基于关系-表征复杂性模型的数学应用题表征能力测验

基于关系-表征复杂性模型,从每道应用题涉及集合关系的嵌套程度角度事前分析其关系复杂性,编制了难度序列变化的应用题测验,以考察问题表征能力。采用该测验测查了四至七年级共165名学生,考察事前分析的合理性及表征水平随年龄的变化。结果表明:(1)事前分析对两个事后难度指标(错误率和Rasch模型分析的任务难度)的解释率分别为73.7%、78.7%;该测验得分与测查思维水平层次变化的SOLO分类测验上的得分有较高相关(r=0.65)。(2)四年级的应用题表征水平显著低于五、六、七年级,其他三个年级差异不显著;而且随着问题关系复杂性的增加,年级差异增大。这说明基于关系-表征复杂性模型的事前分析是合理的,据此编制的测验能够测查表征水平随年龄的变化。     

Self-representation: searching for a neural signature of self-consciousness

Human self-consciousness operates at different levels of complexity and at least comprises five different levels of representational processes. These five levels are nonconceptual representation, conceptual representation, sentential representation, meta-representation, and iterative meta-representation. These different levels of representation can be operationalized by taking a first-person-perspective that is involved in representational processes on different levels of complexity. We refer to experiments that operationalize a first-person-perspective on the level of conceptual and meta-representational self-consciousness. Interestingly, these experiments show converging evidence for a recruitment of medial cortical and parietal regions during taking a first-person-perspective, even when operating on different degrees of complexity. These data lend support for the speculative hypothesis, that there exist a neural signature for human self-consciousness that is recruited independent from the degree of representational complexity to be performed.     

Validation of a pictorial recall test in three visual formats.

This study describes the validation of a visual recall test which was constructed using three different levels of visual complexity, line drawing, monochrome photographic, and color photographic. For a sample of 111 college students, the test was significantly correlated (.42 and .92) with two recognized tests of visual memory.     

Deformation of the useful visual field with state of vigilance,task priority,and central task complexity

In a dual-task situation, peripheral perception can deteriorate due to different variables related to the experimental situation, such as central task complexity and the relative priority given to the two tasks. Recent studies have also shown that individual characteristics (such as the state of vigilance) can alter the useful visual field. The ability to perceive signals presented at different places in the visual field decreases in situations that lead to episodes of low vigilance. In Exp. 1, 27 subjects (18-29 years) had to perform a monotonous and prolonged dual-monitoring task involving central and peripheral vision. The test was carried out with two different sets of instructions regarding priority: the more important task was either the central task or the peripheral one. In Exp. 2, 18 subjects (18-30 years) performed the same test, but this time with two levels of complexity of the central task, either a simple monitoring activity or the same monitoring task coupled with a counting activity. Elliptical interpolation of the data enabled assessment of the deformation of the useful visual field in both experiments. The analysis of the parameters of the elliptical model indicated that the useful visual field mainly shrinks on the vertical axis, as the individual becomes drowsy. The useful visual field also shrinks on the horizontal axis when the peripheral task has priority and the monitoring activity is prolonged, or when the central task is complex.     

Children's preference for complexity as a function of perceived units in collative motivation

The purpose of this investigation was to manipulate a constant number of four elements (red and blue rectangles) to represent differentially perceived units of complexity. The hypothesis that motivational arousal and choice preferences of second- and fifth-grade children would be a positive function of the number of perceived units, ranging from one to four, was confirmed, consistent with Berlyne's (1960) theory. When the number of elements was held constant at three, as compared to four, similar results were obtained in a test at two intermediate levels of complexity. Implications for organization of elements and the effects of symmetry in determining children's preferences for levels of complexity are discussed.     

Surface-illuminant ambiguity and color constancy: effects of scene complexity and depth cues

Two experiments were conducted to study how scene complexity and cues to depth affect human color constancy. Specifically, two levels of scene complexity were compared. The low-complexity scene contained two walls with the same surface reflectance and a test patch which provided no information about the illuminant. In addition to the surfaces visible in the low-complexity scene, the high-complexity scene contained two rectangular solid objects and 24 paper samples with diverse surface reflectances. Observers viewed illuminated objects in an experimental chamber and adjusted the test patch until it appeared achromatic. Achromatic settings made tinder two different illuminants were used to compute an index that quantified the degree of constancy. Two experiments were conducted: one in which observers viewed the stimuli directly, and one in which they viewed the scenes through an optical system that reduced cues to depth. In each experiment, constancy was assessed for two conditions. In the valid-cue condition, many cues provided valid information about the illuminant change. In the invalid-cue condition, some image cues provided invalid information. Four broad conclusions are drawn from the data: (a) constancy is generally better in the valid-cue condition than in the invalid-cue condition: (b) for the stimulus configuration used, increasing image complexity has little effect in the valid-cue condition but leads to increased constancy in the invalid-cue condition; (c) for the stimulus configuration used, reducing cues to depth has little effect for either constancy condition: and (d) there is moderate individual variation in the degree of constancy exhibited, particularly in the degree to which the complexity manipulation affects performance.     

