Josh de Leeuw | Indiana University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Josh de Leeuw
Study sequence can have a profound impact on learning. Previous research has often shown advantag... more Study sequence can have a profound impact on learning. Previous research has often shown advantages for interleaved over blocked study, though the reverse has also been found. Learners typically prefer blocking even in situations for which interleaving is superior. The present study investigated learner regulation of study sequence, and its effects on learning in an ecologically valid context – university students using an online tutorial relevant to an exam that counted toward their course grades. The majority of participants blocked study by problem category, and this tendency was positively associated with subsequent exam performance. The results suggest that preference for blocked study may be adaptive under some circumstances, and highlight the importance of identifying task environments under which different study sequences are most effective.
Behavioral researchers are increasingly using Web- based software such as JavaScript to conduct r... more Behavioral researchers are increasingly using Web- based software such as JavaScript to conduct response time experiments. Although there has been some research on the accuracy and reliability of response time measurements col- lected using JavaScript, it remains unclear how well this meth- od performs relative to standard laboratory software in psy- chologically relevant experimental manipulations. Here we present results from a visual search experiment in which we measured response time distributions with both Psychophys- ics Toolbox (PTB) and JavaScript. We developed a method- ology that allowed us to simultaneously run the visual search experiment with both systems, interleaving trials between two independent computers, thus minimizing the effects of factors other than the experimental software. The response times mea- sured by JavaScript were approximately 25 ms longer than those measured by PTB. However, we found no reliable dif- ference in the variability of the distributions related to the software, and both software packages were equally sensitive to changes in the response times as a result of the experimental manipulations. We concluded that JavaScript is a suitable tool for measuring response times in behavioral research.
Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to bette... more Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to better serve the informational needs of cognizers. Perceptual learning is a powerful way for an individual to become tuned to frequently recurring patterns in its specific local environment that are pertinent to its goals without requiring costly executive control resources to be deployed. Mechanisms like predictive coding, categorical perception, and action-informed vision allow our perceptual systems to interface well with cognition by generating perceptual outputs that are systematically guided by how they will be used. In classic conceptions of perceptual modules, people have access to the modules’ outputs but no ability to adjust their internal workings. However, humans routinely and strategically alter their perceptual systems via training regimes that have predictable and specific outcomes. In fact, employing a combination of strategic and automatic devices for adapting perception is one of the most promising approaches to improving cognition.
Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to bette... more Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to better serve the informational needs of cognizers. Perceptual learning is a powerful way for an individual to become tuned to frequently recurring patterns in its specific local environment that are pertinent to its goals without requiring costly executive control resources to be deployed. Mechanisms like predictive coding, categorical perception, and action-informed vision allow our perceptual systems to interface well with cognition by generating perceptual outputs that are systematically guided by how they will be used. In classic conceptions of perceptual modules, people have access to the modules’ outputs but no ability to adjust their internal workings. However, humans routinely and strategically alter their perceptual systems via training regimes that have predictable and specific outcomes. In fact, employing a combination of strategic and automatic devices for adapting perception is one of the most promising approaches to improving cognition.
Behavior Research Methods
Online experiments are growing in popularity, and the increasing sophistication of Web technology... more Online experiments are growing in popularity, and the increasing sophistication of Web technology has made it possible to run complex behavioral experiments online using only a Web browser. Unlike with offline laboratory experiments, however, few tools exist to aid in the development of browser-based experiments. This makes the process of creating an experiment slow and challenging, particularly for researchers who lack a Web development background. This article introduces jsPsych, a JavaScript library for the development of Web-based experiments. jsPsych formalizes a way of describing experiments that is much simpler than writing the entire experiment from scratch. jsPsych then executes these descriptions automatically, handling the flow from one task to another. The jsPsych library is open-source and designed to be expanded by the research community. The project is available online at www.jspsych.org.
Conference Presentations by Josh de Leeuw
Learned Visual Categorical Perception Effects Depend on Method of Assessment and Stimulus Discriminability, 2014
Learned categorical perception (CP) effects were assessed using three different measures and two... more Learned categorical perception (CP) effects were assessed
using three different measures and two sets of stimuli
differing in discriminability, both of which varied on one
category-relevant and one category-irrelevant dimension.
Two different kinds of analysis produced patterns of results
that depended on both of these variables and show that
categorical perception effects are sensitive to variations in
assessment task and stimulus discriminability. Only the
similarity-rating task produced evidence of between-category
expansion effects, suggesting that participants used different
strategies for subjective and objective tasks. Generally, there
was evidence that category training caused a decrease in the
salience of category-irrelevant variation, but when the
assessment task cued participants to category-irrelevant
differences they were equally apt at identifying category-irrelevant variation as a control group.
