Conditions Of Task Complexity Research Articles

Determinants and consequences of routine and advanced use of business intelligence (BI) systems by management accountants

There is limited evidence on why decision makers extend beyond routine use toward more advanced use of Business Intelligence (BI) systems. This study developed an extended DeLone and McLean information system success model hypothesizing the effects of system, data, information, and service quality, along with self-efficacy and task complexity, on routine and advanced use of BI. Task complexity was also considered as moderating the effects of use on individual performance. Data was collected from a sample (N = 362) of management accountants using BI systems. Results confirmed system, data, information, and service quality as important, and indicated that routine use is less likely under conditions of task complexity and does not rely on user self-efficacy to the same degree as advanced use. Using routine BI features was also not found to improve user performance to the same extent as advanced use. The study has contributed new theoretical insights into BI use and offered new conceptual and operational definitions of routine and advanced use of BI, with implications for practice in contexts such as management accounting.

Task Complexity And Students’ Narrative Writing

This article is a theoretical review writing. It explores some studies on the effects of task complexity on written narrative production under different task complexity conditions by EFL learners at different proficiency levels. Task complexity was manipulated along Robinson’s (2001b) proposed task complexity dimension of Here-and-Now (simple) vs. There-and-Then (complex) in. Accordingly, three specific measures of the written narratives were targeted, i.e. complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF). The results of some experts’ research indicated that with respect to complexity and accuracy, the effects of both task complexity and language proficiency were found significant. More complexity and accuracy were found in the complex task with high-proficiency learners. However, no significant effect of task complexity and language proficiency on fluency was found. The pedagogical implications are discussed with reference to the influence of task complexity and language proficiency on text quality.

The Effects of Task Complexity, Strategic Planning and No Planning on EFL Students` Narrative Writing Performance

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى استقصاء أثار تعقيد المهام الاستراتيجي على أداء الطلاب في الکتابة السردية باللغة الإنجليزية تحت مستويات متنوعة لتعقيد المهام، ولقد تکونت عينة الدراسة من 120 طالب من المقيدين بالفرقة الثانية بقسم اللغة الإنجليزية بمعهد المعارف العالي للغات والترجمة، ولقد اعتمد البحث على أبعاد نموذج روبنسون (2001b) لتعقيد المهام؛ حيث تمثل والآن المستوى (البسيط)، في مقابل هناک وعندئذ والتي تمثل المستوى (المعقد)، کما تم الاعتماد على ثلاثة محددات للکتابة السردية، التعقيد، والدقة، والطلاقة، أيضا تم الاعتماد على مستويين في : تخطيط المهام، التخطيط؛ ومن ثم تم تصنيف طلاب عينة البحث إلى أربع مجموعات، التخطيط في مرحلة ما قبل المهمة ومن هنا والآن، والتخطيط في مرحلة ما قبل المهمة وهناک وعندئذ، وعدم التخطيط، وهنا والآن و عدم وهناک وعندئذ، ولقد أوضحت نتائج الدراسة أن تعقيد المهمة لهما أثر فعال على الدقة والطلاقة، کما أثبتت نتائج الدراسة أن المهام المعقدة مع الاعتماد على تعطي نتائج أفضل في التعقيد والدقة والطلاقة، أيضا کشفت النتائج أن إعطاء الطلاب الوقت للتخطيط قبل البدء في أداء المهمة قد يؤدي إلى أداء کتابي أفضل، تم مناقشة النتائج وثيقة الصلة بتعقيد المهمة وظروف التخطيط، وجودة الکتابة. This study examined the effects of task complexity and strategic planning and no planning on written narrative production under different task complexity conditions by 120 second-year English major students from AL-Ma’aref High Institute for Languages and Translation. Task complexity was manipulated along Robinson’s (2001b) proposed task complexity dimension of Here-and-Now (simple) vs. There-and-Then (complex) in. Accordingly, three specific measures of the written narratives were targeted, i.e. complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF). Planning was operationalized at two levels: pretask planning (PTP) and no planning (NP). Participants of this study were four groups, the pre-task planning (PTP) and Here-and-Now (HN), pre-task planning (PTP) and There-and-Then (TT), no planning (NP) and Here-and-Now (HN), or no planning (NP) and There-and-Then (TT) groups. The findings of the study indicated that with respect to complexity, accuracy and fluency, the effects of both task complexity and planning conditions were found significant. More complexity, accuracy, and fluency were found in the complex task with the participants under planned condition. Also, the findings revealed that giving students time to plan before commencing the task led them to better performance. Results are discussed with relevance to task complexity and planning conditions on writing quality.

