The current study explored the relationship between working memory (WM) and reading performance in 50 typically-developing third-grade students, as well as the effect of WM-training on their WM, reading fluency, and reading comprehension skills. Half of the sample was randomly assigned to the experimental group, while the other half was placed in the control group. Children in both groups participated in a battery of WM and reading assessments preceding and following three weeks of computer game play. The children in the experimental group played a WM-training computer game for about 10 minutes a day (Monday-Friday) for three weeks, while children in the control group played a computer game that required sustained attention, but did not have a WM component. It was hypothesized that WM performance would predict reading performance, such that better WM ability would be associated with better reading ability. Furthermore, it was predicted that WM span would mediate the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension. In terms of WM training, it was hypothesized that WM training would significantly improve the experimental group's performance on the measures of WM, reading fluency, and reading comprehension relative to the control group. Results indicated that WM ability significantly predicted performance on measures of reading fluency and reading comprehension at pre-test; however, WM performance was not observed to mediate the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension despite being closely associated with both skills. Finally, although children in the experimental group did not show improvements in WM performance relative to those in the control group on transfer tasks, they did demonstrate improvements in reading fluency and reading comprehension. The findings of this study not only suggest that WM ability is closely related to reading skills, but also that WM training may serve as another route to further improve and develop students' literacy abilities.

The prominent use of DIBELS as a screening and placement tool has provided schools and districts the ability to implement interventions and best practices for students, particularly in the primary grades. Although many studies have highlighted the predictive validity of oral reading fluency (ORF) to anticipate reading performance, few have extended that research to examine the performance of ethnic and economic subgroups as compared to non-minority peers. Disaggregating the data to study specific populations can expose whether ORF's relationship with reading comprehension depends on group membership and ultimately improve the quality of the assessment. This study examines the predictive validity of DIBELS ORF for two types of comprehension scores within a racially and ethnically diverse second grade cohort.

A ampliação da Educação a Distância requer das Instituições de Ensino Superior o desenvolvimento de estratégias e ações que assegurem a qualidade dos cursos ofertados. Qualidade que perpassa pelo desenvolvimento de fluência tecnológica digital dos professores e relaciona-se ao conhecimento das habilidades contemporâneas, conceitos fundamentais e capacidades intelectuais do professor nas etapas de planejamento e implementação de atividades de ensino a distância. Considerando que a fluência tecnológica digital é essencial para implementação da prática docente em ambientes informatizados, objetivou-se identificar os reflexos da fluência tecnológica digital dos professores na organização das atividades de ensino no Moodle. Fundamentada nos princípios da Psicologia sócio-histórica, especificamente a Teoria da Atividade, a pesquisa constituiu-se em um estudo de caso com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas, análise dos documentos oficiais dos cursos e observação de ambientes virtuais de sete cursos de graduação a distância oferecido pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) no âmbito do programa Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB). A análise dos dados qualitativos envolveu a metodologia de Análise de Conteúdo e os dados quantitativos, o teste não-paramétrico de Kruskall-Wallis. Os resultados indicaram que a fluência tecnológica digital dos professores não se refletiu na organização das atividades de ensino nos cursos investigados. Nesse sentido, faz-se necessário a problematização da implementação de AE diversificadas, que requerem novas concepções do fazer pedagógico diante das inovações possibilitadas pelo desenvolvimento tecnológico. Inovação que requer constante desenvolvimento da FTD em relação a seleção e implementação de AE e sua aplicabilidade em diferentes situações didáticas. / The spread of Distance Education requires higher education institutions to develop strategies and actions which ensure quality in the courses offered. Quality intertwines the development of professors’ digital fluency as well as the knowledge of professors’ contemporary skills, primary concepts, and intellectual abilities in the process of planning and implementing distance education activities. Considering the fact that digital fluency is of paramount importance to the implementation of teaching practices on learning management systems/learning platforms/virtual learning environments, this research aims at identifying how professors’ digital fluency affects the organization of teaching activities on Moodle. Grounded on the principles of Cultural-Historical Psychology, especially Activity Theory, this research encompasses a case study which involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected by means of interviews, official course document analysis, and observations of the learning management systems/learning platforms/virtual learning environments of seven different online undergraduate programs offered at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in the scope of the Open University of Brazil (UAB) program. Qualitative data analysis comprised Content Analysis and quantitative data analysis comprised the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. The results indicate professors’ digital fluency is not reflected in the organization of teaching activities in the courses examined. Therefore, it is necessary to problematize the implementation of diverse teaching activities, which require new ‘pedagogical work’ as innovations have been brought about by technological development. Such innovation requires constant development of digital fluency, especially in relation to selecting and implementing teaching activities in different pedagogical situations.

abstract: The present study investigates the role lexical access plays in the oral fluency of intermediate second language (L2) learners. In order to do this, I utilized a picture-naming task (PNT) in the target language to assess lexical access and generated spontaneous L2 speech through two narration tasks to assess oral fluency. The response times from the PNT were correlated with the two fluency measures analyzed from the narration tasks, the frequency of filled pauses and the overall rate of speech. The results revealed that intermediate learners with faster PNT response times used fewer filled pauses in spontaneous L2 speech but did not reveal a significant relationship between intermediate learners' PNT response times and their rate of speech. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Spanish 2017

