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Husselman TA, Filho E, Zugic LW, Threadgold E, Ball LJ. Stimulus Complexity Can Enhance Art Appreciation: Phenomenological and Psychophysiological Evidence for the Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking. J Intell 2024; 12:42. [PMID: 38667709 PMCID: PMC11051202 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence12040042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We tested predictions deriving from the "Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking" (PIA Model), whereby aesthetic preferences arise from two fluency-based processes: an initial automatic, percept-driven default process and a subsequent perceiver-driven reflective process. One key trigger for reflective processing is stimulus complexity. Moreover, if meaning can be derived from such complexity, then this can engender increased interest and elevated liking. Experiment 1 involved graffiti street-art images, pre-normed to elicit low, moderate and high levels of interest. Subjective reports indicated a predicted enhancement in liking across increasing interest levels. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings during image viewing revealed different patterns of alpha power in temporal brain regions across interest levels. Experiment 2 enforced a brief initial image-viewing stage and a subsequent reflective image-viewing stage. Differences in alpha power arose in most EEG channels between the initial and deliberative viewing stages. A linear increase in aesthetic liking was again seen across interest levels, with different patterns of alpha activity in temporal and occipital regions across these levels. Overall, the phenomenological data support the PIA Model, while the physiological data suggest that enhanced aesthetic liking might be associated with "flow-feelings" indexed by alpha activity in brain regions linked to visual attention and reducing distraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy-Ann Husselman
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK;
| | - Edson Filho
- Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, Boston University, 2 Silber Way, Boston, MA 02215, USA;
| | - Luca W. Zugic
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
| | - Emma Threadgold
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
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2
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Guo X, Wang Y, Kan Y, Wu M, Ball LJ, Duan H. The HPA and SAM axis mediate the impairment of creativity under stress. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14472. [PMID: 37968552 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
With the ever-changing social environment, individual creativity is facing a severe challenge induced by stress. However, little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms by which acute stress affects creative cognitive processing. The current research explored the impacts of the neuroendocrine response on creativity under stress and its underlying cognitive flexibility mechanisms. The enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay was employed to assess salivary cortisol, which acted as a marker of stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Eye blink rate (EBR) and pupil diameter were measured as respective indicators of dopamine and noradrenaline released by the activation of the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis. The Wisconsin card task (WCST) measured cognitive flexibility, while the alternative uses task (AUT) and the remote association task (RAT) measured separately divergent and convergent thinking in creativity. Results showed higher cortisol increments following acute stress induction in the stress group than control group. Ocular results showed that the stress manipulation significantly increased EBR and pupil diameter compared to controls, reflecting increased SAM activity. Further analysis revealed that stress-released cortisol impaired the originality component of the AUT, reducing cognitive flexibility as measured by perseverative errors on the WCST task. Serial mediation analyses showed that both EBR and pupil diameter were also associated with increased perseverative errors leading to poor originality on the AUT. These findings confirm that physiological arousal under stress can impair divergent thinking through the regulation of different neuroendocrine pathways, in which the deterioration of flexible switching plays an important mediating role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Guo
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuecui Kan
- Department of Medical Psychology, Psychological Science and Health Management Center, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Meilin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology & Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Haijun Duan
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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3
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Hughes Z, Ball LJ, Richardson C, Judge J. A meta-analytical review of the impact of mindfulness on creativity: Framing current lines of research and defining moderator variables. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2155-2186. [PMID: 37442873 PMCID: PMC10728263 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02327-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Findings relating to the impact of mindfulness interventions on creative performance remain inconsistent, perhaps because of discrepancies between study designs, including variability in the length of mindfulness interventions, the absence of control groups or the tendencies to explore creativity as one unitary construct. To derive a clearer understanding of the impact that mindfulness interventions may exert on creative performance, two meta-analytical reviews were conducted, drawing respectively on studies using a control group design (n = 20) and studies using a pretest-posttest design (n = 17). A positive effect was identified between mindfulness and creativity, both for control group designs (d = 0.42, 95% CIs [0.29, 0.54]) and pretest-posttest designs (d = 0.59, 95% CIs [0.38, 0.81]). Subgroup analysis revealed that intervention length, creativity task (i.e., divergent vs. convergent thinking tasks) and control group type, were significant moderators for control group studies, whereas only intervention length was a significant moderator for pretest-posttest studies. Overall, the findings support the use of mindfulness as a tool to enhance creative performance, with more advantageous outcomes for convergent as opposed to divergent thinking tasks. We discuss the implications of study design and intervention length as key factors of relevance to future research aimed at advancing theoretical accounts of the relationship between mindfulness and creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Hughes
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK.
