Physical exercise increases involvement of motor networks as a compensatory mechanism during a cognitively challenging task.

PubMed

Ji, Lanxin; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Zhang, Xue; Steffens, David C; Ji, Xiaoqing; Guo, Hua; Wang, Lihong

2018-05-31

Neuroimaging studies suggest that older adults may compensate for declines in cognitive function through neural compensation and reorganization of neural resources. While neural compensation as a key component of cognitive reserve is an important factor that mediates cognitive decline, the field lacks a quantitative measure of neural compensatory ability, and little is known about factors that may modify compensation, such as physical exercise. Twenty-five healthy older adults participated in a 6-week dance training exercise program. Gait speed, cognitive function, and functional magnetic resonance imaging during a challenging memory task were measured before and after the exercise program. In this study, we used a newly proposed data-driven independent component analysis approach to measure neural compensatory ability and tested the effect of physical exercise on neural compensation through a longitudinal study. After the exercise program, participants showed significantly improved memory performance in Logical Memory Test (WMS(LM)) (P < .001) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (P = .001) and increased gait speed measured by the 6-minute walking test (P = .01). Among all identified neural networks, only the motor cortices and cerebellum showed greater involvement during the memory task after exercise. Importantly, subjects who activated the motor network only after exercise (but not before exercise) showed WMS(LM) increases. We conclude that physical exercise improved gait speed, cognitive function, and compensatory ability through increased involvement of motor-related networks. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ways of thinking: from crows to children and back again.

PubMed

Clayton, Nicola S

2015-01-01

This article reviews some of the recent work on the remarkable cognitive capacities of food-caching corvids. The focus will be on their ability to think about other minds and other times, and tool-using tests of physical problem solving. Research on developmental cognition suggests that young children do not pass similar tests until they are at least four years of age in the case of the social cognition experiments, and eight years of age in the case of the tasks that tap into physical cognition. This developmental trajectory seems surprising. Intuitively, one might have thought that the social and planning tasks required more complex forms of cognitive process, namely Mental Time Travel and Theory of Mind. Perhaps the fact that children pass these tasks earlier than the physical problem-solving tasks is a reflection of cultural influences. Future research will hope to identify these cognitive milestones by starting to develop tasks that might go some way towards understanding the mechanisms underlying these abilities in both children and corvids, to explore similarities and differences in their ways of thinking.

Time Out-of-Home and Cognitive, Physical, and Emotional Wellbeing of Older Adults: A Longitudinal Mixed Effects Model

PubMed Central

Petersen, Johanna

2015-01-01

Background Time out-of-home has been linked with numerous health outcomes, including cognitive decline, poor physical ability and low emotional state. Comprehensive characterization of this important health metric would potentially enable objective monitoring of key health outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between time out-of-home and cognitive status, physical ability and emotional state. Methods and Findings Participants included 85 independent older adults, age 65–96 years (M = 86.36; SD = 6.79) who lived alone, from the Intelligent Systems for Assessing Aging Changes (ISAAC) and the ORCATECH Life Laboratory cohorts. Factors hypothesized to affect time out-of-home were assessed on three different temporal levels: yearly (cognitive status, loneliness, clinical walking speed), weekly (pain and mood) or daily (time out-of-home, in-home walking speed, weather, and season). Subject characteristics including age, race, and gender were assessed at baseline. Total daily time out-of-home in hours was assessed objectively and unobtrusively for up to one year using an in-home activity sensor platform. A longitudinal tobit mixed effects regression model was used to relate daily time out-of-home to cognitive status, physical ability and emotional state. More hours spend outside the home was associated with better cognitive function as assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale, where higher scores indicate lower cognitive function (β CDR = -1.69, p<0.001). More hours outside the home was also associated with superior physical ability (β Pain = -0.123, p<0.001) and improved emotional state (β Lonely = -0.046, p<0.001; β Low mood = -0.520, p<0.001). Weather, season, and weekday also affected the daily time out-of-home. Conclusions These results suggest that objective longitudinal monitoring of time out-of-home may enable unobtrusive assessment of cognitive, physical and emotional state. In addition, these results indicate that the factors affecting out-of-home behavior are complex, with factors such as living environment, weather and season significantly affecting time out-of-home. Studies investigating the relationship between time out-of-home and health outcomes may be optimized by taking into account the environment and life factors presented here. PMID:26437228

