@phdthesis{Pollerhoff2024,
  author    = {Pollerhoff, Lena Katharina},
  title     = {Age differences in prosociality across the adult lifespan: Insights from self-reports, experimental paradigms, and meta-analyses},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35944},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-359445},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Human prosociality, encompassing generosity, cooperation, and volunteering, holds a vital role in our daily lives. Over the last decades, the question of whether prosociality undergoes changes over the adult lifespan has gained increased research attention. Earlier studies suggested increased prosociality in older compared to younger individuals. However, recent meta-analyses revealed that this age effect might be heterogeneous and modest. Moreover, the contributing factors and mechanisms behind these age-related variations remain to be identified. To unravel age-related differences in prosociality, the first study of this dissertation employed a meta-analytical approach to summarize existing findings and provide insight into their heterogeneity by exploring linear and quadratic age effects on self-reported and behavioral prosociality. Additionally, two empirical research studies investigated whether these age-related differences in prosociality were observed in real life, assessed through ecological momentary assessment (Study 2), and in a controlled laboratory setting by applying a modified dictator game (Study 3). Throughout these three studies, potential underlying behavioral and computational mechanisms were explored. The outcome of the meta-analysis (Study 1) revealed small linear age effects on prosociality and significant age group differences between younger and older adults, with higher levels of prosociality in older adults. Explorative evidence emerged in favor of a quadratic age effect on behavioral prosociality, indicating the highest levels in midlife. Additionally, heightened prosocial behavior among middle-aged adults was observed compared to younger adults, whereas no significant differences in prosocial behavior were noted between middle-aged and older adults. Situational and contextual features, such as the setting of the study and specific paradigm characteristics, moderated the age-prosociality relationship, highlighting the importance of the (social) context when studying prosociality. For Study 2, no significant age effect on real-life prosocial behavior was observed. However, evidence for a significant linear and quadratic age effect on experiencing empathy in real life emerged, indicating a midlife peak. Additionally, across all age groups, the link between an opportunity to empathize and age significantly predicted real-life prosocial behavior. This effect, indicating higher levels of prosocial behavior when there was a situation possibly evoking empathy, was most pronounced in midlife. Study 3 presented age differences in how older and younger adults integrate values related to monetary gains for self and others to make a potential prosocial decision. Younger individuals effectively combined both values in a multiplicative fashion, enhancing decision-making efficiency. Older adults showed an additive effect of values for self and other and displayed increased decision-making efficiency when considering the values separately. However, among older adults, individuals with better inhibitory control were better able to integrate information about both values in their decisions. Taken together, the findings of this dissertation offer new insights into the multi-faceted nature of prosociality across adulthood and the mechanisms that help explain these age-related disparities. While this dissertation observed increasing prosociality across the adult lifespan, it also questions the assumption that older adults are inherently more prosocial. The studies highlight midlife as a potential peak period in social development but also emphasize the importance of the (social) context and that different operationalizations might capture distinct facets of prosociality. This underpins the need for a comprehensive framework to understand age effects of prosociality better and guide potential interventions.},
  subject      = {Altersunterschied},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Chen2024,
  author    = {Chen, Xinyu},
  title     = {How natural walking changes occipital alpha oscillations and concurrently modulates cognitive processes},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35295},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-352958},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Humans actively interact with the world through a wide range of body movements. To understand human cognition in its natural state, we need to incorporate ecologically relevant body movement into our account. One fundamental body movement during daily life is natural walking. Despite its ubiquity, the impact of natural walking on brain activity and cognition has remained a realm underexplored. In electrophysiology, previous studies have shown a robust reduction of ongoing alpha power in the parieto-occipital cortex during body movements. However, what