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by Chu Wing-Yu Kitty. / Added t.p. in Chinese and English. / Thesis (M.A.Ed.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-149). / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.ii / ABSTRACT --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.viii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xi / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Research Problem --- p.7 / Chapter 2. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- Bilingualism and the Threshold Level (s) in L2 --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2 --- The Significance of Lexical Knowledge --- p.30 / Chapter 2.3 --- A Synthesis --- p.47 / Chapter 2.4 --- The Theoretical Framework --- p.49 / Chapter 3 . --- METHOD --- p.53 / Chapter 3.1 --- Important Variables and their Definitions --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2 --- Hypotheses --- p.55 / Chapter 3.3 --- Subjects --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4 --- Instrumentation --- p.57 / Chapter 3.5 --- Procedure --- p.63 / Chapter 4. --- RESULTS --- p.66 / Chapter 4.1 --- Bilingual Proficiency --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2 --- The Cognitive Tasks --- p.74 / Chapter 4.3 --- The Effect of Bilingual Proficiency on the Achievement in Cognitive Tasks … --- p.92 / Chapter 4.4 --- The Estimation of the Threshold Level(s) in L2 --- p.98 / Chapter 5. --- DISCUSSION --- p.112 / Chapter 5.1 --- Bilingual Proficiency --- p.112 / Chapter 5.2 --- The Nature of the Cognitive Tasks --- p.113 / Chapter 5.3 --- The Effect of Bilingual Proficiency on the Achievement in Cognitive Tasks --- p.116 / Chapter 5.4 --- The Estimation of the Threshold Level(s) in L2 --- p.122 / Chapter 5.5 --- Questions Related to the Estimation of the Threshold Level (s) in L2 --- p.128 / Chapter 6. --- SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS --- p.135 / Chapter 6.1 --- Summary --- p.135 / Chapter 6.2 --- Suggestions --- p.137 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.140 / APPENDIX --- p.153 / Chapter A. --- Some General Instructions for the Teachers Responsible for the Administration of the Cognitive Tasks / Chapter B. --- The Whole Instrument of the Cognitive Tasks / Chapter C. --- A Table about the Distribution of the Items for the Cognitive Tasks / Chapter D. --- The Reliability Coefficients for the Cognitive Tasks / Chapter E. --- The Frequencies about the Chinese Cognitive Tasks Scores of the Secondary-Two Students / Chapter F. --- The Frequencies about the English Cognitive Tasks Scores of the Secondary-Two Students / Chapter G. --- The Frequencies about the Chinese Cognitive Tasks Scores of the Secondary-Four Students / Chapter H. --- The Frequencies about the English Cognitive Tasks Scores of the Secondary-Four Students / Chapter I. --- A List of the Abbreviations Used in the Data Analysis and Its Corresponding Labels or Meanings

by Siu-yee Wong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 39-41.

Several recent studies have revealed that high caliber European professional soccer players often have diminished levels of neurological functioning, yet no study has been able to identify the specific aspect of soccer participation responsible for these decreases. In an effort to identify a source of mild traumatic brain injury present in everyday participation in soccer, this study investigated whether a single bout of heading a soccer ball would have acute detrimental, measurable effects on sensorimotor and neurocognitive functioning. We hypothesized that subjects would exhibit significant changes in postural stability, memory, and concentration immediately after an acute bout of repeated heading a soccer ball. Additionally, we evaluated the protective effect(s) associated with wearing a mouthguard while performing the acute bout of heading. Twenty-eight elite level soccer players (mean age, 20.9 �� 2.5 yrs) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: Headers with mouthguard (n=10), Headers with no mouthguard (n=10), and Control (n=8). Subjects in the two treatment groups performed 12 headers of soccer balls projected at 40 km/hr from an electric soccer ball-launching machine. Postural stability was evaluated using a Biodex Stability System, while memory and concentration were assessed using Wechsler Digit Span (WDS) tests (digits forward and digits backward) in a 3 x 2 factorial ANOVA design (��=0.05). There were no significant main effects or interactions among the three measures of postural stability scores in the three groups (p>0.05). The WDS Forward group means ranged from 10.4 �� 1.8 to 13.5 �� 1.2 while the WDS Backward means ranged from 6.4 �� 1.1 to 7.7 �� 3.0, but were not different among the groups (p>0.05). We concluded that a single bout of 12 soccer headers approximating the number of headers performed during a typical NCAA Division I-A soccer practice did not produce significant deficits in postural stability, memory, or concentration. While our findings are similar to several recent studies, we suggest that more sensitive measurement tools such as ImPACT neurocognitive testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging be utilized to determine the effects of acute as well as chronic exposure to headers in soccer players. / Graduation date: 2003

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

Based on empirical evidence from numerous studies involving the cognitive components of creativity training, the Cognitive Processes Associated with Creativity (CPAC) scale was developed to efficiently and directly address the processes of brainstorming, metaphorical and analogical thinking, perspective-taking, imagery, incubation, and flow. An online pilot study (n = 226) and laboratory follow-up study (n = 120) collected responses to the newly created CPAC scale and a variety of other creativity measures. Overall, the results of this research indicate that the CPAC scale has many sound psychometric qualities, and the scale assesses creativity as a process variable. The data from both studies provide evidence for the construct validity of the scale, with a relatively stable factor structure reflecting the underlying theoretical subscales. A lack of relationships between the CPAC scale, social desirability, and several demographic variables suggested some evidence for divergent validity. There is mixed evidence for concurrent validity, as scores on the CPAC were not significantly correlated with product-focused measures of creativity but were significantly correlated with other previously established self-report creativity instruments. Further investigation of these findings indicated that different conceptualizations and design issues may be the reason for the nonsignificant results, and additional research in this area is needed. A deeper exploration of the relationships between the various self-report subscales led to a more vivid description of each cognitive process included in the CPAC, laying the foundation for a theoretical understanding of the similarities and differences of these processes. / Department of Educational Psychology

