Group performance in a cognitive task.

On a cross-word puzzle task performed by 60 pairs of male Ss, correlations between group performance and performance of the individuals (independently determined) were calculated. 82% of the true group performance variance on the task could be predicted from the individual performance scores. "It is suggested that the nature of the task is important in studies of group performance, and that the existence of 'group' phenomena should be empirically demonstrated rather than assumed." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of generic advance instructions on learning a classification task.

Investigated whether giving students generic advance instructions about how to learn a classification task would be effective in facilitating learning of a specific classification task. The effect of instructions was compared with the effects of adjunct postquestions, simply reading the materials (control group), and both instructions and adjunct postquestions. The experimental task involved learning to classify instances of several different categories. Ss were 72 US Navy enlisted personnel. It was hypothesized that advance instructions to Ss regarding how and what to learn would facilitate learning of classification material. Results show that the instruction group and adjunct questions group did equally well on classifying new and old instances of US Navy call signs. All groups did better than control groups. Results suggest that students can learn a general strategy for processing classification material and that providing students with generic information about how and what to learn is an effective instructional strategy. A text of the instructions used to teach Ss how to learn a classification task is appended. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contribution of cognitive abilities to performance and improvement on a substitution coding task.

Age-related performance variance on substitution coding tests has been found to account for much of the age-related variance in tests of fluid and other abilities, leading to the conclusion that cognitive decline is due to slowing. Although it is an easy task, which could easily be performed accurately given adequate time, the substitution coding task is not a pure measure of cognitive speed. Evidence from growth curve analyses involving 3,708 volunteers (49–95 years of age) from the Manchester and Newcastle Studies of Cognitive Aging (P. Rabbitt, C. Donlan, N. Bent, L. McInnes, & V. Abson, 1993) indicates that, with practice on this task, improvement is related more to memory than to age, reasoning, vocabulary, or perceptual speed. In other words, faster performances are related primarily to memory. Operational similarities between speeded measures and measures of higher order abilities, which weaken the argument for causal relationships, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in cognitive task performance across the menstrual cycle.

Examined the effect on cognitive tests of menstrual-cycle-related changes in estrogen in 87 undergraduates. The estrogen peak was expected to facilitate performance of 4 "automatized" tasks and to impair performance of "perceptual-restructuring" tasks, compared with performance in the postovulatory phase when progesterone is thought to counteract the action of estrogen. Daily basal body temperature (BBT) records suggested that 21 Ss did not ovulate in the cycle(s) studied. No main effect of Day 10 of the cycle vs Day 20 occurred for any task in the 66 Ss who did appear to ovulate. However, the magnitude of predicted shifts in performance was significantly correlated with proximity of the "Day 10" testing day to the lowest BBT, the presumed preovulatory estrogen peak; and to the "Day 20" proximity to the highest BBT, the presumed progesterone peak. Ss tested 3 or fewer days before the thermal nadir and on or after the thermal peak had the predicted significant changes on 3 of the 4 tasks. Results support the hypotheses and indicate that precise timing is essential to demonstrate the phenomena. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of self-efficacy, goals, and task strategies on task performance.

Manipulated self-efficacy and task strategies in the training of 209 undergraduates under high strategy, low strategy, and control conditions. Ss underwent 5 trials and were administered a self-efficacy scale after each trial. Results show that ability, past performance, and self-efficacy were the major predictors of goal choice. Ability, self-efficacy, goals, and task strategies were related to task performance. Self-efficacy was more strongly related to past performance than to future performance but remained a significant predictor of future performance even when past performance was controlled. Self-efficacy ratings for moderate to difficult levels of performance were the best predictors of future performance; a reanalysis of 2 previous goal-setting studies by the first author confirms this finding. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conscientiousness and task performance: Test of cognitive process model.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the effect of the Big Five factor of conscientiousness on task performance was mediated by performance expectancy, performance valence, and goal choice. There were 117 business students who completed 6 subscales of the Personality Research Form ( D. N. Jackson, 1987 ), responded to several self-report measures, and performed a simple arithmetic task. A cognitive process model was tested and supported through LISREL analyses. The effect of conscientiousness on task performance was mediated by performance expectancy and goal choice. Robust effects for performance valence were not observed in this situation. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of experimental setting on learning and performance of Auditory Delayed Matching-to-Sample task in dogs

Fifty two patients with positioning nystagmus were studied with the V.N.G. three-dimentional device of ULMER. In benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) the torsionnal component is not pure: a vertical and a less important horizontal components also exist. They are not of the same amplitude on both eyes. The torsionnal and horizontal components are more important on the eye ipsilateral to the BPPV. The vertical component is more important on the contralateral eye. The horizontal canal B.P.V. (2% of the cases of B.P.V.) is so defined by the absence of vertical and torsionnal components. Three-D Eye Movement Analysis is helpful for differential diagnosis with the positional protocol described. The characteristics of central and peripheral paroxysmal positional nystagmus are given. The head Tilt and the ocular counter rolling reflex (O.C.R.) can be quantified with this device. It will be useful in the future to better explore the inferior root of the eighth nerve and the otolith organ. For clarity we propose to describe the torsionnal nystagmus so that the results are expressed with respect to the patient: clockwise nystagmus (in reference to the patient) would thus be also right rotatory nystagmus while left rotatory nystagmus would be also anticlockwise.     

