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Nonverbal Displays as Indicants of Task Difficulty
Daniel Hrubes1, Robert S. Feldman
1University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Contemporary Educational Psychology
|March 29, 2001
Summary
College students show observable nonverbal cues of cognitive difficulty during problem-solving tasks. These difficulty displays are more apparent in low self-monitoring individuals when tackling hard problems.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Nonverbal Communication
Background:
- Accurate assessment of student cognitive load is crucial in educational contexts.
- Understanding observable indicators of task difficulty can inform pedagogical strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if college students exhibit observable nonverbal displays of cognitive difficulty during solitary problem-solving.
- To examine how self-monitoring tendencies influence the visibility of these difficulty displays.
Main Methods:
- College students, categorized by high and low self-monitoring, were videotaped while solving both easy and hard problems.
- Ten-second video segments were analyzed and rated for displayed levels of cognitive difficulty.
Main Results:
- Students demonstrated significantly fewer nonverbal difficulty displays on easy problems compared to hard problems.
- Nonverbal difficulty displays were more discernible in students with low self-monitoring tendencies than in high self-monitors.
Conclusions:
- College students do produce observable nonverbal cues that indicate cognitive task difficulty.
- Self-monitoring is a relevant factor in the clarity of these nonverbal indicators of cognitive effort.