The Influence of 8 Weeks of Whey-Protein and Leucine Supplementation on Physical and Cognitive Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Influence of 8 Weeks of Whey Protein and Leucine Supplementation on Physical and Cognitive Performance 5a. GONTRAGT NUMBER FA8650-04-D-6472 5b. GRANT NUMBER...investigate the ability of whey -protein and leucine supplementation to enhance physical and cognitive performance and body composition. Thirty moderately fit...composition before and after supplementing their daily diet for 8 wk with either 19.7 g of whey protein and 6.2 g leucine (WPL) or a calorie-equivalent placebo

Shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and physical and mental health in UK Biobank (N=112 151) and 24 GWAS consortia.

PubMed

Hagenaars, S P; Harris, S E; Davies, G; Hill, W D; Liewald, D C M; Ritchie, S J; Marioni, R E; Fawns-Ritchie, C; Cullen, B; Malik, R; Worrall, B B; Sudlow, C L M; Wardlaw, J M; Gallacher, J; Pell, J; McIntosh, A M; Smith, D J; Gale, C R; Deary, I J

2016-11-01

Causes of the well-documented association between low levels of cognitive functioning and many adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes, poorer physical health and earlier death remain unknown. We used linkage disequilibrium regression and polygenic profile scoring to test for shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and neuropsychiatric disorders and physical health. Using information provided by many published genome-wide association study consortia, we created polygenic profile scores for 24 vascular-metabolic, neuropsychiatric, physiological-anthropometric and cognitive traits in the participants of UK Biobank, a very large population-based sample (N=112 151). Pleiotropy between cognitive and health traits was quantified by deriving genetic correlations using summary genome-wide association study statistics and to the method of linkage disequilibrium score regression. Substantial and significant genetic correlations were observed between cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many of the mental and physical health-related traits and disorders assessed here. In addition, highly significant associations were observed between the cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many polygenic profile scores, including coronary artery disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, major depressive disorder, body mass index, intracranial volume, infant head circumference and childhood cognitive ability. Where disease diagnosis was available for UK Biobank participants, we were able to show that these results were not confounded by those who had the relevant disease. These findings indicate that a substantial level of pleiotropy exists between cognitive abilities and many human mental and physical health disorders and traits and that it can be used to predict phenotypic variance across samples.

Cognition and mortality in older people: the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study.

PubMed

Connors, Michael H; Sachdev, Perminder S; Kochan, Nicole A; Xu, Jing; Draper, Brian; Brodaty, Henry

2015-11-01

Both cognitive ability and cognitive decline have been shown to predict mortality in older people. As dementia, a major form of cognitive decline, has an established association with shorter survival, it is unclear the extent to which cognitive ability and cognitive decline predict mortality in the absence of dementia. To determine whether cognitive ability and decline in cognitive ability predict mortality in older individuals without dementia. The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study is an observational population-based cohort study. Participants completed detailed neuropsychological assessments and medical examinations to assess for risk factors such as depression, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, smoking and physical activity. Participants were regularly assessed at 2-year intervals over 8 years. A community sample in Sydney, Australia. One thousand and thirty-seven elderly people without dementia. Overall, 236 (22.8%) participants died within 8 years. Both cognitive ability at baseline and decline in cognitive ability over 2 years predicted mortality. Decline in cognitive ability, but not baseline cognitive ability, was a significant predictor of mortality when depression and other medical risk factors were controlled for. These relationships also held when excluding incident cases of dementia. The findings indicate that decline in cognition is a robust predictor of mortality in older people without dementia at a population level. This relationship is not accounted for by co-morbid depression or other established biomedical risk factors. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Infant motor and cognitive abilities and subsequent executive function.

