Computer-based written emotional disclosure: the effects of advance or real-time guidance and moderation by Big 5 personality traits

Standard written emotional disclosure (WED) about stress, which is private and unguided, yields small health benefits. The effect of providing individualized guidance to writers may enhance WED, but has not been tested. This trial of computer-based WED compared two novel therapist-guided forms of WED – advance guidance (before sessions) and real-time guidance (during sessions, through instant messaging) – to both standard WED and control writing; it also tested Big 5 personality traits as moderators of guided WED. Young adult participants (n = 163) with unresolved stressful experiences were randomized to conditions, had three, 30-min computer-based writing sessions, and were reassessed six weeks later. Contrary to hypotheses, real-time guidance WED had poorer outcomes than the other conditions on several measures, and advance guidance WED also showed some poorer outcomes. Moderator analyses revealed that participants with low baseline agreeableness, low extraversion, or high conscientiousness had relatively poor responses to guidance. We conclude that providing guidance for WED, especially in real-time, may interfere with emotional processing of unresolved stress, particularly for people whose personalities have poor fit with this interactive form of WED.     

Computer-based career planning for adults

The Career Information and Planning System is described. Designed for officers of the United States Army, it is a computer-based counselling and guidance system which aims to enhance the career planning skills of adults.     

A Comparison of Two Approaches to Counselor-Free Career Exploration

This study was conducted to advance previous research in the use of computer-based, counselor-free career guidance systems instead of conventional counselor-free systems. The participants, Undergraduate college students (20 men and 20 women), were asked to rate their reactions to using the DISCOVER II microcomputer career guidance system and the Self-Directed Search. The majority of the participants preferred the DISCOVER II as a vocational exploration program.     

Self-directed career exploration: A comparison of CHOICES and the Self-Directed Search

This study compared student satisfaction ratings for CHOICES, an interactive computer-based career guidance program, and the Self-Directed Search,a pencil-and-paper career planning guide. During the first testing session, subjects (N = 75) completed a biographical data sheet and were alternately assigned to either the CHOICES or the SDS treatment. Later, each subject completed the other treatment and two research instruments designed to assess their reactions to both treatments. Results indicated a user preference for CHOICES over the SDS, although both programs received positive ratings. The findings were discussed in terms of user reactions to career guidance programs and the selection of the most cost-effective treatment.     

Administration and Environment Considerations in Computer-Based Sports-Concussion Assessment

Computer-based testing has become a vital tool for the assessment of sport-related concussion (SRC). An increasing number of papers have been published on this topic, focusing on subjects such as the purpose and validity of baseline testing, the performance of special populations on computer-based tests, the psychometric properties of different computerized neurocognitive tools, and considerations for valid and reliable administration of these tools. The current paper describes several considerations regarding computerized test design, input and output devices, and testing environment that should be described explicitly when administering computer-based cognitive testing, regardless of whether the assessment is used for clinical or research purposes. The paper also reviews the conclusions of recent literature (2007–2013) using computer-based testing for the assessment of SRC, with special attention to the methods used in these studies. We also present an appendix checklist for clinicians and researchers that may be helpful in ensuring proper attention to factors that could influence the reliability and validity of computer-based cognitive testing. We believe that explicit attention to these technological factors may lead to the development of standards for the development and implementation of computer-based tests. Such standards have the potential to enhance the accuracy and utility of computer-based tests in SRC.     

The Role of Computer-Based Test Interpretation (CBTI) in Occupational Assessment

The paper explores a range of issues relating to the design and use of computer-based test interpretation (CBTI) systems. It describes a number of dimensions along which CBTI systems vary and considers both the positive and negative implications of these for test users, for their clients and for test candidates. A distinction is drawn between systems that generate finished reports and those that generate questions or guidance for the user. The question of how the validity of narrative reports can be assessed is considered. A study on the discriminative validity of reports generated by the PREVUE ICES CBTI system is reported which shows clear differences between judgements made about true and bogus reports. It is concluded that there are two main issues to consider when evaluating a CBTI system: first, the validity of the information generated by it and, second, the ways in which that information is likely to be used.     

Effects of computer-mediated vocational guidance procedures: Accuracy of self-knowledge

To assess the effectiveness of vocational guidance procedures proposed for inclusion in a computer-based vocational exploration system, 128 11th-grade male subjects were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and a control group. One group was given a computer-generated accuracy of self-knowledge feedback, another group was taught on occupational classification scheme, a third group experienced both. Measures of self-knowledge showed increased accuracy about intelligence, but not about interests, after treatments that included the feedback. Increases were largely due to changes in subjects who originally underestimated their intelligence. A delayed posttest indicated that the increases did not persist.     

