Explore the vast range of titles available.

ABSTRACT Nowadays consumers have more previous knowledge about products and services before making decisions. This study sheds light on the effects of consumers’ previous knowledge on post-decision information search. Previous studies argue that cognitive dissonance and feelings of regret or dissatisfaction elicit this search. However, we show through one experimental and two correlational studies that this view is incomplete. Our findings indicate that knowledgeable consumers search for more information at the post-decision stage, even when the decision cannot be modified. This main effect is stronger (weaker) for maximizers (satisficers). Also, cognitive dissonance affects the post-decision information search behavior. Therefore, we suggest a new variable, consumers’ previous knowledge, for consideration in the post-decision information search model. RESUMO Consumidores têm mais conhecimento prévio ao tomarem decisões. Este estudo mostra os efeitos desse conhecimento na quantidade de informação buscada após a tomada de decisão. Segundo a literatura, variáveis como dissonância cognitiva e sentimentos de arrependimento e insatisfação predizem essa busca. Porém, por meio de um experimento e dois estudos correlacionais, mostramos que essa visão está incompleta. Nossos achados indicam que consumidores com maior conhecimento prévio sobre determinado produto buscam mais informação após tomarem uma decisão, mesmo quando esta não pode ser modificada. Ainda, esse efeito é intensificado (ou minimizado) para pessoas com tendência à maximização (ou satisficers). Mostramos não somente que variáveis como dissonância cognitiva afetam o comportamento de busca de informação após decisões, mas que o nível de conhecimento prévio que consumidores têm sobre o produto também pode afetar tal busca. Logo, sugerimos uma nova variável para o modelo de busca de informação após decisões. RESUMEN Los consumidores tienen más conocimiento previo antes de tomar decisiones. Este estudio presenta los efectos de ese conocimiento sobre la cantidad de información buscada posterior a la decisión. Según la literatura anterior, variables como disonancia cognitiva y sentimientos de arrepentimiento o insatisfacción provocan esta búsqueda. No obstante, a través de un experimento y dos estudios correlacionales, demostramos que esta visión es incompleta. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que los consumidores con mayor conocimiento previo buscan más información después de tomar una decisión, incluso cuando está ya no se puede modificar. Además, este efecto es más fuerte (más débil) para los consumidores con tendencias maximizadoras altas (bajas). También mostramos que no solo variables como disonancia cognitiva afectan el comportamiento de búsqueda de información posterior a la decisión, sino que el nivel de conocimiento previo que los consumidores tienen sobre el producto también puede afectar dicha búsqueda. Finalmente, sugerimos una nueva variable para el modelo de búsqueda de información después de la decisión.

The understanding process of primary education students was analyzed when they solve tasks related to the concept of ratio. The study was based on the theoretical framework of Pirie and Kieren (1994). The methodology was qualitative with the case study method. The study was carried out in three stages: planning, development and analysis, using the field observation technique. Data collection was carried out through a task and an interview. The data were analyzed based on theoretical articulation. The results revealed that students lack the prior knowledge necessary to understand the concept of ratio. In conclusion, it can be noted that students do not present logical arguments to formalize the concept, and their understanding process is reduced to memorization or the use of mathematical strategies without understanding the relationship between the task and the mathematical concept.

Although researchers are often concerned with the presence of participant demand, few have directly examined effects of demand on participant behavior. Before beginning the present study, a confederate informed participants (N = 100) of the study's purported hypothesis. Participants then performed a laboratory task designed to evaluate the extent to which they would respond in ways that may confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis of the study. The authors found that participants tended to respond in ways that confirmed the hypothesis, yet this tendency depended on attitudes toward the experiment or experimenter and other individual differences. In addition, results suggested that suspicion probes may be ineffective in measuring participants' previous knowledge and suspicion. Findings indicate the need for more research and consideration of demand in the design of studies and analysis of data.

In Usability and Accessibility Engineering, metric standards are vital. However, the development of a set of reciprocal metrics—which can serve as an extension of, and supplement to, current standards—becomes indispensable when the specific needs of end-user groups, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, are concerned. While ISO 9126 remains critical to the usability of a product, the needs of the elderly population are forcing the integration of other factors. Familiarity and recognisability are not relevant to someone with no experience and therefore no referent; however, acceptance becomes a major factor in their willingness to learn something new and this acceptance requires trust based on association. Readability and legibility are of less relevance to a blind person than to someone with failing eyesight. This paper describes some usability metrics ascertained on the basis of experiments made with applications for elderly people throughout the summer term of 2007. The factors that influence the older users’ acceptance of software, including the extent of their previous exposure to technology, are evaluated in order to provide short guidelines for software developers on how to design and develop software for the elderly. The evaluation of the expectations, behavior, abilities, and limitations of prospective end-users is considered of primary importance for the development of technology. A total of N  = 31 participants (22 women/9 men) took part in various tests. The participants’ ages ranged from 49 to 96 years with an average age of 79. Five of the tests were designed for a PDA or cellular phone, one test was designed for a laptop PC. Of the total of 55 tests, 52 tests provided sufficient data to evaluate the results. In 23 of the tests, all tasks were completed. As a main outcome, it can be experimentally proved that the acceptance is related to a factor, which is this paper is called PET (Previous Exposure to Technology). This is discussed in light of the aforementioned metrics.

