Exploring cognition in visual search and vigilance tasks with eye tracking and pupillometry

Recent findings in experimental psychology suggest that pupillometry, the measurement of pupil size, can provide insight into cognitive processes associated with effort and target detection in visual search tasks and monitoring performance in vigilance tasks. With the increasing availability, affordability and flexibility of video-based eye tracking hardware, these experimental findings point to lucrative practical applications such as real-time biobehavioural monitoring systems to assist with socially important tasks in operational settings. The aim of the current thesis was to explore this potential with further experimental work paying close attention to methodological issues which complicate cognitive interpretations of pupillary responses, such as physical stimulus confounds and eye movement-related measurement error in video-based systems. Six original experiments were designed to specifically explore the relationship between pupil size, cognition and behavioural performance in classic visual search and vigilance paradigms. Experiments 1-2 examined the pupillometric effects of effort and target detection in visual search with briefly presented stimuli. Pupil responses showed small variability with respect to manipulations of set size and target presence but were influenced substantially by the requirement for a motor response. Experiments 3-4 explored the cognitive pupil dynamics of free-viewing visual search with data-driven correction for eye movement artefacts. Group-level averages revealed small transient pupil dilations following fixations on targets but not distractors, an effect which was not contingent on a motor response or correction for gaze position artefacts. Experiments 5-6 looked at the relationship between pupil size and detection performance measures in two types of vigilance task. Changes in baseline and stimulus-evoked pupil responses loosely mirrored changes in performance, but the relationships were neither linear nor consistent. Overall, the thesis affirms the practical potential for using cognitive pupillometry in research and applied settings, but emphasises the constraints arising from methodological and theoretical limitations

Effective primary pedagogical strategies in English and mathematics in key stage 2: a study of year 5 classroom practice drawn from the EPPSE 3-16 longitudinal study

Reference:DFE-RR129 Publication Type: Research Audience: Researchers, Statisticians, Teachers The Effective Provision of Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) project is a large scale, longitudinal, mixed-method research study that has followed the progress of 3000+ children since 1997 from the age of 3 to 16+ years. A continuing question for EPPSE was whether pre- and primary school experiences or children's early home learning environment (HLE) could reduce inequality. The study aimed to examine the differences between poor, average and excellent teachers, and how their teaching practices could be linked to the effectiveness of schools. While the original studies found that parents' socio-economic status (SES) and qualifications were significantly related to child outcomes, they also found that the quality of the early HLE was important. Also important, and particularly relevant to this study, was the extent to which educational influences (pre-school and primary school quality and effectiveness) also shaped children’s educational outcomes. During the primary phase (EPPE 3-11) of the longitudinal study the research team conducted contextualised, value-added analyses for all primary schools in England across three years (2002 – 2004) from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. These analyses, based on multi-level modelling, considered children’s progress and attainment while controlling for a range of background factors (e.g. gender)

Constructions of higher ability in two maintained and two independent schools

This research is an exploration of constructions of ability, especially `greater ability' within four Maintained and Independent case study schools in Scotland, from a variety of group perspectives. It seeks to illuminate the commonalties and differences between and within schools in individuals' implicit theories of ability and explores the possible implications of such constructs. An analysis of policy and political debate provided the starting point for this research. This led into the empirical work in four case study schools. Data were gathered from semi structured interviews with headteachers, principal teachers of English, Maths, Art and music, class teachers, parents and pupils. In addition, non-participant observation took place for each subject area and class. Multiple perspectives helped to create meaningful layers of perceptions of ability while also making it possible to analyse the complexity of values and beliefs within each class and school. The research found that there were distinctions to be made between schools in both sectors which reflected contrasting viewpoints, echoing `communitarian concerns' and the `culture of self interest' (Ball, 1997). However, the experiences, judgements and choices of individuals presented a more complex pattern in which contradictory beliefs could lead to experiences of dissonance in maintained schools and highlighted the importance of the negotiated ability constructs being brought to bear by individuals within institutions

A series of trainings for paraprofessionals : instructional strategies for supporting students with autism spectrum disorder

