Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Improving Witnesses' Predictive Confidence Judgments By Enhancing Test Domain Familiarity, Laura J. Shambaugh

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research on witnesses’ pre-identification confidence (“predictive confidence”) suggests that these judgments are moderately related to identification accuracy when witnesses experience encoding variability and appropriate statistical techniques are used. However, other research shows that under ecologically valid conditions involving a single identification, the relationship between predictive confidence and accuracy deteriorates. One potential explanation for this lack of a meaningful confidence-accuracy relationship is that witnesses are unfamiliar with the lineup task leading them to underestimate its difficulty. Identification difficulty is partly determined by the similarity of lineup fillers to the suspect, which witnesses cannot anticipate when they make a predictive confidence …

The Influence Of A Showup Identification On A Subsequent Witness Description, Kelsey Lynne Hess

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Showups account for 30%-77% of initial identification procedures conducted by police (Flowe et al., 2001; Gonzalez et al., 1993; McQuiston & Malpass, 2001). Unlike lineups, showups are typically administered within a few hours of the crime event. The administration of a showup, due to its timing, is likely to precede a more formal police interview. The showup may introduce new characteristics of the suspect’s physical appearance to the witness. Any new characteristics inconsistent with the perpetrator’s appearance at the crime can be considered misinformation, which has the potential to contaminate witness recall. Although the contaminating effects of a showup have …

Neurocognitive Mechanisms Associated With Real-World Financial Savings Among Individuals From Lower Income Households, Ranjita Poudel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lower financial savings among individuals experiencing adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) such as low socioeconomic status (low-SES) increases health inequities during times of crisis. Despite evidence suggesting that economic stability established by better money-saving behavior may minimize socioeconomic disparities, neurocognitive mechanisms that regulate money-saving behavior remains to be understood. In the current studies, we utilized neuroimaging, behavioral, self-report, and real-world behavior data to examine neurocognitive mechanisms associated with money-saving behavior among low-SES population. In study 1, we utilized Balloon Analogue Risk task (BART) to probe decision-making (DM) related brain activity and further examined the relationship between brain activity, BART-performance, …

Alibi Generation And Discriminability: Improving Innocent Suspects' Accuracy And Examining Alibi Discriminability, Kureva Pritchard Matuku

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature on the generation and evaluation of alibis reveals two main findings: (a) Innocent alibi providers are often inaccurate when reporting their alibis, and (b) people are poor at discriminating true from deceptive alibis. Across two experiments, this research adopted a system variables approach to addressing these two problems. Study 1 examined whether a theory-driven intervention involving preparation time with phone access would enhance the accuracy of innocent suspects’ alibis. Additionally, Study 1 explored cues to deception that could differentiate honest and deceptive alibi providers. Study 1 conformed to a 2 (Alibi Type: Honest, Deceptive) x 3 (Interview Approach: …

Exercise, Cognition, And Cannabis Use In Adolescents, Ileana Pacheco-Colón

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy and/or chronic cannabis use has been associated with neurocognitive impairment and decline, often in domains such as memory and executive functioning. On the other hand, exercise has been linked to positive effects on brain and cognitive health across the lifespan, as well as to better substance use outcomes. Despite this, little is known about the ways in which exercise could help prevent or ameliorate adverse cannabis-related outcomes among adolescents.

Through three separate studies, the current dissertation examines interrelations among exercise, cognition, and cannabis use in children and adolescents in an effort to determine whether exercise can prevent or ameliorate …

The Cerebellum's Relationship To Language Function Following Perinatal Stroke, Carolina Alexis Vias

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While recent studies have demonstrated the association between the cerebellum and higher-order cognitive functioning, it is still unclear how volumetric differences of specific regions of interests within the cerebellum across typical and atypical development are related to language function. We have done so by measuring the volume of cerebellar subregions of healthy controls, and compared the volume to behavioral measures of language function. We then followed with an analysis of the cerebellum’s relationship to language function following perinatal stroke, which provides us with a greater knowledge of the impact of a cortical injury on cerebellar development and the cognitive outcomes …

