Search

Slow motion is a popular video editing tool used to enhance short-form videos (e.g., reels, stories, GIFs), which are commonly found in media entertainment and marketing communications. This research shows that slow motion increases the virality (e.g., likes, votes, views) of short-form videos and boosts brand liking, choice, and willingness to pay. The effect occurs because slow motion enhances the hedonic component of the viewing experience via processing fluency. By documenting how the success of slow motion is subject to moderators, this work shows marketers, entertainment producers, and everyday people how to use slow motion more effectively. Across a large-scale field data set and six experiments, the authors highlight that slow motion is especially effective when applied to short-form videos that are inherently pleasant and that involve complex movements that are difficult to perceive at regular speed. However, even simple movements benefit from slow motion when content creators zoom in on subtle movements to increase complexity. Moreover, slow motion is more effective when viewers engage in less elaborate processing. Finally, the authors show that the perceived disfluency of fast-motion editing is effective at boosting brand evaluations when viewers desire excitement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This narrative review seeks to compare the various ways in which motor creativity has been measured and to critically evaluate those methods within the context of our contemporary understanding of motor creativity. Eligible studies included those of any study design, experimental or observational, as long as motor creativity was measured. Three databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus. and Science-Direct) were searched from the earliest possible start dates to December 2021. No risk of bias assessment was performed as the study outcomes were not the focus of the review. After screening for eligibility. 23 articles were included for review, all having measured motor creativity. Of tlie 23 articles, 16 measured generic motor creativity, while the remaining seven measured task-specific motor creativity. Furthermore, 16 of the studies tested motor creativity with largely static environmental constraints, while the remaining seven were conducted with dynamic environmental constraints. Using a contemporary understanding of motor creativity, most motor creativity tests presently do not possess sufficient task specificity and environmental dynamism, which may not provide an appropriate context for the emergence of creative motor action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What psychological mechanisms underlie aesthetic judgements? An influential account known as the Hedonic Marking of Fluency, later developed into a Processing Fluency Theory of Aesthetic Pleasure, posits that ease of processing elicits positive feelings and thus enhances stimulus evaluations. However, the theory faces empirical and conceptual challenges. In this paper, we extend it by integrating insights from predictive processing frameworks (PPF) and the epistemic motivation model (EMM). We propose four extensions. First, fluency of a stimulus depends on perceivers expectations-their internal model of the world. Second, perceivers also form expectations about fluency itself and thus can experience surprising fluency. These expectations can come from the individuals history, their current task and their environment. Third, perceivers can value fluency but also disfluency, reflecting their non-directional epistemic goals. Fourth, perceivers also have directional epistemic goals, preferring specific conclusions or belief content. Consequently, affective reactions depend on whether the stimulus satisfies those goals. These directional epistemic goals may override concerns about fluency or change the value of fluency associated with specific content. We review supporting evidence and introduce novel predictions. By integrating insights from PPF and EMM, our framework can better capture established fluency effects and highlights their limitations and extensions. This article is part of the theme issue Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives.

This study investigated the relationship between reading readiness and academic performance by assessing the reading readiness status of Grade IV-VI learners at Salvador Elementary School during the 2023-2024 school year. The research utilized the results of the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil IRI) to develop a reading enhancement program. The study aimed to profile learner demographics--including age, gender, parental educational attainment, socioeconomic status, availability of reading materials at home and school and allocated reading time. Additionally, it sought to evaluate learner readiness in decoding, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension, determine the overall reading readiness level based on Phil IRI results, and investigate the relationship between reading competencies and Phil IRI outcomes. Findings revealed a diverse learner demographic, predominantly aged 10 years, with a balanced gender distribution. Parental educational attainment was mostly high school level, reflecting a mixed socioeconomic background. While homes generally provided conducive reading materials, allocated reading time varied. Learners demonstrated proficiency in decoding, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension, with Phil IRI assessments indicating similar readiness levels but with varying competency strengths. The study identified a positive relationship between reading competencies and Phil IRI outcomes, emphasizing the role of oral reading skills in performance. Despite findings not reaching statistical significance, the study highlighted the complex factors influencing reading readiness and recommended targeted interventions to enhance literacy outcomes, increase parental involvement, ensure equitable access to reading materials, and tailor instructional strategies to individual learner needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article focuses on familiarity, the form of memory allowing humans to recognize stimuli that have been encountered before. We aim to emphasize its complex nature which includes representational and phenomenological dimensions. The former implies that its neural correlates depend on the type and complexity of the cue stimulus, as different classes of stimuli are represented in distributed ventral visual and medial temporal regions. The second dimension relates to the subjective feeling of familiarity, which results from a fluency signal that is attributed to past encounters with the stimulus. We review mnemonic and non‐mnemonic