Search results for: cognitive biases
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 2036

Search results for: cognitive biases

1646 A Framework for Early Differential Diagnosis of Tropical Confusable Diseases Using the Fuzzy Cognitive Map Engine

Authors: Faith-Michael E. Uzoka, Boluwaji A. Akinnuwesi, Taiwo Amoo, Flora Aladi, Stephen Fashoto, Moses Olaniyan, Joseph Osuji

Abstract:

The overarching aim of this study is to develop a soft-computing system for the differential diagnosis of tropical diseases. These conditions are of concern to health bodies, physicians, and the community at large because of their mortality rates, and difficulties in early diagnosis due to the fact that they present with symptoms that overlap, and thus become ‘confusable’. We report on the first phase of our study, which focuses on the development of a fuzzy cognitive map model for early differential diagnosis of tropical diseases. We used malaria as a case disease to show the effectiveness of the FCM technology as an aid to the medical practitioner in the diagnosis of tropical diseases. Our model takes cognizance of manifested symptoms and other non-clinical factors that could contribute to symptoms manifestations. Our model showed 85% accuracy in diagnosis, as against the physicians’ initial hypothesis, which stood at 55% accuracy. It is expected that the next stage of our study will provide a multi-disease, multi-symptom model that also improves efficiency by utilizing a decision support filter that works on an algorithm, which mimics the physician’s diagnosis process.

Keywords: medical diagnosis, tropical diseases, fuzzy cognitive map, decision support filters, malaria differential diagnosis

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1645 Power HEMTs Transistors for Radar Applications

Authors: A. boursali, A. Guen Bouazza, M. Khaouani, Z. Kourdi, B. Bouazza

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This paper presents the design, development and characterization of the devices simulation for X-Band Radar applications. The effect of an InAlN/GaN structure on the RF performance High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) device. Systematic investigations on the small signal as well as power performance as functions of the drain biases are presented. Were improved for X-band applications. The Power Added Efficiency (PAE) was achieved over 23% for X-band. The developed devices combine two InAlN/GaN HEMTs of 30nm gate periphery and exhibited the output power of over 50W. An InAlN/GaN HEMT with 30nm gate periphery was developed and exhibited the output power of over 120W.

Keywords: InAlN/GaN, HEMT, RF analyses, PAE, X-Band, radar

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1644 The Association between Psychosocial Characteristics, Training Variables and Well-Being: An Exploratory Study among Organizational Workers

Authors: Norshaffika I. Zaiedy Nor, Andrew P. Smith

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Background: Training is essential to develop individuals’ expertise to meet current and future job demands and to improve work performance. At the same time, individuals’ well-being is crucial to ensure that they can fully and positively carry out their daily duties. In addition to the studies that have examined what constitutes well-being and the factors behind it, many researchers have investigated the predictors of training effectiveness and transfer of training. However, there has been very little integration between them. This study was an attempt to bridge the gap between training effectiveness predictors and well-being. Purpose: This research paper aimed to investigate the association between well-being among employees and psychosocial characteristics, together with training variables. Training variables consist of motivation to learn; learning; implementation intention; and cognitive dissonance. Methodology: In total, 210 workers who had undergone various training programs completed an online survey measuring various psychosocial characteristics, four training variables, and level of well-being. Findings: The results showed that certain types of positive psychosocial characteristics (e.g., positive personality, positive work behaviors, positive work and resources) predict motivation to learn, learning and implementation intention. Meanwhile, negative psychosocial characteristics (e.g. negative work demands and resources, negative coping) predict cognitive dissonance. Also, all the training variables had a moderate to high correlation with well-being. However, after controlling other variables (age, gender, education and psychosocial characteristics), none of the training variables predicted well-being. Self-determination theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and the DRIVE model were used to explain these findings. Conclusion: As there is limited research on the integration of training variables with well-being, this study gives a new perspective in the field of both training and well-being. Further investigations are needed to examine the relationships between them.

Keywords: cognitive dissonance, implementation intention, learning, motivation to learn, psychosocial characteristics, well-being

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1643 A Comparative Study of Mechanisms across Different Online Social Learning Types

Authors: Xinyu Wang

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In the context of the rapid development of Internet technology and the increasing prevalence of online social media, this study investigates the impact of digital communication on social learning. Through three behavioral experiments, we explore both affective and cognitive social learning in online environments. Experiment 1 manipulates the content of experimental materials and two forms of feedback, emotional valence, sociability, and repetition, to verify whether individuals can achieve online emotional social learning through reinforcement using two social learning strategies. Results reveal that both social learning strategies can assist individuals in affective, social learning through reinforcement, with feedback-based learning strategies outperforming frequency-dependent strategies. Experiment 2 similarly manipulates the content of experimental materials and two forms of feedback to verify whether individuals can achieve online knowledge social learning through reinforcement using two social learning strategies. Results show that similar to online affective social learning, individuals adopt both social learning strategies to achieve cognitive social learning through reinforcement, with feedback-based learning strategies outperforming frequency-dependent strategies. Experiment 3 simultaneously observes online affective and cognitive social learning by manipulating the content of experimental materials and feedback at different levels of social pressure. Results indicate that online affective social learning exhibits different learning effects under different levels of social pressure, whereas online cognitive social learning remains unaffected by social pressure, demonstrating more stable learning effects. Additionally, to explore the sustained effects of online social learning and differences in duration among different types of online social learning, all three experiments incorporate two test time points. Results reveal significant differences in pre-post-test scores for online social learning in Experiments 2 and 3, whereas differences are less apparent in Experiment 1. To accurately measure the sustained effects of online social learning, the researchers conducted a mini-meta-analysis of all effect sizes of online social learning duration. Results indicate that although the overall effect size is small, the effect of online social learning weakens over time.

