Anagram Task Research Articles

Testing a new indirect measure of general self-worth: The Self-esteem Questionnaire-based Implicit Association Test.

The self-esteem Questionnaire-based Implicit Association Test (SE-qIAT) provides an indirect assessment of general self-worth that is based on the items of the well-validated Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the structure of this variant of the IAT enables a clearer interpretation, compared with the conventional self-esteem IAT. Study 1 (N = 224) provided support for the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and implicit-explicit convergent validity of the SE-qIAT. In Study 2 (N = 305), the correlation of the SE-qIAT with the explicit RSES was replicated, and it was larger than the correlations of the SE-qIAT with other self-reports. As to criterion validity, the SE-qIAT moderated the effect of a mild social threat (being excluded in the Cyberball game) on participants' performance in a subsequent anagram task, and this effect was incremental to the explicit self-esteem assessment. In Study 3 (N = 334), the SE-qIAT correlated positively with the self-esteem IAT and negatively with a measure of depression. The two implicit tasks correlated uniquely with each other, above and beyond the variance they each shared with the explicit RSES. Taken together, these findings provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the SE-qIAT.

Trier Social Stress Test Elevates Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Anxiety, But a Singing Test or Unsolvable Anagrams Only Elevates Heart Rate, among Healthy Young Adults

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a psychosocial stressor that effectively stimulates the stress response but is labor and time intensive. Although other psychological stressors are often used experimentally, none are known to comparably elevate stress. Two stressors that may potentially elevate stress are a singing task (ST) and unsolvable anagrams, but there are not enough data to support their effectiveness. In the current experiment, 53 undergraduate males and females (mean age = 21.9 years) were brought into the laboratory, and baseline blood pressure, heart rate, self-rated anxiety, and salivary cortisol were recorded. Then, participants were randomly assigned to one of three stress conditions: TSST (n = 24), ST (n = 14), or an unsolvable anagram task (n = 15). Stress measures were taken again after the stressor and during recovery. The TSST significantly elevated systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and self-rated anxiety from pre-stress levels, replicating its stress-inducing properties. However, the ST and unsolvable anagrams only elevated heart rate, indicating that these methods are not as able to stimulate physiological or psychological stress. Overall, results indicate that out of these three laboratory stressors, the TSST clearly engages the stress response over the ST or unsolvable anagrams.

Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals?

AbstractRecent research suggests that mindfulness meditation may impair motivation towards traditional laboratory tasks. The present research explored the effects of meditation on motivation towards personal goals and an anagram task. In Study 1 (n = 200), participants in the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than those in a comparison podcast condition (due to a decrease in the podcast condition); this difference remained 10 min later. Exploratory analyses revealed no differences between conditions in post‐manipulation anagram motivation. In Study 2 (n = 120), participants in the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than those in the podcast condition; this difference remained 20 min later. There were no differences between conditions in anagram motivation. Furthermore, goal motivation increased from before to after meditating, whereas anagram motivation remained the same. These findings oppose the notion that meditation impairs motivation and instead suggest that meditation may offer motivational benefits for personal goal pursuit.

REGULATORY FOCUS MODERATES THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK VALENCE ON RESOURCE ALLOCATION

Previous studies have mainly examined the effect of regulatory fit in the context of single goal-pursuit. However, the dynamics for multiple goal-pursuits have been left largely unexamined. Therefore, two studies were conducted to explore the role of regulatory fit under the different goal-pursuit conditions. First study, using bogus feedback following regulatory orientation framing for solving anagram tasks, revealed that the fit between prevention focus and negative feedback increased motivation in the post-feedback session. In the second study, participants allocated limited time between the two imaginary goals following regulatory orientation priming. Results showed that participants allocated higher levels of resources when they experience regulatory fit. Results highlighted the importance of the fit experience on resource allocation in the multiple-goal context.

