scholarly journals Cognitive Assessment of Knowledge Consolidation in a Course on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Learning Disorders in Psychology Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 95-116
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales-Martinez ◽  
Yanko Norberto Mezquita-Hoyos ◽  
Maria Isolde Hedlefs-Aguilar ◽  
Miriam Sanchez-Monroy
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Diagnostic Evaluation ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Evaluation Of Learning

This study explored the cognitive changes to long-term memory as a result of academic learning in 43 Psychology undergraduate students (91% female and 9% male). The participants carried out a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. They defined ten target concepts related to the diagnostic evaluation of learning disorders using verbs, nouns, or adjectives as definers. After, students weighed the quality of each definer through a ten-point scale. The higher the score, the greater the conceptual relationship between the definer and the target. The data of this study (the schema behavior) was subjected to a computational simulation. Finally, the participants carried out a lexical decision task based on the semantic priming paradigm, they read pairs of words that may or may not be related to the measured knowledge schema. The task was to judge whether the second word in each pair was spelled correctly or incorrectly. The results indicated an increase in the level of conceptual accessibility derived from learning. In addition, the participants accessed their knowledge schema, first through general nodes and then retrieved through the more specific nodes. The neurocomputational activation pattern suggested that learning experiences changed the meaning of concepts for each participant along the course. At the end of the course, the students seemed to reach a schematic consolidation. The diagnosis of these cognitive characteristics through the formation of academic schemas can provide learning opportunities closer to each student’s cognitive profile to increase the effectiveness of instruction.

scholarly journals Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model: Measuring the Consolidation of the Human Cognition Schema in Psychology Students’ Memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales-Martinez ◽  
Maria Isolde Hedlefs-Aguilar ◽  
Janneth Trejo-Quintana ◽  
Yanko Norberto Mezquita-Hoyos ◽  
Miriam Sanchez-Monroy
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Learning Evaluation

This study illustrates the application of the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model to assess learning about human cognition knowledge schema in 48 second-year psychology students (79% females, 21% males). In the first phase, the participants carried out a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. They defined ten target concepts related to the course by using verbs, substantives, adjectives, and pronouns (definers). Participants then rated the grade of relatedness between definers and targets concepts. Subsequently, the present authors carried out a computational simulation with data from the first study. In addition, students participated in a semantic priming experiment. They participated in a lexical decision task. Participants read pairs of words; these pairs were sometimes related by cognition scheme or common association, and sometimes were unrelated. The three tasks were applied at the start of the course and the end. The computational simulation analysis and ANOVA indicated that the initial pattern for conceptual activation had changed at the end of the course. Additionally, the initial chronometric behavior of the human cognition schema of the participants also changed at the end of the course. This evidence supports the idea that cognitive evaluation tools can help assess the schematic behavior patterns induced by academic learning.

scholarly journals The Measurement of Knowledge Construction in A Course of Diagnostic Evaluation of Learning Disorders in Psychology Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 240-261
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales-Martinez ◽  
Michelle Garcia-Torres ◽  
Maria del Carmen Castro-Gonzalez ◽  
Yanko Norberto Mezquita-Hoyos
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Cognitive Structure ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Method Of Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Of Learning ◽  
Structure Of Knowledge

This study evaluated the effects of academic learning on the organization and structure of a knowledge schema among psychology students. The authors designed three studies based on the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model. This article describes the first method of evaluation, which included a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. The participants' task was to define ten target concepts using verbs, nouns, or adjectives as definers, and then rate the quality of each definer, taking into account the degree of semantic relationship between it and the target concept. The results suggest that the students' initial knowledge schema underwent modifications due to the restructuration of the cognitive structure of knowledge, the assimilation of new information nodes, and the elimination or establishment of new relationships between the conceptual nodes of the knowledge schema. The measurement of these cognitive expressions of academic learning through mental representation techniques can have relevant implications for cognitive characterization in student learning and the design of new teaching strategies that take account of the cognitive psychology principles of information processing underlying academic learning.