The Big-5 ± 2? The impact of cognitive complexity on the factor structure of the five-factor model

Despite the popularity and prevalence of the five-factor model (FFM) of personality, numerous questions regarding its psychometric properties have yet to be investigated. One issue of particular concern is the underlying premise that these five personality factors are universally shared by all individuals. The present study examined the impact of cognitive complexity on the FFM by directly assessing whether individuals with higher or lower levels of cognitive complexity have personalities comprised of a greater or lesser number of factors, respectively, than the five widely accepted factors outlined by the FFM. Results indicated that individuals with lower levels of cognitive complexity have personalities best described by a three-factor model, whereas individuals with higher levels of cognitive complexity have personalities best described by a seven-factor model. In light of these findings, the appropriateness of universally applying the FFM to individuals of differing levels of cognitive complexity is discussed.     

The Big-5 ± 2? The impact of cognitive complexity on the factor structure of the five-factor model

Despite the popularity and prevalence of the five-factor model (FFM) of personality, numerous questions regarding its psychometric properties have yet to be investigated. One issue of particular concern is the underlying premise that these five personality factors are universally shared by all individuals. The present study examined the impact of cognitive complexity on the FFM by directly assessing whether individuals with higher or lower levels of cognitive complexity have personalities comprised of a greater or lesser number of factors, respectively, than the five widely accepted factors outlined by the FFM. Results indicated that individuals with lower levels of cognitive complexity have personalities best described by a three-factor model, whereas individuals with higher levels of cognitive complexity have personalities best described by a seven-factor model. In light of these findings, the appropriateness of universally applying the FFM to individuals of differing levels of cognitive complexity is discussed.     

An examination of age and cognitive test performance across job complexity and occupational types

In this study, job complexity and occupational type were examined as potential moderators of the relationship between age and cognitive ability. Data included general, verbal, and numerical ability scores for 21,646 individuals in the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) data base. These individuals comprised 102 unique samples and 10 major occupational groups. Differences in the relationship between age and cognitive ability test scores were observed across occupational types but not for different levels of job complexity. Findings were discussed in terms of a need for research that examines specific life and work experiences and how such experiences may influence an individual's cognitive abilities across the life span.     

Reaction and movement times in men of different ages: a population study

Tests of psychomotor and motor speed at different levels of complexity were studied in random samples of men aged 31 to 35, 51 to 55, and 71 to 75 yr. The study was performed as a part of a larger research project on health and functional aging. Analyses indicated significantly slower responses among older men at all levels of test complexity (maximal knee extension velocity, tapping rate, simple and choice reaction and movement times). There were marked differences both between the youngest and the middle-aged groups and between the middle-aged and the oldest groups. Within the age groups high psychomotor and motor speed were associated with a favourable functioning of certain senses (vibration sensitivity and postural balance), with a high isometric muscular force, and with a high directly assessed aerobic capacity. The most important covariants of the speed functions within the age groups were, however, cognitive performance, length of education, and perceived health.     

Integrative Complexity of 41 U.S. Presidents

Although U.S. presidents are one of the most studied groups of political figures and integrative complexity is one of the most widely used constructs in political psychology, no study to date has fully examined the integrative complexity of all U.S. presidents. The present study helps fill in that gap by scoring 41 U.S. presidents' first four State of the Union speeches for integrative complexity and then comparing these scores with a large range of available situational and personality variables. Results suggest a tendency for presidents' integrative complexity to be higher at the beginning of their first term and drop at the end. This pattern was pronounced for presidents who eventually won reelection to a second term and was markedly different for presidents who tried to gain reelection but lost. Additional analyses suggested that presidents' overall integrative complexity scores were in part accounted for by chronic differences between presidents' complexity levels. Further analyses revealed that this overall integrative complexity score was positively correlated to a set of interpersonal traits (friendliness, affiliation motive, extraversion, and wittiness) and negatively correlated with inflexibility. Discussion centers upon the causes and consequences of presidential complexity.     

