Showing papers on "Task analysis published in 2000"

Cognitive task analysis

Abstract: Cognitive task analysis is defined as the extension of traditional task analysis techniques to yield information about the knowledge, thought processes and goal structures that underlie observable task performance. Cognitive task analyses are conducted for a wide variety of purposes, including the design of computer systems to support human work, the development of training, and the development of tests to certify competence. As part of its Programme of Work, NATO Research Study Group 27 on Cognitive Task Analysis has undertaken the task of reviewing existing cognitive task analysis techniques. The Group concludes that few integrated methods exist, that little attention is being paid to the conditions under which methods are appropriate, and that often it is unclear how the products of cognitive task analysis should be used. RSG.27 has also organized a workshop with experts in the field of cognitive task analysis. The most important issues that were discussed during the workshop were: (1) the use of CTA in the design of new systems, (2) the question when to use what technique, and (3) the role of CTA in system design. RSG.27 emphasizes: (1) that is important for the CTA community to be able to empirically demonstrate the added value of a CTA; (2) it is critical for the success of CTA to be involved in the design process from the start to finish, and to establish clear links with methods that are used by other disciplines, and (3) recommends that more research effort be directed to the issue of the reliability of CTA techniques. (P)

Changing internal constraints on action: the role of backward inhibition.

Abstract: Flexible control of action requires the ability to disengage from previous goals or task sets. The authors tested the hypothesis that disengagement during intentional shifts between task sets is accompanied by inhibition of the previous task set ("backward inhibition"). As an expression of backward inhibition the authors predicted increased response times when shifting to a task set that had to be abandoned recently and, thus, suffers residual inhibition. The critical backward inhibition effect on the level of abstractly defined perceptual task sets was obtained across 6 different experiments. In addition, it was shown that backward inhibition can be differentiated from negative priming (Experiment 2), that it is tied to top-down sequential control (Experiment 3), that it can account at least partially for "residual shift costs" in set-shifting experiments (Experiment 4), and that it occurs even in the context of preplanned sequences of task sets (Experiment 5).

Task-based second language learning: the uses of the first language

Abstract: The present article focuses on the uses of the first language (L1) made by 22 pairs of grade 8 French immersion students as they complete one of two different tasks: a dictogloss and a jigsaw. The outcome of each task is a story written by each student pair. We propose a coding scheme for the uses made of the L1, exemplify them, and report on exploratory analyses intended to describe differences between and within the tasks in terms of the amount of English (L1) used. We also address the relationship between the amount of L1 use and the quality of students’ writing, and the variability in task performance across student pairs.

Task-based research and language pedagogy:

Abstract: Two very different theoretical accounts of task-based language use and learning are critiqued and their relevance for language pedagogy discussed One account, which will be referred to as the psycholinguistic perspective, draws on a computational model of second language (L2) acquisition (Lantolf, 1996) According to this perspective, tasks are viewed as devices that provide learners with the data they need for learning; the design of a task is seen as potentially determining the kind of language use and opportunities for learning that ariseThree different psycholinguistic models are discussed: Long’s Interaction Hypothesis, Skehan’s ‘cognitive approach’ and Yule’s framework of communicative efficiency The second theoretical account of tasks is that provided by socio-cultural theory This is premised on the claim that participants co-construct the ‘activity’ they engage in when performing a task, in accordance with their own socio-history and locally determined goals, and that, therefore, it is difficu

Gesture and the process of speech production: We think, therefore we gesture

Abstract: At what point in the process of speech production is gesture involved? According to the Lexical Retrieval Hypothesis, gesture is involved in generating the surface forms of utterances. Specifically, gesture facilitates access to items in the mental lexicon. According to the Information Packaging Hypothesis, gesture is involved in the conceptual planning of messages. Specifically, gesture helps speakers to ''package'' spatial information into verbalisable units. We tested these hypotheses in 5-year-old children, using two tasks that required comparable lexical access, but different information packaging. In the explanation task, children explained why two items did or did not have the same quantity (Piagetian conservation). In the description task, children described how two items looked different. Children provided comparable verbal responses across tasks; thus, lexical access was comparable. However, the demands for information packaging differed. Participants' gestures also differed across the tasks. In...

