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ItemUnderstanding the perceptual segmentation of situations via event segmentation theory(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-07-30) Mumma, Joel MichaelThe goal of the present studies was to understand how the cognitive mechanisms of Event Segmentation Theory (EST) might account the hierarchical structure of our representations of situations. According to EST, people maintain a hierarchy of “event models” of ongoing activity in working memory, which represent events unfolding simultaneously on different timescales. Event models continually try to predict the near future and are updated in response to prediction error. Updating an event model gives rise to our perception of a “boundary” between events and is what people report during event segmentation tasks. EST posits that the hierarchy of event models in working memory arises from the differential predictive accuracies of coarse-event models (e.g., of situations) and fine-event models (e.g., of shorter events occurring within situations). We tested this hypothesis by orienting participants to their event models of the situations or of the fine events in a narrative film, either by having them report each time a new situation or a new fine event began. Throughout the film, we also assessed their confidence and predictive accuracy at moments when both variables should depend on the event model being interrogated. Across two studies, we obtained novel support for the general mechanisms of EST but converging evidence that participants only maintained fine-event models of activity, even though we found that their segmentation of the film depended on their orientation. We propose that the fine-grained segmentation of activity may reflect the updating of fine-event models whereas coarser-grained segmentation may instead reflect how people group fine events online, rather than the updating of coarse-event models (e.g., of situations) per se.
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ItemMeasuring the effects of display design and individual differences on the utilization of multi-stream sonifications(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-07-30) Schuett, Jonathan HenryPrevious work in the auditory display community has discussed the impact of both display design and individual listener differences on how successfully listeners can use a sonification. This dissertation extends past findings and explores the effects of display and individual differences on listeners’ ability to utilize a sonification for an analytical listening task when multiple variables are presented simultaneously. This is considered a more complicated task and pushes listeners’ perceptual abilities, but is necessary when wanting to use sonifications to display more detailed information about a dataset. The study used a two by two between- subjects approach to measure the effects of display design and domain mapping. Acoustic parameters were assigned to either the weather or the health domain, and these mappings were either created by an expert sound designer or arbitrarily assigned. The acoustic parameters were originally selected for the weather domain, so those display conditions were expected to result in higher listener accuracy. Results showed that the expert mapped weather sonification led to higher mean listener accuracy than the arbitrarily mapped health display when listeners did not have time to practice, however with less than an hour of practice the significant main effects of design and domain mapping went away and mean accuracy scores increased to a similar level. This dissertation introduces two models for predicting listener accuracy scores, the first model uses musical sophistication and self-reported motivation scores to predict listener accuracy on the task before practice. The second model uses musical sophistication, self-reported motivation, and listening discrimination scores to predict listener accuracy on the sonification task after practice.
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ItemMultimodal investigation of mind wandering and attention lapses(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-07-24) Godwin, Christine A.The neuroscience of mind wandering has advanced appreciably over the past decade. By applying convergent methods that span self-reports, behavioral indexes, and neuroimaging, researchers have been able to gain an understanding of how the brain supports ongoing mentation that is unrelated to other tasks at hand. However, despite the complex processes that attention lapses can take, research in this field has often focused on simply dichotomizing mind wandering as either on-task or off-task. Furthermore, repeated use of tasks such as the sustained attention to response task (SART) to study mind wandering has constrained research and hampered generalizability. The current work addresses these issues by presenting a novel series of thought prompts that query several attention states and dynamics as participants perform the metronome response task (Seli et al., 2013). In Study 1, simultaneous recording of behavioral performance, fMRI, and pupil diameter allowed for a multimodal investigation of the neural correlates of attention lapses. In Study 2, task difficulty was manipulated in order to test the effect of cognitive load on attention lapses and performance. Results indicated unique behavioral and neural profiles for several attention states and found subtle but consistent differences between self-reported attention state and performance variability. In addition, cognitive load modulated task performance and, to a lesser extent, the frequency of dynamic states (e.g., spontaneous versus constrained attention) in manners consistent with previous theorizing (e.g., the context regulation hypothesis). However, not all measures dissociated across attention states. The results are discussed from the perspectives of mind wandering theories and frameworks, the function of the default mode network, and the importance of task context in the study of attention lapses.
