Priming Locus of Control to Affect Performance

Recent research suggests that the personality trait Locus of Control (LOC) can be a reliable predictor of performance when learn- ing a new visualization tool. While these results are compelling and have direct implications to visualization design, the relation- ship between a user’s LOC measure and their performance is not well understood. We hypothesize that there is a dependent relation- ship between LOC and performance; specifically, a person’s orientation on the LOC scale directly influences their performance when learning new visualizations. To test this hypothesis, we conduct an experiment with 300 subjects using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. We adapt techniques from personality psychology to manipulate a user’s LOC so that users are either primed to be more internally or externally oriented on the LOC scale. Replicating previous studies investigating the effect of LOC on performance, we measure users’ speed and accuracy as they use visualizations with varying visual metaphors. Our findings demonstrate that changing a user’s LOC impacts their performance. We find that a change in users’ LOC results in performance changes

Either or neither, but not both : locating the effects of masked primes

Execution of a response that has been primed by a backward-masked stimulus is inhibited (negative compatibility effect; NCE). Three experiments investigated the locus of this inhibition. Masked primes (left- or right-pointing arrows) were followed either by an arrow or a circle target. Arrow targets always required a left- or right-hand response, but the experiments differed in the response required to circles: press neither, either or both response keys (i.e. nogo, free choice and bimanual, respectively). Arrow targets showed the usual NCEs. Circle targets showed NCEs in the form of a response bias away from the primed response in the nogo and free-choice tasks; primes and targets differed on these trials, ruling out a perceptual explanation of the NCE. The bimanual task showed no such bias, suggesting that the NCE is located at a level of abstract response codes rather than specific muscle commands

Positive and Negative Congruency Effects in Masked Priming: A Neuro-computational Model Based on Representation Strength and Attention

Positive priming effects have been found with a short time between the prime and the target, while negative priming effects (i.e., a congruent prime causes longer RTs) have been found with a long time between the prime and the target. In the current study, positive and negative priming effects were found using stimuli that have strong and weak representations, respectively, without changing the time between prime and target. A model was developed that fits our results. The model also fits a wide range of previous results in this area. In contrast to other approaches our model depends on attentional neuro-modulation not motor self-inhibition

Priming of Pop-Out Does not Affect the Shooting Line Illusion

We combined a shooting-line illusion with a visual search pop-out task in an effort to determine whether priming of pop-out was due to acceleratcd processing of visual information in the primed dimension. While the priming effect and the line-motion percept were replicated, the visual search task showed no influence on the perceived direction of line motion. These results indicate that the priming effect does not accelerate early visual processing.National Institutes of Health-National Eye Institute (EY05087, 49620-93-1-0407

Effects of Compensation Systems on Job Search Decisions: An Application of Person-Organization Fit

Past research has demonstrated the importance of pay level in job search and choice processes. Compensation policies other than pay level may have important effects on applicant attraction, yet there has been little research examining this possibility. The role of person-organization fit in job search and job choice decisions has also been supported. Because pay systems define an organization\u27s expectations and culture, they may be an important organizational attribute for individuals to compare with their needs and values; thus the corresponding level of fit between compensation policies and individuals\u27 dispositions may affect subsequent job search and choice decisions. Using several research methods and a sample of individuals currently involved in the interviewing process, this stugy examines both the main and interactive effects of various pay system attributes on job search. Resulting analyses primarily supported the hypotheses, suggesting that many facets of pay systems may have important effects on individuals\u27 job search and choice decisions

Feedback information and consumer motivation: The moderating role of positive and negative reference values in self-regulation

Marketers spend considerable resources to motivate people to consume their products and services as a means of goal attainment (Bagozzi and Dholakia, 1999). Why people increase, decrease, or stop consuming some products is based largely on how well they perceive they are doing in pursuit of their goals (Carver and Scheier, 1992). Yet despite the importance for marketers in understanding how current performance influences a consumer’s future efforts, this topic has received little attention in marketing research. Goal researchers generally agree that feedback about how well or how poorly people are doing in achieving their goals affects their motivation (Bandura and Cervone, 1986; Locke and Latham, 1990). Yet there is less agreement about whether positive and negative performance feedback increases or decreases future effort (Locke and Latham, 1990). For instance, while a customer of a gym might cancel his membership after receiving negative feedback about his fitness, the same negative feedback might cause another customer to visit the gym more often to achieve better results. A similar logic can apply to many products and services from the use of cosmetics to investing in mutual funds. The present research offers managers key insights into how to engage customers and keep them motivated. Given that connecting customers with the company is a top research priority for managers (Marketing Science Institute, 2006), this article provides suggestions for performance metrics including four questions that managers can use to apply the findings

The mechanism underlying backward priming in a lexical decision task: Spreading activation versus semantic matching

Koriat (1981) demonstrated that an association from the target to a preceding prime, in the absence of an association from the prime to the target, facilitates lexical decision and referred to this effect as "backward priming". Backward priming is of relevance, because it can provide information about the mechanism underlying semantic priming effects. Following Neely (1991), we distinguish three mechanisms of priming: spreading activation, expectancy, and semantic matching/integration. The goal was to determine which of these mechanisms causes backward priming, by assessing effects of backward priming on a language-relevant ERP component, the N400, and reaction time (RT). Based on previous work, we propose that the N400 priming effect reflects expectancy and semantic matching/integration, but in contrast with RT does not reflect spreading activation. Experiment 1 shows a backward priming effect that is qualitatively similar for the N400 and RT in a lexical decision task. This effect was not modulated by an ISI manipulation. Experiment 2 clarifies that the N400 backward priming effect reflects genuine changes in N400 amplitude and cannot be ascribed to other factors. We will argue that these backward priming effects cannot be due to expectancy but are best accounted for in terms of semantic matching/integration

Boundaries of Semantic Distraction: Dominance and Lexicality Act at Retrieval

Three experiments investigated memory for semantic information with the goal of determining boundary conditions for the manifestation of semantic auditory distraction. Irrelevant speech disrupted the free recall of semantic category-exemplars to an equal degree regardless of whether the speech coincided with presentation or test phases of the task (Experiment 1) and occurred regardless of whether it comprised random words or coherent sentences (Experiment 2). The effects of background speech were greater when the irrelevant speech was semantically related to the to-be-remembered material, but only when the irrelevant words were high in output dominance (Experiment 3). The implications of these findings in relation to the processing of task material and the processing of background speech is discussed