scholarly journals Disfluent, but fast

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Štěpán Bahník

Processing fluency, a metacognitive feeling of ease of cognitive processing, serves as a cue in various types of judgments. Response times are sometimes used for evaluation of fluency of a cognitive process; that is, shorter response times are said to indicate fluency. The present study tested whether disfluency may lead to faster decision times when it serves as a strong cue in judgment. Retrieval fluency was manipulated using previous presentation and phonological fluency by varying pronounceability of pseudowords. Both retrieval and phonological fluency increased liking of pseudowords. Furthermore, the results showed the predicted inverted-U shaped relationship between pronounceability and decision times. Decisions were faster for disfluent and fluent pseudowords than for moderately fluent pseudowords. The present study thus demonstrates the importance of separating different processes comprising judgment when response times are used as a proxy for processing fluency.

Author(s):  
Štěpán Bahník

Abstract. Processing fluency, a metacognitive feeling of ease of cognitive processing, serves as a cue in various types of judgments. Processing fluency is sometimes evaluated by response times, with shorter response times indicating higher fluency. The present study examined existence of the opposite association; that is, it tested whether disfluency may lead to faster decision times when it serves as a strong cue in judgment. Retrieval fluency was manipulated in an experiment using previous presentation and phonological fluency by varying pronounceability of pseudowords. Participants liked easy-to-pronounce and previously presented words more. Importantly, their decisions were faster for hard-to-pronounce and easy-to-pronounce pseudowords than for pseudowords moderate in pronounceability. The results thus showed an inverted-U shaped relationship between fluency and decision times. The findings suggest that disfluency can lead to faster decision times and thus demonstrate the importance of separating different processes comprising judgment when response times are used as a measure of processing fluency.


2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wolber ◽  
E. Wascher

Abstract. The temporal segmentation of the processing stream between stimulus and response is a declared aim of many EEG-studies on cognitive processing. This goal, however, can only be reached when measures of high temporal sensitivity are available that are unequivocally assigned to a particular cognitive process. The present study evaluates the peak latency of the posterior contralateral negativity (PCN) as a temporal measure of visual spatial processing. In three experiments, we show systematic variability of the PCN latency with task demands. In visual search, PCN latency varied in the same direction as response times with the number of distractors. These effects, however, were smaller than the effects observed on response times, indicating that the process underlying the PCN might contribute to but did not determine response time effects. In contrast, in attentional cueing tasks and a stimulus localization task, where stimulus detection was the primarily addressed process, PCN latency varied to the same amount as manual response times. Thus, it is suggested that the latency of the PCN provides a reliable and valid temporal measure of target localization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1486-1505
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Alexander

PurposeFrequency lowering in hearing aids can cause listeners to perceive [s] as [ʃ]. The S-SH Confusion Test, which consists of 66 minimal word pairs spoken by 6 female talkers, was designed to help clinicians and researchers document these negative side effects. This study's purpose was to use this new test to evaluate the hypothesis that these confusions will increase to the extent that low frequencies are altered.MethodTwenty-one listeners with normal hearing were each tested on 7 conditions. Three were control conditions that were low-pass filtered at 3.3, 5.0, and 9.1 kHz. Four conditions were processed with nonlinear frequency compression (NFC): 2 had a 3.3-kHz maximum audible output frequency (MAOF), with a start frequency (SF) of 1.6 or 2.2 kHz; 2 had a 5.0-kHz MAOF, with an SF of 1.6 or 4.0 kHz. Listeners' responses were analyzed using concepts from signal detection theory. Response times were also collected as a measure of cognitive processing.ResultsOverall, [s] for [ʃ] confusions were minimal. As predicted, [ʃ] for [s] confusions increased for NFC conditions with a lower versus higher MAOF and with a lower versus higher SF. Response times for trials with correct [s] responses were shortest for the 9.1-kHz control and increased for the 5.0- and 3.3-kHz controls. NFC response times were also significantly longer as MAOF and SF decreased. The NFC condition with the highest MAOF and SF had statistically shorter response times than its control condition, indicating that, under some circumstances, NFC may ease cognitive processing.ConclusionsLarge differences in the S-SH Confusion Test across frequency-lowering conditions show that it can be used to document a major negative side effect associated with frequency lowering. Smaller but significant differences in response times for correct [s] trials indicate that NFC can help or hinder cognitive processing, depending on its settings.


1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Klein ◽  
Estelle Ann Doctor

This study reports an experiment which examines semantic representation in lexical decisions as a source of interconnection between words in bilingual memory. Lexical decision times were compared for interlingual polysemes such as HAND which share spelling and meaning in both languages, and interlingual homographs such as KIND which share spelling but not meaning. The main result was faster “response times for polysemes than for interlingual homographs. Current theories of monolingual word recognition and bilingual semantic representation are discussed, and the findings are accommodated within the model of bilingual word recognition proposed by Doctor and Klein.


