Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Critical And Creative Thinking Practices And Principles To Improve Audiovisual Production, Paula Andrea Avila Jimenez

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

The purpose of capstone is to address the application of Critical and Creative Thinking practices and principles to improve audiovisual production that intends to communicate complicated health information. This paper synthetized the application of the principles of the Habits of Mind (HOM) as Critical and Creative Thinking tool to improve audio-visual (AV) production. The project that spurred this specific question was my experience working as a Research Assistant (RA) at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DF) where I developed videos and booklets to help Latino patients to understand the purposes of chemotherapy in advanced cancer. Five principles of Habits of …

Book Review: Reconnecting To The Source By Ervin Laszlo, Elizabeth W. Szatmari Krasnoff

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Quantum philosopher Ervin Laszlo has taken one step further outside of the contemporary mainstream scientific view, which believes in a reductive “scientific” method primarily of highly controlled experiments to determine truth. In this visionary work, Laszlo proposes that the true laws of nature can also be accessed and felt experientially. Here he argues that the new quantum science can support this view, and even assist us as we heal the rift between mind and spirit and reconnect to our source. Laszlo proposes a new paradigm, a holotropic worldview with love as the core attracting force of wholeness. Indeed, as the …

Book Review: The Intelligence Of The Cosmos: Why Are We Here? By Ervin Laszlo, Elizabeth W. Szatmari Krasnoff

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Ervin Laszlo breaks down his theory of everything into a credo of 8 statements. This review looks in some detail at Laszlo’s theories and also touches on the other writers who have been invited to participate. It is noteworthy that Laszlo breaks with the current scientific belief that we are without purpose, and that evolution has no purpose. He believes that compassion, love, and expansion are our purposes for being here.

The Mnemonic Consequences Of Posting “Self” And “Other” Photos On Social Media, Chloe L. Cardinale

Student Theses

The use of the internet and social media is ubiquitous. Research has shown that 90% of young Americans are active social media users, as well as 35% of American adults over the age of 65 (Perrin, 2015). When individuals use social media, they may selectively remember the information they post while simultaneously forgetting the information they did not post, but is related to the posted information (Anderson et al., 1994). The present study is an adaption of Anderson and colleagues’ retrieval-induced forgetting paradigm (RIF), consisting of personal and non-personal information. This study will specifically focus on the relationship between posting …

We All Feel Feelings, Ben Ohene

Theses and Dissertations

Consisting of three illustrated books, We All Feel Feelings is designed as a vehicle for the discussion of emotional and mental health with young boys. These books will help foster a mindset of openness and acceptance through different methods of displaying and understanding emotions.

How Natural Materials Affect Our Perception Of The Built Environment, Iryna Demianiuk

International Programs

Our daily life is shaped by the emotions we feel, and our emotions are highly dependent on the environment we live in. Those connections have been developing through the whole history of humankind, starting with the feeling of shelter near bonfires in caves. Today, we can discover neural responses to environmental conditions and even certain materials around us. Those findings have allowed architects and neuroscientists to work more closely together, and, through that collaboration, the new field of neuroarchitecture appeared. This relatively young discipline explores the way our brain responds to the environmental stimuli we are facing, and how different …

Preventing Drug And Substance Abuse Among Students Through Mindfulness, Dewi Anisa Quisti

International Programs

Mindfulness contributes to helping more young generations safe from drug and substance problems.

The Effect Of Positive Self-Talk On Self-Efficacy And Memory Recall, Colton Hunter, Jeremiah Sullins

McNair Scholars Research

Research has been conducted that has found a link between self-efficacy and performance, as well as connections between self-efficacy and self-talk. However, a gap exists in the literature in regard to the relationship between self-talk, self-efficacy, and performance, particularly in regard to cognitive performance. To address this gap, 42 students at a private liberal arts university practiced self-talk; and we assessed both their memory self-efficacy levels and their ability to recall information. The results of the experiment concluded that individuals with high self-efficacy that are exposed to positive self-talk experience significantly worse memory recall than individuals with low self-efficacy that …

Clusters Of Individuals Experiences Form A Continuum Of Persistent Non-Symbolic Experiences In Adults, Jeffery A. Martin

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

Persistent forms of nondual awareness, enlightenment, mystical experience, and so forth (Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience) have been reported since antiquity. Though sporadic research has been performed on these experiences, the scientific literature has yet to report a large-scale cognitive psychology study of this population. Method: Assessment of the subjective experience of 319 adult participants reporting persistent non-symbolic experience was undertaken using 6-12 hour semi-structured interviews and evaluated using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Results: Five core, consistent categories of change were uncovered: sense-of-self, cognition, affect, perception, and memory. Participants’ reports formed phenomenological groups in which the types of change …

