Task Instructions Research Articles

How task instruction influences the performance and the text reading pattern in case of inconsistent compare problems in primary school.

"Compare word problems are quite difficult for primary school students, especially inconsistent ones when the relational term from the problem text is not consistent with the arithmetic operation required for the solution. The present study investigates the effect of different task instructions on successfulness in solving inconsistent compare word problems and in the reading pattern of the text of these problems. Therefore, in this study eye-tracking was used to monitor participants eye movements while reading and solving compare word problems. Fifty-six 4th graders’ eye-movement behavior and responses were collected to analyze the fixation time and fixation number on different data from the text of the tasks and the solution time on each task. In the test inconsistent compared problems were given requiring the use of multiplication/division operations. The problems were divided into three groups with different task instructions. In the first group of problems the requirement was to solve the problems, pupils could freely concentrate on the text elements they wanted as the text of the problem was classically given. In the second case students were forced to spend more time focusing on the context of the problem as they first got the text of the problem with symbols instead of numbers. In the case of the third group of problems, pupils had to create the graphical representation of the word problem considering the value of the given variable and the relation between the two variables. The results show that the instruction type influenced both performance and reading pattern. When students are forced to spend more time reading the entire text (problems given first with symbols), the solution success rate is higher. Graphical representation of the problem’s data also contributes to a better performance. There are also differences in percentages of reading times spent on fixation different key elements of the text or different sentences of the problem. The key element fixated for a higher percentage of time depends on the type of instruction."

How task instruction influences the performance and the text reading pattern in case of inconsistent compare problems in primary school.

"Compare word problems are quite difficult for primary school students, especially inconsistent ones when the relational term from the problem text is not consistent with the arithmetic operation required for the solution. The present study investigates the effect of different task instructions on successfulness in solving inconsistent compare word problems and in the reading pattern of the text of these problems. Therefore, in this study eye-tracking was used to monitor participants eye movements while reading and solving compare word problems. Fifty-six 4th graders’ eye-movement behavior and responses were collected to analyze the fixation time and fixation number on different data from the text of the tasks and the solution time on each task. In the test inconsistent compared problems were given requiring the use of multiplication/division operations. The problems were divided into three groups with different task instructions. In the first group of problems the requirement was to solve the problems, pupils could freely concentrate on the text elements they wanted as the text of the problem was classically given. In the second case students were forced to spend more time focusing on the context of the problem as they first got the text of the problem with symbols instead of numbers. In the case of the third group of problems, pupils had to create the graphical representation of the word problem considering the value of the given variable and the relation between the two variables. The results show that the instruction type influenced both performance and reading pattern. When students are forced to spend more time reading the entire text (problems given first with symbols), the solution success rate is higher. Graphical representation of the problem’s data also contributes to a better performance. There are also differences in percentages of reading times spent on fixation different key elements of the text or different sentences of the problem. The key element fixated for a higher percentage of time depends on the type of instruction."

Cultural Differences in Interoceptive Accuracy: Comparison Between Japan and Europe1

AbstractThe self is, at least partially, grounded in bodily processing. In particular, processing the physiological state of the body (i.e., interoception) plays a key role in self‐consciousness and the first‐person experience. The present study examined cultural differences in interoceptive processing. We focused on a behavioral measure of cardiac processing, which was assessed using a heartbeat‐counting task; namely, interoceptive accuracy (IAcc). Study 1 compared IAcc scores that were previously collected in Japan and the United Kingdom and found no statistically significant differences between the cultures. Study 2 was conducted in a more elaborate manner; that is, we collected new data on IAcc from Japanese students using better‐adapted task instructions, as well as possible confounds that influence IAcc (i.e., time estimation, knowledge of heart rate, and actual heart rate). We compared these data with those collected from Belgian students and found that the Japanese participants detected heartbeats more accurately than did the Europeans. The results are discussed from the perspective of cultural differences in objective self‐awareness, and a self‐flexibility and a bodily precision account of IAcc.

Task instructions and the need for feedback correction influence the contribution of visual errors to reach adaptation.