Effects of altering task components on perceptual-motor task learning.

In training operators of man-machine systems, how will altering the task influence learning progress at various stages in this sequence? After trying it out in a pilot study, the main experiment involved 108 male soldiers. "The apparatus consisted of an electronic compensatory tracking device which required S to maintain a target indicator in the center of a 5-in. oscilloscope… . Time on target was the primary measure of performance." A temporary decrement in performance was produced from altering task components later in learning. Greater effect followed from changes taking place earlier. 16 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflections on conceptual tempo: Relationship between cognitive style and performance as a function of task characteristics.

Reflectives have been shown to outperform impulsives on tasks that require a cautious, systematic approach. A study was conducted to determine whether reflectives, particularly high-anxious reflectives, would show superior performance on speeded tasks; i.e., whether they would exhibit flexibility vs continued caution at the expense of performance. 46 male and 54 female 4th graders, selected by their scores on the Test Anxiety Scale for Children and the Lie Scale for Children as being reflective and impulsive, high and low anxious, were presented with speeded tasks of increasing difficulty. Results reveal that contrary to prediction, high-anxious reflectives performed as well as low-anxious reflectives and both were generally faster and more accurate than impulsives. Only for girls on the most difficult task was there evidence that reflection in combination with high anxiety resulted in overly cautious behavior and impaired performance. Results suggest a definition of cognitive style that stresses the strategy used rather than the disposition for long or short decision times. In addition, a model is proposed to predict the relative speed and accuracy of reflectives and impulsives as a function of the strategy required and the degree of intertrial transfer on the task. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impaired simultaneous cognitive task performance in Parkinson's disease: a dopamine-related dysfunction

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have trouble programming two separate motor acts concurrently. We tested the hypotheses that (1) PD patients may also have difficulty processing two cognitive tasks simultaneously, and (2) the expected deficit may be related to the striatal dopaminergic depletion. We used auditory and visual choice reaction time (CRT) tasks, presented either separately or concurrently, and compared the performance of three groups of PD patients: a group of patients under their usual dose of levodopa ("standard"); a group assessed both at the time of maximal clinical benefit ("on" state) and at the time of minimal clinical benefit (treatment withdrawn for about 18 hours; "off" state); and a group of recently diagnosed untreated patients ("de novo"). Compared with controls, standard and "on" state patients had a normal performance for both separate and concurrent CRT tasks. In contrast, "off" state and de novo patients had a normal performance in the separate CRT tasks but significant deficits in the concurrent CRT tasks. These results suggest that adequate dopaminergic transmission is necessary for concurrent processing of cognitive information and that the striatum integrates the sensorimotor information required to program cognitive acts.     

The effects of learning goal difficulty level and cognitive ability on performance.

The relationship between the difficulty level of a learning goal and a person's (N = 146) performance on a task that required the acquisition of knowledge to perform effectively was examined. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the higher the learning goal, the higher the person's performance. Cognitive ability and goal commitment also positively affected performance. The results showed that the person's cognitive ability moderated the learning goal-performance relationship. Contrary to previous research findings on performance goals for tasks that are straightforward for people, the performance of individuals lower in cognitive ability was more positively affected by the setting of a difficult learning goal than was the case for people higher in cognitive ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of a time-slowing suggestion on performance accuracy on a perceptual motor task

Three female subjects were hypnotized and played a video-tennis game under alternating control and experimental conditions in a within-subjects ABABAB withdrawal design. During control phases, subjects played the game under conditions of hypnotic relaxation. Prior to experimental phases a suggestion for subjective time-slowing, and ball-slowing, was presented. The initial presentation of the time-slowing suggestion did not result in improved performance accuracy. However, for all subjects, the second and third presentation of the suggestion resulted in significantly more longer volleys during experimental periods as compared to control periods. Possible explanation of the processes underlying improved performance accuracy are discussed in light of the subjective reports of the participants.     

Schizophrenic performance in a word-communication task.

Speaker and listener skills in schizophrenic and in normal Ss were studied using a communication task in which the speaker provides clue words to distinguish referent from nonreferent stimuli, and the listener chooses the speaker's referent from each stimulus array on the basis of the speaker's clue words. 4 groups of 18 speaker-listener pairs were used: schizophrenic speakers-schizophrenic listeners; schizophrenic speakers-normal listeners; normal speakers-schizophrenic listeners; normal speakers-normal listeners. Analysis of accuracy scores (proportion correct referent choices) showed that schizophrenic speakers were inferior to normals (p     

Vigilance performance in a bimodal task.