Keywords: online social learning, affective social learning, cognitive social learning, social learning strategies, social reinforcement, social pressure, duration

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1642 The Influence of Cognitive Load in the Acquisition of Words through Sentence or Essay Writing

Authors: Breno Barrreto Silva, Agnieszka Otwinowska, Katarzyna Kutylowska

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Research comparing lexical learning following the writing of sentences and longer texts with keywords is limited and contradictory. One possibility is that the recursivity of writing may enhance processing and increase lexical learning; another possibility is that the higher cognitive load of complex-text writing (e.g., essays), at least when timed, may hinder the learning of words. In our study, we selected 2 sets of 10 academic keywords matched for part of speech, length (number of characters), frequency (SUBTLEXus), and concreteness, and we asked 90 L1-Polish advanced-level English majors to use the keywords when writing sentences, timed (60 minutes) or untimed essays. First, all participants wrote a timed Control essay (60 minutes) without keywords. Then different groups produced Timed essays (60 minutes; n=33), Untimed essays (n=24), or Sentences (n=33) using the two sets of glossed keywords (counterbalanced). The comparability of the participants in the three groups was ensured by matching them for proficiency in English (LexTALE), and for few measures derived from the control essay: VocD (assessing productive lexical diversity), normed errors (assessing productive accuracy), words per minute (assessing productive written fluency), and holistic scores (assessing overall quality of production). We measured lexical learning (depth and breadth) via an adapted Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) and a free association test. Cognitive load was measured in the three essays (Control, Timed, Untimed) using normed number of errors and holistic scores (TOEFL criteria). The number of errors and essay scores were obtained from two raters (interrater reliability Pearson’s r=.78-91). Generalized linear mixed models showed no difference in the breadth and depth of keyword knowledge after writing Sentences, Timed essays, and Untimed essays. The task-based measurements found that Control and Timed essays had similar holistic scores, but that Untimed essay had better quality than Timed essay. Also, Untimed essay was the most accurate, and Timed essay the most error prone. Concluding, using keywords in Timed, but not Untimed, essays increased cognitive load, leading to more errors and lower quality. Still, writing sentences and essays yielded similar lexical learning, and differences in the cognitive load between Timed and Untimed essays did not affect lexical acquisition.

Keywords: learning academic words, writing essays, cognitive load, english as an L2

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1641 The Effect of Incorporating Animal Assisted Interventions with Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Authors: Kayla Renteria

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This study explored the role animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP) can play in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when incorporated into Trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). A review of the literature was performed to show how incorporating AAP could benefit TF-CBT since this treatment model often presents difficulties, such as client motivation and avoidance of the exposure element of the intervention. In addition, the fluidity of treatment goals during complex trauma cases was explored, as this issue arose in the case study. This study follows the course of treatment of a 12-year-old female presenting with symptoms of PTSD. Treatment consisted of traditional components of the TF-CBT model, with the added elements of AAP to address typical treatment obstacles in TF-CBT. A registered therapy dog worked with the subject in all sessions throughout her treatment. The therapy dog was incorporated into components such as relaxation and coping techniques, narrative therapy techniques, and psychoeducation on the cognitive triangle. Throughout the study, the client’s situation and clinical needs required the therapist to switch goals to focus on current safety and stability. The therapy dog provided support and neurophysiological benefits to the client through AAP during this shift in treatment. The client was assessed quantitatively using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale Self Report for DSM-5 (CPSS-SR-5) before and after therapy and qualitatively through a feedback form given after treatment. The participant showed improvement in CPSS-SR-V scores, and she reported that the incorporation of the therapy animal improved her therapy. The results of this study show how the use of AAP provided the client a solid, consistent relationship with the therapy dog that supported her through processing various types of traumas. Implications of the results of treatment and for future research are discussed.

Keywords: animal-assisted therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, PTSD in children, trauma treatment

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1640 The Effect of Brand Recovery Communications on Embarrassed Consumers’ Cognitive Appraisal and Post-purchase Behavior

Authors: Kin Yan Ho

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Negative brand news (such as Volkswagen’s faulty carbon emission reports, China’s Luckin Coffee scandal, and bribery in reputable US universities) influence how people perceive a company. Germany’s citizens claimed Volkswagen’s scandal as a national embarrassment and cannot recover their psychological damages through monetary and non-monetary compensation. The main research question is to examine how consumers evaluate and respond to embarrassing brand publicity. The cognitive appraisal theory is used as a theoretical foundation. This study describes the use of scenario-based experiment. The findings suggest that consumers with different levels of embarrassment evaluate brand remedial offers from emotion-focused and task-focused restorative justice perspectives (newly derived from the well-established scales of perceived justice). When consumers face both negative and positive brand information (i.e., negative publicity news and a remedial offer), they change their appraisal criterion. The social situation in the cognitive reappraisal process influences the quality of the customer-brand relationship and the customer’s recovery from brand embarrassment. The results also depict that the components of recovery compensation cause differences in emotion recovery, relationship quality, and repurchase intentions. This study extends embarrassment literature in an embarrassing brand publicity context. The emotional components of brand remedial tactics provide insights to brand managers on how to handle different consumers’ emotions, consumer satisfaction, and foster positive future behavior.

Keywords: brand relationship quality, cognitive appraisal, crisis communications, emotion, justice, social presence

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1639 Enhancement of Primary User Detection in Cognitive Radio by Scattering Transform

Authors: A. Moawad, K. C. Yao, A. Mansour, R. Gautier

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The detecting of an occupied frequency band is a major issue in cognitive radio systems. The detection process becomes difficult if the signal occupying the band of interest has faded amplitude due to multipath effects. These effects make it hard for an occupying user to be detected. This work mitigates the missed-detection problem in the context of cognitive radio in frequency-selective fading channel by proposing blind channel estimation method that is based on scattering transform. By initially applying conventional energy detection, the missed-detection probability is evaluated, and if it is greater than or equal to 50%, channel estimation is applied on the received signal followed by channel equalization to reduce the channel effects. In the proposed channel estimator, we modify the Morlet wavelet by using its first derivative for better frequency resolution. A mathematical description of the modified function and its frequency resolution is formulated in this work. The improved frequency resolution is required to follow the spectral variation of the channel. The channel estimation error is evaluated in the mean-square sense for different channel settings, and energy detection is applied to the equalized received signal. The simulation results show improvement in reducing the missed-detection probability as compared to the detection based on principal component analysis. This improvement is achieved at the expense of increased estimator complexity, which depends on the number of wavelet filters as related to the channel taps. Also, the detection performance shows an improvement in detection probability for low signal-to-noise scenarios over principal component analysis- based energy detection.

