Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Judging Statistical Significance: The Effects Of Standard Error Bar Formats And Visual Displays, Rebecca Wilson Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined various graphical displays for illustrating statistical significance. These displays were created following Dunlap and May's (1989) recommendation about representing statistical significance in figures with error bars derived from the pooled estimate of error variance. In the first experiment, 15 graduate students were asked to judge whether the relationships depicted in a series of graphs and tables were significant or nonsignificant. Four significance levels were combined factorially with three standard error bar formats, unidirectional opposite direction, unidirectional same direction, and bidirectional, and two displays, line graphs and bar graphs. A tabular display was also presented for comparison. …

Visual Information Processing Of Geometric Figures As A Function Of Complexity And Field Of Vision, Karen E. Inn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether human information processing does occur in parallel in the right hemisphere and serially in the left hemisphere as suggested by the hemisphere strategy model. In addition, this study was also designed to determine if there is a right hemisphere advantage in the processing of nonverbal information as indicated by the material specific theory.

In this 3 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2 mixed design, Complexity (3) and Gender (2) were the between-subjects variables. Time Factor (3), Field of Vision (3), and Type (2) were the within-subjects variables. Complexity was …

Choice Reaction Time And Conjunctions Of Form Size Color And Orientation, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Reaction time (RT) is frequently used as a dependent measure in studies that examine the organization of perceptual and cognitive processes. Hick's law states that RT in a choice-reaction-time (CRT) task is a linear function of the amount of information transmitted per stimulus-response event. RT has been used to try to determine whether serial or parallel processing is being employed in CRT tasks (Sternberg, 1966). There is research evidence suggesting a serial, exhaustive search process (Sternberg, 1969a; Wingfield, 1973), as well as findings which suggest parallel processing (Neisser, 1963; Neisser, Novick, and Lazar, 1963) in CRT tasks. All the experiments …

Choice Reaction Time As A Function Of Set Size And Signal Frequency, Barbara M. Herzing

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research was conducted in two experiments. The first experiment assessed whether set size for the negative and positive sets affected reaction time during a visual scanning task. The effects of signal frequency on these relationships were assessed in the second experiment. It was hypothesized that as set size increased, reaction time would increase. In addition, as signal frequency increased, it was hypothesized that reaction time would decrease. In the first experiment, 12 groups of 10 subjects each were tested varying the number of stimuli for the positive and negative sets. The second experiment tested 18 groups by varying the …

The Effects Of Stroke On The Comprehension Of Affective And Nonaffective Prosody, Mona Matheney Tiernan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of stroke on the comprehension of prosody. Thirty two inpatient volunteers (16 with right hemisphere and 16 with left hemisphere stroke) and 16 controls participated in the study. A 3(Group) x 2(Gender) x 2(Task) mixed design was used. The independent variables were the subject group, gender and the prosody task (affective or nonaffective). The dependent variables were the percentage of correct responses to the affective and nonaffective prosody tasks. A 3(Group) x 2(Gender) x 2(Task) AN0VA revealed a significant main effect for group, E

About Faces: The Investigation Of Electrodermal Activity (Eda) As It Relates To The Recognition And Naming Of Faces, Donald J. Shearer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates and replicates the occurrence of a "W" pattern or compound electrodermal activity (EDA) response as it relates to the perception and naming of faces first found in Shearer and Mikulka (1991). Thirty-four male and thirty-four female subjects were randomly assigned to two conditions. The two conditions were balanced for sex having 17 males and 17 females each. The subjects were each presented 40 facial stimulus slides and the accompanying EDA responses were recorded. In the experimental condition subjects were required either to name (identify) the face or give a "feeling of knowing" rating of the face. In …

The Effect Of Fear Of Success And Perceived Task Difficulty On Cognitive Performance, David Eugene Elkins

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of fear of success (FOS) and perceptions of task difficulty, their interactive effect on anagram and matrix-task performance and possible gender differences on these variables. A total of 226 students, 83 males and 143 females, participated in the study. FOS was measured by the administration of Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale. Perceptions of task difficulty were manipulated by use of falsified normative data. Subjects therefore believed the upcoming task was either easy or difficult or the subjects were employed as controls. An anagram task and 12 items selected from Raven's Standard Progressive …

Task-Hemispheric Integrity Effect: Level Of Task Difficulty And Mental Workload In A Dual Task, Nancy E. Hite

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The task-hemispheric integrity effect states that when a spatial and verbal task must be time-shared, superior performance would be obtained when the same hemisphere that processes information also controls the hand used to respond. The effect of increasing the level of task difficulty on an unstable tracking task on the concurrent performance of a dichotic listening task was investigated. The results indicated that performance on the unstable tracking task significantly deteriorated as task difficulty level increased in both single- and dual-task conditions. However, performance on both the unstable tracking task and the dichotic listening task was not influenced by hand …

