scholarly journals Trait Intellect Predicts Cognitive Engagement: Evidence from a Resource Allocation Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Smillie ◽  
Valeria Varsavsky ◽  
Rachel E. Avery ◽  
Ryan Perry
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Cognitive Engagement ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Impact

Trait Intellect, one of the two ‘aspects’ of the broader Openness/Intellect ‘domain’, predicts performance on a range of cognitive tasks including tests of intelligence and working memory. This has been explained in terms of the tendency for high–Intellect individuals to explore, or engage more effortfully with, abstract information. This theoretical perspective can be framed in the language of Resource Allocation Theory, in terms of high–Intellect individuals allocating more of their available cognitive resources to abstract cognitive tasks. In two experiments (total N = 160), we examined the relation between Intellect and cognitive engagement during a primary word–search task under conditions of both high and low secondary cognitive load. Both experiments revealed that high–Intellect individuals were more vulnerable to the impact of the secondary cognitive load on primary task performance. This suggests that, under low secondary load, such individuals were indeed allocating more of their available cognitive resources to the primary task. These results held after controlling for trait Openness, trait Industriousness (an aspect of Conscientiousness) and a measure of working memory capacity (N–back task). Our findings provide novel support for the cognitive mechanisms proposed to underlie trait Intellect. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Taxing the brain to uncover lying? Meta-analyzing the effect of imposing cognitive load on the reaction-time costs of lying

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Verschuere ◽  
Nils Köbis ◽  
yoella meyer ◽  
David Gertler Rand ◽  
Shaul Shalvi
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Lie Detection ◽  
Mental Effort ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Brain

Lying typically requires greater mental effort than telling the truth. Imposing cognitive load may improve lie detection by limiting the cognitive resources needed to lie effectively, thereby increasing the difference in speed between truths and lies. We test this hypothesis meta-analytically. Across 21 studies using response-time (RT) paradigms (11 unpublished; total N = 792), we consistently found that truth telling was faster than lying, but found no evidence that imposing cognitive load increased that difference (Control, d = 1.45; Load, d = 1.28). Instead, load significantly decreased the lie-truth RT difference by increasing the RT of truths, g = -.18, p = .027. Our findings therefore suggest that imposing cognitive load does not necessarily improve RT-based lie detection, and may actually worsen it by taxing the mental system and thus impeding people’s ability to easily—and thus quickly—tell the truth

The Impact of Cognitive Load on Volitional Running

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan J. Blakely ◽  
Kyle Wilson ◽  
Paul N. Russell ◽  
William S. Helton
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
High Load ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Running Speed ◽  
Original Experiment ◽  
The Impact

The effects of physical activity on cognition and the effects of cognitive load on physical activity are complex. Both the nature of the physical activity and cognitive task may influence the interactive effects of performing a physical task while also performing a cognitive task. In a previous study examining the impact of increasing cognitive load on outdoor running speed and the impact of outdoor running on cognitive performance, Blakely et al. (2015) found running speed decreased as cognitive load increased. They also found that the impact of running itself on cognitive performance occurred when the cognitive task was itself demanding (high cognitive load). In the current study we expanded on this previous research by improving the experimental task to rule out peripheral sensory, not central or executive, interference and by incorporating heart rate measures and VO2 max estimates. Twelve runners completed five conditions, two seated cognitive tasks (one low load and one high load), two dual running cognitive tasks and one run only. Results were similar to the original experiment, as the cognitive task became more difficult, voluntary running speed decreased. Also the effects of running on cognitive performance (counting) were found only when the cognitive task was high load.