sources of fluency that can induce a sense of familiarity, as well as cases where fluency is not attributed to memory, among which the phenomenological experience of déjà‐vu. Across these two dimensions, we highlight key questions to be answered by future studies to improve our understanding of the underpinnings of this form of memory and contribute to building an integrative neurocognitive model of familiarity. Essential to this aim is the clarification of the computational, cognitive, and neural mechanisms involved, namely global matching, fluency attribution, and sharpening. Furthermore, future research is needed to unravel the relationships between these mechanisms. We argue that to achieve these goals, researchers must use appropriate behavioral paradigms and clearly define which dimension of familiarity they investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate whether and how willingness to communicate, communication in English anxiety, behavioural inhibition and action predict perceived second language (L2) fluency. The study also looked at whether L2 proficiency moderates the strength of relationships between these affective factors and L2 perceived fluency. One hundred learners of English were recorded while doing the Suitcase task (a monologic task) and were asked to complete a series of questionnaires and proficiency tests. Speech samples were then prepared for presentation to 26 experienced language teachers (and highly proficient users of English) as raters. Their task was to rate the speech samples in terms of perceived fluency. Results revealed that while willingness to communicate is a strong and positive predictor of perceived fluency, communication in English anxiety negatively predicts perceived L2 fluency. We also found that L2 proficiency does not seem to moderate the relationship between perceived fluency and willingness to communicate (WTC), but it does change the partial correlation figure for communication in English anxiety from r = −0.24 (p =.013) to r = −0.38 (p <.001). This variation suggests that less proficient L2 speakers' perceived fluency could be more severely affected by communication in English anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing in a language different from one's mother tongue is a daunting task. The same challenge may apply to languages that have diglossic features whose spoken form differs from the written form. This article investigates Arab students' writing behaviors (fluency, pauses, and revision) in response to an argumentative composition in their L1 (first language: Arabic) and L2 (second language: English), given that understanding their complexities in writing processes would help instructors to rectify language writing-related problems. Guided by Kellogg's model, this article attempts to investigate the cognitive processes underlying these writing behaviors as aided by a keystroke logging program (Inputlog 7.0). It also examined if writing behaviors would be correlated to the writing quality of their produced final texts. Data were collected from log files of the Inputlog generated upon the students' writing processes, screened video recordings, and a stimulated recall interview. Results indicated that compared with L2 writing in character production, L1 writing processes were highly significant, less significant in pauses over word boundaries, and highly significant in time on the task factor. Concerning revision behavior, no significant differences were found in time spent on deletion and insertion, whereas a significant difference was found in R-burst for L2 writing. As regards quality of text, many pauses and minimal production of words tend to be negative indicators for writing quality output. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable body of research has investigated the influence of linguistic variables on comprehensibility and accentedness in L2 speech. However, studies on this topic have overwhelmingly focused on L2 English, with little known about other L2s. This study investigated linguistic influences on accentedness and comprehensibility in L2 Korean. Participants included 198 L2 Korean speakers of varying proficiency levels and L1 and 82 L1 Korean listeners from South Korea. The speakers completed a monologic speaking task and their speech samples were coded for phonological, lexical, grammatical, and fluency variables. Listener ratings indicated speakers were perceived as more comprehensible than they were nativelike, but the correlation between the two was extremely strong (r = 0.90). Regression models using linguistic variables to predict comprehensibility and accentedness yielded R2 values of 0.71 and 0.65, respectively. Most linguistic variables had similar influences on comprehensibility and accentedness, with some notable exceptions: intonational phrasing errors and lexical diversity predicted comprehensibility, but not accentedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the distinction between complexity and difficulty in second language acquisition, proposing to add new constructs to the existing complexity-accuracy-fluency (CAF) triad. The authors suggest incorporating difficulty and appropriateness into the framework, leading to the acronym CAFDA. Additionally, the article introduces the idea of extending the CAF paradigm to CAFIC, with "I" representing idiomaticity and "C" representing coherence, to encompass new measures related to conventionalized language use. The authors emphasize the need for clarity in defining key notions and the importance of developing precise delineations for the new constructs. [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the bottom-up model on students' reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest group design was utilized, comparing the experimental group, which received the bottom-up model method on improving reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, with the control group, which received traditional or lecture strategy. Class proficiency and t-tests were employed as statistical approaches to assess the significance of the experimental and control groups. Both groups underwent pre-tests and post-tests, with the experimental group receiving the intervention. The results indicated that there was significant difference in comprehension, vocabulary and fluency between the pretest and posttest for the control group. However, there was a significant difference in the comprehension, vocabulary and fluency between the pretest and posttest for the experimental group higher than the result of the posttest in control group. This indicates that the treatment is way more effective than the traditional method of control group. Additionally, there was a significant difference in comprehension