cognitive process-tracing measure. Specifically, golfers' use of psychological skills during a particular episode (i.e., golf putting task), as indicated by think-aloud reports, was compared with their reported use of psychological skills in general, as measured by a traditional questionnaire instrument. Less-skilled (n = 26) and skilled golfers (n = 26) performed short- and long-distance golf putts under low- and high-stress conditions. On selected trials, participants verbalized their thoughts concurrent with task performance. For each putt, putt accuracy and the time taken to putt were measured. Also, for each putt, the concurrent think-aloud reports were transcribed, and statements indicative of psychological skill use were identified and tabulated. Results indicated a positive and moderate correlation between a traditional questionnaire measure of performers' general use of psychological skills (TOPS-2) and psychological skill use during actual task performance, as measured by think-aloud reports. Participants used psychological skills moderately during their practice and competition sessions, as measured by TOPS-2 and during their preparation to putt, as measured by think-aloud reports. Regardless of the measure used, psychological skill use did not differ significantly between the skill groups. As expected, both groups perceived the long-distance putts as more difficult than short-distance putts, and experienced more anxiety in the high-stress condition than the low-stress condition. However, participants in both groups did not increase their use of psychological skills with the increase in task difficulty or anxiety, as indicated by think-aloud reports. Psychological skill use after unsuccessful and successful putts was also analyzed; prior putt performance had no significant effect on psychological skill use, as measured by think-aloud reports. Despite the concerns that general measures of psychological skill, such as the TOPS-2, might not capture the actual thoughts being experienced by athletes (instead tapping a priori, implicit causal theories), the moderate correlation found here suggests some validity for the TOPS-2. Overall, this study represents a step toward better understanding and measurement of psychological skill use in athletes.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7277
Format: Thesis

Title: Factors Affecting the Likelihood of Constrained Retrieval: The Role of Recollective Details and Cue Distinctiveness.
Creator: Alban, Michael W., Kelley, Colleen M., Hofacker, Charles F., Charness, Neil H., Kaschak, Michael P., Plant, Elizabeth Ashby, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: As a kind of controlled cognition, strategically reinstating an encoding process to facilitate retrieval of specific subsets of information is more cognitively costly than more automatic forms of retrieval. Although strategic reinstatement of encoding operations is cognitively costly, it may offer no memorial advantage when familiarity-based retrieval is diagnostic or when following events that fail to promote distinctive encoding. In three experiments, I investigated conditions that vary the...
Show moreAs a kind of controlled cognition, strategically reinstating an encoding process to facilitate retrieval of specific subsets of information is more cognitively costly than more automatic forms of retrieval. Although strategic reinstatement of encoding operations is cognitively costly, it may offer no memorial advantage when familiarity-based retrieval is diagnostic or when following events that fail to promote distinctive encoding. In three experiments, I investigated conditions that vary the likelihood and benefit of encoding context reinstatement using the memory-for-foils paradigm (Jacoby, Shimizu, Daniels, & Rhodes, 2005a). In Experiments 1-2, I tested whether the likelihood of constrained retrieval varies as a function of the diagnosticity of familiarity by varying word frequency (Experiment 1) and the need for recollective details in the context of an associative memory task (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, I tested whether the likelihood of constrained retrieval varies as a function of cue distinctiveness. Throughout, I also evaluated whether constrained retrieval actually benefits memory. Overall, I created variations in the likelihood of constrained retrieval and found evidence to support the view that constrained retrieval benefits recognition memory, particularly in the case of memory for deeply processed items.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7268
Format: Thesis

Title: A New Framework of Web Credibility Assessment and an Exploratory Study of Older Adults' Information Behavior on the Web.
Creator: Choi, Wonchan, Stvilia, Besiki, Charness, Neil, Burnett, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie), Mon, Lorri M., Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School...
Show moreChoi, Wonchan, Stvilia, Besiki, Charness, Neil, Burnett, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie), Mon, Lorri M., Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School of Information
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation research aims to provide a better understanding of people's credibility assessment of online information (i.e., Web credibility assessment), which is an important part of their information behavior. In particular, this research focuses on older adults as a research population as they are a less studied user group in the literature on information credibility. Considering the ever increasing presence of older adults on the Web and their needs for health information in their...