Keywords: channel estimation, cognitive radio, scattering transform, spectrum sensing

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1638 The Interplay between Consumer Knowledge, Cognitive Effort, Financial Healthiness and Trust in the Financial Marketplace

Authors: Torben Hansen

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While trust has long been regarded as one of the most critical variables for developing and maintaining well-functioning financial customer-seller relationships it can be suggested that trust not only relates to customer trust in individual companies (narrow-scope trust). Trust also relates to the broader business context in which consumers may carry out their financial behaviour (broad-scope trust). However, despite the well-recognized significance of trust in marketing research, only few studies have investigated the role of broad-scope trust in consumer financial behaviour. Moreover, as one of its many serious outcomes, the global financial crisis has elevated the need for an improved understanding of the role of broad-scope trust in consumer financial services markets. Only a minority of US and European consumers are currently confident in financial companies and ‘financial stability’ and ‘trust’ are now among the top reasons for choosing a bank. This research seeks to address this shortcoming in the marketing literature by investigating direct and moderating effects of broad-scope trust on consumer financial behaviour. Specifically, we take an ability-effort approach to consumer financial behaviour. The ability-effort approach holds the basic premise that the quality of consumer actions is influenced by ability factors, for example consumer knowledge and cognitive effort. Our study is based on two surveys. Survey 1 comprises 1,155 bank consumers, whereas survey 2 comprises 764 pension consumers. The results indicate that broad-scope trust negatively moderates relationships between knowledge and financial healthiness and between cognitive effort and financial healthiness. In addition, it is demonstrated that broad-scope trust negatively influences cognitive effort. Specifically, the results suggest that broad-scope trust contributes to the financial well-being of consumers with limited financial knowledge and processing capabilities. Since financial companies are dependent on customers to pay their loans and bills they have a greater interest in developing relations with consumers with a healthy financial behaviour than with the opposite. Hence, financial managers should be engaged with monitoring and influencing broad-scope trust. To conclude, by taking into account the contextual effect of broad-scope trust, the present study adds to our understanding of knowledge-effort-behaviour relationship in consumer financial markets.

Keywords: cognitive effort, customer-seller relationships, financial healthiness, knowledge, trust

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1637 Exploring Motivation and Attitude to Second Language Learning in Ugandan Secondary Schools

Authors: Nanyonjo Juliet

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Across Sub-Saharan Africa, it’s increasingly becoming an absolute necessity for either parents or governments to encourage learners, most particularly those attending high schools, to study a second or foreign language other than the “official language” or the language of instruction in schools. The major second or foreign languages under consideration include but are not necessarily limited to English, French, German, Arabic, Swahili/Kiswahili, Spanish and Chinese. The benefits of learning a second (foreign) language in the globalized world cannot be underestimated. Amongst others, it has been expounded to especially involve such opportunities related to traveling, studying abroad and widening one’s career prospects. Research has also revealed that beyond these non-cognitive rewards, learning a second language enables learners to become more thoughtful, considerate and confident, make better decisions, keep their brain healthier and generally – speaking, broaden their world views. The methodology of delivering a successful 2nd language – learning process by a professionally qualified teacher is located in motivation. We strongly believe that the psychology involved in teaching a foreign language is of paramount importance to a learner’s successful learning experience. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to explore and show the importance of motivation in the teaching and learning of a given 2nd (foreign) language in the local Ugandan high schools.

Keywords: second language, foreign language, language learning, language teaching, official language, language of instruction, globalized world, cognitive rewards, non-cognitive rewards, learning process, motivation

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1636 Evaluation of Cognitive Benefits among Differently Abled Subjects with Video Game as Intervention

Authors: H. Nagendra, Vinod Kumar, S. Mukherjee

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In this study, the potential benefits of playing action video game among congenitally deaf and dumb subjects is reported in terms of EEG ratio indices. The frontal and occipital lobes are associated with development of motor skills, cognition, and visual information processing and color recognition. The sixteen hours of First-Person shooter action video game play resulted in the increase of the ratios β/(α+θ) and β/θ in frontal and occipital lobes. This can be attributed to the enhancement of certain aspect of cognition among deaf and dumb subjects.

Keywords: cognitive enhancement, video games, EEG band powers, deaf and dumb subjects

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1635 Effectively Improving Cognition, Behavior, and Attitude of Diabetes Inpatients through Nutritional Education

Authors: Han Chih Feng, Yi-Cheng Hou, Jing-Huei Wu

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Diabetes is a chronic disease. Nutrition knowledge and skills enable individuals with type 2 diabetes to optimize metabolic self-management and quality of life. This research studies the effect of nutritional education on diabetes inpatients in terms of their cognition, behavior, and attitude. The participants are inpatients diagnosed with diabetes at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. A total of 103 participants, 58 male, and 45 females, enrolled in the research between January 2018 and July 2018. The research evaluates cognition, behavior, and attitude level before and after nutritional education conducted by dietitians. The result shows significant improvement in actual consumption (2.5 ± 1.4 vs 3.8 ± 0.7; p<.001), diet control motivation (2.7 ± 0.8 vs 3.4 ± 0.6; p<.001), correct nutrition concept (1.2± 0.4 vs 2.4 ± 0.5; p<.001), learning willingness (2.7± 0.9 vs 3.4 ± 0.6; p<.001), cognitive behaviors (1.4 ± 0.5 vs 2.9 ± 0.7; p<.001). AC sugar (278.5 ± 321.5 vs 152.2 ± 49.1; p<.001) and HbA1C (10.3 ± 2.6 vs 8.6 ± 1.9; p<.001) are significant improvement after nutritional education. After nutritional education, participants oral hypoglycemic agents increased from 16 (9.2%) to 33 (19.0%), insulin decreased from 75 (43.1%) to 68 (39.1%), and hypoglycemic drugs combined with insulin decreased from 83 (47.7%) to 73 (42.0%).Further analysis shows that female inpatients have significant improvement in diet control motivation (3.91 ± 0.85 vs 4.44 ± 0.59; p<0.000), correct nutrition concept (3.24± 0.48 vs 4.47± 0.51; p<0.000), learning willingness (3.89 ± 0.86 vs 4.44 ± 0.59; p<0.000) and cognitive behaviors (2.42 ± 0.58 vs 4.02 ± 0.69; p<0.000); male inpatients have significant improvement in actual food intake (4.41± 0.92 vs 3.97 ± 0.42; p<0.000), diet control motivation (3.62 ± 0.86 vs 4.29 ± 0.62; p<0.000), correct nutrition concept (3.26 ± 0.44 vs 4.36 ± 0.49; p<0.000), learning willingness (3.72± 0.93 vs 4.33± 0.63; p<0.000) and cognitive behaviors (2.45± 0.54 vs 4.03± 0.77; p<0.000). In conclusion, nutritional education proves effective, regardless of gender, in improving an inpatient’s cognition, behavior, and attitude toward diabetes self-management.

