Applied Tests of Design Skills—Part III: Abstract Reasoning

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Khorshidi ◽  
Jami J. Shah ◽  
Jay Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Test Construction ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Test Problems ◽  
Visual Thinking ◽  
Abstract Reasoning

Past studies have identified the following cognitive skills relevant to conceptual design: divergent thinking, spatial reasoning, visual thinking, abstract reasoning, and problem formulation (PF). Standardized tests are being developed to assess these skills. The tests on divergent thinking and visual thinking are fully developed and validated; this paper focuses on the development of a test of abstract reasoning in the context of engineering design. Similar to the two previous papers, this paper reports on the theoretical and empirical basis for skill identification and test development. Cognitive studies of human problem solving and design thinking revealed four indicators of abstract reasoning: qualitative deductive reasoning (DR), qualitative inductive reasoning (IR), analogical reasoning (AnR), and abductive reasoning (AbR). Each of these is characterized in terms of measurable indicators. The paper presents test construction procedures, trial runs, data collection, norming studies, and test refinement. Initial versions of the test were given to approximately 250 subjects to determine the clarity of the test problems, time allocation and to gauge the difficulty level. A protocol study was also conducted to assess test content validity. The beta version was given to approximately 100 students and the data collected was used for norming studies and test validation. Analysis of test results suggested high internal consistency; factor analysis revealed four eigenvalues above 1.0, indicating assessment of four different subskills by the test (as initially proposed by four indicators). The composite Cronbach’s alpha for all of the factors together was found to be 0.579. Future research will be conducted on criterion validity.

Rethinking the Comprehensive Test on Qualitative Reasoning for Designers

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Khorshidi ◽  
Jami J. Shah ◽  
Jay Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Time Allocation ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Qualitative Reasoning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Technical Problems

A battery of tests assessing the cognitive skills needed for the conceptual design is being developed. Tests on Divergent thinking and visual thinking are fully developed and validated. The first version of the qualitative reasoning test has also been developed; this paper focuses on the lessons learned from testing of the first version of the test (alpha version) and the improvements made to it since then. A number of problems were developed for each indicator of the qualitative reasoning skill (deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, analogical reasoning, and abductive reasoning). Later, a protocol study was done with the problems to make sure that the problems assess the desired skills. The problems were also given to a randomly chosen population of undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level engineering students. Data was collected from the test results on the possible correlations between the problems (e.g. technical and non-technical problems); feedback on clarity, time allocation, and difficulty for each problem was also collected. Based on all of the observed correlations, the average performance of the test takers, and test parameters such as validity, reliability, etc. the beta version of the test is constructed.

Co-creating a visual thesaurus for the role of design thinking in management decision making

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angele BEAUSOLEIL ◽  
Moura QUAYLE
Keyword(s):  
Concept Maps ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Visual Thinking ◽  
Management Domain ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Visual Thesaurus

The workshop will engage participants to co-create concept maps and a visual thesaurus associated with ‘design thinking’. For design researchers, scholars and practitioners this workshop aims to expose the epistemological challenges and opportunities associated with ‘design thinking’ in management and leadership contexts. Concept mapping is a tool and technique that aims to enable visual thinking and knowledge organization skills. It offers a way to externalize understanding of complex topics (i.e. design thinking) in terms of both intra- and inter-personal relationships (i.e. within the management domain). A visual thesaurus displays semantic connections using pictures or images, not words. It aids in recognizing visually similar events or visual synonyms. Workshop participants will be guided through a series of visual thinking and design techniques to develop concept maps and a visual thesaurus for ‘design thinking’ and design-related terminologies within the management discourse. The outputs generated from the workshop will reflect a multidisciplinary understanding of the subject for knowledge translation and identify future research goals

Applied Tests of Design Skills—Part II: Visual Thinking

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jami J. Shah ◽  
Jay Woodward ◽  
Steven M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Visual Memory ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Spatial Reasoning ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Mental Image ◽  
Qualitative Reasoning ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Visual Thinking ◽  
Design Skills

A number of cognitive skills relevant to conceptual design have been previously identified: divergent thinking, visual thinking, spatial reasoning, qualitative reasoning, and problem formulation. A battery of standardized test has been developed for each of these skills. This is the second paper in a series of papers on testing individual skill level differences in engineers and engineering students. In the first paper, we reported on the theoretical and empirical basis for divergent thinking test, as well as, on test formulation, data collection, norming studies, and statistical validation of that test. This paper focuses similarly on the efforts related to the visual thinking and spatial reasoning in engineering context. We have decomposed visual thinking into six categories: visual comprehension including perceptual speed, visual memory (that is, the visual memory system), visual synthesis mental image manipulation/transformation, spatial reasoning, and graphical expression/elaboration. We discuss the theoretical basis of a comprehensive test for engineers, test composition, trial runs, and computation of reliability measures. The alpha version was given to a small set of subjects to determine clarity of the questions and gauge difficulty level. The beta version was used for norming and test validation from over 500 samples that included engineering students and a smaller number of practicing engineers. Construct validation was achieved through basing the construction of our instrument off other well-known measures of visual thinking, while content validity was assured through thoroughly sampling the domain of visual thinking and including a variety of items both pertinent and specific to the engineering design process. The factor analysis reveals that there are possibly two eigenvalues above 1.0, an indication that it is a stable and accurate instrument. We emphasize that these tests are not just dependent on native abilities, but on education and experience; design skills are teachable and learnable.