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

Diagnostic cognitive assessment (DCA) was explored using Bayesian networks and evidence-centred design (ECD) in a statistics learning domain (ANOVA). The assessment environment simulates problem solving activities that occurred in a web-based statistics learning environment. The assessment model is composed of assessment constructs, and evidence models. Assessment constructs correspond to components of knowledge and procedural skill in a cognitive domain model and are represented as explanatory variables in the assessment model. Explanatory variables represent specific aspects of student's performance of assessment problems. Bayesian networks are used to connect the explanatory variables to the evidence variables. These links enable the network to propagate evidential information to explanatory model variables in the assessment model. The purpose of DCA is to infer cognitive components of knowledge and skill that have been mastered by a student. These inferences are realized probabilistically using the Bayesian network to estimate the likelihood that a student has mastered specific components of knowledge or skill based on observations of features of the student's performance of an assessment task. / The objective of this study was to develop a Bayesian assessment model that implements DCA in a specific domain of statistics, and evaluate it in relation to its potential to achieve the objectives of DCA. This study applied a method for model development to the ANOVA score model domain to attain the objectives of the study. The results documented: (a) the process of model development in a specific domain; (b) the properties of the Bayesian assessment model; (c) the performance of the network in tracing students' progress towards mastery by using the model to successfully update the posterior probabilities; (d) the use of estimates of log odds ratios of likelihood of mastery as a measure of "progress toward mastery;" (e) the robustness of diagnostic inferences based on the network; and (f) the use of the Bayesian assessment model for diagnostic assessment with a sample of 20 students who completed the assessment tasks. The results indicated that the Bayesian assessment network provided valid diagnostic information about specific cognitive components, and was able to track development towards achieving mastery of learning goals.

M.A. (Psychology) / The concept of field dependence-field independence was developed by H.A. Witkin. Witkin and almost all subsequent researchers implicitly assumed that field dependence and field independence are bipolar opposites of a single underlying continuum. Resent research (O'Hara, 1985), however, suggested the possibility that field dependence and field independence are two independent constructs. The principal goal of the present study was to determine the cognitive and personality correlates of field dependence and field independence. To investigate the stated problem, a battery of 21 psychometric tests was administered to a stratified sample of 303 first year university students at the Rand Afrikaans University. The battery consisted of the newly constructed Field Dependence Inventory, Hidden Figures Test, Social Intelligence Test, Pattern Relations Test, and Jackson Personality Inventory. In order to ascertain whether the sample of students could be classified into (more than two) natural classes in terms of field dependence and field independence, a cluster analysis was performed. The Field Dependence Inventory served as a measure of field dependence, and the Hidden Figures Test, as a measure of field independence. These tests were used as input variables to the cluster analysis. Four classes were established. Differences in means between the four classes, in terms of the cognitive variables, were investigated by means of the Social Intelligence Test, and Pattern Relations Test. Personality differences were investigated by means of the Jackson Personality Inventory. The differences in means between the four classes, were investigated by means of a multivariate analysis of variance, one-way analyses of variance, and Scheffe's multiple comparisons...

This study has two parts: Part I discusses the limitations of difference scores and exploratory factor analysis for representing speed of information-processing stages in the context of a reanalysis of a study by Vernon (1983). Vernon interpreted the differences between objectively measured reaction times on various simple cognitive tasks as components of speed of information processing. Correlations were calculated among these differences and subjected to exploratory factor analysis. The factors obtained from this analysis were interpreted by Vernon in terms of short-term and long-term memory processing constructs. The use of difference scores, however, implies an additive model allowance for random error, which correlations between these differences. that does not make leads to spurious The application of exploratory factor analysis to among these differences compounds uncover latent variables the problem because it admits many alternative interpretations which cannot be tested against one another for goodness-of-fit to the data. Confirmatory factor analysis addresses these problems. This thesis demonstrates that the correlations between the difference scores can be accounted for in terms of factors obtained from factor analysis of the original reaction time data. These factors lead to an alternative interpretation of the results which is contrasted with Vernon's interpretation. Part II of this study illustrates the use of confirmatory factor analysis with this kind of data. An attempt to test the assumptions of Vernon's difference score model with confirmatory factor analysis did not succeed because the implied model was too constrained for the statistical program we were using; consequently, the program could not find a starting solution. In order to demonstrate how confirmatory factor analysis can be used to test models of speed of cognitive processing, Part II partially replicates a study by Lansman, Donaldson, Hunt, & Yantis (1982). This research analyzed a simple cognitive reaction time task that was examined in detail by Vernon. Donaldson (1983) used the Lansman et al. data to compare difference scores and part correlational techniques with a general approach based on analysis of covariance structures to demonstrate how the components of cognitive processes can be explicated using confirmatory factor analysis.