PubMed

Wu, Meng; Liang, Xi; Lu, Shan; Wang, Zhengyan

2017-11-01

Although executive function (EF) is widely considered crucial to several aspects of life, the mechanisms underlying EF development remain largely unexplored, especially for infants. From a behavioral or neurodevelopmental perspective, motor and general cognitive abilities are linked with EF. EF development is a multistage process that starts with sensorimotor interactive behaviors, which become basic cognitive abilities and, in turn, mature EF. This study aims to examine how infant motor and general cognitive abilities are linked with their EF at 3 years of age. This work also aims to explore the potential processes of EF development from early movement. A longitudinal study was conducted with 96 infants (55 girls and 41 boys). The infants' motor and general cognitive abilities were assessed at 1 and 2 years of age with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Second and Third Editions, respectively. Infants' EFs were assessed at 3 years of age with Working Memory Span task, Day-Night task, Wrapped Gift task, and modified Gift-in-Bag task. Children with higher scores for cognitive ability at 2 years of age performed better in working memory, and children with higher scores for gross motor ability at 2 years performed better in cognitive inhibitory control (IC). Motor ability at 1 year and fine/gross motor ability at 2 years indirectly affected cognitive IC via general cognitive ability at 2 years and working memory. EF development is a multistage process that originates from physical movement to simple cognitive function, and then to complex cognitive function. Infants and toddlers can undergo targeted motor training to promote EF development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of simultaneously performed cognitive and physical training in older adults

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background While many studies confirm the positive effect of cognitive and physical training on cognitive performance of older adults, only little is known about the effects of simultaneously performed cognitive and physical training. In the current study, older adults simultaneously performed a verbal working memory and a cardiovascular training to improve cognitive and motor-cognitive dual task performance. Twenty training sessions of 30 minutes each were conducted over a period of ten weeks, with a test session before, in the middle, and after the training. Training gains were tested in measures of selective attention, paired-associates learning, executive control, reasoning, memory span, information processing speed, and motor-cognitive dual task performance in the form of walking and simultaneously performing a working memory task. Results Sixty-three participants with a mean age of 71.8 ± 4.9 years (range 65 to 84) either performed the simultaneous training (N = 21), performed a single working memory training (N = 16), or attended no training at all (N = 26). The results indicate similar training progress and larger improvements in the executive control task for both training groups when compared to the passive control group. In addition, the simultaneous training resulted in larger improvements compared to the single cognitive training in the paired-associates task and was able to reduce the step-to-step variability during the motor-cognitive dual task when compared to the single cognitive training and the passive control group. Conclusions The simultaneous training of cognitive and physical abilities presents a promising training concept to improve cognitive and motor-cognitive dual task performance, offering greater potential on daily life functioning, which usually involves the recruitment of multiple abilities and resources rather than a single one. PMID:24053148

How Does Grit Impact College Students' Academic Achievement in Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazelais, Paul; Lemay, David John; Doleck, Tenzin

2016-01-01

Research has suggested that achievement is not solely based on the cognitive abilities of the learner, but rather on the combination of cognitive ability and personality traits. This paper explores how grit affects student academic performance and success in first-year college physics students in the context of a Quebec Collège d'enseignement…

Older driver support system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

A significant factor impinging on older drivers ability to maintain safe and efficient mobility as : they age is the decline in behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual functions. Declines in vision, : hearing, cognitive processing, physical strength...

Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease is improved by transcranial direct current stimulation combined with physical therapy.

PubMed

Manenti, Rosa; Brambilla, Michela; Benussi, Alberto; Rosini, Sandra; Cobelli, Chiara; Ferrari, Clarissa; Petesi, Michela; Orizio, Italo; Padovani, Alessandro; Borroni, Barbara; Cotelli, Maria