The Effects Of Irrelevant Dimensions On The Predictive Value Of A Warning Signal, Ruth Justine Arnegard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Past research has neglected irrelevant dimensions of visual warning signals in choice reaction-time tasks. The present study examined the effects of an irrelevant dimension of a visual warning signal and that signal's value in predicting a response stimulus on choice reaction time. A warning signal, which was a geometric figure, appeared in the center of a VDT screen and was followed by one of two response stimuli (open circles). The predictive value of the warning signal was defined as the percentage of trials during which the warning signal accurately predicted the response stimulus by size and was manipulated in the …

Dual Task Performance: The Effects Of Task Emphasis And Ear Of Input, Pamela R. Jordan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This experiment explored the lateralization of the processing of spatial and verbal information during dual-tasks. This study also investigated the relationship between right ear advantage and spatial ability, degree of handedness, and degree of familial handedness. Thirty-two male subjects performed a spatial rotation task and a dichotic listening task. During half of the dual tasks, subjects concentrated on both tasks equally. During the other half of the dual trials, 16 subjects emphasized the spatial processing task and 16 subjects emphasized the dichotic listening task. The results of this experiment do not support either the independent-hemispheric resources or the task-hemispheric integrity …

The Impact Of Orientation Training On Spatial Cognition And Spatial Behavior In Elderly Shoppers, Elizabeth Ann Mathes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study focuses on the acquisition of spatial knowledge in a large-scale, novel environment and on the interrelationships among psychometric tests of imagery, psychometric tests of spatial abilities, and experimental tasks involving spatial knowledge. Forty elderly females were provided microspatial information by four means: cartography; videotape; verbal description; and verbal description with imagery instructions. Analyses of behavior in a simulated shopping task within a suburban shop­ ping mall revealed differences in performance only for efficiency in Route Selection task. Cartographic and verbal presentations resulted in greater efficiency than did verbal description with imagery instructions or video­ tape presentations. Supplemental …

The Effects Of Temporospatial Integration On Distance Estimations Of Young And Elderly Adults, Margaret Rowley-Bernicki

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effect of discontinuity on temporospati al integration in the accuracy of distance estimations was examined utilizing a slide presentation of a route. Participants were 60 young and 60 elderly adults who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. The two conditions were determined by whether the subjects viewed the walk in a logically sequenced order or a pre-determined randomized order. Subjects viewed the walk twice and thereafter made a series of distance estimates between a series of preselected landmarks chosen by a different group of young and elderly adults. Additionally, subjects gave self-ratings on a twelve-item questionnaire to …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Mental Resources And Performance Strategies, Douglas L. Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Based on the work of Klapp, Marshburn, and Lester (1983) and more generally on principles of the Multiple Resource Theory, it was proposed that human short-term memory consists of two mental resource channels, one that is tapped by span memory tasks and one tapped by immediate working memory tasks. It was further hypothesized that dual-task performance would be better under conditions where one of the component tasks tapped the proposed span memory channel and one tapped the proposed working memory channel, than when both tasks tapped the same channel. In addition, it was hypothesized that dual-tasks tapping the same memory …

Landmark Selection And Temporal-Spatial Integration: Macrospatial Abilities In Young Adults And Elderly Adults, Deans Haggerty

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Groups of young adults and elderly adults participated in a study examining age-related changes in macrospatial cognitive abilities. Perceptual differentiation/selection abilities were tested using a Landmark Selection task, while temporal-spatial integration abilities were explored through the use of a Scrambled Route task. In the Landmark Selection task, subjects viewed a slide presentation of a walk and then chose the landmarks which best represented the walk. For the Scrambled Route task, after viewing a slide presentation of a scrambled walk, subjects made distance estimations involving pairs of selected landmarks. Also included were self-assessment scales of spatial abilities and two psychometric tests …

An Information Processing Approach To The Study Of Map Interpretation, Susan Vaughan Felton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Three variables involved in map interpretation (rotation, planar angle, and scale) were examined from an information processing perspective to determine whether they were characterized by serial, parallel, or a combination of serial and parallel processing. Sex differences in these processes were also examined. Participants viewed a series of pairs of slides depicting various combinations of rotations, planar angles, and scales, and were asked to determine whether the pair represented the same array viewed from a different viewpoint. Accuracy and response time were the dependent variables of interest. Results indicated that the number of manipulations that were involved in a problem …

Cognitive Influences On Flavor Discrimination: Training Novices For Beer Flavor Differentiation, Rosalynn M. Peron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Four training techniques were employed to investigate the effects of increasing knowledge of beer flavor on novices' ability to differentiate among beers on the basis of taste. These techniques included (a) learning definitions of beer flavor terminology (Verbal Condition); (b) having additional experience with taste sensations (Taste Condition); (c) having a combination of the verbal and taste techniques (Verbal/Taste Condition); and (d) no training (Control Condition). After preliminary testing, 40 subjects (10 per training condition) were selected to participate in pre- and post-training tasks in which they rated similarity between beers, between beers and flavor-descriptive adjectives, and between flavor-descriptive adjectives. …

