Effects Of Task Type Research Articles

“Sorry, I Don’t Understand …”: effects of task type, personality presentation and performance error on user trust of a personal digital assistant

PurposeBased on the theoretical predictions of media equation theory and the computers-are-social-actors (CASA) perspective, this study aims to examine the effects of performance error type (i.e. logical, semantic or syntactic), task type and personality presentation (i.e. dominant/submissive and/or friendly/unfriendly) on users’ level of trust in their personal digital assistant (PDA), Siri.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study of human–PDA interactions was performed with two types of tasks (social vs functional) randomly assigned to participants (N = 163). While interacting with Siri in 15 task inquiries, the participants recorded Siri’s answers for each inquiry and self-rated their trust in the PDA. The answers were coded and rated by the researchers for personality presentation and error type.FindingsLogical errors were the most detrimental to user trust. Users’ trust of Siri was significantly higher after functional tasks compared to social tasks when the effects of general usage (e.g. proficiency, length and frequency of usage) were controlled for. The perception of a friendly personality from Siri had an opposite effect on social and functional tasks in the perceived reliability dimension of trust and increased intensity of the presented personality reduced perceived reliability in functional tasks.Originality/valueThe research findings contradict predictions from media equation theory and the CASA perspective while contributing to a theoretical refinement of machine errors and their impact on user trust.

The maintenance of complex visual scenes in working memory may require activation of working memory manipulation circuits in the dlPFC: a preliminary report.

Past research has shown that the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (dlPFC) are implicated in both emotional processing as well as cognitive processing,1,2,3 in addition to working memory4, 5. Exactly how these disparate processes interact with one another within the dlPFC is less understood. To explore this, we designed a task that looked at working memory performance during fMRI under both emotional and non-emotional conditions, and tested it in this preliminary report. Participants were asked to complete three tasks (letters, neutral images, emotional images) of the Sternberg Sorting Task under one of two trial conditions (sort or maintain). Regions of interest consisted of the left and right dlPFC as defined by brain masks based on NeuroSynth6. Results showed a significant main effect of the 'sort' condition on reaction speed for all three trial types, as well as a main effect of task type (letters) on accuracy. In addition, a significant interaction was found between trial type (sort) and task type (letters), but not for either of the picture tasks. Although preliminary, these results reveal a discrepancy between BOLD signal and behavioral data, with no significant difference in BOLD activity during image trials being displayed, despite longer response times for every condition. While these initial results show that the dlPFC is implicated in non-emotional cognitive processing, more research is needed to explain the lack of BOLD activation seen here for similar emotionally valanced tasks, possibly indicating involvement of other brain networks.

Examining student translators’ writing and translation products: quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload

ABSTRACT Although writing and translation are closely related text productions, their interface has rarely been studied in translator training. This study examined student translators’ writing and translation products in terms of their quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload. Data were collected from 11 intermediate-level translation students at a university in mainland China. They were asked to complete four tasks: L1 (Chinese) writing (L1W), L1 (English-Chinese) translation (L1T), L2 (English) writing (L2W), and L2 (Chinese-English) translation (L2T). The results of quantitative analyses revealed no significant linear correlation between self-perceived mental workload and quality/errors, but a significant effect of task type on mental workload. Errors most frequently occurred in translation and L2 text production. The L2W error rate predicted L2T scores and L2T error rates. A discrepancy was noted between the students’ self-evaluation and their actual performance. The findings of this study may help researchers and teachers gain a fine-grained understanding of students’ performance in writing and translation and shed light on the development of pedagogical measures in translator training.

Literature review on effect of task types on English vocabulary acquisition

English vocabulary can be seen as an overt manifestation of one's English competence. However, in China, students have a variety of problems in vocabulary acquisition, such as only learning the Chinese meaning of vocabulary without learning its connotation, insufficient vocabulary input. Therefore, in order to solve these problems in students' English vocabulary acquisition, cultivate students' English vocabulary ability and improve the efficiency of English vocabulary learning, the study of vocabulary acquisition has become a hot topic in the field of second language acquisition. This study compares 3 empirical studies and analyzes their differences and similarities in terms of theoretical basis and research design. At last, it also provides references and suggestions for English vocabulary teaching and learning.

