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- Title
- Examining presence and influence of linguistic characteristics in the Twitter discourse surrounding the women's right to drive movement in Saudi Arabia.
- Creator
-
Sahly, Abdulsamad, Kinnally, William, Neuberger, Lindsay, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been popular tools for social and political movements in non-democratic societies in which traditional media outlets are under government control. Activists in Saudi Arabia, particularly women, have launched several campaigns through social media to demand the right to drive for women. This study used framing theory as the foundation for looking at the degree to which cognitive, emotion, and religious or moral language has been used to...
Show moreSocial media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been popular tools for social and political movements in non-democratic societies in which traditional media outlets are under government control. Activists in Saudi Arabia, particularly women, have launched several campaigns through social media to demand the right to drive for women. This study used framing theory as the foundation for looking at the degree to which cognitive, emotion, and religious or moral language has been used to frame discussion of this issue on Twitter. Additionally, this study observed the relationship between these linguistic attributes in Twitter and retweeting behavior to understand the characteristics of the discourse that relate to the potential influence of the message. The results suggested that, within the sociopolitical discussion in social media, cognitive language was expressed the most often, particularly insight and causation language. The results also suggested that tweets containing cognitive language are more likely to be retweeted than those with emotion language. However, among the components of cognitive and emotion language, anger was the strongest specific predictor of retweeting behavior. The implications of the presence of linguistic attributes and their relationship to retweeting behavior and suggestions for future communication research within the context of social and political movements are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006386, ucf:51535
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006386
- Title
- Explicit Feedback Within Game-Based Training: Examining the Influence of Source Modality Effects on Interaction.
- Creator
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Goldberg, Benjamin, Bowers, Clint, Cannon-Bowers, Janis, Kincaid, John, McDaniel, Thomas, Sottilare, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research aims to enhance Simulation-Based Training (SBT) applications to support training events in the absence of live instruction. The overarching purpose is to explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and to examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research was the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a...
Show moreThis research aims to enhance Simulation-Based Training (SBT) applications to support training events in the absence of live instruction. The overarching purpose is to explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and to examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research was the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a modular domain-independent architecture that provides the tools and methods to author, deliver, and evaluate intelligent tutoring technologies within any training platform. Influenced by research surrounding Social Cognitive Theory and Cognitive Load Theory, the resulting experiment tested varying approaches for utilizing an Embodied Pedagogical Agent (EPA) to function as a tutor during interaction in a game-based environment. Conditions were authored to assess the tradeoffs between embedding an EPA directly in a game, embedding an EPA in GIFT's browser-based Tutor-User Interface (TUI), or using audio prompts alone with no social grounding.The resulting data supports the application of using an EPA embedded in GIFT's TUI to provide explicit feedback during a game-based learning event. Analyses revealed conditions with an EPA situated in the TUI to be as effective as embedding the agent directly in the game environment. This inference is based on evidence showing reliable differences across conditions on the metrics of performance and self-reported mental demand and feedback usefulness items. This research provides source modality tradeoffs linked to tactics for relaying training relevant explicit information to a user based on real-time performance in a game.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004850, ucf:49696
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004850
- Title
- EXAMINING INSTANT MESSAGING IMPACT ON LEARNING USING AN INTEGRATED WORKED-EXAMPLE FORMAT.
- Creator
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Nasah, Angelique, Hirumi, Atsusi, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Instant messaging with Internet-based software is a ubiquitous form of communication in industrialized nations. In fact, many educators are observing that students engage with instant messaging while simultaneously engaged in academic activity. Though this type of multitasking is pervasive, educational researchers have not examined how the practice of instant messaging impacts learning outcomes. This dissertation describes the background, empirical and theoretical foundations, methods and...
Show moreInstant messaging with Internet-based software is a ubiquitous form of communication in industrialized nations. In fact, many educators are observing that students engage with instant messaging while simultaneously engaged in academic activity. Though this type of multitasking is pervasive, educational researchers have not examined how the practice of instant messaging impacts learning outcomes. This dissertation describes the background, empirical and theoretical foundations, methods and results of a study examining the impact of instant messaging activity on learning, where instant messaging and learning are simultaneous activities. The question posed is grounded in the related areas of instant messaging practices, the Generation M profile, Cognitive Load Theory, and integration of instant messaging in K-16 classrooms. This work presents empirical evidence pointing out the necessity of conducting empirical study regarding how instant messaging activity might impact learning. Quantitative methods used to conduct the study are presented including data collection instruments. The results of the study are discussed in broad terms related to Generation M and Cognitive Load Theory. Methodological limitations related to practice opportunities for the research sample as well as the performance measure used are detailed. In addition, implications of the results in relationship to those teaching members of Generation M in K-16 classrooms as well as those designing instruction for this population are discussed. The discussion concludes with recommendations for further research in this area.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002113, ucf:47540
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002113
- Title
- THE EFFECT OF COGNITIVE STYLES UPON THE COMPLETION OF A VISUALLY-ORIENTED COMPONENT OF ONLINE INSTRUCTION.
