scholarly journals Peer Presence Effect on Numerosity and Phonological Comparisons in 4th Graders: When Working with a SchoolMate Makes Children More Adult-like

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 902
Author(s):  
Leslie Tricoche ◽  
Elisabetta Monfardini ◽  
Amélie J. Reynaud ◽  
Justine Epinat-Duclos ◽  
Denis Pélisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Facilitation ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Motor Processes ◽  
Gaussian Analysis ◽  
Mere Presence ◽  
The Brain

Little is known about how peers’ mere presence may, in itself, affect academic learning and achievement. The present study addresses this issue by exploring whether and how the presence of a familiar peer affects performance in a task assessing basic numeracy and literacy skills: numerosity and phonological comparisons. We tested 99 fourth-graders either alone or with a classmate. Ninety-seven college-aged young adults were also tested on the same task, either alone or with a familiar peer. Peer presence yielded a reaction time (RT) speedup in children, and this social facilitation was at least as important as that seen in adults. RT distribution analyses indicated that the presence of a familiar peer promotes the emergence of adult-like features in children. This included shorter and less variable reaction times (confirmed by an ex-Gaussian analysis), increased use of an optimal response strategy, and, based on Ratcliff’s diffusion model, speeded up nondecision (memory and/or motor) processes. Peer presence thus allowed children to at least narrow (for demanding phonological comparisons), and at best, virtually fill in (for unchallenging numerosity comparisons) the developmental gap separating them from adult levels of performance. These findings confirm the influence of peer presence on skills relevant to education and lay the groundwork for exploring how the brain mechanisms mediating this fundamental social influence evolve during development.

scholarly journals Peer Presence Effect on Numeracy and Literacy in 4th Graders: When Working With a Schoolmate Makes Children More Adult-Like

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Tricoche ◽  
Elisabetta Monfardini ◽  
Amélie J. Reynaud ◽  
Justine Epinat-Duclos ◽  
Denis Pélisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Facilitation ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Optimal Response ◽  
Motor Processes ◽  
Gaussian Analysis ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Brain

The present study explores the potential impact of peers' omnipresence at school on children's academic performance. We tested 99 fourth-graders either alone or with a classmate in a task involving both numeracy and literacy skills: numerosity comparison and phonological comparison. Ninety-seven college-aged young adults were also tested on the same task, either alone or with a familiar peer. Peer presence yielded a reaction time (RT) speedup in children, and this social facilitation was at least as important as that seen in adults. RT distribution analyses indicated that the presence of a familiar peer promotes the emergence of adult-like features in children. This included shorter and less variable reaction times (confirmed by an ex-Gaussian analysis), increased use of an optimal response strategy and, based on Ratcliff’s diffusion model, speeded up non decision (memory and/or motor) processes. Peer presence thus allowed children to, at least, narrow (for demanding phonological comparisons), and, at best, virtually fill in (for unchallenging numerosity comparisons) the developmental gap separating them from adult levels of performance. These findings confirm the influence of peer presence on skills relevant to education and lay the ground for exploring how the brain mechanisms mediating this fundamental social influence evolve during development.

Sensory evidence integration and action initiation occur in parallel during perceptual decisions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lluís Hernández-Navarro ◽  
Ainhoa Hermoso-Mendizabal ◽  
Daniel Duque ◽  
Alexandre Hyafil ◽  
Jaime de la Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Action Preparation ◽  
Action Model ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Evidence Integration ◽  
Action Initiation

It is commonly assumed that, during perceptual decisions, the brain integrates stimulus evidence until reaching a decision, and then performs the response. There are conditions, however (e.g. time pressure), in which the initiation of the response must be prepared in anticipation of the stimulus presentation. It is therefore not clear when the timing and the choice of perceptual responses depend exclusively on evidence accumulation, or when preparatory motor signals may interfere with this process. Here, we find that, in a free reaction time auditory discrimination task in rats, the timing of fast responses does not depend on the stimulus, although the choices do, suggesting a decoupling of the mechanisms of action initiation and choice selection. This behavior is captured by a novel model, the Parallel Sensory Integration and Action Model (PSIAM), in which response execution is triggered whenever one of two processes, Action Initiation or Evidence Accumulation, reaches a bound, while choice category is always set by the latter. Based on this separation, the model accurately predicts the distribution of reaction times when the stimulus is omitted, advanced or delayed. Furthermore, we show that changes in Action Initiation mediates both post-error slowing and a gradual slowing of the responses within each session. Overall, these results extend the standard models of perceptual decision-making, and shed a new light on the interaction between action preparation and evidence accumulation.

Exploring the Effects of Extraversion on Social Facilitation and Vigilance Task Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1216-1220
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Claypoole ◽  
Grace E. Waldfogle ◽  
Alexis R. Neigel ◽  
James L. Szalma
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Social Facilitation ◽  
Vigilance Task ◽  
Task Design ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Vigilance Performance ◽  
Mere Presence ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
And Task

Vigilance, or sustained attention, is the ability to maintain attention for extended periods of time. Recently, research on vigilance has focused on identifying individual differences and task design factors that may improve cognitive-based vigilance performance. One such factor is social facilitation, which leads to improved task performance when at least one individual is present. But, relatively little is known about the personality factors, such as extraversion or introversion, which may influence the effects of social presence, and in turn affect vigilance performance. Given this gap in the literature, the present research seeks to determine how personality, specifically extraversion, is related to vigilance performance in the presence of another individual. A total of 39 observers completed a 24-minute vigilance task either alone, in the mere presence of another person, or in the evaluative presence of another person (i.e., an individual monitoring their performance). The results indicated that extraversion was negatively correlated to the proportion of correct detections and sensitivity ( A’).

