Meredith C. Frey, Ph.D.
Professor | Otterbein University
Westerville, OH, UNITED STATES
Dr. Frey is an experimental psychologist with research interests in human intelligence.
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Biography
Dr. Frey is an experimental psychologist with research interests in human intelligence. Two basic questions guide her work: (1) Why are some people more intelligent than others? (2) How can we fairly measure intelligence, without also measuring learned information? She has received two grants from the U. S. Army Research Institute related to her work in developing alternative assessments of intelligence, and she, along with Dr. Laurie-Rose, maintains an active laboratory on the assessment of basic cognitive abilities in children and adults. Her work has appeared in Psychological Science, Intelligence, Psychological Inquiry, The American Journal of Psychology, and Human Factors, and she serves on the Editorial Board of Intelligence. Dr. Frey teaches classes in Research Methods, Research Ethics, Statistics, Intelligence, and Assessment. Dr. Frey received the 2009 New Teacher of the Year award.
Areas of Expertise (3)
Academic Achievement
Human Intelligence
Intelligence testing
Accomplishments (3)
Otterbein University New Teacher of the Year
2009
Case Western Reserve University Graduate Instructor Award
2005
Mensa Research Award
2004
Education (3)
Case Western Reserve University: Ph.D. 2006
Case Western Reserve University: M.A. 2005
Ursuline College: B.A. 2001
Affiliations (1)
- Otterbein University Torch and Key Society
Links (1)
Selected Articles (7)
Measuring Sustained Attention and Perceived Workload: A Test With Children
Human Factors
Laurie-Rose, C., Curtindale, L., & Frey, M. C.
2017 In the low-uncertainty task, stimuli appeared in the center of the computer screen; in the high-uncertainty task, they appeared in one of the four quadrants of the screen. Neutral events consisted of uppercase letter strings. Critical signals consisted of a single lowercase letter among uppercase letters. Following each vigil, children completed a workload assessment via a modified version of the NASA Task Load Index.
Process overlap and system theory: A simulation of, comment on, and integration of Kovacs and Conway
Psychological Inquiry
Detterman, D. K., Petersen, E., & Frey, M. C.
2016 Kristof Kovacs and Andrew Conway (this issue) have written an exceptional article that accomplishes two things. First, it identifies what they believe to be the most important processes for human intelligence as domain-general executive processes largely derived from working memory research. Second, it presents a theory called process overlap theory and postulates that these executive processes are used in an overlapping manner far more often than domain specific processes. This commentary only addresses the second accomplishment, overlap theory.
The effects of memory load and test position on short duration sustained attention tasks
American Journal of Psychology
Laurie-Rose, C., Frey, M. C., Sibata, E., & Zamary, A.
2015 The current study applies a dual-task working memory and vigilance task to examine sustained attention performance and perceived workload in a multi-instrument battery. In Experiment 1 we modified a task developed by Helton and Russell (2011) to examine declines in performance and to assess the effects of its position within a larger battery. Experiment 1 failed to reveal a sensitivity decrement, and test position revealed only spurious influence. Workload scores derived from the NASA-TLX fell at the high end of the scale, with mental and temporal demand receiving the highest ratings. In Experiment 2, we modified the dual task to place more emphasis on attention rather than working memory. Results revealed a significant decline in performance across the vigil for the perceptual sensitivity index A′. Test position (early vs. late) effects appeared with the reaction time variability measure, with performance becoming more variable when the task appeared in the latter half of the battery. Workload scores varied according to position in the battery: Workload scores were higher when the vigilance task appeared in the latter half of the battery. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Measuring perceived mental workload in children.
American Journal of Psychology
Laurie-Rose, C., Frey, M. C., Ennis, A.*, & Zamary, A
2014 Little is known about the mental workload, or psychological costs, associated with information processing tasks in children. We adapted the highly regarded NASA Task Load Index (NASATLX) multidimensional workload scale (Hart and Staveland, 1988) to test its efficacy for use with elementary school children. We developed 2 types of tasks, each with 2 levels of demand, to draw differentially on resources from the separate subscales of workload. In Experiment 1, our participants were both typical and school-labeled gifted children recruited from 4th and 5th grades. Results revealed that task type elicited different workload profiles, and task demand directly affected the children's experience of workload. In general, gifted children experienced less workload than typical children. Objective response time and accuracy measures provide evidence for the criterion validity of the workload ratings. In Experiment 2, we applied the same method with 1st- and 2nd-grade children. Findings from Experiment 2 paralleled those of Experiment 1 and support the use of NASA-TLX with even the youngest elementary school children. These findings contribute to the fledgling field of educational ergonomics and attest to the innovative application of workload research. Such research may optimize instructional techniques and identify children at risk for experiencing overload.
The relationship between performance in near match-to-sample tasks and fluid intelligence.
Intelligence
Frey, M.C.
2011 Match-to-sample is a timed task in which a subject is presented with a visual stimulus (the probe) and must select a match to that stimulus (the target) from among an array of distractors. These tasks are frequently employed as tests of basic cognitive abilities and demonstrate consistent correlations with measures of intelligence. In the current study, a match-to-sample task was modified to produce near-match conditions (trials for which no exact match existed). Two factors were manipulated: type of discrepancy between the target and probe (additive or subtractive) and degree of discrepancy between target and probe (1 element or 2 elements). It was hypothesized that introducing near-match conditions would change the processing demands of the task, resulting in increased correlations between decision time and fluid intelligence. Degree and type of discrepancy affected decision times: participants required more time for 2 element discrepancies and additive type discrepancies. Contrary to expectations, increased decision time on a task did not correspond to higher correlations with fluid intelligence. For type, correlations were larger when participants needed to mentally subtract elements from the target in order to make it match the probe (mean radditive = .399; mean rsubtractive = .451). For degree, correlations were larger for trials where the probe and target differed by one element (mean r = .470) than for trials where the probe and target differed by two elements (mean r = .380). These results seem to indicate that the relationship between the complexity of a task and general intelligence is not as straightforward as has been commonly believed.
ACT and general cognitive ability
Intelligence
Koenig, K. A., Frey, M. C., & Detterman, D. K
2008 Research on the SAT has shown a substantial correlation with measures of g such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Another widely administered test for college admission is the American College Test (ACT). Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, measures of g were derived from the ASVAB and correlated with ACT scores for 1075 participants. The resulting correlation was .77. The ACT also shows significant correlations with the SAT and several standard IQ tests. A more recent sample (N = 149) consisting of ACT scores and the Raven's APM shows a correlation of .61 between Raven's-derived IQ scores and Composite ACT scores. It appears that ACT scores can be used to accurately predict IQ in the general population.
Scholastic Assessment or g?: The Relationship Between the Scholastic Assessment Test and General Cognitive Ability
Psychological Science
Frey, M. C., & Detterman, D. K.
2004 There is little evidence showing the relationship between the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and g (general intelligence). This research established the relationship between SAT and g, as well as the appropriateness of the SAT as a measure of g, and examined the SAT as a premorbid measure of intelligence. In Study 1, we used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. Measures of g were extracted from the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and correlated with SAT scores of 917 participants. The resulting correlation was .82 (.86 corrected for nonlinearity). Study 2 investigated the correlation between revised and recentered SAT scores and scores on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices among 104 undergraduates. The resulting correlation was .483 (.72 corrected for restricted range). These studies indicate that the SAT is mainly a test of g. We provide equations for converting SAT scores to estimated IQs; such conversion could be useful for estimating premorbid IQ or conducting individual difference research with college students.
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