- Creator
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Lee, Jia-Ling, Orwig, Gary, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study was designed to examine whether a person's prepositioned cognitive style influenced learning achievement in a visually-oriented task for an online learning environment in higher education. Field dependence-independence was used to identify individuals' cognitive styles. A true experimental study was conducted in the fall 2005 term at the University of Central Florida. This researcher followed Dwyer and Moore's research (1991, 2002) and divided learners into three groups (field...
Show moreThis study was designed to examine whether a person's prepositioned cognitive style influenced learning achievement in a visually-oriented task for an online learning environment in higher education. Field dependence-independence was used to identify individuals' cognitive styles. A true experimental study was conducted in the fall 2005 term at the University of Central Florida. This researcher followed Dwyer and Moore's research (1991, 2002) and divided learners into three groups (field dependent [FD], field neutral [FN], and the field independent [FI] students). Eighty-three preservice teachers participated in this study; the data from 52 of the FD and the FI participants were analyzed to answer research questions. The findings in this study supported those in the literature review; students from both FD and FI cognitive styles performed equally well in online learning environments. In addition, for providing introductory-level instruction on visually-oriented tasks in an online learning environment, instructions which emphasized an FD approach benefited both FI and FD students in their knowledge-based learning achievement. In this approach, extra cues and sequence of content might have been the reasons that students had higher scores on their knowledge-based learning achievement and satisfaction levels. The findings of this study also indicated that students could demonstrate higher performance-based learning achievement if they had more experiences on the subject matter and higher knowledge-based learning achievement if they felt the instructions were easy to follow and the workload of the module was manageable. Based on the findings and conclusions, the recommendations are: (1) A larger sample size is needed to generalize the findings of the study; (2) In this study, student-to-student and teacher-to-student interactions might affect students' learning achievement. Future studies should consider those interactions as factors and examine their effect on students' learning achievement.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001094, ucf:46773
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001094
- Title
- INTERSECTIONAL INVISIBILITY: A COMPARISON AMONG CAUCASIAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, AND LATINO MEN AND WOMEN.
- Creator
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Reeves, De'Siree, Chin, Matthew, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The objective of this thesis was to investigate intersectional (categorical/social) invisibility and the extent to which this phenomenon occurs in a comparison of dominant (i.e., Caucasian), and non-dominant (African-American and Latino) social/ethnic groups. It has been found that intersectional invisibility occurs among African-American women with respect to Caucasian men and women, and African American men (Sesko & Biernat, 2010), but little of this research has been done regarding Latinas...
Show moreThe objective of this thesis was to investigate intersectional (categorical/social) invisibility and the extent to which this phenomenon occurs in a comparison of dominant (i.e., Caucasian), and non-dominant (African-American and Latino) social/ethnic groups. It has been found that intersectional invisibility occurs among African-American women with respect to Caucasian men and women, and African American men (Sesko & Biernat, 2010), but little of this research has been done regarding Latinas. Thus, this experiment aims to not only examine whether Latinas are also subject to intersectional invisibility among dominant (i.e., Caucasian) and non-dominant (i.e., African American and/or Latino) groups, but to determine whether the theory can be extended to perceptions between non-dominant groups such as African-Americans and Latinos. Determining whether intersectional invisibility occurs among Latinas, moreover, may provide theoretical and practical insights of what advantages/disadvantages Latinas may particularly endure as members of the rapidly growing Latino population in the U.S.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004819, ucf:45436
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004819
- Title
- Touching the Unreal: The Definition, Narrative Strategies, and Aesthetics of 3D Cartoon Narratives.
- Creator
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Snow, Nathan, Mauer, Barry, Applen, JD, Grajeda, Anthony, Larsen, Darl, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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(")Touching the Unreal(") follows the structure set out by Scott McCloudin Understanding Comics to argue that understanding cartoons is serious business and requires that we define the art form, outline its basic tenets, and theorize how the mind understands it. The dissertation argues for a new definition of 3D computer generated cartoons, beginning with the most basic definition applicable to all forms of animation and taking into account new technological developments before arriving at...