between the post-tests of the experimental and control groups. These findings suggest that the bottomup model effectively enhanced students' reading comprehension, vocabulary and fluency. Therefore, the study concluded that the use of the bottom-up model was recommended as an intervention for improving reading comprehension skills, vocabulary and fluency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of learning contexts in second language (L2) learning, study abroad (SA) has received due attention in the L2 literature, as this context has been proposed to accelerate L2 development. In line with recent efforts to synthesise the effects of SA on L2 learning, the present study reports a meta-analysis of the effects of SA experience on the development of L2 fluency compared to the at-home environment. Our dataset comprised 14 between-group studies, all based on quasi-experimental designs, including a comparison group. The results indicate that the SA context had an overall medium effect (Hedges’ g = 0.65, SE = 0.10, 95% CI [0.44, 0.87]) on the development of L2 fluency compared to its at-home counterpart. We also identified several variables related to learner characteristics and SA programme features and further examined their moderating effects on SA. Based on our findings, an in-depth discussion of how these variables are related to the effectiveness of SA was provided, and recommendations for L2 learners and SA researchers involved in SA programmes were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many adolescent readers experience difficulties comprehending informational text, which may result from underlying difficulties with foundational skills (e.g., word recognition and fluency), knowledge demands (e.g., background, text structure, and vocabulary), and/or reading motivation. Supplemental interventions for adolescents targeting only foundational skills demonstrate mixed results, but multicomponent interventions that combine multisyllabic decoding, fluency, and comprehension strategies that build word and world knowledge to support complex text reading can improve foundational skills and comprehension for students in upper‐elementary and middle grades. In this article, we describe how prior research informed the design of Read STOP Write, a multicomponent intervention for students in grades 4–9. Read STOP Write integrates instruction in multisyllabic decoding, fluency, and vocabulary with comprehension instruction focused on building knowledge and using text structures to read and write about science and social studies texts. We summarize research conducted in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms and discuss implications for teachers of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue that highlight the importance of supporting fluency development in language teaching, advocacy for the reconceptualization of disfluencies as strategies for maintaining fluency, and the benefits of raising awareness of the speaking styles of learners in facilitating second language development.

Students with reading disabilities form a heterogeneous group: some struggle with accurate and fast reading (dysfluent readers), others with comprehension (poor comprehenders), and some face challenges in both areas (poor readers). Research has indicated a link between executive functioning skills and reading performance; yet, further studies are necessary to fully understand the executive profiles in various types of reading disabilities. The goal of this study was to examine differences in executive functioning among three types of reading disabilities, comparing their performance with that of children without difficulties in either skill (typical readers). Ninety-one students from schools in Portugal participated in the study. The results reveal specific deficits in naming speed and cognitive flexibility in poor readers and dysfluent readers compared to the other groups. Additionally, poor readers exhibited significantly slower processing speed and lower working memory. However, no significant differences were observed in planning. Discriminant function analysis results indicated that the examined executive functions are better at discriminating groups with fluency deficits than those with comprehension difficulties. In conclusion, these results suggest distinct deficit patterns in executive functioning skills across different types of reading disabilities. Taking into account these findings is crucial for effective assessment and intervention with these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corpus-based studies have offered the domain definition inference for test developers. Yet, corpus-based studies on temporal fluency measures (e.g., speech rate) have been limited, especially in the context of academic lecture settings. This made it difficult for test developers to sample representative fluency features to create authentic listening passages. To address this issue, the Fluency Corpus of Academic English Lectures (FCAEL) was created to offer insight into the thresholds for temporal fluency features in academic lecture settings. The current study compared the corpus data to the academic lecture passages in the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to examine the domain definition inference of these tests. In total, 14 temporal fluency measures were examined. A bootstrapped one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), followed by a series of bootstrapped analyses of variances (ANOVAs), independent t -test, and Tukey tests showed some support for the tests, although many limitations were also found. The study suggests the 25th–75th percentile of FCAEL as tentative thresholds for each temporal fluency feature. The proposal may be useful for test developers to create and revise test materials. Coding schemes, analysis codes, and raw corpus data are available on the project's Open Science Framework page, exemplifying how Open Science can provide benefits beyond the academic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary claim of this essay is that historical fluency is required for effective work in crafting legal and policy interventions as a part of public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR). At a broad level, public health law is explicitly recognized as a key systems-level component of PHEPR practice. 