Psychology and Human Factors News

Tag: Psychology

ACSHF Forum: Grad Student Presentations

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The Department of Psychology and Human Factors will host two speakers at the next Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (ACSHF) Forum: Laura Albrant and Kat Rawhouser, both ACSHF Ph.D. students. Their presentations will be from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, March 17, in M&M 610.

Photo of Laura Albrant
Laura Albrant
ACSHF PhD Student
Photo of Kat Rawhouser
Kat Rawhouser
ACSHF PhD Student

Laura Albrant: “Examining Student Resolutions of Automated Critiques

Laura Albrant’s study examines the submission data of students in an introductory engineering courses who modify their code in response to automated critique and how this process evolves over multiple submissions. Her research is grounded in data collected from students in Engineering Fundamentals (EF) courses who used our automated feedback tool, WebTA. This tool provides instant feedback on code syntax, logic, and style, tailored for first-year college students. She analyzed student interactions over four semesters, examining the effectiveness of EF students’ abilities to resolve critiques. This comparative analysis highlights differences in problem-solving strategies, engagement levels, and learning approaches in engineering fundamentals students. The data gathered from four semesters of engineering fundamentals courses, includes detailed logs of each submission, such as submission times, errors identified, critique counts, and resolution times. By analyzing patterns across different submissions, she tracked how student learning evolved over time and varied across disciplines. This approach allowed her to identify effective strategies in automated feedback design that cater to the diverse needs of learners from different educational backgrounds.

Kat Rawhouser: “Lessons from Needs Assessments”

Needs assessments can come in all forms and they can yield a great deal of useful information. In human factors, psychology and cognitive sciences we can learn much from reviewing and doing such assessment before research. From understanding demographics, to being about to connect with key players to gain access to a community or group this method of assessment has a yield in social, cultural and empirical information allowing for understanding by the researcher. This topic will cover the basics of needs assessment, how it can be used and provide an example of how assessing community needs can yield results during implementation.

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Hunter Malinowski, Psychology Phenom Adds Computer Science to Chart Her Own Course

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Hunter Malinowski
Hunter Malinowski

Every college journey is unique. Students have so many different majors available to them. There are hundreds of classes available. Add in opportunities to work alongside professors doing undergraduate research, participate in clubs, and complete internships, and the combinations are virtually unlimited. Learn how Hunter Malinowski made her Michigan Tech experience unique by pursuing dual degrees in computer science and psychology and adding research, leadership, internship, and other experiences.

“The more I’ve done with psychology and computer science, the more I realize how many connections there are, from designing a website to the user interface and user experience,” Malinowski said. “I want to go into the data science/machine learning field. I think there’s a lot to be said about the psychology perspective for that.”

Hunter Malinowski ’24, BS Psychology/Computer Science

About the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences

Michigan Tech’s Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Human Factors and Psychology. The department confers master’s and doctoral degrees in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors. Additionally, faculty pursue diverse, cutting-edge research in education, human factors, technology, and science. Students and faculty improve performance, health, decisions, and safety where people interact with technology or systems. 

Questions? Contact us at cls@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the latest happenings.

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ACSHF Forum: Chikondi Sepula & Blessings Hwaca

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The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host Chikondi Sepula & Blessings Hwaca from Rhodes University at the next Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors forum.

There will be two presentations from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Monday October 16 via Zoom from Grahamstown, South Africa.

