Cognitive Evaluation of Spatial Formalisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Oliver Wallgrün ◽  
Jinlong Yang ◽  
Alexander Klippel
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Proper Part ◽  
Behavioral Data ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Natural Level ◽  
Cognitive Evaluation ◽  
Spatially Extended ◽  
Detailed Level ◽  
General Relations ◽  
Construction Task

The authors present four human behavioral experiments to address the question of intuitive granularities in fundamental spatial relations as they can be found in formal spatial calculi. These calculi focus on invariant characteristics under certain (especially topological) transformations. Of particular interest to this article is the concept of two spatially extended entities overlapping each other. The overlap concept has been extensively treated in Galton's mode of overlap calculus (Galton, 1998). In the first two experiments, the authors used a category construction task to calibrate this calculus against behavioral data and found that participants adopted a very coarse view on the concept of overlap and distinguished only between three general relations: proper part, overlap, and non-overlap. In the following two experiments, the authors changed the instructions to explicitly address the possibility that humans could be swayed to adopt a more detailed level of granularity, that is, the authors encouraged them to create as many meaningful groups as possible. The results show that the three relations identified in the first two experiments (overlap, non-overlap, and proper part) are very robust and a natural level of granularity across all four experiments. However, the results also reveal that contextual factors gain more influence at finer levels of granularity.

Construct Your Own Response

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 304-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alica Thissen ◽  
Marco Koch ◽  
Nicolas Becker ◽  
Frank M. Spinath
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Factor Solution ◽  
Test Environment ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
High Internal Consistency ◽  
Very High ◽  
Construction Task

Abstract. The cube construction task represents a novel format in the assessment of spatial ability through mental cube rotation tasks. Instead of selecting the correct answer from several response options, testees construct their own response in a computerized test environment. The format has several advantages: It is no longer possible to guess the correct response or to compare the reference cube to the response options, resulting in a higher demand for spatial ability. Moreover, it is possible to create items with a particularly high difficulty which are needed for the assessment of intellectual giftedness. In the present study, we developed 28 items and presented them to a sample of 130 university students. Test results showed that the items possess a very high statistical difficulty. Furthermore, the item set yielded a very high internal consistency. The results of an exploratory factor analysis as well as of a multidimensional IRT analysis indicated that a two-factor solution (“spatial relations” vs. “spatial visualization”) is plausible. Response time had a negligible influence on accuracy. Perspectives on further research concerning the cube construction task and possibilities for practical applications are being discussed.

Improved preservation of the otolithic membranes

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 914-915
Author(s):  
G. M. Cohen ◽  
J. S. Grasso ◽  
M. L. Domeier ◽  
P. T. Mangonon
Keyword(s):  
Toluidine Blue ◽  
Potassium Phosphate ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
White Leghorn ◽  
Supporting Cells ◽  
Semithin Sections ◽  
Micromechanical Models ◽  
Soluble Components

Any explanation of vestibular micromechanics must include the roles of the otolithic and cupular membranes. However, micromechanical models of vestibular function have been hampered by unresolved questions about the microarchitectures of these membranes and their connections to stereocilia and supporting cells. Otolithic membranes are notoriously difficult to preserve because of severe shrinkage and loss of soluble components. We have empirically developed fixation procedures that reduce shrinkage artifacts and more accurately depict the spatial relations between the otolithic membranes and the ciliary bundles and supporting cells.We used White Leghorn chicks, ranging in age from newly hatched to one week. The inner ears were fixed for 3-24 h in 1.5-1.75% glutaraldehyde in 150 mM KCl, buffered with potassium phosphate, pH 7.3; when postfixed, it was for 30 min in 1% OsO4 alone or mixed with 1% K4Fe(CN)6. The otolithic organs (saccule, utricle, lagenar macula) were embedded in Araldite 502. Semithin sections (1 μ) were stained with toluidine blue.

Manipulate Me

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-562
Author(s):  
Alica Thissen ◽  
Frank M. Spinath ◽  
Nicolas Becker
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Response Elimination ◽  
School Students ◽  
Test Environment ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Construction Task

Abstract. The cube construction task represents a novel format in the assessment of spatial ability through mental cube rotation tasks. Instead of selecting the correct answer from several response options, respondents construct their own response in a computerized test environment, leading to a higher demand for spatial ability. In the present study with a sample of 146 German high-school students, we tested an approach to manipulate the item difficulties in order to create items with a greater difficulty range. Furthermore, we compared the cube task in a distractor-free and a distractor-based version while the item stems were held identical. The average item difficulty of the distractor-free format was significantly higher than in the distractor-based format ( M = 0.27 vs. M = 0.46) and the distractor-free format showed a broader range of item difficulties (.02 ≤  pi ≤ .95 vs. .37 ≤  pi ≤ .63). The analyses of the test results also showed that the distractor-free format had a significantly higher correlation with a broad intelligence test ( r = .57 vs. r = .17). Reasons for the higher convergent validity of the distractor-free format (prevention of response elimination strategies and the broader range of item difficulties) and further research possibilities are discussed.

Development of Reading Remediation for Dyslexic Individuals

2016 ◽  
Vol 224 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Bédard ◽  
Line Laplante ◽  
Julien Mercier
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Behavioral Data ◽  
Educational Neuroscience ◽  
Reading Remediation ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Neurophysiological Data ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Brain

Abstract. Dyslexia is a phenomenon for which the brain correlates have been studied since the beginning of the 20th century. Simultaneously, the field of education has also been studying dyslexia and its remediation, mainly through behavioral data. The last two decades have seen a growing interest in integrating neuroscience and education. This article provides a quick overview of pertinent scientific literature involving neurophysiological data on functional brain differences in dyslexia and discusses their very limited influence on the development of reading remediation for dyslexic individuals. Nevertheless, it appears that if certain conditions are met – related to the key elements of educational neuroscience and to the nature of the research questions – conceivable benefits can be expected from the integration of neurophysiological data with educational research. When neurophysiological data can be employed to overcome the limits of using behavioral data alone, researchers can both unravel phenomenon otherwise impossible to document and raise new questions.

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