Effects Of Distraction Research Articles

Does Context Matter? Daily Diary Study Exploring the Effects of Stressor Intensity and Perceived Controllability on the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Affect in Adolescents.

Theoretical accounts emphasize the importance of context sensitivity in emotion regulation, yet research often neglects this. This study explored how adolescents' use of three emotion regulation strategies-cognitive reappraisal, distraction, and rumination-interacted with stressor intensity and perceived controllability to influence daily emotions. A total of 249 adolescents participated in a daily diary study (Mage = 12.73, SDage = 0.78; 63.1% males). Adolescents reported their daily use of emotion regulation strategies, emotional states, and contextual factors. In high-intensity stress situations, reappraisal and distraction each showed associations with reductions in negative affect, whereas rumination was related to increases in negative affect. In low-intensity stress contexts, reappraisal was associated with decreases in positive affect, and no significant effects emerged for distraction or rumination. For perceived controllability, no impact on negative affect was found; however, positive affect increased in uncontrollable situations when levels of reappraisal and rumination were low. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of stressor intensity and perceived controllability, suggesting that distraction's effectiveness is less context-dependent than reappraisal and rumination. The current study hypotheses and data analytic plan were preregistered on The Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/dfhqx/ .

Utility of interactive videogame in allaying preoperative anxiety in pediatric surgical patients - A randomized controlled study.

Non-pharmacological distraction using video games (VG) is still under-explored in pediatric surgical patients. We conducted this randomized controlled study of 150 children, aged 4-12 years, scheduled for elective surgery in a tertiary care hospital to estimate the distractive effect of VG on immediate preoperative anxiety in children. In the intervention group (I), playing with VG was encouraged till anesthetic induction. The control group (C) received usual care with verbal reassurance. Modified Yale preoperative anxiety scale (mYPAS) score and presence of anxiety (mYPAS >30) were noted in the preoperative area (T1), at parental separation (T2), and anesthetic induction (T3). Parental separation anxiety score (PSAS) >3 was considered unacceptable parental separation. We used the Mann-Whitney test and t-test to find significance of intergroup mean difference of anxiety and logistic regression to find risk factors for immediate preoperative anxiety. The mean m-YPAS (±SD) scores at T1 and T2 were 38 (±10.9) and 52.2 (±18.7) in group C and 46.5 (±13.5) and 33 (IQR: 28.3-65.5) in group I, respectively. The incidence of anxiety at T2 was higher in group C (81.3%) than in group I (59%). More children in group I (53/75) had acceptable separation than in group C (32/75) (P = 0.001). VG led to a 2.32 times lower risk of anxiety at T2 (P = 0.036). In children with acceptable separation, the incidence of anxiety was lower in group I (59%) than in group C (87%). VG-based distraction effectively reduced preoperative anxiety in children undergoing elective surgeries.

Comparative effectiveness of pre-epiglottic baton plates and mandibular distraction in infants with Robin sequence.

Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) and pre-epiglottic baton plates (PEBP) are both effective for early management of upper airway obstruction (UAO) in infants with Robin sequence (RS), but have not been directly compared. The purpose of this study was to compare early airway, feeding and growth outcomes between these treatments. This is a bicentric retrospective cohort study from 2015-2021 including infants with RS treated with MDO or PEBP before 6 months-of-age with pre- and post-treatment sleep studies and follow-up at least through age 1-year. The primary outcome was immediate post-intervention UAO, measured as obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (oAHI) or obstructive apnea index (oAI), as available. Latest follow-up sleep studies, feeding and growth characteristics were also assessed. 114 subjects were included: MDO, n=31 and PEBP, n=83. Pre-treatment UAO was similar between groups (p=0.61). PEBP was initiated at a younger age (median [IQR] 31 [14,53] vs. 41 [28,84] days-of-life, p<0.05). Significant reduction of oAHI/oAI was achieved in both groups, but greater with MDO (98%) compared to PEBP (94%, p<0.05). PEBP demonstrated better early feeding and growth outcomes compared to MDO, with fewer surgical feeding tubes (p<0.001) and more rapid early growth (p=0.038). When stratified by pre-intervention UAO, infants starting with moderate UAO experienced similar airway outcomes with both treatments (p=0.11), while those with severe UAO had greater resolution with MDO (p<0.001). Both treatments effectively relieve moderate UAO in infants with RS, but MDO is more effective for infants with severe respiratory compromise.