1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 418-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kail

The present work was conducted to demonstrate a method that could be used to assess the hypothesis that children with specific language impairment (SLI) often respond more slowly than unimpaired children on a range of tasks. The data consisted of 22 pairs of mean response times (RTs) obtained from previously published studies; each pair consisted of a mean RT for a group of children with SLI for an experimental condition and the corresponding mean RT for a group of children without SLI. If children with SLI always respond more slowly than unimpaired children and by an amount that does not vary across tasks, then RTs for children with SLI should increase linearly as a function of RTs for age-matched control children without SLI. This result was obtained and is consistent with the view that differences in processing speed between children with and without SLI reflect some general (i.e., non-task specific) component of cognitive processing. Future applications of the method are suggested.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkady Zgonnikov ◽  
David Abbink ◽  
Gustav Markkula

Laboratory studies of abstract, highly controlled tasks point towards noisy evidence accumulation as a key mechanism governing decision making. Yet it is unclear whether the cognitive processes implicated in simple, isolated decisions in the lab are as paramount to decisions that are ingrained in more complex behaviors, such as driving. Here we aim to address the gap between modern cognitive models of decision making and studies of naturalistic decision making in drivers, which so far have provided only limited insight into the underlying cognitive processes. We investigate drivers' decision making during unprotected left turns, and model the cognitive process driving these decisions. Our model builds on the classical drift-diffusion model, and emphasizes, first, the drift rate linked to the relevant perceptual quantities dynamically sampled from the environment, and, second, collapsing decision boundaries reflecting the dynamic constraints imposed on the decision maker’s response by the environment. We show that the model explains the observed decision outcomes and response times, as well as substantial individual differences in those. Through cross-validation, we demonstrate that the model not only explains the data, but also generalizes to out-of-sample conditions, effectively providing a way to predict human drivers’ behavior in real time. Our results reveal the cognitive mechanisms of gap acceptance decisions in human drivers, and exemplify how simple cognitive process models can help us to understand human behavior in complex real-world tasks.


2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882091402
Author(s):  
James F. Lee ◽  
Paul A. Malovrh ◽  
Stephen Doherty ◽  
Alecia Nichols

Recent research on the effects of processing instruction (PI) have incorporated online research methods in order to demonstrate that PI has effects on cognitive processing behaviors as well as on accuracy (e.g. Lee & Doherty, 2019a). The present study uses self-paced reading and a moving windows technique to examine the effects of PI on second language (L2) learners’ processing of Spanish active and passive sentences to explore the effects of PI on instructed second language acquisition. One group received PI but the Control group did not. Between group comparisons on passive sentences showed changes in performance for the PI group but not the Control group with the PI group gaining in accuracy and processing speed, specifically faster response times to select the correct picture and faster reading time on passive verb forms. Within group analyses showed changes in the PI group’s performance on all dependent variables at the immediate posttest and a subsequent decline in performance at the delayed posttest (8 weeks later). We discuss the implications of our results and treatment format for classroom and hybridized instruction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zheng ◽  
Qian Lu ◽  
Yiqun Gan

AbstractExpressive writing can enhance cognitive processing and improve stress regulation. Particularly, the use of cognitive words (i.e., insightful and causal words) in writing may be associated with the process of meaning making and promotion of post-traumatic growth (PTG). The aim of the present study was to determine how expressive writing and the use of causal and insightful cognitive words influenced meaning making and PTG during writing. In total, 52 traumatized university students were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two writing conditions involving either an expressive writing task or a neutral writing task. The results showed that participants who engaged in expressive (vs. neutral) writing showed higher scores on the presence of meaning and PTG in the post-writing, self-report questionnaires. Moreover, writing task (expressive or neutral) and frequency of causal and insightful cognitive words were both significant predictors of meaning, which in turn led to high levels of PTG. In conclusion, the use of causal and insightful words might be a fundamental cognitive process for developing meaning in writing, which is essential for our further understanding of meaning making and PTG.


Author(s):  
Abirami Swaminathan, Et. al.

The aim of this review was to understand the features and functions of two apparently conflicting constructs “intuition” and “mindfulness” with specific focus on problem solving. Literature published between 2010 and 2020 was searched and retrieved from data bases including Research Gate, PsycINFO, EBSCO, Crossref, Medline, PubMed and Scopus, using the key words “intuition”, “mindfulness”, “intuition and problem solving”, “mindfulness and problem solving” and “intuition and mindfulness” for the study. The relationship between the two constructs was analysed within the dual process system of information processing. It was also investigated whether mindfulness would facilitate access to intuition and contribute to problem solving, or function complementary to each other. Analysis of published literature revealed that while the construct ‘intuition’ could be fitted into non-conscious system of cognitive process, the construct ‘mindfulness’ was related to conscious cognitive processing system, and therefore appeared to be contradictory. A critical evaluation of the relationship between the two constructs revealed a symbiotic relationship and emphasized the need to develop an integrated model to trigger intuition in mindful state with regard to problem-solving or decision-making.


Author(s):  
Nurlaila Marasabessy ◽  
Yayi Suryo Prabandari ◽  
Ova Emilia

Background: Earlier data showed that the mean of achievement index at first year students in Environmental Health Polytechnic of Maluku were decreased for the last 3 years, from 2,9 at year 2008, become 2,6 at year 2010. Studentspresence rate in the first semester for science and skills subjects such as basic of environmental health, microbiology, patophysio-anatomy, and health entomology also decreased from 89,09% at 2008 to 77,04% at 2010. Several studies and experts concludes that both quality and quantity of student’s learning are influenced by some factors like achievement motivation, attention, and cognitive process. The decrease on that factors may influence quality and quantity of learning process. The objective of this study is to identify the correlations between achievement motivation and attention to student’s cognitive process at first year students of Environmental Health Polytechnic of Maluku.Method: This was a quantitative study using survey to 80 first year students academic year 2010/2011. It is used modified instrument Archer’s Health Professional Motivation Survey to assess achievement motivation, Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder to assess attention, and Cognitive Processing Inventory to assess cognitive process. Correlation significance between factors analyzed by using Pearson Correlation.Results: There were significant correlations between achievement-motivation oriented to mastery learning and performance towards cognitive process. Attention factor also correlated to the cognitive process.Conclusion: Early stimulations of learning motivation and profession explanation are needed to the first year students. Learning methods that stimulate students engagement are important to improve the quality of student’s learning process.


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