AHL Cognitive Approach Studies Flashcards
Describe Henkel et al’s Study
A: Investigate how taking photographs affects memory
M:
University students on guided tour of art museum told to simply observe 15 objects & photograph 15 other objects
In second variation, participants told to ‘zoom-in’ & focus on interesting details as photographed objects
Next day: participants tested on memory of objects and specific details of them
R:
Those who took photographs as a whole had reduced memory of these objects compared to those they simply observed
However, those asked to ‘zoom-in’ on interesting details remembered those objects well
C: Suggests that how we take photographs determines effect on memory, those who simply took a photo didn’t remember object well - supporting theory of cognitive offloading, perhaps taking photo lead participants to forget object since already ‘saved’ in the photo
However, those who zoomed in had good recall of the objects, maybe photo taking can enhance memory when one actively rather than passively when additional cognitive processes are engaged in photography
E:
Repeated measures design (positive as eliminates other variables e.g. individual differences in memory, negative as lead to order effects) - allows for establishment of a cause&effect relationship between IV (taking photo vs observing) & DV (memory of object)
Natural environment - high ecological validity so easier to generalise to everyday situations where photos taken unlike if was a lab, however - lack of control about interactions between participants about objects or potential distractions may impact memory as not lab
Only involved uni students - may not represent entire population - generalisability may be low (may be more used to taking photos, if children/elderly people used instead may remember better as may take more cognitive processes to take photos)
Describe Rosser et al’s Study
A: Investigate link between video game play and laparoscopic surgical skill
M:
PPTS: 33 surgeons (15 male & 18 female)
Correlational study
Participant performance in ‘Top Gun Laparoscopic Skills and Suturing Programme’ analysed
3 different video game exercises performed & surveys completed to assess past video game experience, current level of play, level of surgical training, number of cases performed & number of years in medical practice
R:
Demonstrated video game skill highly correlated with laparoscopic skill and sulturing ability
Those who played video games in the past for more than 3 hours a week make 37% less errors and were 27% faster
Current video game players made 32% fewer errors and were 24% faster
Consistently: past, current & demonstrated video game skill increased speed & decreased errors
C: Video gaming skills were positively correlated with laparoscopic surgical skills & appeared more important than traditionally recognised factors such as years of training
E:
Many other factors - can’t establish cause & effect - e.g. musicians & it may just be that those best at surgery also coincidentally better at gaming
Focused on speed & error reduction: error reduction has most significant effect on patient safety
More ethical than experiments - would have been unethical in lab as risking lives as knowingly affecting surgical skill
Possible real world applications - but with caution
Previous video game experience & current performance both considered
Opportunity sample = very small, results may not be generalised to all laparoscopic surgeons
Describe Konrath , O’Brien & Hsing’s Study
A: Examine if there are changes in empathy scores over time
M:
PPTS: US college students between years of 1979-2009, approx 14,000 across 72 studies
Cross temporal meta-analysis
Correlational study
Took scores from the interpersonal reactivity index
A measure of dispositional empathy created by Davis, taps 4 separate aspects of empathy: perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress, fantasy
Contains 28 different statements that are rated on a scale of A to E in terms of how well it describes you, then four different totals are derived
R:
Significant negative relationship observed between time & empathy, recent generations had lower scores
Most dramatic change occurred 200-2009 when social media became increasingly popular
C: Decline in empathy coincides with the digital era & popularisation of the internet & social media
E:
Longitudinal & effects studied over long period
Large sample size
US college students only - ethnocentric, UK students may have different empathy levels with same tech & students all educated so may not generalise to wider population
Empathy hard to operationalise as a variable - may be displayed in different ways yet only measured via one test - reductionist
Scores taken from different college students yearly, participant variability may be factor
Only correlation established, may be third variable
Social desirability bias may affect results - people wish to appear nice and not lacking in empathy
Describe Carrier et al’s Study
A: Investigate relationship between usage of different digital media and empathy
M:
PPTS: 1,726 participants born in digital era (post 1980)
Correlational study
Researchers used anonymous online questionnaire that collected info on daily media usage
Asked participants about daily media usage, real world empathy, virtual empathy & social support
R:
Engaging in online activities that lead to face-to-face communication shown to be associated with higher real-life empathy scores e.g. social networking sites, browsing websites, email
Activities e.g. video-gaming that do not lead to face-to-face communication reduced real-life empathy scores
Virtual empathy scores lower than real-world empathy scores, maybe due to a lack of non-verbal cues e.g. facial expressions, body language etc that aren’t conveyed online
C: Some digital activities may lead to an increase in real-world empathy, while others impact it negatively, negative effects of digital technology observed in previous studies should be attributed to specific activities that are not associated with face-to-face communication rather than engaging with digital technology in general
E:
Questionnaires allow for large samples are are quick, easy & cheap, however self-report measures may be inaccurate & social desirability bias may affect results - people wish to appear nice and not lacking in empathy, however may be minimised by anonymity
Correlational study, may be third variable in play
Convenience sampling does not guarantee generalizability
First of its kind