1 This essay therefore focuses on the extent to which historical fluency is necessary or at least useful to all aspects of PHEPR that draw on or deploy legal and policy mechanisms (e.g. design, planning, implementation, dissemination, monitoring and evaluation, etc.). The essay collectively refers to these legal and policy mechanisms as epidemic law and policy response (ELAPR). Part I explains the concept of historical fluency. Part II explores the foundations of public health law both as a way of highlighting key structural features of ELAPR and in supporting the claim that historical fluency is critical for ELAPR. Part III applies the previous arguments to a specific case study to highlight the promise and power of historical fluency – the outbreak of bubonic plague in San Francisco in 1900. Tracking this essay's pragmatic focus, part IV offers several recommendations for how specifically historical fluency in public health law and ethics can be operationalized in PHEPR practice and policy. Part V summarizes and concludes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People prefer prototypical stimuli over atypical stimuli. The dominant explanation for this prototype preference effect is that prototypical stimuli are processed more fluently. However, a more recent account proposes that prototypes are more strongly associated with their category's valence, leading to a reversed prototype preference effect for negative categories. One critical but untested assumption of this category-valence account is that no prototype preference should emerge for entirely neutral categories. We tested this prediction by conditioning categories of dot patterns positively, negatively, or neutrally. In line with previous findings on the category-valence account, prototype preference reversed for negatively conditioned categories. However, prototype preference was similarly strong for positive and neutral categories. These findings imply that prototype preferences do not only reflect a transfer of category valence to exemplars. Instead, the results suggest that prototype preference is a multi-process phenomenon arising from the activated category valence and a fluency-based process. We discuss further implications for theories on fluency and prototype preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive ability is increasingly recognized as a significant factor influencing household portfolio decisions. However, different cognitive abilities, such as numeracy, fluency and recall, may yield different investment results. The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the associations of three cognitive abilities (numeracy, fluency and recall) with household portfolio composition using Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement (SHARE) data across 16 European countries and the multinomial logit model. Our empirical analyses focus on the impacts of differences in country characteristics, specifically the level of economic development and the existence of a national health system (NHS). The results indicate that numeracy and fluency have positive impacts on the decision to hold safe and relatively risky assets, as well as fully diversified portfolios in developed countries, but have no significant effects in emerging countries. Additionally, all three cognitive abilities positively influence the decision to hold fully diversified portfolios in the countries with NHS, while no significant effects are observed in the countries without NHS. Our findings reveal a decreased impact of cognitive abilities on portfolio types in the emerging countries and the non-NHS countries. Notably, a significant and positive correlation is found between the holding of no financial assets in both non-NHS countries and advanced countries. One important implication of this study is that marketing strategies of financial advisors should take into account household cognitive abilities, as well as differences in economic development among countries and the presence or absence of NHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Chinese Language Teaching is the property of Clifford Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Evidence supporting a link between gait and cognition is accumulating. However, the relation between executive functioning and spatiotemporal gait parameters has received little attention. This is surprising since these gait variables are related to falls. The goal of this preliminary study was to determine whether performance on measures of inhibition, reasoning, and fluency is related to variability in stride length and step width during dual-task treadmill walking in a sample of healthy adults. Nineteen healthy adults averaging 40 years of age were evaluated. Results indicated that processing speed was reduced, t(18) = 6.31, p = 0.0001, step width increased, t(18) = −8.00, p = 0.0001, and stride length decreased, t(18) = 3.06, p = 0.007, while dual tasking, but variability in gait parameters did not significantly change, consistent with a gait/posture-first approach. As hypothesized, better performance on a visual design fluency task which assesses cognitive flexibility was associated with less dual-task stride length variability, rs(17) = −0.43, p = 0.034, and step width variability, r = −0.56, p = 0.006. The results extend previous findings with older adults walking over ground and additionally suggest that cognitive flexibility may be important for gait maintenance while dual tasking.

Previous research indicates that task-based collaborative output activities (TBCOA) and scaffolding techniques (ST) lead to improvements in English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing skill. However, there seems to be a lack of research on the comparative effects of these activities and techniques on EFL learners' writing accuracy and fluency. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the comparative impacts of two types of TBCOA (debating and dictogloss) versus two types of ST (teacher and peer scaffolding) on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' writing accuracy and fluency (A&F). This research followed a quasi-experimental design. A sample of 80 intermediate-level EFL learners, selected through convenience sampling from a Language School in Malayer, constituted the participants of the study. The learners were divided into four groups (each with 20 members). The homogeneity of the participants in terms of writing A&F was checked through a pretest at the outset of the study. Paired-sample t-tests were run to examine the possible significant changes in scores from the pretest to the posttest in each group. Furthermore, the effects of debating vs. dictogloss, teacher scaffolding vs. peer scaffolding, and overall TBCOA vs. overall ST were compared through ANCOVA, with the pretest scores being treated as the covariate. It was found that debating significantly led to more improvement than dictogloss in the learners' writing A&F. Moreover, teacher scaffolding was more effective than peer scaffolding. Regarding overall TBCOA and ST, the latter was significantly more effective. This research provides implications for EFL writing instruction.