Effects of task type on spontaneous alternations of attentional states.

Mind wandering is a common occurrence that can have serious consequences, but estimating when mind wandering occurs is a challenging research question. Previous research has shown that during meditation, people may spontaneously alternate between task-oriented and mind-wandering states without awareness (Zukosky & Wang, 2021, Cognition, 212, Article 104689). However, under what conditions such alternations occur is not clear. The present study examined the effects of task type on spontaneous alternations between task focus and mind wandering. In addition to a meditation task, participants performed either a scene-categorization-based CPT or a visual detection task while attentional orientation was assessed via self-monitoring and intermittent probes. The three tasks differ in the extent of their reliance on continuous monitoring (less required in the detection than meditation and CPT tasks) and attentional orientation (oriented internally in meditation task and externally in CPT and detection tasks). To overcome prior methodological challenges, we applied a technique designed to detect spontaneous alternations between focused and mind-wandering states without awareness, based on how the proportion of "focused" responses/ratings to intermittent probes changes during a focus-to-mind-wandering interval (i.e., the period from one self-report of mind wandering to the subsequent self-report). Our results showed that the proportion of "focused" responses to intermittent probes remained constant with increasing interprobe interval during meditation (consistent with previous work), but declined significantly in the CPT and detection tasks. These findings support the hypothesis that spontaneous alternations of attentional states without self-awareness occur during tasks emphasizing internally but not externally oriented attention.

Investigating the Effect of Task Type and Modality on Flow Experience Among Intermediate Persian EFL Learners.

The merits of the application of flow theory in foreign language teaching have been demonstrated in recent research. This experimental study was aimed at investigating the role of task type and modality in the perception of flow experience by learners as they are engaged in communication tasks. The participants were 78 non-English major university students at an intermediate level of proficiency based on the result of the Oxford quick proficiency test. To do so, the flow experience perceived by 39 dyads while performing information-gap and jigsaw tasks through three modes of communication, i.e. audio-synchronous computer-mediated communication, text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication, and face-to-face communication, was assessed using the short flow scale questionnaire (Martin and Jackson in Motiv Emot, 32(3):141-157, 2008) and task specific flow scale questionnaire (Czimmermann and Piniel in Positive psychology in SLA, 193-214, 2016. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783095360-009 ). To examine the role of task type and modality in flow experience perceived by the participants, the mixed between-within subject's ANOVA test was run for each task in different pair categories. The results indicated that in all three modalities, the jigsaw task induced more flow than the information gap task did. Moreover, in both tasks, Text-SCMC modality aroused less flow than that in either of F2F and Audio-SCMC modalities as perceived by the interlocutors. Hence, no interaction between task type and modality was observed regarding their impact on the perception of flow experience. The findings of the study could provide implications for second language acquisition and instruction.

Exploring task effects on register variation in second language learners’ writing

Abstract Task-based research often focuses on the main effects of task variables on measures of complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second language (L2) writing performance. This study aimed to extend this line of research by examining the main and interaction effects of task type, learner L2 proficiency, and L2 study on register variation in L2 learners’ writing. Each of 42 Chinese learners of English as a foreign language responded to independent and integrated writing tasks before and after nine months of English language study. Each essay (N = 168) was rated on level of formality and tagged for various lexico-syntactic features. Overall, integrated essays were judged to use more formal language and were more informationally dense than were the independent essays. More proficient students were judged to use more formal language than did less proficient students. After instruction, students’ writing became more formal, more informationally dense, and more narrative. The findings and their implications for the teaching and assessment of L2 writing are discussed.