causes the reduction of ongoing alpha, namely whether this is due to body movement or prevalent sensory input changes, was unknown. To clarify this, study 1 was performed to test if the alpha reduction is dependent on visual input. I compared the resting state alpha power during natural walking and standing, in both light and darkness. The results showed that natural walking led to decreased alpha activity over the occipital cortex compared to standing, regardless of the lighting condition. This suggests that the movement-induced modulation of occipital alpha activity is not driven by visual input changes during walking. I argue that the observed alpha power reduction reflects a change in the state of the subject based on disinhibition induced by walking. Accordingly, natural walking might enhance visual processing and other cognitive processes that involve occipital cortical activity. I first tested this hypothesis in vision. Study 2 was performed to examine the possible effects of natural walking across visual processing stages by assessing various neural markers during different movement states. The findings revealed an amplified early visual response, while a later visual response remain unaffected. A follow-up study 3 replicated the walking-induced enhancement of the early visual evoked potential and showed that the enhancement was dependent on specific stimulus-related parameters (eccentricity, laterality, distractor presence). Importantly, the results provided evidence that the enhanced early visual responses are indeed linked to the modulation of ongoing occipital alpha power. Walking also modulated the stimulus-induced alpha power. Specifically, it showed that when the target appeared in the fovea area without a distractor, walking exhibited a significantly reduced modulation of alpha power, and showed the largest difference to standing condition. This effect of eccentricity indicates that during later visual processing stages, the visual input in the fovea area is less processed than in peripheral areas while walking. The two visual studies showed that walking leads to an enhancement in temporally early visual processes which can be predicted by the walking-induced change in ongoing alpha oscillation likely marking disinhibition. However, while walking affects neural markers of early sensory processes, it does not necessarily lead to a change in the behavioural outcome of a sensory task. The two visual studies suggested that the behavioural outcome seems to be mainly based on later processing stages. To test the effects of walking outside the visual domain, I turned to audition in study 4. I investigated the influence of walking in a particular path vs. simply stepping on auditory processing. Specifically, the study tested whether enhanced processing due to natural walking can be found in primary auditory brain activity and whether the processing preferences are dependent on the walking path. In addition, I tested whether the changed spatial processing that was reported in previous visual studies can be seen in the auditory domain. The results showed enhanced sensory processing due to walking in the auditory domain, which was again linked to the modulation of occipital alpha oscillation. The auditory processing was further dependent on the walking path. Additionally, enhanced peripheral sensory processing, as found in vision, was also present in audition. The findings outside vision supported the idea of natural walking affecting cognition in a rather general way. Therefore in my study 5, I examined the effect of natural walking on higher cognitive processing, namely divergent thinking, and its correlation with the modulation of ongoing alpha oscillation. I analyzed alpha oscillations and behavioural performance during restricted and unrestricted movement conditions while subjects completed a Guilford's alternate uses test. The results showed that natural walking, as well as missing body restriction, reduces the occipital alpha ongoing power independent of the task phase which goes along with higher test scores. The occipital alpha power reduction can therefore be an indicator of a changed state that allows improved higher cognitive processes. In summary, the research presented in this thesis highlights that natural walking can change different processes in the visual and auditory domain as well as higher cognitive processes. The effect can be attributed to the movement of natural walking itself rather than to changes in sensory input during walking. The results further indicate that the walking-induced modulation of ongoing occipital alpha oscillations drives the cognitive effects. We therefore suggest that walking changes the inhibitory state which can influence awareness and attention. Such a mechanism could facilitate an adaptive enhancement in cognitive processes and thereby optimize movement-related behaviour such as navigation.},
  subject      = {Walking},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Zillig2024,
  author    = {Zillig, Anna-Lena Christina},