Previous research has questioned whether motor adaptation is shaped by an optimal combination of multisensory error signals. Here, we expanded on this work by investigating how the use of visual and somatosensory error signals during online correction influences single-trial adaptation. To this end, we exposed participants to a random sequence of force-field perturbations and recorded their corrective responses as well as the after-effects exhibited during the subsequent unperturbed movement. In addition to the force perturbation we artificially decreased or increased visual errors by multiplying hand deviations by a gain smaller or larger than one. Corrective responses to the force perturbation clearly scaled with the size of the visual error, but this scaling did not transfer one-to-one to motor adaptation and we observed no consistent interaction between limb and visual errors on adaptation. However, reducing visual errors during perturbation led to a small reduction of after-effects and this residual influence of visual feedback was eliminated when we instructed participants to control their hidden hand instead of the visual hand cursor. Taken together, our results demonstrate that task instructions and the need to correct for errors during perturbation are important factors to consider if we want to understand how the sensorimotor system uses and combines multimodal error signals to adapt movements.Significance StatementWe investigated the factors influencing visual and proprioceptive feedback contributions to movement control and adaptation. While online corrections increased with the size of visual errors, this scaling did not transfer one-to-one to adaptation. Instead, we observed a consistent relationship between limb displacement during perturbation and subsequent after-effects which was independent of the visual error. However, adaptation was slightly reduced when visual errors were artificially decreased and this influence of vision was modulated by the task-instruction given to participants. Our results demonstrate that task-related factors, such as the need to correct movement errors and the instructions, have to be considered to advance our understanding of how the sensorimotor system uses multisensory feedback to adapt motor commands.

EFL Students’ Perspectives on Activities Designed for Asynchronous Discussion Forums: Transformative Practices

The current study aimed to examine the perspectives of EFL students regarding the types of pedagogical activities they found engaging while using asynchronous discussion forums (ADF), as well as the practices of educators in encouraging the participation of their students. An interview with ten university students who were enrolled in an English language methodology course was used to construct data. The results of the study revealed that university students preferred open-ended activities to knowledge-based tasks such as quizzes or direct tasks. They found open-ended activities to be more challenging and engaging. The results also unveiled that the participants of the study expressed appreciation for tutors who provided clear instructions for tasks uploaded on the online discussion forum. They also valued the tutors who motivated them and offered constructive feedback. These factors were crucial in enhancing students’ engagement and participation in ADF. Based on these results, the study recommends empowering tutors with the skills and knowledge necessary to design engaging assignments that align with students’ expectations and provide them with direct and constructive feedback that would enhance ensuing research.

Analytics of self-regulated learning scaffolding: effects on learning processes.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the ability to regulate cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and emotional states while learning and is posited to be a strong predictor of academic success. It is therefore important to provide learners with effective instructions to promote more meaningful and effective SRL processes. One way to implement SRL instructions is through providing real-time SRL scaffolding while learners engage with a task. However, previous studies have tended to focus on fixed scaffolding rather than adaptive scaffolding that is tailored to student actions. Studies that have investigated adaptive scaffolding have not adequately distinguished between the effects of adaptive and fixed scaffolding compared to a control condition. Moreover, previous studies have tended to investigate the effects of scaffolding at the task level rather than shorter time segments-obscuring the impact of individual scaffolds on SRL processes. To address these gaps, we (a) collected trace data about student activities while working on a multi-source writing task and (b) analyzed these data using a cutting-edge learning analytic technique- ordered network analysis (ONA)-to model, visualize, and explain how learners' SRL processes changed in relation to the scaffolds. At the task level, our results suggest that learners who received adaptive scaffolding have significantly different patterns of SRL processes compared to the fixed scaffolding and control conditions. While not significantly different, our results at the task segment level suggest that adaptive scaffolding is associated with earlier engagement in SRL processes. At both the task level and task segment level, those who received adaptive scaffolding, compared to the other conditions, exhibited more task-guided learning processes such as referring to task instructions and rubrics in relation to their reading and writing. This study not only deepens our understanding of the effects of scaffolding at different levels of analysis but also demonstrates the use of a contemporary learning analytic technique for evaluating the effects of different kinds of scaffolding on learners' SRL processes.