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ItemEvaluating the predictive ability of early autism risk screeners: A longitudinal follow up study of developmental progress and diagnostic outcomes(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-07-18) Justus, Sidni AlannaAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is now considered one of the most common developmental disabilities (Newschaffer et al., 2007). Over the past 20+ years, researchers have worked towards identifying early behavioral or physiological predictors of ASD so that early treatment and intervention can be implemented. These efforts include the development of rapid, behavior-based screeners (e.g., Rapid-ABC by Ousley, Arriaga, Abowd, & Morrier, 2013) to supplement or replace the commonly used parent-report methods (e.g., Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) and lengthy behavioral and interview assessments (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Autism Diagnostic Interview) that are considered the gold-standard for ASD screening and diagnosis. The present study explores how these different means of measuring early infant and toddler social communication and language behavior (i.e., parent-report via the M-CHAT vs. direct observation of behavior via the Rapid-ABC screener) collected at Time 1 correspond with later developmental progress and diagnostic outcomes as reported by parents in a semi-structured interview collected at Time 2. 56 parents of 57 children who previously participated in a study evaluating early infant ASD-risk behaviors when their children were 15-35 months of age participated in a follow-up phone interview about their child’s social communicative development and medical updates over the last 3-7 years. The results of the follow up interview with parents suggested there was fairly good correspondence with later autism diagnosis only for those children who showed Time 1 “at-risk” status from both parent-report and behavioral assessment. However, each individual form of assessment, considered on its own, did not have strong predictive ability in identifying children who went on to have an autism diagnosis. Qualitative interviews with parents revealed that some of the Time 1 “at-risk” children demonstrated other kinds of social or communication concerns, yet still, the correspondences were not tight as some false positives and missed negatives were present. Ultimately, this study did not identify a clear leader among the evaluated tools used for identifying autism risk in infancy and toddlerhood. It does point to the importance of converging data from multiple sources (behavioral assessments as well as parent-report screeners) so that no child who presents some autism-related behaviors is overlooked given the literature demonstrating that early intervention is critical for this population and other developmental disorders. It is possible that with a larger sample, we may have found support for one early risk assessment tool over another. Future infant/toddler studies that include a longitudinal follow up will help address this gap in research on Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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ItemUnderstanding the misunderstanding: Why confidence intervals are poorly understood and evaluating proposed solutions across sensory modalities(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-05-23) Batterman, Jared M.The error bar representation of a confidence interval is the most ubiquitous display of uncertainty in statistical analysis. However, despite this, error bars are poorly understood even by seasoned scientists and researchers across disciplines. The root of this misunderstanding is not certain, but researchers have posited several hypotheses ranging from the structure of the display itself, to how it is presented in the classroom. Studies have thus far been either incomplete or inconclusive, leading some to call for the elimination of the use of error bars entirely. However, research into statistics education (suggesting the error bar representation may not even be taught in contemporary classrooms) demonstrates that a lack of exposure in an educational likely contributes to the displays’ poor level of discernment. Furthermore, promising research into auditory uncertainty displays suggests that sound may be a better medium to present this information than vision. The studies conducted in this dissertation demonstrate that not only are auditory displays viable alternatives to visual representations of confidence intervals (i.e., error bars), but when used together can improve overall performance. Furthermore, the presence of visual displays was shown to enhance performance on questions involving confidence intervals, but not on other topics, suggesting that confidence intervals may hold a unique status when it comes how they are affected by alternative display types. Limited training was also shown to improve performance, suggesting that if confidence interval displays were taught in classrooms, overall performance could improve and lead students to understand this topic just as well as other statistical concepts. The success of the auditory representation could also lead to the creation of cheaper, more universally designed, materials to help convey uncertainty to all students, regardless of sensory ability.