  title     = {Einfluss von Sicherheit auf die Schmerzverarbeitung},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35928},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-359282},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Im Rahmen des interdisziplin{\"a}ren Promotionsschwerpunkts Resilienzfaktoren der Schmerzverarbeitung des evangelischen Studienwerks in Zusammenarbeit mit der Julius-Maximilians-Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg und der Otto-Friedrich-Universit{\"a}t Bamberg untersuche ich in diesem Promotionsprojekt den Einfluss von Sicherheit auf die Schmerzverarbeitung. Es ist bekannt, dass die Schmerzverarbeitung durch Emotionen moduliert werden kann. Man geht davon aus, dass negative Emotionen den Schmerz in der Regel verst{\"a}rken, w{\"a}hrend positive Emotionen zu einer Schmerzreduktion f{\"u}hren. Fr{\"u}here Studien fanden heraus, dass die Erwartung eines aversiven Ereignisses zu Bedrohung und st{\"a}rkeren Schmerzen f{\"u}hrt. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob das Gegenteil von Bedrohung, n{\"a}mlich Sicherheit, zu einer Verringerung der Schmerzen f{\"u}hren kann. Um diese Hypothese zu untersuchen, habe ich drei Experimente an gesunden ProbandInnen durchgef{\"u}hrt.},
  subject      = {Sicherheit},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Mueller2024,
  author    = {M{\"u}ller, Saskia},
  title     = {The Influence of Personality and Trust on Information Processing and Decision Making in the Specific Context of Online Marketing},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35952},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-359526},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Trust carries the capacity to shift the focus from risks to opportunities of a situation. Scientific studies from the field of trust research point out that besides situation-specific factors (i.e., stimuli of the environment), cross-situationally stable interindividual differences (i.e., personality) are involved in the emergence of trust. Stable interindividual differences are particularly influential to the subjective experience of situational conditions when crucial information is incomplete. The online shopping environment classifies as a prime example of markets with asymmetric information. Research has examined online consumer trust in the light of signaling theory to understand the effects of trust-enhancing signals. Previous research largely neglects interindividual differences in the perception, processing and reaction to these signals. Against this background, this scientific work has two primary objectives: the investigation of (1) interindividual differences in the evaluation of trust-enhancing signals and (2) a personality-based personalization of trust-enhancing signals in its effect on cognition and behavior. For this purpose, an interactive online shop setup was created, which served as realistic environmental framework. First, the results show a trust-enhancing effect of both objective and subjective personalization, with a superiority of subjective over objective personalization. Second, results suggest a particular susceptibility of the beliefs component of trust. Third, the results suggest that personalization exerts a specifically strong effect in what is, by definition, the particularly uncertain environment of credence goods. Fourth, results indicate that while the trust-enhancing effects of personalization operate (largely) independently of personality, the effect of personality on trust seems to depend on the condition of signal presentation. Taken together, the present work makes a contribution to understanding the effect of personality-adapted signaling environments on the emergence of trust and decision making in the specific context of B2C e-commerce.},
  subject      = {Pers{\"o}nlichkeit},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Glaser2024,
  author    = {Glaser, Julia},
  title     = {Nachhaltiges Lernen an der Hochschule: Untersuchungen zu Randbedingungen und Transfereffekten von digitalen {\"U}bungstests auf das Behalten von Lehrinhalten},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35866},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-358665},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Learning accompanies us throughout our lives, from early childhood education through school, training and university to learning at work. However, much of what we learn is quickly forgotten. The use of practice tests is a learning strategy that contributes to the acquisition of sustainable knowledge, i.e. knowledge that is permanently available and can be retrieved when it is needed. This dissertation first presents findings from previous research on testing in real educational contexts and discusses theoretically why certain learner or situational characteristics might influence the effectiveness of the testing effect. Furthermore, a cycle of three experiments is presented, which were used to investigate whether the positive effect of practice tests on retention (testing effect) depends on personal or situational characteristics and also promotes the retention of lecture content that was not directly tested (transfer) in the context of regular psychology lectures in teacher training courses. In an additional chapter, feedback from students on the implementation of the study in the classroom context is examined in more detail. Finally, the results of the three studies are discussed and placed in relation to the theories presented. The central conclusion from the studies presented is that the testing effect appears to be a very effective learning strategy that can be used effectively in university teaching and leads to better learning outcomes regardless of learner characteristics. However, the practice tests should cover the entire range of relevant content, as transfer effects to non-tested content are not to be expected.},
