Yes / Memory performance is usually impaired when participants have to encode information while performing a concurrent task. Recent studies using recall tasks have found that emotional items are more resistant to such cognitive depletion effects than non-emotional items. However, when recognition tasks are used, the same effect is more elusive as recent recognition studies have obtained contradictory results. In two experiments, we provide evidence that negative emotional content can reliably reduce the effects of cognitive depletion on recognition memory only if stimuli with high levels of emotional intensity are used. In particular, we found that recognition performance for realistic pictures was impaired by a secondary 3- back working memory task during encoding if stimuli were emotionally neutral or had moderate levels of negative emotionality. In contrast, when negative pictures with high levels of emotional intensity were used, the detrimental effects of the secondary task were significantly attenuated. / UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, reference: BB/H001476/1, and BB/H001476/2)

The aim of the study was to examine central auditory processes compromised by age, age-related hearing loss, and the presentation of a distracting cafeteria noise using auditory event-related potentials (ERPs). In addition, the relation of ERPs to behavioral measures of discrimination was investigated. Three groups of subjects participated: young normal hearing, elderly subjects with normal hearing for their age, and elderly hearing-impaired subjects. Psychoacoustic frequency discrimination thresholds for a 1000-Hz pure tone were determined in quiet and in the presence of a contralateral cafeteria noise. To elicit ERPs, small frequency contrasts were presented with and without noise under unattended and attended conditions. In the attended condition, behavioral measures of d′ detectability and reaction times were also obtained. Noise affected all measures of behavioral frequency discrimination significantly. Except N1, all ERP components in the standard and difference waveforms decreased significantly in amplitude and increased in latency to the same degree in all three subject groups, arguing against a specific age-related sensitivity to the effects of contralateral background noise. For N1 amplitude, the effect of noise was different in the three subject groups, with a complex interaction of age, hearing loss, and attention. Behavioral frequency discrimination was not affected by age but deteriorated significantly in the elderly subjects with hearing loss. In the electrophysiological test, age-related changes occurred at various levels. The most prominent finding in the response to the standard stimuli was a sustained negativity (N2) following P2 in the young subjects that was absent in the elderly, possibly indicating a deficit in the inhibition of irrelevant information processing. In the attended difference waveform, significantly larger N2b and smaller P3b amplitudes and longer N2b and P3b latencies were observed in the elderly indicating different processing strategies. The pronounced age-related changes in the later cognitive components suggest that the discrimination of difficult contrasts, although behaviorally maintained, becomes more effortful in the elderly.

本研究使用Android智慧型手機結合無線感測器，提供一個便利學習者攜帶、使用之輔助學習系統，並於智慧型手機提供互動區以利同儕間進行課業討論。系統即時感測、記錄學習者學習行為，並以智慧型手機做為感測資料蒐集及處理中心，為了利用蒐集之學習資料產生最佳推論結果，採用SVM(Support Vector Machine)分類技術進行資料之推論及分析。 本系統之評量及實驗，係藉由讓大學生使用系統，蒐集預測模型建立所需之資料，並了解學習者對本系統之觀感、接受度及系統預測準確率。評量以實驗者前、後測進步情況作為標準，探討與學習情況之關係，藉此了解使用智慧型手機結合感測器輔助學習者進行自我管理，進而提升學習成效。 / We propose a portable, convenient learning assisted system that uses Android Smartphone with wireless sensors. The system senses and collects the data of learning behavior and uses the Smartphone as processing unit to collect statistics. For optimizing inference, we used SVM(Support Vector Machine) technology to analyze the collected data . For evaluating the system , we invited college students to join the experiment and use the system. Therefore, we can collect data to construct the prediction models, knowing better about the accuracy , impression and acceptance of the system , and then realizing the feasibility of using Smartphone with wireless sensors to assist learner promoting learning effect by self-management strategy.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana.pdf: 680523 bytes, checksum: 436d21a6458ea46f6906d902b0849462 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-03 / The present study was aimed at analyzing child self-control through the simultaneous variation of magnitude and delay of reinforcement, with and without the possibility of engaging in a distracting activity during the delay of reinforcement. The participants, 11 children between the ages of five to eleven, with and without a diagnosis of ADHD, were presented with a computer task in a concurrent-chain schedule. The consequence produced by the response in the first link initiated the second link, and a new response, on the same component selected previously, produced, in VI 15s, a new consequence and the beginning of the period of delay of reinforcement (FT) with or without the distracting