How Task Instructions Influence Your Gaze in Daily Life

How Task Instructions Influence Your Gaze in Daily Life

Developing Meaning for Mathematical Expressions

Explore two ways that algebra students interpret mathematical expressions. Learn instructional tasks to help students develop meaning.

Text and Instruction Necessary for the Facilitation of EFL Reader’s Predictive Inference Generation

Inference generation is necessary for reading to understand stories. However, it may be difficult for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) readers to generate inferences owing to their limited cognitive resources that are mostly used in lower-level processing such as lexical and syntactical analysis. Predictive inference, which facilitates readers’ context processing and construction of a situational model, can be challenging for EFL readers to produce during reading. This study focuses on textual conditions and teacher’s task instructions to suggest the appropriate text choices and task instructions to help EFL readers produce predictive inferences. Two story versions (High-predictability Target vs. Control) and two different instructions (Predict the end of the story vs. Memorize the names of characters) were compared using recall rates. The findings indicated that the combination of a high-predictability target story with instructions to predict the end of the story would be the most effective pair for predictive inference.

THE ROLE OF DIVERGENT THINKING IN INTERPERSONAL TRUST DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: CREATIVE ASPECTS

Interpersonal trust relies on positive expectations about other people. Social psychology distinguishes ingroup (individuals share social identity, e.g., family) from outgroup trust (individuals do not share social identity, e.g., strangers). We conducted an experimental study to test if divergent thinking, which relies on an inclusive processing mode, differently affected ingroup and outgroup trust during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 114 healthy college students, with no prior or current COVID-19 infection (mean age = 23.66, sd = 2.53, 89% women) was recruited. Interpersonal trust was measured by three ingroup and three outgroup trust items. Divergent thinking was measured by the alternative uses task, which asked to find alternative uses for common objects. Divergent thinking was scored by two independent raters in terms of fluency and quality of ideas. To control for generalized anxiety and mood states, the generalized anxiety disorder scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were administered, respectively. To control for the inclusiveness of divergent thinking performance, the alternative uses task was administered using three types of instructions. Thus, the sample was divided in three groups of 38 participants according to the divergent thinking task instructions: “be-fluent: find as many different uses for the objects”, “be-creative: find creative uses for the objects”, and “be fluent and creative: find as many different and creative uses of the objects”. The hierarchical regression analyses showed that the quality, but not the quantity of divergent thinking positively predicted only outgroup trust, whereas the mood positively predicted ingroup trust. Divergent thinking task instructions did not affect interpersonal trust. Thus, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quality of divergent thinking supports only outgroup trust based on the inclusive processing mode, meaning that people showing high ability to produce uncommon, remote and clever ideas are more inclusive and by consequence more prone to trust strangers. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Contribution of implicit memory to adaptation of movement extent during reaching against unpredictable spring-like loads: insensitivity to intentional suppression of kinematic performance.

We examined the extent to which intentionally underperforming a goal-directed reaching task impacts how memories of recent performance contribute to sensorimotor adaptation. Healthy human subjects performed computerized cognition testing and an assessment of sensorimotor adaptation, wherein they grasped the handle of a horizontal planar robot while making goal-directed out-and-back reaching movements. The robot exerted forces that resisted hand motion with a spring-like load that changed unpredictably between movements. The robotic test assessed how implicit and explicit memories of sensorimotor performance contribute to the compensation for the unpredictable changes in the hand-held load. After each movement, subjects were to recall and report how far the hand moved on the previous trial (peak extent of the out-and-back movement). Subjects performed the tests under two counter-balanced conditions: one where they performed with their best effort, and one where they intentionally sabotaged (i.e., suppressed) kinematic performance. Results from the computerized cognition tests confirmed that subjects understood and complied with task instructions. When suppressing performance during the robotic assessment, subjects demonstrated marked changes in reach precision, time to capture the target, and reaction time. We fit a set of limited memory models to the data to identify how subjects used implicit and explicit memories of recent performance to compensate for the changing loads. In both sessions, subjects used implicit, but not explicit, memories from the most recent trial to adapt reaches to unpredictable spring-like loads. Subjects did not "give up" on large errors, nor did they discount small errors deemed "good enough". Although subjects clearly suppressed kinematic performance (response timing, movement variability, and self-reporting of reach error), the relative contributions of sensorimotor memories to trial-by-trial variations in task performance did not differ significantly between the two testing conditions. We conclude that intentional performance suppression had minimal impact on how implicit sensorimotor memories contribute to adaptation of unpredictable mechanical loads applied to the hand.