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Cassandra Richardson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Winchester, Winchester, SO22 4NR, UK
| | - Jeannie Judge
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
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4
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Wang Y, Zhang J, Li Y, Qi S, Zhang F, Ball LJ, Duan H. Preventing prefrontal dysfunction by tDCS modulates stress-induced creativity impairment in women: an fNIRS study. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10528-10545. [PMID: 37585735 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a major external factor threatening creative activity. The study explored whether left-lateralized activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex manipulated through transcranial direct current stimulation could alleviate stress-induced impairment in creativity. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to explore the underlying neural mechanisms. Ninety female participants were randomly assigned to three groups that received stress induction with sham stimulation, stress induction with true stimulation (anode over the left and cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and control manipulation with sham stimulation, respectively. Participants underwent the stress or control task after the transcranial direct current stimulation manipulation, and then completed the Alternative Uses Task to measure creativity. Behavioral results showed that transcranial direct current stimulation reduced stress responses in heart rate and anxiety. The functional near-infrared spectroscopy results revealed that transcranial direct current stimulation alleviated dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex under stress, as evidenced by higher activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar cortex, as well as stronger inter-hemispheric and intra-hemispheric functional connectivity within the prefrontal cortex. Further analysis demonstrated that the cortical regulatory effect prevented creativity impairment induced by stress. The findings validated the hemispheric asymmetry hypothesis regarding stress and highlighted the potential for brain stimulation to alleviate stress-related mental disorders and enhance creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Yadan Li
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Senqing Qi
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Fengqing Zhang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology & Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Haijun Duan
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
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Stupple EJN, Ball LJ. Explaining normative-deliberative gaps is essential to dual-process theorizing. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e143. [PMID: 37462192 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22003107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
We discuss significant challenges to assumptions of exclusivity and highlight methodological and conceptual pitfalls in inferring deliberative processes from reasoning responses. Causes of normative-deliberative gaps are considered (e.g., disputed or misunderstood normative standards, strategy preferences, task interpretations, cognitive ability, mindware and thinking dispositions) and a soft normativist approach is recommended for developing the dual-process 2.0 architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J N Stupple
- School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK ; https://www.derby.ac.uk/staff/ed-stupple/
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology & Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK ; https://www.uclan.ac.uk/academics/professor-linden-ball
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Threadgold E, Marsh JE, Holmgren M, Andersson H, Nelson M, Ball LJ. Biased Estimates of Environmental Impact in the Negative Footprint Illusion: The Nature of Individual Variation. Front Psychol 2022; 12:648328. [PMID: 35115976 PMCID: PMC8803658 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
People consistently act in ways that harm the environment, even when believing their actions are environmentally friendly. A case in point is a biased judgment termed the negative footprint illusion, which arises when people believe that the addition of "eco-friendly" items (e.g., environmentally certified houses) to conventional items (e.g., standard houses), reduces the total carbon footprint of the whole item-set, whereas the carbon footprint is, in fact, increased because eco-friendly items still contribute to the overall carbon footprint. Previous research suggests this illusion is the manifestation of an "averaging-bias." We present two studies that explore whether people's susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion is associated with individual differences in: (i) environment-specific reasoning dispositions measured in terms of compensatory green beliefs and environmental concerns; or (ii) general analytic reasoning dispositions measured in terms of actively open-minded thinking, avoidance of impulsivity and reflective reasoning (indexed using the Cognitive Reflection Test; CRT). A negative footprint illusion was demonstrated when participants rated the carbon footprint of conventional buildings combined with eco-friendly buildings (Study 1 and 2) and conventional cars combined with eco-friendly cars (Study 2). However, the illusion was not identified in participants' ratings of the carbon footprint of apples (Study 1 and 2). In Studies 1 and 2, environment-specific dispositions were found to be unrelated to the negative footprint illusion. Regarding reflective thinking dispositions, reduced susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion was only associated with actively open-minded thinking measured on a 7-item scale (Study 1) and 17-item scale (Study 2). Our findings provide partial support for the existence of a negative footprint illusion and reveal a role of individual variation in reflective reasoning dispositions in accounting for a limited element of differential susceptibility to this illusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Threadgold
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - John E. Marsh
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
- Engineering Psychology, Humans and Technology, Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Mattias Holmgren
- Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems, and Sustainability Science, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Hanna Andersson
- Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems, and Sustainability Science, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
- Department of Computer and Geospatial Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Megan Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Holmgren
- Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems, and Sustainability Science, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Hanna Andersson
- Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems, and Sustainability Science, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
- Department of Industrial Development, IT, and Land Management, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - John E. Marsh
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
- Engineering Psychology, Humans and Technology, Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
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Marsh JE, Threadgold E, Barker ME, Litchfield D, Degno F, Ball LJ. The susceptibility of compound remote associate problems to disruption by irrelevant sound: a Window onto the component processes underpinning creative cognition? Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2021.1900201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John E. Marsh
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
- Engineering Psychology, Humans and Technology, Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Emma Threadgold
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Melissa E. Barker
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | | | - Federica Degno
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
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Shen W, Bai H, Ball LJ, Yuan Y, Wang M. What makes creative advertisements memorable? The role of insight. Psychol Res 2020; 85:2538-2552. [PMID: 33170356 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01439-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sudden insight is often observed during creative problem solving and studies have suggested that advertisements can likewise evoke an insight experience. To date, however, there is limited empirical evidence on whether advertisements can trigger ideational insight, and, if so, whether such insight plays a role in advertising memorability. This study aimed to explore the insight experience evoked by advertisements and to examine the role of such experimentally-induced insight in predicted memory and metamemory performance. Participants viewed standardized advertising images sequentially, with each image presentation being followed immediately by a second presentation either with or without a brief description of the advertising idea. Next, participants were asked to recall the three most impressive advertisements. Finally, participants were randomly divided to complete either immediate (5 min later) or delayed (3 days later) recognition tests and to provide retrospective confidence judgments (RCJs). Recall of creative advertisements was better than standard advertisements and most of them evoked insight. In addition, recognition accuracy was greater for creative advertisements relative to standard advertisements and metamemory performance as elicited through RCJs was enhanced. Further analyses confirmed the documented importance of insight for memory consolidation. The findings suggest that insight makes advertisements more memorable, especially those that are creative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangbing Shen
- School of Public Administration and Business School, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Haiping Bai
- School of Public Administration and Business School, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Lancashire, Darwin Building, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK.
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Special Children's Impairment and Intervention, Rehabilitation Science School, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, No 1 Shennong Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210038, China.
| | - Meijiao Wang
- School of Public Administration and Business School, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Shen W, Liu Z, Ball LJ, Huang T, Yuan Y, Bai H, Hua M. Easy to Remember, Easy to Forget? The Memorability of Creative Advertisements. Creativity Research Journal 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2020.1821568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yuan Yuan
- Nanjing Normal University of Special Education
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12
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Christensen BT, Ball LJ, Reber R. Perceptual fluency effects in judgments of creativity and beauty: creative objects are perceived fluently yet they are visually complex. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2019.1689986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo T. Christensen
- Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Rolf Reber
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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13
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Threadgold E, Marsh JE, McLatchie N, Ball LJ. Background music stints creativity: Evidence from compound remote associate tasks. Appl Cognit Psychol 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Threadgold
- School of PsychologyUniversity of Central Lancashire Preston UK
| | - John E. Marsh
- School of PsychologyUniversity of Central Lancashire Preston UK
- Department of Building, Energy and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Gävle Gävle Sweden
| | - Neil McLatchie
- Department of PsychologyLancaster University Lancaster UK
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of PsychologyUniversity of Central Lancashire Preston UK
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15
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Abstract
