Sex Differences in Furniture Assembly Performance: An Experimental Study

This study examined sex differences in furniture assembly performance by manipulating the availability of instructions. Two groups of participants with an equal number of men and women assembled a kitchen trolley from IKEA. One group received step‐by‐step instructions, and the other group a diagram of the finished product. In addition, individual spatial ability was measured with the mental rotation test (MRT) and added to the analyses. Our results showed that men assembled the furniture faster (d = 0.78) and more accurately (d = 0.65) than women. Overall, participants performed better with step‐by‐step instructions than without (d = 0.61), and the time spent on instructions was negatively related to MRT scores, r = ?.428, p = .006. Aside from the time spent on instructions, women assembled the furniture nearly as fast as men did, and the sex difference in assembly score could be explained by differences in individual spatial ability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Experimental Study of Thorndike's Theory of Learning

Cattell, Raymond B. Personality: A Systematic, Theoretical, and Factual Study. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1950. Pp. 689. Reviewed by Percival M. Symonds.     

Cross‐Situational Learning: An Experimental Study of Word‐Learning Mechanisms

Cross‐situational learning is a mechanism for learning the meaning of words across multiple exposures, despite exposure‐by‐exposure uncertainty as to the word's true meaning. We present experimental evidence showing that humans learn words effectively using cross‐situational learning, even at high levels of referential uncertainty. Both overall success rates and the time taken to learn words are affected by the degree of referential uncertainty, with greater referential uncertainty leading to less reliable, slower learning. Words are also learned less successfully and more slowly if they are presented interleaved with occurrences of other words, although this effect is relatively weak. We present additional analyses of participants’ trial‐by‐trial behavior showing that participants make use of various cross‐situational learning strategies, depending on the difficulty of the word‐learning task. When referential uncertainty is low, participants generally apply a rigorous eliminative approach to cross‐situational learning. When referential uncertainty is high, or exposures to different words are interleaved, participants apply a frequentist approximation to this eliminative approach. We further suggest that these two ways of exploiting cross‐situational information reside on a continuum of learning strategies, underpinned by a single simple associative learning mechanism.     

Observer Effects without Demand Characteristics: An Inductive Investigation of Video Monitoring and Performance

Purpose

The purpose of these two studies was to explore the relationship between video monitoring and quantity of performance in the absence of demand characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered via two experiments involving business students working on a motor task. Participants were randomly assigned to the monitored and unmonitored conditions. Experiment 1 (n = 75) was inductive while Experiment 2 (n = 139) was partially inductive.

Findings

Experiment 1 showed that monitored participants’ performance was lower than that of unmonitored participants. Further, monitoring reduced outliers, increased interquartile variance, and normalized the distribution. Experiment 2 replicated the effect of monitoring on performance controlling for cognitive ability and emotions, demonstrated that negative emotions interacted with monitoring condition, and suggested that differences in performance were not due to cheating or variation in task-related strategies. We offer a grounded theory of video monitoring proposing that different implicit decision rules are activated when people are monitored as compared to when they are not monitored.

Implications

Future research needs to determine the extent to which our results extend to similar settings in the workplace and to other forms of observation. At this time, we believe organizations should carefully consider the consequences of electronic monitoring. Controlling expectations in the lab or workplace does not necessarily eliminate the independent effect of monitoring. Therefore, researchers must beware misinterpretation of effect sizes and overlooking the role of observation in their data.

Originality/value

These studies demonstrate that video monitoring can create observer effects in the absence of demand characteristics. Our inductive approach revealed the nature of the effects beyond mean differences and served as the basis for developing a testable theory of monitoring that goes beyond what was previously known.     

图形型归纳推理的神经机制:一项fMRI研究

利用fMRI脑成像技术探讨图形型归纳推理的神经机制。设计了一种由图形形状和条纹方向描述的简单几何图形组成的归纳推理任务,这种图形型任务与以往研究中常用的语句型归纳推理任务是同质的。根据两个图形共享特征数量的不同设计了两种实验任务:共享两个特征(2T)和共享一个特征(1T),以休息基线(Rest)作为控制任务。2T和1T任务均为归纳推理任务,但2T任务包含知觉特征整合成分,而1T任务不包括。结果发现:与控制任务相比,归纳推理任务在前额区(BA6、9、11、46、47)、尾状核、壳核和丘脑等脑区有显著激活,反映了"前额皮层-纹状体-丘脑"通路在图形型归纳推理中的重要作用;图形型归纳推理中的知觉信息整合与右侧额下回(BA47)、双侧尾状核头部、壳核等脑区有关。     

