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When we try to understand why some schools perform worse than others, if Covid-19 has struck harder on some demographics or whether income correlates with increased happiness, we may turn to regression to better understand how these variables are correlated. To capture the true relationship between variables we may use variable selection methods in order to ensure that the variables which have an actual effect have been included in the model. Choosing the right model for variable selection is vital. Without it there is a risk of including variables which have little to do with the dependent variable or excluding variables that are important. Failing to capture the true effects would paint a picture disconnected from reality and it would also give a false impression of what reality really looks like. To mitigate this risk a simulation study has been conducted to find out what variable selection algorithms to apply in order to make more accurate inference. The different algorithms being tested are stepwise regression, backward elimination and lasso regression. Lasso performed worst when applied to a small sample but performed best when applied to larger samples. Backward elimination and stepwise regression had very similar results.

<p>Students need to 'Do' a subject rather then just learn the material. To merely cover the material is to 'travel over' the information, educators should aim to uncover the material "to find the value in what is hidden" (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998, p.1 06). Designing curriculum for understanding using the Backward Design Process is one way to achieve this. The Backward Design Process involves determining what teachers want students to do (derived from Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum Expectations) and proceeds to the evidence (assessment and evaluation strategies) teachers will accept that students have accomplished this. Then the teachers develop the instructional strategies or activities that will enable students to understand, not just know the material. Making clear what teachers want students to understand is paramount. Educators need a clear plan to explain to students what is expected, what is to be learned and how they will learn. In Ontario, educators are teaching new curricula as secondary education shifts from five to four years. Course profiles are being written to provide teachers with a framework from which to teach the new courses. I was a member of the provincial writing team for the Grade 11 Physical Geography: Patterns, Processes, and Interactions course that completed the Overview and Unit 1. This project extends the work I started (in the Overview and Unit 1) by-using the Backward Design Process to design Unit 2: Structure of the Earth (Shake, Rattle, and Roll). The Backward Design Process is promoted by the Ontario Ministry of Education although they do not give the writers formal training sessions in the process. Having completed Unit 2 using the Backward Design Process I now have a better understanding of how to organize information and skills for understanding. Considering what is most important (determining the Enduring Understandings from the Expectations) and determining how they can be evaluated and assessed leads naturally into developing activities that address the Enduring Understandings, the important understandings, the things students retain after the details have been forgotten (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998, p.9). This sequencing of curriculum development leads to the development of student understanding rather than just knowing the material or skill. Educators develop curriculum based on what needs to be understood in the discipline instead of activities based on available resources. The Backward Design Process is a simple and concise method to use for designing a lesson, unit of study or entire curriculum. The designer must clearly identify what is important and determine what evidence will be accepted to verify achievement. This requires the designer to probe to the core of the discipline to determine what is essential that the student understand. Then the assessment strategies and finally the instructional strategies can be developed. Teachers in all disciplines can use the Backward Design Process regardless of the grade level or available resources. This is a useful process for designing curricula.</p> / Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

<p>The psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm has been used extensively to investigate the cognitive processing stages involved in dual-task performance. Interpretations of PRP data have often attributed the difficulty in simultaneously performing two cognitive tasks to a strict serial processing bottleneck in the response selection stage. However, a number of studies have also demonstrated backward response compatibility effects (BCEs) on Task 1 reaction time in dual-task performance, which suggest that response information for Task 2 may be activated in parallel with Task 1 response selection. The goal of this thesis was to examine the nature of the Task 2 processing that operates in parallel with Task 1 response selection in a PRP task, and to consider the implications of this parallel processing for models of dual-task performance. The results of the empirical studies presented here provide converging evidence that the BCE represents automatically activated response information for Task 2 acting on Task 1 response selection. This Task 2 response information can also contribute to Task 2 performance. Models of dual-task performance must account for both the parallel activation of response information and the serial selection of a response for each task.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This project sought to evaluate the effects of video prompting in combination with backwards chaining to increase proficiency of tying shoe-laces using a changing criterion design. Two children, one diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and one neurotypical were invited to participate in this study. Following baseline, shoe-tying prompt videos and backwards chaining were used to teach shoe-tying. Video prompting plus backwards chaining increased the typically developing participant’s proficiency with performing a larger percentage of steps of the targeted skill independently following intervention. However, the participant with ASD was unable to meet criterion and the study was terminated for him due to challenging behavior. These results indicate that the combination of point-of-view video prompts along with backwards chaining can be effective in teaching children to tie their shoelaces. These results also indicate that children with ASD may need additional supports with this intervention to reach acquisition criterion. Parents reported satisfaction both with the procedures undertaken and with the outcomes of the intervention. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Dual task studies have found that Task 2 response information is activated during Task 1 response selection, and can have a priming effect on Task 1. This is called the backward compatibility effect (BCE). Giammarco et al. (2016) found that single-task practice of Task 2 in the context of a random, filler task (Practice-T2 condition) extinguished BCE development in a subsequent dual-task. On the other hand, practicing Task 2 in the context of Task 1 (Practice-Both condition) promoted BCE development in subsequent dual-tasks. Experiment 1a sought to replicate this context-specific disruption of BCE development by presenting participants with a single-task practice phase where they practiced Task 2 along with a filler task, and then observed BCE development in a subsequent dual-task phase. Experiment 1b addressed a counterbalancing issue in Experiment 1a. Experiment 2 was an exact replication of the Practice-T2 condition used in Giammarco et al. (2016). Overall, we conceptually replicated the context-specific disruption of BCE in Experiment 2, but not in Experiments 1a and 1b. Further study is warranted to determine the effect of specific response features on the learning context of Task 2. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Backward compatibility effects (BCEs) have been consistently observed in dual task paradigms. BCEs occur when Task 1 and Task 2 response information are congruent: participants respond faster to Task 1 when the two tasks require congruent responses than when they require incongruent ones. This suggests that there is some parallel processing of Task 2 while performing Task 1. The purpose of this study was to explore the episodic account of BCE development. Since episodic memories are context-specific, BCEs should also be context-specific, according to the episodic account. By manipulating the context of Task 2 learning, we tested whether this affected subsequent BCE development. Our findings suggest that context-specific disruption of BCE development is possible, but depends on other factors as well.