  subject      = {Transfer},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{HuttererneeHerzog2024,
  author    = {Hutterer, n{\´e}e Herzog, Katharina},
  title     = {Treatment-like use of discrimination training to reduce generalization of conditioned fear},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-31728},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-317286},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Anxiety patients overgeneralize fear, also because of an inability to perceptually discriminate threat and safety signals. Therefore, some studies have developed discrimination training that successfully reduced the occurrence of fear generalization. The present work is the first to take a treatment-like approach by using discrimination training after generalization has occurred. Therefore, two studies were conducted with healthy participants using the same fear conditioning and generalization paradigm, with two faces as conditioned stimuli (CSs), and four facial morphs between CSs as generalization stimuli (GSs). Only one face (CS+) was followed by a loud scream (unconditioned stimulus, US). In Study 1, participants underwent either fear-relevant (discriminating faces) or fear-irrelevant discrimination training (discriminating width of lines) or a non-discriminative control training between the two generalization tests, each with or without feedback (n = 20 each). Generalization of US expectancy was reduced more effectively by fear-relevant compared to fear-irrelevant discrimination training. However, neither discrimination training was more effective than non-discriminative control training. Moreover, feedback reduced generalization of US expectancy only in discrimination training. Study 2 was designed to replicate the effects of the discrimination-training conditions in a large sample (N = 244) and examine their benefits in individuals at risk for anxiety disorders. Again, feedback reduced fear generalization particularly well for US expectancy. Fear relevance was not confirmed to be particularly fear-reducing in healthy participants, but may enhance training effects in individuals at risk of anxiety disorder. In summary, this work provides evidence that existing fear generalization can be reduced by discrimination training, likely involving several (higher-level) processes besides perceptual discrimination (e.g., motivational mechanisms in feedback conditions). Its use may be promising as part of individualized therapy for patients with difficulty discriminating similar stimuli.},
  subject      = {Furcht},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Cronje2024,
  author    = {Cronj{\´e}, Johrine},
  title     = {Trust towards Virtual Humans in Immersive Virtual Reality and Influencing Factors},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-34814},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-348143},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Virtual humans (VHs) hold immense potential for collaboration in social virtual reality (VR). As VR technology advances, it's vital to assess the psychological effects on VH trust and user privacy to build meaningful social interactions in VR. In social VR, users must be able to trust the VHs they interact with as they navigate through socio-cultural activities. The evaluation of trustworthiness in VHs profoundly impacts interaction quality and user willingness to engage. Conversely, untrustworthy VHs can harm user experiences, privacy, and VR engagement. To address this, we conducted immersive VR studies, exploring how psychological factors influence user's VH trust evaluation under various psychological conditions. This research is pivotal for developing strategies to enhance user privacy, establish secure VR environments, and create a foundation of trust that supports immersive socio-cultural experiences in VR. To date, there are no established interpersonal trust measurement tools specifically for VHs in VR. In study 1 (the familiarity study) of the current thesis the VR-adjusted version of the social conditioned place preference paradigm (SCPP) by Kiser et al., (2022) was identified as a potential trust measurement tool. We tested whether the familiarity of a VH influenced trust as measured with the SCPP paradigm and other self-defined outcome measures, in a Computer Augmented Virtual Environment (CAVE). The CAVE is a VR system that combines immersive VR with real-world elements. It consists of a room-sized space where the walls are used as projection screens to display virtual scenes and objects. In this within - subject design (n = 20), half of the participants were familiarized with one