Title: Exploring the Development of Computational Thinking Skills among Pre-Service Teachers through Visual Programming: An Interventionist Case Study
Abstract:
Due to its profound cognitive effect on learners, computational thinking (CT) has gained significant attention and has been increasingly integrated into primary and secondary education worldwide. The integration of CT into educational curricula offers several benefits, including improved learning outcomes, enhanced problem-solving abilities, and the development of skills necessary for the digital landscape of the 21st century. Reflecting this global trend, South Africa introduced CT in primary schools through a dedicated subject called “coding and robotics” in 2023. However, as cited in other contexts, teacher upskilling is a primary challenge faced in successfully integrating CT in South Africa. Many teachers lack the necessary skills to effectively teach this new subject. Recognizing this gap, I was motivated to explore the development of CT skills with pre-service teachers using visual programming. This study will be underpinned by the social-cultural theory (SCT) of Lev Vygotsky. Informed by this theory, the intervention will be guided by a professional development (PD) model called “Code, Connect, Create” and a pedagogical model known as “Use, Modify, Create”. The study will be carried out within the Education Department at Rhodes University. All first-year pre-service teachers who are willing to participate from within the department will be included in the intervention. Data will be collected through the CT Reflective tools, semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, and reflective journals. The CT framework proposed by Brennan & Resnick (2012) will be used as a lens to facilitate and assess CT development among the pre-service teachers as a result of the intervention. An evaluative interpretivist case study methodology will be employed in this study, as it allows the detailing of contextual effects of the visual programming approach, as well as enabling and constraining factors that should be considered when developing CT with visual programming.

Title: Working with Secondary School Educators’ on the development of Computational Thinking through lesson planning

Abstract:
Computational Thinking (CT) is a cognitive skill that helps learners to think logically and creatively, becoming more popular as well as necessary at all levels of education globally. By introducing CT into curriculum design and lesson activities, educators together with their learners can benefit in many ways such as effective problem-solving, better learning outcomes, and more holistic preparation for the digital challenges of the 21st century. Two of the obstacles cited in South African STEM Education are the lack of skilled teachers and low interest of learners in the former, which warrants the need for more support and focus from different actors. Since CT is not only for STEM subjects but also for any discipline or challenge, thus educators who understand computational thinking can help students use their skills in different situations and contexts and encourage them to think logically and systematically. As a scholar, I am inspired to investigate how we can promote the development of CT during lesson planning by selected secondary school educators. The intervention study will be carried out with ten educators in Makhanda, Eastern Cape province. The Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, Decomposition, and Algorithms (PRADA) and Vygotsky Social Cultural theory will be used as theoretical frameworks. The data will be collected through Workshops, Journal reflection, Interviews, and Focus Group discussions.

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Researching the Implications of Multitasking

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Women at computer on phone and writing.

Multitasking has become a common practice in many work environments, where individuals are required to perform several tasks simultaneously. However, research suggests that multitasking can lead to interference and a decline in cognitive performance. In a recent journal article published in Applied Ergonomics, a research team including CLS’s Samantha Smith studied the complexity of multitasking and its impact on cognitive performance1. The article titled “Dual-task effects between tone counting and mathematical calculations” sheds light on the factors that contribute to dual-task interference and provides valuable insights for understanding the challenges associated with multitasking.

Understanding Dual-Task Interference

Psychologists have proposed various theories to explain dual-task interference, including unitary cognitive resource theory and multiple cognitive resource theories. Among these, Wickens’ multiple resource theory (MRT) is frequently referenced by human factors and ergonomics professionals. According to MRT, tasks compete for our brain’s attention based on four factors: the processing stage (i.e., are we perceiving information, thinking about it, or responding to it?), whether the task is spatial or verbal, the senses required (i.e., is the task visual, tactile, or audial?), and if it’s a visual task, whether it requires our focal or ambient vision. 

Research Findings

In this study, the research team paired a seated mathematical calculation task with the tone counting task to explore the impact of dual-tasking and cognitive load on performance. The results of the study indicated that participants made significantly more correct calculations in the single-task condition compared to the dual-task conditions. Furthermore, participants performed better in the one-frequency tone counting task compared to the three-frequency tone counting task. These findings suggest that both dual-tasking and cognitive load have a detrimental effect on cognitive performance, with higher cognitive load leading to reduced accuracy in calculations.

Implications for Multitasking

The findings from this study have important implications for understanding multitasking in various work settings. In operational settings where dual-tasking is common, individuals may experience interference and performance loss in one or both tasks. This knowledge can inform the design of work environments and the allocation of tasks to minimize dual-task interference and optimize performance.

Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of task prioritization and overall task demand when examining dual-tasking. Certain tasks, such as climbing, may inherently demand more attention due to their physical riskiness, leading to task prioritization and potential interference with paired tasks. Understanding the cognitive demands of different tasks can help professionals identify tasks that may be more prone to interference and develop strategies to mitigate the negative effects.