Chronic treatment with a tryptophan-rich protein hydrolysate improves emotional processing, mental energy levels and reaction time in middle-aged women

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Mohajeri ◽  
J. Wittwer ◽  
K. Vargas ◽  
E. Hogan ◽  
A. Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Protein Hydrolysate ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Facial Emotional Expression

Common pharmacological treatments of mood disorders aim to modulate serotonergic neurotransmission and enhance serotonin levels in the brain. Brain serotonin levels are dependent on the availability of its food-derived precursor essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp). We tested the hypothesis that delivery of Trp via food may serve as an alternative treatment, and examined the effects of a Trp-rich, bioavailable dietary supplement from egg protein hydrolysate on cognitive and emotional functions, mood state, and sleep quality. In a randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel trial, fifty-nine mentally and physically healthy women aged 45–65 years received placebo (n 30) or the supplement (n 29) (both as 0·5 g twice per d) for 19 d. Emotional processing was significantly changed by supplementation, exhibiting a shift in bias away from negative stimuli. The results for the Affective Go/No-Go Task exhibited a slowing of responses to negative words, suggesting reduced attention to negative emotional stimuli. The results for the Facial Emotional Expression Rating Task also supported a shift away from attention to negative emotions and a bias towards happiness. An increase in arousal-like symptoms, labelled ‘high energy’, shorter reaction times and a slight benefit to sustained attention were observed in the treated subjects. Finally, when the supplement was taken 60–90 min before bedtime, a feeling of happiness before going to bed was consistently reported. In summary, daily consumption of a low-dose supplement containing bioavailable Trp may have beneficial effects on emotional and cognitive functions.

Designing and Implementing Interactive, Collaborative Family Literacy Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Kerrigan Mahoney ◽  
Jane Patrick ◽  
Leighann Pennington ◽  
Alicen Brown ◽  
Tonya Moon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Family Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Literacy Events ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Environmental Print ◽  
Gifted Learners ◽  
Theory Of Intelligence

Shared experiences through school-hosted events, such as family literacy events, can afford opportunities to support and extend academic learning while fostering positive home–school relationships. This article describes the importance of developing primary-grade students’ literacy skills through a talent development lens and explains several ways to nurture students’ literacy skills and recognize potential, gifts, and talents during family literacy events. This article features one of the activities from the family literacy events, Environmental Print Bingo, a modification of I-Spy and Bingo which uses rich and varied environmental print resources. A description of this activity, necessary resources, and implementation tips are provided. Options for differentiating this learning activity to provide more challenge for gifted learners are suggested. Throughout the article, the application of a pedagogy for early childhood gifted education and Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence as a framework are discussed; these approaches informed the design of all family literacy activities. A brief overview of nine additional family literacy event activities is also shared. Welcoming and involving families of English learners is an important consideration in many communities, and therefore, preparation tips and considerations for facilitators that will help maximize the participation of all families are included. Finally, reflections and helpful advice for implementing family literacy events in your school communities are presented, including advice for implementing online family literacy events. Ultimately, this article should help readers conceptualize, plan, and implement family literacy events in their school communities.

Developmental Sequences in Perception and Interpretation of Ambiguous Sentences

1978 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 959-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth H. Wiig ◽  
Michele F. Gilbert ◽  
Sue Hirsch Christian
Keyword(s):  
Deep Structure ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
College Level ◽  
Developmental Sequences ◽  
Concrete Operational ◽  
Syntactic Ambiguities ◽  
Age Range

The present research assessed the normal development of ability to perceive and interpret lexical and syntactic ambiguities in 40 grade school children, 10 kindergarteners, 10 second-graders, 10 fourth-graders, 10 sixth-graders, and 10 college students. Eight lexically ambiguous, eight syntactically ambiguous, and four unambiguous control sentences were presented for interpretation of their alternatives in meaning. Each experimental sentence was associated with four pictorial choices. Significant increases in the ability to perceive and interpret the alternative meanings of the lexical ambiguities occurred at or before the fourth grade (mean age 10 yr., 0 mo.) while significant changes for the syntactic and deep-structure ambiguities occurred at or before the sixth grade (mean age 12 yr., 0 mo.). Reaction times proved significantly shorter for the unambiguous than for the ambiguous sentences but remained stable over the present age range with the exception that the median reaction times between first and second responses decreased significantly between second grade and college level. The findings suggest that the ability to process lexical ambiguities increases and stabilizes during the concrete operational stage while the ability to process syntactic ambiguities stabilizes during the formal operational stage (Piaget & Inhelder, 1969).

Mere presence and social facilitation: One more time

1986 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd H Schmitt ◽  
Thomas Gilovich ◽  
Natan Goore ◽  
Lisa Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Social Facilitation ◽  
Mere Presence

Periodicity within Reaction Time Distributions and Electromyograms

1968 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Russell Harter ◽  
C. T. White
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Periodic Component ◽  
Considerable Variability ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Motor Processes ◽  
Sense Modality

This study investigates a periodic component in reaction time frequency distributions, that is, a tendency for responses to occur at regular, discrete intervals of time after stimulus presentation. Reaction time frequency distributions were plotted by a Computer of Average Transients and were obtained under stimulus conditions varying in sense modality stimulated (auditory and visual), and the intensity, colour, and duration of stimulation. The results indicated that there was periodicity in reaction time frequency distributions with a modal period of approximately 25 msec. It was found that the periodicty (a) was most evident when there was considerable variability in reaction time, and (b) tended to attenuate when a large number of reaction times were grouped. Other stimulus conditions appeared to have little effect on the periodicity. A significant correlation was found between the frequency of periodicity in the reaction time distributions and the electromyograms, both having a modal period of 25 msec. It was concluded that the periodicity in reaction time was the result of motor processes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document