小学生数学示例学习的信息加工过程实验研究

该研究试图让小学生通过示例学习的方式学习小数乘小数知识。口语报告分析及后测表明,小学四年级学生已具备示例学习的能力。实验还通过口语报告的个案分析,揭示示例学习的信息加工过程,并探讨了经过改进的口语报告分析法的应用问题。     

引发小学生学习中逆反心理原因的实验研究

小学生学习中出现逆反心理是一种极为普遍的社会心理现象。了解引发小学生学习中产生逆反心理的原因对克服小学生逆反心理,提高学习效率具有现实意义。本研究发现取消感兴趣的活动、过度要求、剥夺自主性,厌倦情绪都会明显引发小学生学习中的逆反心理。     

Cheating,Reactions, and Performance in Remotely Proctored Testing: An Exploratory Experimental Study

Purpose

We sought to provide empirical insight and develop theory for a new organizational phenomenon: remote proctoring for Internet-based tests. We examined whether this technology is effective at decreasing cheating and whether it has unintended effects on test-taker reactions, performance, or selection procedures.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants (582) were randomly assigned to a webcam proctored or honor code condition and completed two (one searchable, one non-searchable) cognitive ability tests online. Complete data were collected from 295 participants. We indirectly determined levels of cheating by examining the pattern of test-score differences across the two conditions. We directly measured dropout rates, test performance, and participants’ perceived tension and invasion of privacy.

Findings

The use of remote proctoring was associated with more negative test-taker reactions and decreased cheating. Remote proctoring did not directly affect test performance or interact with individual differences to predict test performance or test-taker reactions.

Implications

Technological advances in selection should be accompanied by empirical evidence. Although remote proctoring may be effective at decreasing cheating, it may also have unintended effects on test-taker reactions. By outlining an initial classification of remote proctoring technology, we contribute to the theoretical understanding of technology-enhanced assessment, while providing timely insight into the practice of Internet-based testing.

Originality/value

We provide timely insight into the development and evaluation of remotely proctored tests. The current study utilizes a unique randomized experimental design in order to indirectly determine levels of cheating across two conditions. Following the results of the current study, we outline an integrative model for future research on remotely proctored tests.     

小学儿童在空间概念中的内隐学习实验研究

本研究以一、三、五年级小学儿童为被试,探查小学儿童在不同学习模式下空间概念的发展情况。研究结果如下:(1)不同学习模式下,儿童的认知发展呈现不同的趋势;(2)随认知任务难度的增加,不同学习模式的成绩出现差异;(3)不同学习模式下,不同难度任务的成绩存在差异。     

教育神经科学:探究人类认知与学习的一条整合式途径

教育神经科学是第二代认知科学对人的具身认知进行认识深化的必然产物,也是不同层面研究以整合态势来研究教育情境中人的认知过程及其发展的当然结果。在认知神经科学与教育已有的良好沟通下,教育神经科学就是要通过教育学家、心理学家、神经科学家等的合力,借助多种技术(包括脑成像技术),多视角、多层面地分析人的心理活动,以求最终达到科学改进教育理论及其做法的目的。不可否认,本研究领域还存在一些问题;但这并不会就此阻止教育学、心理学、神经科学加快合作与融合的步伐。     

内隐与外显学习的交互关系——基于复杂系统控制的实验研究

作为两种截然不同的学习方式,内隐与外显学习的区别性研究引起了诸多关注,而两者的关联及协同作用研究较少.本研究使用复杂系统控制范式来考察内隐与外显学习的相瓦关系.实验发现:内隐与外显学习可以共同存在、协同作用;任务复杂程度的增加对内隐和外显学习都有损害作用;随着任务难度的增加,内隐学习的贡献率上升;内隐与外显学习在练习过程中都存在高原现象;随着练习的增加,中等难度任务中内隐学习与外显学习表现出分离趋势.     

企业组织变革特征、人力资源策略与变革应对行为的实验研究：组织学习的视角

在快速发展的全球化和知识经济背景下,各类组织急需通过变革创新来适应动态环境和开拓发展。本研究使用基于多案例的实验学习技术,研究与检验了公司组织变革的关键特征和人力资源策略与变革策略,特别关注了组织学习的关键作用。基于110项组织变革案例情节的内容分析,本研究验证了变革的四项主要特征：风险创新性、动态整合性、网络互动性和文化多样性。组织变革过程的有效人力资源策略包括培训发展、招聘配置和绩效薪酬。统计分析结果表明,组织绩效受到多重因素影响和组织学习的中介效应,而组织学习各个维度中,实验尝试学习的效应最显著。组织学习促进了两种变革策略的效能期望,即文化学习策略和团队协同策略。     

Self-Control and Impulsiveness in Adult Human Females: Effects of Food Preferences