Study sequence can have a profound impact on learning. Previous research has often shown advantag... more Study sequence can have a profound impact on learning. Previous research has often shown advantages for interleaved over blocked study, though the reverse has also been found. Learners typically prefer blocking even in situations for which interleaving is superior. The present study investigated learner regulation of study sequence, and its effects on learning in an ecologically valid context – university students using an online tutorial relevant to an exam that counted toward their course grades. The majority of participants blocked study by problem category, and this tendency was positively associated with subsequent exam performance. The results suggest that preference for blocked study may be adaptive under some circumstances, and highlight the importance of identifying task environments under which different study sequences are most effective.
Behavioral researchers are increasingly using Web- based software such as JavaScript to conduct r... more Behavioral researchers are increasingly using Web- based software such as JavaScript to conduct response time experiments. Although there has been some research on the accuracy and reliability of response time measurements col- lected using JavaScript, it remains unclear how well this meth- od performs relative to standard laboratory software in psy- chologically relevant experimental manipulations. Here we present results from a visual search experiment in which we measured response time distributions with both Psychophys- ics Toolbox (PTB) and JavaScript. We developed a method- ology that allowed us to simultaneously run the visual search experiment with both systems, interleaving trials between two independent computers, thus minimizing the effects of factors other than the experimental software. The response times mea- sured by JavaScript were approximately 25 ms longer than those measured by PTB. However, we found no reliable dif- ference in the variability of the distributions related to the software, and both software packages were equally sensitive to changes in the response times as a result of the experimental manipulations. We concluded that JavaScript is a suitable tool for measuring response times in behavioral research.
Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to bette... more Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to better serve the informational needs of cognizers. Perceptual learning is a powerful way for an individual to become tuned to frequently recurring patterns in its specific local environment that are pertinent to its goals without requiring costly executive control resources to be deployed. Mechanisms like predictive coding, categorical perception, and action-informed vision allow our perceptual systems to interface well with cognition by generating perceptual outputs that are systematically guided by how they will be used. In classic conceptions of perceptual modules, people have access to the modules’ outputs but no ability to adjust their internal workings. However, humans routinely and strategically alter their perceptual systems via training regimes that have predictable and specific outcomes. In fact, employing a combination of strategic and automatic devices for adapting perception is one of the most promising approaches to improving cognition.
Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to bette... more Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to better serve the informational needs of cognizers. Perceptual learning is a powerful way for an individual to become tuned to frequently recurring patterns in its specific local environment that are pertinent to its goals without requiring costly executive control resources to be deployed. Mechanisms like predictive coding, categorical perception, and action-informed vision allow our perceptual systems to interface well with cognition by generating perceptual outputs that are systematically guided by how they will be used. In classic conceptions of perceptual modules, people have access to the modules’ outputs but no ability to adjust their internal workings. However, humans routinely and strategically alter their perceptual systems via training regimes that have predictable and specific outcomes. In fact, employing a combination of strategic and automatic devices for adapting perception is one of the most promising approaches to improving cognition.
Behavior Research Methods
Online experiments are growing in popularity, and the increasing sophistication of Web technology... more Online experiments are growing in popularity, and the increasing sophistication of Web technology has made it possible to run complex behavioral experiments online using only a Web browser. Unlike with offline laboratory experiments, however, few tools exist to aid in the development of browser-based experiments. This makes the process of creating an experiment slow and challenging, particularly for researchers who lack a Web development background. This article introduces jsPsych, a JavaScript library for the development of Web-based experiments. jsPsych formalizes a way of describing experiments that is much simpler than writing the entire experiment from scratch. jsPsych then executes these descriptions automatically, handling the flow from one task to another. The jsPsych library is open-source and designed to be expanded by the research community. The project is available online at www.jspsych.org.
Learned Visual Categorical Perception Effects Depend on Method of Assessment and Stimulus Discriminability, 2014
Learned categorical perception (CP) effects were assessed using three different measures and two... more Learned categorical perception (CP) effects were assessed
using three different measures and two sets of stimuli
differing in discriminability, both of which varied on one
category-relevant and one category-irrelevant dimension.
Two different kinds of analysis produced patterns of results
that depended on both of these variables and show that
categorical perception effects are sensitive to variations in
assessment task and stimulus discriminability. Only the
similarity-rating task produced evidence of between-category
expansion effects, suggesting that participants used different
strategies for subjective and objective tasks. Generally, there
was evidence that category training caused a decrease in the
salience of category-irrelevant variation, but when the
assessment task cued participants to category-irrelevant
differences they were equally apt at identifying category-irrelevant variation as a control group.