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.

I might ease your pain, but only if you’re sad: The impact of the empathized emotion in the empathy-helping association

Abstract: Ample research demonstrated that empathizing with someone in need promotes helping that person. Two studies examined whether this effect of empathy on helping behavior holds across different emotional reactions expressed by a target in need. Results of Study 1 indicate that perspective taking with a sad needy target increased empathic concern which, in turn, fostered helping the individual. This relation was not found for participants taking the perspective of angry or disgusted needy targets. Study 2 provides further support for the underlying mechanism of the results of Study 1. Perspective taking with a sad needy target increased empathizers’ empathic concern because perception of target neediness was increased. Again, this pattern was not found for perspective taking with an angry needy target. The findings correspond to theorizing on the role of emotions in person perception. Hence, the current research provides insights regarding the boundary conditions of the empathy-helping association.

Three-directional motion compensation-based novel-look-up-table for video hologram generation of three-dimensional objects freely maneuvering in space.

Abstract: A new three-directional motion compensation-based novel-look-up-table (3DMC-NLUT) based on its shift-invariance and thin-lens properties, is proposed for video hologram generation of three-dimensional (3-D) objects moving with large depth variations in space. The input 3-D video frames are grouped into a set of eight in sequence, where the first and remaining seven frames in each set become the reference frame (RF) and general frames (GFs), respectively. Hence, each 3-D video frame is segmented into a set of depth-sliced object images (DOIs). Then x, y, and z-directional motion vectors are estimated from blocks and DOIs between the RF and each of the GFs, respectively. With these motion vectors, object motions in space are compensated. Then, only the difference images between the 3-directionally motion-compensated RF and each of the GFs are applied to the NLUT for hologram calculation. Experimental results reveal that the average number of calculated object points and the average calculation time of the proposed method have been reduced compared to those of the conventional NLUT, TR-NLUT and MPEG-NLUT by 38.14%, 69.48%, and 67.41% and 35.30%, 66.39%, and 64.46%, respectively.

Distraction during learning with hypermedia: difficult tasks help to keep task goals on track.

Abstract: In educational hypermedia environments, students are often confronted with potential sources of distraction arising from additional information that, albeit interesting, is unrelated to their current task goal. The paper investigates the conditions under which distraction occurs and hampers performance. Based on theories of volitional action control it was hypothesized that interesting information, especially if related to a pending goal, would interfere with task performance only when working on easy, but not on difficult tasks. In Experiment 1, 66 students learned about probability theory using worked examples and solved corresponding test problems, whose task difficulty was manipulated. As a second factor, the presence of interesting information unrelated to the primary task was varied. Results showed that students solved more easy than difficult probability problems correctly. However, the presence of interesting, but task-irrelevant information did not interfere with performance. In Experiment 2, 68 students again engaged in example-based learning and problem solving in the presence of task-irrelevant information. Problem-solving difficulty was varied as a first factor. Additionally, the presence of a pending goal related to the task-irrelevant information was manipulated. As expected, problem-solving performance declined when a pending goal was present during working on easy problems, whereas no interference was observed for difficult problems. Moreover, the presence of a pending goal reduced the time on task-relevant information and increased the time on task-irrelevant information while working on easy tasks. However, as revealed by mediation analyses these changes in overt information processing behavior did not explain the decline in problem-solving performance. As an alternative explanation it is suggested that goal conflicts resulting from pending goals claim cognitive resources, which are then no longer available for learning and problem solving.

Interventions Supporting Children's Mathematics School Success A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract: In today’s society, mathematics is one of the most important competencies imparted in school. To improve children’s mathematical skills, existing interventions and trainings in mathematical learning address different proficiency levels and age groups, take place in different settings, can focus on a single task or a set of different tasks, be applied for different durations, and address different types of numerical content. However, when such trainings are evaluated, this often happens only insufficiently. In this review, we derive and apply four evaluation criteria in a meta-analysis of mathematical intervention literature: (i) evaluation with the actual target group, (ii) evaluation in comparison to a performance-matched control group, (iii) evaluation in comparison to a comparable alternative intervention, and (iv) separate evaluation of subcomponents in the case of multi-componential approaches. Based on these criteria, we review current intervention approaches, paying particular attention to how they...

(No) small adults: children's processing of carry addition problems.

Abstract: Analyses of eye-fixation data in adults suggested that the carry effect in addition is determined by the unit digits of the summands. Correspondingly, we recorded children's eye fixation behavior in a choice reaction paradigm. As for adults the carry effect was most pronounced on the unit digits of the summands. However, children's fixation pattern differed reliably from that of adults in other important aspects. While these data suggested common processes in children and adults for performing a carry in mental addition, children's eye fixation data indicated a less flexible processing style primarily based on calculating the correct result.