Tag: Poster 113

Utility Value Interventions: A Key Instrument in Student Motivation and Learning

Presenter(s): Anna O’boyle − Educational Foundations

Faculty Mentor(s): Jenefer Husman

Poster 113

Research Area: Motivation

Many educators are interested in the ways in which students’ motivation and learning can be enhanced. We have explored utility value interventions in the classroom used in prior research in order to demonstrate the value of intervention studies guided by psychological theories. This research was conducted by searching the key terms “college,” “course,” “connections,” “introductory,” “prompt,” “utility value intervention,” and “young adult.” We investigated prior research cited by Hulleman and Kosovich (2016) in order to demonstrate that the utility value intervention, which influenced whether students established connections between the course material and their lives, increased both the interest and performance of young adult students in a course. This research suggests a positive correlation between students establishing connections and expecting to do well in the course, valuing course content, and continuing interest in the field. The results from the various studies were organized into a table by their reference, population, intervention details, and outcome variable. This review of the replications and extensions of utility value interventions in the classroom suggests that social-psychological interventions enhance students’ motivation and performance. Due to the ambiguity of supporting students’ motivation and learning, this research informs methodology in the future by which educators can design utility value interventions that support students’ abilities to establish connections between the course material and their lives. Consistent with prior research, the design and implementation of targeted psychological interventions can significantly influence student learning and development.

How the Use of Simulations Affects the Understandability and Memory for Expert Testimony

Presenter(s): Morgan Bunch

Faculty Mentor(s): Robert Mauro

Poster 113

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Experts are relying increasingly on the use of computer-generated simulations or recreations of an incident that are constructed by entering data into a computer program, to effectively communicate complex information. However, the validity of a simulation is often based on key assumptions that are obscure and hidden while the imagery is vivid and compelling. This raises the question of whether simulations can be effective ways to enhance the ability of the courts to deal with arcane information, explain complex issues in ways that judges and jurors can understand, or allow judges and jurors to be swayed by presentations that are only loosely grounded in the facts and science. In the effort to enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of expert testimony, we seek to investigate the effect of simulations on individuals’ perceptions of the validity of expert testimony. The questions guiding our inquiry are as follows: How effective are simulations relative to traditional visualizations in persuading individuals? How can simulations be effectively cross-examined? In what ways are simulations persuasive and/or being potentially mistaken for fact? How do judges’ instructions about the nature of simulations as opinions be sufficient to counter this effect? To answer these questions, participants will be recruited through the University of Oregon Psychology Department human subjects pool and randomly assigned to one of four conditions derived from a 2 (simulation vs. traditional visualization) x 2 (accurate testimony vs. inaccurate testimony) design, used to measure the extent of the simulation’s persuasiveness and its effect on juror decision making.