Children's use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: I. Cognitive, physical, and affective behaviors on fact-based search tasks

Abstract: This study reports on the first part of a research project that investigated children’s cognitive, affective, and physical behaviors as they use the Yahooligans! search engine to find information on a specific search task. Twenty-two seventh-grade science children from a middle school located in Knoxville, Tennessee participated in the project. Their cognitive and physical behaviors were captured using Lotus ScreenCam, a Windowsbased software package that captures and replays activities recorded in Web browsers, such as Netscape. Their affective states were captured via a one-on-one exit interview. A new measure called “Web Traversal Measure” was developed to measure children’s “weighted” traversal effectiveness and efficiency scores, as well as their quality moves in Yahooligans! Children’s prior experience in using the Internet/Web and their knowledge of the Yahooligans! interface were gathered via a questionnaire. The findings provided insights into children’s behaviors and success, as their weighted traversal effectiveness and efficiency scores, as well as quality moves. Implications for user training and system design are discussed.

The role of individual and social variables in oral task performance

Abstract: This paper reports on a data-based study in which we explored - as part of a larger-scale British-Hungarian research project - the effects of a number of affective and social variables on foreign language (L2) learners’ engagement in oral argumentative tasks. The assumption underlying the investigation was that students’ verbal behaviour in oral task situations is partly determined by a number of non-linguistic and non-cognitive factors whose examination may constitute a potentially fruitful extension of existing task-based research paradigms. The independent variables in the study included various aspects of L2 motivation and several factors characterizing the learner groups the participating students were members of (such as group cohesiveness and intermember relations), as well as the learners’ L2 proficiency and ‘willingness to communicate’ in their L1. The dependent variables involved objective measures of the students’ language output in two oral argumentative tasks (one in the learners’ L1, the other in their L2): the quantity of speech and the number of turns produced by the speakers. The results provide insights into the interrelationship of the multiple variables determining the learners’ task engagement, and suggest a multi-level construct whereby some independent variables only come into force when certain conditions have been met.

A STUDY OF THE ROLE OF AWARENESS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR Aware versus Unaware Learners

Abstract: This study is a quantitative and qualitative investigation of the effects of awareness, or the lack thereof, on 32 adult second or foreign language (L2) learners' subsequent intake and written production of targeted Spanish morphological forms. Think-aloud protocol data, gathered while learners completed a problem-solving task (a crossword puzzle) and postexposure assessment tasks (a multiple-choice recognition task and a written production task), were used to measure awareness or the lack thereof, and morphological learning was assessed by learners' performances on the two postexposure tasks. From a theoretical perspective, no dissociation between awareness and further processing of targeted forms was found in this study, the results of which are compatible with the claim that awareness plays a crucial role in subsequent processing of L2 data (e.g., Robinson, 1995; Schmidt, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995). From a methodological perspective, the data collection procedure clearly underscores the need for studies that investigate the roles of attention and awareness in second language acquisition (SLA) to gather as much data as possible from different sources that reveal participants' internal processes. By attempting to ascertain what learners really attend to or are aware of, or both, while exposed to or interacting with L2 data, such information can also address the methodological issue of how representative learners' performances in experimental groups really are in studies conducted under an attentional framework in SLA.

Changes in relevance criteria and problem stages in task performance

Abstract: The objective of this study is to analyse how changes in relevance criteria are related to changes in problem stages during the task performance process. Relevance is understood as a task‐ and process‐oriented user construct. The assessment of relevance is based on both retrieved bibliographical information and the documents acquired and read on the basis of this information. The participants of the study were eleven students who attended a course for one term for preparing a research proposal for the master’s thesis. The students were asked to make an IR search at the beginning, middle and end of the course. Data for describing their understanding of the work task, search goals and tactics as well as relevance assessments were collected during the search sessions. Pre‐ and post‐search interviews were conducted during each session. The students were asked to think aloud during the search session. The transaction logs were captured and the thinking aloud was recorded. Research and search diaries were also collected. The findings support to a certain extent the overall hypotheses that a person’s problem stage during task performance is related to his or her use of relevance criteria in assessing retrieved references and documents. There is a connection between an individual’s changing understanding of his or her task and how the relevance of references and full texts is judged. The more structured the task in the process, the more able the person is to distinguish between relevant and other sources. The relevance criteria of documents changed more than the criteria of references during the process. Moreover, it seems that understanding of topicality varies depending on the phase of the process.

