NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1191993
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Sep
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Potential Bias in Subjective Ratings of Mental Effort
Moore, Travis M.; Picou, Erin M.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v61 n9 p2405-2421 Sep 2018
Purpose: Subjective reports of listening effort are frequently inconsistent with behavioral and physiological findings. A potential explanation is that participants unwittingly substitute an easier question when faced with a judgment that requires computationally expensive analysis (i.e., heuristic response strategies). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether participants substitute the question "How did I perform?" when asked "How much effort did that take?". Method: Participants completed 2 sets of online surveys containing a text-based, multiple-choice synonym task. Expected performance and mental effort were manipulated across sets in 4 experiments, using a visual masking technique shown to correlate with speech-reception-testing in noise. Experiment 1 was designed to yield stable accuracy and differing effort across sets. Experiment 2 elicited differing accuracy and stable effort. Experiments 3 and 4 manipulated accuracy and performance in opposite directions. Participants included 273 adults (aged 19-68 years, M = 38.4 years). Results: Experiment 1 revealed no influence of perceived performance on ratings of effort when accuracy was stable. Experiment 2 showed that ratings of effort differed inversely with ratings of performance (lower performance and increased effort). Experiments 3 and 4 also demonstrated that participants rated effort in a manner inversely related to performance, regardless of the effort inherent in the condition. Conclusions: Participants likely substitute an easier question when asked to rate the multidimensional construct of mental effort. The results presented here suggest that perceived performance can serve as a ready heuristic and may explain the dissociation between subjective measures of listening effort and behavioral and physiological measures.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (NIH), Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: UL1TR000445
Author Affiliations: N/A