scholarly journals Cognitive E-Tools for Diagnosing the State of Medical Knowledge in Students Enrolled for a Second Time in an Anatomy Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 341-362
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales-Martinez ◽  
Alberto Manuel Ángeles Castellanos ◽  
Víctor Hugo Ibarra Ramírez ◽  
Magaly Iveth Mancera Rangel
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
First Year Medical Students

This article illustrates the application of the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model to measure the structural, organizational, and temporal properties of the anatomical knowledge schemata acquired by 52 first-year medical students enrolled for a second time in an anatomy course. The participants took part in a mental representation experiment as a part of which they carried out a conceptual definition task involving anatomy concepts based on the Natural Semantic Networks (NSN) technique. A computational simulation was performed on the NSN data, after which the students took part in a semantic priming experiment involving a lexical decision task which required them to classify words related or unrelated to their anatomy schema as word/non-word. Findings revealed that, although students stored the anatomy information in their memory, they struggled to structure, consolidate, and retrieve this information from their memory. These findings suggest that students who did not get the passing grade in anatomy course may struggle with integrating and consolidating pertinent information. Thus, results showed that the constructive-chronometric cognitive approach is useful to measure the properties of schemes medical students developed on the anatomy topic.

scholarly journals Professional identity and experience of undergraduate students: an analysis of semantic networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luara Carvalho ◽  
Elisa Maria Barbosa de Amorim-Ribeiro ◽  
Marcelo do Vale Cunha ◽  
Luciana Mourão
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Undergraduate Studies ◽  
Course Work

AbstractWork experiences during undergraduate studies can be remarkable in the journey of undergraduate students. The objective of this study was to assess, by analyzing semantic networks, the role of work experiences in the meanings those individuals attribute to professional identity. The sample consisted of 2291 students (60% women) divided into three groups: do not work, work in a field related to their course, work in a field not related to their course. The semantic networks of these groups were composed of words uttered from the professional identity prime. We chose to work with the critical network, obtained from the analysis of the incidence-fidelity indexes of the word pairs. The results evidence that work experiences are related to how undergraduate students attribute meaning to professional identity, in such a way that three different networks were formed for these groups. The network of those who work outside their field was the only one that integrated words with negative content, while the semantic networks of those who do not work and those who work in their field, despite containing words that do not always coincide, present a similar macrostructure. We conclude that work experiences play an important role in the meanings that undergraduate students attribute to professional identity. The study innovates by revealing elements of professional-identity construction, besides allowing for reflections on the effects of work experiences during the college period.

Perception and Uses of Social Networking Sites by Undergraduate Students in Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-9
Author(s):  
Posigha Bassil Ebiwolate ◽  
Ojohwoh Rose
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Social Relation ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the perception and use of social networking sites among undergraduate students in Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The main purpose of the study is ascertained the popularly used SNS, the purpose of using the SNSs, the perception of students towards SNSs and identity the impact of the use of SNSs by the undergraduate students. The study adopted descriptive research. The population of the study is 300 registered undergraduate students of Niger Delta University Library. Questionnaire was used to collected data. The result shows that Facebook, Google and WhatsApp are the popularly used social networking sites. Social relation, academic learning activities, sharing of information, etc. are the purpose of using social networking sites. The findings also revealed positive perception towards the use of social networking sites and, positive impact of using social networking sites. Arising from the findings some recommendations were made.

scholarly journals Lack of Noradrenergic Modulation of Indirect Semantic Priming

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacquelyne S. Cios ◽  
Regan F. Miller ◽  
Ashleigh Hillier ◽  
Madalina E. Tivarus ◽  
David Q. Beversdorf
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Semantic Priming ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Semantic Relatedness ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Dopaminergic Drugs ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Noradrenergic Modulation