Exploring the Benefits of Task Repetition and Recycling for Classroom Language Learning.

Abstract: Task-based methodology is particularly suited to teaching languages for specific purposes, because of its affinity to behavioural objectives. Doubts have been expressed as to whether learners actually learn language through doing tasks, and if they do, exactly what they learn. This paper reports the preliminary results of an ongoing study of the benefits of building repetition into a communicative task in an English for Specific Purposes course. We compare the performances of two learners at markedly different levels of English proficiency and find that both benefited from the opportunity to recycle communicative content as they repeated complex tasks. This suggests that task repetition of the type reported here may be a useful pedagogic procedure and that the same task can help different learners develop different areas of their interlanguage.

Introduction to Cognitive Task Analysis

Abstract: Modern work, with its increasing reliance on automation to support human action, is focusing attention on the cognitive aspects of work that are not accessible to direct observation. For example, it is obvious that the physical acts of button pushing that occur in the command center of a modern ship are of less intrinsic importance than the mental decision processes executed via those actions. The mental processes organize and give meaning to the observable physical actions. Attempts to analyze a task like air traffic control with traditional behavioral task analysis techniques made the shortcomings of those techniques strikingly clear (Means, 1993). Starting in the 1960s, the cognitive revolution in academic psychology has both increased our awareness of the extensive cognitive activity underlying even apparently simple tasks and provided research techniques and theories for characterizing covert cognition. Hence, the term cognitive task analysis is coming into use to describe a new branch of applied psychology. The relative newness of this enterprise is evidenced by the fact that, as of this writing, a search of the entire Psyc INFO database with the term yielded only 28 items, some irrelevant, and a search in the Science Citation Index yielded 30 items. The high current interest in cognitive task analysis is evidenced by recent literature review efforts undertaken by a British aerospace company (confidential) and by the French military (Doireau, Grau, & Poisson, 1996) as well as the NATO Study Group effort reported here.

The role of long-term-memory and short-term-memory links in the Simon effect

Abstract: In Experiment 1, children performed a Simon task after a spatially compatible or incompatible task. Results showed a Simon effect after the spatially compatible task and a reversed Simon effect after the spatially incompatible task. In Experiments 2-5, an identical procedure was adopted with adult participants, who performed the Simon task immediately after, a day after, or a week after the spatial compatibility task. Experiment 6 established a baseline for the Simon effect. Results showed a Simon effect after the spatially compatible task and no Simon effect or a reversed Simon effect after the spatially incompatible task. A modified version of the computational model of M. Zorzi and C. Umilta (1995) was used to compare possible accounts of the findings. The best account exploits 2 types of short-term-memory links between stimulus and response and their interaction with long-term-memory links.

The Effects of Media and Task on User Performance: A Test of the Task-Media Fit Hypothesis

Abstract: This research was designed to examine the task-media fit hypothesis, an extension to media richness theory that predicts the objective performance of various media for a number of task types. To examine this model, dyads communicating through face-to-face, videophone, telephone (i.e., audio-only communication), or synchronous computer-mediated communication worked in a laboratory experiment to address an intellective or negotiation task. The intellective task required that each dyad member effectively share factual information that each individual independently held. The negotiation task required that each dyad member effectively share preferences based on personal values and reach an agreement. The results of the study provide mixed support for the task-media fit hypothesis. In general, the results for the negotiation task largely supported the theory while the results for the intellective task did not support the theory. These results help to clarify limitations and provide extensions to the theory by demonstrating how variations in task processes and communication media act to mediate task performance. The implications of these results for future research and practice are discussed.

