In two experiments, undergraduates' evaluation and use of multiple Internet sources during a science inquiry task were examined. In Experiment 1, undergraduates had the task of explaining what caused the eruption of Mt. St. Helens using the results of an Internet search. Multiple regression analyses indicated that source evaluation significantly predicted learning outcomes, with more successful learners better able to discriminate scientifically reliable from unreliable information. In Experiment 2, an instructional unit (SEEK) taught undergraduates how to evaluate the reliability of information sources. Undergraduates who used SEEK while working on an inquiry task about the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet displayed greater differentiation in their reliability judgments of information sources than a comparison group. Both groups then participated in the Mt. St. Helens task. Undergraduates in the SEEK conditions demonstrated better learning from the volcano task. The current studies indicate that the evaluation of information sources is critical to successful learning from Internet-based inquiry and amenable to improvement through instruction.
The insightful problem-solving process has been proposed to involve three main phases: an initial representation phase, in which the solver inappropriately represents the problem; an initial search through the faulty problem space that may lead to impasse; and a postimpasse restructuring phase. Some theories propose that the restructuring phase involves controlled search processes, whereas other theories propose that restructuring is achieved through the automatic redistribution of activation in long-term memory. In this study, we used correlations between working memory (WM) span measures and problem-solving success to test the predictions of these different theories. One group of participants received a set of insight problems that allowed for a large initial faulty search space, whereas another group received a matched set that constrained the initial faulty search space in order to isolate the restructuring phase of the insightful process. The results suggest that increased ability to control attention (as measured by WM span tasks) predicts an individual's ability to successfully solve problems that involve both the initial search phase and the restructuring phase. However, individual differences in ability to control attention do not predict success on problems that isolate the restructuring phase. These results are interpreted as supporting an automatic-redistribution-of-activation account of restructuring.
Security breaches are prevalent in organizations and many of the breaches are attributed to human errors. As a result, the organizations need to increase their employees' security awareness and their capabilities to engage in safe cybersecurity behaviors. Many different psychological and social factors affect employees' cybersecurity behaviors. An important research question to explore is to what extent gender plays a role in mediating the factors that affect cybersecurity beliefs and behaviors of employees. In this vein, we conducted a cross-sectional survey study among employees of diverse organizations. We used structural equation modelling to assess the effect of gender as a moderator variable in the relations between psychosocial factors and self-reported cybersecurity behaviors. Our results show that gender has some effect in security selfefficacy (r=-.435, p< .001), prior experience (r=-.235, p< .001) and computer skills (r=-.198, p< .001) and little effect in cuesto-action (r=-.152, p< .001) and self-reported cybersecurity behaviors (r=-.152, p< .001).
The role of sensory acuity, processing speed, and working memory capacity on auditory working memory span (L-span) performance at five presentation levels was examined in 80 young (18-30 y) and 26 older adults (60-82 y). Lowering the presentation level of the L-span task had a greater detrimental effect on older adults than in the young. Furthermore, the relationship between sensory acuity and L-span performance varied as a function of age and presentation level. These results suggest that declining acuity plays an important explanatory role in age-related declines in cognitive abilities.Keywords auditory acuity; working memory; listening span; cognitive aging; perceptual processing; hearing Age-related declines in cognitive skills are typically found for fluid intelligence (see reviews in Salthouse, 2003;Verhaeghen & Salthouse, 1997), prospective memory (Kliegel & Jager, 2006;Kliegel, Jager, & Phillips, 2008), episodic memory (Addis, Wong, & Schacter, 2008;Old & Naveh-Benjamin, 2008), executive processing (Kray, Eber, & Lindenberger, 2004) and dual task performance (Glass et al., 2000;Verhaeghen, Steitz, Sliwinski, & Cerella, 2003). Some researchers have proposed that such age related difficulties reflect impaired cognitive functions such as slowed information processing (Cerella, 1985;Salthouse, 1994) or decreased working memory/attentional capacity (Park et al., 2002;Salthouse, 1992). Others have pointed out, however, that age related declines in sensory acuity may lead to difficulties in performing cognitive tasks, even when visual or auditory stimuli are presented at above-threshold levels such that they can be seen or heard (Baldwin, 2002;Baldwin, 2007;Baldwin & Struckman-Johnson, 2002;Lunner, Rudner, & Ronnberg, 2009; PichoraFuller, Schneider, & Daneman, 1995;Schneider, Daneman, & Murphy, 2005;. Accordingly, mediation of cognitive performance by sensory acuity provides another explanatory framework for age-related cognitive decline (see discussions in Baldwin, 2002;Rabbitt, 1990;Schneider et al., 2005;Schneider & Pichora-Fuller, 2000;Scialfa, 2002 Hearing impairment is pervasive among older adults (Corso, 1963;Gates, Cooper, Kannel, & Miller, 1990). In a recent population based sample of over 2000 adults 73-84 years of age, 59.9% had mid frequency clinical hearing loss (pure-tone thresholds of > 25 dB at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz) and 76.9% had high frequency hearing loss (Helzner et al., 2005). Subclinical hearing loss among older adults is ubiquitous. Pure-tone thresholds have consistently been found to increase with age (Corso, 1963;Fozard & Gordon-Salant, 2001; Schieber & Baldwin, 1996), particularly across the high frequency range which is critical for distinguishing between consonants (Botwinick, 1984;Humes, 2007;Villaume, Brown, & Darling, 1994).Hearing impairment may impact higher order cognitive processes in several ways. First, it may result in the sensory extraction stage of speech processing requiring greater allocation of limited attentional resources, leaving fewer resources available ...
In the present article, we articulate three assumptions underlying theories proposing that restructuring processes play a key role in insightful problem solving: representational difficulty, representational change, and discontinuity in solution processes. We argue that these assumptions need empirical validation to justify the proposition of restructuring mechanisms that are unique from those involved in classic information-processing theories of problem solving. To this end, we review some theoretical and methodological obstacles that are inherent in the investigation of the existence and nature of restructuring processes. We then offer some recommendations on how to overcome or avoid these obstacles in future studies. Finally, we discuss some questions to help motivate new research.
Diagnosis, modality, and signal-to-noise ratio all affected the ability to process speech in noise. The interaction between the diagnosis of ADHD, the presence of visual cues, and the level of noise had an effect on a person's ability to process speech in noise. conclusion: Young adults with ADHD benefited less from visual information during noise than young adults without ADHD, an effect influenced by working memory abilities.
Abstract:Gestalt psychologists proposed two distinct learning mechanisms. Associative learning occurs gradually through the repeated co-occurrence of external stimuli or memories. Insight learning occurs suddenly when people discover new relationships within their prior knowledge as a result of reasoning or problem solving processes that re-organize or restructure that knowledge. While there has been a considerable amount of research on the type of problem solving processes described by the Gestalt psychologists, less has focused on the learning that results from these processes. This paper begins with a historical review of the Gestalt theory of insight learning. Next, the core assumptions of Gestalt insight learning theory are empirically tested with a study that investigated the relationships among problem difficulty, impasse, initial problem representations, and resolution effects. Finally, Gestalt insight learning theory is discussed in relation to modern information processing theories of comprehension and memory formation.
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