Undermining Witnesses' Perceptions Of Police Belief Improves Eyewitness Identification Accuracy In Showup Procedures, Alexis T. Mook

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Showups—an identification procedure in which a single suspect is presented to an eyewitness—are considered to be highly suggestive by the U.S. Supreme Court and eyewitness researchers. Despite the suggestive nature of the procedure, showups are often utilized by law enforcement as a fast and easy means of either quickly arresting a suspect (if the witness makes an identification) or setting a suspect free (if the witness does not make an identification). Researchers have therefore begun examining procedural safeguards that might mitigate the suggestiveness of showups. To date, only the additional-opportunities instruction (AOI) has been developed as an easily implemented safeguard …

Children's Creative Processes In Music Composition Through The Orff-Schulwerk Approach, Ashley Viera Espinal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the creative processes of elementary school students in music composition through the Orff-Schulwerk approach. Twenty-two 5th grade students and a music teacher with all three levels of the Orff-Schulwerk certification participated in the study. There were three main focal points that were investigated within a span of five-weeks: 1) children’s creativity in an Orff-based composition task, 2) children’s perceptions of their creative processes employed during the composition task, and 3) the teacher’s perceptions of teaching/learning music composition through the Orff-Schulwerk approach. Data were generated through observations, field notes, interviews with …

A Novel Approach To Studying Human Intelligence-Gathering: Employing A Realistic Paradigm For The Study Of Elicitation Approaches, Sarah A. Shaffer

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is often necessary to interrogate sources of information when threats to national security (e.g., impending terror attack) are present. However, the overwhelming majority of research focuses on the interrogation of criminal suspects despite the arguably greater consequences of the former context, known as Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection. The present study is the first to examine a highly successful approach to collecting information from sources of human intelligence (HUMINT)- the Scharff Technique.- within a novel and highly realistic paradigm. Participants were recruited for a study on group interaction. Every group contained a study confederate posing as a participant who gave …

Understanding The Individual And Organizational Attributes Of Servant Leadership In Local Governments, Pallavi Awasthi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Servant leaders are driven by a natural feeling to serve first which manifests into a conscious desire to lead. The servant leadership style emphasizes internalizing ethical behavior, along with empathy and service orientation in creating value for the community which is critical in public administration. While the servant leadership concept has gained much interest among business management scholars, it has received little attention in public administration. This dissertation aims to fill this wide gap in public administrative leadership scholarship by investigating the role of servant leadership in public administration.

Specifically, the dissertation seeks to understand individual (servant identity and moral …

Informants' Memory For Conversations: The Examination Of The Investigative Utility Of The Cognitive Interview, Danielle Sneyd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In human-intelligence-gathering contexts, informants or persons of interest are often interviewed about a conversation they overheard. The information gathered from these conversations may be important for national security, and therefore, the most accurate information needs to be elicited. The current project consisted of two studies that extended the previous literature on the Cognitive Interview (CI). Study 1 (1) tested the CI (compared to a structured interview, SI) in the context of memory for conversations and (2) investigated the effects of modality by comparing in-person interviews to telephone interviews. The CI is a theory-based interview protocol that has been shown to …

Development Of Prefrontal Structure And Connectivity In Typical Children And Children With Adhd: Association With Language And Executive Function, Dea Garic

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The structure and connectivity of the prefrontal cortex has been extensively studied for its contribution to language and executive function (EF) development, but many questions still remain whether its microstructural tissue properties can reliably predict behavioral outcomes in very young typically and atypically developing populations. In particular, the bilateral frontal aslant tract (FAT) has garnered increasing interest with respect to its potential association with both language and EF, but has yet to be examined in childhood attention disorders, such Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). At the same time, with advances in diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), new diffusion models offer more …