A ampliação da Educação a Distância requer das Instituições de Ensino Superior o desenvolvimento de estratégias e ações que assegurem a qualidade dos cursos ofertados. Qualidade que perpassa pelo desenvolvimento de fluência tecnológica digital dos professores e relaciona-se ao conhecimento das habilidades contemporâneas, conceitos fundamentais e capacidades intelectuais do professor nas etapas de planejamento e implementação de atividades de ensino a distância. Considerando que a fluência tecnológica digital é essencial para implementação da prática docente em ambientes informatizados, objetivou-se identificar os reflexos da fluência tecnológica digital dos professores na organização das atividades de ensino no Moodle. Fundamentada nos princípios da Psicologia sócio-histórica, especificamente a Teoria da Atividade, a pesquisa constituiu-se em um estudo de caso com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas, análise dos documentos oficiais dos cursos e observação de ambientes virtuais de sete cursos de graduação a distância oferecido pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) no âmbito do programa Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB). A análise dos dados qualitativos envolveu a metodologia de Análise de Conteúdo e os dados quantitativos, o teste não-paramétrico de Kruskall-Wallis. Os resultados indicaram que a fluência tecnológica digital dos professores não se refletiu na organização das atividades de ensino nos cursos investigados. Nesse sentido, faz-se necessário a problematização da implementação de AE diversificadas, que requerem novas concepções do fazer pedagógico diante das inovações possibilitadas pelo desenvolvimento tecnológico. Inovação que requer constante desenvolvimento da FTD em relação a seleção e implementação de AE e sua aplicabilidade em diferentes situações didáticas. / The spread of Distance Education requires higher education institutions to develop strategies and actions which ensure quality in the courses offered. Quality intertwines the development of professors’ digital fluency as well as the knowledge of professors’ contemporary skills, primary concepts, and intellectual abilities in the process of planning and implementing distance education activities. Considering the fact that digital fluency is of paramount importance to the implementation of teaching practices on learning management systems/learning platforms/virtual learning environments, this research aims at identifying how professors’ digital fluency affects the organization of teaching activities on Moodle. Grounded on the principles of Cultural-Historical Psychology, especially Activity Theory, this research encompasses a case study which involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected by means of interviews, official course document analysis, and observations of the learning management systems/learning platforms/virtual learning environments of seven different online undergraduate programs offered at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in the scope of the Open University of Brazil (UAB) program. Qualitative data analysis comprised Content Analysis and quantitative data analysis comprised the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. The results indicate professors’ digital fluency is not reflected in the organization of teaching activities in the courses examined. Therefore, it is necessary to problematize the implementation of diverse teaching activities, which require new ‘pedagogical work’ as innovations have been brought about by technological development. Such innovation requires constant development of digital fluency, especially in relation to selecting and implementing teaching activities in different pedagogical situations.

abstract: Recent legislation allowing educational agencies to use Response to Intervention (RTI) in determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, coupled with a focus on large-scale testing and accountability resulted in the increasing use of curriculum based measurement (CBM) as a tool for understanding students' progress towards state standards, particularly in reading through the use of oral reading fluency measures. Extensive evidence of oral reading fluency's predictability of reading comprehension exists, but little research on differential effects across racial, gender, and socioeconomic subgroups is available. This study investigated racial, gender, and socioeconomic bias in DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS ORF) probes predictive and concurrent relationship with MAP reading comprehension scores for African American and Caucasian students. Participants were 834 second through fifth grade students in a school district located in a southeastern US state. The dataset consisted of student fall and spring DIBELS ORF scores and spring MAP reading comprehension scores. Concurrent correlation results between spring DIBELS ORF and MAP reading comprehension scores were moderate to large and statistically significant across all grades and demographic groups; however, correlations between fall DIBELS ORF and MAP reading comprehension scores were generally weak. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to examine the best variable, or combination of variables, in predicting MAP reading comprehension scores. Models differed for each grade level; however, spring DIBELS ORF scores were always included, whether alone or in combination with demographic variables, in the best prediction model. Potthoff's procedure was used to simultaneously test for slope and intercept differences among regression equations to determine if DIBELS ORF scores from fall and spring differentially predicted MAP reading comprehension scores across demographic groups. Nine of 24 simultaneous contrasts demonstrated a significant effect; seven were related to race, one was related to gender, and one was related to socioeconomic status. Racial bias in predicting MAP reading comprehension performance from spring DIBELS ORF was found. Differential prediction among gender and SES groups was not consistent indicating little to no practical significance. Results are discussed in the context of practical implications of differential validity, both predictive and concurrent, and potential impact on disproportionality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2013

