Browsing by Author "Brelsford, John W."
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Item A comparison of computer-assisted drill & practice strategies in a hierarchical task(1976) Barnett, Marc B.; Brelsford, John W.Computer-assisted drill & practice is investigated in the context of a short-term, novel mathematical task. A between groups design is used to statistically compare the efficiency of four methods (three response-sensitive and one response-insensitive) for structuring drill & practice in base eight arithmetic. In addition, a descriptive analysis of both task structure and suitability of the task for individualization is performed. While no statistical differences among the treatment groups were observed, substantial information concerning the properties of the task was obtained.Item Attributional style and common problems in adaptation: depression, loneliness, and shyness(1984) Arnoult, Lynn H.; Anderson, Craig A.; Brelsford, John W.; Klineberg, Stephen L.A questionnaire study was conducted to examine relationships between attributional style and some common problems in adaptation. College students completed scales measuring depression, loneliness, and shyness. In addition, they completed a questionnaire measuring attributional style on four causal dimensions (locus, globality, stability, and controllability), for four types of situations (interpersonal success, noninterpersonal success, interpersonal failure, and noninterpersonal failure). The results of a series of regression analyses led to the following conclusions: (a) Controllability is the most important dimension in predicting depression, loneliness, and shyness; (b) Locus of attributions for failure contributes significantly to prediction of these problems? (c) The globality and stability dimensions do not add significantly to problem prediction? (d) Attributional style predicts each one of the three problems especially well when attributions are measured for the types of situations that are particularly relevant to that problem. These results have implications for attributional models of depression, loneliness, and shyness.Item Event description by two subtypes of learning disabled children(1984) Bailey, Vonda; Watkins, Michael J.; Loveland, Katherine A.; Brelsford, John W.; Burnett, Sarah A.Event description by two subtypes of nine to thirteen year old learning disabled children (math and generally disabled) was examined. Children viewed a narrative or a puppet show, then were asked to either describe of enact what had happened. Generally disabled children enacted the events as accurately as nondisabled children, indicating that generally disabled children understood and remembered events as well as nondisabled children. However, their descriptions contained omissions, circumlocutions, and word substitutions, reflecting a subtle verbal deficit. Math disabled children were less accurate than nondisabled children describing a puppet show, but not in the other conditions, suggesting they have difficulty understanding the emotions and motives of the characters. Math disabled children were proficient in using language. Thus, the two learning disabled subtypes performed differently in event description, validating the subtyping criteria used in this experiment, as well as the concept of heterogeneity among the learning disabled population.Item Recognition without recollection(1985) Easterlin, Patricia Deupont; Watkins, Michael J.; Martin, Randi C.; Brelsford, John W.Four experiments were conducted to explore the effects of prior exposure to word stimuli on a) identification of the words under perceptually impoverished conditions, and b) recognition of the words as having been previously presented. In Experiment 1, distributing a two-second study duration between two one-second or four-second presentations as opposed to concentrating it into a single two-second presentation was found to enhance perceptual identification but have no reliable effect on recognition. Experiment 2 showed that changing modalities between study and test presentations (i.e. from visual to auditory or auditory to visual) reduces but does not eliminate the effect study presentation has on perceptual identification. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that identification both of word-fragment cues and of tachistoscopic stimuli declines sharply over very brief study-to-test intervals but then stabilizes for intervals of at least 24 hours.Item The effects of differential semantic encoding on free recall(1980) Rhoades, Howard M.; Brelsford, John W.; Burnett, Sarah A.; Lane, David M.One of the fundamental findings in the area of learning and memory is that the repetition of an item increases the probability of its recall. A number of theories have been advanced to explain the effects of repetition on memory. One such theory, encoding variability theory, postulates that changes in the context in which stimuli are presented or changes in the semantic representation of stimuli are directly related to recall. Experiments which have attempted to manipulate semantic variability (e.g., Madigan, 1969) have used no standardized method for selecting stimulus material. Furthermore, those items selected have not been chosen with respect to their degree of semantic variability but some other scale such as frequency of occurrence. In Experiment 1, ratings of semantic meaning change for 147 nouns, biased by different adjectives, were collected from 39 subjects. Two homogenous groups of items then were selected from these normative data and used as list items in a repetition experiment in which subjects were asked to free recall the nouns (Experiment 2). The