Two experiments explored the effects of food preferences on humans’ choice in a self-control paradigm. Reinforcers consisted of programmed periods of access time to drinking juice during the experimental session. Experiment 1 used 14 adult women and Experiment 2 used 9 adult women. In Experiment 1, the women demonstrated significantly less sensitivity to reinforcer amount relative to sensitivity to reinforcer delay (a measure of self-control) when they reported a higher preference for the juice received as the less delayed, smaller reinforcer than for the juice received as the more delayed, larger reinforcer. Conversely in Experiment 2, the women demonstrated significantly more sensitivity to reinforcer amount relative to sensitivity to reinforcer delay when they reported a higher preference for the juice received as the more delayed, larger reinforcer than for the juice received as the less delayed, smaller reinforcer. Together, the results show that participants’ food preferences can influence self-control for food reinforcers.     

Effectiveness of Positive Hypothesis Testing in Inductive and Deductive Rule Learning

In a positive hypothesis test a person generates or examines evidence that is expected to have the property of interest if the hypothesis is correct, whereas in a negative hypothesis test a person generates or examines evidence that is not expected to have the property of interest if the hypothesis is correct. Two experiments assessed the effectiveness of positive versus negative hypothesis tests on inductive and deductive rule learning problems. In Experiment 1 problem solvers induced a rule by proposing hypotheses and selecting evidence in the eight conditions of a factorial design defined by instructions to use a positive or negative hypothesis test on each of trials 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15. Instructions to use positive tests resulted in more examples, fewer strategic hypotheses, and a higher weighted score for five types of hypotheses than instructions to use negative tests. In Experiment 2 problem solvers identified 1 of a possible 1296 correct rules in the deductive rule learning game Mastermind. When problems were classified in the 16 possible combinations of positive or negative hypothesis tests on trials 2, 3, 4, and 5 there were fewer trials to solution for positive tests on each of the four trials and fewer trials to solution with increasing positive tests. We conclude that positive hypothesis tests are generally more effective than negative hypothesis tests in both inductive and deductive rule learning. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Handedness in Musicians: Bimanual Constraints on Performance

Handedness in musicians was examined in terms of the relative roles of the hands in bimanual motor activity involved in instrumental performance. Musicians playing instruments requiring temporally integrated (e.g., strings and woodwinds), as opposed to independent (e.g., keyboard instruments), bimanual motor activity were found to exhibit weaker degrees of handedness. There were no significant differences between groups in direction of handedness. Results are interpreted in terms of greater bilateral hemispheric integration and control of fine motor movements among subjects exhibiting mixed-handedness.     

序列反应时任务中内隐和外显学习表征方式的实验研究

采用改进的序列反应时任务,探讨内隐和外显学习的知识表征方式,发现内隐组和外显组被试都习得了一定的序列规则.内隐组对标准字母的反应显著快于知觉偏差,而后者则又显著快于对动觉偏差字母的反应;外显组对标准字母的反应显著快于知觉偏差和动觉偏差,而后两者之间则没有区别.以上结果表明外显和内隐学习中知觉表征和动觉表征都起作用,不过在内隐学习中动觉表征起的作用更大.     

An Experimental Analysis of Operant Learning in the Parakeet

Twenty-five parakeets were used as subjects in a study involving food-rewarded operant learning. The parakeet behaved essentially in the same way as other birds (Leghorn chicken, Wyandotte chicken, pigeon, quail, turkey, etc.) with respect to number of rewarded reactions to criterion and percentage of animals learning. Parakeets, however, learned significantly faster than all other birds. These findings have implications within the framework of evolutionary comparative learning hypotheses.     

Students' Preferences for Information About Their Test Performance: A Social Comparison Study1

College students received their test scores and letter grades for an actual examination and were asked to indicate their degree of interest in obtaining information (average score, highest score, etc.) in order to evaluate their performance. Overall, the students were most interested in knowing the average test score and least interested in knowing the lowest test score and the number of others who received worse test scores. There was some evidence supporting Festinger's unidirectional drive hypothesis in that most of the students were moderately interested in knowing how many others obtained better scores. Surprisingly, students who failed the examination displayed the greatest interest in the available information. There was little evidence suggesting defensive comparison on the part of low scorers. The results have implications for the self evaluation of ability, for social comparison research, and for educational practice.     

数学日记对数学学习有效性的实验研究

本研究对高中数学学科进行实验研究,以探讨数学日记对主观数学学习效能感与客观数学成绩的影响.结果显示数学日记能显著提高学生的数学学习效能感,有助于数学学习成绩的提高,尤其对数学差生更具有显著作用;同时数学日记还能使学生对数学学习的信念与数学学习的实效协调起来,获得一致性效应.结论是数学日记能使学生形成一种有效性的学习.