Show more(")Touching the Unreal(") follows the structure set out by Scott McCloudin Understanding Comics to argue that understanding cartoons is serious business and requires that we define the art form, outline its basic tenets, and theorize how the mind understands it. The dissertation argues for a new definition of 3D computer generated cartoons, beginning with the most basic definition applicable to all forms of animation and taking into account new technological developments before arriving at the 3D cartoon narratives of today. The dissertation outlines the basic facets of 3D cartoon narratives in terms of narrative and aesthetics, arguing that, in spite of the technological changes required to produce the art form, narrative strategies have not changed significantly from 2D to 3D cartoon narratives. Rather, the 3D cartoon narrative aesthetic is focused primarily on synthetic, sculptural materiality to create a tactile, haptic viewing experience unavailable in any other form of animation. The dissertation advances theories of how the mind understands 3D cartoon narratives, starting with how these films guide the spectator to pre-determined conclusions based on character identification, flow theory, and mirror-neuron cognition. As a result of their narrative, aesthetics, and reception, these films constitute a new form of posthumanism and operate as a node in the modern viewer's web of distributed cognition, enchanting viewers through the ability to touch the unreal, synthetic images common to the modern world. (")Touching the Unreal(") contributes to the media field by providing a definition for 3D computer animation in all of its facets as genre, narrative, aesthetics, and ideology.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007101, ucf:51962
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007101
- Title
- Counselor education students' ethnic identity and social-cognitive development: Effects of a multicultural self-awareness group experience.
- Creator
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Johnson, Jennifer, Lambie, Glenn, Daire, Andrew, Young, Mark, Hopp, Carolyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The present study investigated the impact of a multicultural self-awareness personal growth group on counselor education students (n = 94) and group leaders (n = 10) and their ethnic identity development scores, social-cognitive maturity levels, and presence of group therapeutic factors. Findings from the study identified no statistically significant differences in ethnic identity development and social-cognitive maturity scores between treatment group and comparison group participants, or as...
Show moreThe present study investigated the impact of a multicultural self-awareness personal growth group on counselor education students (n = 94) and group leaders (n = 10) and their ethnic identity development scores, social-cognitive maturity levels, and presence of group therapeutic factors. Findings from the study identified no statistically significant differences in ethnic identity development and social-cognitive maturity scores between treatment group and comparison group participants, or as a result of multiple measurements throughout the semester. However, a statistically significant effect was identified for time (pre-test, M = 91.94, SD = 5.33; mid-semester, M = 90.32, SD = 6.43; post-test, M = 91.18, SD = 6.36) on social-cognitive maturity TPR scores for treatment group participants, Wilk's Lambda = .90, F (2, 63) = 3.39, p = .04, ?(&)#178; = .10. In addition, positive correlations were identified between ethnic identity development scores and group therapeutic factors in students participating in the multicultural personal growth groups: (a) Instillation of Hope, n = 63, r = .43, p = .00 (18.5% of the variance explained); (b) Secure Emotional Expression, n = 63, r = .39, p = .00 (15.2% of the variance explained); (c) Awareness of Relational Impact, n = 63, r = .47, p = .00 (22.1% of the variance explained); and (d) Social Learning, n = 63, r = .46, p = .00 (21.2% of the variance explained. Furthermore, a discussion of implications for counselor education and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) with graduate students are included.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004257, ucf:49528
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004257
- Title
- EVALUATING AN ONLINE PERSONALIZED FAMILY-BASED INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHANGES.
- Creator
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Hayes, Sharon, Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The current study evaluated the initial feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of a motivationally-tailored family-based intervention designed to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors associated with physical activity and nutrition. Parents (N=132) of children 6 to 11 years old were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition, and they completed a series of online questionnaires. Intervention participants (n=61) received a single motivationally-tailored feedback...
Show moreThe current study evaluated the initial feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of a motivationally-tailored family-based intervention designed to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors associated with physical activity and nutrition. Parents (N=132) of children 6 to 11 years old were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition, and they completed a series of online questionnaires. Intervention participants (n=61) received a single motivationally-tailored feedback report via e-mail. Control participants (n=71) completed measures and immediately received information about a free online resource that provides information about healthy lifestyle behaviors (www.mypyramid.gov). Feasibility data indicate that an online feedback program has high dissemination potential (parents from 31 states participated). However, the current methodology is not sufficient in reaching families who are at greatest risk for developing chronic health conditions associated with obesity or low activity level. In general, the intervention was acceptable to parents. Outcome data revealed that the intervention and control groups did not differ significantly on most variables at one month follow-up. Exploratory analyses provided additional evidence for the importance of including parents and targeting parent-child interactions in the context of pediatric nutrition and physical activity interventions. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003359, ucf:48438
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003359
- Title
- The Effects of Synchronous Online Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing for Students with Learning Disabilities.
- Creator
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Straub, Carrie, Vasquez, Eleazar, Wienke, Wilfred, Dieker, Lisa, Kaplan, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study investigates the effects of self-regulated strategy development (Harris, Graham, (&) Mason, 2009) for cognitive strategy instruction in persuasive writing (POW+TREE) using a synchronous online learning environment for special education students. Participants are four adolescent students with learning disabilities (LD) with low achievement in writing. One undergraduate research assistant delivered instruction using a synchronous online platform (e.g., Adobe Connect) in conjunction...
