Media Research Center

About: Media Research Center is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Collaborative learning & Educational technology. The organization has 491 authors who have published 950 publications receiving 28581 citations. The organization is also known as: MRC.

Showing engagement or not: The influence of social identification and group deadlines on individual control strategies

Abstract: People often work together in groups that have to reach goals in a given time frame. Nonetheless, the impact of deadlines on group members' self-control has not been studied so far. Here this topic is addressed by integrating the action-phase model (Heckhausen, 1999), which postulates the use of different self-control strategies during individual-level goal pursuit, with the social identity approach. It was predicted and found in two studies that highly identified group members, in contrast to those who were only weakly identified, responded to a group's deadline phase (pre vs. post) by showing phase- appropriate patterns of engagement and disengagement. Study 1 measured identification and assessed intentions and behavioral indicators of self-control. Study 2 manipulated identification and assessed self-reports of intended self-control strategies. Overall, the findings corroborate the notion that the social self can serve as a basis for self-regulation.

A single unexpected change in target- but not distractor motion impairs multiple object tracking.

Abstract: Recent research addresses the question whether motion information of multiple objects contributes to maintaining a selection of objects across a period of motion. Here, we investigate whether target and/or distractor motion information is used during attentive tracking. We asked participants to track four objects and changed either the motion direction of targets, the motion direction of distractors, neither, or both during a brief flash in the middle of a tracking interval. We observed that a single direction change of targets is sufficient to impair tracking performance. In contrast, changing the motion direction of distractors had no effect on performance. This indicates that target- but not distractor motion information is evaluated during tracking.

Spatial Arrangement and Set Size Influence the Coding of Non-symbolic Quantities in the Intraparietal Sulcus.

Abstract: Performance in visual quantification tasks shows two characteristic patterns as a function of set size. A precise subitizing process for small sets (up to four) was contrasted with an approximate estimation process for larger sets. The spatial arrangement of elements in a set also influences visual quantification performance, with frequently perceived arrangements (e.g. dice patterns) being faster enumerated than random arrangements. Neuropsychological and imaging studies identified the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), as key brain area for quantification, both within and above the subitizing range. However, it is not yet clear if and how set size and spatial arrangement of elements in a set modulate IPS activity during quantification. In an fMRI study, participants enumerated briefly presented dot patterns with random, canonical or dice arrangement within and above the subitizing range. We evaluated how activity amplitude and pattern in the IPS were influenced by size and spatial arrangement of a set. We found a discontinuity in the amplitude of IPS response between subitizing and estimation range, with steep activity increase for sets exceeding four elements. In the estimation range, random dot arrangements elicited stronger IPS response than canonical arrangements which in turn elicited stronger response than dice arrangements. Furthermore, IPS activity patterns differed systematically between arrangements. We found a signature in the IPS response for a transition between subitizing and estimation processes during quantification. Differences in amplitude and pattern of IPS activity for different spatial arrangements indicated a more precise representation of non-symbolic numerical magnitude for dice and canonical than for random arrangements. These findings challenge the idea of an abstract coding of numerosity in the IPS even within a single notation.

How can we use hypervideo design projects to construct knowledge in university courses

Abstract: In this paper a course concept based on collaborative construction of hypervideos is presented. The course concept integrates a) hypervideo technology development, b) research on learning with hypervideo systems, and c) the application of research on knowledge acquisition by writing texts or hypertexts to hypervideos. We demonstrate how collaborative construction of hypervideo can support knowledge transforming processes (see Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987; Stahl & Bromme, 2004) in university courses of psychology students. In the first part of the paper a hypervideo system that enables collaborative design activities by users is discussed. Afterwards the course concept is presented in detail. Evaluation results are consistent with our assumptions. The course concept showed to be successful and well appreciated by the students.

The impact of regulatory focus on challenge and threat

Abstract: . Research has shown that feelings of threat elicit a prevention focus and feelings of challenge elicit a promotion focus. The present research tested the reverse causal relationship. We predicted that, when people are faced with a demanding task, they experience more challenge and less threat if they are in a promotion focus as compared to a prevention focus because having a promotion focus results in the perception of having more resources than a prevention focus does. In two studies assessing or manipulating regulatory focus, respectively, we found the expected effect on challenge and threat as well as the mediation of this effect via perceived resources. The relationships between regulatory focus and challenge and threat are discussed.