A Combined Experimental and Individual-Differences Investigation into Mind Wandering During a Video Lecture

A combined experimental–correlational study with a diverse sample (N = 182) from two research sites tested a set of five a priori hypotheses about mind wandering and learning, using a realistic video lecture on introductory statistics. Specifically, the study examined whether students’ vulnerability to mind wandering during the lecture would predict learning from, and situational interest in, the video, and also whether longhand note-taking would help reduce mind wandering, at least for some students. Half the subjects took notes during the video, and all were subsequently tested on lecture content without notes. Regression and mediation analyses indicated that: (a) several individual-differences variables (e.g., pretest score, prior math interest, classroom media multitasking habits) uniquely predicted in-lecture mind wandering frequency; (b) although the note-taking manipulation did not reduce mind wandering at the group level, note-taking still reduced mind wandering for some individuals (i.e., those with lower prior knowledge and those who took notes of high quality and quantity); (c) mind wandering uniquely predicted both learning (posttest) and situational interest outcomes above and beyond all other individual-differences variables; (d) moreover, mind wandering significantly mediated the effects of several individual differences; and, finally, (e) not all types of mind wandering were problematic—in fact, off-task reflections about lecture-related topics positively predicted learning. These results, which were generally robust across the two sites, suggest that educationally focused cognitive research may benefit from considering attentional processes during learning as well as cognitive and noncognitive individual differences that affect attention and learning

A combined experimental and individual-differences investigation into mind wandering during a video lecture

A combined experimental-correlational study with a diverse sample (N = 182) from 2 research sites tested a set of 5 a priori hypotheses about mind wandering and learning, using a realistic video lecture on introductory statistics. Specifically, the study examined whether students’ vulnerability to mind wandering during the lecture would predict learning from, and situational interest in, the video and also whether longhand note-taking would help reduce mind wandering, at least for some students. One half of the participants took notes during the video, and all were subsequently tested on lecture content without notes. Regression and mediation analyses indicated that (a) several individual-differences variables (e.g., pretest score, prior math interest, classroom media multitasking habits) uniquely predicted in-lecture mind wandering frequency; (b) although the note-taking manipulation did not reduce mind wandering at the group level, note-taking still reduced mind wandering for some individuals (i.e., those with lower prior knowledge and those who took notes of high quality and quantity); (c) mind wandering uniquely predicted both learning (posttest) and situational interest outcomes above and beyond all other individual-differences variables; (d) moreover, mind wandering significantly mediated the effects of several individual differences; and, finally, (e) not all types of mind wandering were problematic—in fact, off-task reflections about lecture-related topics positively predicted learning. These results, which were generally robust across the 2 sites, suggest that educationally focused cognitive research may benefit from considering attentional processes during learning as well as cognitive and noncognitive individual differences that affect attention and learning

Individual differences in task-unrelated thought in university classrooms

This study investigated what academic traits, attitudes, and habits predict individual differences in task-unrelated thought (TUT)during lectures, and whether this TUT propensity mediates associations between academic individual differences and courseoutcomes (final grade and situational interest evoked by material). Undergraduates (N = 851) from ten psychology classes at twoUS universities responded to thought probes presented during two early-course lectures; they also indicated sitting in the front,middle, or back of the classroom. At each probe, students categorized their thought content, such as indicating on-task thought orTUT. Students also completed online, academic-self-report questionnaires at the beginning of the course and a situational interestquestionnaire at the end. Average TUT rate was 24% but individuals’ rates varied widely (SD = 18%). TUT rates also increasedsubstantially from the front to back of the classroom, and modestly from the first to second half of class periods. Multiple-groupanalyses (with ten classroom groups) indicated that: (a) classroom media-multitasking habits, initial interest in the course topic,and everyday propensity for mind-wandering and boredom accounted for unique variance in TUT rate (beyond other predictors);(b) TUT rate accounted for unique (modest) variance in course grades and situational interest; and (c) classroom media multitasking and propensity for mind-wandering and boredom had indirect associations with course grades via TUT rate, and thesepredictor variables, along with initial interest, had indirect associations with end-of-term situational interest via TUT rate. Someacademic traits and behaviors predict course outcomes in part because they predict off-task thought during class

