Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Prior Knowledge In Learning From Examples, Stephen B. Blessing '89

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the way people acquire procedures from examples, and provides a computational model of the results. In four experiments, people learned an analog of algebra. For each experiment, the initial know ledge that people had of the task was varied. In two experiments (Experiments 1 and 3), the syntactic know ledge that people had concerning the task w as manipulated. The knowledge of syntax that participants had, particularly the ability to correctly parse the character string, was found to be a major determiner in the way participants acquired the rules. Experiment 2 explicitly manipulated participant's awareness as to …

Logical Rings In The Mutual Exclusion Problem Of Distributed Memory Systems, John Evan Dell

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we investigate distributed mutual exclusion algorithms and delineate the features of a new distributed mutual exclusion algorithm. The basis of the algorithm is the logical ring structure employed in token-based mutual exclusion algorithms. Specifically, there exists dynamic properties of the logical ring that, given certain restrictions regarding message traffic flow, passively give useful information about the location of the token. Effectively, the algorithm demonstrates a type of "intelligent routing" that identifies useful shortcuts to in the routing of the token. The result is a reduction in the total number of messages exchanged prior to the execution of …

Prospective Memory: The Difference Between Older And Younger Adults, Jacqueline Malie Brucker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Short Term Effects Of Repeated Masked Priming In Stem Completion Tasks, Anthony Van Andel

Theses : Honours

This thesis examines the effect of time delay and intervening items on masked repetition studies with word stem completion tasks. In the first experiment a masked priming effect was obtained. The effect was strongest 500ms after the presentation of the prime, and decreasing in a linear trend seven seconds after the presentation of the prime. The second experiment found that interpolating a naming task between the masked prime and the stem completion task eliminated the effects of the repeated masked prime. This result is a failure to replicate previous research which found a masked repetition effect over a short delay …

The Effects On Memory And Self-Reported Behaviour Of Four Types Of Information About Water Conservation, Brigit A. Cosgrove

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Education campaigns conducted by water management agencies are intended to motivate people to conserve water. However, there has been little research to determine what kind of information best achieves this goal. Four types of information partly based on Stem, Dietz and Kalof's (1993) social-psychological model of environmental value orientations were examined in this study: action information about ways to conserve water; abstract factual information about water and its use; anthropocentric information about how people are affected by water use; and ecocentric information about how the environment is affected by water use. Using cluster sampling techniques 160 participants were selected from …

Early Recollections Of Women In Mathematics, Michael Robert Elmore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated whether the content of early recollections distinguishes between women in mathematics and women not directly associated with the study of mathematics. More specifically, this study attempted to determine whether significant differences exist between women math majors/minors and women nonmath majors with respect to manifest content of early recollections as scored employing the Manaster-Perryman Manifest Content Early Recollections Scoring Manual (Manaster & Perryman, 1974). Variables were selected in conformity with known determinants associated with mathematics predilection in women: the roles of mothers and fathers, degree of self-confidence, nonconformity, spatial/visual orientation, school, active or passive tendencies, internal locus of …

Factors Affecting Attention To And Retention Of Low-Impact Messages On Trailside Bulletin Boards, Timothy P. Hammond

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Age And Personality Differences In The Choice Of Mnemonic Strategy, Gretchen Witte

Honors Theses

Personality as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been shown to change with age. Specifically, older adults become more sensing, while younger adults remain more intuitive on the SN dimension. Memory and the use of mnemonic strategies, or memory aids, changes with age as well. Older adults typically report more problems with their memory, yet use fewer memory strategy aids. If adults learn and use memory aids consistent with intuitive processing in youth, the hypothesized transition to a more sensing modality in old age may cause the use of intuitive strategies to decline. Thus, the finding that older adults …

Direct And Indirect Testing Of Memory In Children With Learning Disabilities, Janette L. Sodoro

Student Work

This study examined the relation between performance on direct and indirect measures of memory for pictures and words in children with learning disabilities. Recognition memory provided the direct measure and the magnitude of naming facilitation provided the indirect measure. Fourth grade learning disabled and nonlearning disabled children were asked to study a mixed list of pictures and words. A naming/recognition task was administered immediately following the study phase, as well as the following day. In addition, source memory was measured immediately following each recognition decision. For each item recognized as "old", subjects were required to render a decision about the …

Searching For Orthogonal States Of Neural Networks, Heng Wang

Theses

Two approaches to find orthogonal states of neural network are presented in the paper. The first approach is a recursive one, it builds N orthogonal vectors based on N /2 orthogonal vectors. The second approach is a formula approach, in which orthogonal vectors can be obtained using a formula. Using these approaches, orthogonal states of neural network are found. Some properties of the neural network built on these orthogonal vectors are presented in Appendix A and some examples are given in Appendix B.