Keywords: diabetes, nutrition education, actual consumption, diet control motivation, nutrition concept, learning willingness, cognitive behaviors

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1634 The Development of Integrated Real-Life Video and Animation with Addie Based on Constructive for Improving Students’ Mastery Concept in Rotational Dynamics

Authors: Silka Abyadati, Dadi Rusdiana, Enjang Akhmad Juanda

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This study aims to investigate the students’ mastery concepts enhancement between students who are studying by using Integrated Real-Life Video and Animation (IRVA) and students who are studying without using IRVA. The development of IRVA is conducted by five stages: Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE) based on constructivist for Rotational Dynamics material in Physics learning. A constructivist model-based learning used is Interpretation Construction (ICON), which has the following phases: 1) Observation, 2) Construction interpretation, 3) Contextualization prior knowledge, 4) Conflict cognitive, 5) Learning cognitive, 6) Collaboration, 7) Multiple interpretation, 8) Multiple manifestation. The IRVA is developed for the stages of observation, cognitive conflict and cognitive learning. The sample of this study consisted of 32 students experimental group and a control group of 32 students in class XI of the school year 2015/2016 in one of Senior High Schools Bandung. The study was conducted by giving the pretest and posttest in the form of 20 items of multiple choice questions to determine the enhancement of mastery concept of Rotational Dynamics. Hypothesis testing is done by using T-test on the value of N-gain average of mastery concepts. The results showed that there is a significant difference in an enhancement of students’ mastery concepts between students who are studying by using IRVA and students who are studying without IRVA. Students in the experimental group increased by 0.468 while students in the control group increased by 0.207.

Keywords: ADDIE, constructivist learning, Integrated Real-Life Video and Animation, mastery concepts, rotational dynamics

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1633 Role of Speech Language Pathologists in Vocational Rehabilitation

Authors: Marlyn Mathew

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Communication is the key factor in any vocational /job set-up. However many persons with disabilities suffer a deficit in this very area in terms of comprehension, expression and cognitive skills making it difficult for them to get employed appropriately or stay employed. Vocational Rehabilitation is a continuous and coordinated process which involves the provision of vocational related services designed to enable a person with disability to obtain and maintain employment. Therefore the role of the speech language pathologist is crucial in assessing the communication deficits and needs of the individual at the various phases of employment- right from the time of seeking a job and attending interview with suitable employers and also at regular intervals of the employment. This article discusses the various communication deficits and the obstacles faced by individuals with special needs including but not limited to cognitive- linguistic deficits, execution function deficits, speech and language processing difficulties and strategies that can be introduced in the workplace to overcome these obstacles including use of visual cues, checklists, flow charts. The paper also throws light on the importance of educating colleagues and work partners about the communication difficulties faced by the individual. This would help to reduce the communication barriers in the workplace, help colleagues develop an empathetic approach and also reduce misunderstandings that can arise as a result of the communication impairment.

Keywords: vocational rehabilitation, disability, speech language pathologist, cognitive, linguistics

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1632 A Multidimensional Exploration of Narcissistic Personality Disorder Through Psycholinguistic Analysis and Neuroscientific Correlates

Authors: Dalia Elleuch

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Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) manifests as a personality disorder marked by inflated self-importance, heightened sensitivity to criticism, a lack of empathy, a preoccupation with appearance over substance, and features such as arrogance, grandiosity, a constant need for admiration, a tendency to exploit others, and an inclination towards demanding special treatment due to a sense of excessive entitlement (APA, 2013). This interdisciplinary study delves into NPD through the systematic synthesis of psycholinguistic analysis and neuroscientific correlates. The cognitive and emotional dimensions of NPD reveal linguistic patterns, including grandiosity, entitlement, and manipulative communication. Neuroscientific investigations reveal structural brain differences and alterations in functional connectivity, further explaining the neural underpinnings of social cognition deficits observed in individuals with NPD. Genetic predispositions and neurotransmitter imbalances add a layer of complexity to the understanding of NPD. The necessity for linguistic intervention in diagnosing and treating Narcissistic Personality Disorder is underscored by an interdisciplinary study that intricately synthesizes psycholinguistic analysis and neuroscientific correlates, offering a comprehensive understanding of NPD’s cognitive, emotional, and neural dimensions and paving the way for future practical, theoretical, and pedagogical approaches to address the complexities of this personality disorder.

Keywords: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), psycholinguistic analysis, neuroscientific correlates, interpersonal dysfunction, cognitive empathy

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1631 The Applications of Group Counseling on Self-Concept, Depression, and Resilience of Teenage Pregnancy

Authors: Fauziah Mohd Sa’ad, Mohammad Aziz Shah, B. Mohammad Arip, Norazani Ahmad, Mohd Noor Idris, Hapsah M. Yusof

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This study was carried out to assess the application of person-centred therapy and Cognitive Psychology Ad-Din group counseling on self-concept, depression, and resilience of teenage pregnancy. This study involved 55 teenage pregnancy at three women’s refuge centers which are from KEWAJA, Rhaidatus Sakinah, and Taman Seri Puteri Cheras (JKM). Subjects were classed into two treatment groups and one control group. The Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale (MSCS), Beck Depression inventory (BDI) and Adolescent Resiliency Attitude Scale (ARAS) was administered to assess self-concept, depression, and resilience of teenage pregnancy. The control pre and post test design was used for this study. The research data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, ANOVA, MANCOVA and Tuckey Post Hoc with the significant level of .01 and .05. All treatment group received group counseling sessions for 7 consecutive week, once in each week. The Person-centred group and Cognitive Psychology Ad-Din group counseling showed a significant reduction (pre-test to post-test) on depression, enhancing self-concept and resilience of teenage pregnancy.

Keywords: group counseling, person-centred therapy, cognitive psychology Ad-Din, teenage pregnancy

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1630 Artificial Bee Colony Optimization for SNR Maximization through Relay Selection in Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks

Authors: Babar Sultan, Kiran Sultan, Waseem Khan, Ijaz Mansoor Qureshi

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In this paper, a novel idea for the performance enhancement of secondary network is proposed for Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs). In Underlay CRNs, primary users (PUs) impose strict interference constraints on the secondary users (SUs). The proposed scheme is based on Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) optimization for relay selection and power allocation to handle the highlighted primary challenge of Underlay CRNs. ABC is a simple, population-based optimization algorithm which attains global optimum solution by combining local search methods (Employed and Onlooker Bees) and global search methods (Scout Bees). The proposed two-phase relay selection and power allocation algorithm aims to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the destination while operating in an underlying mode. The proposed algorithm has less computational complexity and its performance is verified through simulation results for a different number of potential relays, different interference threshold levels and different transmit power thresholds for the selected relays.

