Browsing by Author "Wang, Shu"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Demonstrating semantic priming without using primes
    (2008) Wang, Shu; Martin, Randi C.
    Whether priming can occur in the absence of prime identification is a long debated question. The standard priming paradigm used to explore the issue has been criticized on methodological grounds. The present study introduces a new paradigm, in which there is no prime per se, only targets. Both words in a pair were presented for every-increasing durations until one was identified. Experiments 1 through 6 demonstrated highly reliable priming when the words were presented with no delay between them and when a mask of from 33 ms to 500 ms intervened between them. However, the priming effect declined as the delay increased and was non-significant at a full second. Results from Experiment 7 showed no effect of the proportion of related words on the size of the priming effect. However, an analysis of errors indicated that partial identification may play a role in the priming effect with this paradigm.
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    Examining an Online Microbiology Game as an Effective Tool for Teaching the Scientific Process
    (American Society for Microbiology, 2013-05) Bowling, Kristi G.; Klisch, Yvonne; Wang, Shu; Beier, Margaret; Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning
    This study investigates the effectiveness of the online Flash game Disease Defenders in producing knowledge gains for concepts related to the scientific process. Disease Defenders was specifically designed to model how the scientific process is central to a variety of disciplines and science careers. An additional question relates to the game's ability to shift attitudes toward science. Middle school classes from grades six to eight were assigned to the experimental group (n = 489) or control group (n = 367) and asked to participate in a three-session intervention. The sessions involved completing a pretest, a game play session, and taking a post-test. Students in the experimental group played Disease Defenders while students in the control group played an alternative science game. Results showed a significant increase in mean science knowledge scores for all grades in the experimental group, with sixth grade and seventh grade students gaining more knowledge than eighth grade students. Additionally, results showed a significant positive change in science attitudes only among sixth graders, who also rated their satisfaction with the game more favorably than students in higher grades. No differences in mean test scores were found between genders for science knowledge or science attitudes, suggesting that the game is equally effective for males and females.
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    Individual Differences in Adaptation to Changes
    (2012-09-05) Wang, Shu; Beier, Margaret E.; Oswald, Fredick L.
    Successful adaptation to changes is of great importance to today’s workforce and for organizations. Built on the I-ADAPT theory (Ployhart & Bliese, 2006), this dissertation research explored the relationships among ability and personality factors, adaptability, and adaptive performance. Using a relatively simple skill acquisition task, the noun-pair lookup task, this research examined whether those relationships would be affected by the skill acquisition stages at which a change is introduced. As such, unexpected changes were introduced at different performance stages of the noun-pair lookup task. In one condition, participants experienced an unexpected change to the varied mapping (VM) version of the noun-pair lookup task at early stages of consistent mapping (CM) task learning. In the other condition, the change from the CM task to the VM task was introduced at late stages of the CM task learning. Two hundred and twenty five participants completed the noun-pair lookup task in one of two conditions. They also completed measures of two Big Five factors (openness to experience at the construct level and conscientiousness at the facet level), the I-ADAPT-M measure of adaptability, and tests of working memory capacity and perceptual speed. It was found that the timing of introducing a change did matter. Controlling for pre-change performance, participants had greater performance decrements when the change was introduced at late stages of the CM task practice than when it was introduced at early stages of the CM task practice. Ability factors and personality traits were found to be predictive of strategy choice in the CM task. There was no evidence of the moderating effect of the performance stage at which a change was introduced on the relationship between ability factors and adaptive performance. The mediation effect of adaptability on the relationship between ability and personality factors and adaptive performance was not supported. Adaptability as measured by I-ADAPT-M was also correlated with personality traits but not with ability factors or performance on the noun-pair lookup task. In conclusion, this dissertation showed the importance of making a clear distinction between adaptability and adaptive performance, and taking into consideration skill acquisition stages in task-related adaptive performance.
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    Science games and the development of scientific possible selves
    (Springer, 2012) Beier, Margaret; Miller, Leslie; Wang, Shu
    Serious scientific games, especially those that include a virtual apprenticeship component, provide players with realistic experiences in science. This article discusses how science games can influence learning about science and the development of science-oriented possible selves through repeated practice in professional play and through social influences (e.g., peer groups). We first review the theory of possible selves (Markus and Nurius 1986) and discuss the potential of serious scientific games for influencing the development of scientific possible selves. As part of our review, we present a forensic game that inspired our work. Next we present a measure of scientific possible selves and assess its reliability and validity with a sample of middle-school students (N=374). We conclude by discussing the promise of science games and the development of scientific possible selves on both the individual and group levels as a means of inspiring STEM careers among adolescents.
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    Teaching the Biological Consequences of Alcohol Abuse through an Online Game: Impacts among Secondary Students
    (The American Society for Cell Biology, 2012) Klisch, Yvonne; Miller, Leslie M.; Beier, Margaret E.; Wang, Shu; Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning
    A multimedia game was designed to serve as a dual-purpose intervention that aligned with National Science Content Standards, while also conveying knowledge about the consequences of alcohol consumption for a secondary school audience. A tertiary goal was to positively impact adolescents' attitudes toward science through career role-play experiences within the game. In a pretest/delayed post-test design, middle and high school students, both male and female, demonstrated significant gains on measures of content knowledge and attitudes toward science. The best predictors of these outcomes were the players' ratings of the game's usability and satisfaction with the game. The outcomes suggest that game interventions can successfully teach standards-based science content, target age-appropriate health messages, and impact students' attitudes toward science.