Continuous synthesis of artificial speech sounds from human cortical surface recordings during silent speech production

Objective. Brain–computer interfaces can restore various forms of communication in paralyzed patients who have lost their ability to articulate intelligible speech. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop synthesis of artificial speech sounds from human cortical surface recordings during silent speech production. Approach. Ten participants with intractable epilepsy were temporarily implanted with intracranial electrode arrays over cortical surfaces. A decoding model that predicted audible outputs directly from patient-specific neural feature inputs was trained during overt word reading and immediately tested with overt, mimed and imagined word reading. Predicted outputs were later assessed objectively against corresponding voice recordings and subjectively through human perceptual judgments. Main results. Artificial speech sounds were successfully synthesized during overt and mimed utterances by two participants with some coverage of the precentral gyrus. About a third of these sounds were correctly identified by naïve listeners in two-alternative forced-choice tasks. A similar outcome could not be achieved during imagined utterances by any of the participants. However, neural feature contribution analyses suggested the presence of exploitable activation patterns during imagined speech in the postcentral gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus. In future work, a more comprehensive coverage of cortical surfaces, including posterior parts of the middle frontal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus, could improve synthesis performance during imagined speech. Significance. As the field of speech neuroprostheses is rapidly moving toward clinical trials, this study addressed important considerations about task instructions and brain coverage when conducting research on silent speech with non-target participants.

How time gets spatial: factors determining the stability and instability of the mental time line

Left-to-right readers classify faster past events with motor responses on the left side of space and future events with responses on the right side. This suggests a left-to-right spatial organization in the mental representation of time. Here, we show that the significance and reliability of this representation are linked to the joint use of temporal and spatial codes in the task at hand. In a first unimanual Go/No-Go Implicit Association Test (IAT), attending selectively to “past” or to “future” words did not activate corresponding “left” or “right” spatial concepts and vice versa. In a second IAT, attending to both temporal (i.e., “past” and “future”) words and spatial targets (i.e., “left” and “right”) pointing arrows produced faster responses for congruent rather than incongruent combinations of temporal and spatial concepts in task instructions (e.g., congruent = “Go with past words and left-pointing arrows”; incongruent = “Go with past words and right-pointing arrows”). This effect increased markedly in a STEARC task where spatial codes defined the selection between “left-side” and “right-side” button presses that were associated with “past” and “future” words. Two control experiments showed only partial or unreliable space–time congruency effects when (a) participants attended to superordinate semantic codes that included both spatial “left”/”right” or temporal “past/future” subordinate codes; (b) a primary speeded response was assigned to one dimension (e.g., “past vs. future”) and a nonspeeded one to the other dimension (e.g., “left” vs. “right”). These results help to define the conditions that trigger a stable and reliable spatial representation of time-related concepts.

A Meta-Analysis of the Influence of Cue Valence on Overgeneral Memory and Autobiographical Memory Specificity Among Youth.

Overgeneral memory (OGM), or difficulty recalling specific memories when recounting autobiographical events, is associated with psychopathology. According to functional avoidance theory, OGM-or reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS)-may serve as an emotion regulation strategy that aids in the avoidance of painful, negative memories (Sumner,2012; Williams et al., 2007). Some researchers argue that there may be a valence effect for OGM, such that there is a higher frequency of overgenerality when recalling negative memories compared to positive memories. Although not supported among adults, valence effects may be present among children and adolescents if OGM initially develops in response to negative cues and then generalizes to all memory recall over time. This meta-analysis examined differences in child and adolescent OGM and AMS based on cue valance; standardized mean differences between negative and positive valence cues for OGM and AMS indices were calculated. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search resulted in 26 studies assessing OGM and 30 assessing AMS. There was a significant effect of valence on OGM (d = 0.17, p = 0.01) and AMS (d = -0.20, p = 0.01). There was a higher frequency of overgeneral responses to negative cue words than positive cue words. Similarly, there was a higher frequency of specific responses for positive cue words than negative cue words. Subgroup analyses considering differences in valence effects by participant age (childhood vs. adolescence), sample type (clinical vs. community), and task instructions (verbal vs. written) were not significant. Theoretical advancements for our understanding of OGM and AMS and clinical implications are discussed.