Memory And Stereotypes For Lesbian/Gay Characters, Amber Rose Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stereotype-consistency bias refers to the idea that people tend to remember stereotypical information about others better than non-stereotypical information (Fyock & Stangor, 1994). Limited research has examined how people may use stereotype-consistency bias when recalling information about LGBT characters in narratives (Bellezza & Bower, 1981; Clark & Woll, 1981; McGann & Goodwin, 2007; Snyder & Uranowitz, 1978). This line of research suggests that, instead of genuinely remembering stereotypical information better, participants tended to guess stereotypical answers to questions they do not know. In contrast to those studies, the experiment I conducted for this thesis suggests that heterosexual young adults tend …

Electrocortical Changes Observed In The N2 As An Outcome Of Attention Bias Modification Training, Hayley Gilbertson

All NMU Master's Theses

Anxiety disorders are currently one of the most predominant mental health conditions worldwide. Increased anxiety is associated with elevated attentional focus to threat also known as attentional bias to threat. Attention Bias Modification (ABM) is a type of computerized training, attempting to reduce attentional focus for threatening stimuli and has been found to successfully reduce symptoms of anxiety. Past studies have implemented ABM training as a possible tool to modulate attention away from threat in attempt to decrease pathological anxiety. The N2 is an event-related potential (ERP) detected in scalp EEG recordings that is associated with conflict monitoring and complex …

You Are Resilient: Trauma-Informed, Strengths-Based Treatment For Low-Ses, Urban Youth, Courtney Molina

Dissertations

The focus in this review was to explore the benefits and optimal use of trauma-informed, strengths-based care for the therapeutic treatment of low-socioeconomic status (SES), urban youth. Specific focus was given to evidence-based research on the treatment of emotional and behavioral dysregulation among low-SES, urban youth. The review was guided by the following research questions: How can emotional and behavioral dysregulation be symptoms of trauma among low-SES, urban youth; What makes trauma-informed and strengths-based care optimal for the treatment of low-SES, urban youth with dysregulation; and What are clear guidelines for providing trauma-informed, strengths-based care to low-SES, urban youth with …

Exploring The Effects Of Task Priority On Attention Allocation And Trust Towards Imperfect Automation: A Flight Simulator Study, Tetsuya Sato

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the effect of task priority and task load on attention allocation and automation trust in a multitasking flight simulator platform. Previous research demonstrated that, participants made less fixations and reported lower levels of trust towards the automation in the secondary monitoring under higher load on the primary tracking task (e.g., Karpinsky et al., 2018). The results suggested that participants perceived behaviors of the automated system less accurately due to less attention allocated to monitoring of the system, leading to decreased trust towards it. One potential explanation of the effect is that participants might have prioritized the …

Musical Meter: Examining Hierarchical Temporal Perception In Complex Musical Stimuli Across Human Development, Sensory Modalities, And Expertise, Jessica Erin Nave-Blodgett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Performing, listening, and moving to music are universal human behaviors. Most music in the world is organized temporally with faster periodicities nested within slower periodicities, creating a perceptual hierarchy of repeating stronger (downbeat) and weaker (upbeat) events. This perceptual organization is theorized to aid our abilities to synchronize our behaviors with music and other individuals, but there is scant empirical evidence that listeners actively perceive these multiple levels of temporal periodicities simultaneously. Furthermore, there is conflicting evidence about when, and how, the ability to perceive the beat in music emerges during development. It is also unclear if this hierarchical organization …

Eyewitness Recall And Identification Accuracy: Effects Of Stress In An Extreme Haunt And A Haunted House, William Blake Ridgway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The impact of stress on eyewitness recall and identification accuracy has been studied extensively but with somewhat inconsistent results. Understanding the effects of stress are important if they are to be generalized to victims or witnesses of real crimes. This study consisted of two experiments that used an extreme haunt and a haunted house to examine attendees’ ability to recall details of and identify actors encountered, as a function of state anxiety and in the context of Deffenbacher’s (1994) catastrophe model of memory performance under anxiety. The results showed that physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., State Anxiety Inventory) …

Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging As A Diagnostic Biomarker Of Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (Hand), Mikki Schantell

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective: The goal of this study was to do an exploratory analysis to determine if gray matter brain volumes and cortical thickness measures obtained from structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) can discriminate people with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), neurocognitively unimpaired people with HIV (NU PWH), and HIV-negative controls (HIV- controls) using linear discriminant analyses.