Digitizing Dissection: A Case Study on Augmented Reality and Animation in Engineering Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin G. Kearney ◽  
Elizabeth M. Starkey ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Virtual Education ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Advancing virtual education through technology is an important step for engineering education. This has been made evident by the educational difficulties associated with the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Maintaining educational standards while using virtual learning is something possibly solved through researching new educational technologies. A potential technology that can enhance virtual education is Augmented Reality, since it can show information that would otherwise not be easily experienced or obtained. Traditional learning tools fail to offer the ability to control objects and explore numerous perspectives the way augmented reality can. Augmented reality can be even further enhanced through the addition of animation. Animation could add the ability to see motion, increasing overall understanding as well as increasing the motivation to learn. When motion is not visualized, it must be perceived, which can increase cognitive load and cause the limitations of working memory to be met. Reaching the limits of working memory has been shown to negatively affect learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the impact of digitizing product dissection on engineering student learning and cognitive load. Specifically, we sought to identify the impact of Augmented Reality and Animations through a full factorial experiment with 61 engineering students. The results of the study show that the virtual condition with animation exhibited increased effectiveness as a learning tool. It also showed that augmented reality is not significantly different than a virtual environment in the context of product dissection. The results of this study are used to explore future uses of augmented reality and animation in education, as well as lay the groundwork for future work to further explore these technologies.

scholarly journals ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATIONS AMONG HIGH AND LOW AROUSAL AFFECT AND COGNITIVE HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S963-S963
Author(s):  
Eric S Cerino ◽  
Martin Sliwinski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Affective Influences ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) vary from moment-to-moment and these variations are associated with cognitive health. Past work has primarily focused on valence (negative/positive), however, largely ignoring the potential import of arousal (high/low). We address this gap by assessing the impact of high and low arousal NA and PA on daily cognition. A sample of 238 older adults (Mage=77.30 years, SD=5.14, Range=70–90) completed mobile surveys up to four times daily for 14 days. Participants reported current levels of high and low arousal NA and PA and performed processing speed and working memory tasks. For processing speed, there were significant within-person affect by age interactions. Moments when low arousal NA was higher than usual were associated with slower processing speed (Est.=0.87, SE=0.44, p<.05), and this effect was amplified in older participants (Est.=1.69, SE=0.60, p<.01). Moments when high arousal PA was higher than usual were associated with faster processing speed (Est.=-0.81, SE=0.40, p<.05), and this effect was amplified in younger participants (Est.=-1.81, SE=0.56, p<.01). For working memory, a significant within-person high arousal PA by age interaction emerged (Est.=0.001, SE=0.00, p=.046) such that moments when high arousal PA was higher than usual were marginally associated with worse working memory performance only among older participants (Est.=0.004, SE=0.002, p=.06). Results suggest momentary increases in low arousal NA and high arousal PA may confer greatest risk to daily cognitive health among older adults with more limited capacity and/or cognitive resources, whereas affective influences may be more facilitative among comparatively younger adults.

scholarly journals A cognitive load delays predictive eye movements similarly during L1 and L2 comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
AINE ITO ◽  
MARTIN CORLEY ◽  
MARTIN J. PICKERING
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Visual World ◽  
L1 And L2

We used the visual world eye-tracking paradigm to investigate the effects of cognitive load on predictive eye movements in L1 (Experiment 1) and L2 (Experiment 2) speakers. Participants listened to sentences whose verb was predictive or non-predictive towards one of four objects they were viewing. They then clicked on a mentioned object. Half the participants additionally performed a working memory task of remembering words. Both L1 and L2 speakers looked more at the target object predictively in predictable- than in non-predictable sentences when they performed the listen-and-click task only. However, this predictability effect was delayed in those who performed the concurrent memory task. This pattern of results was similar in L1 and L2 speakers. L1 and L2 speakers make predictions, but cognitive resources are required for making predictive eye movements. The findings are compatible with the claim that L2 speakers use the same mechanisms as L1 speakers to make predictions.

scholarly journals Attention Components and Spelling Accuracy: Which Connections Matter?