Show moreThis study investigates the effects of self-regulated strategy development (Harris, Graham, (&) Mason, 2009) for cognitive strategy instruction in persuasive writing (POW+TREE) using a synchronous online learning environment for special education students. Participants are four adolescent students with learning disabilities (LD) with low achievement in writing. One undergraduate research assistant delivered instruction using a synchronous online platform (e.g., Adobe Connect) in conjunction with collaborative writing software (e.g., Google Docs word processing). A multiple probe across participants design was used to demonstrate a functional relationship between instruction and number of essay elements (EE). Number of correct minus incorrect word sequences (CIWS) was used as a secondary dependent measure. A non-experimental pre-post design was used to compare the mean performance of holistic writing quality scores and standard scores from the TOWL-3. All four participants gained EE and CIWS from baseline to treatment and demonstrated standard score changes from pre to post-test on the TOWL-3. Implications for writing instruction for students with LD using online learning environments are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004606, ucf:49937
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004606
- Title
- Tailoring Instruction to the individual: Investigating the Utility of Trainee Aptitudes for use in Adaptive Training.
- Creator
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Landsberg, Carla, Mouloua, Mustapha, Bowers, Clint, Neider, Mark, Van Buskirk, Wendi, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Computer-based training has become more prolific as the military and private businessenterprises search for more efficient ways to deliver training. However, some methods ofcomputer-based training are not more effective than traditional classroom methods. Onetechnique that may be able to approximate the most effective form of training, one-on-onetutoring, is Adaptive Training (AT). AT techniques use instruction that is tailored to the learnerin some way, and can adjust different training...
Show moreComputer-based training has become more prolific as the military and private businessenterprises search for more efficient ways to deliver training. However, some methods ofcomputer-based training are not more effective than traditional classroom methods. Onetechnique that may be able to approximate the most effective form of training, one-on-onetutoring, is Adaptive Training (AT). AT techniques use instruction that is tailored to the learnerin some way, and can adjust different training parameters such as difficulty, feedback, pace, anddelivery mode.There are many ways to adapt training to the learner, and in this study I exploredadapting the feedback provided to trainees based on spatial ability in line with Cognitive LoadTheory (CLT). In line with the CLT expertise reversal effect literature I hypothesized that for aspatial task, higher ability trainees would perform better when they were given less feedback.Alternately, I hypothesized that lower ability trainees would perform better during training whenthey were given more support via feedback. This study also compared two different adaptationapproaches. The first approach, called the ATI approach, adapts feedback based on a premeasuredability. In this case, it was spatial ability. The second approach, called the Hybridapproach adapts initially based on ability, but then based on performance later in training. Ihypothesized that participants who received Hybrid adaptive training would perform better.The study employed a 2(spatial ability; high, low) X 2(feedback; matched, mismatched)X 2 (approach; ATI, Hybrid) between-subjects design in which participants were randomlyassigned to one of the eight conditions. Ninety-two participants completed a submarine-basedperiscope operator task that was visual and spatial in nature. ivThe results of the study did not support the use of CLT-derived adaptation based onspatial ability; contrary to what was hypothesized, higher ability participants who received morefeedback performed better than those who received less. Similarly, lower ability participantswho received less feedback performed better than those who received more. While notsignificant, results suggested there may be some benefit to using the Hybrid approach, but moreresearch is needed to determine the relative effectiveness of this approach.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005646, ucf:50191
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005646
- Title
- Do programs designed to train working memory, other executive functions, and attention benefit children with ADHD? A meta-analytic review of cognitive, academic, and behavioral outcomes.
- Creator
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Orban, Sarah, Rapport, Mark, Beidel, Deborah, Cassisi, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Children with ADHD are characterized frequently as possessing underdeveloped executive functions and sustained attentional abilities, and recent commercial claims suggest that computer-based cognitive training can remediate these impairments and provide significant and lasting improvement in their attention, impulse control, social functioning, academic performance, and complex reasoning skills. The present review critically evaluates these claims through meta-analysis of 25 studies of...
Show moreChildren with ADHD are characterized frequently as possessing underdeveloped executive functions and sustained attentional abilities, and recent commercial claims suggest that computer-based cognitive training can remediate these impairments and provide significant and lasting improvement in their attention, impulse control, social functioning, academic performance, and complex reasoning skills. The present review critically evaluates these claims through meta-analysis of 25 studies of facilitative intervention training (i.e., cognitive training) for children with ADHD. Random effects models corrected for publication bias and sampling error revealed that studies training short-term memory alone resulted in moderate magnitude improvements in short-term memory (d= 0.63), whereas training attention did not significantly improve attention and training mixed executive functions did not significantly improve the targeted executive functions (both nonsignificant: 95% confidence intervals include 0.0). Far transfer effects of cognitive training on academic functioning, blinded ratings of behavior (both nonsignificant), and cognitive tests (d= 0.14) were nonsignificant or negligible. Unblinded raters (d= 0.48) reported significantly larger benefits relative to blinded raters and objective tests (both p (<) .05), indicating the likelihood of Hawthorne effects. Critical examination of training targets revealed incongruence with empirical evidence regarding the specific executive functions that are (a) most impaired in ADHD, and (b) functionally related to the behavioral and academic outcomes these training programs are intended to ameliorate. Collectively, meta-analytic results indicate that claims regarding the academic, behavioral, and cognitive benefits associated with extant cognitive training programs are unsupported in ADHD. The methodological limitations of the current evidence base, however, leaves open the possibility that cognitive training techniques designed to improve empirically documented executive function deficits may benefit children with ADHD.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005040, ucf:49962
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005040
- Title
- A SOCIAL COGNITIVE APPROACH TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF POPULAR POKER TELEVISION SHOWS ON COLLEGE STUDENTS.
