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The aim of this research is to analyse the relevance of speed response and its regulation for learning. In order to avoid the biases of self-reports, we used a computerized objective test, The Category Learning Test (CLT). It measures the student's actual behaviour while completing a learning task. In the first study (N = 41), we found that university students that achieved a high learning index performed slower than their mates did (t (37) = -4.05, p < .001, [eta].sup.2 = .307). Therefore, acting too fast was associated with poor performance in the task. In the second study (N = 184), we divided the sample into two groups and we applied a speed limit to the intervention group in order to promote learning. The intervention group achieved a higher learning index than the control group (t (129) = -8.36, p < .001, [eta].sup.2 = .298). Hence, the speed limit fostered learning. Therefore, regulation of the speed may be appropriate to foster learning., Author(s): Cristina Casadevante [sup.1] , Tuulia Ortner [sup.2] , Miriam Romero [sup.1] , José Manuel Hernández [sup.1] , José Santacreu [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5515.4, 0000000119578126, Department of Psychology (Facultad [...]

Managing time effectively requires making decisions to plan the order of execution of different tasks, so that the maximum gain is achieved in a given period. We designed a test called My Schedule to assess time management, and we report a study of its psychometric properties. Through an online web server, we administered My Schedule along with two other objective tests, one that measures time management behaviors (Planning test) and another that assesses risk-tendency (Betting Dice test) to study convergent and divergent validity. In addition, we administered a self-report that assesses time management (TMBQ). My Schedule showed high reliability and moderate convergence with the Planning test and no significant correlation with the Betting Dice test and the TMBQ. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed., Author(s): Miriam Romero [sup.1] , José Manuel Hernández [sup.1] , James F. Juola [sup.2] , Cristina Casadevante [sup.1] , José Santacreu [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5515.4, 0000000119578126, Department of Psychology, [...]

Introduction: There are different tests that assess attention and can help to make a differential diagnosis between ADHD and Learning Disabilities (LD), but there appears to be little research on the convergent and predictive validity of these tests. The aim of this study was to analyze the convergent validity of the EMAV, Caras, d2, AGL, CPT-II and CSAT attention tests and to assess their usefulness for identifying people diagnosed with ADHD as compared to people with LD, based on DSM-5 criteria. Method: Convergent validity of the instruments was studied via non-parametric correlations, and their predictive validity through binary logistic regression. A clinical sample composed of 437 children was used (234 had an ADHD diagnosis and 203 an LD diagnosis with ADHD ruled out). Results: The results indicate that selective attention measures showed weak correlations between themselves, as was also the case with sustained attention measures. Moreover, correlations between measures of the contrasting types of attention were of similar magnitude, which casts doubt on whether they measure what they claim to measure. The best predictor of ADHD vs. LD differential diagnosis was the confidence index of the CPT-II, in all ages. In addition, for children between the ages of 6 and 16, their percentile in correct answers on the Caras test was quite informative, and for children from 8 to 17, the d2 concentration index.

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The relation between response time and performance in cognitive tasks is increasingly evident. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of participants' spontaneous speed when responding to a mental rotation task. We carried out a data reanalysis from a previous study where a training of 3 practice sessions of 100 trials each was applied. The procedure was applied to a sample of 21 high school students (11 boys, 10 girls). The relation between response time and performance (hits) across the training trials was analyzed. In addition, we carried out a regression analysis of performance on the learning task as a function of response time on that same task, as well as with the score on two previously applied tests of spatial intelligence and fluid intelligence. Results showed, (a) a significant relationship (r = 0.624) between response time and hits, (b) that the group of participants with longer response times performed better; (c) that participants' response time explained most of the variance of their score on the training task in the regression analysis, although spatial and fluid intelligence scores improved the prediction of performance. Our results suggest that the reflective style achieves greater performance in solving spatial tasks, which could have important practical implications to promote a slower and more reflective style when solving school tasks with spatial components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare an induced rumination group and a control group, in selective attention, attentional control, and negative and positive affect. Method: 40 university students were randomly assigned to the induced rumination group or the control group and performed a selective attention task (DiViSA), an attentional control task (Shapes) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results: The induced rumination group showed lower selective attention and greater negative affect than the control group. No statistically significant differences were found in attentional control. Conclusion: The current study suggests that rumination in normal population interfere in selective attention but not in attentional control. We discuss that different networks of Posner´s attention system are involved. We highlight the importance of inducing rumination appropriately and considering the related negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present research is to assess goal orientation (mastery and performance) by developing an objective behavioral test. We elaborated the Mastery Performance-Goal Orientation Test, a task that allows assessment of goal orientation along a single dimension. We studied its reliability and validity by conducting two studies. In Study 1 (N = 293 adults), the distribution of scores along the goal orientation variable showed wide variability and high internal consistency. The mastery-oriented participants demonstrated higher levels of category learning, whereas the performance-oriented participants responded in a less discriminative way but achieved higher scores. In Study 2 (N = 41 undergraduate students), the mastery-oriented participants achieved higher scores on a learning task than the performance-oriented subjects. The results also showed that the test had the potential to predict subsequent learning. We conclude that it might be a useful instrument to assess goal orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, numerous pretest-posttest study designs have evaluated attention impairments and effectiveness of attention training. However, some of the attention tasks used in these studies show a lack of temporal stability analysis that reduces confidence in attention training outcomes. We aim to analyze the temporal stability within three attention tasks using different measures of attention (speed measures, accuracy measures, and global attention indexes) and the convergent validity between the measures. A total of 178 university students completed three attention tasks with a time interval of one week. Speed measures of attention showed higher test-retest reliability and higher convergence than accuracy measures. Accuracy measures showed nonnormal distributions and small range of variability to provide sufficient discrimination. Speed measures showed high practice effects. These results are consistent with previous studies of temporal stability and convergent validity of attention tasks. However, further studies of commonly used attention tasks are necessary in healthy and clinical samples. Additionally, attention training studies should include a control group to subtract the practice effect of speed measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]