Recent investigations have established the value of using rebus puzzles in studying the insight and analytic processes that underpin problem solving. The current study sought to validate a pool of 84 rebus puzzles in terms of their solution rates, solution times, error rates, solution confidence, self-reported solution strategies, and solution phrase familiarity. All of the puzzles relate to commonplace English sayings and phrases in the United Kingdom. Eighty-four rebus puzzles were selected from a larger stimulus set of 168 such puzzles and were categorized into six types in relation to the similarity of their structures. The 84 selected problems were thence divided into two sets of 42 items (Set A and Set B), with rebus structure evenly balanced between each set. Participants (N = 170; 85 for Set A and 85 for Set B) were given 30 s to solve each item, subsequently indicating their confidence in their solution and self-reporting the process used to solve the problem (analysis or insight), followed by the provision of ratings of the familiarity of the solution phrases. The resulting normative data yield solution rates, error rates, solution times, confidence ratings, self-reported strategies and familiarity ratings for 84 rebus puzzles, providing valuable information for the selection and matching of problems in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Threadgold
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - John E Marsh
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom.,Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
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Marsh JE, Ljung R, Jahncke H, MacCutcheon D, Pausch F, Ball LJ, Vachon F. Why are background telephone conversations distracting? J Exp Psychol Appl 2018; 24:222-235. [PMID: 29878842 DOI: 10.1037/xap0000170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Telephone conversation is ubiquitous within the office setting. Overhearing a telephone conversation-whereby only one of the two speakers is heard-is subjectively more annoying and objectively more distracting than overhearing a full conversation. The present study sought to determine whether this "halfalogue" effect is attributable to unexpected offsets and onsets within the background speech (acoustic unexpectedness) or to the tendency to predict the unheard part of the conversation (semantic [un]predictability), and whether these effects can be shielded against through top-down cognitive control. In Experiment 1, participants performed an office-related task in quiet or in the presence of halfalogue and dialogue background speech. Irrelevant speech was either meaningful or meaningless speech. The halfalogue effect was only present for the meaningful speech condition. Experiment 2 addressed whether higher task-engagement could shield against the halfalogue effect by manipulating the font of the to-be-read material. Although the halfalogue effect was found with an easy-to-read font (fluent text), the use of a difficult-to-read font (disfluent text) eliminated the effect. The halfalogue effect is thus attributable to the semantic (un)predictability, not the acoustic unexpectedness, of background telephone conversation and can be prevented by simple means such as increasing the level of engagement required by the focal task. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Marsh
- Department of Building, Energy, and Environmental Engineering, University of Gavle
| | - Robert Ljung
- Department of Building, Energy, and Environmental Engineering, University of Gavle
| | - Helena Jahncke
- Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle
| | - Douglas MacCutcheon
- Department of Building, Energy, and Environmental Engineering, University of Gavle
| | - Florian Pausch
- Institute of Technical Acoustics, Teaching and Research Area of Medical Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire
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18
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Abstract
The standard 2–4–6 task requires discovery of a single rule and produces success rates of about 20%, whereas the dual-goal (DG) version requests discovery of two complementary rules and elevates success to over 60%. The experiment examined two explanations of DG superiority: Evans’ (1989) positivity-bias account, and Wharton, Cheng, and Wickens’ (1993) goal-complementarity theory. Two DG conditions were employed that varied the linguistic labelling of rules (either positively labelled Dax vs. Med, or mixed-valence “fits” vs. “does not fit”). Solution-success results supported the goal-complementarity theory since facilitation arose in both DG conditions relative to single-goal tasks, irrespective of the linguistic labelling of hypotheses. DG instructions also altered quantitative and qualitative aspects of hypothesis-testing behaviour, and analyses revealed the novel result that the production of at least a single descending triple mediates between DG instructions and task success. We propose that the identification of an appropriate contrast class that delimits the scope of complementary rules may be facilitated through the generation of a descending instance. Overall, our findings can best be accommodated by Oaksford and Chater's (1994) iterative counterfactual model of hypotheses testing, which can readily subsume key elements of the goal-complementarity theory.
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Stupple EJN, Pitchford M, Ball LJ, Hunt TE, Steel R. Slower is not always better: Response-time evidence clarifies the limited role of miserly information processing in the Cognitive Reflection Test. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186404. [PMID: 29099840 PMCID: PMC5669478 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a study examining the role of ‘cognitive miserliness’ as a determinant of poor performance on the standard three-item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). The cognitive miserliness hypothesis proposes that people often respond incorrectly on CRT items because of an unwillingness to go beyond default, heuristic processing and invest time and effort in analytic, reflective processing. Our analysis (N = 391) focused on people’s response times to CRT items to determine whether predicted associations are evident between miserly thinking and the generation of incorrect, intuitive answers. Evidence indicated only a weak correlation between CRT response times and accuracy. Item-level analyses also failed to demonstrate predicted response-time differences between correct analytic and incorrect intuitive answers for two of the three CRT items. We question whether participants who give incorrect intuitive answers on the CRT can legitimately be termed cognitive misers and whether the three CRT items measure the same general construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J. N. Stupple
- Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Melanie Pitchford