Norepinephrine and dopamine are both believed to affect signal-to-noise in the cerebral cortex. Dopaminergic agents appear to modulate semantic networks during indirect semantic priming, but do not appear to affect problem solving dependent on access to semantic networks. Noradrenergic agents, though, do affect semantic network dependent problem solving. We wished to examine whether noradrenergic agents affect indirect semantic priming. Subjects attended three sessions: one each after propranolol (40 mg) (noradrenergic antagonist), ephedrine (25 mg) (noradrenergic agonist), and placebo. During each session, closely related, distantly related, and unrelated pairs were presented. Reaction times for a lexical decision task on the target words (second word in the pair) were recorded. No decrease in indirect semantic priming occurred with ephedrine. Furthermore, across all three drugs, a main effect of semantic relatedness was found, but no main effect of drug, and no drug/semantic relatedness interaction effect. These findings suggest that noradrenergic agents, with these drugs and at these doses, do not affect indirect semantic priming with the potency of dopaminergic drugs at the doses previously studied. In the context of this previous work, this suggests that more automatic processes such as priming and more controlled searches of the lexical and semantic networks such as problem solving may be mediated, at least in part, by distinct mechanisms with differing effects of pharmacological modulation.

Neural Oscillation Correlates Chemistry Decision-Making

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 1750031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Yu Huang ◽  
Hsiao-Ching She ◽  
Tzyy-Ping Jung
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Neural Oscillation ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
The Given

This study explored the electroencephalography (EEG) dynamics during a chemistry-related decision-making task and further examined whether the correctness of the decision-making performance could be reflected by EEG activity. A total of 66 undergraduate students’ EEG were collected while they participated in a chemistry-related decision-making task in which they had to retrieve the relevant chemistry concepts in order to make correct decisions for each task item. The results showed that it was only in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) cluster that distinct patterns in EEG dynamics were displayed for the correct and incorrect responses. The logistic regression results indicated that ACC theta power from 300[Formula: see text]ms to 250[Formula: see text]ms before stimulus onset was the most informative factor for estimating the likelihood of making correct decisions in the chemistry-related decision-making task, while it was the ACC low beta power from 150[Formula: see text]ms to 250[Formula: see text]ms after stimulus onset. The results suggested that the ACC theta augmentation before the stimulus onset serves to actively maintain the relevant information for retrieval from long-term memory, while the ACC low beta augmentation after the stimulus onset may serve the function of mapping the encoded stimulus onto the relevant criteria that the given participant has held within his or her mind to guide the decision-making responses.

scholarly journals Abnormal N400 Semantic Priming Effect May Reflect Psychopathological Processes in Schizophrenia: A Twin Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuradha Sharma ◽  
Heinrich Sauer ◽  
Holger Hill ◽  
Claudia Kaufmann ◽  
Stephan Bender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Twin Study ◽  
Priming Effect ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Genetic Trait

Objective. Activation of semantic networks is indexed by the N400 effect. We used a twin study design to investigate whether N400 effect abnormalities reflect genetic/trait liability or are related to psychopathological processes in schizophrenia.Methods. We employed robust linear regression to compare N400 and behavioral priming effects across 36 monozygotic twin pairs (6 pairs concordant for schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, 11 discordant pairs, and 19 healthy control pairs) performing a lexical decision task. Moreover, we examined the correlation between Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score and the N400 effect and the influence of medication status on this effect.Results. Regression yielded a significant main effect of group on the N400 effect only in the direct priming condition (p=0.003). Indirect condition and behavioral priming effect showed no significant effect of group. Planned contrasts with the control group as a reference group revealed that affected concordant twins had significantly reduced N400 effect compared to controls, and discordant affected twins had a statistical trend for reduced N400 effect compared to controls. The unaffected twins did not differ significantly from the controls. There was a trend for correlation between reduced N400 effect and higher BPRS scores, and the N400 effect did not differ significantly between medicated and unmedicated patients.Conclusions. Reduced N400 effect may reflect disease-specific processes in schizophrenia implicating frontotemporal brain network in schizophrenia pathology.

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