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Secondary Task (secondary + task)
Selected AbstractsMajority versus minority influence: the role of message processing in determining resistance to counter-persuasionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Robin Martin Two experiments examined the extent to which attitudes changed following majority and minority influence are resistant to counter-persuasion. In both experiments participants' attitudes were measured after being exposed to two messages, delayed in time, which argued opposite positions (initial message and counter-message). In the first experiment, attitudes following minority endorsement of the initial message were more resistant to a second counter-message only when the initial message contained strong versus weak arguments. Attitudes changed following majority influence did not resist the second counter-message and returned to their pre-test level. Experiment 2 varied whether memory was warned (i.e., message recipients expected to recall the message) or not, to manipulate message processing. When memory was warned, which should increase message processing, attitudes changed following both majority and minority influence resisted the second counter-message. The results support the view that minority influence instigates systematic processing of its arguments, leading to attitudes that resist counter-persuasion. Attitudes formed following majority influence yield to counter-persuasion unless there is a secondary task that encourages message processing. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Susceptibility of spatial and verbal working memory to demands of the central executive1JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004HIROHITO KONDO Abstract:, We used a dual-task paradigm to examine the degree to which domain-specific spatial and verbal subsystems depend on the domain-general central executive. Forty participants were asked to retain spatial or verbal information while performing a concurrent secondary task related to simple arithmetic. The secondary tasks consisted of three cognitive processes: single-digit addition, a digit-carrying operation, and digit reading. The single-digit addition and carry operation include central executive functioning, while digit reading relies solely on the phonological loop. The single-digit addition caused a performance decrement on the spatial working memory task, while the digit reading impaired performance on the verbal working memory task. The carry operation interfered with recall accuracy on both working memory tasks. The spatial working memory task was significantly correlated with the verbal working memory task only when the secondary task was more demanding on the central executive. Our results suggest that spatial working memory rather than verbal working memory is susceptible to failure of central executive functioning and that the central executive plays an important role in regulating the cognitive demands of different domains. [source] Revisiting search task difficulty: Behavioral and individual difference measuresPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Jacek Gwizdka Search task characteristics are recognized as important factors that affect search process and its outcomes. We examine the relationships among operational measures of searcher's behavior, individual cognitive differences, subjective task difficulty and mental effort assessed by dual-task performance. A web-based information study was conduced in a controlled experimental setting. Forty eight study participants performed six search tasks of varying type and structure. Subjective task difficulty was found to be influenced by the searcher's effort measured as the number of result pages and individual documents visited, the number of documents marked as relevant, as well as by individual cognitive differences, and mental effort assessed by performance on the secondary task. In contrast to previous studies, no strong effects of user navigation graph structure were found. [source] The effect of stimulus probability on P3 in the respiratory-related evoked potentialPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Kate E. Webster The present study investigated the effect of target stimulus probability on the P3 component of the respiratory-related evoked potential (RREP). A single respiratory stimulus paradigm was employed where normal breaths served as standard stimuli and occluded breaths presented at various probability levels served as target stimuli. EEG was recorded from 29 channels in young adults in two conditions. In Condition 1, occlusions were presented at target probabilities of 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05, that is, every 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, and 20th breath. Order of target probability presentation varied randomly. Condition 2 used the same target probabilities, but held breathing rate constant by using a paced respiration task. Results indicated that P3 amplitude was significantly affected by stimulus probability, such that the component showed an inverse relationship with probability. This effect was similar between conditions. However, P3 amplitude reduced and latency increased when the secondary task of paced respiration was introduced. These data suggest that models developed to describe the effect of stimulus probability on the amplitude of visual and auditory P3 components are applicable to the respiratory somatosensory modality. [source] Counting during recall: Taxing of working memory and reduced vividness and emotionality of negative memoriesAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Marcel A. van den Hout While initially subject to debate, meta-analyses have shown that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is effective in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Earlier studies showed that eye movements during retrieval of emotional memories reduce their vividness and emotionality, which may be due to both tasks competing for limited working memory (WM) resources. This study examined whether another secondary task that taxes WM has beneficial effects, and whether the stronger the taxing, the stronger the reductions in vividness/adversity. A reaction time (RT) paradigm showed that counting backwards requires WM resources, and that more complex counting is more demanding than simple counting. Relative to a retrieval-only condition, counting during retrieval of emotional memories reduced vividness and emotionality during later recall of these memories. However, the counting conditions did not differ in the magnitude of this reduction, and did not show the predicted dose-response relationship. Implications for a working-memory explanation of EMDR and for clinical practice are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of Alcohol on Performance on a Distraction Task During Simulated DrivingALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009Allyssa J. Allen Background:, Prior studies report that accidents involving intoxicated drivers are more likely to occur during performance of secondary tasks. We studied this phenomenon, using a dual-task paradigm, involving performance of a visual oddball (VO) task while driving in an alcohol challenge paradigm. Previous functional MRI (fMRI) studies of the VO task have shown activation in the anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Thus, we predicted dose-dependent decreases in activation of these areas during VO performance. Methods:, Forty healthy social drinkers were administered 3 different doses of alcohol, individually tailored to their gender and weight. Participants performed a VO task while operating a virtual reality driving simulator in a 3T fMRI scanner. Results:, Analysis showed a dose-dependent linear decrease in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent activation during task performance, primarily in hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal areas, with the least activation occurring during the high dose. Behavioral analysis showed a dose-dependent linear increase in reaction time, with no effects associated with either correct hits or false alarms. In all dose conditions, driving speed decreased significantly after a VO stimulus. However, at the high dose this decrease was significantly less. Passenger-side line crossings significantly increased at the high dose. Conclusions:, These results suggest that driving impairment during secondary task performance may be associated with alcohol-related effects on the above brain regions, which are involved with attentional processing/decision-making. Drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations may be less able to orient or detect novel or sudden stimuli during driving. [source] Deep brain stimulation and medication for parkinsonian tremor during secondary tasksMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2007Molly M. Sturman PhD Abstract This study examined the efficacy of subthalamic nucleus (STN), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and medication for resting tremor during performance of secondary tasks. Hand tremor was recorded using accelerometry and electromyography (EMG) from 10 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and ten matched control subjects. The PD subjects were examined off treatment, on STN DBS, on medication, and on STN DBS plus medication. In the first experiment, tremor was recorded in a quiet condition and during a cognitive task designed to enhance tremor. In the second experiment, tremor was recorded in a quiet condition and during isometric finger flexion (motor task) with the contralateral limb at 5% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) that was designed to suppress tremor. Results showed that: (1) STN DBS and medication reduced tremor during a cognitive task that exacerbated tremor, (2) STN DBS normalized tremor frequency in both the quiet and cognitive task conditions, whereas tremor amplitude was only normalized in the quiet condition, (3) a secondary motor task reduced tremor in a similar manner to STN DBS. These findings demonstrate that STN DBS still suppresses tremor in the presence of a cognitive task. Furthermore, a secondary motor task of the opposite limb suppresses tremor to levels comparable to STN DBS. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society [source] Surface-structure transformations and advertising slogans: The case for moderate syntactic complexityPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 7-8 2002Samuel D. Bradley Since its introduction in 1957, Noam Chomsky's theory of transformational grammar has been the subject of much psycholinguistic research. Through several metamorphoses, the theory has remained controversial as to whether it represents how the mind actually processes language. Psycholinguists have studied this area over several decades. Syntactic structure has been studied in terms of recall and effects on reaction time to secondary tasks, but little is known about syntactic structure and attitude formation. Advertising researchers have looked at the effects of many types of complexity (e.g., semantic and visual), but few have investigated the effects of syntactic complexity on attitude formation. This study used a within-subjects experiment to examine how surface-structure transformations affected readers' comprehension, recognition, recall, and attitudes toward slogans. As expected, syntactic complexity did not affect the comprehension of advertising slogans, but simple-syntax versions,especially the active voice,showed an advantage in recognition. Slogans with moderate syntactic complexity showed a significant positive effect on free morphemic recall and attitude toward the advertisement, but a high degree of syntactic manipulations resulted in significantly lower free morphemic recall and attitudes toward the ad, suggesting a possible curvilinear relationship. These findings and implications for advertising professionals and educators are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 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