- Department of Psychology, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, United Kingdom
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas E. Hunt
- Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Steel
- School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
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Marsh JE, Patel K, Labonté K, Threadgold E, Skelton FC, Fodarella C, Thorley R, Battersby KL, Frowd CD, Ball LJ, Vachon F. Chatting in the face of the eyewitness: The impact of extraneous cell-phone conversation on memory for a perpetrator. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 71:183-190. [PMID: 28604030 DOI: 10.1037/cep0000101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cell-phone conversation is ubiquitous within public spaces. The current study investigates whether ignored cell-phone conversation impairs eyewitness memory for a perpetrator. Participants viewed a video of a staged crime in the presence of 1 side of a comprehensible cell-phone conversation (meaningful halfalogue), 2 sides of a comprehensible cell-phone conversation (meaningful dialogue), 1 side of an incomprehensible cell-phone conversation (meaningless halfalogue), or quiet. Between 24 and 28 hr later, participants freely described the perpetrator's face, constructed a single composite image of the perpetrator from memory, and attempted to identify the perpetrator from a sequential lineup. Further, participants rated the likeness of the composites to the perpetrator. Face recall and lineup identification were impaired when participants witnessed the staged crime in the presence of a meaningful halfalogue compared to a meaningless halfalogue, meaningful dialogue, or quiet. Moreover, likeness ratings showed that the composites constructed after ignoring the meaningful halfalogue resembled the perpetrator less than did those constructed after experiencing quiet or ignoring a meaningless halfalogue or a meaningful dialogue. The unpredictability of the meaningful content of the halfalogue, rather than its acoustic unexpectedness, produces distraction. The results are novel in that they suggest that an everyday distraction, even when presented in a different modality to target information, can impair the long-term memory of an eyewitness. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Marsh
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire
| | - Krupali Patel
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire
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Abstract
Like true memories, false memories are capable of priming answers to insight-based problems. Recent research has attempted to extend this paradigm to more advanced problem-solving tasks, including those involving verbal analogical reasoning. However, these experiments are constrained inasmuch as problem solutions could be generated via spreading activation mechanisms (much like false memories themselves) rather than using complex reasoning processes. In three experiments we examined false memory priming of complex analogical reasoning tasks in the absence of simple semantic associations. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated the robustness of false memory priming in analogical reasoning when backward associative strength among the problem terms was eliminated. In Experiments 2a and 2b, we extended these findings by demonstrating priming on newly created homonym analogies that can only be solved by inhibiting semantic associations within the analogy. Overall, the findings of the present experiments provide evidence that the efficacy of false memory priming extends to complex analogical reasoning problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L Howe
- Department of Psychology, City University London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK,
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Abstract
Recent research has shown that memory illusions can successfully prime both children's and adults' performance on complex, insight-based problems (compound remote associates tasks or CRATs). The current research aimed to clarify the locus of these priming effects. Like before, Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) lists were selected to prime subsequent CRATs such that the critical lures were also the solution words to a subset of the CRATs participants attempted to solve. Unique to the present research, recognition memory tests were used and participants were either primed during the list study phase, during the memory test phase, or both. Across two experiments, primed problems were solved more frequently and significantly faster than unprimed problems. Moreover, when participants were primed during the list study phase, subsequent solution times and rates were considerably superior to those produced by those participants who were simply primed at test. Together, these are the first results to show that false-memory priming during encoding facilitates problem-solving in both children and adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L Howe
- a Department of Psychology , City University London , Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB , UK
| | - Samantha Wilkinson
- a Department of Psychology , City University London , Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB , UK
| | | | - Linden J Ball
- c School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire , Preston , UK
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Wilkinson MR, Ball LJ, Alford D. Counterfactual reasoning for regretted situations involving controllable versus uncontrollable events: the modulating role of contingent self-esteem. Adv Cogn Psychol 2015; 11:22-30. [PMID: 25883697 PMCID: PMC4397263 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0168-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a study that examined the modulating impact of
contingent self-esteem on regret intensity for regretted
outcomes associated with controllable versus uncontrollable events. The
Contingent Self-Esteem Scale (e.g., Kernis &
Goldman, 2006) was used to assess the extent to which a person’s
sense of self-worth is based on self and others’ expectations. We found that
there was an influence of self-esteem contingency for controllable but not for
uncontrollable regret types. For controllable regret types individuals with a
high contingent (i.e., unstable) self-esteem reported greater regret intensity
than those with a low contingent (i.e., stable) self-esteem. We interpret this
finding as reflecting a functional and adaptive role of high contingent