The purpose of this thesis project was to evaluate the effectiveness of research-based instructional strategies to determine what materials, in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), should be included in a training series for paraprofessionals working with students with ASD. With the prevalence of ASD increasing, it is imperative that paraprofessionals have effective tools and instructional strategies to support students with ASD in general and special education classrooms. Four training modules were created in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Applied Behavior Analysis: 1) background information on ASD and ABA, 2) antecedent instructional strategies, 3) reinforcement and 4) self-management. One of the training modules was field-tested with a group of paraprofessionals and feedback was provided. This project supports the feasibility of developing a series of trainings for paraprofessionals in the use of instructional strate gies based in ABA for students with ASD

A Grant Proposal for the Effects of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response on Sleep Quality in Older Adults

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), first coined by Jennifer Allen in 2010, is a term used to describe an automatic emotional and physiological response to certain auditory and visual stimuli. This sensory phenomenon is characterized by feelings of pleasure, calmness and a tingling sensation down the scalp and back (Poerio, 2020). What originally started out as a phenomenon some people experience in everyday life evolved into an internationally recognized and sought-after media made available on a variety of platforms including YouTube. ASMR’s popularity may be attributed to its reported sleep, relaxation, and mood improvements in younger adults (Barratt and Davis, 2015). Sleep Disturbances are particularly prevalent in the elderly, especially amongst nursing home and assisted living facility residents. This is a growing concern considering how instrumental sleep is to daily functioning and the detrimental effects poor sleep can have on people’s health. Poor sleep in older adults is associated with chronic stress, increased morbidity, and lower quality of life (MacLeod, S. et al. 2018).Taken together, this project hopes to explore the effects of ASMR on the sleep quality of older adults living in assisted living facilities, using younger adults as a comparison. The open questions I hope to explore in this study are: how do older adults who have little to no exposure to ASMR or preconceived notions about ASMR experience ASMR? Could ASMR experience and sensitivity be attributed to a placebo effect? Furthermore, how does ASMR experience change over one’s lifetime? I plan on conducting a norming study in which participants aged 65 and up are presented with three ASMR videos and asked to provide feedback on the videos in a survey format. The results of the norming study will inform a grant proposal looking at the effects of ASMR vs. a control video on the sleep quality of residents of assisted living facilities and college students. Participants will be presented an ASMR and a control video before bed, and their sleep quality and ASMR experience will be measured using the Oura Ring Generation 3 and the ASMR-15. I predict there to be a significant effect of the ASMR video on the sleep quality and ASMR experience of younger adults. In addition, I predict there to be a significant effect of the control video on the sleep quality and ASMR experience of older adults

An Examination of the Effects of Increased Response Requirement and Delay on Reinforcer Selection.

This study examined the effect that increased response requirement, or effort, (Study 1) and delay to reinforcement (Study 2) have on reinforcer selection and response allocation. A reinforcer assessment using a token system was conducted within the classroom setting to determine high and low preference stimuli. The independent variable (effort or delay) was systematically manipulated for high preference stimuli. The results for eight participants indicated that increased levels of effort and delay independently influenced reinforcer preference and response allocation. The results revealed highly idiosyncratic responding to the different levels of the independent variables. The findings for increased response requirement are also discussed in behavioral economic terms

Young children\u27s collaborative interactions in an educational computer environment