- Creator
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Londo, Marc, Shaver, Dan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Tournament poker shows have become a leading ratings draw on American television. Since ESPN and the Travel Channel began airing their innovative poker shows in 2003, the game has reached a new following, particularly among college students. There are unique and psychologically significant factors that characterize the college population that make students particularly receptive to popular characterizations in media. This study investigates the potential exacerbating effect that these widely...
Show moreTournament poker shows have become a leading ratings draw on American television. Since ESPN and the Travel Channel began airing their innovative poker shows in 2003, the game has reached a new following, particularly among college students. There are unique and psychologically significant factors that characterize the college population that make students particularly receptive to popular characterizations in media. This study investigates the potential exacerbating effect that these widely popular poker television shows have on the gambling behavior of college students. 444 college students completed a survey designed to assess gratifications sought through media along with measures of attitudes, gambling behavior, and social systems. Using Social Cognitive Theory as a framework of influence, exposure to these shows – ranging from the individual student to the overall college environment – was assessed and evaluated. Results indicated that student gambling is strongly correlated to viewership of poker shows, particularly among younger students. This was especially seen among students who utilized the online gambling option. Gambling behavior of peers wasn't shown to be a strong influence for student gambling. However, excitement was shown to be a strong variable that should be looked at closer.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001087, ucf:46781
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001087
- Title
- ATHEISTS, DEVILS, AND COMMUNISTS: COGNITIVE MAPPING OF ATTITUDES AND STEREOTYPES OF ATHEISTS.
- Creator
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Najle, Maxine, Sims, Valerie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Negative attitudes towards atheists are hardly a new trend in our society. However, given the pervasiveness of the prejudices and the lack of foundation for them, it seems warranted to explore the underlying elements of these attitudes. Identifying these constitutive elements may help pick apart the different contributing factors and perhaps mitigate or at least understand them in the future. The present study was designed to identify which myths or stereotypes about atheists are most...
Show moreNegative attitudes towards atheists are hardly a new trend in our society. However, given the pervasiveness of the prejudices and the lack of foundation for them, it seems warranted to explore the underlying elements of these attitudes. Identifying these constitutive elements may help pick apart the different contributing factors and perhaps mitigate or at least understand them in the future. The present study was designed to identify which myths or stereotypes about atheists are most influential in these attitudes. A Lexical Decision Task was utilized to identify which words related to popular stereotypes are most related to the label atheists. The labels Atheists, Christians, and Students were compared to positive words, negatives words, words or interests, neutral words, and non-word strings. Analyses revealed no significant differences among the participants' reaction times in these various comparisons, regardless of religion, level of belief in god, level of spirituality, or being acquainted with atheists. Possible explanations for these results are discussed in this thesis.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004318, ucf:45041
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004318
- Title
- AN ART TEACHER'S GUIDE TO A COGNITIVE TEACHING PROCESS: PROMPTING STUDENT'S CREATIVE THOUGHT.
- Creator
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Warskow, Kristen, Brewer, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This paper seeks to further explore stages an artist moves through that can be applied to teaching art, and helping students understand how to access their creativity. This project involved observation and an auto-ethnographic approach in order to best determine stages artists naturally move through when creating art. In order to most effectively suggest a teachable creative process for secondary art students, this paper will further explore cognitive and disciplinary categories in art...
Show moreThis paper seeks to further explore stages an artist moves through that can be applied to teaching art, and helping students understand how to access their creativity. This project involved observation and an auto-ethnographic approach in order to best determine stages artists naturally move through when creating art. In order to most effectively suggest a teachable creative process for secondary art students, this paper will further explore cognitive and disciplinary categories in art education by applying principles and stages to a curricular guide (or lesson plans) for secondary art educators. Topics and studies of design thinking, creative inquiry, studio habits, creative processes, the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP, 2008), and National Core Art Standards will be reviewed and expanded upon in this paper. Using these inputs, a series of 4 recursive, creative stages were observed and applied to teaching art at the secondary (6th-12th grade) levels.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004692, ucf:45238
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004692
- Title
- DEVELOPING THE INDIVIDUAL TO STRENGTHEN THE WHOLE: THE APPLICATION OF VIEWPOINTS TRAINING TO IMPACT THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF ACTORS IN A HIGH SCHOOL ENSEMBLE.