self-esteem in terms of mobilizing the application of counterfactual reasoning
and planning mechanisms that can enable personal expectations to be achieved in
the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston,
UK
| | - David Alford
- School of Psychology, University of East London, London,
UK
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Meyer A, Frederick S, Burnham TC, Guevara Pinto JD, Boyer TW, Ball LJ, Pennycook G, Ackerman R, Thompson VA, Schuldt JP. Disfluent fonts don’t help people solve math problems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 144:e16-30. [DOI: 10.1037/xge0000049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Stupple EJN, Ball LJ. The intersection between Descriptivism and Meliorism in reasoning research: further proposals in support of 'soft normativism'. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1269. [PMID: 25414687 PMCID: PMC4220629 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The rationality paradox centers on the observation that people are highly intelligent, yet show evidence of errors and biases in their thinking when measured against normative standards. Elqayam and Evans’ (2011) reject normative standards in the psychological study of thinking, reasoning and deciding in favor of a ‘value-free’ descriptive approach to studying high-level cognition. In reviewing Elqayam and Evans’ (2011) position, we defend an alternative to descriptivism in the form of ‘soft normativism,’ which allows for normative evaluations alongside the pursuit of descriptive research goals. We propose that normative theories have considerable value provided that researchers: (1) are alert to the philosophical quagmire of strong relativism; (2) are mindful of the biases that can arise from utilizing normative benchmarks; and (3) engage in a focused analysis of the processing approach adopted by individual reasoners. We address the controversial ‘is–ought’ inference in this context and appeal to a ‘bridging solution’ to this contested inference that is based on the concept of ‘informal reflective equilibrium.’ Furthermore, we draw on Elqayam and Evans’ (2011) recognition of a role for normative benchmarks in research programs that are devised to enhance reasoning performance and we argue that such Meliorist research programs have a valuable reciprocal relationship with descriptivist accounts of reasoning. In sum, we believe that descriptions of reasoning processes are fundamentally enriched by evaluations of reasoning quality, and argue that if such standards are discarded altogether then our explanations and descriptions of reasoning processes are severely undermined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire Preston, UK
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Ball LJ, Marsh JE, Litchfield D, Cook RL, Booth N. When distraction helps: Evidence that concurrent articulation and irrelevant speech can facilitate insight problem solving. Thinking & Reasoning 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2014.934399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Sajjacholapunt P, Ball LJ. The influence of banner advertisements on attention and memory: human faces with averted gaze can enhance advertising effectiveness. Front Psychol 2014; 5:166. [PMID: 24624104 PMCID: PMC3941030 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Research suggests that banner advertisements used in online marketing are often overlooked, especially when positioned horizontally on webpages. Such inattention invariably gives rise to an inability to remember advertising brands and messages, undermining the effectiveness of this marketing method. Recent interest has focused on whether human faces within banner advertisements can increase attention to the information they contain, since the gaze cues conveyed by faces can influence where observers look. We report an experiment that investigated the efficacy of faces located in banner advertisements to enhance the attentional processing and memorability of banner contents. We tracked participants' eye movements when they examined webpages containing either bottom-right vertical banners or bottom-center horizontal banners. We also manipulated facial information such that banners either contained no face, a face with mutual gaze or a face with averted gaze. We additionally assessed people's memories for brands and advertising messages. Results indicated that relative to other conditions, the condition involving faces with averted gaze increased attention to the banner overall, as well as to the advertising text and product. Memorability of the brand and advertising message was also enhanced. Conversely, in the condition involving faces with mutual gaze, the focus of attention was localized more on the face region rather than on the text or product, weakening any memory benefits for the brand and advertising message. This detrimental impact of mutual gaze on attention to advertised products was especially marked for vertical banners. These results demonstrate that the inclusion of human faces with averted gaze in banner advertisements provides a promising means for marketers to increase the attention paid to such adverts, thereby enhancing memory for advertising information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire Preston, UK
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Thompson VA, Prowse Turner JA, Pennycook G, Ball LJ, Brack H, Ophir Y, Ackerman R. Corrigendum to “The role of answer fluency and perceptual fluency as metacognitive cues for initiating analytic thinking” [COGNIT 128/2 (2013) 237–251]. Cognition 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Howe ML, Threadgold E, Norbury J, Garner S, Ball LJ. Priming children’s and adults’ analogical problem solutions with true and false memories. J Exp Child Psychol 2013; 116:96-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2013.