results from the rating and free recall tasks indicated subjects do make distinctions along a scale of semantic meaning change and the degree of semantic meaning change is predictive of free recall. A model based on encoding variability is presented which assumes that the semantic encoding of an item forms the basis of the memory trace. This model is compared to a similar model of encoding variability recently formulated by Glenberg.Item The locus of context effects in word processing(1979) Cockrell, Jane Ellen; Schuberth, Richard E.; Brelsford, John W.Understanding the processes involved in decoding written material is of major interest in psychology. This goal has led to the development of information processing models in which the different functions involved in decoding are thought of as separate stages. For example, given a reaction time task in which subjects are required to discriminate between word and nonword items, a model attempting to describe the processing events leading to a response could include three stages: (1) An initial encoding stage where the item is transformed into an appropriate representation; (2) a lexical access stage where it is determined if the item is stored in memory; and (3) a decision response stage in which the word-nonword decision is made and the motor response is executed. Within this framework, a variable which is known to affect item processing is thought of as affecting at least one stage. Employing the additive factors method allows one to make inferences concerning the locus of the effect of a variable. The variable to be studied is manipulated along with another variable that is believed to affect a particular stage. Observing the statistical patterns of 1 additivity and interaction between the two factors provides an outline for the interpretation; additivity indicates that the variables are affecting different stages, while interaction indicates a common stage. The purpose of this study was to determine in which stage or stages of item processing context has its effect. According to the logic of the additive factors method, in order to determine if context effects are perceptual in nature, context should be manipulated along with an encoding stage variable. Stimulus quality is assumed to be such a variable. If the effects of stimulus quality and context are additive, it is interpreted as meaning context is a post-perceptual variable. However, an interaction between these two factors is assumed to be indicative that the factors are influencing a common stage; in the event of such an outcome, the inference would be made that context affects the encoding stage. Regardless of the context X stimulus quality outcome, in order to determine if and where context has effects on item processing beyond the encoding stage, it should be manipulated along with a variable which affects a post-perceptual stage. Previous research appears to have established that context has no effect on the lexical access stage. However, prior studies have not included the decision stage as a possible locus for contextual effects. Varying the percentage of words and nonwords presented (the relative response frequency) is assumed to affect this stage. Therefore, varying both context and relative response frequency should indicate whether context has any effect on the decision stage.Item The persistence of echoic memory: evidence from the effect of presentation modality in immediate and final recall tasks(1984) Brems, Douglas J.; Watkins, Michael J.; Lane, David M.; Brelsford, John W.The effect of presentation modality on recall was studied in two experiments. In the first, lists of alternating auditory and visual words were presented at a 15-second rate, with a visual distractor task interpolated between each word. Recall was asked for immediately after each list, and again after all lists had been presented. A large modality effect (auditory advantage) was obtained in immediate recall but no difference between modalities was found in final recall. In the second experiment, this modality effect was attenuated with the use of phonologically similar words, and the effect was replicated with a fast presentation rate. An echoic memory interpretation of the modality effect is offered, in which it is suggested that echoic memory persists until the time of recall to be used directly and not via a long-term modality independent memory system.Item Water quality attitudes as a function of chemical concentration and intended use(1973) Bailey, David Marshall; Brelsford, John W.Five subjects participated in a taste evaluation experiment using acetic acid stimuli of 15 mg/1 to 35 mg/1 in 5 mg/1 intervals, mixed in .2 M NaCl to simulate domestic water of various qualities. Two Ss also received stimuli of 4 mg/1 and 45 mg/1. The experiment used a signal detection procedure in which decision criteria were generated through the use of questions concerning intended use. The hypothesis tested was that evaluational criteria are independent of subjective taste intensity. The data did not disprove the hypothesis. One S performed as predicted by the theory, and the response patterns of the other four Ss can be explained by the theory. The conclusions reached were: (1) the signal detection paradigm is a valid device for the measurement of evaluational criteria, even though a complex experimental design is required, (2) individual differences are a major factor in the perception of taste, (3) experiential history influences the establishment of a decision rule, (4) people prefer some taste in their water, and (5) people can tolerate a lower quality of water for purposes other than ingestion than presently allowed.