Evaluated the need for an arousal construct in a theory of vigilance, as opposed to a theory based on a selective attention construct. Performance over time was examined in a situation involving 2 detection tasks, 1 in each of 2 modalities. 34 undergraduates were instructed to direct their attention to 1 of the 2 tasks, the primary task; the other task was of secondary importance. The main concern was in discovering whether the vigilance decrement would be specific to the primary task, as would be suggested by the selective attention theory, or whether it would be seen in both tasks, as suggested by the arousal construct. Data show that the decrement is task specific. However, it is not always the primary task which shows the decrement. It is argued that neither the construct of arousal nor that of selective attention is adequate, alone, to deal with the vigilance decrement. Results are discussed in terms of these 2 concepts and in terms of some practical implications for the design of real-life displays. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of reinforcement on infants' performance in an auditory detection task.

Localization responses to octave-band noises with center frequencies at 400 and 4,000 Hz were obtained from 12-mo-old infants, first without reinforcement and with a 5-sec response interval and then with reinforcement and an unlimited response interval. The percentage of correct responses was substantially greater in the reinforced than in the nonreinforced condition. In Exp II, 12-mo-old Ss were tested in nonreinforced and reinforced sessions, as in Exp I, except that both sessions incorporated the 5-sec response interval. Again, performance was superior in the reinforced session. It is suggested that auditory detection techniques that omit reinforcement may be yielding attentional thresholds rather than thresholds of audibility. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of generation on a word-identification task.

The generation of words from word fragments, both with and without context cues, was used as an encoding operation for investigating contributions to word ("perceptual") identification. Exp 1, with isolated words, showed that a generation effect may obtain in word identification if test items are presented in fragmented form. Exp 2, with context cues, also showed a generation effect, but only when an identical study cue was presented shortly before the identification trial; use of a different (but associatively related) cue produced equivalent identification performance between read and generated items. In identification "catch trials" of Exp 3, nonstudied items were tested after a previously studied cue was presented. Results showed depressed but equivalent levels of performance between read and generate groups; however, incorrect identifications were associated with a tendency to respond with previously generated items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variability of performance in a vigilance task.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of signal pattern and frequency on the variability of S's performance in a vigilance task. Ss were 12 male college students who watched 3 dials during 3 consecutive 27-min. periods. Real signals occurred alone in 1 period while 2 different patterns of dummy signals were added in the other 2 periods. It was found that dummy signals which occurred at semiregular intervals were more effective in reducing S's variability than those which occurred at nonregular intervals. It was also found that variability increased with time. It is concluded that use of a semiregular pattern of dummy signals would be one way of improving performance on a vigilance task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of methylphenidate and expectancy on ADHD children's performance, self-evaluations, persistence, and attributions on a cognitive task.

The effects of 0.3 mg/kg methylphenidate (MPH) and expectancy regarding medication on the performance and task persistence of 60 boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were investigated. In a balanced-placebo design, boys in 4 groups (received placebo–drug crossed with told placebo–drug) completed the task in success and failure conditions. Medication improved participants' task persistence following failure. Participants' task performance was not affected by whether they thought they had received medication or placebo. Children made internal attributions for success and made external attributions for failure, regardless of medication or expectancy. These findings confirm previous reports that it is the pharmacological activity of MPH that affects ADHD children's self-evaluations and persistence. The results contradict anecdotal reports that MPH causes dysfunctional attributions and confirm previous studies showing that medication does not produce adverse effects on the causal attributions of children with ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spatial learning and memory at defined points of the estrous cycle: Effects on performance of a hippocampal-dependent task.

Learning based on hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation in female rats was assessed at identified points in the estrous cycle corresponding to low (estrus) and high (proestrus) circulating estrogen. With background training in water-maze procedures, rats learned the location of an escape platform in the maze in a single session of 8 training trials. A strong spatial bias for the escape platform was also evident in a probe trial used to assess retention of learning 30 min after the training session. This entire protocol was completed in less than an hour. The performance of the estrus and proestrus rats was indistinguishable on all behavioral measures, irrespective of the stage of estrous cycle during the task. These results indicate that rapid learning and retention for spatial information over a relatively short interval may be preserved despite morphological alterations in hippocampal dendritic spine density in the normally cycling female rat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of variation in task complexity and displayed information on operator performance.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of amount of information displayed, level of task difficulty, and practice on performance speed and accuracy for a visual motor task. Based on results from 16 Ss, it was concluded that an increase in the number of cues available for visual reference will not necessarily affect performance. Further cooroborative evidence was obtained for the hypothesis that the criterion of redundancy in displayed information should be based on perceptual usefulness of the cues provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)