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Revised: 03/09/2013] [Accepted: 03/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Thompson VA, Ackerman R, Sidi Y, Ball LJ, Pennycook G, Prowse Turner JA. The role of answer fluency and perceptual fluency in the monitoring and control of reasoning: Reply to. Cognition 2013; 128:256-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Taylor PJ, Dando CJ, Ormerod TC, Ball LJ, Jenkins MC, Sandham A, Menacere T. Detecting insider threats through language change. Law Hum Behav 2013; 37:267-275. [PMID: 23750598 DOI: 10.1037/lhb0000032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The act of conducting an insider attack carries with it cognitive and social challenges that may affect an offender's day-to-day work behavior. We test this hypothesis by examining the language used in e-mails that were sent as part of a 6-hr workplace simulation. The simulation involved participants (N = 54) examining databases and exchanging information as part of a four-stage organized crime investigation. After the first stage, 25% of the participants were covertly incentivized to act as an "insider" by providing information to a provocateur. Analysis of the language used in participants' e-mails found that insiders became more self-focused, showed greater negative affect, and showed more cognitive processing compared to their coworkers. At the interpersonal level, insiders showed significantly more deterioration in the degree to which their language mimicked other team members over time. Our findings demonstrate how language may provide an indirect way of identifying employees who are undertaking an insider attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
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Thompson VA, Turner JAP, Pennycook G, Ball LJ, Brack H, Ophir Y, Ackerman R. The role of answer fluency and perceptual fluency as metacognitive cues for initiating analytic thinking. Cognition 2013; 128:237-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2011] [Revised: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 09/19/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Stupple EJN, Ball LJ, Ellis D. Matching bias in syllogistic reasoning: Evidence for a dual-process account from response times and confidence ratings. Thinking & Reasoning 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2012.735622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Wilkinson MR, Ball LJ. Why Studies of Autism Spectrum Disorders Have Failed to Resolve the Theory Theory Versus Simulation Theory Debate. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13164-012-0097-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Stupple EJN, Ball LJ, Evans JSBT, Kamal-Smith E. When logic and belief collide: Individual differences in reasoning times support a selective processing model. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2011.589381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Bearman C, Ormerod TC, Ball LJ, Deptula D. Explaining away the negative effects of evaluation on analogical transfer: The perils of premature evaluation. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2011; 64:942-59. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2010.528843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Four experiments explored effects on analogical transfer of evaluating solutions to base problems. In contrast to reports of positive effects of explanation, evaluation consistently reduced transfer rates and impaired mental representations of base material. This effect was not ameliorated by encoding for a later memory test, summarizing, or engaging in similar processes at encoding and recall. However, providing a prior explanation task removed the inhibitory effect of evaluation. It appears that evaluation leads to encoding of extraneous material that interferes with access to solution-critical analogous information. Prior explanation inoculates against negative effects on transfer by ensuring that new information introduced via evaluation is organized around existing representations of relevant information of the base problem. The results suggest that the source of difficulty in analogical transfer may reside not only in retrieval and mapping but also in the initial encoding of problems.
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Abstract
Research has shown that implicitly guiding attention via visual cues or unrelated tasks can increase the likelihood of solving insight problems. We examined whether following another person making specific skin-crossing saccades could induce similar attentional shifts and increase solution rates for Duncker's ((1945)) radiation problem. We presented 150 participants with one of three 30-s eye movement patterns from another problem solver: (a) focusing solely on the central tumour; (b) naturally making skin-crossing saccades between the outside area and the tumour from multiple angles; or (c) making deliberate skin-crossing saccades between the outside area and the tumour from multiple angles. Following another person making skin-crossing saccades increased the likelihood of solving the radiation problem. Our results demonstrate that another person's eye movements can promote attentional shifts that trigger insight problem solving.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Linden J. Ball
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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Fleming P, Ball LJ, Ormerod TC, Collins AF. Sentence memorability reveals the mental representations involved in processing spatial descriptions. Thinking & Reasoning 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2010.539870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Litchfield D, Ball LJ, Donovan T, Manning DJ, Crawford T. Viewing another person's eye movements improves identification of pulmonary nodules in chest x-ray inspection. J Exp Psychol Appl 2011; 16:251-62. [PMID: 20853985 DOI: 10.1037/a0020082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Double reading of chest x-rays is often used to ensure that fewer abnormalities are missed, but very little is known about how the search behavior of others affects observer performance. A series of experiments investigated whether radiographers benefit from knowing where another person looked for pulmonary nodules, and whether the expertise of the model providing the search behavior was a contributing factor. Experiment 1 compared the diagnostic performance of novice and experienced radiographers examining chest x-rays and found that both groups performed better when shown the search behavior of either a novice radiographer or an expert radiologist. Experiment 2 established that benefits in performance only arose when the eye movements shown were related to the search for nodules; however, only the novices' diagnostic performance consistently improved when shown the expert's search behavior. Experiment 3 reexamined the contribution of task, image, and the expertise of the model underlying this benefit. Consistent with Experiment 1, novice radiographers were better at identifying nodules when shown either a naïve's search behavior or an expert radiologist's search behavior, but they demonstrated no improvement when shown a naïve model not searching for nodules. Our results suggest that although the benefits of this form of attentional guidance may be short-lived, novices can scaffold their decisions based on the search behavior of others.