Eyewitness Suggestibility Across Presentation Modalities, David Van Norman

Theses Digitization Project

Misleading post-event information--Cognitive processing differences.

An Exploratory Evaluation Of The Effects Of Stroop Modulation Upon The Perception Of Relative Frequency, Gabriel Gonsalves-Sosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effects of congruency, target percentage and target location on judgments of relative frequency were examined. A stimulus consisted of a set of 24 words ("ABOVE"/"BELOW") with asterisks located either on top or underneath the words. The stimulus sets were presented on a computer monitor for 1.50 seconds. Subjects had to judge the frequency of their target (asterisks-above or asterisks-below) at the end of each trial. Forty-eight of the trials were 100% congruent (word and asterisk location with relation to the word indicated same location) and 48 of the trials were 50% congruent and 50% non-congruent. The results indicated that …

Sharing Memory In Distributed Systems, Oscar Rodrigo Aguilar

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

We propose an algorithm for simulating atomic registers, test-and-set, fetch-and-add, and read-modify-write registers in a message passing system. The algorithm is fault tolerant and works correctly in presence of up to (N/2) -1 node failures where N is the number of processors in the system. The high resilience of the algorithm is obtained by using randomized consensus algorithms and a robust communication primitive. The use of this primitive allows a processor to exchange local information with a majority of processors in a consistent way, and therefore to take decisions safely. The simulator makes it possible to translate algorithms for the …

Effect Of Memory Training On Memory Performance, Self-Efficacy Rarings And Patterns Of Attributions In Older Adults, Krista E. Larson

Honors Theses

An investigation of age differences in memory performance for list and text recall was conducted in the context of a training manipulation. It was hypothesized that there would be age differences in performance, measures of self-efficacy, and attributional style, but that training in memory strategies would have an effect on those differences. The training manipulation appeared to be more effective for the list portion of the experiment, and improvements in performance and changes in attributions were induced. The text portion of the experiment revealed the predicted age differences, but training failed to elicit any of the other predicted effects. The …

The Effect Of Near Versus Far Domain Analogies On Learning And Memory, Shirley Joyce Rhyne

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Semantic And Self-Referent Encoding Techniques And Recall Of Meanings Of Unfamiliar Adjectives, Maria K. Whittington

Master's Theses

In order to test the efficacy of levels of processing on memory, recall of unfamiliar adjectives among five encoding groups: a) semantic, b) self-reference specific, c) self-reference general, d) semantic (plural), and e) self-reference specific (plural) was examined. Introductory psychology students at the University of Richmond viewed twenty unfamiliar adjectives and definitions for forty-five seconds each, followed by a five minute distractor task and a seven minute test for recall of the definitions. A second seven minute recall test was administered one week later. There were no significant differences in recall between groups, but a significant effect of time upon …

The Effect Of Elaboration On Memory: Self-Generated Elaboration Vs Experimenter-Provided Elaboration, Sung-Il Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of elaborations on memory. Two types of elaborations (self-generated elaboration and experimenter-provided elaboration) were examined. The experiment consisted of three phases (incidental learning phase, immediate test phase, and delayed test phase). In the incidental learning phase, subjects were asked to make plausibility judgments about 28 fictitious episodes. Half of these were about well-known individuals and the other half were about unknown individuals. Each name (either well-known or unknown) was presented with either two supportive facts or without the supportive facts. During the immediate test phase, subjects were given unexpected memory …