2016-05-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by both motor and cognitive deficits. In PD, physical exercise has been found to improve physical functioning. Recent studies demonstrated that repeated sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation led to an increased performance in cognitive and motor tasks in patients with PD. The present study investigated the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and combined with physical therapy in PD patients. A total of 20 patients with PD were assigned to 1 of 2 study groups: group 1, anodal transcranial direct current stimulation plus physical therapy (n = 10) or group 2, placebo transcranial direct current stimulation plus physical therapy (n = 10). The 2 weeks of treatment consisted of daily direct current stimulation application for 25 minutes during physical therapy. Long-term effects of treatment were evaluated on clinical, neuropsychological, and motor task performance at 3-month follow-up. An improvement in motor abilities and a reduction of depressive symptoms were observed in both groups after the end of treatment and at 3-month follow-up. The Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale and verbal fluency test performances increased only in the anodal direct current stimulation group with a stable effect at follow-up. The application of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation may be a relevant tool to improve cognitive abilities in PD and might be a novel therapeutic strategy for PD patients with mild cognitive impairment. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and physical and mental health in UK Biobank (N=112 151) and 24 GWAS consortia

PubMed Central

Hagenaars, S P; Harris, S E; Davies, G; Hill, W D; Liewald, D C M; Ritchie, S J; Marioni, R E; Fawns-Ritchie, C; Cullen, B; Malik, R; Worrall, B B; Sudlow, C L M; Wardlaw, J M; Gallacher, J; Pell, J; McIntosh, A M; Smith, D J; Gale, C R; Deary, I J

2016-01-01

Causes of the well-documented association between low levels of cognitive functioning and many adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes, poorer physical health and earlier death remain unknown. We used linkage disequilibrium regression and polygenic profile scoring to test for shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and neuropsychiatric disorders and physical health. Using information provided by many published genome-wide association study consortia, we created polygenic profile scores for 24 vascular–metabolic, neuropsychiatric, physiological–anthropometric and cognitive traits in the participants of UK Biobank, a very large population-based sample (N=112 151). Pleiotropy between cognitive and health traits was quantified by deriving genetic correlations using summary genome-wide association study statistics and to the method of linkage disequilibrium score regression. Substantial and significant genetic correlations were observed between cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many of the mental and physical health-related traits and disorders assessed here. In addition, highly significant associations were observed between the cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many polygenic profile scores, including coronary artery disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, major depressive disorder, body mass index, intracranial volume, infant head circumference and childhood cognitive ability. Where disease diagnosis was available for UK Biobank participants, we were able to show that these results were not confounded by those who had the relevant disease. These findings indicate that a substantial level of pleiotropy exists between cognitive abilities and many human mental and physical health disorders and traits and that it can be used to predict phenotypic variance across samples. PMID:26809841

The association between imitation recognition and socio-communicative competencies in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Pope, Sarah M; Russell, Jamie L; Hopkins, William D

2015-01-01

Imitation recognition provides a viable platform from which advanced social cognitive skills may develop. Despite evidence that non-human primates are capable of imitation recognition, how this ability is related to social cognitive skills is unknown. In this study, we compared imitation recognition performance, as indicated by the production of testing behaviors, with performance on a series of tasks that assess social and physical cognition in 49 chimpanzees. In the initial analyses, we found that males were more responsive than females to being imitated and engaged in significantly greater behavior repetitions and testing sequences. We also found that subjects who consistently recognized being imitated performed better on social but not physical cognitive tasks, as measured by the Primate Cognitive Test Battery. These findings suggest that the neural constructs underlying imitation recognition are likely associated with or among those underlying more general socio-communicative abilities in chimpanzees. Implications regarding how imitation recognition may facilitate other social cognitive processes, such as mirror self-recognition, are discussed.

The association between imitation recognition and socio-communicative competencies in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

PubMed Central

Pope, Sarah M.; Russell, Jamie L.; Hopkins, William D.

2015-01-01

Imitation recognition provides a viable platform from which advanced social cognitive skills may develop. Despite evidence that non-human primates are capable of imitation recognition, how this ability is related to social cognitive skills is unknown. In this study, we compared imitation recognition performance, as indicated by the production of testing behaviors, with performance on a series of tasks that assess social and physical cognition in 49 chimpanzees. In the initial analyses, we found that males were more responsive than females to being imitated and engaged in significantly greater behavior repetitions and testing sequences. We also found that subjects who consistently recognized being imitated performed better on social but not physical cognitive tasks, as measured by the Primate Cognitive Test Battery. These findings suggest that the neural constructs underlying imitation recognition are likely associated with or among those underlying more general socio-communicative abilities in chimpanzees. Implications regarding how imitation recognition may facilitate other social cognitive processes, such as mirror self-recognition, are discussed. PMID:25767454