Individual differences in task-unrelated thought in university classrooms

This study investigated what academic traits, attitudes, and habits predict individual differences in task-unrelated thought (TUT) during lectures, and whether this TUT propensity mediates associations between academic individual differences and course outcomes (final grade and situational interest evoked by material). Undergraduates (N = 851) from ten psychology classes at two US universities responded to thought probes presented during two early-course lectures; they also indicated sitting in the front, middle, or back of the classroom. At each probe, students categorized their thought content, such as indicating on-task thought or TUT. Students also completed online, academic-self-report questionnaires at the beginning of the course and a situational interest questionnaire at the end. Average TUT rate was 24% but individuals’ rates varied widely (SD = 18%). TUT rates also increased substantially from the front to back of the classroom, and modestly from the first to second half of class periods. Multiple-group analyses (with ten classroom groups) indicated that: (a) classroom media-multitasking habits, initial interest in the course topic, and everyday propensity for mind-wandering and boredom accounted for unique variance in TUT rate (beyond other predictors); (b) TUT rate accounted for unique (modest) variance in course grades and situational interest; and (c) classroom media multitasking and propensity for mind-wandering and boredom had indirect associations with course grades via TUT rate, and these predictor variables, along with initial interest, had indirect associations with end-of-term situational interest via TUT rate. Some academic traits and behaviors predict course outcomes in part because they predict off-task thought during class

Everyday functioning-related cognitive correlates of media multitasking:a mini meta-analysis

A recent meta-analysis has shown that media multitasking behavior, or consuming multiple streams of media simultaneously, might not be associated with less efficient cognitive processing, as measured with objective tests. Nevertheless, a growing number of studies have reported that media multitasking is correlated with cognitive functioning in everyday situations, as measured in self-reports. Here, in a series of mini meta-analyses, we show that the self-reported correlates of media multitasking can be categorized in at least four major themes. Heavy media multitasking was associated with increasing problems with attention regulation (e.g., increased mind-wandering and distractibility), behavior regulation (e.g., emotion regulation and self-monitor), inhibition/impulsiveness (e.g., higher level of impulsiveness and lower level of inhibition), and memory. However, the pooled effect sizes were small (z =.16 to z = .22), indicating that a large proportion of variance of media multitasking behavior is still unaccounted for. Additionally, we witnessed a high level of heterogeneity in the attention regulation theme, which might indicate the presence of the risk of study bias

ENHANCING THE MOTIVATION AND LEARNING PERFORMANCE IN AN ONLINE CLASSROOM WITH THE USE OF NEUROMARKETING

In recent years, the newly emerging discipline of neuromarketing, which employs brain (emotions and behaviour) research in an organisational context, has grown in prominence in academic and practice literature. With the increasing growth of online teaching, COVID-19 left no option for higher education institutions to go online. As a result, students who attend an online course are more prone to lose focus and attention, resulting in poor academic performance. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to observe the learner's behaviour while making use of an online learning platform. This study presents neuromarketing to enhance students' learning performance and motivation in an online classroom. Using a web camera, we used facial coding and eye-tracking techniques to study students' attention, motivation, and interest in an online classroom. In collaboration with Oxford Business College's marketing team, the Institute for Neuromarketing distributed video links via email, a student representative from Oxford Business College, the WhatsApp group, and a newsletter developed explicitly for that purpose to 297 students over the course of five days. To ensure the research was both realistic and feasible, the instructors in the videos were different, and students were randomly allocated to one video link lasting 90 seconds (n=142) and a second one lasting 10 minutes (n=155). An online platform for self-service called Tobii Sticky was used to measure facial coding and eye-tracking. During the 90-second online lecture, participants' gaze behaviour was tracked overtime to gather data on their attention distribution, and emotions were evaluated using facial coding. In contrast, the 10-minute film looked at emotional involvement. The findings show that students lose their listening focus when no supporting visual material or virtual board is used, even during a brief presentation. Furthermore, when they are exposed to a single shareable piece of content for longer than 5.24 minutes, their motivation and mood decline; however, when new shareable material or a class activity is introduced, their motivation and mood rise. JEL: I20; I21 Article visualizations

Interpolated testing and content pretesting as interventions to reduce task-unrelated thoughts during a video lecture

Considerable research has examined the prevalence and apparent consequences of task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs) in both laboratory and authentic educational settings. Few studies, however, have explored methods to reduce TUTs during learning; those few studies tested small samples or used unvalidated TUT assessments. The present experimental study attempted to conceptually replicate or extend previous findings of interpolated testing and pretesting effects on TUT and learning. In a study of 195 U.S. undergraduates, we investigated whether interpolated testing (compared to interpolated restudy) and pretesting on lecture-relevant materials (compared to pretesting on conceptually related but lecture-irrelevant materials) would reduce TUTs during a video lecture on introductory statistics. Subjects completed either a content-matched or content-mismatched pretest on statistics concepts and then watched a narrated lecture slideshow. During the lecture, half of the sample completed interpolated tests on the lecture material and half completed interpolated restudy of that material. All subjects responded to unpredictably presented thought probes during the video to assess their immediately preceding thoughts, including TUTs. Following the lecture, students reported on their situational interest elicited by the lecture and then completed a posttest. Interpolated testing significantly reduced TUT rates during the lecture compared to restudying, conceptually replicating previous findings—but with a small effect size and no supporting Bayes-factor evidence. We found statistical evidence for neither an interpolated testing effect on learning, nor an effect of matched-content pretesting on TUT rates or learning. Interpolated testing might have limited utility to support students’ attention, but varying effect sizes across studies warrants further work