VH and tasked to explore and interact in a realistic looking virtual art museum environment. The participant's evaluation of the VH's trustworthiness was measured as well as their subsequent trust behaviours. Results revealed no significant differences in the evaluation of the VH's trustworthiness nor any behavioural differences between conditions. The findings of the impact of a VH's familiarity on trust is inconclusive due to the major limitations of the paradigm. We concluded that the SCPP paradigm needs further validation and the proposed proxies of trust need to be re-evaluated. The findings were considered in the following study. The virtual maze paradigm design of Hale, (2018) was identified as a potential trust measurement tool, however several limitations are associated with its use to measure trust in VR. In study 2 (a validation study), improvements were made to the virtual maze paradigm of Hale, (2018) and a variant of this paradigm was implemented. We conducted a validation study with 70 participants in a between-subject design with VH trustworthiness as the between-subject factor. Participants wore a head-mounted display (HMD), to deliver an immersive VR experience. In our version of the virtual maze, it was the task of the users (the trustors) to navigate through a maze in VR, where they could interact with a VH (the trustee). They could choose to ask for advice and follow the advice from the VH if they wanted to. The number of times participants asked and followed advice and the time it took to respond to the given advice served as behavioural proxies/measures of trust. The two conditions (trustworthy vs. untrustworthy) did not differ in the content of the advice but in the appearance, tone of voice and engagement of the trustees (allegedly an avatar controlled by other participants). Results indicated that the experimental manipulation was successful, as participants rated the VH as more trustworthy in the trustworthy condition compared with the VH in the untrustworthy condition. Importantly, this manipulation affected the trust behaviour of participants, who, in the trustworthy condition, asked for advice and followed advice more often, indicating that the paradigm is sensitive to differences in VH's trustworthiness. Thus, our paradigm can be used to measure differences in interpersonal trust towards VHs and may serve as a valuable research tool for researchers who study trust in VR. Therefore, study 2 fills the gap in the literature, for an interpersonal trust measurement tool specifically for VHs in VR. Two experimental studies, with a sample size of 50 participants each, utilized the virtual maze paradigm where participants entered 12 rooms under different conditions. We examined the influence of cognitive load (CL) on trust towards VH in VR in study 3 (Cognitive load study), and the influence of emotional affect (Emotional affect study) on trust towards VH in VR in study 4 (EA study). In both studies, we assessed participant's evaluation of a VH's trustworthiness, along with three behavioural indicators of trust in the maze task: 1) frequency of advice asked, 2) frequency of advice followed, and 3) the time taken by participants to execute the received advice. In study 3, the CL was manipulated with the auditory 1-back task in the high cognitive load condition (HCL). In study 4, the Autobiographical Emotional Memory Task (AEMT) was used to manipulate the EA of participants in the negative emotional affect (NEA) condition. As an additional manipulation, while participants were immersed in VR, they were exposed to 12 negative pictures and sounds that was presented simultaneously to strengthen the initial manipulation. The manipulation of the within-subject factors (CL and EA) was successful in both studies, as significant differences between conditions were observed in both studies (higher CL in the HCL condition and a more negative EA in the NEA condition). However, only CL influenced participant's evaluation of the VH's trustworthiness. The VH were evaluated as significantly more trustworthy after the HCL condition. Despite the difference in trust evaluation, there was no difference in advice asking or following. Participants in study 4 asked and followed advice due to their trust in the VH and asked and followed advice equally often in both conditions. Importantly, significant differences were observed in the participants response times in both studies. In study 3 during the HCL condition participants followed advice quicker. The order in which the conditions were presented influenced the experience of CL. Participants experienced higher levels of CL and responded to advice significantly faster when low cognitive load (LCL) was presented as the first condition compared with LCL as the second condition. In study 4 participants in the NEA condition followed advice slower similar to the findings of study 3. The order in which the conditions were presented had a significant effect on the EA. Participants asked and followed advice less when the NEA condition was presented first compared with when it is presented second. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed in the thesis. Overall, this thesis offers a novel tool for trust measurement (the virtual maze paradigm) and contributes to understanding the role of psychological factors in trust towards virtual humans in virtual reality.},