Towards a Comprehensive Test of Qualitative Reasoning Skill in Design

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Khorshidi ◽  
Jay Woodward ◽  
Jami J. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
Qualitative Reasoning ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Reasoning Skill

A battery of tests for assessing the cognitive skills needed for the conceptual design is being developed. Divergent thinking and visual thinking tests were fully developed and validated previously. This paper focuses on the development of a test on qualitative reasoning skill. Indicators of qualitative reasoning are identified and categorized as: deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, analogical reasoning, abductive reasoning, and intuitive physics; the derivation of each is based on both cognitive science and empirical studies of design. The paper also considers the metrics for measuring skill levels in different individuals and candidate test items and grading rubric for each skill.

A “crescendo” model: designing food experiences for psychological well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Zarantonello ◽  
Silvia Grappi ◽  
Marcello Formisano ◽  
Bernd H. Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Life Satisfaction ◽  
Consumer Experiences ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to advance the design-thinking approach in food from an engineering mind-set toward a positive psychology perspective by investigating how consumer experiences evoked by food-related activities can facilitate, stimulate and enhance individuals’ happiness and perceptions of life satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A diary field experiment was conducted. Participants from a major European city were asked to reflect on their food-related activities, provide descriptions and answer questions on experiential stimulation derived from these activities in relation to happiness and perceived life satisfaction. Findings Food-related activities generally result in positive consumer experiences and psychological well-being. Experiential stimulation resulting from food activities is positively related to perceived life satisfaction directly and indirectly via pleasure and meaning. Although the authors found an overall positive relationship between these constructs, they also found differences based on the experience type considered. A “crescendo model” of experiences that details how experiences lead to happiness and perceived life satisfaction is presented. Research limitations/implications This study is largely exploratory. Future research should adopt an experimental approach and further test the relationship between experiential stimulation, happiness and perceived life satisfaction in the context of food. Practical implications The paper offers innovation teams in food companies a practical “crescendo model” that can be used to design product–consumer interactions. Originality/value The research bridges literatures on design thinking, psychological well-being and consumer experiences. By studying the relationship between experiences, happiness and perceived life satisfaction in the context of food, the findings contribute to research on food well-being by expanding the notion of happiness seen only as pleasure. The research also contributes to work on design thinking by offering an experiential framework that contributes to the notion of consumer empathy.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Basic Computer Proficiency Among Active Internet Users: Test Construction, Calibration, Antecedents and Consequences

2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric T. Bradlow ◽  
Stephen J. Hoch ◽  
J. Wesley Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Test Construction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Computer Proficiency ◽  
Computer Knowledge ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

The purpose of this article is to describe our efforts to create a test of basic computer proficiency, examine its properties using parametric test scoring methods, and identify some antecedents and consequences that accompany differences in performance. We also consider how much insight people have into their level of knowledge by examining the relationship between our tested measure of computer knowledge and self-rated knowledge scores collected at the same time. This research also adds to the large body of existing empirical work on computer literacy in the student population, by looking at computer literacy in a more general sample of the Internet-using population. A further purpose of this research, as a result, is to make our dataset available for future research.

Moving Toward Accurate Assessment of Working Memory in Adults With Neurogenically Based Communication Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bijoyaa Mohapatra ◽  
Jacqueline Laures-Gore
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Test Construction ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Modality Effects ◽  
Memory Assessment ◽  
Response Modality ◽  
And Task

Purpose This article presents a viewpoint highlighting concerns regarding currently available assessments of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders. Additionally, we provide recommendations for improving working memory assessment in this population. Method This viewpoint includes a critique of clinical and experimental working memory tests relevant to speech-language pathologists. We consider the terminology used to describe memory, as well as discuss language demands and test construction. Results Clinical and experimental testing of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders is challenged due to theoretical, methodological, and practical limitations. The major limitations are characterized as linguistic and task demands, presentation and response modality effects, test administration, and scoring parameters. Taking these limitations into consideration, several modifications to working memory testing and their relevance to neurogenic populations are discussed. Conclusions The recommendations provided in this article can better guide clinicians and researchers to advocate for improved tests of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders. Future research should continue to address these concerns and consider our recommendations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document