Methods: A total of 231 participants, including 110 PWH and 121 HIV- controls, completed a neuropsychological (NP) battery and an sMRI protocol. The bilateral gray matter volumes and cortical thickness brain regions were analyzed using 18 linear discriminant models to assess the discriminability of gray matter …

Establishing Auditory Discrimination And Echoic Stimulus Control With An Auditory Matching Procedure, Clare Christe

Dissertations

A generalized auditory matching repertoire is considered an early milestone in the development of verbal behavior (Greer & Keohane, 2006). Previous literature has demonstrated that the auditory matching (AM) protocol can improve echoics in individuals with developmental delays (Brown, 2005; Choi, Greer & Keohane, 2015; Du, Speckman, Medina, & Cole-Hatchard, 2017). However, some children experience difficulties with the match-to-sample (MTS) format of the AM protocol, if they are unable to perform delayed MTS tasks.

One alternative to MTS is the go/no-go procedure (Serna, Dube, & McIlvane, 1997), which requires the student to make a simple discrimination (i.e., same/different) between two …

Action Real-Time Strategy Gaming Experience Related To Enhanced Capacity Of Visual Working Memory, Yutong Yao, Ruifang Cui, Yi Li, Lu Zeng, Jinliang Jiang, Nan Qiu, Li Dong, Diakun Gong, Guojian Yan, Weiyi Ma, Tiejun Liu

General Human Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Action real-time strategy gaming (ARSG)—a major genre of action video gaming (AVG)—has both action and strategy elements. ARSG requires attention, visual working memory (VWM), sensorimotor skills, team cooperation, and strategy-making abilities, thus offering promising insights into the learning-induced plasticity. However, it is yet unknown whether the ARSG experience is related to the development of VWM capacity. Using both behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measurements, this study tested whether ARSG experts had larger VWM capacity than non-experts in a change detection task. The behavioral results showed that ARSG experts had higher accuracy and larger VWM capacity than non-experts. In addition, the …

To Drown Or Not To Drown: Self Discovery Through The Lens Of Formalist Theory, Sierra Correia

Capstone Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to discover whether or not using creative nonfiction writing as a strategy in narrative therapy can aid in the process of self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-reflection. To begin, I selected creative nonfiction pieces for analysis: Underwater Blue, Forever Blue, and The Knowing, all of which come from a portfolio completed in Fall 2019 and contain traumatic subject matter. Literary formalist criticism, the Narrative Process Model, and narrative themes and the concept of self were the chosen methods of analysis. I found commonalities in writers' craft tools as well as in themes and self in all …

Individual Differences In Prospective Memory Aftereffects: The Role Of Working Memory Capacity And Inhibition., Samantha Nicole Spitler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined attentional control and executive function (EF) in relation to canceled intentions in two experiments. After an intention is canceled, a commission error occurs when one continues to actively fulfill the intention in response to a prospective memory (PM) cue. Aftereffects are slower response times to inactive PM cues when encountered in ongoing processing. Attentional control was indexed by working memory capacity (WMC) and EF was indexed by three measures of inhibition. In prior canceled intention PM research, attentional control and inhibition have not been extensively studied. However, two major methodological factors in PM research could implicate attentional …

Previous Experiences Drive Attention, Sunghyun Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Traditionally, the allocation of attention was understood within goal-driven and stimulus-driven factors. However, the traditional approach cannot fully account for the mechanism of attentional orienting. Instead, a growing body of evidence shows that previous search experiences, irrelevant to both goal-driven and stimulus-driven factors, influence attentional allocation. For example, when contexts predict information of targets, the contexts guide attention toward the stimuli having the information predicted by the contexts: contextual cueing. In addition, more valuable stimuli attract more attention: value-driven attentional capture. However, two critical issues are present. First, contextual cueing has been found largely when the contexts and the target …

An Investigation Of The Role Of Spatial Ability In Representing And Solving Word Problems Among Engineering Students, Gavin Duffy, Sheryl A. Sorby, Brian Bowe

Articles

Background

Spatial ability is significantly related to performance in engineering education. Problem solving, an activity that is highly relevant to engineering education, has been linked to spatial ability.

Purpose/Hypothesis

To what extent is spatial ability related to problem solving among engineering students and how do approaches to problem representation and solution vary with spatial ability level?

Design/Method

Three instruments – a spatial ability test, word math problems and accompanying core math competency questions – were administered to two samples of first year engineering students in two different countries. Data were analyzed at the test level to evaluate the relationship of …

The Relationship Between Personality And Online Game-Playing Motivations Among College Students, Johari @ Underwood Jasnina Jaslind

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present study attempts to investigate the relationships between personality and online game-playing motivations amongst college students. A total of 200 college students who are actively playing PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battle Ground) were approached and voluntarily answered a set of questionnaires which consists of Mini- IPIP (Mini-International Personality Item Pool Scales) and Motivation for Play to measure type of motivations in playing online games. Descriptive analyses were used to analyze the personality traits and in-game motivation of players, Independent Sample T Test to examine gender differences in playing PUBG and Pearson Correlation to examine the relationships between personality and motivations. …