We examined the contribution of Internet operational and navigation skills, previous knowledge, and working memory capacity to expository text comprehension as a lesson within an e-learning course. As different from previous studies in controlled settings; this study addressed students’ typical behavior in more ecological conditions. The first study tested self-reported Internet Skills Scale structure, reliability and concurrent validity, in a sample of 254 college students from a large Latin American public university. The second study addressed the contribution of self-reported Internet skills, previous domain knowledge, and working memory capacity to text comprehension in e-learning. Students ( n  = 125) read high or low previous knowledge expository science texts and answered questions about them, in an e-learning course specifically designed for research purposes, accessed remotely. They also completed working memory tests. Working memory and navigation were significantly associated with text comprehension: higher working memory, and lower scores in self-reported navigation behavior, led to better comprehension. These results have implications for instructional design and reading strategies interventions.

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between gender, previous knowledge, different personality traits, subject-specific motivational dimensions and students' math grade in secondary school. A total of 386 first-year students (142 boys and 244 girls) from secondary schools in Slovenia (mean age was 15.7 years) participated in the study. Different measures were used to assess students' previous knowledge, personality traits, subject-specific interest, self-efficacy, immediate action and procrastination/distractibility. Path analysis was used to test the model of direct effects of gender, previous knowledge and personality traits on math grade and indirect effects of previous knowledge and personality traits on the grade through subjectspecific motivational variables. The results of path analysis revealed that we can explain 40 % of the variance in math grade with variables included in the research. Gender, previous knowledge and personality traits have direct and indirect impacts on achievement. Among personality variables, conscientiousness proved to be the most important direct and indirect predictor of math grade. A significant part of variance in math grade can be explained by taking into account more general individual differences on the one hand and subject-specific motivational processes, which act as mediators, on the other hand. In promoting students' math achievement, teachers should take into account students' personality traits and try to develop their motivational self-regulation.

Studies related to the habits of students of Nutrition and Sexuality show the existence of inaccurate knowledge that leads them to adopting unhealthy lifestyles. The team of teachers at a Penal Institution in Spain diagnosed this aforementioned lifestyle was becoming a reality in their students aged between 18 and 47. The aim of this research was to analyse and improve the Nutritional and Sexual knowledge of these students. The students’ level of knowledge was detected through a pre-test and post-test that were quantitatively designed and analysed according to four variables (studies, gender, age and body mass index). In order to improve their knowledge, an educational intervention was conducted and was quantitatively and qualitatively analysed according to six categories: change or improvement in sexual knowledge, change or improvement in nutritional knowledge, affective factors, the learning process, evaluation and methodology. The results show conceptual differences according to the four variables and that the intervention contributes to a conceptual change or improvement thanks to the activities and resources used. The implication of this research is to reveal the importance of analysing students’ knowledge so as to improve the quality of the teaching/learning process.

El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo determinar el efecto de los conectores en la eficiencia del procesamiento de relaciones de coherencia causal en lectores con diversos grados de conocimiento previo. Se implementó un experimento con estudiantes universitarios de una misma área disciplinar utilizando el paradigma de lectura autocontrolada con ventana cumulativa y combinando mediciones en línea (tiempos de lectura) y fuera de línea (precisión en una tarea de verificación). Para controlar su grado de conocimiento previo, los participantes fueron agrupados según el paradigma Experto-Novato dependiendo del año de estudios en el que se encontraban. Nuestros datos muestran, a nivel general, que, pese a que los conectores causales incrementan los tiempos de lectura, facilitan una comprensión más profunda. En cuanto a la comparación entre grupos, si bien nuestros datos no muestran diferencias entre ellos, revelan el mismo patrón general. Estos datos sugieren que, al menos en entornos especializados, los conectores desencadenan una lectura intencionada, lo que en el caso de lectores con alto grado de conocimiento disciplinar, como los de nuestro estudio, involucra que los recursos cognitivos son utilizados para asegurar una comprensión profunda. Asimismo, nuestros datos sugieren que una lectura más veloz, no necesariamente asegura la construcción de una representación mental coherente.

This study takes a dynamic view of transfer as reusing and reshaping previous knowledge in new writing contexts to investigate how novice Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) writers draw on knowledge across languages to construct L1 and L2 texts. The authors analyzed L1 English and L2 Japanese argumentation essays by the same JFL writers (N = 19) and L1 Japanese essays by Japanese university students (N = 21), along with JFL writers' reported reflections. The analysis identified both shared and contrasting L1/L2 text features, including argumentation subtypes (e.g., justification, exploration) and essay introduction/conclusion components. The findings revealed that while constructing L2 essays, the JFL writers took an active role in assessing audience, selecting appropriate text features, and transforming/reshaping selected features, influenced by contextual factors (e.g., audience expectation, purpose, topic). For example, some writers reshaped their L1 justification subtype by softening L2 assertions to meet perceived Japanese reader expectations. Results highlight the centrality of the writer's agency in deciding what previous writing knowledge to reuse or reshape when creating L2 text and also the importance of individual learning trajectories (e.g., L2 proficiency, L1/L2 writing experience) affecting writers' decisions. The study affirms that a dynamic view of transfer provides insights into the L2 writers' text construction process. (Verlag, adapt.).

Attitudes toward learning (ATL) have been shown to influence students' learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the ways in which the interaction between ATL, the learning situation, and the level of students' prior knowledge influence affective reactions and conceptual change. In this study, a simulation of acid-base titrations was examined to assess the impact of instruction format, level of prior knowledge and students' ATL on university-level students, with respect to flow experiences (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) and perceived conceptual change. Results show that the use of guiding instructions was correlated with a perceived conceptual change and high levels of \"Challenge,\" \"Enjoyment,\" and \"Concentration,\" but low sense of control during the exercise. Students who used the open instructions scored highly on the \"Control flow\" component, but their perceived learning score was lower than that for the students who used the guiding instructions. In neither case did students' ATL or their pre-test results contribute strongly to students' flow experiences or their perceived learning in the two different learning situations.