Introduction: The progressive ageing of the population has generated significant interest in various areas, particularly Cognitive Impairment (CI). It is necessary to know the specific characteristics of people with cognitive development to establish the basis for the intervention. Aim: To understand the relationship between the cognitive deterioration process and language characteristics, aiming to determine whether linguistic alteration could be considered a symptom of cognitive deterioration. Materials and Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design involving two groups: 17 individuals aged over 70 years, consisting of eight with CI and nine without CI. Participants were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Language abilities were evaluated using the Boston Naming Test and the Verbal Fluency Test in separate individual sessions. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Results: The results indicated that individuals with CI exhibited poorer performance in language tests, particularly in areas related to productive and comprehensive lexical and semantic development. These differences were statistically significant across all assessed domains (p-value

The ever-growing needs for writing ability in English in the global context has given priority to finding more effective ways to teach L2 writing. A thorough analysis of the pertinent literature indicated a dearth of empirical research in ELT regarding the effect of applying the ENGAGE model on the writing skills of L2 learners. Therefore, the current study sought to ascertain how the ENGAGE Model and Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) method affected the complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of Iranian EFL learners' writing performance. Sixty-seven Iranian female EFL learners aged 18 to 25 at Urmia University language center were chosen for the quasi-experimental study based on their level of proficiency on the standard Oxford Quick Placement Test (OPT) in 2022. The participants were randomly divided into three groups and instructed based on the principles of the ENGAGE model (n = 22), TBLT model (n = 24), and control group (n = 21). Pretesting, intervention, and post-testing were all the processes that the study participants underwent. The null hypotheses were tested after the data were analyzed by applying multivariate ANCOVA (MANCOVA) measures. The study of the post-test data revealed that the ENGAGE model, as opposed to TBLT, had a more significant effect on the overall L2 CAF in Iranian EFL learners' ability to write essays. The results of the present study can be applied by ELT experts and curriculum designers in EFL and ESL settings. English learners and instructors can use the ENGAGE model to address linguistic and metalinguistic issues.

Analysing spontaneous speech in individuals experiencing fluency difficulties holds potential for diagnosing speech and language disorders, including Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). Dysfluency in the spontaneous speech of patients with PPA has mostly been described in terms of abnormal pausing behaviour, but the temporal features related to speech have drawn little attention. This study compares speech-related fluency parameters in the three main variants of PPA and in typical speech. Forty-three adults participated in this research, thirteen with the logopenic variant of PPA (lvPPA), ten with the non-fluent variant (nfvPPA), nine with the semantic variant (svPPA), and eleven who were healthy age-matched adults. Participants’ fluency was assessed through a picture description task from which 42 parameters were computed including syllable duration, speaking pace, the duration of speech chunks (i.e. interpausal units, IPU), and the number of linguistic units per IPU and per second. The results showed that each PPA variant exhibited abnormal speech characteristics reflecting various underlying factors, from motor speech deficits to higher-level issues. Out of the 42 parameters considered, 37 proved useful for characterising dysfluency in the three main PPA variants and 35 in distinguishing among them. Therefore, taking into account not only pausing behaviour but also temporal speech parameters can provide a fuller understanding of dysfluency in PPA. However, no single parameter by itself sufficed to distinguish one PPA group from the other two, further evidence that dysfluency is not dichotomous but rather multidimensional, and that complementary multiparametric analyses are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined word list and connected text oral reading fluency of persons with alexia and aphasia and whether fluency predicts reading comprehension abilities. Twelve individuals with chronic alexia and aphasia and twelve neurotypical, age- and education-matched individuals read aloud real and non word reading lists and paragraphs to elicit measures of fluency. Participants answered comprehension questions following the paragraphs. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze fluency and comprehension. Neurotypical adults read significantly more fluently than persons with alexia and aphasia for word lists and paragraphs. For both participant groups, comprehension was not found to be significantly influenced by oral non word list fluency, oral real word list fluency, or oral paragraph reading fluency. Though results are interpreted with caution due to study limitations, the study provides an initial framework for characterizing fluency and comprehension of oral single word list and oral paragraph reading in persons with alexia and aphasia. Clinical implications include caution with use of list reading for assessing reading ability, as well as the need for better assessments for diagnosing alexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of corrective feedback (CF) on language learners’ writing anxiety, writing complexity, fluency, and accuracy, and compares the effectiveness of feedback from human teachers with an AI-driven application called Poe. The study included three intact classes, each with 25 language learners. Using a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest measures, one class received feedback from the teacher, one from the Poe application, and the third received no response to their writing. Data were generated though tests and a writing anxiety scale developed for the study. Data analysis, conducted using one-way ANOVA tests, revealed significant effects of teacher and AI-generated feedback on learners’ writing anxiety, accuracy, and fluency. Interestingly, the group that received AI-generated feedback performed better than the group that received teacher feedback or no AI support. Additionally, learners in the AIgenerated feedback group experienced a more significant reduction in writing anxiety than their peers. These results highlight the remarkable impact of AI-generated CF on improving writing outcomes and alleviating anxiety in undergraduate language learners at East China University of Political Science and Law . The study demonstrates the benefits of integrating AI applications into language learning contexts, particularly by promoting a supportive environment for students to develop writing skills. Educators, researchers, and developers can use these findings to inform pedagogical practices and