Humans tend to preferentially process information relevant to themselves. For instance, in experiments where participants learn to manipulate stimuli referenced to themselves or someone else, participants exhibit larger reward processing signals for themselves. Additionally, attention and perception are biased not only towards one’s self but those related to them. However, the aspect of processing information related to known-others has not been addressed in reward learning. Here, I sought to address this issue. Specifically, I recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) data from 15 undergraduate student participants who played a simple two-choice “bandit” gambling game where a photo presented before each gamble indicated whether it benefited either the participant, an individual they knew, or a stranger. EEG data from 64 electrodes on a standard 10-20 layout were analyzed for event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by target photos and gambling outcomes. Post experiment, I examined the relationship between relatedness and the amplitude reward learning ERPs, namely the reward positivity and the P300, with one-way repeated measures analyses of variance. My results demonstrate that the amplitudes of reward learning ERPs are sensitive to the target of a gamble. A secondary goal of this research was to determine if these differences could be explained by attentional and perceptual responses to cues of who a given gamble was for. Indeed, stepwise linear regression analyses identified the P2, N2, and P3 indexed relevance to self as predictors of resultant reward signals. My findings provide further evidence that a reward learning system within the medial-frontal cortex is sensitive to others with varying self-relevance, which may be a function of biases in attention and perception. / Graduate

Previous literature has suggested an apparent P300 sensitivity to self-relevant stimuli. To further explore this relationship, we asked participants to submit 10 photos, each of a particular category (e.g. footwear, plants), to be used as either targets or distractors in a given condition of an oddball task. Furthermore, we attempted to see whether the effect of self-relevance on the P300 could be induced in a participant by allowing them to study a set of unique photos which would then be used as targets. Our analysis suggested that P300 amplitude elicited in response to self-relevant stimuli used as targets was statistically significantly greater than all other conditions’ targets. This effect was not correlated with the participant sentiment toward their own photos as assessed by the Revised Personal Involvement Inventory. In light of this, we suggest a generalized effect of self-relevance on the P300. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Many mathematics students experience dissonance between their sense of who they are and their perception of who they are expected to be in mathematics classrooms. Such students lack a sense of belonging while in mathematics class, believe that learning mathematics requires a natural ability they do not possess, experience classroom mathematical practices as being monotonous and devoid of meaning, or view mathematics as irrelevant to their present and future lives outside of the mathematics classroom. Together, these perceptions form students’ views of themselves in relation to the study of mathematics—their mathematics identities. However, whereas students’ mathematics identities are known to impact their academic motivation and achievement, the mathematics education literature lacks insight into how to promote positive mathematics identities in students. Flum and Kaplan (2006) identified the Eriksonian concept of exploration—the seeking out and processing of self-relevant information—as a key process in adaptive identity formation and one that may be harnessed as a motivational force in academic settings. The current study investigates the effects of a school-based program that is being implemented with the goal of promoting Algebra 2 students’ motivation and achievement by facilitating mathematics identity exploration. The data are based on pedagogical materials and student artifacts administered by three teachers as part of a classroom-based program that included reflective writing assignments that applied principles for promoting identity exploration around the curriculum. The research involves analyses of the data collected during this project undertaken in Algebra 2 classrooms in a suburban high school throughout one semester. Students were randomly assigned to either participate in the innovative pedagogical program or to one of two control groups. I found the mathematics identity exploration program to promote hints of exploration for some students but not others. Additionally, students who perceived the course as triggering mathematics identity exploration, whether assigned to the exploration program or to a control group, were found to have more adaptive motivational profiles at the end of the semester. The findings point to the benefits of identity exploration within the mathematics classroom to students’ mathematics identities and motivation in mathematics, and they provide directions for further research and the design of effective interventions that promote students’ identity exploration around the mathematics curriculum across student groups and contexts. / Teaching & Learning