This study investigated the collaborative interaction patterns exhibited by five-year old pre-primary children in an educational computer environment. The case study method was used in one pre-primary centre in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, to examine the patterns of collaborative interaction among young children whilst engaged with the computer. The one event case study was of the interactions exhibited by pre-primary children whilst engaged, in dyads, with the computer within a naturalistic classroom environment. This study involved three phases of data collection. Phase I consisted of observations and videotaping sessions, compilation of written observations, narrative descriptions and relevant field notes on each participant. To assess the children\u27s current social skills and computer competence and their general social interaction with peers, the researcher interviewed the children and their teacher using a semi-structured interview schedule to guide the discussion. Phase IT comprised reviewing and transcribing the videotapes and coding children\u27s interactions, while Phase III consisted of analysing all the data obtained. Both observational comments and descriptions and data analyses were presented with anecdotes. 243 interactions were identified and classified into 16 interaction patterns. They were: directing partner\u27s actions; self-monitor/repetition; providing information; declarative planning; asking for information/explanation; disagreeing with partner; accepting guidance; terminal response; exclaiming; correcting others; defending competence; showing pleasure; showing displeasure; sharing control; defending control; and suggesting ideas. Frequency of occurrence of identified interactions was analysed in the form of descriptive statistics. Factors facilitating the collaborative interaction of children whilst engaged with the computer activities were found to be: developmental appropriateness of the software; preexisting computer competency between children; children\u27s preexisting positive attitude towards computer; mutual friendship between collaborators; children\u27s social goals; appropriate structure of enjoyable learning environment; mutual understanding of turn-taking system; and positive non-isolated physical settings of the computer environment. Factors inhibiting collaborative interaction were identified as: non-developmentally appropriate software; lack of computer competency between children; negative attitude (on the part of both children and teacher) towards computer and learning; sense of competition between collaborators; social goals of each child; inappropriate structure to promote enjoyable learning environment; no mutual understanding of turn-taking system; and isolate physical settings of the computer environment. Associated with the findings were three major variables: (1) the classroom teacher variable (philosophy and educational beliefs, task-structure and computer management); (2) the software variable (developmentally appropriateness, content, design, and programmed task-structure); and (3) the child variable (computer competency and attitude towards computer, social goals, social skills, and personal relationship with collaborators). By identifying the collaborative interactions of children, and factors that may facilitate or inhibit these interactions, early childhood educators will be in a better position to integrate the computer into their classroom and to promote positive prosocial interaction among children whilst engaged at the computer. In general, findings suggest that computers should be integrated into all early childhood classrooms and afforded the same status as other traditional early childhood learning materials and activities

An observational study of teachers' expectancy effects and their mediating mechanisms on students in physical education activity classes

The purpose of this study was to identify specific and differential teacher behaviors that affect student behavior based on Rosenthal's Four Factor Theory (1974). Rosenthal's four variables included Climate, Feedback, Output and Input. An additional variable, Touch, was included as a fifth factor. These variables were used to identify teachers' differential treatment of students according to the teachers' expectations, and to identify students' differential responses according to the teachers' expectations (high or low). Four different physical education activity classes were selected for observational study. Teachers were asked to rank their students (total group in each class) in order of their physical achievement or skill potential. The rankings were used as the criterion measure of the teachers' expectations for their students' performance in physical education. Three judges, trained in the use of the Brophy and Good Interaction Analysis System (1969), observed 96 (24 students from each class) junior high school students on six separate days within a two-week period. Forty-eight of the students were designated as high achievers and 48 of the students were designated as low achievers

The effects of expectancy and parenthood on observations by parents

With the move from clinical settings to the "natural" environment, parents have become mediators of behavioral change with their children. In this role, parents often serve as both experimenters and observers. The present study investigated some of the parameters of parental observations such as sex of parent, reliability, effects of expectancy, and effects of parenthood. Four sets of parents were trained on a six-category behavioral code via video tape. Parents then observed four, equivalent (equal number of positive and negative behaviors) 10-minute video tapes, each tape being a different child and a different condition. The four conditions used were: positive expectancy, negative expectancy, neutral, and own-child. Given the small amount of training in observations (one hour), the parents proved to be reliable observers — mean reliability of .79. There were no significant effects on the observational data due to sex of parent nor expectancy

A qualitative study of classroom teacher practices with English as a second language students

While there are multiple studies relating to the ESL specialist, the area of classroom teachers\u27 practices in teaching ESL students is largely unexplored. It was the intention of this research to examine the adaptations, and accommodations made by classroom teachers when they have an ESL student in their classroom. The intent of the researcher was to uncover, through interview and observation, what actually occurs in these mainstream classes to facilitate learning for ESL students. The analysis of the interviews revealed rich information about the classroom teacher\u27s uses of those methods, which are effective with first language students, with the ESL students in her classroom. The conclusions of the study were that primary teachers in Knox County are using a variety of successful strategies with the ESL students in their classrooms; that primary classrooms are well suited for teaching ESL students because of the language focus of the curriculum; that the classroom teacher is a vital part of the language instruction team; and that classroom teachers need encouragement and assistance when teaching ESL students in their classrooms. The study concluded with recommendations for future study. The researcher recommended continuation of qualitative studies using interviews and observations in a variety of settings. In addition several recommendations were made for quantitative research concerning acculturation, parental support, attitudes toward learning a second language, learning leaps, curriculum design and testing