Bandgap engineering of titanium based oxynitride thin films and molybdenum disulfide thin films for photovoltaic applications

The purpose of this project was to investigate the potential of two different material systems for the improvement of solar cell efficiency; one based on a titanium oxynitride system and the other molybdenum disulfide. Both phases of the project utilized different fabrication methods and approach in designing the photovoltaic devices. For the titanium based system (TiNO), thin films were formed using pulsed laser deposition, a phase vapor deposition (PVD) technique. The photovoltaic cells deposited on ITO coated glass with copper electrodes yielded an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.47%, with a fill factor (FF) of 0.246, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.18 V, and a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 58.43 mA/cm2. XRD and XPS results provide insight into the materials composition and give evidence of multiple bandgap mediated transfer of charge carriers. For the molybdenum based device, monolayer molybdenum disulfide was incorporated into a current organic-based solar cell (OSC) as an electron transport layer. The active layer consists of a blend of donor Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and acceptor PCBM. MoS2 incorporated devices showed improved PCE, at 0.88% compared to that of the control samples which yielded a PCE of 0.22%. [This abstract has been edited to remove characters that will not display in this system. Please see the PDF for the full abstract.]]]> 2019 Solar cells Photovoltaic cells Energy gap (Physics) Molybdenum Titanium English http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Froeschle_uncg_0154M_12943.pdf oai:libres.uncg.edu/29247 2021-02-28T13:50:58Z UNCG Isolation of novel naphthoquinones from fungal strain MSX53507, Cladorrhinum sp. Gallagher, Jacklyn M. NC DOCKS at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 2019 Fungi Antibacterial agents Fungal metabolites Natural products English http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Gallagher_uncg_0154M_12944.pdf oai:libres.uncg.edu/29249 2021-12-23T17:36:34Z UNCG Investigating the mechanism of action of a new gold based therapeutic with re-myelinating properties Garikipati, Vandana NC DOCKS at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 2019 Nanocrystals $x Therapeutic use Myelination Multiple sclerosis Proteomics English http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Garikipati_uncg_0154D_12907.pdf oai:libres.uncg.edu/29250 2020-01-16T16:24:05Z UNCG The role of attentional fluctuation in recollecting episodic changes Garlitch, Sydney M. NC DOCKS at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro <![CDATA[Detecting and recollecting change can counteract proactive interference, and, in some cases, lead to proactive facilitation. The Memory-for-Change account assumes that attention is involved in detecting change, but that has not been directly tested. The current study is the first to investigate the role of attention in change detection and its consequences for change recollection. Participants studied a list of word pairs comprised of four seamless blocks. In each block there were three sets of word pairs: one set repeated across all four blocks (A-B, A-B), one set repeated in the first three blocks and then had the same cue with a changed response in the fourth block (A-B, A-D), and one set was unique to each block (C-D). Attention during encoding was measured using a probe-caught procedure. Thought probes asking participants to indicate whether they were “on-task” or “off-task” appeared throughout the study phase. Participants then completed a cued recall test for responses from the fourth block. Participants were also asked to indicate if each pair changed during the study phase, and to report the earlier response if there was a change. Results showed that recollecting change was associated with higher memory accuracy at test compared to when change was not recollected. In both between and within subject analyses, “on-task” reports were associated with higher memory accuracy and change recollection compared to “off-task” reports. These findings implicate a critical role for attention in change detection and recollection, and recall performance under conditions that could lead to proactive interference

The relationships among Taiwanese youth’s polychronicity, multitasking behavior and perceived learning performance in online learning

BackgroundThe advancement of digital technology implies the importance of polychronic learning. Since polychronicity is not equivalent to multitasking behavior, they need to be considered separately. However, less research has been explored on how polychronicity is related to multitasking behavior in the educational field.ObjectiveTo explore the relationships among polychronicity, multitasking behavior and learning performance (including knowledge acquisition and learning satisfaction) in an online learning environment.MethodsThe relationship among variables was analyzed from 865 responses obtained from a questionnaire survey, and independent sample t tests and SEM analysis were used to examine the research hypotheses.ResultsCollege students showed a higher frequency of multitasking behavior, time tangibility and scheduling preference, and learning satisfaction in multitasking online learning environments than high school students. Additionally, college students were different from high school students on the paths of involvement with people to multitasking behavior (Δ χ2= 5.42, p = 0.02) and scheduling preference to learning satisfaction (Δχ2 = 9.54, p = 0.002).ConclusionThe relationship among polychronicity, multitasking behavior and perceived learning performance in an online learning environment varies by student educational stage