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Lucia Bigozzi ◽  
Chiara Malagoli ◽  
Chiara Pecini ◽  
Sara Pezzica ◽  
Claudio Vezzani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Transparent Orthography ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Impact

Attention and working memory are cross-domain functions that regulate both behavioural and learning processes. Few longitudinal studies have focused on the impact of these cognitive resources on spelling skills in the early phase of learning to write. This longitudinal study investigates the contributions of attention and working memory processes to spelling accuracy and handwriting speed in 112 primary school children (2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade; age range: 7.6–9.4 years) learning to write in the Italian transparent orthography. Standardised batteries were used to assess their attention and working memory skills, as well as their spelling. Homophone and non-homophone errors were measured, as they may involve different attentional and working memory processes. The results showed that, for 2nd grade children, selective attention shifting, planning, and inhibition predicted non-homophone errors, whereas sequential working memory predicted homophone errors and writing speed was explained by planning and selective attention. In 3rd grade, only homophone errors were predicted by planning and inhibition. No significant relationships were found in 4th grade, nor in the transition across grades. Dynamic and diversified roles of attentional and working memory processes in predicting different writing skills in early primary school years emerged, with a gradual decrease in the attention–writing relationship with age.

What Influences Successful Communication? An Examination of Cognitive Load and Individual Differences

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ester Navarro ◽  
Brooke N Macnamara ◽  
Sam Glucksberg ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Audience Design ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Communication Errors

The underlying cognitive mechanisms explaining why speakers sometimes make communication errors are not well understood. Some scholars have theorized that audience design engages automatic processes when a listener is present; others argue that it relies on effortful resources, regardless of listener presence. We hypothesized that (a) working memory is engaged during communicative audience design and (b) the extent to which working memory is engaged relies on individual differences in cognitive abilities and concurrent amount of resources available. In Experiment 1, participants completed a referential task under high, low, or no cognitive load with a present listener, whose perspective differed from the speaker’s. Speakers made few referential errors under no and low load, but errors increased when cognitive load was highest. In Experiment 2, the listener was absent. Speakers made few referential errors under no and low load, but errors increased when cognitive load was highest, suggesting that audience design is still effortful under high cognitive load, regardless of the presence of a listener. Experiment 3 tested whether cognitive abilities predicted communication performance. Participants with higher fluid intelligence and working memory capacity made fewer communication errors. Our findings suggest that communication relies on available cognitive resources, and therefore errors occur as a function of factors like cognitive load, and individual differences.

Does overloading cognitive resources mimic the impact of anxiety on cognition?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Sarigiannidis ◽  
Jonathan Paul Roiser ◽  
Oliver Joe Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Time Perception ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Perception Task ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Anxiety alters how we perceive the world and can alter aspects of cognitive performance. Prominent theories of anxiety suggest that the effect of anxiety on cognition is due to anxious thoughts ‘overloading’ limited cognitive resources, competing with other processes. If this is so, then a cognitive load manipulation would impact performance of a task in the same way as induced anxiety. Thus, we examined the impact of a load manipulation on a time perception task that we have previously shown to be reliably impacted by anxiety. In contrast with our prediction, across two studies we found that time perception was insensitive to our load manipulation. Our results do not support the idea that anxiety impacts cognition by overloading limited cognitive resources. Thus, anxiety might affect cognition in a unique way, via an evolutionary-preserved defence survival system, as suggested by animal-inspired theories of anxiety, rather than competing for limited attentional resources.

scholarly journals Implicit Theories, Working Memory, and Cognitive Load: Impacts on Creative Thinking

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401983591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni L. Redifer ◽  
Christine L. Bae ◽  
Morgan DeBusk-Lane
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Implicit Theories ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Academic Tasks ◽  
Theories Of Intelligence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Creative thinking shares many characteristics with traditional complex tasks. We investigated whether implicit theories of creativity would affect creative thinking in a way similar to the impact of implicit theories of intelligence on academic tasks. We altered participants’ theories of creativity to be either more incremental or more entity-like. We also examined the impact of working memory (WM) and cognitive load on creative thinking. Cognitive load fully mediated the relationship between implicit theories and creative thinking, with more incremental beliefs linked to lower cognitive load. In addition, cognitive load partially mediated the relationship between WM and creative thinking. Our results support prior research showing that creative thinking draws on cognitive mechanisms similar to those utilized by other complex tasks, but the impact of implicit theories on creative thinking differs from their effect on traditional academic tasks.

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