Idea Generation in Computer-Based Groups: A New Ending to an Old Story

Previous research on brainstorming and related idea-generating techniques has generally found interacting groups to produce fewer ideas than equivalent numbers of individuals working alone whose ideas are later pooled (i.e., nominal groups). In this paper we report four experiments. The first three contrast groups of various sizes using a computer-based idea generation system to equivalently sized nominal groups. The results of these experiments were consistent; large groups using a computer-based idea generation system outperformed equivalent nominal groups in idea-generating tasks. A fourth experiment is then reported which tests the primary hypothesis as to why groups using the computer-based idea generation system outperformed nominal groups. This study concluded that the elimination of production blocking in the computer-based groups (a problem common in groups that communicate verbally where only one member of the group can speak at a time) accounts for a significant portion of the enhanced productivity for the computer-based groups.     

A computer-based system providing pictorial instructions and prompts to promote task performance in persons with severe developmental disabilities

This study was aimed at assessing a new computer-based system to promote task performance in three adults with severe developmental disabilities. The new system, which was small and battery powered, could provide auditory and vibratory prompts in addition to pictorial instructions concerning the task steps. To control for the effects of the computer-based system, the subjects were also exposed to a card system. The results showed that the subjects had a significantly higher level of correct performance on the tasks presented with the computer-based system than on the tasks presented with the card system. Two of the subjects, moreover, seemed to prefer the computer-based system to the card system. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developing a Computer-Based TTCT: Promises and Problems*

The purposes of the present study were to examine the equivalence of paper-pencil and computer-based versions of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Figural Forms A and B, and to investigate the patterns of responses involved in the computer-based TTCT. The participants were 34 fifth- and sixth-grade students currently enrolled in two public schools in southern Texas. The computer-based TTCT was developed to present all the features of the paper-pencil TTCT with the additional benefits offered by computer-based testing. Means, variances, test-retest reliability, and attitudinal differences were analyzed to investigate equivalence between the paper-pencil and computer-based TTCT. Response patterns involved in the figural tasks were explored based on data collected from the computer-based test (e.g., latency, tool using patterns, correction activities). The findings of the study indicated that the results obtained from the computer-based TTCT were not equivalent with the paper-pencil version. However, additional information regarding response patterns obtained from the computer-based TTCT showed clear indication of different response tendencies among different groups of students and between the two alternate test forms (A and B).     

An Evaluation of Three Computer-Based Instructional Strategies in Basic Electricity and Electronics Training

Job requirements for Navy electronic technicians include extensive knowledge of basic electricity and electronics (BE/E) fundamentals. Historically the BE/E material has proved difficult for trainees to learn and has resulted in high setback and attrition rates. This study evaluates alternative computer-based instructional strategies for teaching complex technical content with 4 instructional conditions: computer-based drill and practice (CBDP), enhanced computer-based instruction (ECBI), a computer-based adventure game (GAME), and the existing classroom instruction (CI). We evaluated trainees on completion of the instruction with a schoolhouse comprehensive test, a specially designed cognitive skills test, and a motivation questionnaire. In addition, we recorded and analyzed the time participants took to complete the instruction. In general, the CBDP and ECBI groups outperformed the CI and GAME groups on all measures. The GAME condition performed no better than the CI condition. When differences existed between the ECBI and CBDP groups, the ECBI group performed better.     

Knowledge management in decision making and decision support

A knowledge-oriented view of decisions and decision making is introduced, as a complement to classical perspectives and as a contribution of under-standing computer-based possibilities for relaxing strains on decision makers. This perspective includes a model of knowledge management activities performed by a decision maker and a taxonomy of knowledge types. It leads to a characterization of decision-support-system purpose, traits, and potentials that offers a basis for new research into computer-based possibilities for knowledge management. Clyde W. Holsapple holds the Rosenthal Endowed Chair in Management Information Systems and is Professor of Decision Science and Information Systems at the College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky.     

iSTART: Interactive strategy training for active reading and thinking

Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART) is a Web-based application that provides young adolescent to college-age students with high-level reading strategy training to improve comprehension of science texts. iSTART is modeled after an effective, human-delivered intervention called self-explanation reading training (SERT), which trains readers to use active reading strategies to self-explain difficult texts more effectively. To make the training more widely available, the Web-based trainer has been developed. Transforming the training from a human-delivered application to a computer-based one has resulted in a highly interactive trainer that adapts its methods to the performance of the students. The iSTART trainer introduces the strategies in a simulated classroom setting with interaction between three animated characters—an instructor character and two student characters— and the human trainee. Thereafter, the trainee identifies the strategies in the explanations of a student character who is guided by an instructor character. Finally, the trainee practices self-explanation under the guidance of an instructor character. We describe this system and discuss how appropriate feedback is generated.     

iSTART: interactive strategy training for active reading and thinking.

Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART) is a Web-based application that provides young adolescent to college-age students with high-level reading strategy training to improve comprehension of science texts. iSTART is modeled after an effective, human-delivered intervention called self-explanation reading training (SERT), which trains readers to use active reading strategies to self-explain difficult texts more effectively. To make the training more widely available, the Web-based trainer has been developed. Transforming the training from a human-delivered application to a computer-based one has resulted in a highly interactive trainer that adapts its methods to the performance of the students. The iSTART trainer introduces the strategies in a simulated classroom setting with interaction between three animated characters-an instructor character and two student characters-and the human trainee. Thereafter, the trainee identifies the strategies in the explanations of a student character who is guided by an instructor character. Finally, the trainee practices self-explanation under the guidance of an instructor character. We describe this system and discuss how appropriate feedback is generated.     

The effects of computer-mediated vocational guidance procedures on the appropriateness of vocational preference

To assess the effectiveness of vocational guidance procedures proposed for inclusion in a computer-based vocational exploration system, 139 eleventh-grade male subjects were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and a control group. One group was given a computer-generated accuracy of self-knowledge feedback, another group was taught an occupational classification scheme, a third group experienced both. Utilizing a method of explicit comparison between students' measured characteristics and the measured characteristics of occupational norm groups, the results showed students in the groups receiving feedback increased in the appropriateness of the occupational level of their first occupational choice. In addition, students in the combined treatment group increased in the appropriateness of the level of their total occupational preferences. A delayed posttest indicated that these increases persisted.     

The User Interface in Computer-based Selection and Assessment: Applied and Theoretical Problematics of an Evolving Technology

Although its central role in human-computer interaction is recognized by industry, the user interface (UI) has received scant attention in the computer-based testing (CBT) literature. Industrial and European Community ergonomic directives have been established regarding UI design issues, however, which may significantly impact upon CBT. Accordingly, the UI’s CBT role is discussed regarding central CBT/UI constructs and dynamics. On the basis of one CBT UI design issue (here: paging) it is shown that many ergonomic regulatory definitional traps exist for the unwary CBT practitioner and UI designer. Newer UI developments in windowing technology and computer-based UI ergonomic regulation conformance analysis are described. Finally, open issues regarding CBT UI problematics are discussed, showing that, rather than continuing to lead a shadowed existence, the UI is deserving of considerably increased research effort regarding its CBT impact.     

Computer-assisted judgment: defining strengths and liabilities

Clinicians often fail to recognize limitations in their own subjective judgments, make use of well-developed mechanical-prediction methods, or carefully evaluate which computer-based aids warrant their consideration. This article addresses issues regarding computer-based test interpretations (CBTIs) and computer-based decision making. Comments highlight conclusions reached by other contributors to this Special Section, additional literature bearing on these observations, and implications for consumers of computer-assisted techniques and researchers developing or evaluating these methods. The future of computer-assisted assessment depends on educating clinicians and researchers to be better consumers of existing as well as emerging technologies in this domain.     

Shaking hands with a computer: an examination of two methods of organizational newcomer orientation

The current study investigated the effects of using a computer-based orientation program on organizational socialization and attitudinal outcomes. In a quasi-experimental field study, 261 newcomers either participated in a group, social-based orientation session or an individual, computer-based orientation session. Consistent with hypotheses, results indicated that participation in the computer-based orientation session led to lower levels of socialization in the more socially rich content areas, whereas the more information-based content areas were not affected. Levels of socialization mediated the effects of computer-based orientation on the more distal attitudinal outcomes of affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Computer-based orientation participation also negatively affected supervisor ratings of socialization. The results demonstrate the importance of newcomer orientations and socialization outcomes during organizational entry and that training method can be an important moderator of orientation practices.     

An overview of the development of computer modeling for instructional and research purposes

This paper presents an overview of the characteristics, pedagogy, and future prospectus of some widely used computer-based laboratory simulation systems in psychology. These systems were developed to augment undergraduate laboratory instruction by providing an experience which enables students to have considerable practice designing a series of experiments in an interesting and challenging context. The use of computer-based simulation makes possible the construction of a learning environment in which the laboratory class is converted into a research community engaged in scientific dialogue. The development of new simulation models is critical to the operation of this environment. A team approach for developing new models, requiring a programmer, content specialist, and instructional designer, is offered which has appropriate incentives built in to insure its success.