Show moreThis dissertation research aims to provide a better understanding of people's credibility assessment of online information (i.e., Web credibility assessment), which is an important part of their information behavior. In particular, this research focuses on older adults as a research population as they are a less studied user group in the literature on information credibility. Considering the ever increasing presence of older adults on the Web and their needs for health information in their daily lives, this research explores older adults' credibility assessment of online health information within the context of everyday life information seeking (ELIS). The methodology employed in this research consists of a qualitative meta-study (Phase I) and semi-structured interviews (Phase II). In Phase I, the researcher analyzed 84 primary research reports on information credibility, identifying conceptual typologies of important facets of credibility assessment such as conceptualization, operationalization, variability (user characteristics and contexts), and process. Based on these conceptual typologies, the researcher proposed a new, extended framework of Web credibility assessment, named WC framework, that contains three main components, Assessment of WC—i.e., conceptualization and operationalization to measure Web credibility; Variability of WC—i.e., variables regarding individual and context; and Process of WC—i.e., the overall process of Web credibility assessment. In Phase II, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-one older adults whose ages ranged from 61 to 80 (M = 70.3) in the manner of one-on-one, in-person. The purposeful sampling methods, such as convenience sampling and snowball sampling, were used to recruit older adults who meet the sampling criteria of the study: age (55 years old or older), residency (Florida residents for an in-person interview), and Internet use experience. Also, a prescreen test was carried out via a telephone interview to make sure that the participant's cognitive function was adequate for the study. Those who met all the sampling criteria and passed the prescreen test were recruited for an in-person interview which lasted around 45 minutes. The interview data revealed that older adults needed health/wellness information regarding medication and supplements, symptoms of and cures for specific diseases, medical quality assurance, health insurance, nutrition, and exercise. In seeking health information, they used both interpersonal and online sources. As for the interpersonal sources, the research participants mentioned medical professionals (e.g., doctors and physicians), partners, family, and friends. On the Web, they referenced information from non-profit (i.e., non-commercial) institutions' websites such as government websites (e.g., NIH, CDC) and university hospitals' websites (e.g., Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard Medical School). The most frequently mentioned commercial website was WebMD. Depending on the purposes of health information seeking, some interviewees mentioned that they used pharmacists' websites (e.g., Walgreens and CVS). When judging the credibility of online health information, they employed various cues/markers and heuristics that are related to the attributes of the operator (i.e., source), content (i.e., message), and design (i.e., media) of Web resources. Based on the new framework developed in Phase I, the informants' Web credibility assessment process was characterized with the two stages: initial and final evaluations. Lastly, both theoretical and empirical implications of the research and future research directions were discussed. Specifically, the new Web credibility assessment framework (i.e., the WC framework) advanced our understanding of the conceptualization of Web credibility and can be used as a knowledge resource in developing context specific credibility assessment models as well as information system interfaces that provide effective support for information credibility evaluation by users. Likewise, findings from the semi-structured interviews can inform online information system developers and librarians about how older users search for online health information and how they assess its credibility. Ultimately, the findings of this research should help the development of more effective online systems, services, and, training modules that are aligned with the online information behaviors of this rapidly growing, important user population—i.e., older adults.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9571
Format: Thesis

Title: Knowledge Structures and Decision Making in Chess.
Creator: Moxley, Jerad, Ericsson, K. Anders (Karl Anders), Fennema, Martin G. (Martin Gene), Charness, Neil, Wagner, Richard K., Johnson, Frank, Florida State University, College of Arts...
Show moreMoxley, Jerad, Ericsson, K. Anders (Karl Anders), Fennema, Martin G. (Martin Gene), Charness, Neil, Wagner, Richard K., Johnson, Frank, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Abstract Superior decision-making in chess is thought to rely on a combination of knowledge and search. Research has focused primarily on the chess knowledge base reflected by the importance to chess research of the short-term memory recall paradigm. The direct relevance of research on short-term recall of chess position to the domain-specific knowledge that mediates superior move selection, is based on two theoretical assumptions that have not yet been fully tested. The first assumption is...
