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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Functional Opponency In Working Memory Capacity Predicts Cognitive Flexibility In Problem Solving., Charles A. Van Stockum Jr.
Functional Opponency In Working Memory Capacity Predicts Cognitive Flexibility In Problem Solving., Charles A. Van Stockum Jr.
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cognitive flexibility is a hallmark of individuals with higher working memory capacity (WMC). Yet, research demonstrates that higher WMC individuals are sometimes more likely to adopt rigid problem-solving approaches. The present research examines a novel account for these contradictory findings—that different WMC mechanisms interact in ways that both support and constrain cognitive flexibility. Across three studies, participants completed the water jug task—a problem-solving task requiring them to first establish and then break mental set using a complex strategy. Participants then completed measures targeting three WMC mechanisms: attention control, primary memory, and secondary memory. Study 1 demonstrated that primary memory and …
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Cognitive Flexibility Influences Career Decision Making And Related Anxiety, Emily Flandermeyer
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Cognitive Flexibility Influences Career Decision Making And Related Anxiety, Emily Flandermeyer
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection
Career indecision is a stage most individuals pass through during their lifetime, but it is often accompanied by anxiety. While anxiety can have a positive influence on decision making by focusing attention and cognitive resources, excess anxiety can disrupt the career decision-making process. Existing literature links anxiety to cognitive flexibility, an individual’s ability to efficiently switch between thoughts and ideas and adapt to evolving situations, with young adults higher in cognitive flexibility typically experiencing less anxiety than their less flexible peers. However, no studies to date have examined cognitive flexibility as it relates to career indecision or career-indecision-related anxiety. This …
The Nexus Between Cognitive Flexibility And Prejudicial Attitudes In Younger And Older Adults, Yerika Germosen
The Nexus Between Cognitive Flexibility And Prejudicial Attitudes In Younger And Older Adults, Yerika Germosen
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The mutability of prejudicial attitudes can be elucidated by taking into account the declines in cognition that tend to emerge as we age. This study aimed to assess whether there is a relationship between prejudice towards different ethnic groups and cognitive flexibility throughout adulthood. Ninety-five older adults and 118 younger adults were asked to complete an electronic survey encompassing measures of cognitive flexibility, social desirability, personality, optimism, empathy, ethnic attachment and prejudice. It was hypothesized that older adults would report lower levels of cognitive flexibility and higher levels of ethnic attachment in comparison to younger adults, which would in turn …