I Can Do It Well Because I Did It Well: the Effect of Promoted Self-efficacy Through Induced Success Performance in Junior High School Students

Kudo and Mori, Psychological Reports, 117, 631-642, (2015) used a presentation trick to covertly present a set of easier anagram tasks to 20 junior high school students while their 60 classmates observed more difficult tasks. These two samples were selected randomly, and their IQ scores counterbalanced. The target students outperformed their classmates, and showed greater self-efficacy after their success. However, they did not examine the relationship between this self-efficacy and performance 2 months later on another set of anagram tasks. Here, we analyzed their data in this regard. We found that those students whose self-efficacy was raised by the former task performed better than the control students whose self-efficacy ratings were in the middle range. These findings suggest that students with high self-efficacy performed better than their classmates did on new anagram tasks, even when adjusting for IQ.

Meeting by text or video-chat: Effects on confidence and performance

How does the way people first interact affect communicative effectiveness? Does it matter if you meet someone via video-chat first or via text first? In Study 1, attitudes towards three common communication media were surveyed. In general, respondents preferred face-to-face interactions and messaging platforms over phone calls. In Study 2, participants first met via either video-chat or messaging, and then switched to the other modality. Dyads who met first via text performed worse on an anagram task than those who met first via video. However, those who met first via text were more confident in their performance. How people first get to know each other impacts how they feel about their conversations and how effectively they work together.

Neural Activity Across the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Risk for Suicidal Ideation and Self-Injury

The current study investigated the neural correlates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal ideation across the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Two-hundred ninety-six undergraduates solved anagram tasks while being monitored by a functional near-infrared spectroscopy device, and completed a questionnaire assessing behaviors and symptoms. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed location-specific changes in neural activity based on NSSI, suicidal ideation, task type, and cognitive demand. The presence of suicidal ideation was associated with specific patterns of neural activity, modified by sex and task type. Interestingly, participants who engaged in NSSI exhibited some deactivation of the dlPFC when faced with more difficult cognitive challenges. Future research on these processes may allow for noninvasive imaging techniques to help screen risk for suicidality and NSSI.

Charting the contributions of cognitive flexibility to creativity: Self-guided transitions as a process-based index of creativity-related adaptivity.

Creativity is pivotal to solving complex problems of many kinds, yet how cognitive flexibility dynamically supports creative processes is largely unexplored. Despite being a crucial multi-faceted contributor in creative thinking, cognitive flexibility, as typically assessed, does not fully capture how people adaptively shift between varying or persisting in their current problem-solving efforts. To fill this theoretical and methodological gap, we introduce a new operationalization of cognitive flexibility: the process-based Self-Guided Transition (SGT) measures, which assess when participants autonomously choose to continue working on one of two concurrently presented items (dwell length) and how often they choose to switch between the two items (shift count). We examine how these measures correlate with three diverse creativity tasks, and with creative performance on a more complex "garden design" task. Analyses of the relations between these new cognitive flexibility measures in 66 young adults revealed that SGT dwell length positively correlated with creative performance across several tasks. The SGT shift count positively correlated with within-task performance for a two-item choice task tapping divergent thinking (Alternative Uses Task) but not for a two-item choice task calling on convergent thinking (Anagram task). Multiple regression analyses revealed that, taken together, both the shift count and dwell length measures from the Alternative Uses Task explained a significant proportion of variance in measures of fluency, and originality, on a composite measure of the three independently-assessed creative tasks. Relations of SGTs to the Garden Design task were weaker, though shift count on the Alternative Uses Task was predictive of a composite measure of overall Garden Design quality. Taken together, these results highlight the promise of our new process-based measures to better chart the dynamically flexible processes supporting creative thinking and action.

Trait perfectionism and performance satisfaction in challenging laboratory problem-solving tasks

This study investigated the relationship between self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism and performance satisfaction in response to challenging laboratory problem-solving tasks. In the laboratory session, 130 undergraduate students completed measures of perfectionism and stress and then attempted time-limited arithmetic and anagram tasks individually in groups of three or four. Upon task completion, the experimenter announced each participant's scores and the mistakes they made (no participant achieved a perfect score on either task). Participants then rated their performance satisfaction and perceived importance of their performances. Neither self-oriented nor socially prescribed perfectionism were significantly associated with participants' scores. Furthermore, both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism uniquely predicted lower ratings of satisfaction after controlling gender, task scores, stress, and perceived task importance. Our findings provide further evidence for the notion that people with elevated self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism are susceptible to lowered satisfaction in response to performances.