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ItemEstablishing the construct of subtle identity performances directed at the outgroup and providing an answer to successful intergroup leadership(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-05-23) Jones, Benjamin R.Leaders responsible for overseeing multiple groups increase the likelihood of accomplishing organizational goals if they can successfully garner support and trust from all the groups they lead. However, when a leader emerges from one group, he or she may be viewed by others as having an inherit bias to his or her own group. How can a leader gain the support and trust of those in other groups without alienating him or herself from his or her base? This is a common, but understudied, intergroup leadership dilemma. In this dissertation, I aim to show that subtle identity performances directed at the outgroup (subtle identity performancesDAO), subtle appeals that are effectively invisible to those who are not familiar with the targeted outgroup’s norms, can be used by leaders to gain support and trust from their outgroup members, allowing them to maximize their potential following. Indeed, subtle identity performancesDAO are increasingly possible in today’s technological age; motivated leaders can access information that informs them of a targeted outgroup’s normative behavior and utilize this information to conduct subtle appeals to gain trust and support from their opposition. In my dissertation, I conduct three studies that introduce the construct subtle identity performancesDAO and test its effectiveness as a solution to a common problem of intergroup leadership. While the results of the studies ultimately do not support my primary hypotheses, that leaders can utilize subtle identity performances to gain trust and support from outgroup members, I offer suggestions for future research to help extend the body of work on subtle appeals.
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ItemWorkplace Conflict, Emotions, and Strain: A Process Approach(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-05-23) Kay, Sophie AusteOrganizational conflict is a context where emotions must be managed and should therefore include a process of emotion regulation. There are some investigations of emotion regulation as a moderator of conflict (e.g., Curşeu, Boroş, & Oerlemans, 2012; Jiang, Zhang, & Tjosvold, 2013; Thiel, Harvey, Courtright, & Bradley, 2017), but this work does not theoretically integrate the emotion regulation or emotional labor process perspectives to the study of conflict. I draw on recent theory of the role of emotions in conflict expression (Weingart, Behfar, Bendersky, & Jehn, 2015) and integrate theory from emotional labor to better understand the conflict process and its effects on strain. In an experience sampling study with full-time workers, I investigate how conflict expressions impact emotional reactions and strain outcomes. I find that how conflict is expressed impacts emotional reactions to conflict. Conflict intensity related to strain outcome of emotional exhaustion, but not work withdrawal or sleep quality. End of workday emotional exhaustion was most sensitive to the effects of conflict expressions and this relationship was mediated by negative affect. Further, use of deep acting emotion regulation buffered the detrimental effect of negative affect impacting emotional exhaustion. Implications for the workplace and ideas for future work are discussed.
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ItemThe experience of technology at work: An experiential model of automation and agency in the workplace(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-05-21) Bufton, Gina MarieThere has been much attention paid to the macroeconomic implications of increased automation in the workforce, yet the psychological impact to affected workers has been largely ignored. To address this research gap, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between automation, operationalized as a set of generalizable experiential features, and the experience of agency at work, operationalized as momentary feelings of control within performance episodes. The study also examined trait-level predictors of experiential features of automation and proximal well-being outcomes in relation to experiences of agency. The study sample consisted of 81 full-time workers who used a variety of automated business software (e.g., Salesforce, PeopleSoft, QuickBooks) in their daily work tasks. In line with expectations, I found that experiential features of automation, including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived reliability, and experience/skill, were positively related to experiences of agency, although I did not find support for the expected negative relationship between perceived level of automation and agency. However, there was a significant interaction effect between perceived level of automation and task difficulty on agency, such that the relationship between perceived level of automation and agency was positive under high task difficulty and negative under low task difficulty. Although the hypotheses for the trait-level predictors of the experiential features of automation were largely unsupported, I found positive relationships between the experience of agency and feelings of authenticity and work engagement. Taken together, these findings suggest that there are shared experiential features of automated technologies that can impact workers’ experiences of control in their jobs, and that momentary experiences of control (i.e., agency) are related to meaningful well-being outcomes at work. The study’s limitations and suggested future research directions are discussed.