technological interventions to optimize the language learning experience in primary school settings. This research highlights the effectiveness of AI-driven applications in language teaching. It highlights the importance of considering learners’ psychological well-being, particularly anxiety levels, when developing effective language learning interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly 30 years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, the education system has yet to provide learners with an adequate school experience. With school closures during the pandemic, the urgency to provide a quality education in the townships became even more dire. In collaboration with the leadership of Charles Duna Primary School in Gqeberha, South Africa, Partnerships for Educational Excellence and Research (PEER) International reestablished a partnership to design a flexible implementation of methods and curricula to build numeracy repertoires. Professional development efforts leverage evidence-based best teaching and learning strategies included in the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction (Johnson et al., 2020). Weekly videoconferences target the development of basic computation skill acquisition and math problem solving skills. The dramatically different environment and available resources in township schools is a prevailing consideration in this transfer of instructional technology. Our project started early in 2022 and continues with optimism and determination. The purpose of this paper is to describe our constructional approach (Goldiamond, 1974/2002 Behavior and Social Issues, 11(2), 108-197) when invited to improve classroom conditions for teachers and learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Format readability, including font and spacing, impacts reading metrics in adults, but will the research generalize to children? We examined how eight fonts (four serif and four sans serif) and three-character spacing variations influenced children's reading comprehension and reading speed. Methods: Fifty-one students in third–fifth grade read 11 narrative text passages on a computer and answered comprehension questions. Passages were randomized in terms of order. First, the font in which the text of each passage was presented was manipulated. Then passages were presented in three spacing manipulations (narrow, normal, and wide). Results: A linear mixed effects model demonstrated that, on a group-level, passages presented in Roboto and Arial font were read significantly faster (words-per-minute) than other fonts. On the individual level, students experienced significant boosts in reading speed (words-per-minute) between their best and worst fitting font, and spacing. A chi-square test showed no one font or spacing setting that was most likely to be a students' font fit or clash. For reading comprehension, no speed–comprehension tradeoff was observed. Conclusions: Changes to text format at the group and individual level may yield boosts in reading speed for students, without negatively impacting reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Creativity is a fundamental competence that manifests itself in various domains of knowledge, including verbal creativity. The main aim of this study was to identify indicators of verbal creativity for the assessment of three writing tasks. Methods: Sixteen multidisciplinary and international creativity experts participated in a two-stage Delphi panel. The administered questionnaire asked about the measurement or non-measurement of eight indicators of verbal creative thinking in three tasks: problem posing, creative idea generation, and idea improvement. Originality is the most important indicator of creativity. The indicators identified in the first task were fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and sensitivity to problems. The second task measures flexibility, originality, elaboration, opacity, and dynamic integration. In the third task, fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, dynamic integration, and refinement of ideas are considered. Results: The results of this study are key to progress in the field of measuring verbal creative thinking. Discussion: The identification of indicators of the construct called verbal creativity allows the determination of its components in order to be able to estimate the creative potential in this specific domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The progressive ageing of the population has generated significant interest in various areas, particularly Cognitive Impairment (CI). It is necessary to know the specific characteristics of people with cognitive development to establish the basis for the intervention. Aim: To understand the relationship between the cognitive deterioration process and language characteristics, aiming to determine whether linguistic alteration could be considered a symptom of cognitive deterioration. Materials and Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design involving two groups: 17 individuals aged over 70 years, consisting of eight with CI and nine without CI. Participants were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Language abilities were evaluated using the Boston Naming Test and the Verbal Fluency Test in separate individual sessions. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Results: The results indicated that individuals with CI exhibited poorer performance in language tests, particularly in areas related to productive and comprehensive lexical and semantic development. These differences were statistically significant across all assessed domains (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: CI is accompanied by significant impairment in language skills, which could be considered an indicator of cognitive decline. Therefore, specific interventions targeting language abilities are warranted throughout the progression of CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an empirical study on cognitive processes [i.e. (dis) fluency, temporal management of the translation process, and revision] and their relationship with fluency and adequacy. Based on Jakobsen and Schou's (1999) computational model of human translation, the author utilizes keylogging data retrieved from a Translog-II-based task to investigate the cognitive processes behind Arab translator trainees' translations of an English news article into Arabic and unfold whether these processes predict fluency and adequacy (N = 32). Results demonstrate trainees' segmentation of a news article into frequent short lexical segments manifested in the mean translation units (M = 141.34, SD = 44.37), reliance on online revision over end revision, and temporal delay in the drafting stage. Multiple-line regression analysis shows that translation quality is predicted by revision time, orientation time, and translation speed in addition to a positive association between translation units and translation adequacy. According to the findings, translation trainees should be equipped with ST comprehension, and TT production and revision skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding an artwork is essential for aesthetic experiences. But how does one form an understanding of art? To investigate this still poorly addressed process, we hypothesized that the easier a