Embedded interruptions and task complexity influence schema-related cognitive load progression in an abstract learning task

Cognitive processes related to schema acquisition comprise an essential source of demands in learning situations. Since the related amount of cognitive load is supposed to change over time, plausible temporal models of load progression based on different theoretical backgrounds are inspected in this study. A total of 116 student participants completed a basal symbol sequence learning task, which provided insights into underlying cognitive dynamics. Two levels of task complexity were determined by the amount of elements within the symbol sequence. In addition, interruptions due to an embedded secondary task occurred at five predefined stages over the task. Within the resulting 2x5-factorial mixed between-within design, the continuous monitoring of efficiency in learning performance enabled assumptions on relevant resource investment. From the obtained results, a nonlinear change of learning efficiency over time seems most plausible in terms of cognitive load progression. Moreover, different effects of the induced interruptions show up in conditions of task complexity, which indicate the activation of distinct cognitive mechanisms related to structural aspects of the task. Findings are discussed in the light of evidence from research on memory and information processing.

Influence of task complexity on mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique during learning of hand rim wheelchair propulsion

Objective: To investigate the consequence of task complexity on gross mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique during the learning process of hand rim wheelchair propulsion. Methods: Three groups of unimpaired subjects ( N = 10 each) received a 3-week wheelchair practice period (3 week −1, nine practice trials) with different levels of complexity, i.e. propelling a stationary wheelchair ergometer, wheelchair propulsion on a motor-driven treadmill or at a circular wheelchair track. During practice trials 1 and 9, gross mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique variables (work per cycle, cycle frequency, push and cycle time, effective force) were measured. Results: Using multi-level regression analysis, no differences in the development over time in mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique could be discerned between the three conditions of task complexity. Only the percentage push time during the cycle decreased significantly more in the group that practiced on the ergometer compared to the treadmill-practice group. For all three groups a change over time was shown for cycle frequency, push time and cycle time. Discussion: Under the current experimental conditions, task complexity does not have an influence on gross mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique during the learning process of wheelchair propulsion. The 3-week practice period had a favorable practice effect on timing regardless of the task complexity.

Changes in the relation between cognitive and metacognitive skills during the acquisition of expertise

This paper focuses on the transformation of general metacognitive skills of novices into domain-specific regulatory procedures of experts, and the relation of those skills to intelligence. Research has shown that the general metacognitive skills of novices, although partly correlated to intelligence, additionally contribute to learning outcome on top of intelligence. The metacognitive skills of experts appear to be domainspecific and unrelated to intelligence. Two experiments were conducted. The objective of the first experiment was to confirm and generalize these earlier results concerning the relation of intellectual ability, metacognitive skillfulness and learning of novices vs. advanced subjects. The objective of the second experiment was to investigate this relation under different conditions of task complexity. It was hypothesized that advanced subjects would regress to more novice-like behavior under very complex learning conditions (i.e., general metacognitive skills and intelligence would re-appear as combined predictors of learning outcome). On the other hand, low intelligent novices, irrespective of their metacognitive skillfulnes, were expected to fail on very complex problems. Results partly confirmed these hypotheses. Implications for the conditions under which metacognitive experiences should be implemented, are being discussed.

Effects of unilateral brain damage on the control of goal-directed hand movements.

Insight into the functional neural substrates associated with the control of goal-directed purposive movements can be obtained through the study of the performance of individuals with brain damage. The control of rapid reciprocal aiming was investigated by comparing ipsilateral limb performance of subjects with unilateral brain damage to that of controls performing with the same limb. Thirty right-hand-dominant individuals, ten with right hemisphere stroke, ten with left hemisphere stroke, and ten age-matched controls performed unconstrained alternating tapping movements under three conditions of task complexity. The path of the stylus was recorded by video using two-dimensional kinematic techniques. Key kinematic features of the vertical and horizontal components of the trajectories were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. All subjects with brain damage showed prolonged movement times; however, the locus of the slowing depended on lesion side. Specifically, subjects with left stroke showed deficits in the open-loop component of the movement across all three conditions of task complexity, and a prolonged reversal phase surrounding target impact, particularly in the most complex condition. In contrast, subjects with right stroke showed deficits in the closed-loop phase of the movement prior to target impact, particularly in the most complex condition when visual information was necessary for accuracy. Together, these results suggest that for the control of rapid goal-directed aiming movements, the left hemisphere is dominant for task-relevant aspects of processing associated with the ballistic component and the timing or triggering of sequential movements. In contrast, the right hemisphere is dominant for processing associated with rapid, on-line visual information even when target location is known and direction is certain.

Information search and choice accuracy as a function of task complexity and task structure

Previous research has consistently shown that subjects switch to noncompensatory information search behaviour when task complexity increases. However, a rather specific class of tasks was used in these studies for which complete information search is not necessary to attain accurate task performance. In the present study information search behaviour, choice accuracy, subjective difficulty and confidence were registered under various task complexity conditions in two different task environments. In the first task, subjects had to make a choice between apartments; in the second task, a choice was required between baskets containing groceries of different prices. Forty subjects made choices by means of computerized information boards. The results showed effects of both complexity and type of task on information search behaviour. The lowest proportion of requested information and the most variable search pattern was observed for the apartments task in the complex task condition. However, accuracy remained constant over all complexity conditions. Together, the results suggest that under high task complexity levels subjects try to work smarter rather than harder. In the context of a choice requirement the specific task structure may allow them to switch to noncompensatory strategies while maintaining accuracy and avoiding the integration of large amounts of information.