Children's Representation Of Spatial Information, Rebecca L. Beard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study utilized a multi-dimensional approach to examine children's communication of spatial information. Sixty male and female elementary school children, ages 6-7, 9-10, and 11-12, learned a route through a pedestrian maze with four color-coded inter sections and animal photographs to serve as landmarks. After learning the route to a specified criterion level, the children were required to complete three remaining tasks: a verbal recall task, a nonverbal reconstruction task, and a route reversal task. For each task the children were asked to provide a reason for their directional choice at each intersection. Analyses indicated developmental differences in performance …

Incidental And Intentional Recall Of Item Names And Spatial Locations, Lois Ann Scovel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies have indicated that there are no differences between the incidental and intentional recall of spatial location; whereas, intentional recall is superior to incidental recall of verbal information. In order to examine the variables that affect recall, second graders, fifth graders and adults were instructed to learn the location or the name of seven highly discriminable or less discriminable objects presented in a spatial array. Analysis of names recalled indicated that high discriminability enhanced recall, and that intent to learn facilitated recall, particularly for adult males. Recall increased with age, and females recalled more names than did males. Analysis …

The Relationship Of Cognitive Complexity-Simplicity To Occupational Role Perception, Raymond Boetcher

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present research investigates the relationship of cognitive complexity-simplicity to consensus in occupational role perception between subordinate and. supervisor. The research literature indicates that role consensus for specified positions is seldom found, and. that such disparities are well-documented for various educational roles. A sample of elementary school teachers and their immediate supervisors from three southeastern Virginia school systems were administered the Role Dimension Profile Scale in order to measure the importance of various behavioral role statements. Average ratings per role dimension were computed and difference scores were obtained. for each individual teacher and his or her supervisor. Teachers were divided …

Effects Of Practice On The Rate Of Gain Of Information In A Paper And Pencil Task, Dennis Howard Jones

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Investigations into the effects of practice on choice reaction time (CRT) performance and the rate of gain of information have produced confusing and often contradictory results. This seems to stem from the fact that (1) a small number of subjects were utilized and (2) there were an insufficient number of experimental conditions. In the present experiments, the author has developed a Reaction Time Battery (RTB) that allows a large group of subjects to be tested efficiently and economically. Using three levels of stimulus uncertainty (1, 2, or 3 bits) factorial to two levels of S-R compatibility (low and high), Experiment …

The Ability Of Young Children To Recognize Facial Photographs Of Young Children, Young Adults, And Senior Citizens, Barbara Bell Bruff

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A review of the literature on facial recognition including a description of its development from birth to old age, hypothesized reasons for its unique development, and factors which affect it, reveals the need for facial recognition studies involving the young child. Twenty children (10 males, 10 females) at each of three ages (3, 5, and 7 years) were presented with 30 pictures of persons of both sexes from three age groups (3-7, 18-25, and 50 years and above). A testing procedure followed in which each child was asked to pick out the test picture from a photo album page with …

Effects Of Sleep Loss On Information-Processing In An Absolute Judgment Task As A Function Of Task Difficulty, Frieda O'Steen Carlton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effects of 36 hours of sleep loss on information-processing were assessed in an absolute judgment task. Of the 24 subjects employed, 12 served in the sleep-loss (experimental) and control conditions, respectively. All subjects were tested individually for a total of ten sessions; the control group was tested on ten consecutive days, whereas the experimental subjects were tested every four hours over a 36-hour period of sleep loss, and at a recovery session following approximately 12 hours of rest and recovery. The task required subjects to make absolute judgments of the size of two small circles of light and to …

The Retention And Maintenance Of An Information Processing Skill, Jerry Willard Hedge

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In the performance of most skilled activities, there are definite limits to the proficiency attainable by an individual. These limits and how they affect the retention and maintenance of a skill are of major interest to performance-- assessment research. While much is known about verbal and motor skill retention, very little research has focused on the long~term retention and maintenance of information processing skills. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the extent to which the information processing skills involved in a typical choice reaction time (CRT) task are retained and maintained over periods of two to eight …

The Use Of Picture-Symbol Pairings To Demonstrate Fading In Preschoolers Of Normal Intelligence, Donna Edwards Slaughter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Forty preschoolers were exposed to one of four groups in which the manner of presenting a stimulus, which consisted of a picture and a symbol, was varied. In the Standard (Std.) group, picture and symbol were ~f equal visibility, while the picture gradually became less visible over successive trials in the Fade· Picture Out (FPO) group. The Increase Symbol Size (ISS) group had the picture remain clearly visible and the symbol gradually increase in size while the Fade Picture Out-Increase Symbol Size (FPO-ISS) group had both the picture become less visible and the symbol increase in size over trials. A …