Relation of working memory to off-line and real-time sentence processing in children with specific language impairment

Abstract: In this study we examined the influence of working memory on the off-line and real-time sentence comprehension/processing of children with specific language impairment (SLI). A total of 12 children with SLI, 12 normally developing children matched for chronological age (CA), and 12 children matched for receptive syntax (RS) completed three tasks. In the working memory task, children recalled as many words as possible under three processing load conditions varying in the number of mental operations (i.e., no load, single load, dual load). In the off-line comprehension task, children listened to linguistically nonredundant and redundant sentences. In the real-time sentence processing task, children monitored sentences for the occurrence of a target word appearing at the beginning, middle, or end of a test sentence and pushed a response pad as quickly as possible upon hearing the target. In the memory task, SLI children recalled fewer words in the dual-load condition relative to CA peers, who showed no condition effect. The SLI and RS groups performed similarly overall; however, both groups recalled fewer words in the dual-load condition than in the other conditions. In the off-line task, the SLI group comprehended fewer sentences of both types relative to the CA controls and fewer redundant sentences relative to themselves and to the RS controls. A significant correlation between working memory and sentence comprehension was found for the SLI group and control groups. For the on-line task, between-group analyses revealed that the SLI group yielded an overall slower word recognition reaction time than the CA and RS groups. Working memory and sentence processing were not correlated for any group. Results were interpreted to suggest that SLI children have a more limited functional working memory capacity than their CA peers. Children with SLI also appear to have greater difficulty managing their working memory resources relative to both age peers and younger children when performing a conventional off-line sentence comprehension task but not a real-time sentence processing task.

Measuring the effects of interruptions on task performance in the user interface

Abstract: As users continue offloading more control and responsibility to the computer, coordinating the asynchronous interactions between the user and computer is becoming increasingly important. Without proper coordination, an application attempting to gain the user's attention risks interrupting the user in the midst of performing another task. To justify why an application should avoid interrupting the user whenever possible, we designed an experiment measuring the disruptive effect of an interruption on a user's task performance. The experiment utilized six Web-based task categories and two categories of interruption tasks. The results of the experiment demonstrate that: (i) a user performs slower on an interrupted task than a non-interrupted task, (ii) the disruptive effect of an interruption differs as a function of the task category, and (iii) different interruption tasks cause similar disruptive effects on task performance. These results empirically validate the need to better coordinate user interactions among applications that are competing for the user's attention.

Effects of repetition and foreknowledge in task-set reconfiguration.

Abstract: To examine the roles of executive control and automatic activation in task switching, we manipulated foreknowledge as well as task transitions. In Experiments 1 and 2, performance with foreknowledge was faster than performance with no foreknowledge, but the amount of switch cost did not depend on foreknowledge. This result suggests that switch costs primarily reflect persisting activation rather than inadequate preparation. In Experiment 3, switch cost was greater with foreknowledge about task transition alone than with foreknowledge about both task transition and identity, suggesting that foreknowledge about specific task identity did allow preparation for a switched task. We argue that task repetition and foreknowledge effects are independent. Although foreknowledge allows preparation for both repeated and switched tasks, repeating the same task has benefits over task switching regardless of foreknowledge.

Writing in the Secondary Foreign Language Classroom: The Effects of Prompts and Tasks on Novice Learners of French

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of 3 different writing tasks (descriptive, narrative, and expository) and 3 different writing prompts (bare, vocabulary, and prose model) on 937 writing samples culled from 330 novice learners enrolled in 15 classes of Levels 1 and 2 high school French. In order to assess the quality, fluency, syntactic complexity, and accuracy of the writing samples, the researchers employed 4 evaluation methods: holistic scoring, length of product, mean length of T-units, and percentage of correct T-units. Results indicate that the descriptive task was the easiest and the expository task the most difficult. The prose model prompts produced the highest mean scores, and the bare prompts produced the lowest mean scores. Based on these findings, the researchers question whether the description of a novice writer in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines(1986) should be used as a blueprint for curriculum development and textbook construction for secondary novice foreign language learners.