Velocity dependence of the interocular transfer of dynamic motion aftereffects

It is well established that motion aftereffects (MAEs) can show interocular transfer (IOT); that is, motion adaptation in one eye can give a MAE in the other eye. Different quantification methods and different test stimuli have been shown to give different IOT magnitudes, varying from no to almost full IOT. In this study, we examine to what extent IOT of the dynamic MAE (dMAE), that is the MAE seen with a dynamic noise test pattern, varies with velocity of the adaptation stimulus. We measured strength of dMAE by a nulling method. The aftereffect induced by adaptation to a moving random-pixel array was compensated (nulled), during a brief dynamic test period, by the same kind of motion stimulus of variable luminance signal-to-noise ratio (LSNR). The LSNR nulling value was determined in a Quest-staircase procedure. We found that velocity has a strong effect on the magnitude of IOT for the dMAE. For increasing speeds from 1.5 deg s(-1) to 24 deg s(-1) average IOT values increased about linearly from 18% to 63% or from 32% to 83%, depending on IOT definition. The finding that dMAEs transfer to an increasing extent as speed increases, suggests that binocular cells play a more dominant role at higher speeds.     

Does Absence of Hearing Ability Enhance Visual Vigilance? It Depends on Task Complexity

Successful performance of a vigilance task in a particular modality can be affected by the allocation of attentional resources to other cognitive processes using same or different modalities. The present study investigated whether loss of hearing affects visual vigilance task performance and also if it’s a function of increased task complexity. A sample of 30 adolescents ( 15 with hearing loss and 15 with normal hearing) were selected by matching them in pairs according to their working memory functioning and other relevant organismic variables. A software program measured the performance on vigilance task with varying task complexity levels. Analysis of the obtained data indicates that the effect of hearing impairment on visual vigilance is moderated by task complexity and that is contingent to attentional resources. Here, deprivation in hearing ability negatively affects functioning of visual vigilance significantly only when the task complexity increases. But no significant differences are observed in hearing and hearing impaired adolescents when the task demanded less attentional resources.     

Automated Integrative Complexity

Integrative complexity is a conceptually unique and very popular measurement of the complexity of human thought. We believe, however, that it is currently being underutilized because it takes quite a bit of time to score. More time‐efficient computer‐based measurements of complexity that are currently available are correlated with integrative complexity at fairly low levels. To help fill in this gap, we developed a novel automated integrative complexity system designed specifically from the integrative complexity theoretical framework. This new automated IC system achieved an alpha of .72 on the standard integrative complexity coding test. In addition, across nine datasets covering over 1,300 paragraphs, this new automated system consistently showed modest relationships with human‐scored integrative complexity (average alpha = .62; average r = .46). Further analyses revealed that this relationship consistently remained significant when controlling for superficial markers of complexity and that the new system accounted for both the differentiation and integration components of integrative complexity. Although the overlap between the automated and human‐scored systems is only modest (and thus suggests the continued usefulness of human scoring), it nonetheless provides the best automated integrative complexity measurement to date.     

Intuitive Perceptions of Decision-making Strategy: Naive Assessors' Concepts of Integrative Complexity

Although there are measurable differences in integrative complexity among solutions that individuals generate in dealing with problems, it is uncertain to what extent people comprehend, recognize, and have preferences among different levels of complexity. Integrative complexity is a function of differentiation (the perception of several attributes within, or perspectives about, a topic) and integration (combining the differentiated characteristics in an interactive or synthesizing solution). The current paper reports two experiments dealing with how university students perceive, interpret, and choose among solutions differing in complexity. Experiment 1 showed that subjects accurately rated the complexity of described solutions differing along the continuum, but that their assessment of their own responses differed from the results of expert scoring. Their self-estimated complexity was highly correlated with their preferences, and preferred complexity was reliably higher than either expert- or self-assessed complexity of subject-generated solutions. Subjects were able to hypothesize quite accurately about environmental and endogenous factors likely to affect complexity. Experiment 2 found that in response to problem scenarios, solutions selected as being potentially most effective were consistently more complex than solutions that participants considered themselves most likely to use. The idea of complexity seems to be intuitively recognizable and understandable by untrained subjects: They can and do distinguish among problem solutions (self-generated or presented) that vary on that dimension, and are able to assess accurately the effects of relevant variables. Such subjects also share the bias shown by experts in favour of the superiority of more complex approaches.     