Cognitive development in introductory physics: A research-based approach to curriculum reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teodorescu, Raluca Elena

This project describes the research on a classification of physics problems in the context of introductory physics courses. This classification, called the Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems (TIPP), relates physics problems to the cognitive processes required to solve them. TIPP was created for designing and clarifying educational objectives, for developing assessments that can evaluate individual component processes of the problem-solving process, and for guiding curriculum design in introductory physics courses, specifically within the context of a "thinking-skills" curriculum. TIPP relies on the following resources: (1) cognitive research findings adopted by physics education research, (2) expert-novice research discoveries acknowledged by physics education research, (3) an educational psychology taxonomy for educational objectives, and (4) various collections of physics problems created by physics education researchers or developed by textbook authors. TIPP was used in the years 2006--2008 to reform the first semester of the introductory algebra-based physics course (called Phys 11) at The George Washington University. The reform sought to transform our curriculum into a "thinking-skills" curriculum that trades "breadth for depth" by focusing on fewer topics while targeting the students' cognitive development. We employed existing research on the physics problem-solving expert-novice behavior, cognitive science and behavioral science findings, and educational psychology recommendations. Our pedagogy relies on didactic constructs such as the GW-ACCESS problem-solving protocol, learning progressions and concept maps that we have developed and implemented in our introductory physics course. These tools were designed based on TIPP. Their purpose is: (1) to help students build local and global coherent knowledge structures, (2) to develop more context-independent problem-solving abilities, (3) to gain confidence in problem solving, and (4) to establish connections between everyday phenomena and underlying physics concepts. We organize traditional and research-based physics problems such that students experience a gradual increase in complexity related to problem context, problem features and cognitive processes needed to solve the problem. The instructional environment that we designed allows for explicit monitoring, control and measurement of the cognitive processes exercised during the instruction period. It is easily adaptable to any kind of curriculum and can be readily adjusted throughout the semester. To assess the development of students' problem-solving abilities, we created rubrics that measure specific aspects of the thinking involved in physics problem solving. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) was administered pre- and post-instruction to determine students' shift in dispositions towards learning physics. The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was administered pre- and post-instruction to determine students' level of conceptual understanding. The results feature improvements in students' problem-solving abilities and in their attitudes towards learning physics.

Measuring self-regulation in a physically active context: Psychometric analyses of scores derived from an observer-rated measure of self-regulation.

PubMed

Lakes, Kimberley D

2013-10-01

The purpose of this study is to report psychometric properties of scores obtained using a novel observer-rated measure of children's self-regulation, the Response to Challenge Scale (RCS). The RCS was developed to rate children's self-regulatory abilities in a physically active context (e.g., while completing a physical challenge course). The RCS and other study measures were administered in a private school sample of 207 children. Analyses of score distributions indicated that the RCS was able to capture variance among children in self-regulatory abilities; the distribution was normal for the Affective, Cognitive, and Total Self-Regulation scales. Validity analyses revealed significant positive correlations between Cognitive, Affective, Motor, and Total Self-Regulation and executive function task performance; significant negative correlations between Cognitive Regulation and teacher-rated hyperactivity and inattention; significant negative correlations between Affective, Motor, and Total Self-Regulation and teacher ratings of peer problems; and significant positive correlations between Cognitive and Affective Regulation and parent ratings of prosocial behavior. Parent and teacher rated Total Difficulties scores were both negatively correlated with RCS Total Self-Regulation scores. Results suggest that it is possible for observers to rate self-regulatory abilities in the context of physical activities, and that these ratings correspond with performance on tasks requiring executive function as well as teacher and parent ratings of children's difficulties.

Cognitive, sensory and physical factors enabling driving safety in older adults.