The Effect Of State Gratitude On Cognitive Flexibility: A Within-Subject Experimental Approach, Andree Hartanto, Nadia C. H. Ong, Wee Qin Ng, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Considerable research has examined the relationship between positive emotion and cognitive flexibility. Less is known, however, about the causal relationship between discrete positive emotions, specifically gratitude, and cognitive flexibility. Given that different positive emotions may dissimilarly affect cognitive functioning, we sought to examine the effect of state gratitude on cognitive flexibility. A pilot study with ninety-five participants was employed to ensure the effectiveness of our gratitude manipulation. One hundred and thirteen participants were recruited for the main study, which utilized a within-subject experimental approach. After the manipulation, participants completed a well-established task-switching paradigm, which was used to measure cognitive flexibility. …

Can’T Stop: The Effects Of High-P Sequencing On Fluency And Retention, Andrew R. Smith

Masters Theses

Precision teaching has led to successful outcomes in both training and education. Past research has shown that by using flashcard techniques such as SAFMEDS in ratebuilding exercises, one can expect expert levels of performance and retention of learned material by practicing for a minute a day. Fluency training using SAFMEDS could prove invaluable in businesses that wish to train their employees using cost and time efficient methods. However, recent research has shown that the SAFMEDS sequence may not quickly build accurate rates of responding in earlier sessions, or reliably lead to high levels of retention. High probability (high-p) sequences can …

A Case For Delirium Risk Prediction Models To Aid In Triaging Resources To Those Most At Risk An Integrative Literature Review, Tammy Perttula

Nursing Masters Papers

Abstract

Delirium is a complex syndrome resulting from compounding effects of acute illness, comorbidities, and the environment. It results in adverse outcomes: elevated mortality rates, length of stay, readmissions, institutionalization, long-term cognitive changes, and diminished quality of life. The rate of iatrogenic delirium is astounding, ranging from 10%-89%. There are no curative treatments; thus, primary prevention is the key. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and critique the research for the accuracy of risk stratification and feasibility in practice. Support for interventions that prevent delirium is mounting; however, interventions are resource-intensive and often not implemented. Researchers have …

Sense Of Purpose In Life And Five Health Behaviors In Older Adults, Eric S. Kim, Koichiro Shiba, Julia K. Boehm, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Accumulating evidence shows that a higher sense of purpose in life is associated with lower risk of chronic conditions and premature mortality. Health behaviors might partially explain these findings, however, the prospective association between sense of purpose and health behaviors is understudied. We tested whether a higher sense of purpose at baseline was associated with lower likelihood of developing unhealthy behaviors over time. Prospective data were from the Health and Retirement Study, a national sample of U.S. older adults. Our sample included 13,770 adults assessed up to five times across eight years. Among people who met recommended guidelines for a …

An Examination Of Defense Attorney Knowledge Of Dispatcher Practices In Eyewitness Calls, Elena Christofi

Student Theses

911 dispatchers are often the first point of contact for witnesses to crimes. Dispatchers have an important role in collecting information related to a witness’ observations and recollection of events, and this information can serve as primary evidence in criminal cases. Therefore, it is crucial that evidence collected from eyewitnesses is as accurate and detailed as possible. In the present study, we investigated defense attorneys’ perceptions on how dispatchers gather information from eyewitnesses during 911 calls, because little is known with respect to how defense attorneys review, use, and challenge 911 calls. Using an online survey, we asked defense attorneys …

The Immediate Effect Of A Brief Mindfulness Intervention On Attention And Acceptance, Xiaoqian Yu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given the increased popularity of mindfulness in both the clinical settings and the general public, it is important to understand the active mechanisms of mindfulness. Mindfulness practice (MP) involves two active components, attention regulation and acceptance of experience, being aware of the current experience as it is without evaluating the experience as positive or negative. Much research has evaluated the attention regulation component and found that MP improves high-level (effortful) attention with few reported effects on low-level (automatic) attention. It is unclear whether MP affects merely low- or high-level attention, or both, because little empirical research has examined both low- …

Reward-Related Predictors Of Relapse In Smokers, Elena Molokotos

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quitting smoking remains an on-going challenging for many cigarette smokers. Numerous individualized characteristics have been suggested as predictors for successful smoking abstinence. One such factor requiring further investigation is reward responsivity, given that individuals with addiction show behavioral and neurobiological alterations in reward function.This study used previously collected data from 122 daily smokers to investigate whether individuals willing to abstain from smoking in exchange for money would display increased reward responsivity during a baseline, non-abstinent visit, relative to individuals who smoked immediately. Participants Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT) performance was used to measure reward responsivity to monetary rewards and a laboratory-based …