Task based groupware design: putting theory into practice

Abstract: Designing Groupware systems requires methods and tools that cover all aspects of Groupware systems. We present a method that utilizes known theoretical insights and makes them usable in practice. In our method, the design of Groupware systems is driven by an extensive task analysis followed by structured design and iterative evaluation using usability criteria. Using a combination of multiple complementary representations and techniques, a wide range of aspects of Groupware design is covered. The method is built on our experiences and is used in practice by several companies and educational institutes in Europe. We define the design process, the models needed and the tools that support the design process.

Collaborative geographic visualization: enabling shared understanding of environmental processes

Abstract: We describe a prototype same-time/different-place collaborative geovisualization environment. We outline an approach to understanding use and usability and present results of interviews with domain experts about the ways in which collaborative visualization might enable groups to work at a distance. One goal for our research is to design an effective and flexible system that can support group work on environmental science research mediated through dynamic geovisualization displays. We are addressing this goal using a four-step human-centered system design process, modeled on that proposed by (Gabbard et al., 1999) for development and evaluation of virtual environments. The steps they delineate are: user task analysis; expert guideline-based evaluation; formative user-centered evaluation; and summative comparative evaluation.

System and method for managing the execution of system management tasks

Abstract: A task manager for operating and performing management tasks called for by a system administration manager. The task manager includes a command task manager for performing command tasks, a function task manager for performing function tasks, and a remote task execution manager for performing remote or distributed task. In addition, the task manager includes a single application program interface for interfacing the command task manager, function task manager, and remote task execution manager with the system administration manager. The task manager further performs error handling and automatic logging operations. The task manager uses a task registration manager which stores the individual task descriptions and makes them available to the task manager.

Behavioral adaptation, safety, and intelligent transportation systems

Abstract: It is intrinsic to human nature to modify behavior to suit new conditions. How drivers are likely to change the way they drive if their vehicles are equipped with intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices is considered. It is clear from the antilock braking system experience that improvements in safety cannot be predicted on the basis of proof-of-concept studies alone, in which one simply looks at changes in performance of the task being aided, whether that is braking, navigation, or detection of hazards. One also must look at changes in other aspects of the driving task and at the type of driving being done to determine the likely effect on safety. In particular, one should assume that there may be trade-offs of mobility for safety, that is, more driving in more difficult conditions and at higher speeds leading to more crashes. Further, one should expect drivers to attempt to increase productivity while driving, given reduced driving task demand. The prolific use of cellular phones is evidence of t...

Simultaneous Prompting and Instructive Feedback When Teaching Chained Tasks

Abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the simultaneous prompting procedure when teaching students with moderate to severe mental retardation a chained task (i.e., hand washing). This study also evaluated if students could acquire responses to instructive feedback stimuli presented during training sessions. The effectiveness of these procedures was assessed by using a multiple probe across students design. Acquisition, maintenance, and generalization data were collected and analyzed. Results indicated that the simultaneous prompting procedure was effective in teaching 3 of the 5 students to follow a 16-step task analysis to wash their hands. All students who met criterion maintained and generalized the skills with 100% accuracy. All students acquired some of the instructive feedback stimuli. Future research issues are discussed.

Transfer appropriate processing for prospective memory tests

Abstract: Transfer appropriate processing (TAP) is the assumption that retrospective memory test performance reflects the overlap between study and test phase processing. In a task analysis, we identify a similar sequential-type of processing overlap in prospective memory (ProM) situations. In addition, ProM test performance can also involve a concurrent overlap between processes engaged for an ongoing task and those required for recognizing relevant cues. A review of the ProM literature shows consistent TAP effects due to sequential processing overlap manipulations, but inconclusive findings for concurrent processing overlap manipulations. We examined the latter in a new experiment with young adult participants. The ongoing task required either semantic or perceptual processing of words, and the ProM task required either semantic or perceptual processing of words. Consistent with TAP, performance was higher when the ongoing task and the ProM task required the same kind of processing (i.e. semantic–semantic, perceptual–perceptual) rather than different kinds of processing (i.e. semantic–perceptual, perceptual–semantic). Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contending with complexity: developing and using a scaled world in applied cognitive research.