  subject      = {Virtuelle Realit{\"a}t},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{vonEitzen2024,
  author    = {von Eitzen, Ingo Martin},
  title     = {Faktoren zur Akzeptanz von Virtual Reality Anwendungen},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-34632},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-346326},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Immersive Technologien, wie Augmented und Virtual Reality, k{\"o}nnen bestehende Gesch{\"a}ftsmodelle entweder verbessern oder gef{\"a}hrden. Jedoch kann sich das f{\"o}rderliche Potential nur entfalten, wenn die Anwender:innen die Technologien akzeptieren und letztendlich auch nutzen. In dieser Arbeit wird beschrieben, was Akzeptanz ist und welche Einflussgr{\"o}ßen (Faktoren) f{\"u}r die Akzeptanz von Virtual Reality besonders relevant sind. Anschließend ist, basierend auf der diskutierten Fachliteratur, ein neuartiges, holistisches Akzeptanzmodell f{\"u}r Virtual Reality entworfen und mit drei Studien {\"u}berpr{\"u}ft worden. In der ersten Studie wurden 129 Personen gebeten entweder in Augmented oder Virtual Reality ein Schulungsszenario oder ein Mini-Spiel auszuprobieren (2x2-Design). In beiden Anwendungen sollten Flaschen von einem virtuellen Fließband entfernt werden. Im Fokus der Untersuchung stand die Immersion, die N{\"u}tzlichkeit, das empfundene Vergn{\"u}gen (Hedonismus) und die Zufriedenheit. Die Ergebnisse ergaben zum einen, dass sich die Immersion zwischen Augmented und Virtual Reality unterscheidet, und zum anderen, dass das empfundene Vergn{\"u}gen und die N{\"u}tzlichkeit signifikante Pr{\"a}diktoren f{\"u}r die Zufriedenheit darstellen. An der zweiten Studie nahmen 62 Personen teil. Sie wurden gebeten das Schulungsszenario erneut zu absolvieren, wobei dieses mit auditiven Inhalten und animierten Figuren angereicht wurde, sowie {\"u}ber eine etwas bessere Grafikqualit{\"a}t verf{\"u}gte. Die Daten wurden mit den Virtual Reality Szenarien aus der ersten Studie verglichen, um den Einfluss der Pr{\"a}senz auf den Hedonismus zu untersuchen. Obwohl kein relevanter Unterschied zwischen den Gruppen festgestellt wurde, konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass Pr{\"a}senz Hedonismus signifikant vorhersagt. An der dritten Studie beteiligten sich insgesamt 35 Personen. Untersuchungsgegenstand der Studie war die virtuelle Darstellung der eigenen Person in der virtuellen Realit{\"a}t (Verk{\"o}rperung) und dessen Einfluss auf den Hedonismus. Die Versuchspersonen wurden gebeten das Schulungsszenario erneut zu durch-laufen, wobei sie diesmal das Eingabeger{\"a}t (Controller) der Visieranzeige (head-mounted display) zur Steuerung benutzen. In der ersten Studie erfolgte die Bedienung {\"u}ber eine Gestensteuerung. Die Analyse dieser Manipulation offenbarte keinerlei Auswirkungen auf die Verk{\"o}rperung. Allerdings stellte die Verk{\"o}rperung einen signifikanten Pr{\"a}diktor f{\"u}r den Hedonismus dar. Im Anschluss an die Studien ist das Modell mit den Daten aus den Virtual Reality Gruppen der ersten Studie beurteilt worden, wobei es sich weitgehend best{\"a}tigt hat. Abschließend werden die Befunde in Bezug auf die Fachliteratur eingeordnet, m{\"o}gliche Ursachen f{\"u}r die Ergebnisse diskutiert und weitere Forschungsbedarfe aufgezeigt.},
  subject      = {Akzeptanz},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Gralke2023,
  author    = {Gralke, Verena Maria},
  title     = {The Impact of Media Literacy in Adolescence and Young Adulthood. - Correlative and Experimental Investigations on the Influence of Media Literacy on Cognitive and Political Variables, and on Knowledge Acquisition from Media -},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-34601},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-346018},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {This thesis consists of three studies investigating the influence media literacy has on political variables, cognitive variables, and learning. Adolescents from 13 years of age and young adults are included in the studies. This thesis is divided into three chapters. Study I and II are one comprehensive study, but will be presented separately for better readability. Chapter I provides the reader with background knowledge for the original studies presented in chapter II includes information about media use, different conceptualizations of media literacy and its development over the lifetime, as well as media literacy's impact on cognitive and political variables. Additionally, current literature on the comparison of the learning outcomes of different kinds of texts (written, auditory, and audiovisual) is presented, with a differentiation between text-based information and inferences. In chapter II, the original studies are placed in the current state of research and presented in detail. In chapter III, a critical discussion of the studies is conducted, and a general model of the influence media literacy has on the investigated cognitive and political factors is presented, followed by a conclusion of