The Effects Of Cognitive Bias, Examiner Experience, And Stimulus Material On Forensic Evidence Analysis, Michelle M. Pena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forensic examiners have come under scrutiny in recent years because of high profile exoneration cases that have highlighted the negative impact contextual bias can have on investigations including forensic evidence analyses. This has led to several proposed solutions to reduce the effects of bias including blind testing and redacting task-irrelevant information. However, practitioners have not been receptive to such recommendations because of the limitations found in past research, such as the use of untrained undergraduate students to examine complex pieces of forensic evidence (e.g., fingerprints). The current study thus had the following aims: (a) examine the effect of contextual bias …

The Impact Of Microaggressions And Minority Stress On The Psychological Well-Being Of Emerging Adult Sexual Minorities Of Color, Michelle G. Thompson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microaggressions impact psychological well-being (PWB) among sexual minorities and people of color (POC). Research to date has explored this relationship among White sexual minorities and POC independently, and not among sexual minorities of color (SMPOC). SMPOC may be at an even greater risk for low PWB due to compounded microaggressions. Emerging adults are also at risk for low PWB, but little is known about PWB among SMPOC emerging adults. The current study examined microaggressions and PWB among emerging adult SMPOC; it also examined outness and PWB among adult sexual minorities. It was hypothesized that: a) SMPOC would report greater microaggressions …

Cognitive Factors And Parasympathetic Regulation As Interacting Mechanisms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Anthony R. Ward

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in childhood, and yet, the causal mechanisms of the disorder remain unclear. Deficits in attention regulation, inhibition, and working memory are frequently proposed as core mechanisms of ADHD, but these deficits are highly heterogeneous at the individual level, which hampers advances in understanding the etiology of the disorder. Recent research has shown that parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation is linked to cognitive function and emotion regulation; atypical PNS regulation is associated with problems in these domains as well as higher risk for psychopathology overall. This dissertation examined aspects …

A Comparison Study Of The Executive Functioning Abilities And Reading Comprehension Skills Of Students In Response To Intervention, Catherine Schultheis Salum

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Response to intervention (RTI) is a data driven framework that classifies students into three tiers and provides interventions at different levels of intensity (Flanagan, Ortiz, Alfonso, & Dynada, 2006; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Stecker, 2010, Gilbert et al., 2012). The screening assessments and interventions used for RTI have become generalized (Garcia, Gonzalez-Castro, Fernandez, & Rodriguez-Perez, 2012). Many schools implementing RTI use one screening instrument and one intervention for all struggling readers (Ezpeleta, Granero, Penelo, de la Osa, & Domenech, 2015; Flanagan et al., 2006; Garcia et al., 2012; Gilbert et al., 2012).

Executive functioning (EF) is a neuropsychological ability that regulates …

Eliciting A Perpetrator Description Using The Cognitive Interview: Influences On Investigative Utility, Geri Satin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Cognitive Interview (CI) has been shown in over one hundred studies to enhance eyewitness recall. However, no study has explored whether the CI improves police job performance. The current study was the first to test the practical value of the CI in a criminal investigation, testing participants’ performance on key police tasks using either a perpetrator description elicited from a CI or from a standard police interview (SI).

In an earlier study, student witnesses were exposed to a simulated robbery and were then interviewed using either a CI or an SI to elicit a description of the robber (comprised …

Using The Cognitive Interview To Enhance Recall During Contact Tracing, Alexandra E. Mosser

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To stem the spread of infectious diseases, epidemiologists use contact tracing interviews to identify individuals who may need treatment or, if indicated, quarantine or isolation. Given the high stakes, the most exhaustive list of potentially infected contacts must be reported. However, standard contact tracing procedures may fail to extract the most complete report possible from sick individuals. One of the most reliable methods for maximizing recall is the Cognitive Interview (CI). The CI uses several techniques grounded in psychological theory and was expected to increase the number of contacts listed during contact tracing interviewing compared to a standard contact tracing …