Exploring the impact of the passenger's display on driver workload and driving performance

New production vehicles equipped with multiple screens have various functions and technologies at the user's fingertips that create informative and immersive cockpits not only for the driver but also for the passenger. Despite the growing popularity of the co-pilot display, surprisingly little is known about the impact of its engagement on drivers. Engagement, in the context of this paper, is defined as visual, auditory, and mental involvement but no manual involvement. The present study sought to investigate the effects of co-pilot display engagement on drivers' visual workload, cognitive workload, and driving performance and offered a deeper insight into the design factors and task involvement of the co-pilot display. The study involved a driving simulator testing of 25 participants in five automobiles with a co-pilot display. Our analysis found increased driver visual workload and cognitive workload in the conditions of co-pilot display engagement. Participants exhibited more erratic driving behavior (standard deviation of speed and standard deviation of lane position) while the front passenger was watching a video. Furthermore, five linear mixed models were built to further analyze the effects of task type, screen size, screen layout, and task involvement on dependent measures. Potential applications of this research include refinements to the co-pilot display and workload estimation of co-pilot display engagement.

Exploring the effect of artificial intelligence intellect on consumer decision delegation: The role of trust, task objectivity, and anthropomorphism

AbstractThis study examines the impact of AI intelligence levels on consumer decision delegation through three experimental studies. Study 1 manipulates AI intelligence levels (low vs. high) to establish the main effect. Study 2 explores the mediating role of trust and the moderating effect of task types (subjective vs. objective) on the relationship between AI intelligence and trust. Study 3 investigates the role of AI anthropomorphism in AI delegation. The findings reveal that increasing AI intelligence enhances consumer decision delegation for both subjective and objective consumption tasks, with trust serving as a mediating factor. However, objective tasks are more likely to be delegated to AI. Moreover, anthropomorphic appearance positively influences trust but does not moderate the relationship between intelligence and trust. This research expands the literature on AI decision delegation, shedding light on the psychological processes related to AI‐powered product design, consumer perceptions, and consumption situations, while also offering practical implications.

Combined effects of age and hearing impairment on utterances and requests for clarification in spontaneous conversation and a referential communication task.

The impact of hearing impairment is typically studied in terms of its effects on speech perception, yet this fails to account for the interactive nature of communication. Recently, there has been a move towards studying the effects of age-related hearing impairment on interaction, often using referential communication tasks; however, little is known about how interaction in these tasks compares toeveryday communication. To investigate utterances and requests for clarification used in one-to-one conversations between older adults with hearing impairment and younger adults without hearing impairment, and between two younger adults without hearing impairment. A total of 42 participants were recruited to the study and split into 21 pairs, 10 with two younger adults without hearing impairment and 11 with one younger adult without hearing impairment and one older participant with age-related hearing impairment (hard of hearing). Results from three tasks-spontaneous conversation and two trials of a referential communication task-were compared. A total of 5 min of interaction in each of the three tasks was transcribed, and the frequency of requests for clarification, mean length of utterance and total utterances were calculated for individual participants and pairs. When engaging in spontaneous conversation, participants made fewer requests for clarification than in the referential communication, regardless of hearing status/age (p ≤ 0.012). Participants who were hard of hearing made significantly more requests for clarification than their partners without hearing impairment in only the second trial of the referential communication task (U = 25, p = 0.019). Mean length of utterance was longer in spontaneous conversation than in the referential communication task in the pairs without hearing impairment (p ≤ 0.021), but not in the pairs including a person who was hard of hearing. However, participants who were hard of hearing used significantly longer utterances than their partners without hearing impairment in the spontaneous conversation (U = 8, p < 0.001) but not in the referential communication tasks. The findings suggest that patterns of interaction observed in referential communication tasks differ to those observed in spontaneous conversation. The results also suggest that fatigue may be an important consideration when planning studies of interaction that use multiple conditions of a communication task, particularly when participants are older or hard of hearing. What is already known on this subject Age-related hearing impairment is known to affect communication; however, the majority of studies have focused on its impact on speech perception in controlled conditions. This indicates little about the impact on everyday, interactive, communication. What this study adds to the existing knowledge We investigated utterance length and requests for clarification in one-to-one conversations between pairs consisting of one older adult who is hard of hearing and one younger adult without hearing impairment, or two younger adults without hearing impairment. Results from three tasks (two trials of a referential communication task and spontaneous conversation) were compared. The findings demonstrated a significant effect of task type on requests for clarification in both groups. Furthermore, in spontaneous conversation, older adults who were hard of hearing used significantly longer utterances than their partners without hearing impairment. This pattern was not observed in the referential communication task. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? These findings have important implications for generalizing results from controlled communication tasks to more everyday conversation. Specifically, they suggest that the previously observed strategy of monopolizing conversation, possibly as an attempt to control it, may be more frequently used by older adults who are hard of hearing in natural conversation than in a more contrived communication task.