The Effects of Emotional Involvement and Psychological Distance on Integrative Complexity1

Integrative complexity is a measure of information processing that is scored either from archival documents or from written material generated for experimental purposes. Low complexity is associated with a lack of attention to diverse dimensions of, or perspectives on, a topic. Moderate complexity is characterized by the differentiation of such dimensions or perspectives. Finally, high complexity is shown by conceptual integration of the differentiated components. A large number of situational variables have been identified as affecting the level of complexity at which decision makers operate; however, emotional factors have been studied only indirectly (e.g., inferred from the individual's being in an apparently stressful situation). The current study presented university students with fictional scenarios describing interpersonal conflict that were designed to vary the psychological distance between the writer and the people involved in the problem. The complexity level of essays in which the students analyzed and described solutions for the conflict was positively related to both increasing psychological distance and to self-rated emotional involvement, regardless of distance. The distance results may have been due to an unconsidered variable, social perspective. Complexity was significantly and positively correlated with the self-rated effort expended in writing the essay. The findings partially confirm the cognitive manager model of complexity: The complexity of decision strategies is affected by the balance between the importance of the problem and the resources (cognitive and other) that must be invested to operate at different levels of complexity. The data have implications for understanding the impact of emotional involvement on cognitive complexity.     

Cognitive complexity and the validity of clinicians' judgments

Efforts to explain why some neuropsychologists are more accurate than others have been unsuccessful. In the present study, the relation between the cognitive complexity of clinicians and the validity of their judgments was investigated. Forty-two neuropsychologists completed a measure of cognitive complexity. The hypothesis that neuropsychologists who are high in cognitive complexity will be more accurate than those who are low in cognitive complexity was not supported. It is not clear why cognitive complexity was not significantly related to the validity of diagnostic ratings: One explanation is that the measure of cognitive complexity used in this study was inadequate but another possibility is that neuropsychologists who are low in cognitive complexity may still be able to achieve high levels of accuracy if they attend to normative data when they interpret test results.     

Two ways to be complex and why they matter: implications for attitude strength and lying

Integrative complexity broadly measures the structural complexity of statements. This breadth, although beneficial in multiple ways, can potentially hamper the development of specific theories. In response, the authors developed a model of complex thinking, focusing on 2 different ways that people can be complex within the integrative complexity system and subsequently developed measurements of each of these 2 routes: Dialectical complexity focuses on a dialectical tension between 2 or more competing perspectives, whereas elaborative complexity focuses on complexly elaborating on 1 singular perspective. The authors posit that many variables have different effects on these 2 forms of complexity and subsequently test this idea in 2 different theoretical domains. In Studies 1a, 1b, and 2, the authors demonstrate that variables related to attitude strength (e.g., domain importance, extremism, domain accessibility) decrease dialectical complexity but increase elaborative complexity. In Study 3, the authors show that counterattitudinal lying decreases dialectical complexity but increases elaborative complexity, implicating a strategic (as opposed to a cognitive strain) view of the lying-complexity relationship. The authors argue that this dual demonstration across 2 different theoretical domains helps establish the utility of the new model and measurements as well as offer the potential to reconcile apparent conflicts in the area of cognitive complexity.     

Integration of Category Induction and Hierarchical Classification: One Paradigm at Two Levels of Complexity

Hierarchical classification (HC) and category induction (CI) were tested by a common property inference procedure to facilitate comparison and enable relative complexities to be assessed. Relational complexity theory predicts that HC is more complex because it entails a ternary relation between categories B, A, and A' such that A and A' are included in B, whereas CI entails a simpler binary relation between a category and its complement. Experiment 1 tested inferences about familiar categories with plausible but unfamiliar attributes, and Experiment 2 assessed inferences about fictitious categories with familiar attributes. As predicted, HC was more difficult than CI. Children over 5 years succeeded on both, but 3-year-olds succeeded on CI only. Tasks of the same level of complexity predicted 68% (Experiment 1) and 80% (Experiment 2) of age-related variance. The results suggest that HC and CI may be regarded as 1 paradigm with 2 levels of structural complexity.     

Characterising expert representations during real-time action: A Skill Theory application to soccer

In various domains, experts are found to possess elaborate domain-specific representations they developed over years. In this study, we provide the first systematic attempt to characterise the short-term representations among individuals with different expertise levels. We showed videos of soccer game plays to expert, near-expert and non-expert soccer players and asked them to describe the actions taking place. Verbalisations were coded based on Fischer's Skill Theory. Monte Carlo permutation tests revealed that players with higher expertise constructed representations of higher complexity (regardless of their specific content). Taking the content of the representations into account, we found that higher expertise soccer players relatively more often included high complexity levels of actions not including the ball and (moving) players on the field. These findings improve our understanding of perceptual-cognitive expertise by demonstrating how actors with different levels of expertise integrate the information they perceive to construct their representations in real time.