Eyewitness Choosing Behavior: The Role Of Ecphoric Experience And Non-Memorial Cues, Brian S. Cahill

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers’ attempts at understanding the processes underlying witness choosing behavior have focused on applying models that predict that identifications will be primarily driven by memorial factors. However, research has shown that several non-memorial variables affect witness choosing behavior (e.g., administrator influence, clothing bias, co-witness information); thus a full understanding of the processes underlying witness choosing behavior needs to account for these effects. While the memory-based models do attempt to provide explanations for the effects of non-memorial based variables on choosing behavior they all do so within a memorial context. However, I will argue a lineup task is not simply a …

It Must Have Been Him: Coherence Effects Within The Legal System, Jonathan N. Carbone

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present series of studies examine how jurors and public defenders evaluate different pieces of evidence and integrate them into a coherent conclusion within the context of a criminal case. Previous research has shown that in situations where both sides of the case are compelling, decision-makers nevertheless come to highly confident and polarized decisions, called coherence shifts (Simon, 2004). The present research sought to expand on coherence effects, improve upon the methodology of previous studies, and explore potential moderators of coherence. In Study 1, mock jurors (n = 306) read about a criminal case and evaluated multiple pieces of …

The Effects Of Post-Recall Feedback: Examining Witness Recall Quantity, Accuracy, And Confidence, Dana Elizabeth Hirn Mueller

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most eyewitness identification protocols recommend withholding feedback after an identification has been made, at least until a measure of confidence can be gathered. Although much research has examined the impact of post-identification feedback on subsequent witness behavior and confidence, research addressing the importance of post-recall feedback remains largely incomplete. The current study examined the effects of post-recall feedback and question type on subsequent witness recall, confidence, and reports of view of the crime. In line with previous eyewitness identification research, it was predicted that participants receiving confirming post-recall feedback would be more confident in their prior recall compared to participants …

Comparison Of Linear Functions In Middle Grades Textbooks From Singapore And The United States, Linda D. Fowler

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many U.S. students do not perform well on mathematics assessments with respect to algebra topics such as linear functions, a building-block for other functions. Poor achievement of U.S. middle school students in this topic is a problem.

U.S. eighth graders have had average mathematics scores on international comparison tests such as Third International Mathematics Science Study, later known as Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, (TIMSS)-1995, -99, -03, while Singapore students have had highest average scores. U.S. eighth grade average mathematics scores improved on TIMMS-2007 and held steady onTIMMS-2011. Results from national assessments, PISA 2009 and 2012 and National Assessment …

Exoneration Or Observation? Examining A Novel Difference Between Liars And Truth Tellers, Peter F. Molinaro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individual cues to deception are subtle and often missed by lay people and law enforcement alike. Linguistic statement analysis remains a potentially useful way of overcoming individual diagnostic limitations (e.g. Criteria based Content Analysis; Steller & Köhnken, 1989; Reality monitoring; Johnson & Raye, 1981; Scientific Content Analysis; Sapir, 1996). Unfortunately many of these procedures are time-consuming, require in-depth training, as well as lack empirical support and/or external validity. The current dissertation develops a novel approach to statement veracity analysis that is simple to learn, easy to administer, theoretically sound, and empirically validated.

Two strategies were proposed for detecting differences between …

Understanding Rapport-Building In Investigative Interviews: Does Rapport's Effect On Witness Memory And Suggestibility Depend On The Interviewer?, Jenna M. Kieckhaefer

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most investigative interviewing protocols, including the National Institute of Justice’s 1999 guidelines on collecting eyewitness evidence, recommend building rapport with cooperative witnesses to increase the quality and quantity of details obtained at recall. To date, only three published articles have empirically addressed the effects of rapport-building on adult witness memory, and all suggest an increase in witness accuracy under certain conditions. However, to our knowledge no research has addressed the importance of the investigator when building rapport and whether rapport can increase witness susceptibility to suggestive-leading questions – the aim of the current research. Specifically, this project examined the effects …