Who Benefits from Diagrams and Illustrations in Math Problems? Ability and Attitudes Matter

How do diagrams and illustrations affect mathematical problem solving? Past research suggests that diagrams should promote correct performance. However, illustrations may provide a supportive context for problem solving, or they may distract students with seductive details. Moreover, effects may not be uniform across student subgroups. This study assessed the effects of diagrams and illustrations on undergraduates' trigonometry problem solving. We used a 2 (Diagram Presence) × 2 (Illustration Presence) within‐subjects design, and our analysis considered students' mathematics ability and attitudes towards mathematics. Participants solved problems more accurately when they included diagrams. This effect was stronger for students who had more positive mathematics attitudes, especially when there was an illustration present. Illustrations were beneficial for students with high mathematics ability but detrimental for students with lower ability. Considering individual differences in ability and attitude is essential for understanding the effects of different types of visual representations on problem solving. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Racial Identity Status Profiles and Expressions of Anger in Black Americans: An Exploratory Study

The relationship between Black adult racial identity status profiles and anger expression was examined. Two profiles, Undifferentiated and Immersion‐Emersion, emerged. A comparison of modes of anger expression revealed that the Immersion‐Emersion dominant profile was associated with higher scores on Anger‐Out and lower scores on Anger‐Control. Implications for research and counseling are discussed. Se examinó la relación entre los perfiles del estado de la identidad racial de individuos Negros adultos y la expresión de ira. Surgieron dos perfiles, indiferenciado e inmersión‐emersión. Una comparación de los modos de expresión de la ira reveló que el perfil dominante de Inmersión‐Emersión estaba asociado a registros más altos en Ira‐Fuera y más bajos en Control de la ira. Se discuten las implicaciones para la investigación y la consejería.     

Individual differences and developmental change in the ERN response: implications for models of ACC function

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been associated with conditions precipitating an increase in effortful processing or increased attention, including the presence of conflicting information and the detection of errors. The error-related negativity (ERN), an electrocortical response, has been used as a marker for these conditions. The ERN amplitude however is subject to developmental change across the lifespan as well as being sensitive to individual differences in personality, affect, and autonomic responsivity. In this review, we examine the implications of such influences for a standard ACC model of conflict processing, and outline the need of any model of ACC function to include mechanisms that allow for the integration of neurovisceral and cognitive domains.     

Eve and the Serpent: A Rational Choice to Err

In dealing with inexplicable disaster, like the untimely death of a child in a hospital, we increasingly turn to the justice system for accountability and retribution. While seemingly sensible, criminalizing human error has a range of negative consequences. But it does offer “good” narratives of failure as the result of human fault—even at the cost of guilt. Such narratives allow us to pinpoint a cause: people made a rational choice to err and should be punished. This allows us to imagine ourselves in control over random, meaningless events. This paper traces Judeo–Christian roots of such regulative ideals in Western moral thinking, by examining the Genesis account of Eve and the Serpent, and St. Augustine’s interpretation of it. Sidney Dekker (Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 1996) is currently Professor of human factors and system safety at Lund University in Sweden, and specializes in human error and reactions to failure.