stimulus is processed (i.e., higher fluency), the easier it should be understood. We focused on artwork inherent features (i.e., style and content) and their interactions affect processing. Making use of the brightness–positivity association, the overall brightness of paintings (i.e., as stylistic feature) was manipulated to match their content (positive vs. negative). We hypothesized that a congruency of style and content would facilitate the processing of paintings resulting in a better understanding, but also, greater liking, and (exploratively) higher artistic value. Our data indicated no congruency effects between brightness and content, but that content alone was a strong predictor for art processing and—in an exploratory approach—highlighted the importance of individual differences in terms of art interest and knowledge in our sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our purpose is to highlight the contributions of TalkBank initiatives to improved understanding of clinical impairments in adult and child speakers and examine remaining challenges and proposed solutions.We review the origins and development of TalkBank initiatives that have targeted a wide array of typical and atypical child and adult populations. In particular, we discuss how such sets of data have given rise to evaluation and validation of traditional measures used to appraise spoken language performance. The durable contributions of AphasiaBank and CHILDES archives are already evident in a body of published research that has re-evaluated, refined and reconceptualized how we evaluate and set therapeutic goals for speakers with expressive speech and language impairments. More recent archival initiatives, such as PhonBank and FluencyBank, are also making impacts. Beyond improvements in basic and applied science in communication development and disorders, archival data are also being used to test and improve accessibility for communicatively impaired speakers. TalkBank has transformed how research in communication disorders is conducted. It no longer relies on small, unshared research ventures that enable limited clinical impact or follow-up research inquiries. Rather, it has enabled large-scale, more generalizable research more likely to spur further research and enable more rapid translation to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jordanian Educational Journal is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite the acknowledged importance of integrating creativity into school curricula, students with learning disabilities often lack the skill of creativity, due to its absence in classroom instruction. To address these gaps, the authors developed a needs analysis questionnaire assessing the necessity of a creativity module for primary school students with learning disabilities, focusing on Torrance's four creativity elements: (a) Originality, (b) Fluency, (c) Flexibility, and (d) Elaboration. This study, emphasizing content validity and reliability testing, comprised rigorous validation by a panel of nine special education experts, resulting in high content validity scores. In Part II, all items were accepted, yielding an overall S‐CVI score of 0.97, indicating a 'very suitable' construct. In Part III two items were rejected; the overall S‐CVI score remained at 0.80, signifying 'very suitable'. A pilot test with 30 special education teachers demonstrated Cronbach's Alpha values 0.87, indicating high reliability for all questionnaire parts. The study emphasizes the questionnaire's efficacy in assessing teachers' understanding of creativity skills and their perspectives on the importance of a customized creativity module. This tool holds substantial potential for educators and curriculum developers, providing insights to address specific student needs, foster creativity in classrooms and enhance overall educational experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divergent thinking (DT) enables flexible thinking and the generation of a wider range of original ideas that form the basis of creativity. Although personality traits and music listening have been found to be positively correlated with DT performance, the association remains inconclusive. Furthermore, there is a debate regarding whether originality should be included as an index to measure DT. The present study examines the association between DT, personality, and classical music listening. There were 162 Malaysian adults who participated in this experiment. Participants were randomly allocated to either happy, sad classical music (i.e., listen to a repeated clip of happy or sad music), or silent conditions (i.e., no music was played). DT and personality were assessed with Figural and Realistic DT Tests and 44-item personality model with five broad factors, respectively. Positive intercorrelations were found between fluency, flexibility, originality, and DT total score. A weak positive correlation was revealed between DT total score and openness trait. However, there was no significant difference between happy, sad music, and silent conditions on DT performance. The findings support the notion that fluency, flexibility, and originality are the essential indices in measuring DT performance. The results suggest that open-minded people have better DT performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the relation between personality and ideas generation abilities. Ideas generation was assessed by the "egg task" in which participants had to generate as many solutions as possible to design ways to drop a hen's egg from a height of 10 m so that it does not break. The 102 participants were also presented with the standard Process Communication Model (PCM) questionnaire. Results suggest that idea generation varied according to PCM Base Type of participants. Even if five out of six Base Types (Thinker, Persister, Harmonizer, Promoter and Rebel) presented similar fluency and categorical flexibility, Imaginer Base presented higher scores than other Base Types. These results, discussed according to cognitive control abilities, reinforce the view that PCM can highlight an individual's creative performance considering interindividual differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the intervention effect of mindfulness training on athletes' performance using meta-analysis method. Methods: A total of 11 articles and 23 effect sizes were included through retrieval of Chinese and English databases, with a total sample size of 582. Result: Mindfulness training improves the level of mindfulness [SMD =1.08, 95%CI (0.30, 1.86), p < 0.01], fluency (The optimal competitive psychological state of the athlete, the athlete's attention is all focused on the task, and other things no longer attract their attention) [SMD =1.47, 95%CI (0.87, 2.08), p < 0.001] and performance [SMD =0.92, 95% CI (0.40, 1.43), p < 0.01], reduced psychological anxiety [SMD = -0.87, 95% CI (-1.54, -0.20), p < 0.05], and all reached the level of large effect size. Conclusion: The effect of mindfulness training on athletes' sports performance is effective, and it can be used as an effective psychological skill intervention method to improve athletes' sports performance. In the future, we should further expand the sample size, strengthen the comparative study of different sports and intervention modes, and pay attention