activities. The third link begun right after the end of the period of delay. The participants were submitted to two baseline conditions: one to evaluate the control that the magnitude of reinforcement dimension exerted over the response; and another to evaluate the control exerted by the delay of reinforcement dimension. In the experimental condition, there was simultaneous variation of magnitude and delay of reinforcement, with or without the possibility of engaging in distracting activities during the delay of reinforcement period. This variation involved four phases: in one of the components the magnitude and delay of reinforcement period remained constant (10s and 1 token); and in the other component, both were gradually increased (30s and 5 tokens, Phase 1; 60s and 10 tokens, Phase 2; 1min 30s and 15 tokens, Phase 3; e 2 min and 20 tokens, Phase 4). After that, the participants were submitted to a new condition, similar to the previous one, but without the distracting activities. Such condition was introduced from Phase 4. If the child reached the ending criterion for the phase (answering in ten consecutive attempts on one same component), the program was ended; if not, the child would go back to a previous phase, and thus successively. In all conditions, at the end of the period of delay, the period of access to reinforcement became effective. Tokens, represented by green traces on the computer screen, were used as reinforcers. Tokens were earned on a CRF schedule, and exchanged for toys at the end of the session. At the beginning of each session, participants established a specific value to each of the objects used as potential reinforcers. The maximum value was of 250 tokens and, gradually, by 10s, this value diminished till a minimum of 10 tokens. The hypothesis was that such values could indicate the potential reinforcing value of each object, so that the most valued reinforcer had the highest price (250 tokens) and the least valued reinforcer had the lowest price (10 tokens). At the end of each session, the participant checked the number of tokens he got, on the computer screen, and exchanged them for items he could buy, according to the value the participant himself had stipulated. The results showed that, in the phase of magnitude baseline, in the majority of the attempts, the children answered on the component that produced high magnitude, but in the delay baseline, the majority answered on the component that produced greater delay of reinforcement. When there was simultaneous manipulation of those variables, the participants answered more frequently on the component that produced higher reinforcement magnitude, in spite of greater delay of reinforcement, even with the gradual increase of the delay through the phases, up to 2 min. Results are discussed in relation to the number of responses emitted, in the presence and in the absence of such activities, and their possible reinforcing value / O presente estudo foi realizado com o objetivo analisar o autocontrole de crianças a partir da variação simultânea da magnitude e do atraso do reforço, com e sem a possibilidade de realização de atividades distrativas durante o período de atraso do reforço. Os participantes, 11 crianças com idade de 5 a 11 anos, com e sem o diagnóstico de TDAH, foram submetidas a esquema concorrente-encadeado num computador. A conseqüência produzida pela resposta no primeiro elo, dava início ao segundo elo e uma nova resposta, sobre o mesmo componente selecionado anteriormente, produzia, em VI15s, uma nova conseqüência e o início do o período de atraso do reforço (FT) com ou sem as atividades distrativas. O terceiro elo tinha início logo após o fim do período de atraso. Os participantes foram submetidos a duas condições de linha de base, uma para avaliar o controle que a dimensão magnitude do reforço exercia sobre o responder, a outra para avaliar o controle da dimensão atraso do reforço. Na condição experimental, houve a variação simultânea da magnitude e do atraso do reforço com ou sem a possibilidade de realização de atividades distrativas durante o período de atraso. Esta variação envolveu quatro fases, em um dos componentes o período de atraso e magnitude do reforço permaneceu constante (10s e 1 ficha); e no outro componente, ambos foram aumentados progressivamente(30s e 5 fichas, Fase 1; 60s e 10 fichas, Fase 2; 1min e 30s, Fase 3; e 2 min, Fase 4). Em seguida, os participantes foram submetidos a uma nova condição, semelhante à anterior, porém sem as atividades distrativas. Tal condição tinha início a partir da Fase 4. Caso a criança alcançasse o critério para encerramento da fase (responder em dez tentativas consecutivas sobre o um mesmo componente), o programa era finalizado; caso contrário, a criança voltaria para uma fase anterior, e assim sucessivamente. Em todas as condições ao final do período de atraso, entrava em vigor o período de acesso ao reforço. Fichas, representadas por traços verdes na tela do computador, foram utilizadas como reforço. As fichas eram ganhas num esquema CRF, e trocadas por brinquedos no final da sessão. Os participantes hierarquizavam os objetos, considerados como potenciais reforçadores, no início de cada sessão. O valor máximo era de 250 