Fairness of using different English accents: The effect of shared L1s in listening tasks of the Duolingo English test

This study aimed to answer an ongoing validity question related to the use of nonstandard English accents in international tests of English proficiency and associated issues of test fairness. More specifically, we examined (1) the extent to which different or shared English accents had an impact on listeners’ performances on the Duolingo listening tests and (2) the extent to which different English accents affected listeners’ performances on two different task types. Speakers from four interlanguage English accent varieties (Chinese, Spanish, Indian English [Hindi], and Korean) produced speech samples for “yes/no” vocabulary and dictation Duolingo listening tasks. Listeners who spoke with these same four English accents were then recruited to take the Duolingo listening test items. Results suggested that there is a shared first language (L1) benefit effect overall, with comparable test scores between shared-L1 and inner-circle L1 accents, and no significant differences in listeners’ listening performance scores across highly intelligible accent varieties. No task type effect was found. The findings provide guidance to better understand fairness, equality, and practicality of designing and administering high-stakes English tests targeting a diversity of accents.

Task-Dependent Velopharyngeal Timing in Singers with Classical Training

This study examined velopharyngeal (VP) timing characteristics during singing and speaking tasks among singers with varying degrees of classical training. Pressure-flow data were collected when eight soprano singers sang and spoke the phrase, "I will say hamper," at different pitch (C4 and C5) and loudness levels (soft, medium, and loud). VP aerodynamic variables (VP gap, peak nasal airflow [NF], and peak intraoral pressure [OP]) and timing variables (NF pulse duration, OP pulse duration, and total duration of the /mp/ sequence) were of particular interest. Results of linear mixed-effects models showed no significant main effect of task type (speaking vs. singing) on VP aerodynamic variables. Task type was found to have a statistically significant main effect on OP pulse duration (F(1, 77) =27.590, P<0.05) and total duration of the /mp/ sequence (F(1, 75.034) =17.895, P<0.05), with both durational measures significantly shorter for singing (OP pulse duration: 200ms, total duration of the /mp/ sequence: 212ms) than for speaking (OP pulse duration: 228ms, total duration of the /mp/ sequence: 238ms). The pitch had a significant main effect on OP pulse duration, with C5 (207ms) significantly shorter than C4 (221ms). Loudness was found to have no significant main effects on any of the VP timing variables. VP timing patterns significantly differed between the singing and the speaking task. Specifically, the singers employed a quick OP pulse rise time, which shortened OP pulse duration as well as the total duration of the /mp/ sequence during the singing task in comparison to the speaking task. Robust VP timing patterns observed during singing may reflect the singers' skilled control of the VP mechanism to achieve functional and esthetic goals.

Effect of task type on the use of discourse markers in L2 Portuguese by L1 Chinese learners

In an attempt to analyze the effect of different oral tasks on the use of discourse markers (DMs) in second language (L2) Portuguese by first language (L1) Chinese speakers at different L2 proficiency levels, the current study is oriented by two research questions: (1) in what way does L2 proficiency of L1 Chinese speakers influence the use of DMs in Portuguese across tasks in terms of the frequency and variety of different DM classes? (2) how does oral task type affect the use of DMs by L1 Chinese speakers of L2 Portuguese in terms of the frequency and variety of different DM classes? Data for the present study were collected by using two oral tasks, conversation task and narrative task, conducted by 12 Chinese speakers of Portuguese at a lower and higher L2 proficiency levels. Results showed that the Chinese speakers tended to use the DMs in L2 Portuguese at a higher rate and wider variety when they were asked to perform the conversation task and the use of some DM categories seems not to stay correlated with the L2 proficiency levels across tasks.