Retention Of Content Material As A Function Of Mode Of Presentation And Preconceived Degree Of Difficulty, Richard S. Velayo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The effects of the mode of presentation and the preconceived degree of difficulty on the retention of academic content material were measured. The design of the experiment was a 6 x 3 x 2 split-plot factorial. The levels for the mode of presentation were: (a) print-only, (b) pictorial-plus-print, (c) audio only, (d) pictorial-plus-audio, (e) print-plus-audio, and (f) pictorial-plus-print-plus-audio. The levels for the preconceived degree of difficulty were: (a) very easy, (b) neutral, and (c) very difficult. The participants were 112 undergraduate students (24 males, 88 females) randomly assigned to the experimental conditions. The dependent variables were the immediate and delayed …

The Effects Of Levels Of Processing On Retention Of Word Meaning, Dorothy A. Flannagan

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the three encoding techniques of rote memory, semantic, and self-reference, on short-term and long-term retention levels of unfamiliar vocabulary words and their meanings. Seventy-two college students participated in the experiment, with 24 students in each encoding group. All participants viewed 20 target words and their definitions, and were exposed to each word for 30 seconds. Each group was given instructions designed to promote a type of encoding specific to their group. After a five-minute distractor task, subjects were given a list of the target words and were tested on …

Diva, A Data Flow Language, Edith Lawson

Theses

The underlying principles of concurrency and data flow are summarized along with a survey of the current data flow languages. A high level data flow language, DIVA, is developed that provides the basic data types and language constructs of traditional languages as well as some unique features of data flow. The organization and data structures of the compiler and assembler are also discussed.

Endurance And Affiliation : Traits As A Priori Self Schemata In Memory, Nancy Mackay Bruckner

Master's Theses

This study investigated the hypotheses that subjects' scores on the trait of endurance would have s. positive, significant correlation with their recall of endurance-related adjectives, and that subjects' scores on the trait of affiliation would have a positive, significant correlation with their recall of affiliation-related words. One hundred forty-five male and female undergraduates from the University of Richmond answered questions from the Affiliation and Endurance scales of the Personality Research Form (Jackson, 1967). As a separate task subjects decided whether or not each of fortyeight adjectives described themselves. Sixteen of these adjectives referred to endurance, sixteen to affiliation, and sixteen …

Can Learning Disabled Children Effectively Use Memory Strategies, Rebecca Ann Mcgee Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Encoding Variety And Concurrent-Task Practice On The Transfer And Retention Of Complex Skill, Peter S. Winne

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of dual-task practice and the variety of problems solved during practice on (a) the acquisition of procedural and declarative skills and the development of concurrent-task skills, and (b) the utilization and maintenance of two types of strategies. Strategies were defined as the use of different mixes of skills pertaining to procedures and specific declarative solutions. Two tasks--mental arithmetic and trigrams--were used to examine problem-solving skills and strategies both immediately following practice and again under delayed conditions. Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to one of four practice conditions by factorially combining practice mode (single- or …

Effects Of Integrating Functions Of Left And Right Hemispheres On Recall Memory, Jaclyn Jean Trost

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Television Viewing On College Students : An Eeg Analysis Of Cerebral Asymmetry, William B. Sheffel

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The controversy over the effects of television viewing on human behavior has drawn a great deal of attention over the last decade. This study sought to investigate this area by looking at cortical response to television viewing.

The subjects in the study consisted of 24 men and 24 women (m=l9 .6 years) who were monitored for bilateral EEG alpha (8-13 Hz) brain wave production while viewing a television commercial (verbal and nonverbal/ spatial) and were then tested for recall at the end of the session.

The analysis of variance for a split-plot factorial design (S.P.F. 222.43; Kirk, 1968) revealed that …

Cognitive Capacity And Memory For Scripts, Gretchen Marie Lindquist

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Aurora Borealis, Carol Luzon

Theses

None provided.

Normative Data On The Auditory Memory Test Battery, Mary Clare Mountain

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the means and standard deviations for the Auditory Memory Test Battery (Burford, 1976) using a sample of normal second, third, and fourth grade children. The study also compared span and sequence scores, low and high SES scores, and an individual's test scores with teacher judgment of intelligence group. A brief examination of the AMTB as used with LD children was also performed but not included in the statistical analysis.

Effects Of Cognitive Tuning, Self-Consciousness And Information Load On Memory In A Social Interaction, Harold David Zehr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Modality Dominance On Reaction Time And Short-Term Memory Tests In Schizophrenia, Aileen Henrietta Plunkett Santee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.