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ItemThe impact of two spatial strategies on entorhinal and hippocampal involvement in visual path integration(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-05-07) Zhong, Yu JimmyIn lieu of pre-existing inconsistent neuroimaging and neuropsychological findings concerning the involvement of the hippocampal formation in path integration, the current study investigated the extent to which the hippocampus proper, the entorhinal cortex, and neocortical regions were activated based on the implementation of continuous and configural updating strategies when performing a virtual path completion task. While configural updating required allocentric encoding of the outbound path’s shape, continuous updating required constant tracking of egocentric movements with reference to a point of origin. Findings from in-lab behavioral testing (n = 50) showed that neither strategy elicited more accurate path integration performance than the other, and that gender/sex moderated strategy use. Specifically, male configural updaters outperformed female configural updaters on almost all types of path integration errors, and female continuous updaters outperformed female configural updaters in terms of mean distance error measures. Region-of-interest analysis of functional fMRI data obtained from a subset of participants (n = 38) based on a new/separate set of path integration trials showed that continuous updaters (n = 19) exhibited significant activation in the left entorhinal cortex through a contrast of activations derived from simple and complex paths [complex > simple] when returning to the start. Based on the same type of ROI analysis, marginally significant activations in the left hippocampus in both strategy groups were also found based on the same type of descriptive contrast. In each strategy group, whole-brain analysis further showed significant non-contrast-related patterns of activations (in the left parietal cortex) and deactivations (in the right medial prefrontal cortex and right lateral temporal lobe) during the homebound phase of simple paths. In addition, brain-behavior correlations associated individual differences in visual path integration with non-contrast-related functional activity changes in the occipito-parietal and inferior frontal regions. Taken together, these fMRI findings suggest that extrahippocampal attentional and perceptual processes facilitated visual path integration, and that the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus may be more involved in detecting switches in homing decisions or responses between paths of varying complexity than in monitoring performance changes over a single category of paths.
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ItemInvestigating age-related differences in spatial presence formation and maintenance in virtual reality(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-04-02) McGlynn, Sean A.Virtual reality has numerous applications with the potential to support physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional well-being across a range of users. The effectiveness of these applications in achieving desirable outcomes (e.g., transfer of training, enjoyment, treatment efficacy) has been shown to depend on the extent that the user experiences a sense of being physically located in the virtual environment. This 'sense of being' is termed spatial presence. Research on this concept has primarily focused on the effect that the objective immersiveness of the system (e.g., screen resolution, field of view, audio quality) has on the level of spatial presence that users experience in the virtual environment. The goal of this dissertation was to better understand the components of the full spatial presence process (i.e., formation and maintenance), validate measurement methods for capturing within-experience changes in spatial presence formation and maintenance, changes in spatial presence levels over time, and the cognitive abilities that influence spatial presence formation and maintenance. 25 younger and 25 older adults participated in virtual reality experiences over the course of three days. Age was used as a proxy for changes in cognitive abilities. Additionally, measures of specific attentional abilities were administered as well as existing and novel measures of spatial presence during and after the virtual reality. The primary findings of this dissertation are as follows: 1) In general, there was little evidence of age-related or time-related differences in spatial presence, 2) Presence formation occurred rapidly, 3) Participants experienced high levels of spatial presence, 4) Participants maintained spatial presence in the virtual environment for the majority of their sessions, 5) Disturbances in presence were easily recovered from, 6) Methods of measuring within-experience fluctuations in presence were validated, with some methodological caveats. These findings are informative to spatial presence theory, future research, and measurement and have practical contributions for designers of virtual reality applications, experiences, and systems.