Keywords: artificial bee colony, underlay spectrum sharing, cognitive radio networks, amplify-and-forward

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1629 An Open Trial of Mobile-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: Pupillometry Predictors of Outcome

Authors: Eric Granholm, Christophe Delay, Jason Holden, Peter Link

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Negative symptoms are an important unmet treatment needed for schizophrenia. We conducted an open trial of a novel blended intervention called mobile-assisted cognitive behavior therapy for negative symptoms (mCBTn). mCBTn is a weekly group therapy intervention combining in-person and smartphone-based CBT (CBT2go app) to improve experiential negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. Both the therapy group and CBT2go app included recovery goal setting, thought challenging, scheduling of pleasurable activities and social interactions, and pleasure savoring interventions to modify defeatist attitudes, a target mechanism associated with negative symptoms, and improve experiential negative symptoms. We tested whether participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (N=31) who met prospective criteria for persistent negative symptoms showed improvement in experiential negative symptoms. Retention was excellent (87% at 18 weeks) and severity of defeatist attitudes and motivation and pleasure negative symptoms declined significantly in mCBTn with large effect sizes. We also tested whether pupillary responses, a measure of cognitive effort, predicted improvement in negative symptoms mCBTn. Pupillary responses were recorded at baseline using a Tobii pupillometer during the digit span task with 3-, 6- and 9-digit spans. Mixed models showed that greater dilation during the task at baseline significantly predicted a greater reduction in experiential negative symptoms. Pupillary responses may provide a much-needed prognostic biomarker of which patients are most likely to benefit from CBT. Greater pupil dilation during a cognitive task predicted greater improvement in experiential negative symptoms. Pupil dilation has been linked to motivation and engagement of executive control, so these factors may contribute to benefits in interventions that train cognitive skills to manage negative thoughts and emotions. The findings suggest mCBTn is a feasible and effective treatment for experiential negative symptoms and justify a larger randomized controlled clinical trial. The findings also provide support for the defeatist attitude model of experiential negative symptoms and suggest that mobile-assisted interventions like mCBTn can strengthen and shorten intensive psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia.

Keywords: cognitive-behavioral therapy, mobile interventions, negative symptoms, pupillometry schizophrenia

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1628 Association between Organophosphate Pesticides Exposure and Cognitive Behavior in Taipei Children

Authors: Meng-Ying Chiu, Yu-Fang Huang, Pei-Wei Wang, Yi-Ru Wang, Yi-Shuan Shao, Mei-Lien Chen

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Background: Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are the most heavily used pesticides in agriculture in Taiwan. Therefore, they are commonly detected in general public including pregnant women and children. These compounds are proven endocrine disrupters that may affect the neural development in humans. The aim of this study is to assess the OPs exposure of children in 2 years of age and to examine the association between the exposure concentrations and neurodevelopmental effects in children. Methods: In a prospective cohort of 280 mother-child pairs, urine samples of prenatal and postnatal were collected from each participant and analyzed for metabolites of OPs by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Six analytes were measured including dimethylphosphate (DMP), dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP), dimethyldithiophosphate (DMDTP), diethylphosphate (DEP), diethylthiophosphate (DETP), and diethyldithiophosphate (DEDTP). This study created a combined concentration measure for dimethyl compounds (DMs) consisting of the three dimethyl metabolites (DMP, DMTP, and DMDTP), for diethyl compounds (DEs) consisting of the three diethyl metabolites (DEP, DETP, and DEDTP) and six dialkyl phosphate (DAPs). The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III) was used to assess children's cognitive behavior at 2 years old. The association between OPs exposure and Bayley-III scale score was determined by using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The measurements of urine samples are still on-going. This preliminary data are the report of 56 children aged 2 from the cohort. The detection rates for DMP, DMTP, DMDTP, DEP, DETP, and DEDTP are 80.4%, 69.6%, 64.3%, 64.3%, 62.5%, and 75%, respectively. After adjusting the creatinine concentrations of urine, the median (nmol/g creatinine) of urinary DMP, DMTP, DMDTP, DEP, DETP, DEDTP, DMs, DEs, and DAPs are 153.14, 53.32, 52.13, 19.24, 141.65, 192.17, 308.8, 311.6, and 702.11, respectively. The concentrations of urine are considerably higher than that in other countries. Children’s cognitive behavior was used three scales for Bayley-III, including cognitive, language and motor. In Mann-Whitney U test, the higher levels of DEs had significantly lower motor score (p=0.037), but no significant association was found between the OPs exposure levels and the score of either cognitive or language. Conclusion: The limited sample size suggests that Taipei children are commonly exposed to OPs and OPs exposure might affect the cognitive behavior of young children. This report will present more data to verify the results. The predictors of OPs concentrations, such as dietary pattern will also be included.

Keywords: biomonitoring, children, neurodevelopment, organophosphate pesticides exposure

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1627 Mild Auditory Perception and Cognitive Impairment in mid-Trimester Pregnancy

Authors: Tahamina Begum, Wan Nor Azlen Wan Mohamad, Faruque Reza, Wan Rosilawati Wan Rosli

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To assess auditory perception and cognitive function during pregnancy is necessary as the pregnant women need extra effort for attention mainly for their executive function to maintain their quality of life. This study aimed to investigate neural correlates of cognitive and behavioral processing during mid trimester pregnancy. Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were studied by using 128-sensor net and PAS or COWA (controlled Oral Word Association), WCST (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), RAVLTIM (Rey Auditory Verbal and Learning Test: immediate or interference recall, delayed recall (RAVLT DR) and total score (RAVLT TS) were tested for neuropsychology assessment. In total 18 subjects were recruited (n= 9 in each group; control and pregnant group). All participants of the pregnant group were within 16-27 (mid trimester) weeks gestation. Age and education matched control healthy subjects were recruited in the control group. Participants were given a standardized test of auditory cognitive function as auditory oddball paradigm during ERP study. In this paradigm, two different auditory stimuli (standard and target stimuli) were used where subjects counted silently only target stimuli with giving attention by ignoring standard stimuli. Mean differences between target and standard stimuli were compared across groups. N100 (auditory sensory ERP component) and P300 (auditory cognitive ERP component) were recorded at T3, T4, T5, T6, Cz and Pz electrode sites. An equal number of electrodes showed non-significantly shorter amplitude of N100 component (except significantly shorter at T3, P= 0.05) and non-significant longer latencies (except significantly longer latency at T5, P= 0.008) of N100 component in pregnant group comparing control. In case of P300 component, maximum electrode sites showed non-significantly higher amplitudes and equal number of sites showed non-significant shorter latencies in pregnant group comparing control. Neuropsychology results revealed the non-significant higher score of PAS, lower score of WCST, lower score of RAVLTIM and RAVLTDR in pregnant group comparing control. The results of N100 component and RAVLT scores concluded that auditory perception is mildly impaired and P300 component proved very mild cognitive dysfunction with good executive functions in second trimester of pregnancy.