Analysis of biology midterm exam items using a comparison of the classical theory test and the Rasch model

In biology learning, test instruments are essential for assessing students' understanding of complex concepts. A test instrument is a crucial factor in learning evaluation; however, its implementation remains minimal. This descriptive quantitative study aims to analyze the quality of test items using the classical approach in terms of validity, reliability, difficulty index, discrimination power, distractor effectiveness, and the Rasch model analysis. The data consists of 30 multiple-choice questions from a biology midterm exam administered to 40 students. Classical test data analysis uses Microsoft Excel, while Rasch model analysis uses Winsteps software. The validity test results from both approaches show 14 valid questions and 16 invalid ones. The reliability scores are 0.619 (adequate) for the classical approach's Cronbach's Alpha, 0.85 (good) for the Rasch model, and 0.65 (weak) for personal reliability. The classical test theory and the Rasch model categorize item difficulty into four levels. The classical approach produces five categories for item discrimination, while the Rasch model identifies three groups based on the item separation index (H=3.45) and two groups based on respondent ability (H=1.96). Distractor effectiveness shows 93.3% functional distractors in the classical test and 80% in the Rasch model. The Rasch model offers greater precision in measuring student ability and detecting bias. Both models should be integrated for comprehensive item analysis. Future tests should focus on improving invalid items and the quality of distractors.

Auditor distraction: The case of outside job opportunities for external auditors and audit quality

AbstractPublic accountants are in high demand by non‐accounting firms. While this demand attracts high‐quality accountants to public accounting, it can negatively impact audit quality by distracting auditors. We find that the number of metropolitan statistical area–level busy season job postings for public accountants by non‐accounting firms is positively associated with misstatements. Results are most pronounced (1) when outside job opportunities are from non–publicly traded companies, which likely provide better work‐life balance, and (2) when auditors are under a heavier workload, as captured by higher audit fee‐to‐auditor ratios and increased job postings by audit offices leading into the busy season. Results also suggest that accounting firms that provide large pay increases before the busy season can mitigate the negative audit‐quality effects of busy season job postings for public accountants. These results suggest that accounting firms are not immune to negative effects of auditor distraction from outside job opportunities despite accounting firms knowing that their auditors are highly sought after by non‐accounting firms.

An Analysis of English Mid-Term Test Items at the 7th Grade Students of SMPN 7 Bukittinggi

This study was motivated by several problems, such as the mismatch between the test questions and the material learned, unclear question instructions, and the lack of statistical analysis by English teachers. The main objective of this study was to identify the quality of English midterm test items for grade 7th students at SMPN 7 Bukittinggi, focusing on Validity, Reliability, difficulty level, Discrimination Power, and Distractor Effectiveness. The research method used was Quantitative Descriptive, with data collection through student answer sheets and analysis using various statistical formulas, including Point Biserial Correlation for validity, Spearman-Brown for reliability, and Narsya's formula for difficulty level and differentiating power, as well as Djumingin's formula for effectiveness. The results showed that most of the items were valid, and reliable, had a moderate difficulty level, and had good discriminating power, with only a few items showing minor problems. Overall, the English midterm exam items were considered good quality.

The Effects of Distraction on Cataract Surgery Performance in Consultants and Trainees Using a Simulator.