Show moreAbstract Superior decision-making in chess is thought to rely on a combination of knowledge and search. Research has focused primarily on the chess knowledge base reflected by the importance to chess research of the short-term memory recall paradigm. The direct relevance of research on short-term recall of chess position to the domain-specific knowledge that mediates superior move selection, is based on two theoretical assumptions that have not yet been fully tested. The first assumption is that the chess knowledge base is automatically activated during the perception of a position in a similar manner for move-selection and memory tasks. The second assumption is that the knowledge that underlies move-selection can be adequately represented in a few seconds by a memory task. Study 1 will estimate the length of the presentation time required to demonstrate superior move selection for skilled chess players. The second study will examine the link between the knowledge structures thought to underlie chess skill (chunks identified in memory tests) and quality of move selection. Study 2 will present a series of chess positions with two different instructions. In the first condition participants will be instructed to recall as much of the presented position a possible and in the second condition they will be asked to select the best move followed by recall. This study will test for significant differences in the activated chess knowledge in the two conditions and propose a theoretical model for expert move selection based on knowledge and search
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_2016SP_Moxley_fsu_0071E_12767
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring Social Semantic Relationships for Knowledge Representation in Health Through Mining Social Data.
Creator: Park, Min Sook, Burnett, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie), Charness, Neil, Oh, Sanghee, Urban, Richard J., Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School...
Show morePark, Min Sook, Burnett, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie), Charness, Neil, Oh, Sanghee, Urban, Richard J., Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School of Information
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Abstract/Description: Although online searching for health information has grown in recent years, the massive amount and unstructured presentation of information make it difficult for users to find relevant data. Despite efforts to structure information resources online, the existing knowledge organization systems (KOS) have faced many challenges in coping with the quickly evolving databases, mainly due to the rigidity of the existing knowledge representation (KR) systems. The goal of the current study is to...
Show moreAlthough online searching for health information has grown in recent years, the massive amount and unstructured presentation of information make it difficult for users to find relevant data. Despite efforts to structure information resources online, the existing knowledge organization systems (KOS) have faced many challenges in coping with the quickly evolving databases, mainly due to the rigidity of the existing knowledge representation (KR) systems. The goal of the current study is to provide a basis for enriching the existing KR systems in a user-centered way by leveraging online health information users’ KR practices to the existing structured KOS. A social semantic approach was adopted as a theoretical framework of the study. This relatively new approach to KR seeks a way to impart the merits of two different metadata mechanisms: user-generated metadata (i.e., social tags) and ontologies with the aim of bridging the rich vocabularies of Web users to enhance ontology structures. Particular considerations were given to exploring semantic attributes and relationships between social tags and associated unstructured data in social media, based on the existing ontology structure ⎯ the Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS). Two methods ⎯ text mining and content analysis ⎯ were used to comprehend the language capabilities of humans along with the high speed processing ability of computers. A natural language processing tool was also partially used. A total of 341,720 descriptive tags from 50,263 blogs were collected from a social media site: Tumblr. The blogs and tags were used as representations of user-generated documents and descriptive metadata regarding health issues, which can be utilized by non-healthcare professionals. In analyzing usage pattern, semantic categories, and latent relationships among the semantic categories found from user vocabularies in user-generated health resources, preliminary understandings on user’s ordinary online KR practices for health information and semantic structures were gained. The research suggests highly right-skewed vocabulary usage patterns in tags and terms in blogs. Thus, there were a few popular tags and terms. The semantic types identified in tags and in terms used in blogs showed similar distribution patterns. A few of semantic types were very popular while the others were infrequently used both in tags and in blog terms. The relationships structures among the identified semantic types showed health information users tend to associate various semantic groups of tags and terms to represent or describe their health issues. More complicated and strong associations were observed among semantic types in terms used to describe their health issues than those among semantic types in tags. The semantic types in tags and in blog terms were found to have many strong, direct, and close connections each other. Of those identified tags and terms, over half were covered by the existing ontology. When it came to the unmapped vocabularies, less than ten percent were directly related to health issues, showing possible inter-concept relationships to the pre-coordinated concepts in the existing ontology, that is the UMLS. The combination of rich user vocabularies and ontological models could better correspond with health information behavior in reality. The findings of this research have various practical and theoretical implications for understanding information users’ KR practices and for promoting user-oriented knowledge organization or representation systems. The hope is to ultimately contribute toward improving the structure and access of online health resources by conferring richer collective intelligence on KR systems.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_2016SU_Park_fsu_0071E_13307
Format: Thesis

Title: Age Differences in the Subjective Valuation of Technology.