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the inductive and deductive reasoning abilities of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Following previous research, it was predicted that people with OCD would show different abilities on inductive reasoning tasks but similar abilities to controls on deductive reasoning tasks. DESIGN A two-group comparison was used with both groups matched on a range of demographic variables. Where appropriate, unmatched variables were entered into the analyses as covariates. METHODS Twenty-three people with OCD and 25 control participants were assessed on two tasks: an inductive reasoning task (the 20-questions task) and a deductive reasoning task (a syllogistic reasoning task with a content-neutral and content-emotional manipulation). RESULTS While no group differences emerged on several of the parameters of the inductive reasoning task, the OCD group did differ on one, and arguably the most important, parameter by asking fewer correct direct-hypothesis questions. The syllogistic reasoning task results were analysed using both correct response and conclusion acceptance data. While no main effects of group were evident, significant interactions indicated important differences in the way the OCD group reasoned with content neutral and emotional syllogisms. CONCLUSIONS It was argued that the OCD group's patterns of response on both tasks were characterized by the need for more information, states of uncertainty, and doubt and postponement of a final decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Simpson
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
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Ball LJ, Hoyle AM, Towse AS. The facilitatory effect of negative feedback on the emergence of analogical reasoning abilities. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 2010; 28:583-602. [DOI: 10.1348/026151009x461744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Howe ML, Garner SR, Dewhurst SA, Ball LJ. Can false memories prime problem solutions? Cognition 2010; 117:176-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2009] [Revised: 07/20/2010] [Accepted: 08/07/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Abstract
Despite the popularity of the Wason selection task in the psychology of reasoning, doubt remains as to whether card choices actually reflect a process of reasoning. One view is that while participants reason about the cards and their hidden sides—as indicated by protocol analysis—this reasoning merely confabulates explanations for cards that were preconsciously cued. This hypothesis has apparently been supported by studies that show that participants predominantly inspect cards which they end up selecting. In this paper, we reanalyse the data of one such study, which used eye-movement tracking to record card inspection times (Ball, Lucas, Miles, & Gale, 2003). We show that while cards favoured by matching bias are inspected for roughly equal lengths of times, their selection rates are strongly affected by their logical status. These findings strongly support a two-stage account in which attention is necessary but not sufficient for card selections. Hence, reasoning does indeed affect participants’ choices on this task.
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Elvish J, Simpson J, Ball LJ. Which clinical and demographic factors predict poor insight in individuals with obsessions and/or compulsions? J Anxiety Disord 2010; 24:231-7. [PMID: 20018476 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2009] [Revised: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/06/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
This study examined clinical and demographic predictors of poor insight in individuals with obsessions and/or compulsions. It was hypothesized that a combination of factors would explain variance on two measures of insight. Ninety-four individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptoms participated in a cross-sectional questionnaire-based design, completing measures relating to obsessions and compulsions, depression and anxiety levels, and demographic and clinical information. Results revealed that although demographic factors did not predict poor insight, clinical and comorbid variables as an overall model did. More comorbidities and ordering compulsions independently predicted poor insight, particularly when accompanied by high anxiety and high severity of compulsions. These findings highlight four clinical factors that could act as indicators of poor insight for clinicians when assessing individuals for therapy, since insight itself is difficult to assess accurately. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Elvish
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK
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Abstract
Previous studies examining environmental context-dependent memory (ECDM) effects using indirect measures of memory have produced inconsistent findings. We report three experiments that examined ECDM in an indirect memory paradigm (word-fragment completion) using ambient odours as environmental contexts. Expt 1 manipulated the odour present at learning and testing (rosemary or lemon) to produce reinstated-context or switched-context conditions. Reinstating rosemary led to a striking ECDM effect, indicating that indirect memory testing can be sensitive to ECDM manipulations. Odour ratings also indicated that rosemary induced a more unpleasant mood in participants than lemon. Expt 2 assessed the influence on indirect retrieval of odour-based mood induction as well as odour distinctiveness, and indicated that rosemary's capacity to promote ECDM effects appears to arise from an additive combination of its unpleasantness-inducing properties and its distinctiveness. Expt 3 partially supported these proposals. Overall, our findings indicate that some odours are capable of producing ECDM effects using indirect testing procedures. Moreover, it appears that it is the inherent proprieties of odours on dimensions such as unpleasantness and distinctiveness that mediate the emergence of ECDM effects, thereby explaining the particular potency of rosemary's mnemonic influence when it is reinstated.
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