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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Merced Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2019)

Tools help us perform tasks. But they also change the way we think. In five studies, I explored the lasting effects — the cognitive residuals — of using two common forms of automated spelling assistance, spell-checking and autocorrect. These different spelling assistance systems aim to provide similar spelling outcomes, but users interact quite differently with each. By comparing differences in spelling skills after using these different types of spelling assistance, I assessed differences in the cognitive residuals that arise from direct interaction (spell-checking) and passive support (autocorrect). Results suggest that the passive support provided by autocorrect is just as good as for the development of spelling skill as the direct interaction offered by traditional forms of spell-checking. However, I also demonstrate a new type of direct-interaction spell-checking that outperforms traditional approaches in creating cognitive residuals for users that help improve their spelling skills.

    Cover page: Tools That Teach Too: Exploring the Role of Interaction in the Development of Useful Cognitive Residuals
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Volume 38 (2016)
    Scrabble-like tasks have increased in popularity as a means of exploring cognitive phenomena, such as embodiedproblem solving, mastery, and creativity. Many of these tasks make assumptions about the key factors driving relative difficultyof word-finding problems; these factors include average frequency of words produced, number of words produced, and numberof readily apparent bi-grams in the initial presentation of the letters. This study measures the effects of each of these factors oncognitive load by systematically and empirically exploring such factors, comparing how these various attributes influence thenumber of words participants produce in different circumstances.
      Cover page: On Measuring the Difficulty of Scrabble-like Problems
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Volume 37 (2015)
      Emoticons are graphic signs, such as :-)(smiley face), that often accompany textual computer-mediated communication (Dresner & Herring, 2010). Emoticons are thought to be used to convey emotion (Derks et al, 2007; Wolf, 2000). Specifically, it is believed that emoticons supplement electronic communication with non-verbal cues, such as those often seen in face-to-face communication (Lo, 2008). We collected text messages from participants who also rated the messages across a number of emotional dimensions. We asked a separate group to rate the same messages on the same dimensions. By comparing when a particular emoticon was used, the emotional qualities of the message as rated by both the sender and reviewer, we aim to investigate which emoticon is likely to be included in text messages according to emotional intent, and whether this emotional intent will likely be understood.
        Cover page: Modern Symbolic Communication Through Non-Word Text
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