Intuitive Feeling of Closeness to Solution Preceding Insight in Anagram Tasks

One of the main research questions related to creativity is the dilemma of specificity vs. non-specificity of the mechanisms underlying insight solutions as compared to analytical solutions of a problem. The first goal of our study was to verify insight solution specificity on solving anagram tasks. The second goal was to test a hypothesis about the existence of unconscious processing prior to insight solutions. We presented two types of stimuli to participants: anagrams and pseudowords. During the experiment, participants had to perform two successive tasks. First they had to judge whether they were being shown an anagram or a pseudoword, and then they had to solve the anagram. Anagrams and pseudowords differed in some visual features, of which the participants were not aware. It was expected that unconscious processing (if it exists) would be influenced by the implicit difference between the appearance of stimulus categories. During the solving process, participants had to rate how close they were to a solution. After a successful solution, they also had to indicate which way they found it: analytically or with insight. Our results showed that prior to an insight solution, participants felt that they were farther from the final solution than in the case of an analytical solution. These results confirm Metcalfe and Wiebe’s (1987) conclusions on the difference between insight and analytical solutions. According to these data, we can propose different specific mechanisms for insight solutions and analytical solutions in anagram tasks. At the same time, the presence of visual differences between stimulus categories did not influence the anagram solving process. The current results did not show evidence for an important role of unconscious processing before insight solutions of anagrams

The dark side of Eureka: Artificially induced Aha moments make facts feel true

Some ideas that we have feel mundane, but others are imbued with a sense of profundity. We propose that Aha! moments make an idea feel more true or valuable in order to aid quick and efficient decision-making, akin to a heuristic. To demonstrate where the heuristic may incur errors, we hypothesized that facts would appear more true if they were artificially accompanied by an Aha! moment elicited using an anagram task. In a preregistered experiment, we found that participants (n=300) provided higher truth ratings for statements accompanied by solved anagrams even if the facts were false, and the effect was particularly pronounced when participants reported an Aha! experience (d = .629). Recent work suggests that feelings of insight usually accompany correct ideas. However, here we show that feelings of insight can be overgeneralized and bias how true an idea or fact appears, simply if it occurs in the temporal ‘neighbourhood’ of an Aha! moment. We raise the possibility that feelings of insight, epiphanies, and Aha! moments have a dark side, and discuss some circumstances where they may even inspire false beliefs and delusions, with potential clinical importance.

Effect of Ego Depletion and Expectancy Beliefs on Working Memory, Problem Solving, Task Persistence, and Performance

The present study was undertaken to examine the influence of ego depletion and expectancy beliefs (EB) about the limited will power of self-control on task performance and task persistence through a 2 (ego depleted vs. non-ego depleted group) x 3 (group with positive EB, group with negative EB, and the group without any EB) between subject experimental design. The participants (N = 210) were undergraduates of University of Sargodha who were randomly distributed to each of the six treatment conditions. Ego Depletion Task (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998) and Feedback Task (Fried & Aronson, 1995) were adapted for the manipulation of the independent variables. Working memory (WM) was assessed through Digit Symbol Coding subscale of WAIS (Wechsler, 1997) and scores and time taken on an anagram task (Clarkson, Hirt, Jia, & Alexander, 2010) operationalized performance on problem-solving and task persistence, respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the participants in the non-depleted group had significantly higher mean scores on problem-solving and WM tasks than those of their counterparts in the ego-depleted group. The group with the positive EB had the highest mean scores on WM and problem-solving tasks as compared to the other groups. The interaction effect of beliefs about limited will power of selfcontrol and ego depletion remained nonsignificant. Limitations and recommendations for future research were reflected upon.