Mental workload is a recognised concept in medicine, and cognitive overload may lead to complications in surgery, including cataract surgery. A better understanding of what factors contribute to this can potentially improve patient safety and decrease surgeon stress. Simulated cataract surgery is now an essential part of training and a safe environment for exploring the effects of cognitive load upon performance. We used the EyeSi cataract surgery simulator to assess the effects of distraction on surgical performance and on ophthalmology trainees and consultants undertaking cataract surgery. Consultant and trainee cataract surgeons undertook a simulated list of six cases each, of which half were allowed to proceed without extraneous cognitive load with distraction and half were not. Blood pressure and pulse measurements were taken at three intervals in each of the six cases, as well as surgical scores on the simulator recorded for each case. Distraction did not statistically significantly affect the scores, blood pressure or pulse measurements of either the 10 trainees or 10 consultants. Consultants performed more poorly than trainees overall (P = 0.0229) and suffered more serious errors that returned a score of zero for an individual stage (P = 0.0074). Consultant cataract surgeons performed worse than trainees on the EyeSi simulator, raising questions over whether simulation is as true to reality as has been suggested. An important finding is that ophthalmic training curricula around the world have been adapted in order to include simulated cataract surgery as an essential component of training new ophthalmic surgeons.

Effects of Cognitive Distraction on the Performance of Brain-Controlled Hand Exoskeleton

Effects of Cognitive Distraction on the Performance of Brain-Controlled Hand Exoskeleton

The Effect of Music Distraction on Dental Anxiety During Invasive Dental Procedures in Children and Adults: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Dental anxiety and odontophobia are common issues, leading to challenges with oral hygiene and dental health. Music distraction offers an effective and side effect-free solution to alleviate pain and increase the acceptability of dental treatments. Our meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of music distraction in reducing patient anxiety during invasive dental procedures in children and adults. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for clinically controlled trials, using the keywords "music" and "dental anxiety". The main outcome measured was the anxiety score. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model to estimate the standardized mean differences (SMDs). The subgroup analyses were conducted based on age groups, music preferences, and music styles. The research protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42022357961). Results: A total of 24 controlled clinical trials involving 1830 participants met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Music distraction significantly reduced dental anxiety during invasive procedures under local anesthesia (SMD, -0.50; 95% CI, -0.80 to -0.21; p = 0.0009; I2 = 83%). Our subgroup analysis revealed that music distraction was more effective in adults (SMD, -0.51; p = 0.0007) than in children (SMD, -0.47; p = 0.13) in reducing dental anxiety. Regarding music selection, music chosen by the participant (SMD, -1.01; p = 0.008) demonstrated more anxiolytic effects than by the author (SMD, -0.24; p = 0.02). Regarding music styles, classical music (SMD, -0.69; p = 0.009) was associated with better anxiolytic effects in adults. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis supports the use of music to alleviate dental anxiety during invasive procedures. Listening to classical or customized music can serve as an effective adjunct to outpatient surgical care in dental clinics.

Evidence of a metacognitive illusion in stimulus-specific prospective judgments of distraction by background speech

Two experiments served to examine how people arrive at stimulus-specific prospective judgments about the distracting effects of speech on cognitive performance. The direct-access account implies that people have direct metacognitive access to the cognitive effects of sounds that determine distraction. The processing-fluency account implies that people rely on the processing-fluency heuristic to predict the distracting effects of sounds on cognitive performance. To test these accounts against each other, we manipulated the processing fluency of speech by playing speech forward or backward and by playing speech in the participants’ native or a foreign language. Forward speech and native speech disrupted serial recall to the same degree as backward speech and foreign speech, respectively. However, the more fluently experienced forward speech and native speech were incorrectly predicted to be less distracting than backward speech and foreign speech. This provides evidence of a metacognitive illusion in stimulus-specific prospective judgments of distraction by speech, supporting the processing-fluency account over the direct-access account. The difference between more and less fluently experienced speech was largely absent in the participants’ global retrospective judgments of distraction, suggesting that people gain access to comparatively valid cues when experiencing the distracting effects of speech on their serial-recall performance firsthand.