The article is now available for online viewing and download at  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000368702300090X.1 Blakely, Megan & Smith, Samantha & Russell, Paul & Helton, William. (2023). Dual-task effects between tone counting and mathematical calculations. Applied Ergonomics. 111. 104052. 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104052.

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SPEAK Resilience receives Curriculum Innovation Award

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Collage of 4 photos of nature: rocky shoreline, forest, waterfront, and yard with flowers and grass.

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) has recently announced the Spring 2023 awardees for Curriculum Innovation. The awards, ranging from $5,000 to $7,000, will fund three diverse projects that align with Michigan Tech’s mission to bring long-lasting changes in educational offerings. One of the three projects awarded was SPEAK Resilience (Sustainability, Psychology, Ecology, Arts, Kultur), with principal investigators Lisa Gordillo (VPA), Tara Bal (CFRES), and Sam Smith (CLS). 

SPEAK Resilience will be an interdisciplinary sustainability program for Michigan Tech students to study in Björkö-Arholma, Sweden. The program will include a collection of four courses: one each in psychology, ecology, and the arts; and one interdisciplinary course team-taught by the faculty co-PIs. The co-PIs will develop a program that draws on each of their specialties to create immersive, interdisciplinary curricula. 

The theme of interdependence between humans and the natural world will be incorporated into each course, viewed through various lenses to tackle sustainability, resilience, and community engagement. This approach will provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary field experience.

Students will learn about natural resource management and sustainable ways to interact with local ecosystems; ways that cognitive processing may predispose unsustainable behaviors and how to change them; and ways that art and educational interventions can enhance community engagement with environmental stewardship. The program’s themes will be enriched by the unique perspectives offered by Swedish culture, which is of significant importance to the overall experience.

Research behind the Curriculum

Co-PI Lisa Gordillo is the artist-in-residence for Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, and was an artist-in-residence in Björkö-Arholma, Sweden in 2022. During that time, she established partnerships with Swedish schools, communities, and arts organizations such as Väddö Folkhögskola and Björkö Kunstnod. These partners will collaborate to develop community projects related to sustainability during the program. 

Gordillo’s research uses art to connect people and landscape, and to create community engagement opportunities. Co-PI Tara Bal‘s research on forest health, which involves investigating the effects of human activity on forest landscapes, and aligns with the program’s theme of interdependence between humans and the natural world. Co-PI Samantha Smith is examining the impact of environmental factors on attention and cognitive processing, as well as how these factors influence human behavior.

Lisa Gordillo
Lisa Gordillo, Associate Professor, Visual and Performing Arts

SPEAK Resilience is part of Gordillo’s larger community-arts project, Sister Forests, which connects the forests of Björkö-Arholma Sweden with those of the Keweenaw. The innovative program SPEAK Resilience will provide students with invaluable experiences to understand and address sustainability issues, resilience, and community engagement through different perspectives.

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CLS Announces 2023 Student Awards

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(left to right) Kayla Richardson, Sara Gelon, and Jane Sinclair

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences is pleased to announce its Outstanding Student Awards for academic year 2022-23. Starting off with the top research project team selected by our graduate student and faculty judges at the annual CLS Research Symposium held on Tuesday, April 18. Kyla Richardson, Sara Gelon, and Jane Sinclair made up the winning team for their project “Crowd Forming Observations at Michigan Tech”.

The team designed an observational study in order to look at the impacts of social conformity and curiosity. Their study was to determine the motivations behind crowd formation – Do crowds gather due to social conformity, or is curiosity the underlying motivator? For full abstract, along with all other projects presented at the symposium, see https://bit.ly/3MSblRJ

In addition, the following undergraduate student awards were presented by CLS chair Dr. Kelly Steelman:

Mercy Barikor: Undergraduate Research Award

This award is presented to a student who demonstrates excellence in research conducted in support of an undergraduate studies or project carried out under the guidance of a CLS faculty member or approved mentor. Mercy joined the research team of Dr. Lorelle Meadows in September 2022, working on an NSF grant-funded social psychology laboratory-based project focused on the influence of subtle bias on undergraduate students in STEM.