Perfectly imperfect: The use of cognitive bias modification to reduce perfectionism

Background and objectivesPerfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factor for psychopathology. The current study developed and evaluated a cognitive bias modification, interpretation retraining (CBM-I) intervention targeting maladaptive perfectionistic beliefs. MethodsParticipants were undergraduate students randomized to complete the perfectionism CBM-I (n = 33) or control condition task (n = 36) at two time points. Additionally, participants completed measures of perfectionistic interpretations and trait perfectionism, as well as an impossible anagram task designed to elicit perfectionistic concerns. ResultsResults indicated that after the intervention, participants who completed the perfectionism CBM-I endorsed fewer perfectionistic interpretations than participants in the control condition. Furthermore, although the study groups self-reported comparably low confidence in their anagram task performance, participants who completed the perfectionism CBM-I reported wanting to re-do significantly fewer anagrams than participants in the control condition, suggesting greater acceptance of imperfect performance following the intervention. Moreover, supporting a key hypothesized mechanism of effect in CBM-I, reductions in perfectionistic interpretations mediated the effect of condition on the desire to re-do anagram task items. LimitationsThe study results should be viewed in light of limitations, including the short time-span of the study, and the use of a relatively small, non-clinical, and demographically homogenous convenience sample. ConclusionsFurther research and development of the perfectionism CBM-I intervention are needed, but the present findings add to a nascent evidence base that suggests CBM-I holds promise as an accessible and transdiagnostic intervention for perfectionism.

Experimentally Increasing Self-Continuity Improves Subjective Well-Being and Protects against Self-Esteem Deterioration from an Ego-Deflating Task

ABSTRACT‘Self-continuity,’ or ‘continuous identity’ is the sense of cross-temporal persistence of identity and is associated with positive mood and decreased suicidality. Few studies have examined whether self-continuity is affected by reviewing cross-temporal patterns of personality traits and if increasing self-continuity improves subjective well-being. Study 1 examined the effects of writing about patterns of cross-temporal personality traits and found that this led to increased future self-continuity and reported life satisfaction. Study 2 examined the effects of a structured interview about cross-temporal personality traits and visualizing past/future selves and found that this led to increased future self-continuity, satisfaction with life, positive mood, and less deterioration in self-esteem after an impossible anagram task. These results suggest that increasing self-continuity may improve psychological health and well-being by increasing identity stability.

How do I compare thee? An evidence-based approach to the presentation of class comparison information to students using Dashboard

ABSTRACTLearning Dashboards display analytics pertaining to student performance and attainment, often alongside scores for the class cohort average. Little research has considered the effects of this social comparison information on students’ well-being, motivation, and engagement. The current study presented participants with hypothetical data that simulated a student performing above, below, or at the class average before measuring self-esteem, persistence on an impossible anagram task, and willingness to engage with study support services. Our results showed that where upward social comparisons were induced (exposure to Dashboard data displaying engagement and attainment below the class average), students reported lower self-esteem than participants presented with above average vignette data. Interestingly, this effect was not moderated by the grade profile of students and no effects on persistence or willingness to engage with study support were observed. We conclude that upward social comparisons in Dashboard data can have negative consequences for students’ self-esteem.

Ego Depletion as a Measure of Emotion Processing Deficits among MUS Patients

Previous studies have found a link between emotion processing deficits and medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUS). The majority of previous studies have used self-report measures of emotional processing, with the majority focusing on alexithymia, and have produced inconsistent and contradictory results. In the present study, we investigated the role of emotion-processing deficits in MUS by assessing emotion regulation performance and the effects of performance on ego depletion. Participants with high or low levels of self-reported MUS watched emotion-evoking videos under instructions to allow or suppress their emotional reactions, and then performed an anagram task to measure their effort and perseverance. Contrary to the research with self-report measures, experimental analysis of emotion-processing revealed that MUS is correlated with the inability to regulate negative emotions. Unexpected self-regulatory tendencies of the participants with high symptom levels were discussed.