- Creator
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Horn, Elizabeth, Listengarten, Julia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This research explores the application of Viewpoints and Composition training with a cast of high school students to measure changes in the social cognitive development (SCD) of individuals and the collective group. The research centers on the writing of Michael F. Mascolo and Deborah Margolis, which takes a coactive approach to the relationship between oneÂÂÂÂ's social cognitive development...
Show moreThis research explores the application of Viewpoints and Composition training with a cast of high school students to measure changes in the social cognitive development (SCD) of individuals and the collective group. The research centers on the writing of Michael F. Mascolo and Deborah Margolis, which takes a coactive approach to the relationship between oneÂÂÂÂ's social cognitive development and how it is manifested in his or her actions within a social group. Using this framework, the researcher assesses the personality types within the cast and analyzes how utilizing Viewpoints training creates shifts within these personalities. The researcher approaches this study from both a theoretical standpoint as a student during a two-week intensive training course for adults with SITI Company, and a practical standpoint in the direction of a fully mounted production with high school actors. The objective of the research is to propose a method to implement advanced Viewpoints training within a high school ensemble in order to cultivate ensemble and ultimately aid the social cognitive development of the individual actors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0002996, ucf:47936
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002996
- Title
- Eye Movements and Spatial Ability: Influences on Thinking During Analogical Problem Solving.
- Creator
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Schroeder, Bradford, Sims, Valerie, Szalma, James, Neider, Mark, Gill, Michele, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Classic studies have examined the factors that influence the way in which people can solve difficult (")insight(") problems, which require creative solutions. Recent research has shown that guiding one's eye movements in a pattern spatially congruent with the solution improves the likelihood of formulating a spatial solution. The authors in this line of research argued that guiding eye movements in a pattern spatially equivalent to the solution of the problem yields an embodied cognitive...
Show moreClassic studies have examined the factors that influence the way in which people can solve difficult (")insight(") problems, which require creative solutions. Recent research has shown that guiding one's eye movements in a pattern spatially congruent with the solution improves the likelihood of formulating a spatial solution. The authors in this line of research argued that guiding eye movements in a pattern spatially equivalent to the solution of the problem yields an embodied cognitive benefit that aids problem solving. Specifically, guiding eye movements leads to the generation of a mental representation containing perceptual information that helps a problem solver mentally simulate the problem features, increasing likelihood to generate a solution to the problem. However, evidence from a small but critically relevant area of research supports that this embodied effect may be more simply a creativity-priming effect. The proposed research aimed to disentangle these ideas while addressing other research questions of interest: do embodied problem solving benefits transfer to later problem solving? Do individual differences in spatial ability influence how people solve these problems? The present study combined previously established methodologies in problem solving and analogical problem solving to investigate these research questions. Results of the present work tentatively support the embodied priming effect, mediated by a creativity-priming effect that influences problem solving performance. Both effects emerged after manipulating problem solvers' eye movements. There is also modest support for a link between spatial ability and analogical problem solving, but not initial problem solving. These results are interpreted through the lens of embodied cognitive theory, providing tentative support that guiding eye movements can influence reasoning through an enhancement of creativity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007366, ucf:52079
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007366
- Title
- Investigating the Effectiveness of Using Part-Task or Whole-Task Training Methods to Facilitate Mindful Abstraction in Uncertain Tasks.
- Creator
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Killilea, John, Martin, Glenn, Sims, Valerie, Hirumi, Atsusi, Schatz, Sarah, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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As the global landscape changes and powers rise and fall, the Contested, Degraded, and Operationally Limited (CDO) environment is likely to be the new normal going forward. Uncertainty variables, such as missing, false, or extra information characterize the CDO environment. A key focus of this dissertation is optimizing training for recognizing these uncertainty variables when training time is limited. This was investigated by either exposing participants to multiple uncertainty variables at...