Item Analysis of School Examination Questions Using the Iteman Program

This study aims to analyze and describe question items based on validity, reliability, difficulty index, differentiation index and the effectiveness of distractors on the final exam of the odd semester of class X SMA Kartika 1-5 Padang in the 2023/2024 school year. The method used is descriptive quantitative. Data obtained in the form of answer sheets of 23 students of SMA Kartika 1-5 Padang using the Iteman program. The results showed that the reliability of the questions carried out on students obtained an Alpa Cronbach score of 0.830 in the Iteman program. The question is declared reliable because the reliability index is above 0.60. Based on the Differentiation Index, it is known that 23 questions are categorized as feasible, 7 questions are categorized as inappropriate and need to be revised. Then based on the Difficulty Level Index, it is known that 5 questions are at a difficult level, 21 questions at an easy level and 5 questions at a very easy level.

Meningkatkan Mutu Evaluasi Pembelajaran: Analisis Soal Pilihan Ganda Bahasa Arab

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Learning evaluation is one part of the learning process. Through evaluation, a teacher can find out students' abilities and understanding of the material they have studied. Evaluation instruments require quality tests or questions in terms of validity, reliability, level of difficulty, distinguishing power and effectiveness of distractors. Question items prepared by a teacher to test students' abilities must be recommended to be tested for suitability based on these aspects so that the instruments that have been prepared can be used according to their function. This research was conducted using a descriptive methodology and quantitative research form. The research instrument used was 15 grade 5 PAS Arabic multiple choice questions and the research subjects were 5th grade students at SDIT Al Inayah for the 2023-2024 academic year who were tested by 37 participants. The results of the analysis of the questions in this study in the validity aspect were still not good because only 3 questions (20%) were valid. Then, in terms of the level of difficulty, it is sufficient but not yet balanced because no difficult questions were found. From the aspect of discriminating power, the questions studied were quite good and produced a discriminating power of each question which was 40% and good, reaching 33%. The effectiveness of the distractors in this study was also sufficient because 25% of the distractors were found to be functional, and 25% were rejected. Thus, from the results of this analysis, a teacher can improve and develop question items that are still not good in some of these aspects.&lt;/p&gt;

Unpleasant emotions and task-unrelated thoughts and their associations with amygdala activity during emotional distraction: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Previous emotion regulation studies revealed that emotional distraction decreases unpleasant emotions. This study examined whether distraction tasks decrease unpleasant task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs) and unpleasant emotions when recalling stressful daily interpersonal events. Amygdala activity was examined to assess implicit emotional changes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The behavioral data of 20 university students (mean age: 20.35 ± 1.42 years; range: 18–24 years) and fMRI data of 18 students were examined. As an emotion induction procedure, participants initially freely recalled memories of daily stressful interpersonal events and then responded to a series of questions about their recalled memories presented on a monitor. In the distraction experiment, the questions were re-represented as an emotional stimulation; a distraction task (nonconstant or constant finger tapping) or rest condition was then performed, and ratings were given for attentional state, thought types conceived during the tasks, and emotional state. Decreases in unpleasant emotions and TUTs were defined as distraction effects. We found that unpleasant TUTs decreased in the nonconstant relative to rest condition (p < .05). Furthermore, increased right amygdala activation positively correlated with unpleasant emotions, and bilateral amygdala activation correlated with unpleasant TUTs only in the rest condition, indicating the existence of amygdala activation associated with unpleasant emotions and thoughts. However, such associations were not under nonconstant or constant conditions, indicating distraction effects. Notably, this study showed that emotional distraction can decrease the degree of unpleasant emotions and the occurrence of unpleasant thoughts regarding common daily emotions.

Distraction by unexpected sounds: comparing response repetition and response switching.

