78 research outputs found
Development of reasoning on the balance scale task : psychometric assessment of cognitive strategies
Get PDFQuantitative or qualitative development in decision making?
Get PDFA key question in the developmental sciences is whether developmental differences are quantitative or qualitative. For example, does age increase the speed in processing a task (quantitative differences) or does age affect the way a task is processed (qualitative differences)? Until now, findings in the domain of decision making have been based on the assumption that developmental differences are either quantitative or qualitative. In the current study, we took a different approach in which we tested whether development is best described as being quantitative or qualitative. We administered a judgment version and a choice version of a decision-making task to a developmental sample (njudgment = 109 and nchoice = 137; Mage = 12.5 years, age range = 9–18). The task, the so-called Gambling Machine Task, required decisions between two options characterized by constant gains and probabilistic losses; these characteristics were known beforehand and thus did not need to be learned from experience. Data were analyzed by comparing the fit of quantitative and qualitative latent variable models, so-called multiple indicator multiple cause (MIMIC) models. Results indicated that individual differences in both judgment and choice tasks were quantitative and pertained to individual differences in “consideration of gains,” that is, to what extent decisions were guided by gains. These differences were affected by age in the judgment version, but not in the choice version, of the task. We discuss implications for theories of decision making and discuss potential limitations and extensions. We also argue that the MIMIC approach is useful in other domains, for example, to test quantitative versus qualitative development of categorization, reasoning, math, and memory
Decision-making in healthy children, adolescents and adults explained by the use of increasingly complex proportional reasoning rules
No full textDevelopmental and gender related differences in response switches after nonrepresentative negative feedback
No full textIn many decision making tasks negative feedback is probabilistic and, as a consequence, may be given when the decision is actually correct. This feedback can be referred to as nonrepresentative negative feedback. In the current study, we investigated developmental and gender related differences in such switching after nonrepresentative negative feedback. Participants performed a new probabilistic negative feedback task in which properties of choice options were known to the participants; therefore, they did not have to learn the correct response. The task was administered to a developmental sample between 8 and 16 years of age (N = 170). Results indicated that switching after nonrepresentative negative feedback decreased with age and that this switching was more pronounced in females than in males. We discuss results in light of an imbalance between emotional and inhibition systems and tentatively conclude that it is likely that the age related differences are predominantly related to the strength of the inhibition system, whereas the gender related differences are predominantly related to the strength of the emotional system
What is and what could have been: experiencing regret and relief across childhood
No full textCounterfactual emotions, such as regret and relief, are considered important in daily-life choice behaviour, learning and emotion regulation. A prominent question is from which age counterfactual emotions develop. In this study, we compared a more "traditional" analysis with a latent-class analysis (LCA) that allows the study of individual differences and a more detailed assessment of counterfactual emotions. Four groups of children (5-6 years, 7-8 years, 9-10 years and 11-13 years) and a group of young adults performed a choice task in which they encountered a Regret situation (chosen option was worse than alternative), a Relief situation (chosen option was better than alternative) and a Baseline situation (chosen option was equal to alternative). Traditional analyses indicated regret and relief to be present from ages 7 to 8. In contrast, the LCA indicated that subgroups experiencing regret and relief were present in all age groups, although regret and relief subgroups increased with age. Moreover, analyses indicated that higher reasoning scores increased the probability to belong to regret and relief subgroups and that the experience of regret dependent on trial order, being more prominent in later trials. We conclude that an individual-difference approach can advance insight into emotional development
Development of reasoning on the balance scale task : psychometric assessment of cognitive strategies
Get PDFAn Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale for Children
Get PDFSensation seeking is a trait that predicts a wide range of real-life risk behavior, such as substance abuse and gambling problems. Sensation seeking is often assessed with the Sensation Seeking Scale. Several adaptations of this questionnaire have been made, for example, to abbreviate it and to make it suitable for children. However, studies on sensation seeking in children are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate sensation seeking in children (N = 158, M age = 11.4 years). The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale for Children (BSSS–C) was translated into Dutch and psychometric properties were examined. Internal consistency was high, and the factor structure showed close resemblance with previous research. Test–retest and split-half reliabilities were acceptable, as was convergent validity with self-reported symptoms of psychopathology (attention problems and aggressive behavior). Construct validity was adequate, with more sensation seeking in boys than in girls. No effects of age were found. To sum up, sensation seeking can be measured in children in a valid and reliable way. The correlation of sensation seeking with high-risk behaviors emphasizes the importance of assessment early in development
The Interplay between Motivational, Affective Factors and Cognitive Factors in Learning: Editorial
Get PDFAcademic success is assumed to be both the start and outcome of a cycle in which affect, motivation, and effort strengthen each other (Vu et al [...
Detecting Strategies in Developmental Psychology
Get PDFDifferential strategy use is a topic of intense investigation in developmental psychology. Questions under study are as follows: How do strategies change with age, how can individual differences in strategy use be explained, and which interventions promote shifts from suboptimal to optimal strategies? In order to detect such differential strategy use, developmental psychology currently relies on two approaches—the rule assessment methodology and latent class analysis—each having their own strengths and weaknesses. In order to optimize strategy detection, a new approach that combines the strengths of both existing methods and avoids their weaknesses was recently developed: model-based latent-mixture analysis using Bayesian inference. We performed a simulation study to test the ability of this new approach to detect differential strategy use. Next, we illustrate the benefits of this approach by a re-analysis of decision making data from 210 children and adolescents. We conclude that the new approach yields highly informative results, and provides an adequate account of the observed data. To facilitate the application of this new approach in other studies, we provide open access documented code, and a step-by-step tutorial of its usage
Trait and state math EAP (emotion, appraisals and performance) profiles of Dutch teenagers
Get PDFThe current study investigated emotion appraisal performance (EAP) profiles – which may occur due to the strong relation between these constructs – of Dutch teenagers (N = 384; mean age = 12.88) from upper secondary school. The EAP profiles included emotions, appraisals and performance on two levels of conceptualization: a more stable trait-level and an activity-related state-level. We used a model-based latent profile analysis to identify the mathematics-EAP profiles. On the trait level, two profiles emerged: a moderate profile and a maladaptive EAP profile. On the state level, across two different math task conditions, four learning profiles emerged: an adaptive profile, a moderate profile, a negative emotion, lower appraisals profile, and a bored, low value, slow EAP profile. Profile membership across levels was related, but not perfectly: Learners in the moderate trait learning profile were most likely in either the adaptive or the moderate state profile. Results of the person-centered analyses provide an indication of how the pattern of associations of appraisals, emotions and achievement may result in different learning profiles and how they relate across learning contexts
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