the research. The theoretical foundation of this thesis is three models of media literacy proposed by Groeben (2002, 2004), Hobbs (1997), and Potter (1998, 2016). These three models are similar in that they define media literacy as a multifactorial construct with skills that develop further in the course of life. Their ideas are integrated and developed further, leading to our own model of media literacy. It encompasses five scales: media sign literacy, distinction between reality and fiction, knowledge of media law, knowledge of media effects, and production skills. Thereupon, the assessment tool W{\"u}rzburg Media Literacy Test (WMK; W{\"u}rzburger Medienkompetenztest) is designed. There is evidence that media use and media literacy influence socio-political factors. Young adults name the internet as the main source of information on political topics (see Pasek et al., 2006), and knowledge demonstrably fosters political participation (Delli Carpini \& Keeter, 1996). However, the kind of participation activity regarded is important (Quintelier \& Vissers, 2008), as sometimes real-life participation is supplemented by online activities (Quan-Haase \& Wellman, 2002). Media literacy is the key to evaluating the quality of information from media. Whether or not a direct link between media literacy and political interest exists has, as far as I know, not yet been investigated. Several studies have shown that precursors and subcomponents of media literacy have the capacity to influence cognitive variables. For instance, children with higher media sign literacy possess better reading proficiency (Nieding et al., 2017) and are better at collecting information and drawing inferences from hypermedia and films (Diergarten et al., 2017) as compared to children with low literacy. These precursors and subcomponents are more efficient in processing medial sign systems, reducing cognitive load, and consequently, liberating cognitive capacity for other mental tasks (Sweller, 1988). Paino and Renzulli (2012) showed that highly computer-proficient adolescents exhibit better mathematics and reading abilities. Different types of media influence the learning process differently, and the learning process can be enhanced by combining these different types of media, if the material is prepared according to the research findings and Mayer's (2002) cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Similarly, a reduction in cognitive load takes place and more resources can be invested in the learning process itself (Mayer \& Moreno, 2003; Sweller, 1988). It is not easy to answer the question of whether one medium is superior for learning to another. Generally, adults learn best from written texts (e.g., Byrne \& Curtis, 2000), and audiovisual and auditory texts are comparable (e.g., Hayes et al., 1986); however, there is little research regarding the comparison of the latter two. Study I examined whether media literacy has a positive impact on interest in politics and the political self-concept. A sample of 101 13-to 20-year-olds was drawn. The control variables were intelligence, socio-economic status (SES), openness to experiences, perspective-taking, age, and sex. Additionally, an evaluation of the WMK was conducted, which indicated good construct validity and excellent overall reliability. Media literacy was positively associated with interest in politics, political self-concept, and perspective-taking but not with openness. In hierarchical regressions and path analysis, a direct influence of media literacy and openness on interest in politics could be found. Political self-concept was solely influenced by interest in politics. Although media literacy had no direct influence on political self-concept, it influenced its precursor interest in politics and was thus expected to have distal influence. The results of the first study confirm previous findings (e.g., Vecchione \& Caprara, 2009), where political self-concept is regarded as a precursor of political participation. In conclusion, the findings of study I suggested that by stimulating political interest, media literacy could, mediated through political self-concept, foster political participation. Study II (which was conducted on the same sample as study I) was concerned with the question of whether highly media-literate adolescent and young adult participants exhibit better academic skills (mathematics; reading) and academic achievement (grades) compared to less media-literate participants. Additionally, to obtain information about potential development during adolescence, a group of 50 13-year-olds was compared with a group of 51 19-year-olds in terms of their media literacy. The control variables were intelligence, SES, sex, and age. The results showed that a significant development of media literacy took place during adolescence (∆M = .17), agreeing with Potter's (1998, 2013) development theory of media literacy. Media literacy was significantly correlated with reading skills and school grades. Regarding adults, media literacy was also significantly correlated with mathematical skills; the association was greater than that with reading skills. However, no connection with mathematical skills was found for