The role of belief in a just world for (dis)honest behavior

The present work examines the influence of dispositional personal belief in a just world (BJW) on (dis)honest behavior and the moderating role of just-world threats. Assuming a positive link between personal BJW and striving for justice and sensitivity to injustice, we first expected dishonesty to be negatively linked to higher levels of personal BJW. Second, assuming just-world threats to promote behavior that helps to re-establish the BJW, and considering honesty to be a matter of justice, we expected dishonest behavior to be lower after just-world threat. Due to a higher sensitivity to injustice, this should be the case especially for people who boast a high personal BJW. In two studies, we assessed participants' dispositional personal (and general) BJW and manipulated just-world threat. Afterwards, we assessed dishonesty by using a dice task (Study 1, N = 135), or an anagram task (Study 2, N = 147), respectively. In both studies, higher levels of personal BJW were negatively linked to dishonesty. Additionally, in Study 1, participants in the high (vs. low) threat condition showed less dishonesty, especially when having a high personal BJW. Results of Study 2 did not support this idea. In both studies, general BJW did not predict dishonesty.

Investigating the effect of conditional vs hierarchical framing on motivation

Manipulating motivational factors is an effective method for increasing desired behavior and reducing problematic behavior, as well as for increasing satisfaction from desired but challenging actions. From the Relational Frame Theory (RFT) perspective, hierarchical networks of symbolic positive reinforcers are advantageous motivators as they provide intrinsic, overarching, and inexhaustible reinforcement to our actions, even when they cause some degree of distress. The current study aimed to investigate how motivation based on hierarchical versus conditional versus a mixed (hierarchical and conditional) framing impacts performance and psychological experiences in a distress tolerance task. Participants completed an anagram task, followed by the presentation of scripts relating to three separate framing conditions. Participants then proceeded to take part in an adapted PASAT-C to measure task persistence, followed by completion of self-report measures evaluating mood, self-efficacy, and experiences of task participation. A final anagram task was completed to evaluate the effect of framing condition on task performance and transfer of framing conditions across different tasks. Hierarchical and mixed groups outperformed the conditional group on measures of task performance and persistence. This effect was transferred to performance on the anagram task. Significantly increased self-efficacy, comfortableness, and willingness were observed for both the hierarchical and mixed conditions over the conditional group with the hierarchical group outperforming the mixed group. This study highlights the potential differing effects that framing tasks conditionally, hierarchically or both hierarchically and conditionally can have on motivation and task performance.

Using dual-task methods to enhance cognitive performance in the acute phase of stroke: a proof of concept study

Objective: To test the effectiveness of using a non-targeted, dual-task methodology to promote positive cognitive behavior change in acute stroke.Method: Three stroke survivors, selected because they exhibited different recovery profiles, different lesion sites, and time since suffering a stroke, were administered an anagram task five or six times across a two-week period in the days following a stroke. Task difficulty increased across sessions by means of adding a category instance detection task, where participants had to identify instances from either one or two different semantic categories. The same regime was administered to a control group over a two-week period.Results: All three participants were in the clinical range on early tests but were in non-clinical range on their last test session. Dual-task effects on completion time were also similar across participants as were anagram length effects. The three participants exhibited enhanced cognitive performance.Conclusions: The results suggest the possibility that cognitive interventions aimed at restoring lost function can be administered in the early days post-stroke and can produce beneficial outcomes, in much the same way that early motor or speech intervention programs have been shown to produce long-term benefits.

An Induced Successful Performance Enhances Student Self-Efficacy and Boosts Academic Achievement

A growing body of correlational research finds a relationship between self-efficacy—beliefs in one’s capabilities—and academic success. But few studies have investigated whether self-efficacy is causally related to academic success. We hypothesized that an experience of success would promote self-efficacy in junior high school students and would lead to academic improvements. To induce an experience of success, we secretly presented easy anagrams to target students (41 males and 43 females; 12–13 years old) who then outperformed their classmates (116 males and 115 females). We assessed students’ self-efficacy and academic achievement scores before and after the anagram tasks. We found that the success-induced students raised their self-efficacy, and this elevated self-efficacy persisted for as long as one year. Moreover, success-induced males eventually showed significant improvement in their academic achievement. These results provide a real-world experimental enactment of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and have implications for the practices of educational practitioners.