Numerous studies using oddball tasks have shown that unexpected sounds presented in a predictable or repeated sequence (deviant vs. standard sounds) capture attention and negatively impact ongoing behavioral performance. Here, we examine an aspect of this effect that has gone relatively unnoticed: the impact of deviant sounds is stronger for response repetitions than for response switches. Our approach was two-fold. First, we carried out a simulation to estimate the likelihood that stimuli sequences used in past work may not have used balanced proportions of response repetition and switch trials. More specifically, we sought to determine whether the larger distraction effect for response repetitions may have reflected a rarer, and thereby more surprising, occurrence of such trials. To do so, we simulated 10,000 stimuli sets for a 2-AFC task with a proportion of deviant trial of 0.1 or 0.16. Second, we carried out a 2-AFC oddball task in which participants judged the duration of a tone (short vs. long). We carefully controlled the sequence of stimuli to ensure to balance the proportions of response repetitions and response switches across the standard and deviant conditions. The results of the stimuli simulation showed that, contrary to our concerns, response switches were more likely than response repetitions when left uncontrolled for. This suggests that the larger distraction found for response repetition in past work may in fact have been underestimated. In the tone duration judgment task, the results showed a large impact of the response type on distraction as measured by response times: Deviants sounds significantly delayed response repetitions but notably accelerated switches. These findings suggest that deviant sound hinder response repetition and encourage or bias the cognitive system towards a change of responses. We discuss these findings in relation to the adaptive nature of the involuntary detection of unexpected stimuli and in relation to the notion of partial repetition costs. We argue that results are in line with the binding account as well as with the signaling theory.

The effect of second screening on repeat viewing: Insights from large-scale mobile diary data

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of second screening, the common practice of using another digital device while watching a television show, on repeat show viewing. We leveraged large-scale individual-level data from mobile diaries of 1,702 US TV viewers on 2,755 prime time shows. We used causal forest analysis for estimation, focusing on the moderating role of viewing preferences and show loyalty, and captured heterogeneity in viewer preferences using latent-class segmentation. We found that overall, show-related second screening has a positive effect on the attitude toward the show, as well as on actual repeat viewing. Show-unrelated second screening diminishes the viewer’s attitude. These effects are especially pronounced in the heavy viewer segment and among infrequent show viewers. Interestingly, our analysis did not provide evidence that second screening harms actual repeat viewing, countering potential concerns of negative distraction effects.

Distractor effects in decision making are related to the individual’s style of integrating choice attributes

Humans make irrational decisions in the presence of irrelevant distractor options. There is little consensus on whether decision making is facilitated or impaired by the presence of a highly rewarding distractor, or whether the distractor effect operates at the level of options’ component attributes rather than at the level of their overall value. To reconcile different claims, we argue that it is important to consider the diversity of people’s styles of decision making and whether choice attributes are combined in an additive or multiplicative way. Employing a multi-laboratory dataset investigating the same experimental paradigm, we demonstrated that people used a mix of both approaches and the extent to which approach was used varied across individuals. Critically, we identified that this variability was correlated with the distractor effect during decision making. Individuals who tended to use a multiplicative approach to compute value, showed a positive distractor effect. In contrast, a negative distractor effect (divisive normalisation) was prominent in individuals tending towards an additive approach. Findings suggest that the distractor effect is related to how value is constructed, which in turn may be influenced by task and subject specificities. This concurs with recent behavioural and neuroscience findings that multiple distractor effects co-exist.

Distractor effects in decision making are related to the individual's style of integrating choice attributes.