Keywords: auditory perception, pregnancy, stimuli, trimester

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1626 Meaning Interpretation of Persian Noun-Noun Compounds: A Conceptual Blending Approach

Authors: Bahareh Yousefian, Laurel Smith Stvan

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Linguistic structures have two facades: form and meaning. These structures could have either literal meaning or figurative meaning (although it could also depend on the context in which that structure appears). The literal meaning is understandable more easily, but for the figurative meaning, a word or concept is understood from a different word or concept. In linguistic structures with a figurative meaning, it’s more difficult to relate their forms to the meanings than structures with literal meaning. In these cases, the relationship between form and figurative meaning could be studied from different perspectives. Various linguists have been curious about what happens in someone’s mind to understand figurative meaning through the forms; they have used different perspectives and theories to explain this process. It has been studied through cognitive linguistics as well, in which mind and mental activities are really important. In this viewpoint, meaning (in other words, conceptualization) is considered a mental process. In this descriptive-analytic study, 20 Persian compound nouns with figurative meanings have been collected from the Persian-language Moeen Encyclopedic Dictionary and other sources. Examples include [“Sofreh Xaneh”] (traditional restaurant) and [“Dast Yar”] (Assistant). These were studied in a cognitive semantics framework using “Conceptual Blending Theory” which hasn’t been tested on Persian compound nouns before. It was noted that “Conceptual Blending Theory” could lead to the process of understanding the figurative meanings of Persian compound nouns. Many cognitive linguists believe that “Conceptual Blending” is not only a linguistic theory but it’s also a basic human cognitive ability that plays important roles in thought, imagination, and even everyday life as well (though unconsciously). The ability to use mental spaces and conceptual blending (which is exclusive to humankind) is such a basic but unconscious ability that we are unaware of its existence and importance. What differentiates Conceptual Blending Theory from other ways of understanding figurative meaning, are arising new semantic aspects (emergent structure) that lead to a more comprehensive and precise meaning. In this study, it was found that Conceptual Blending Theory could explain reaching the figurative meanings of Persian compound nouns from their forms, such as [talkative for compound word of “Bolbol + Zabani” (nightingale + tongue)] and [wage for compound word of “Dast + Ranj” (hand + suffering)].

Keywords: cognitive linguistics, conceptual blending, figurative meaning, Persian compound nouns

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1625 The Management of Radio Spectrum Resources in Thailand

Authors: Pongsawee Supanonth

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This research is the study of Spectrum Management and the increase in efficiency of Spectrum Utilization. It also proves that Cognitive Radio is a newer technology that will change the face of e-communications network today. This study used qualitative research methods by using in-depth interviews to collect data from a sample specific to those who work in Radio channel from 6 key informant and literature review from the related documents in online database. The result is the technique of Dynamic Spectrum Allocation that is the most suitable for Thailand. We conduct in-depth research for future purposes. Moreover, we can also develop a model that can be used in regulating and managing spectrum that is most suitable for Thailand. And also develop an important tool which can be of importance to allocation of spectrum as a natural resource appropriately. It will also guarantee quality and high benefit in a substantial way.

Keywords: cognitive radio, management of radio spectrum, spectrum management, spectrum scarcity

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1624 Emotional State and Cognitive Workload during a Flight Simulation: Heart Rate Study

Authors: Damien Mouratille, Antonio R. Hidalgo-Muñoz, Nadine Matton, Yves Rouillard, Mickael Causse, Radouane El Yagoubi

Abstract:

Background: The monitoring of the physiological activity related to mental workload (MW) on pilots will be useful to improve aviation safety by anticipating human performance degradation. The electrocardiogram (ECG) can reveal MW fluctuations due to either cognitive workload or/and emotional state since this measure exhibits autonomic nervous system modulations. Arguably, heart rate (HR) is one of its most intuitive and reliable parameters. It would be particularly interesting to analyze the interaction between cognitive requirements and emotion in ecologic sets such as a flight simulator. This study aims to explore by means of HR the relation between cognitive demands and emotional activation. Presumably, the effects of cognition and emotion overloads are not necessarily cumulative. Methodology: Eight healthy volunteers in possession of the Private Pilot License were recruited (male; 20.8±3.2 years). ECG signal was recorded along the whole experiment by placing two electrodes on the clavicle and left pectoral of the participants. The HR was computed within 4 minutes segments. NASA-TLX and Big Five inventories were used to assess subjective workload and to consider the influence of individual personality differences. The experiment consisted in completing two dual-tasks of approximately 30 minutes of duration into a flight simulator AL50. Each dual-task required the simultaneous accomplishment of both a pre-established flight plan and an additional task based on target stimulus discrimination inserted between Air Traffic Control instructions. This secondary task allowed us to vary the cognitive workload from low (LC) to high (HC) levels, by combining auditory and visual numerical stimuli to respond to meeting specific criteria. Regarding emotional condition, the two dual-tasks were designed to assure analogous difficulty in terms of solicited cognitive demands. The former was realized by the pilot alone, i.e. Low Arousal (LA) condition. In contrast, the latter generates a high arousal (HA), since the pilot was supervised by two evaluators, filmed and involved into a mock competition with the rest of the participants. Results: Performance for the secondary task showed significant faster reaction times (RT) for HA compared to LA condition (p=.003). Moreover, faster RT was found for LC compared to HC (p < .001) condition. No interaction was found. Concerning HR measure, despite the lack of main effects an interaction between emotion and cognition is evidenced (p=.028). Post hoc analysis showed smaller HR for HA compared to LA condition only for LC (p=.049). Conclusion. The control of an aircraft is a very complex task including strong cognitive demands and depends on the emotional state of pilots. According to the behavioral data, the experimental set has permitted to generate satisfactorily different emotional and cognitive levels. As suggested by the interaction found in HR measure, these two factors do not seem to have a cumulative impact on the sympathetic nervous system. Apparently, low cognitive workload makes pilots more sensitive to emotional variations. These results hint the independency between data processing and emotional regulation. Further physiological data are necessary to confirm and disentangle this relation. This procedure may be useful for monitoring objectively pilot’s mental workload.