Creator: Best, Ryan M., Charness, Neil, Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Boot, Walter Richard, Kelley, Colleen M., Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreBest, Ryan M., Charness, Neil, Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Boot, Walter Richard, Kelley, Colleen M., Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Drawing from the decision-making literature, the framing and cross-modal discounting paradigms were used to investigate the effect of age on the subjective valuation of technology. Using the framing paradigm to covertly measure age differences in relative subjective valuation, it was hypothesized that older adults would undervalue technology relative to younger adults and when compared to non-technology-related rewards. Through the use of the cross-modal discounting paradigm, it was also...
Show moreDrawing from the decision-making literature, the framing and cross-modal discounting paradigms were used to investigate the effect of age on the subjective valuation of technology. Using the framing paradigm to covertly measure age differences in relative subjective valuation, it was hypothesized that older adults would undervalue technology relative to younger adults and when compared to non-technology-related rewards. Through the use of the cross-modal discounting paradigm, it was also hypothesized that older adults would display a larger perceived attribute difference between technology and non-technology-related rewards when compared to younger adults. Three experiments were conducted utilizing both online and in-lab samples. Analysis of the framing items revealed few age differences in risky choice preferences across the scenario modalities. Gift cards for technology or non-technology-related items were not found to be subjectively valued differently between age groups, or differently from unallocated money within age groups. Analysis of the cross-modal discounting items revealed a subset of individuals, evenly distributed across age groups, which perceived a large attribute difference between the gift cards, showing a preference for the non-technology-related reward. These outwardly contradictory results and implications for older adults and technology adoption are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_2016SU_Best_fsu_0071E_13205
Format: Thesis

Title: An Exploration of the Time Course of Attention Sets for Object Features.
Creator: Stothart, Cary, Charness, Neil, LaPointe, Leonard L., Boot, Walter Richard, Hart, Sara, Folstein, Jonathan Robert, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreStothart, Cary, Charness, Neil, LaPointe, Leonard L., Boot, Walter Richard, Hart, Sara, Folstein, Jonathan Robert, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: We sometimes fail to notice objects and events in our environment because our attention is directed elsewhere—a phenomenon called inattentional blindness. Our attentional set—the features we prioritize in our environment—plays a large role in determining what we notice. For example, adopting an attentional set for green makes green objects more likely to capture attention. Although a large body of research has explored the types of attentional sets we may adopt, few have explored the time...
Show moreWe sometimes fail to notice objects and events in our environment because our attention is directed elsewhere—a phenomenon called inattentional blindness. Our attentional set—the features we prioritize in our environment—plays a large role in determining what we notice. For example, adopting an attentional set for green makes green objects more likely to capture attention. Although a large body of research has explored the types of attentional sets we may adopt, few have explored the time course of attentional sets. And, out of these, none have explored how experience with a no-longer useful attentional set can impact the activation of new attentional sets. In two experiments, I show that a minimal amount of experience with an attentional set can cause that set to remain active past the point when it is no longer useful: Noticing of an unexpected object was higher when its color matched the color of previous targets, but new distractors, than when its color matched the color of objects that were always distractors. Furthermore, noticing was equivalent between times when the unexpected object's color matched the color of objects that were previous distractors, but new targets, and times when its color matched the color of objects that were always targets. Overall, this finding suggests that past experience with an attentional set can impact the time it takes to adopt a new attentional set.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_2016SP_Stothart_fsu_0071E_13068
Format: Thesis

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