Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Testing A Model Based Approach To Selective And Flexible Attention, Anastasia Nicole Kerr-German

Masters Theses

A recent neural-process approach using dynamic field theory (DFT), put forth by Buss and Spencer (2014), demonstrated how a simple dimensional attention mechanism can explain the behavioral and neural data associated with the development of flexible attention and performance in the Dimensional Change Card Sorting task (DCCS). Taking a dynamical systems approach to the development of attention in executive functioning is critical as it allows us to further probe the underlying processes and mechanisms that give rise to later life success.

The goal of the current proposal is to generalize DFT in order to explain the development of selective attention …

The On-Screen Water Cooler: Effects Of Televised User-Generated Comments On Cognitive Processing, Social Presence, And Viewing Experience., Jaclyn Ann Cameron

Doctoral Dissertations

Social television combines traditional television viewing and interactions with social media to create a phenomenon that connects otherwise autonomous viewers through a shared viewing experience. This dissertation explores one type of social television: on-screen user-generated comments. Although the practice spans multiple television genres, little is known about its effect on viewers’ cognitive processing of the media, perceptions of the social presence of other viewers, or the viewers’ experience of the media. Two experimental studies explored the effects of on-screen user-generated comments on cognitive processing of the media message, the effect of manipulating the content of on-screen user-generated comments and individual …

Influences On Self-Regulated Learning In Low-Income Children: Examining The Role Of Private And Social Speech As Self-Regulation Tools, Lisa Ann Connor

Doctoral Dissertations

Self-regulated learning (SRL) allows children to become autonomous learners through facilitating their active planning, monitoring, and evaluation of their performance in the classroom. Low-income children have been found to exhibit lower SRL abilities compared to middle-class children. SRL is linked to a number of long-term academic outcomes, and thus, understanding what contributes to this ability is essential for intervention. One potential mediator of children’s emerging SRL abilities is language. Social Constructivist Theory provides a lens to view this relationship between language and SRL, denoting the importance of both the physical and social dimensions of the classroom when examining cognitive development. …