Ben W. Morrison

Measuring Relative Cue Strength as a Means of Validating an Inventory of Expert Offender Profiling Cues

Cues have been identified as important precursors to successful diagnoses among expert practitioners. However, current approaches to the identification of expert cues typically rely on subjective methods, making the validity of cues difficult to establish. The present research examined the utility of a Paired-Concept Association Task (P-CAT) as a basis for discriminating expert and novice cue activation in the context of offender profiling. Three studies are reported: 1A employed a cognitive interview for the acquisition of cue-based concepts used by experts and novices; 1B presented pairs of concepts as part of the P-CAT, which recorded response latency; and, 1C employed a survey to further gauge participants’ perceptions of the concepts. The results revealed differences between experts and novices in the cue-based associations activated, and in the response latencies associated with the P-CAT, across expertise. The P-CAT accurately discriminated expert from novice cue activation and consequently offers a new method for objectively validating expert cue use.

Testing the efficacy of a virtual reality‐based simulation in enhancing users’ knowledge, attitudes, and empathy relating to psychosis

Abstract Objective The current study examined the efficacy of a virtual reality (VR) education system that simulates the experience of the positive symptomology associated with schizophrenic spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Method The sample comprised of 50 participants from the general public and various psychology undergraduate programs. Participants completed pre‐test measures exploring knowledge of diagnosis, attitudes, and empathetic understanding, before being exposed to an immersive VR simulation of a psychotic episode. Participants then completed the original measures with the addition of a user‐experience scale, which explored sub‐factors understood to share a relationship with VR effectiveness (i.e., fidelity, immersion, presence, and user buy‐in). Results Participants’ scores were significantly enhanced at post‐test across each outcome measure, with significant correlations found between a number of the gain and user‐experience scores. Conclusions The findings suggest that VR‐based simulations of psychopathology may offer a promising platform for delivering a constructionist approach to psychology education.

The Application of Naturalistic Decision-Making Techniques to Explore Cue Use in Rugby League Playmakers:

Within the sport of rugby league, there exists a perceived shortage of talent in playmaking positions. In Australia, an academy dedicated to the development of playmaking skills has recently been established. Although the precise skills targeted by the academy for development are yet to be determined, decision making is presumed to be integral. The current research used the naturalistic decision-making paradigm to inform training initiatives by investigating the decision processes engaged by rugby league playmakers. The research explored whether players of varying ability could be differentiated in relation to a key decision process, cue use. Rugby league playmakers were interviewed using a novel variation of cognitive task analysis, which used both retrospective (i.e., recalled game) and prospective (i.e., unfamiliar rugby league scenario) means. The sample comprised 10 participants: six professional and four semiprofessional rugby league players. From a content analysis, a concept map, cognitive demands tables, and a critical cue inventory were produced. Results indicated that professional players demonstrated greater cue discrimination, assigned different meaning to the cues, and processed cues in a different manner compared with their semiprofessional counterparts. The results offer insights for future training applications in the domain and raise important questions regarding the utility of critical cue inventories in training.

Using critical-cue inventories to advance virtual patient technologies in psychological assessment

A shortage in clientele at university-based psychology clinics represents a significant challenge to patient-based practical skills training. Although supplementary methods of skill development (e.g., role-plays) are embraced within these programs, it may be argued that these methods offer a relatively diluted simulation of the psychological assessment process. Recently, virtual patients have been proposed as an attractive avenue for augmenting these traditional training methods. The current paper explores the potential benefits of using critical-cue inventories in the advancement of virtual patient technologies in psychological assessment. The piece briefly details a study which aimed to elicit cue-based information from experienced mental health practitioners, which may be embedded in simulations of the initial stages of psychological assessment. Preliminary findings are presented, and future directions discussed.

Utility of Expert Cue Exposure as a Mechanism to Improve Decision-Making Performance Among Novice Criminal Investigators:

The research tested whether systematic exposure to expert-identified cues would improve novice criminal investigators’ cue recognition and, in turn, decision making. Two studies are reported, the first of which was a pre- to postexposure assessment of 20 novices’ cue recognition. This involved testing novices’ recognition (accuracy and latency) of pairings of text-based labels (elicited via cognitive task analyses with subject matter experts) prior to and following an exposure phase. The results revealed statistically significant improvements in comparison with a control group. In the second study, an assessment of 36 novices’ decision-making performance was undertaken prior to and following cue-based exposure (either expert or control cues). Participants engaged one of two decision tasks, which varied in the level of decision support offered: high (i.e., most pertinent features were highlighted for users) or low (i.e., features were naturally “embedded” in the task environment). Although participants receiving expert cue exposure demonstrated improvements in decision-making efficiency, advances in accuracy could be established only where a high level of support was offered. It was concluded that expert cue exposure can offer opportunities for learner development; however, a combination of exposure programs and decision support systems offers the greatest potential in improving the situation assessment skills of less experienced investigators.

A Case for Using Ability-Based Emotional Intelligence Measures in the Selection of Trainee Psychologists

Abstract At present, selection into Masters and Doctorate level Clinical Psychology programs in many countries largely relies upon undergraduate grades (i.e., Grade Point Average; GPA) and the honors year thesis. The use of objective, non-cognitive measures of ability are virtually non-existent. One measure seemingly relevant to the field of clinical psychology is the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), an ability-based measure of emotional intelligence (EI). EI, the ability to identify and regulate one’s own (and others’) emotions, may act as a worthwhile predictor of performance within domains requiring advanced communication and empathy skills, such as clinical psychology. Testing a sample of first year Masters of Clinical Psychology students (n = 9), this study investigated the relationship between EI as measured by the MSCEIT, performance in clinical tasks (simulated Cognitive Behavioral assessment and Cognitive Therapy (CT) competencies), and GPA. Despite a modest sample size, results indicated a significant correlation between EI and results from the clinical tasks, but there was no significant relationship between assessment performance and GPA. Implications to higher education selection and the clinical psychology profession are discussed.

Towards a cognition-based assessment protocol for user-centered design

In usability testing there is often an emphasis on accurate and timely task performance without a systematic consideration of the appropriateness or otherwise of the cognitive skills and processes that lead to that behaviour. Consequently, this paper details how the constructs of cognitive complexity and cognitive load can explain the extent to which an end-users interaction with the system is aligned with the expectations of the designer. We explain how these cognition-based concepts can be integrated into usability assessment protocols, allowing for targeted remedial strategies and minimum standards of competency to be identified.

Differentiating Cognitive Complexity and Cognitive Load in High and Low Demand Flight Simulation Tasks

In the contemporary workplace, the design of interfaces has a significant impact on the cognitive demands experienced by operators. Previous approaches to the assessment of these designs have relied on measures of cognitive load to infer the level of cognitive demand imposed. Assessments of cognitive complexity may offer a complimentary measure of the demands of the task as they take into account the inherent nature of the task, rather than idiosyncrasies of the operator. Two studies are reported that examined the information acquisition behavior of pilots in response to a series of simulated flight sequences involving different levels of cognitive complexity. Information acquisition was recorded using an eye tracker. Taken together, the results suggest that assessments of the complexity of a task should be employed as a benchmark in task assessment.