to the difference between the time effect and trait mindfulness level in fluency state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling assistive robots can be challenging for some users, especially those lacking relevant experience. Augmented Reality (AR) User Interfaces (UIs) have the potential to facilitate this task. Although extensive research regarding legged manipulators exists, comparatively little is on their UIs. Most existing UIs leverage traditional control interfaces such as joysticks, Hand-Held (HH) controllers and 2D UIs. These interfaces not only risk being unintuitive, thus discouraging interaction with the robot partner, but also draw the operator's focus away from the task and towards the UI. This shift in attention raises additional safety concerns, particularly in potentially hazardous environments where legged manipulators are frequently deployed. Moreover, traditional interfaces limit the operators' availability to use their hands for other tasks. Towards overcoming these limitations, in this article, we provide a user study comparing an AR Head-Mounted Display (HMD) UI we developed for controlling a legged manipulator against off-the-shelf control methods for such robots. This user study involved 27 participants and 135 trials, from which we gathered over 405 completed questionnaires. These trials involved multiple navigation and manipulation tasks with varying difficulty levels using a Boston Dynamics's Spot, a 7 df Kinova robot arm and a Robotiq 2F-85 gripper that we integrated into a legged manipulator. We made the comparison between UIs across multiple dimensions relevant to a successful human–robot interaction. These dimensions include cognitive workload, technology acceptance, fluency, system usability, immersion and trust. Our study employed a factorial experimental design with participants undergoing five different conditions, generating longitudinal data. Due to potential unknown distributions and outliers in such data, using parametric methods for its analysis is questionable, and while non-parametric alternatives exist, they may lead to reduced statistical power. Therefore, to analyse the data that resulted from our experiment, we chose Bayesian data analysis as an effective alternative to address these limitations. Our results show that AR UIs can outpace HH-based control methods and reduce the cognitive requirements when designers include hands-free interactions and cognitive offloading principles into the UI. Furthermore, the use of the AR UI together with our cognitive offloading feature resulted in higher usability scores and significantly higher fluency and Technology Acceptance Model scores. Regarding immersion, our results revealed that the response values for the AR Immersion questionnaire associated with the AR UI are significantly higher than those associated with the HH UI, regardless of the main interaction method with the former, i.e., hand gestures or cognitive offloading. Derived from the participants' qualitative answers, we believe this is due to a combination of factors, of which the most important is the free use of the hands when using the HMD, as well as the ability to see the real environment without the need to divert their attention to the UI. Regarding trust, our findings did not display discernible differences in reported trust scores across UI options. However, during the manipulation phase of our user study, where participants were given the choice to select their preferred UI, they consistently reported higher levels of trust compared to the navigation category. Moreover, there was a drastic change in the percentage of participants that selected the AR UI for completing this manipulation stage after incorporating the cognitive offloading feature. Thus, trust seems to have mediated the use and non-use of the UIs in a dimension different from the ones considered in our study, i.e., delegation and reliance. Therefore, our AR HMD UI for the control of legged manipulators was found to improve human–robot interaction across several relevant dimensions, underscoring the critical role of UI design in the effective and trustworthy utilisation of robotic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early foreign language learning in Slovakia is still inadequate, especially at the lower secondary level. Therefore, it is essential to gather data that can help improve the educational process. This study aims to determine the impact of systematic extensive reading and production-based training on the language production of young learners in two primary schools in Prešov, Slovakia. The language performance of the groups under investigation was evaluated through written and oral assessments. This was done to determine the effect of reading classes on the language production of young learners, as well as to explore the effects of enhanced text comprehension on the productive language skills of young EFL learners. Computer programs were used for experiment evaluation and statistical analysis to verify the impact of reading programs and teaching modules on pupils' performance. Additionally, the individual productive skills of the learners were analyzed. The study results revealed that the experimental group, which was involved in an extensive reading program, performed significantly better in both written and oral production than the control group. This indicates that the application of reading programs and teaching modules in the selected schools had a considerable impact on the learners' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods study aims to investigate the impact of traditional and digital storytelling (DST) on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' writing performance in terms of complexity, accuracy, lexical diversity, and fluency (CALF) measures. Moreover, the study sheds light on how learners were engaged along behavioral, cognitive, affective, and agentive dimensions when completing the DST task. The participants were 45 intermediate-level college students who were assigned to the DST and traditional storytelling (TST) groups. Under a four-week curriculum, the participants constructed their stories by using either an online platform or traditional pen-and-paper format. Adopting a quasi-experiment design, within-group and between-group comparisons were made. A series of paired samples t-tests were run to compare the pretest and post-test of each group (within-group comparison) and assessed any improvement from the pretest to the post-test across CALF measures. Also, a 2 × 2 mixed-methods analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run on the post-test scores of the two groups across CALF measures (between-group comparisons). The results of these tests unveiled that the storytelling task, in either traditional or digital mode, effectively enhanced students' overall writing performance. However, there was a significant impact of DST on syntactic complexity, accuracy, and lexical diversity, while writing fluency remained unaffected. Moreover, the results of the questionnaire and interview data revealed the students' multidimensional engagement (behavioral, cognitive, affective, and agentive) while performing the DST task, with the agentive aspect emerging as most prominent. Pedagogical implications of incorporating DST in EFL contexts were discussed.