Traditional teaching methods use accuracy-only criterion when teaching students a specific skill, but more and more students are being left behind in classrooms because they are not mastering the skill. Using fluency, a combination of speed and accuracy, as a mastery criterion has shown to improve both retention and mastery. Previous research suggested that frequency scores closer to the predicted frequency aim produced greater retention. It is unclear at what frequency aim a decay in retention begins to occur. The purpose of the present study was to examine the differential effects of retention on preschool participants’ reading first grade Dolch sight words once the skill had been strengthened to 3 frequencies (i.e., 15 correct words/min, which is 25% of the accepted fluency aim, 30 correct words/min, which is 50% of the accepted fluency aim, and 60 correct words/min, which is 100% of the accepted fluency aim) using fluency training and the Precision Teaching method. Three preschool age participants were assessed for retention 2 weeks and 6 weeks after reaching criterion. All participants maintained teaching frequencies of correct responding 2 weeks after reaching mastery for all 3 frequency aims. Six weeks after teaching, 1 out of 3 participants showed retention for the 15 correct words per min criterion, all participants showed retention for the 30 correct words per min criterion, and all participants showed a decay in retention of correct responding for the 60 correct words per min criterion. Limitations and future research were discussed.

Consumers are constantly evaluating quantitative information, such as the prices of different products, the time spent on an activity, or the distance covered during one day. Substantial research in psychology has demonstrated that judgments of quantity in one dimension (e.g., numbers) influence subsequent judgments on another dimension (e.g., time). The present research contributes to a growing body of work by exploring how the shared representation of time, space, and numbers affects consumer perceptions and behaviors. My first dissertation essay explores how the organization of time on a spatial plane affects temporal judgments, product evaluations, and intertemporal discounting (i.e., time-space interaction). It has been well documented that Western consumers typically arrange temporal sequences following a past-left, future-right spatial pattern. Merging insights gained from numerical cognition and time psychology, the author develops a framework to explain how displaying temporal sequences congruently with this spatial organization of time increases subjective estimations of time and biases consumers toward present rewards. My second dissertation essay seeks to understand how and why expressing quantitative information in symbolic code (i.e., “6”) compared to verbal code (i.e., “six”) affects magnitude judgments and product evaluations (i.e., time-number interaction). Two rival accounts to explain the symbol-verbal effect are described and tested: (1) a systematic processing account based on Arabic symbols’ perceptual and cognitive features and (2) a fluency account based on the frequency of use and facilitation of processing Arabic symbols. This research has important managerial implications related to the effective communication of quantitative information.

Schizophrenia is a complex and severe psychiatric disorder with positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. Preclinical neurobiological studies showed that alterations of dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter circuits involving the prefrontal cortex resulted in cognitive impairment such as working memory. Functional activation and functional connectivity findings of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data provided support for prefrontal dysfunction during fMRI working memory tasks in individuals with schizophrenia. However, these findings do not offer a neurobiological interpretation of the fMRI data. Biophysical modelling of functional large-scale networks has been designed for the analysis of fMRI data, which can be interpreted in a mechanistic way. This approach may enable the interpretation of fMRI data in terms of altered synaptic plasticity processes found in schizophrenia. One such process is gating mechanism, which has been shown to be altered for the thalamo-cortical and meso-cortical connection in schizophrenia. The primary aim of the thesis was to investigate altered synaptic plasticity and gating mechanisms with Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) within functional large-scale networks during two fMRI tasks in individuals with schizophrenia. Applying nonlinear DCM to the verbal fluency fMRI task of the Edinburgh High Risk Study, we showed that the connection strengths with nonlinear modulation for the thalamo-cortical connection was reduced in subjects at high familial risk of schizophrenia when compared to healthy controls. These results suggest that nonlinear DCM enables the investigation of altered synaptic plasticity and gating mechanism from fMRI data. For the Scottish Family Mental Health Study, we reported two different optimal linear models for individuals with established schizophrenia (EST) and healthy controls during working memory function. We suggested that this result may indicate that EST and healthy controls used different functional large-scale networks. The results of nonlinear DCM analyses may suggest that gating mechanism was intact in EST and healthy controls. In conclusion, the results presented in this thesis give evidence for the role of synaptic plasticity processes as assessed in functional large-scale networks during cognitive tasks in individuals with schizophrenia.

Developmental stuttering persists in approximately 1% of the United States population. Stuttering has been shown to impact overall quality of life. The present study examines the effects of a Novel Right Brain Intervention on two female participants with persistent developmental stuttering. The aim of the study was to determine whether encouraging greater activation of the right hemisphere, specifically the pre-SMA, via complex left-handed movements, prior to speech production, would lead to a reduced stuttering frequency and severity in people who stutter (PWS). It was hypothesized that each participant would reduce stuttering symptoms and behaviors following the intervention due to the results found in patients with non-fluent aphasia's and neural imaging findings with PWS. Following analysis of speech samples taken from unstructured retell and unfamiliar reading tasks, the results revealed decreases in stuttering and secondary behaviors during the unstructured reading task for Participant 1 and decreases in stuttering and secondary behaviors during the unstructured retell task for Participant 2. The results of this study should be interpreted with caution, as this is a pilot study with multiple limitations. With further research, this method of intervention may become a viable option for those who have not benefited maximally from current intervention methods.