In her nomination, Dr. Meadows wrote: “What has most impressed me about Mercy is her keen interest in her work and the way that she consistently builds bridges between the things she is learning through the research and the things that she is learning in her courses. She often brings resources from her courses to our team meetings and shares them with the team, offering us new ways to think about the work and new ideas for future directions.”

Kallie Weecks: Outstanding Clinical Intern of the Year

This award recognizes a psychology or human factors undergraduate student who has made a positive impact on their community through experiential education opportunities. Kallie interned with the Copper Country Intermediate School District for fall 2022, completing 140 hours and assisted school psychologist Christine Etter twice a week. In her nomination, Etter stated: “Kallie was a tremendous asset to the students of Copper Country and has made a positive impact on our school system, the families in the Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw counties, and the staff at the ISD.”

Ani Schneiderhan: Outstanding First-Year Student

This award is presented to an outstanding first-year psychology and/or human factors student who has demonstrated academic excellence in their first year by academic achievement, exemplary character, leadership in class and activities, and potential for success in future endeavors. Dr. Steelman stated: “Not only has Ani achieved stellar classroom grades, but she’s already well known in the department by the way she contributes in the classroom discussions and activities. She has also been a good steward to the department by helping with our postcard writing campaign to leading scholars and accepted students for Fall 2023 and helped with the CSA Hang out / Texting Nights.”

Hunter Malinowski: 2023 CLS Department Scholar

This award represents the best of student scholarship in the department including participation in research and scholarly activities, high level of intellectual curiosity and creativity, and exceptional communication skills.

In her nomination, Dr. Beth Veinott stated “Hunter is one of the most motivated and intellectually curious students I have taught in the department. She has done excellent work and made the classroom a more engaging experience for other students.”

Dr. Steelman went on to say: Hunter has thrived in her courses, earning a 4.0 department GPA and making the Dean’s list in 2020, 2021, and 2022. She also earned department distinctions as Top or Outstanding Student in numerous psychology and human factors courses. Moreover, Hunter has taken full advantage of the Michigan Tech experience through her involvement in research, Pavlis Honors college, and student organizations.

Her research experience has involved three major projects. During the standard PSY 3000/3001 coursework, Hunter conducted a research project that combined her interests in psychology and computer science by testing and evaluating a scale about AI and machine learning understanding. Following that, she contributed to a number of research projects with Dr. Shane Mueller on human-AI interaction and explainable AI. Hunter co-authored a Human Factors and Ergonomics Society proceedings paper based on the results of this work, which contributed to a larger project funded by DARPA. She was then supported through the URIP program to explore how different XAI feature visualization approaches interacted with example-based explanations–two distinct and popular forms of algorithmic explanation of AI that have not been fully combined.

Since stepping foot on campus in Fall 2020, Hunter has sought out opportunities to innovate. During her first year she entered the Bob Mark Pitch Competition, taking 3rd place and receiving the MTEC Breakout Innovation Award. The next year, she was selected as one of Michigan Tech’s University Innovation Fellows and completed a design thinking program through the Stanford d.school.

Hunter is an engaged campus leader. She has served as the President of both Delta Zeta Sorority and Tiny Knitz, an organization that helps students learn knitting and crocheting skills partners with local non-profit organizations to provide apparel for newborns in the Keweenaw community. Hunter’s accomplishments extend beyond the CLS department and campus. She completed two internships with Ford Motor Company and received the award for Most Viable and Top Achiever in their 2022 Intern Innovation Challenges.

Graduate Student Recognition

To wrap up the awards celebration, Dr. Steelman also recognized Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (ACSHF) graduate students who earned fellowships and honors over the past year.

  • Alexandra Watral: Doctoral Finishing Fellowship for Spring 2023 and CLS Outstanding Scholarship Award Recipient from the Graduate School
  • Brittany Nelson: King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship, Spring 2022 to Summer 2023
  • Anne Linja and Tauseef Mamun: Third Place in Computing [MTU] Showcase, Fall 2022
  • Betsy Lehman: Scholarship award for Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology
  • Shruti Amre: Doctoral Finishing Fellowship for Summer 2023

The CLS faculty and staff congratulates all our undergraduate and graduate students for their many accomplishments during the 2022-23 academic year!