Show moreAs the global landscape changes and powers rise and fall, the Contested, Degraded, and Operationally Limited (CDO) environment is likely to be the new normal going forward. Uncertainty variables, such as missing, false, or extra information characterize the CDO environment. A key focus of this dissertation is optimizing training for recognizing these uncertainty variables when training time is limited. This was investigated by either exposing participants to multiple uncertainty variables at a time with low doses of each (whole-task training), by exposing singular variables at a time with high doses (part-task training) or using no variables throughout training (control). A key motivator behind this research was Cognitive Load Theory, as mindful abstraction can only occur if there are cognitive resources to spare. Dependent variables, such as time to complete, number correct, task workload, and uncertainty variables identified, were collected.The results revealed that on the transfer task, the part-task condition recorded a significantly lower workload score than the whole-task (and control) condition, while the condition's workload scores were consistent across all training and transfer tasks. In contrast, the control and whole-task condition experienced significant increases in workload during the transfer task. Additionally, the part-task condition participants were able to significantly identify more uncertainty variables on the final task than the whole-task condition and control condition. The part-task condition found the transfer task to be the (")easiest(") in terms of workload, and as there is more opportunity for mindful abstraction if there are more cognitive resources available, it can be stated that based on these results, the part-task training schedule facilitated mindful abstraction more than the other two training schedules. As this was a limited, abstracted, and laboratory experiment, future work should apply the same methodology to applied tasks in a controlled environment to gauge further usefulness of this research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007339, ucf:52119
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007339
- Title
- Digital Dissonance: Horror Cultures in the Age of Convergent Technologies.
- Creator
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Powell, Daniel, McDaniel, Rudy, Campbell, James, Brenckle, Martha, Arnzen, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The first two decades of the new millennium have witnessed an abundance of change in the areas of textual production, digital communication, and our collective engagement with the Internet. This study explores these changes, which have yielded both positive and negative cultural and developmental outcomes, as products of digital dissonance. Dissonance is characterized by the disruptive consequences inherent in technology's incursion into the print publication cultures of the twentieth century...
Show moreThe first two decades of the new millennium have witnessed an abundance of change in the areas of textual production, digital communication, and our collective engagement with the Internet. This study explores these changes, which have yielded both positive and negative cultural and developmental outcomes, as products of digital dissonance. Dissonance is characterized by the disruptive consequences inherent in technology's incursion into the print publication cultures of the twentieth century, the explosion in social-media interaction that is changing the complexion of human contact, and our expanding reliance on the World Wide Web for negotiating commerce, culture, and communication.This study explores digital dissonance through the prism of an emerging literary subgenre called technohorror. Artists working in the area of technohorror are creating works that leverage the qualities of plausibility, mundanity, and surprise to tell important stories about how technology is altering the human experience in the twenty-first century. This study explores such subjects as paradigmatic changes in textual production methods, dynamic authorial hybridity, digital materiality in folklore studies, posthumanism, transhumanism, cognitive diminution, and physical degeneration as explored in works of technohorror.The work's rhetorical architecture includes elements of both theoretical and qualitative research. This project expands on City University of New York philosophy professor No(&)#235;l Carroll's definition of art-horror in developing a formal explanation of technohorror and then exploring that literary subgenre through the analysis of a series of contemporary texts and industry-related trends. The study also contains original interviews with active scholars, artists, editors, and librarians in the horror field to gain a variety of perspectives on these complicated subjects.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006642, ucf:51231
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006642
- Title
- An Investigation of Online Tools and Teaching, Social, and Cognitive Presence in a Large Hybrid Online Class.
- Creator
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Rath, Victoria, Gunter, Glenda, Boote, David, Holt, Larry, Hornik, Steven, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of specific Web 2.0 tools on students' experience of teaching, social, and cognitive presence and motivation when enrolled in a very large hybrid course. With online course enrollments continuing to grow at a higher rate than traditional enrollments in higher education (Allen (&) Seaman, 2011) and universities increasing class sizes as a way to meet this demand with fewer fiscal resources, it is imperative to find ways to keep...
Show moreThe purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of specific Web 2.0 tools on students' experience of teaching, social, and cognitive presence and motivation when enrolled in a very large hybrid course. With online course enrollments continuing to grow at a higher rate than traditional enrollments in higher education (Allen (&) Seaman, 2011) and universities increasing class sizes as a way to meet this demand with fewer fiscal resources, it is imperative to find ways to keep students engaged and motivated when enrolled in very large classes. This study used the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson (&) Archer, 2000) to examine the effect of specific Web 2.0 tools (asynchronous discussion, streaming lectures, multimedia lecture demonstrations, Twitter, and the Second Life virtual world) on teaching, social, and cognitive presence and motivation. The sample population for this study (n = 567) consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in a very large hybrid accounting course in the fall of 2010 at the University of Central Florida. The total enrollment for the course was 943 students. Students could attend face-to-face (f2f) class sessions in a large lecture room that seated 285 students or they could view a streaming video capture of the lectures online. Students were not required to attend the f2f class sessions and could complete the course entirely online.Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variances (ANOVA), and results of the statistical analyses indicated that students who frequently used the Web 2.0 tools had statistically significant higher mean motivation scores than students who did not use the tools as frequently. Additionally, students who frequently attended the f2f sessions had statistically significant higher mean social presence scores compared to students who attended sometimes or not at all. Attending the f2f sessions, however, did not result in higher mean scores of teaching or cognitive presence.When examined for the impact of the specific Web 2.0 tools, analysis of the ANOVA results indicated that students who used the discussion, streaming lectures, multimedia lecture demonstrations, and Twitter all of the time had significantly higher mean scores of teaching, social, and cognitive presence compared to those students who used the tools less frequently. Further research should be conducted on large hybrid and online courses in different content areas and on those that use different types of learning approaches.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004638, ucf:49890
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004638
- Title
- Quantifying Trust and Reputation for Defense against Adversaries in Multi-Channel Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks.
