David S. Kreiner

Incorporating Active Learning With PowerPoint-Based Lectures Using Content-Based Questions

Instructors often use Microsoft PowerPoint lectures and handouts as support tools to provide students with the main concepts of the lectures. Some instructors and researchers believe that PowerPoint encourages student passivity. We conducted 2 studies to determine whether the use of content-based questions (CBQs) would enhance learning when combined with traditional PowerPoint lectures. Our results indicated significantly higher quiz scores and exam scores when students used CBQs in comparison to using only the traditional PowerPoint lecture and handouts. The results suggest that it is possible to incorporate effective active learning methods into PowerPoint-based lectures.

Memory and motor skill components of the WAIS-III Digit Symbol-Coding subtest.

We examined motor skill and memory components of the Digit Symbol-Coding subtest of the WAIS-III in a clinical sample. Research using previous versions of the WAIS in non-clinical samples has suggested that the age-related decline in Digit Symbol-Coding scores is more related to motor ability rather than to the memory requirements of the test. Our results extend this conclusion to a clinical sample, using the WAIS-III. Copy scores measure motor skill on the Digit Symbol-Coding subtest, and Incidental Learning scores (Free Recall and Pairing) measure memory. A large proportion of Digit Symbol-Coding variance was explained by Copy scores with Incidental Learning scores controlled, but Incidental Learning scores explained little additional variance when Copy scores were controlled. The same pattern was found when we used the Immediate Memory and General Memory Indexes from the Wechsler Memory Scale-III as independent measures of memory.

The effects of pre‐existing inappropriate highlighting on reading comprehension

Abstract Highlighting relevant passages from textbooks has often been considered an effective encoding process tool. However, if a student rents a previously used textbook that contains inappropriate highlighting throughout the text, the inappropriate highlighting may interfere with reading comprehension. The present research addresses this concern. The effects of pre‐existing inappropriate highlighting were investigated in two experiments. Experiment

Effects of Word Familiarity and Phoneme-Grapheme Polygraphy on Oral Spelling Time and Accuracy

The predictions of parallel dual-route models of spelling were tested using oral spelling time and accuracy. Subjective polygraphy (transparency of phoneme-grapheme mappings) was estimated from the pseudoword spellings of 42 college students. Subjective polygraphy was found to differ from a measure of objective polygraphy based on how words are actually spelled in English. A separate group of 40 college students spelled 36 words differing on familiarity and polygraphy. Low familiarity words were more difficult to spell than high familiarity words, and high polygraphy words were generally harder to spell than low polygraphy words. Several analyses suggested an interaction between polygraphy and familiarity. The design was replicated on another sample of 19 college students with a wider range of words. The results were generally consistent with a parallel-interactive model of spelling.

Guided Notes and Interactive Methods for Teaching with Videotapes.

Fifty-seven college students matched a videotape and then took a comprehension test. Participants in the control group watched without taking notes, those in the notes group took notes while watching, those in the guided notes group took notes on questions given in advance, and those in the interactive group orally replied to questions while watching. There was a significant effect of viewing method (p < .05). Comprehension was higher in the guided notes and interactive groups, and a significant interaction (p < .05) showed that this advantage occurred for implicit but not explicit questions. Videotape viewing methods that focus students on relevant concepts and encourage active participation appear to be most effective.

Virtual Reality Cues for Binge Drinking in College Students

We investigated the ability of virtual reality (VR) cue exposure to trigger a desire for alcohol among binge-drinking students. Fifteen binge-drinking college students and eight students who were nonbingers were immersed into a neutral-cue environment or room (underwater scenes), followed by four alcohol-cue rooms (bar, party, kitchen, argument), followed by a repeat of the neutral room. The virtual rooms were computer generated via head-mounted visual displays with associated auditory and olfactory stimuli. In each room, participants reported their subjective cravings for alcohol, the amount of attention given to the sight and smell of alcohol, and how much they were thinking of drinking. A 2 x 6 (type of drinker by VR room) repeated measures ANOVA was conducted on the responses to each question. After alcohol exposure, binge drinkers reported significantly higher cravings for and thoughts of alcohol than nonbinge drinkers, whereas differences between the groups following the neutral rooms were not significant.

Gender differences on WAIS-III incidental learning, pairing, and free recall.

Gender differences on Digit-Symbol-Coding-Incidental Learning, Pairing, and Free Recall were examined using the standardization sample of the WAIS-III. Males earned significantly higher scores on both Pairing and Free Recall, but effect sizes were small. Gender effects were not significant when age and educational level were included in the model or when differences in ability level were considered. The results showed a tendency for increased performance on both Pairing and Free Recall for individuals with higher levels of education or higher ability levels and for younger examinees. The findings support the use of combined norms on these procedures for males and females but indicate a need for adjusting scores based on differences in age and education.

Reliability of the WAIS-Ill Subtests, Indexes, and IQs in Individuals with Substance Abuse Disorders

Reliability of the WAIS-III for 100 male patients with substance abuse disorders was determined. Means for age and education were 46.06 years (SD = 8.81 years) and 12.70 years (SD = 1.51 years). There were 63 Caucasians and 37 African Americans. Split-half coefficients for the 11 subtests (Digit Symbol-Coding, Symbol Search, and Object Assembly were omitted) ranged from .92 for Vocabulary and Digit Span to .77 for Picture Arrangement. The median subtest reliability coefficient was .86. Composite reliabilities were excellent for the Indexes (.94 to .95) and IQs (.94 to .97), with all coefficients? .94. Using the Fisher z test to compare correlation coefficients from independent samples, none of the reliability estimates differed significantly from those reported for the WAIS-III standardization sample. Similar findings emerged when reliabilities were determined separately for Caucasian and African American participants.

Personality in domestic cats.

Personality ratings of 196 cats were made by their owners using a 5-point Likert scale anchored by 1: not at all and 5: a great deal with 12 items: timid, friendly, curious, sociable, obedient, clever, protective, active, independent, aggressive, bad-tempered, and emotional. A principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified three intepretable components. Component I had high loadings by active, clever, curious, and sociable. Component II had high loadings by emotional, friendly, and protective, Component III by aggressive and bad-tempered, and Component IV by timid. Sex was not associated with any component, but age showed a weak negative correlation with Component I. Older animals were rated less social and curious than younger animals.

Does high scatter affect the predictive validity of WAIS-III IQs?

We tested the assumption that high amounts of intersubtest scatter on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) subtest profiles compromise predictive validity of the IQs for predicting Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) indexes. Data from a sample of 80 male Veterans Administration medical center patients were analyzed, half with high intersubtest scatter and half with low scatter. The 2 groups were matched on Full Scale IQ. Correlations of WAIS-III Full Scale IQ with WMS-III indexes were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Further, the regression equations for predicting WMS-III indexes did not depend on the amount of scatter. The results suggest that, when differences in IQ are controlled, the validity of WAIS-III scores in predicting memory performance does not depend on the amount of intersubtest scatter. Further research is needed with samples from different populations using a variety of criterion variables.