Task type's effect on attitudes towards voice assistants

AbstractThere is an emerging interest in examining user attitudes towards voice assistants (VAs); however, there is limited research on how user attitudes are formulated in different contexts. Drawing from the stereotype content models, the current study attempts to investigate how users perceive and evaluate voice assistants (VAs) in different contexts (i.e., functional vs. social tasks) based on warmth, competence and trustworthiness. Study 1 (N = 123) employs a within‐subjects design to examine how task type (functional vs. social) affects user perceptions and attitudes towards a VA (i.e., Google Assistant). Study 2 (N = 116) and Study 3 (N = 61) examine the boundary effect of perceived psychological power and ease of use. The findings show that attitude is significantly more positive in functional tasks (vs. social), and this effect is mediated by perceived competence. This indirect effect is also significantly moderated by perceived ease of use. Perceived warmth does not mediate the effect of social tasks on attitude, and trust in VAs is a direct outcome of functional tasks. Taken together, this study contributes to both theory and practice in many ways. Specifically, the findings are the first to demonstrate a direct effect of task type on consumer perceptions and attitudes. Additionally, the findings indicate that user evaluations of VAs are still dominated by user perceptions of the competence of the VAs.

Are crowdsourcing announcements signals of customer orientation? A comparison of consumer responses to product- versus communication-related campaigns

PurposeThis study aims to examine consumers’ responses to crowdsourcing campaigns in the request initiation stage using the signaling theory from economics. The purpose of the research is threefold. First, it provides a comprehensive classification of various task types within crowdsourcing. Second, it conceptualizes crowdsourcing announcements as signals of customer orientation and empirically tests the differential effects of the two most common crowdsourcing task types (product- and communication-related) on customer orientation perceptions. Third, it illuminates the downstream behavioral consequences of crowdsourcing campaign announcements.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted secondary data analysis of 883 crowdsourcing campaigns (pilot study) to provide evidence on the differential effects of crowdsourcing task types. In addition, four laboratory experiments were conducted to test the theoretical arguments. To test the main effect of crowdsourcing task types, Study 1A (N = 252 MTurk workers) used a one-factor (product- vs communication-related crowdsourcing vs control) between-subject design, whereas Study 1B (N = 171 undergraduate students) used a 2 (task type: product- vs communication-related) by 2 (product category: restaurant vs fashion) between-subject design. Study 2 (N = 93 MTurk workers) explored the underlying mechanism using a one-factor (product- vs communication-related) between-subject design. Study 3 (N = 375 MTurk workers) investigated the boundary condition for the effect of task type with a 2 (task type: product- vs communication-related) by 3 (company credibility: low vs neutral vs high) between-subject design.FindingsThe pilot study provides evidence for the conceptualized typology and the differential effects of crowdsourcing task types. Study 1A reveals that product-related crowdsourcing tends to have a more substantial impact than communication-related crowdsourcing on how customer-oriented consumers perceive a company. Study 1B validates the results of Study 1A in a different product category and population sample. Study 2 shows that the differential customer-orientation effect is mediated by the perceived cost of implementing the crowdsourcing outcome and unravels the differences in consumers’ purchase and campaign participation intentions depending on task type. Study 3 highlights that the customer-orientation effect attenuates as company credibility increases.Research limitations/implicationsThis research contributes to the crowdsourcing literature by categorizing the various types of crowdsourcing campaigns companies undertake and revealing the differential impact of the different types of crowdsourcing campaigns on consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intentions. In doing so, this research converges two lines of consumer research on crowdsourcing, i.e. product- and communication-related crowdsourcing. The findings add to the debate over the returns from research and development (R&D) versus advertising and extend it from marketing strategy to crowdsourcing literature.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the importance of choosing specific task types for crowdsourcing and lead to practical recommendations on designing crowdsourcing campaigns to maximize their benefits to crowdsourcing brands.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that differentiates crowdsourcing task types and compares their effectiveness from a consumer perspective.