Keywords: cognitive demands, emotion, flight simulator, heart rate, mental workload

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1623 Cognitive Development Theories as Determinant of Children's Brand Recall and Ad Recognition: An Indian Perspective

Authors: Ruchika Sharma

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In the past decade, there has been an explosion of research that has examined children’s understanding of TV advertisements and its persuasive intent, socialization of child consumer and child psychology. However, it is evident from the literature review that no studies in this area have covered advertising messages and its impact on children’s brand recall and ad recognition. Copywriters use various creative devices to lure the consumers and very impressionable consumers such as children face far more drastic effects of these creative ways of persuasion. On the basis of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development as a theoretical basis for predicting/understanding children’s response and understanding, a quasi-experiment was carried out for the study, that manipulated measurement timing and advertising messages (familiar vs. unfamiliar) keeping gender and age group as two prominent factors. This study also examines children’s understanding of Advertisements and its elements, predominantly - Language, keeping in view Fishbein’s model. Study revealed significant associations between above mentioned factors and children’s brand recall and ad identification. Further, to test the reliability of the findings on larger sample, bootstrap simulation technique was used. The simulation results are in accordance with the findings of experiment, suggesting that the conclusions obtained from the study can be generalized for entire children’s (as consumers) market in India.

Keywords: advertising, brand recall, cognitive development, preferences

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1622 Cognition and Communication Disorders Effect on Death Penalty Cases

Authors: Shameka Stanford

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This presentation will discuss how cognitive and communication disorders in the areas of executive functioning, receptive and expressive language can impact the problem-solving and decision making of individuals with such impairments. More specifically, this presentation will discuss approaches the legal defense team of capital case lawyers can add to their experience when servicing individuals who have a history of educational decline, special education, and limited intervention and treatment. The objective of the research is to explore and identify the correlations between impaired executive function skills and decision making and competency for individuals facing death penalty charges. To conduct this research, experimental design, randomized sampling, qualitative analysis was employed. This research contributes to the legal and criminal justice system related to how they view, defend, and characterize, and judge individuals with documented cognitive and communication disorders who are eligible for capital case charges. More importantly, this research contributes to the increased ability of death penalty lawyers to successfully defend clients with a history of academic difficulty, special education, and documented disorders that impact educational progress and academic success.

Keywords: cognitive impairments, communication disorders, death penalty, executive function

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1621 Cognitive Stereotype Behaviors and Their Imprinting on the Individuals with Autism

Authors: Li-Ju Chen, Hsiang-Lin Chan, Hsin-Yi Kathy Cheng, Hui-Ju Chen

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Stereotype behavior is one of the maladaptive syndromes of the individuals with autism. Most of the previous researches focused on the stereotype behavior with stimulating type, while less on the stereotype behavior about cognition (This research names it cognitive stereotype behavior; CSB). This research explored CSB and the rationality to explain CSB with imprinting phenomenon. After excluding the samples without CSB described, the data that came from 271 individuals with autism were recruited and analyzed with quantitative and qualitative analyses. This research discovers that : (1) Most of the individuals with autism originally came out CSB at 3 years old and more than a half of them appeared before 4 years old; The average age which firstly came out CSB was 6.10 years old, the average time insisting or ossifying CSB was 31.71 minutes each time and the average longest time which they last was 358.35 minutes (5.97 hours). (2) CSB demonstrates various aspects, this research classified them into 4 fields with 26 categories. They were categorized into sudden CSB or habitual CSB by imprinting performance. (3) Most of the autism commented that their CSBs were not necessary but they could not control them well. One-third of them appeared CSB suddenly and the first occurrence accompanied a strong emotional or behavioral response. (4) Whether respondent is the person with autism himself/herself or not was the critical element: on the awareness of the severity degree, disturbance degree, and the emotional /behavioral intensity at the first-time CSB happened. This study concludes imprinting could reasonably explain the phenomenon CSB forms. There are implications leading the individuals with autism and their family to develop coping strategies to promote individuals with autism having a better learning accomplishment and life quality in their future.

Keywords: autism, cognitive stereotype behavior, constructivism, imprinting, stereotype

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1620 Assumption of Cognitive Goals in Science Learning

Authors: Mihail Calalb

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The aim of this research is to identify ways for achieving sustainable conceptual understanding within science lessons. For this purpose, a set of teaching and learning strategies, parts of the theory of visible teaching and learning (VTL), is studied. As a result, a new didactic approach named "learning by being" is proposed and its correlation with educational paradigms existing nowadays in science teaching domain is analysed. In the context of VTL the author describes the main strategies of "learning by being" such as guided self-scaffolding, structuring of information, and recurrent use of previous knowledge or help seeking. Due to the synergy effect of these learning strategies applied simultaneously in class, the impact factor of learning by being on cognitive achievement of students is up to 93 % (the benchmark level is equal to 40% when an experienced teacher applies permanently the same conventional strategy during two academic years). The key idea in "learning by being" is the assumption by the student of cognitive goals. From this perspective, the article discusses the role of student’s personal learning effort within several teaching strategies employed in VTL. The research results emphasize that three mandatory student – related moments are present in each constructivist teaching approach: a) students’ personal learning effort, b) student – teacher mutual feedback and c) metacognition. Thus, a successful educational strategy will target to achieve an involvement degree of students into the class process as high as possible in order to make them not only know the learning objectives but also to assume them. In this way, we come to the ownership of cognitive goals or students’ deep intrinsic motivation. A series of approaches are inherent to the students’ ownership of cognitive goals: independent research (with an impact factor on cognitive achievement equal to 83% according to the results of VTL); knowledge of success criteria (impact factor – 113%); ability to reveal similarities and patterns (impact factor – 132%). Although it is generally accepted that the school is a public service, nonetheless it does not belong to entertainment industry and in most of cases the education declared as student – centered actually hides the central role of the teacher. Even if there is a proliferation of constructivist concepts, mainly at the level of science education research, we have to underline that conventional or frontal teaching, would never disappear. Research results show that no modern method can replace an experienced teacher with strong pedagogical content knowledge. Such a teacher will inspire and motivate his/her students to love and learn physics. The teacher is precisely the condensation point for an efficient didactic strategy – be it constructivist or conventional. In this way, we could speak about "hybridized teaching" where both the student and the teacher have their share of responsibility. In conclusion, the core of "learning by being" approach is guided learning effort that corresponds to the notion of teacher–student harmonic oscillator, when both things – guidance from teacher and student’s effort – are equally important.

