1. POLYGRAPHIC AROUSAL PATTERNS RELATED TO ATTENTION AND LEARNING IN GROUPS.
- Author
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Utah Univ., Salt Lake City. and BEIER, ERNST G.
- Abstract
INDIVIDUALS LEARN AND RETAIN MATERIAL MORE EFFECTIVELY WHEN THEY ATTEND TO THOSE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ABOUT WHICH THEY ARE TO ACQUIRE INFORMATION. TRADITIONALLY GESTURAL AND SITUATIONAL ATTENTION DEVICES HAVE BEEN USED IN CLASSROOMS IN ORDER TO ATTRACT ATTENTION FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION. IT IS POSSIBLE HOWEVER THAT MUCH MORE SUBTLE CUES SERVE EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANTLY, THE TEACHER'S INTENSE INTEREST IN HIS SUBJECT MATTER OR CUES WHICH MEMBERS OF A GROUP GIVE TO EACH OTHER MAY CREATE FAVORABLE CLIMATES TOWARD LEARNING. THE STUDENT ATTEMPTED TO STUDY PSYCHOPHYSICAL AROUSAL PATTERNS OF LEADER AND MEMBERS OF A GROUP AS MEASURES OF SUCH SUBTLE CUES IN RELATION TO CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTENTION AND LEARNING. THE SUBJECTS WERE FIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO SERVED AS GROUP LEADERS AND TWENTY-FIVE UNDERGRADUATES. SIX POLYGRAPHIC RECORDING MACHINES WERE USED WHICH PERMIT CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENTS OF (1) SKIN RESISTANCE, (2) HEART RATE, AND (3) RESPIRATION. SEVERAL IMPLICATIONS CAN BE DRAWN FROM THE DATA, GROUP MEMBERS DO NOT GENERALLY VARY IN THE AMOUNT OF RANDOM ATTENTION THEY PAY TO A LECTURE. THEY LEARN BEST IN LONGER LECTURES, AND SEEM TO RELAX MOST IN THE LAST LECTURE. ALTHOUGH DIFFERENCES AMONG LEADERS HAD SOME EFFECTS, IT DID NOT EFFECT STUDENTS' LEARNING SCORES. AROUSAL PATTERNS AS DEFINED, E.G. DEVIATION FROM THE SUBJECTS OWN RECORDS, ACTUALLY HINDER LEARNING WHILE A FAIRLY RESTFUL STATE ENHANCES LEARNING. SINCE PSYCHOPHYSICAL MEASURES WERE MOST WIDELY AFFECTED BY THE LECTURE CONTENT, IT WOULD SEEM THAT DELIVERY, TIMING AND QUALITY OF LECTURES HAVE PROBABLY BEEN HIGHLY EXAGGERATED. IN THE COURSE OF THIS STUDY MANY PERIPHERAL PROJECTS WERE DEVELOPED, PSYCHOPHYSICAL MEASURES WERE USEFUL IN THE STUDY OF GROUP PROCESSES.
- Published
- 1962