Abstract: Scaled worlds preserve certain functional relationships of a complex task environment while paring away others. The functional relationships preserved are defined by the questions of interest to the researcher. Different scaled worlds of the same task may preserve and pare away different functional relationships. In this paper we use the example of Ned to discuss the use of scaled worlds in applied cognitive research. Ned is based on a detailed cognitive task analysis of submarine approach officers as they attempt to localize an enemy submarine hiding in deep water. For Ned we attempted to preserve the functional relationships inherent in the approach officer's information environment while paring away other aspects of his task environment. Scaled worlds attempt to maintain the realism inherent in the preserved functional relationship while being tractable for the researcher and engaging to the participant.

Thinking aloud as a method for testing the usability of Websites: the influence of task variation on the evaluation of hypertext

Abstract: In the usability testing of Web sites, thinking aloud is a frequently-used method. A fundamental discussion, however, about the relation between the use of different variants of thinking aloud and the evaluation goals for this specific medium is still lacking. To lay a foundation for this discussion, I analyzed the results of three usability studies in which different thinking-aloud tasks were used: a simple searching task, an application task and a prediction task. In the task setting, the profile of the Web surfer, the communication goal of the Web site and other quality aspects are taken into account. The qualitative analysis of these studies shows that the task variation has some influence on the results of usability testing and that, consequently, tasks should be matched with the evaluation goals put forward.

A Review and Reappraisal of Task Guidance: Aiding Workers in Procedure Following

Abstract: Procedures can greatly benefit workers at tasks such as inspection, maintenance, and assembly. Procedures may serve as a guideline for expert workers or they may provide a list of directives to be followed exactly; either way, procedures serve to structure a task, to aid worker memory, and to guarantee consistency and safety. Light, inexpensive electronics may allow for the development of task guidance systems to further help workers by presenting procedures and associated information about the task. This article reviews the current state of knowledge about the development of task guidance systems, and highlights their potential value in a variety of domains. First, the characteristics of procedural tasks are discussed, as a basis for a discussion on the benefits of procedure following that task guidance systems can support, and potential problems in procedure following that task guidance systems can mitigate. Then, current research results in task guidance systems are summarized. Finally, a discussion is...

Training Adults with Moderate and Severe Mental Retardation in a Vocational Skill Using a Simultaneous Prompting Procedure.

Abstract: A multiple probe across subjects design evaluated the effectiveness of a simultaneous prompting procedure in training 10 adults with moderate and severe mental retardation to construct shipping boxes within a community vocational center. The trainer used a dyadic instructional format in which each member of the dyad received instruction on one half of the task analysis on an alternating basis. Two instructional sessions occurred daily, so each member of the dyad received instruction on the entire task analysis. Four of the five dyads learned to construct shipping boxes. Instructional data are presented and implications for future research are discussed. One of the primary roles of teachers is to only contribute to the growth of the individual promote the acquisition of target skills by uti- but also increase public awareness of the lizing effective and efficient instructional pro- strengths and contributions of individuals cedures. As curriculum goals for students with with mental retardation, moderate and severe disabilities focus on pre- The majority of vocational skills can be de paring these students for the least restrictive scribed as chained tasks; that is, a series of environment and vocational opportunities, behaviors that, when put together, form a teachers must identify instructional proce- more complex skill (Wolery, Ault, & Doyle, dures that are efficient in training vocational 1992). Numerous vocational skills have been tasks. Transition from school to the world of taught successfully in the literature and in work offers individuals the opportunity to de- elude opening a keyed lock (Fetko, Schuster, velop new social networks and increased per- Harley, & Collins, 1999), banking skills (Mc sonal independence. The acquisition of voca- Donnell & Ferguson, 1989), and other voca tional skills enables individuals to experience tional skills (Chandler, Schuster, & Stevens, increased self-esteem by increasing vocational 1993). Several response prompting proce opportunities, earning money, and contribut- dures such as constant and progressive time