Supporting self-efficacy development from primary school to the professions: A guide for educators

ABSTRACT Over the past 2 decades, scholars in various educational contexts have examined Bandura’s theorizing about how self-efficacy develops. Bandura proposed 4 primary informational sources of self-efficacy—enactive experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasions, and physiological and affective states—each of which can be supported in different ways. This article first defines and situates self-efficacy and these sources within a broader social cognitive theoretical frame. Subsequent sections highlight specific ways that educators can apply insights from Bandura’s theorizing and from the empirical literature that has examined self-efficacy development at different stages of learning and in diverse contexts. We address how educators can create instructional tasks that show progress, establish supportive social structures, and work with students’ emotions in ways that foster self-efficacy. Special attention is given to the sociocultural factors that affect how learners evaluate efficacy-relevant information. Several directions for further applying Bandura’s theory are offered.

"Digital Tools in Romanian Higher Education: The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Digitalization of Universities"

"The goal of this research is to find out how much digital tools are used in Romanian institutions on a daily basis. These tools can be used for both admin istrative and instructional tasks and processes. Fur thermore, we investigate whether the COVID-19 pan demic aided or hampered the ongoing digitalization process, which had already begun prior to 2020, and whether any online tools implemented in response to lockdowns and a reduction in face-to-face interac tions were kept or abandoned after the restrictions were lifted in the spring of 2022. We conducted in terviews with Chief Information Officers (or compa rable positions) at the top 5 Romanian universities and surveyed 15 of the most important Romanian universities to determine the changes in teaching and administrative procedures brought about by digital technology."

Motivated attention and task relevance in the processing of cross-modally associated faces: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

It has repeatedly been shown that visually presented stimuli can gain additional relevance by their association with affective stimuli. Studies have shown effects of associated affect in event-related potentials (ERP) like the early posterior negativity (EPN), late positive complex (LPC), and even earlier components as the P1 or N170. However, findings are mixed as to the extent associated affect requires directed attention to the emotional quality of a stimulus and which ERP components are sensitive to task instructions during retrieval. In this preregistered study (https://osf.io/ts4pb), we tested cross-modal associations of vocal affect-bursts (positive, negative, neutral) to faces displaying neutral expressions in a flash-card-like learning task, in which participants studied face-voice pairs and learned to correctly assign them to each other. In the subsequent EEG test session, we applied both an implicit (“old-new”) and explicit (“valence-classification”) task to investigate whether the behavior at retrieval and neurophysiological activation of the affect-based associations were dependent on the type of motivated attention. We collected behavioral and neurophysiological data from 40 participants who reached the preregistered learning criterium. Results showed EPN effects of associated negative valence after learning and independent of the task. In contrast, modulations of later stages (LPC) by positive and negative associated valence were restricted to the explicit, i.e., valence-classification, task. These findings highlight the importance of the task at different processing stages and show that cross-modal affect can successfully be associated to faces.

Development and Pilot Testing of an Experimental Cannabis Marketplace: Toward Evaluating the Impact of Cannabis Policy on Consumer Choices.

Introduction: The legal landscape of recreational cannabis production and consumption is rapidly expanding, driving a need to inform empirically supported cannabis regulatory policy. A behavioral economic framework integrating economic constructs (e.g., price, substitutability) with psychology and decision-making sciences, has previously been applied to tobacco regulatory sciences through the use of experimental marketplaces. However, experimental marketplaces have not yet been applied to understand cannabis choice behaviors or study ways to minimize risks from use. Herein, we describe the development and initial feasibility testing of an Experimental Cannabis Marketplace (ECM). The ECM can serve as an experimental platform relevant to evaluating the impact of regulatory policies on cannabis choices and use behavior. Methods: The ECM was designed to resemble an online cannabis dispensary. Adults aged 21 and older with past month cannabis use and past month purchase from a recreational dispensary were recruited online. To test the feasibility and acceptability of the ECM, 62 people completed the ECM shopping task and provided feedback on the ECM prototype. Participants also reported about their typical purchases from real-world dispensaries. Results: Nearly all participants rated the ECM as very (80.65%) or somewhat (16.13%) easy to navigate, and rated task instructions as at least mostly clear (100%). The majority (75.81%) said cannabis products available in the ECM were mostly the same or exactly the same as at their typical dispensary. Participant purchase choices in actual dispensary purchases closely matched ECM purchases, with 88% of product choices in typical real-world cannabis dispensaries matching the ECM products purchased. Discussion: Initial testing of the ECM indicates it is an acceptable and feasible tool for understanding cannabis purchasing and choice behavior. These preliminary findings suggest that the ECM mimics cannabis dispensary settings with people making similar choices to those made in the real world.