Humans make irrational decisions in the presence of irrelevant distractor options. There is little consensus on whether decision making is facilitated or impaired by the presence of a highly rewarding distractor, or whether the distractor effect operates at the level of options' component attributes rather than at the level of their overall value. To reconcile different claims, we argue that it is important to consider the diversity of people's styles of decision making and whether choice attributes are combined in an additive or multiplicative way. Employing a multi-laboratory dataset investigating the same experimental paradigm, we demonstrated that people used a mix of both approaches and the extent to which approach was used varied across individuals. Critically, we identified that this variability was correlated with the distractor effect during decision making. Individuals who tended to use a multiplicative approach to compute value, showed a positive distractor effect. In contrast, a negative distractor effect (divisive normalisation) was prominent in individuals tending towards an additive approach. Findings suggest that the distractor effect is related to how value is constructed, which in turn may be influenced by task and subject specificities. This concurs with recent behavioural and neuroscience findings that multiple distractor effects co-exist.

Signal intrusion reconciles divergent effects of perceptual distraction on working memory

Signal intrusion reconciles divergent effects of perceptual distraction on working memory

The impact of animated video cartoons as a distraction technique on anticipatory anxiety levels among children during class I GIC restoration procedures.

Investigating the effect of visual distraction using animated video cartoons (AVCs) on anxiety of children during class I class I glass-ionomer cement (GIC) restoration procedures. This randomized clinical trial, 42 children between the ages of 5-6years were enrolled. These participants were divided into two groups: Group 1, consisting of 21 individuals (AVCs), who were exposed to a cartoon as a visual distraction tool, and Group 2, a control group with 21 participants who did not receive any form of distraction during their first visit. Both groups underwent class I GIC restoration procedures that were conducted in a consistent manner. To evaluate the anxiety levels of the children, measurements of their pulse rate (PR) were taken at the beginning and end of the treatment. Additionally, patient behavior was assessed using the Frankl behavior rating scale (FBRS) as well as validated self-reported dental anxiety scale, the Visual Analog Scale - Anxiety (VAS-A) score. In the control group, postoperative PR increased significantly, while the AVC group experienced a decrease compared to their preoperative PR levels. Additionally, audio-visual distraction had a notable impact on FBRS scores compared to the standard approach. Similarly, the VAS-A score displayed a significant reduction when patients received audio-visual distraction compared to the control condition. Subgroup analysis by gender showed that girls tended to be more responsive to AVCs than boys when evaluated by PR and FBRS, but such findings were not observed using VAS-A. Patients with deeper caries had higher VAS-A scores than those with shallower ones. Despite the caries depth, those who received AVC seemed to be calmer, especially to those with deeper lesions, as indicated lower postoperative VAS-A scores compared to their preoperative levels, unlike the control group. Our study suggests that the use of AVCs can be an effective method for reducing anxiety in children undergoing class I GIC restoration procedures.

Is the cadaveric model valid for examining orthopaedic manual therapy techniques? A cross-sectional comparative study in vivo and in vitro

BackgroundCadaveric models are sometimes used to test the effect of manual techniques. We have not found any studies comparing the effect of tibiotarsal joint distraction on cadaveric models versus live models for clinical use. The aim was to compare the effect on tibiotarsal joint distraction movement when applying three force magnitudes of tibiotarsal axial traction technique force between a cadaveric model and volunteers. In addition, to compare the magnitude of force applied between the cadaveric model and volunteers. Finally, to assess the reliability of applying the same magnitude of force in three magnitudes of tibiotarsal axial traction force. MethodsA cross-sectional comparative study was conducted. Sixty ankle joints were in open-packed position and three magnitudes of tibiotarsal axial traction technique force were applied. Tibiotarsal joint distraction movement was measured with ultrasound. FindingsNo differences were found in applied force or tibiotarsal joint distraction between volunteers and cadavers in each magnitude of force (p > 0.05). The application of the technique showed moderate reliability for detecting low forces in both models. For medium and high force, it showed good reliability in the in vitro model and excellent reliability in the live model. InterpretationThe amount of distraction produced in the tibiotarsal joint was similar in volunteers and cadavers. The cadaveric model is a valid model for testing and investigating orthopaedic manual therapy techniques. The force applied was similar in the two models. Medium and high force detection showed good reliability, while low force showed moderate.