fichas e, progressivamente, de 10 em 10, esse valor ia diminuindo até chegar ao número mínimo de 10 fichas. A hipótese era que tais valores pudessem indicar o valor reforçador de cada objeto, de maneira que o reforço de maior valor tivesse o maior preço (250 fichas) e o reforço de menor valor tivesse o preço mais baixo (10 fichas). Ao final de cada sessão, o participante conferia o número de fichas obtidas na tela do computador e as trocava pelos itens que podia comprar, conforme o valor estipulado, pelo próprio participante. Os resultados encontrados revelam que, na fase de linha de base de magnitude, as crianças, na maioria das tentativas, responderam no componente que produzia magnitude alta, mas na linha de base atraso, a maioria respondeu no componente que produzia maior atraso do reforço. Quando houve manipulação simultânea dessas variáveis, os participantes responderam mais freqüentemente no componente que produzia maior magnitude e do atraso do reforço, mesmo com o aumento progressivo do atraso através das fases, chegando até 2 min. Os resultados são discutidos em termos do número de respostas emitidas, na presença e na ausência de tais atividades, e de seu possível valor reforçador

Introduction: Being able to ignore distracting thoughts is often linked with better sports performance (Kane & Engle, 2003). Depending on how the performer directs their attentional focus it can either enhance or impair performance (Wulf & Su, 2016). However, the combined effects of distracting thoughts and attentional focus on motor performance need to be further explored. Objective: To examine the effects of distracting thoughts on golf shot performance during internal and external focus of attention. Methods: Twenty Swedish senior golf players, with ages varying between 21-52, were instructed to hit a golf ball as straight and as far as possible, both with (dual-task conditions) and without (single-task conditions) distracting thoughts, either with internal or external focus of attention. After each of these four conditions, participants evaluated their cognitive effort using a Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME; Zijlstra, 1993). Results: In the single-task conditions, directing attentional focus externally was linked with an improved performance compared to an internal focus of attention which impaired performance. Findings also showed an impaired performance in the dual-task conditions, compared to single-task conditions. No substantial performance effects were found when comparing external with internal focus of attention under dual-task conditions. Results from the RSME showed that it requires more cognitive effort when performing a golf shot while influenced by distracting thoughts. Also, more cognitive effort was required during internal focus of attention compared to external focus of attention, which was true both with and without distracting thoughts. Conclusions: The current study’s findings indicate that there is a negative relationship between distracting thoughts and golf shot performance, also, focus of attention does not influence golf shot performance during dual-task. The findings also contribute to an increased knowledge concerning the association between dual-task, focus of attention and performance. This knowledge could be implemented into golf practice, both theoretical and practical, to enhance golf performance. / Introduktion: Att kunna ignorera distraherande tankar är ofta sammankopplat med bättre idrottsprestationer (Kane & Engle, 2003). Beroende på hur utövaren riktar sin uppmärksamhetsfokus kan det antingen bidra till en förbättrad eller försämrad prestation (Wulf & Su, 2016). Däremot finns det behov av att vidare utforska den kombinerade effekten som distraherande tankar och uppmärksamhetsfokus har på motorisk prestation. Syfte: Att undersöka effekterna av distraherande tankar på golfslagsprestation under intern och extern uppmärksamhetsfokus. Metod: Tjugo svenska senior golfspelare, i åldrarna 21–52, hade som uppgift att slå golfslag så långt och rakt som möjligt, både med (dual-task conditions) och utan (single-task conditions) distraherande tankar, med antingen intern eller extern uppmärksamhetsfokus. Deltagarna värderade även sin upplevda kognitiva ansträngning efter varje förhållande med hjälp av Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME; Zijlstra, 1993). Resultat: Vid single-task förhållandet var externt riktat uppmärksamhetsfokus kopplat till en bättre prestation jämfört med internt riktat fokus som i stället försämrade prestationsförmågan. Resultatet visade också en försämrad prestation i förhållandet med dual-task, jämfört med single-task förhållandet. Inga betydande prestationseffekter hittades vid jämförelse mellan extern och intern uppmärksamhetsfokus under dual-task förhållandet. Slutsats: Den aktuella studiens resultat indikerar att det finns ett negativt samband mellan distraherande tankar och golfprestation, samt att uppmärksamhetsfokus inte påverkar golfprestation under dual-task. Resultaten bidrar till en ökad kunskap om relationen mellan dual-task, uppmärksamhetsfokus och prestation. Denna kunskap kan implementeras i golfträning, både teoretisk och praktisk, för att förbättra golfprestation.