Ethnochemistry Potential of Vines Contained in Lontar Usada Taru Pramana on Students’ Scientific Explanation Skills through Task-Based Learning

This research focuses on the analysis of the ethnochemistry potential of the vines contained in the Lontar Usada Taru Pramana. Lontar Usada Taru Pramana is a note written on palm leaves about plants that are useful as medicines used as a reference for traditional Balinese medicine. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of task-based learning that utilizes the ethnochemistry potential of vines contained in Lontar Usada Taru Pramana, on students’ scientific explanations skills. This research was conducted during the post-Covid-19 period in vocational and high schools with 234 students. This research was quantitative and applied The One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design with replication where there was no control class and all research subjects were given the same treatment. Task instructions were passed through pre-task, process task, and post-task. The type of task in learning is to make scientific studies of ethnochemistry by sharing personal experiences and solving problems. The data collection technique used tests as descriptive essay questions to measure students’ scientific explanation skills on some materials in booklets of Taru Pramana Lontar. The tests in this study described several components: plant classification, chemical content, benefits and methods of concocting it as medicine, and the scientific version of the Lontar Usada Taru Pramana composition. The effectiveness of task-based learning was analyzed using the N-Gain and T-test. The results of this study indicate that giving assignments based on Lontar Usada Taru Pramana in chemistry learning is effective in increasing students’ ability to explain the scientific study of vines as medicine. The N-gain results are in the high category of 0.76 for vocational students and 0.72 for high school students. While the T-test result shows that there is a significant difference between students’ pretest and posttest results in both vocational school and high school with a significance of .01. Students tend to correctly give scientific explanations to the plants they often encounter. This study shows that the ethnochemistry potential of the vines on Lontar Usada Taru Pramana can improve students’ scientific explanation skills. This study recommends elaborating chemistry concepts in the preservation of cultural heritage through transferring knowledge on using traditional and modern medicinal plants and their development in research.

Cognitive tasks affect the relationship between representational pattern similarity and subsequent item memory in the hippocampus

Episodic memories are records of personally experienced events, coded neurally via the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe cortex. Information about the neural signal corresponding to a memory representation can be measured in fMRI data when the pattern across voxels is examined. Prior studies have found that similarity in the voxel patterns across repetition of a to-be-remembered stimulus predicts later memory retrieval, but the results are inconsistent across studies. The current study investigates the possibility that cognitive goals (defined here via the task instructions given to participants) during encoding affect the voxel pattern that will later support memory retrieval, and therefore that neural representations cannot be interpreted based on the stimulus alone. The behavioral results showed that exposure to variable cognitive tasks across repetition of events benefited subsequent memory retrieval. Voxel patterns in the hippocampus indicated a significant interaction between cognitive tasks (variable vs. consistent) and memory (remembered vs. forgotten) such that reduced voxel pattern similarity for repeated events with variable cognitive tasks, but not consistent cognitive tasks, supported later memory success. There was no significant interaction in neural pattern similarity between cognitive tasks and memory success in medial temporal cortices or lateral occipital cortex. Instead, higher similarity in voxel patterns in right medial temporal cortices was associated with later memory retrieval, regardless of cognitive task. In conclusion, we found that the relationship between pattern similarity across repeated encoding and memory success in the hippocampus (but not medial temporal lobe cortex) changes when the cognitive task during encoding does or does not vary across repetitions of the event.