Analysis of the gaze fixations in performance of mental recall of the route on a city map. Effects of landmark type and gender

A psychophysiological eye-tracking experiment was conducted to investigate map navigation (including tasks of familiarization with the map, route memorization and recall of the route) as a function of landmark type (no landmarks, object landmarks, verbal landmarks, both types of landmarks) and gender. It was found that the number of fixations decreased and the fixation duration increased during recall compared to map familiarization and route memorization. The effect of task type on eye movements varied between route proximity areas. In the proximal areas, the number of fixations decreased during recall in comparison to memorization, while in the distal (“off route”) area the effect was opposite. These changes were pronounced in the male participants and did not reach statistical significance in the females. Men switched more frequently from the proximal to the distal area during memorization, thus forming a connection between the route and the remote environment. In contrast, women’s gaze was more often directed to the distal area during route recall. The map with object landmarks differed from the other maps in the lower number and longer fixation duration, indicating the advantage of object landmarks and, possibly, a preference for the object visual cognitive style among our participants.

Korean university students’ language performance in synchronous online text chats

The present study investigated the effects of task types on synchronous online text chats by Korean university students. A total of 26 students with low and intermediate oral proficiency participated in this study and performed a convergent and a divergent task in groups using the KakaoTalk mobile messaging app during English classes. The text chats were evaluated for complexity, fluency, and number of turn - taking. The results showed that when compared to divergent tasks, students used more words during convergent tasks, which require agreement to complete, and also employed more turn - taking through the use of interactional modifications. Nonetheless, there was almost no difference in fluency between the two tasks due to their duration for the task completion. Meanwhile, in the divergent task, students used more complex sentences, likely due to the use of mobile dictionaries. The limitations of the research as well as pedagogical implications are also mentioned.

Effects of task types and time interval conditions on age-related decline in verbal working memory.

Age-related differences in working memory (WM) components were investigated by manipulating the time interval and interference effects between phonological and semantic judgment tasks to identify tasks to best discriminate between younger and older groups. The 96 participants (young=48; old=48) prospectively performed two task types of WM, with phonological and semantic judgment tasks, which were administered while varying the three interval conditions: 1-s unfilled (UF), 5-s UF, and 5-s filled (F). The main effect for age was significant in the semantic judgment task but not in the phonological judgment task. The main effect for the interval conditions were significant in both tasks. A 5-s UF condition applied to a semantic judgment task could significantly differentiate the older group from the younger group. Differential effects of time interval manipulation in semantic and phonological processing are involved in WM resources. The older group could be differentiated by varying the task types and interval conditions, indicating that the semantic-related WM burdens may contribute to a superior differential diagnosis of aging-related WM decline.

Adaptive visual working memory: Expecting a delayed estimation task enhances visual working memory precision.

Two of the dominating tasks in the visual working memory (VWM) literature are the Delayed Estimation (DE) task and the Change Detection (CD) task. However, there are no studies that directly compared how participants' expectation to be tested in these tasks impacts memory formation. Here, three experiments interspersed DE and CD trials with identical displays until the reporting stage. During each session, the frequency of trials of each task was altered to manipulate expectations of which task would be required. Expectation of a DE task led to an increase in the number of fixations during encoding and to more precise estimation. By contrast, expectation of a CD trial did not modulate CD accuracy. These results suggest that the precision with which information is encoded into VWM differs between these two tasks. This has implications for current theoretical debates on VWM and underscores the importance of the typically overlooked effect of task type on memory performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effects of Task Types on Communication Strategies in SLA: Looking Back and Forward

Studies on the effects of task types on Communication Strategies (CSs) in second language acquisition (SLA) have been carried out for more than two decades and have made great contribution to the development of second language teaching and acquisition. This paper mainly reviews the existing empirical studies to investigate how different task types employed can lead to the application of various CSs by L2 learners. The existing literatures are reviewed under the scope of three periods: the initial attempts, further investigation and recent studies. It is found that existing research has demonstrated well that both the frequency and the type of CSs are influenced by the tasks under completion. Albeit more systematic and rigorous studies are still called for to further support the findings of some studies and further CS research from newer and broader perspectives are still needed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for SLA in English as second language (ESL) classrooms.