- Creator
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Bhattacharjee, Shameek, Chatterjee, Mainak, Guha, Ratan, Zou, Changchun, Turgut, Damla, Catbas, Necati, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Dynamic spectrum access enabled by cognitive radio networks are envisioned to drivethe next generation wireless networks that can increase spectrum utility by opportunisticallyaccessing unused spectrum. Due to the policy constraint that there could be no interferenceto the primary (licensed) users, secondary cognitive radios have to continuously sense forprimary transmissions. Typically, sensing reports from multiple cognitive radios are fusedas stand-alone observations are prone to errors...
Show moreDynamic spectrum access enabled by cognitive radio networks are envisioned to drivethe next generation wireless networks that can increase spectrum utility by opportunisticallyaccessing unused spectrum. Due to the policy constraint that there could be no interferenceto the primary (licensed) users, secondary cognitive radios have to continuously sense forprimary transmissions. Typically, sensing reports from multiple cognitive radios are fusedas stand-alone observations are prone to errors due to wireless channel characteristics. Suchdependence on cooperative spectrum sensing is vulnerable to attacks such as SecondarySpectrum Data Falsification (SSDF) attacks when multiple malicious or selfish radios falsifythe spectrum reports. Hence, there is a need to quantify the trustworthiness of radios thatshare spectrum sensing reports and devise malicious node identification and robust fusionschemes that would lead to correct inference about spectrum usage.In this work, we propose an anomaly monitoring technique that can effectively cap-ture anomalies in the spectrum sensing reports shared by individual cognitive radios duringcooperative spectrum sensing in a multi-channel distributed network. Such anomalies areused as evidence to compute the trustworthiness of a radio by its neighbours. The proposedanomaly monitoring technique works for any density of malicious nodes and for any physicalenvironment. We propose an optimistic trust heuristic for a system with a normal risk attitude and show that it can be approximated as a beta distribution. For a more conservativesystem, we propose a multinomial Dirichlet distribution based conservative trust framework,where Josang's Belief model is used to resolve any uncertainty in information that mightarise during anomaly monitoring. Using a machine learning approach, we identify maliciousnodes with a high degree of certainty regardless of their aggressiveness and variations intro-duced by the pathloss environment. We also propose extensions to the anomaly monitoringtechnique that facilitate learning about strategies employed by malicious nodes and alsoutilize the misleading information they provide. We also devise strategies to defend against a collaborative SSDF attack that islaunched by a coalition of selfish nodes. Since, defense against such collaborative attacks isdifficult with popularly used voting based inference models or node centric isolation techniques, we propose a channel centric Bayesian inference approach that indicates how much the collective decision on a channels occupancy inference can be trusted. Based on the measured observations over time, we estimate the parameters of the hypothesis of anomalous andnon-anomalous events using a multinomial Bayesian based inference. We quantitatively define the trustworthiness of a channel inference as the difference between the posterior beliefsassociated with anomalous and non-anomalous events. The posterior beliefs are updated based on a weighted average of the prior information on the belief itself and the recently observed data.Subsequently, we propose robust fusion models which utilize the trusts of the nodes to improve the accuracy of the cooperative spectrum sensing decisions. In particular, we propose three fusion models: (i) optimistic trust based fusion, (ii) conservative trust based fusion, and (iii) inversion based fusion. The former two approaches exclude untrustworthy sensing reports for fusion, while the last approach utilizes misleading information. Allschemes are analyzed under various attack strategies. We propose an asymmetric weightedmoving average based trust management scheme that quickly identifies on-off SSDF attacks and prevents quick trust redemption when such nodes revert back to temporal honest behavior. We also provide insights on what attack strategies are more effective from the adversaries' perspective.Through extensive simulation experiments we show that the trust models are effective in identifying malicious nodes with a high degree of certainty under variety of network and radio conditions. We show high true negative detection rates even when multiple malicious nodes launch collaborative attacks which is an improvement over existing voting based exclusion and entropy divergence techniques. We also show that we are able to improve the accuracy of fusion decisions compared to other popular fusion techniques. Trust based fusion schemes show worst case decision error rates of 5% while inversion based fusion show 4% as opposed majority voting schemes that have 18% error rate. We also show that the proposed channel centric Bayesian inference based trust model is able to distinguish between attacked and non-attacked channels for both static and dynamic collaborative attacks. We are also able to show that attacked channels have significantly lower trust values than channels that are not(-) a metric that can be used by nodes to rank the quality of inference on channels.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005764, ucf:50081
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005764