Keywords: conceptual understanding, learning by being, ownership of cognitive goals, science learning

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1619 Methylphenidate and Placebo Effect on Brain Activity and Basketball Free Throw: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Authors: Mohammad Khazaei, Reza Rostami, Hasan Gharayagh Zandi, Rouhollah Basatnia, Mahbubeh Ghayour Najafabadi

Abstract:

Objective: Methylphenidate has been demonstrated to enhance attention and cognitive processes, and placebo treatments have also been found to improve attention and cognitive processes. Additionally, methylphenidate may have positive effects on motion perception and sports performance. Nevertheless, additional research is needed to fully comprehend the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of methylphenidate and placebo on cognitive and motor functions. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 18 young semi-professional basketball players aged 18-23 years were randomly and equally assigned to either a Ritalin or Placebo group. The participants performed 20 consecutive free throws; their scores were recorded on a 0-3 scale. The participants’ brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) for 5 minutes seated with their eyes closed. The Ritalin group received a 10 mg dose of methylphenidate, while the Placebo group received a 10mg dose of placebo. The EEG was obtained 90 minutes after the drug was administere Results: There was no significant difference in the absolute power of brain waves between the pre-test and post-tests in the Placebo group. However, in the Ritalin group, a significant difference in the absolute power of brain waves was observed in the Theta band (5-6 Hz) and Beta band (21-30 Hz) between pre- and post-tests in Fp2, F8, and Fp1. In these areas, the absolute power of Beta waves was higher during the post-test than during the pre-test. The Placebo group showed a more significant difference in free throw scores than the Ritalin group. Conclusions: In conclusion, these results suggest that Ritalin effect on brain activity in areas associated with attention and cognitive processes, as well as improve basketball free throws. However, there was no significant placebo effect on brain activity performance, but it significantly affected the improvement of free throws. Further research is needed to fully understand the effects of methylphenidate and placebo on cognitive and motor functions.

Keywords: methylphenidate, placebo effect, electroencephalography, basketball free throw

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1618 Exploring the Motivations That Drive Paper Use in Clinical Practice Post-Electronic Health Record Adoption: A Nursing Perspective

Authors: Sinead Impey, Gaye Stephens, Lucy Hederman, Declan O'Sullivan

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Continued paper use in the clinical area post-Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption is regularly linked to hardware and software usability challenges. Although paper is used as a workaround to circumvent challenges, including limited availability of a computer, this perspective does not consider the important role paper, such as the nurses’ handover sheet, play in practice. The purpose of this study is to confirm the hypothesis that paper use post-EHR adoption continues as paper provides both a cognitive tool (that assists with workflow) and a compensation tool (to circumvent usability challenges). Distinguishing the different motivations for continued paper-use could assist future evaluations of electronic record systems. Methods: Qualitative data were collected from three clinical care environments (ICU, general ward and specialist day-care) who used an electronic record for at least 12 months. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 22 nurses. Data were transcribed, themes extracted using an inductive bottom-up coding approach and a thematic index constructed. Findings: All nurses interviewed continued to use paper post-EHR adoption. While two distinct motivations for paper use post-EHR adoption were confirmed by the data - paper as a cognitive tool and paper as a compensation tool - further finding was that there was an overlap between the two uses. That is, paper used as a compensation tool could also be adapted to function as a cognitive aid due to its nature (easy to access and annotate) or vice versa. Rather than present paper persistence as having two distinctive motivations, it is more useful to describe it as presenting on a continuum with compensation tool and cognitive tool at either pole. Paper as a cognitive tool referred to pages such as nurses’ handover sheet. These did not form part of the patient’s record, although information could be transcribed from one to the other. Findings suggest that although the patient record was digitised, handover sheets did not fall within this remit. These personal pages continued to be useful post-EHR adoption for capturing personal notes or patient information and so continued to be incorporated into the nurses’ work. Comparatively, the paper used as a compensation tool, such as pre-printed care plans which were stored in the patient's record, appears to have been instigated in reaction to usability challenges. In these instances, it is expected that paper use could reduce or cease when the underlying problem is addressed. There is a danger that as paper affords nurses a temporary information platform that is mobile, easy to access and annotate, its use could become embedded in clinical practice. Conclusion: Paper presents a utility to nursing, either as a cognitive or compensation tool or combination of both. By fully understanding its utility and nuances, organisations can avoid evaluating all incidences of paper use (post-EHR adoption) as arising from usability challenges. Instead, suitable remedies for paper-persistence can be targeted at the root cause.

Keywords: cognitive tool, compensation tool, electronic record, handover sheet, nurse, paper persistence

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1617 Effects of Bilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy on Autobiographical Memories in Asian Patients

Authors: Lai Gwen Chan, Yining Ong, Audrey Yoke Poh Wong

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Background. The efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a form of treatment to a range of mental disorders is well-established. However, ECT is often associated with either temporary or persistent cognitive side-effects, resulting in the failure of wider prescription. Of which, retrograde amnesia is the most commonly reported cognitive side-effect. Most studies found a recalling deficit in autobiographical memories to be short-term, although a few have reported more persistent amnesic effects. Little is known about ECT-related amnesic effects in Asian population. Hence, this study aims to resolve conflicting findings, as well as to better elucidate the effects of ECT on cognitive functioning in a local sample. Method: 12 patients underwent bilateral ECT under the care of Psychological Medicine Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Participants’ cognition and level of functioning were assessed at four time-points: before ECT, between the third and fourth induced seizure, at the end of the whole course of ECT, and two months after the index course of ECT. Results: It was found that Global Assessment of Functioning scores increased significantly at the completion of ECT. Case-by-case analyses also revealed an overall improvement in Personal Semantic and Autobiographical memory two months after the index course of ECT. A transient dip in both personal semantic and autobiographical memory scores was observed in one participant between the third and fourth induced seizure, but subsequently resolved and showed better performance than at baseline. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that ECT is an effective form of treatment to alleviate the severity of symptoms of the diagnosis. ECT does not affect attention, language, executive functioning, personal semantic and autobiographical memory adversely. The findings suggest that Asian patients may respond to bilateral ECT differently from Western samples.

Keywords: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), autobiographical memory, cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorder

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