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Jenna Messer receives the William and Josephine Balconi Community Service Award

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Jenna Messer

Outstanding students, staff and alumni were honored Friday, April 14, during Michigan Tech’s 29th annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony in the Memorial Union Building Ballroom. Among those recognized was Jenna Messer, Social Sciences major pursuing a degree in Policy, Law and Society and a minor in Psychology. Jenna was selected for the William and Josephine Balconi Community Service Award.

The award is presented each year to a student who demonstrates community service with lasting and meaningful impact during their time at Michigan Tech. Dr. David and Marie Blum initiated this endowment in memory of Marie’s parents, Josephine and William Balconi, remembered as “always involved in helping others.”

Community Service with Lasting and Meaningful Impact

Jenna is part of Michigan Tech’s research team “Bridging Knowledge Systems and Expertise for Understanding the Dynamics of a Contaminated Tribal Landscape System (TLS). The project brings natural and social sciences researchers together with tribal community partners in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan to better understand toxic contamination and climate-related changes across the water-rich landscape. The team will map the extent of the region’s mercury and PCBs contamination in inland lakes, and concurrently, map tribal harvesting practices, valued resources, and climate-related changes across the landscape to categorize lakes as low, moderate or high risk. This research also aims to explore specific management and outreach decisions to minimize contamination risk and support human-environment relationships that promote the health and wellbeing of the U.P. environment and its communities.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and in collaboration with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center.

For more information on the project: https://www.mtu.edu/tribal-landscape/

Congratulations to Jenna and all recipients of the 2023 Student Leadership Awards!

Psychology plays a significant role in most aspects of our lives, including our choices, relationships, and how we work and learn. This makes our psychology minor a great compliment for many different majors. Having insight into people’s thoughts and behavior will give you an edge in almost any career—not to mention your personal life.

For more information: https://www.mtu.edu/cls/undergraduate/minors/

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2023 CLS Undergraduate Research Symposium

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Research Methods student presenting her research poster.

Please join us for the 2023 CLS Undergraduate Research Symposium on Tuesday 4/18  at 3:45-5:00pm in room 110 of the Harold Meese Center. This poster session will feature research conducted by our undergraduates students enrolled in PSY 3001 Research Methods.

Some of the highlights of this symposium include research that:

– Examines thinking styles and strategies for different problem-solving tasks.

– Tests whether the anchoring and adjustment heuristic can be influenced by people’s knowledge.

– Examines whether pets can make us smarter, or at least help us feel less impacted by academic stress.

–  Investigates how students were impacted by  the pandemic and MTUs COVID-19 policies and response.

–  Studies the bystander response to flashmob behavior on campus. 

The full list of presentations/abstracts is here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FVn-7D-znXYIr85EbL5AY21aGcfy3HpB/edit

Michigan Tech’s Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Psychology and Human Factors, along with a Minor in Psychology. We also offer an Accelerated Masters degree in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (ACSHF), which typically requires only one additional year of course work. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (ACSHF).

Questions? Contact us at cls@mtu.edu. And follow us @clsmtu on Instagram and Facebook for the latest happenings.

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Betsy Lehman receives SISPP Fellowship

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Betsy Lehman

ACSHF PhD student Betsy Lehman has been awarded a Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology (SISPP) fellowship. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology offers a biannual two-week intensive summer experience for up to 100 pre-doctoral students in social and personality psychology.

SISPP typically offers five courses, in dual-instructor format, led by top researchers and teachers in the field. The program also offers two unique workshops, exposing participants to current and important data analytic techniques and research methodologies.

The submission was very extensive with only 100 applicants awarded.

“I am excited to attend the Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology training program at Ohio State University. I’m looking forward to sharing my dissertation research on social judgment and debiasing through better sensemaking and learning from leading experts and fellow graduate students. This experience will inform both my research and my work with the NSF-funded Advance program at Michigan Tech.” – Betsy Lehman, ACSHF PhD student

SISPP 2023 will be held at Ohio State University in July. This will be the first time the program has been conducted since 2019 due to pandemic restrictions in 2021.

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