W. Burt Thompson

Instability of individual differences in the association between confidence judgments and memory performance

There are large individual differences in the degree of association between the accuracy of memories and subjective confidence in those memories. Are these differences stable within the same test, and between alternate forms of a test? In Experiment 1, college students were tested on 3 recognition memory tasks, then retested 2 weeks later on alternate forms of the same tasks. The relationship between confidence judgments and recognition performance displayed low split-half stability and low alternate-forms stability. A second experiment with elderly adults replicated these findings. In a third experiment, college students recalled answers to general knowledge questions and rated confidence in the correctness of each answer. Individual differences in the association between confidence and recall performance were not stable across the odd- and even-numbered items on the test. These data indicate the need for the development of procedures that will produce stable estimates of individuals’ metacognitive accuracy.

Music Sight-Reading Skill in Flute Players

Abstract This article reports an investigation of factors related to music sight-reading skill. Flute players (N = 30) performed six tasks: (a) sight-reading standard music, (b) sight-reading random music, (c) recall of music notation, (d) recall of letters, (e) eye-performance span, and (f) choice reaction time for playing individual notes. Sight-reading ability was significantly correlated with eye-performance span (.85), and music recall (.80), but not with letter recall (-.39), thus replicating results of previous work with pianists. Sight-reading skill was correlated with choice reaction time to notes (- .54), and there was a significant partial correlation between sight-reading skill and eye-performance span, with music-reading ability controlled. These results are consistent with the idea that increased skill involves both the speed-up of individual processing stages, and an increase in the degree to which these stages operate in parallel.

Analyzing Data From Studies Depicted on Video An Activity for Statistics and Research Courses

We describe an activity that combines the instructional benefits of video with the active and integrative learning inherent in the analysis and interpretation of realistic data. In the activity, students watched a brief video clip that showed how an actual research study was conducted. Students then analyzed raw data from the study, interpreted the results, and compared their work to published results and conclusions. The activity allows students to practice applying their knowledge of statistics and research methodology to realistic situations without having to conduct actual research. Students reported that the activity is engaging and helpful, and a comparison of pretest and posttest quiz scores suggested that it helps students learn to use and interpret statistical procedures.

Biased Lineup Instructions and Face Identification From Video Images

Previous eyewitness memory research has shown that biased lineup instructions reduce identification accuracy, primarily by increasing false-positive identifications in target-absent lineups. Because some attempts at identification do not rely on a witnesss memory of the perpetrator but instead involve matching photos to images on surveillance video, the authors investigated the effects of biased instructions on identification accuracy in a matching task. In Experiment 1, biased instructions did not affect the overall accuracy of participants who used video images as an identification aid, but nearly all correct decisions occurred with target-present photo spreads. Both biased and unbiased instructions resulted in high false-positive rates. In Experiment 2, which focused on video-photo matching accuracy with target-absent photo spreads, unbiased instructions led to more correct responses (i.e., fewer false positives). These findings suggest that investigators should not relax precautions against biased instructions when people attempt to match photos to an unfamiliar person recorded on video.

Test anxiety and handedness

Differences in test anxiety were examined in left- and right-handed subjects. Four different samples revealed no consistent handedness differences for either the worry or the emotionality component of test anxiety, and this was true for men and for women. There was little indication that high test anxiety was more detrimental for left-handers than for right-handers.