adolescents. To control for the influence of age and intelligence, which were both associated with media literacy, hierarchical regressions and path analyses were conducted. The results revealed that media literacy had a greater impact on grades and academic abilities than intelligence. These results are in line with those obtained by Paino and Renzulli (2012). Study III investigated whether media literacy helps young adults to better learn from three kinds of media, a written, an auditory, and an audio-visual text, and which medium achieves the best learning results. Three groups of 91 young adults were compared (written, auditory, and audio-visual text) in terms of their learning outcomes. These outcomes were conceptualized as directly stated information in the text (assessed by text-based questions) and inferential learning (inference questions). A computer-based short version of the WMK was applied to assess media literacy, which should be optimized in the future. The control variables were intelligence, verbal ability, media usage, prior knowledge, and SES. In hierarchical regression, media literacy turned out to be a significant predictor of text inferences, even when other relevant variables, such as intelligence, were controlled for. Inferences foster the building of the situation model, which is believed by many authors to be true comprehension of a text (Zwaan \& Radvansky, 1998). The outcomes of study III support Ohler's (1994) assumption that media literacy fosters the creation of a more elaborated situational model. Text-based questions were only influenced by prior knowledge. As assumed by Potter (1998, 2016), the media literacy of young adults in the Western world suffices to extract relevant facts from educational learning material. Both subjects were best in the written text condition for text-based and inference question results. Audiovisual and auditory texts showed no significant differences. The written text condition did not excel in the auditory text condition for inferences. The results accord with those obtained by, for instance, Byrne and Curtis (2000). Taken together, these studies show that media literacy can influence several cognitive and political variables. It stimulates political interest, reading comprehension, school grades, and mathematical abilities in young adults, as well as drawing inferences from different kinds of texts. Additionally, media literacy develops further during adolescence.},
  subject      = {Media Literacy},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Muth2023,
  author    = {Muth, Felicitas Vanessa},
  title     = {Step by step: Sense of agency for complex action-event sequences},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-30756},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-307569},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {From simply ringing a bell to preparing a five-course menu, human behavior commonly causes changes in the environment. Such episodes where an agent acts, thereby causing changes in their environment constitute the sense of agency. In this thesis four series of experi-ments elucidate how the sense of agency is represented in complex action-event sequences, thereby bridging a gap between basic cognitive research and real-life practice. It builds upon extensive research on the sense of agency in unequivocal sequences consisting of single ac-tions and distinct, predominantly auditory, outcomes. Employing implicit as well as explicit measures, the scope is opened up to multi-step sequences. The experiments show that it is worthwhile devoting more research to complex action-event sequences. With a newly introduced auditory measure (Chapter II), common phenomena such as temporal binding and a decrease in agency ratings following distorted feedback were replicated in multi-step sequences. However, diverging results between traditional implicit and explicit measures call for further inspection. Multisensory integration appears to gain more weight when multiple actions have to be performed to attain a goal leading to more accurate representations of the own actions (Chapter III). Additionally, freedom of choice (Chapter III) as well as early spatial ambiguity altered the perceived timing of outcomes, while late spatial ambi-guity (Chapter IV) and the outcome's self-relevance did not (Chapter V). The data suggests that the cognitive system is capable of representing multi-step action-event sequences implicitly and explicitly. Actions and sensory events show a temporal attraction stemming from a bias in the perception of outcomes. Explicit knowledge about causing an event-sequence facilitates neither feelings of control nor taking authorship. The results corroborate current theorizing on the un-derpinnings of temporal binding and the divergence between traditional implicit and explicit measures of the sense of agency. Promising avenues for further research include structured analyses of how much inferred causality contributes to implicit and explicit measures of agency as well as finding alternative measures to capture conceptual as well as non-conceptual facets of the agency experience with one method.},
  subject      = {Psychologie},
  language  = {en}
}