PubMed

Anstey, Kaarin J; Wood, Joanne; Lord, Stephen; Walker, Janine G

2005-01-01

We reviewed literature on cognitive, sensory, motor and physical factors associated with safe driving and crash risk in older adults with the goal of developing a model of factors enabling safe driving behaviour. Thirteen empirical studies reporting associations between cognitive, sensory, motor and physical factors and either self-reported crashes, state crash records or on-road driving measures were identified. Measures of attention, reaction time, memory, executive function, mental status, visual function, and physical function variables were associated with driving outcome measures. Self-monitoring was also identified as a factor that may moderate observed effects by influencing driving behavior. We propose that three enabling factors (cognition, sensory function and physical function/medical conditions) predict driving ability, but that accurate self-monitoring of these enabling factors is required for safe driving behaviour.

Assessing paratransit eligibility under the Americans With Disabilities Act in the rehabilitation setting.

PubMed

Griffin, Jeanne; Priddy, David A

2005-06-01

To assess the usefulness of a rehabilitation-based assessment program designed to determine the eligibility, according to Americans With Disabilities Act criteria, of applicants for paratransit bus services. Retrospective summary statistics on 500 consecutive paratransit evaluations. Outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation center. Applicants for a community paratransit bus service. Not applicable. Clinical assessment of each applicants functional physical and cognitive ability to ride a fixed-route or paratransit bus system. Of the 500 applicants for specialized paratransit services, 38 (8%) were found to be ineligible, based on rehabilitation professionals evaluations of their physical and cognitive abilities. Mass transit organizations must adjust to the rapidly growing demand for paratransit services. Rehabilitation-based assessment programs, because of the expertise they provide in assessing functional abilities, are uniquely qualified to provide objective determinations of paratransit eligibility.

Automated Airdrop Information Retrieval System-Human Fact ors Database (AAIRS-HFD) (Users Manual)

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

creeps, or chokes) Pressure Change Disorders Loss of Sensorimotor Abilities Loss of Cognitive/Perceptual Abilities Treatment drug therapy ...physical therapy cognitive therapy biofeedback therapy 73 9. Psychological Factors Situational Awareness altitude awareness Visual/Spatial...on/off valve prebreather Floatation Devices life preserver Scuba Gear Ankle Braces Knee Braces/Pads 82 7. Cargo/Resupply Parachute Assembly

Non-Algorithmic Quantitative Problem Solving in University Physical Chemistry: A Correlation Study of the Role of Selective Cognitive Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsaparlis, Georgios

2005-01-01

This work provides a correlation study of the role of the following cognitive variables on problem solving in elementary physical chemistry: scientific reasoning (level of intellectual development/developmental level), working-memory capacity, functional mental ("M") capacity, and disembedding ability (i.e., degree of perceptual field…

Physical activity problem-solving inventory for adolescents: development and initial validation.

PubMed

Thompson, Debbe; Bhatt, Riddhi; Watson, Kathy

2013-08-01

Youth encounter physical activity barriers, often called problems. The purpose of problem solving is to generate solutions to overcome the barriers. Enhancing problem-solving ability may enable youth to be more physically active. Therefore, a method for reliably assessing physical activity problem-solving ability is needed. The purpose of this research was to report the development and initial validation of the physical activity problem-solving inventory for adolescents (PAPSIA). Qualitative and quantitative procedures were used. The social problem-solving inventory for adolescents guided the development of the PAPSIA scale. Youth (14- to 17-year-olds) were recruited using standard procedures, such as distributing flyers in the community and to organizations likely to be attended by adolescents. Cognitive interviews were conducted in person. Adolescents completed pen and paper versions of the questionnaire and/or scales assessing social desirability, self-reported physical activity, and physical activity self-efficacy. An expert panel review, cognitive interviews, and a pilot study (n = 129) established content validity. Construct, concurrent, and predictive validity were also established (n = 520 youth). PAPSIA is a promising measure for assessing youth physical activity problem-solving ability. Future research will assess its validity with objectively measured physical activity.

Does education buffer the impact of disability on psychological distress?

PubMed

Mandemakers, Jornt J; Monden, Christiaan W S

2010-07-01

This paper investigates whether education buffers the impact of physical disability on psychological distress. It further investigates what makes education helpful, by examining whether cognitive ability and occupational class can explain the buffering effect of education. Two waves of the 1958 British National Child Development Study are used to test the hypothesis that the onset of a physical disability in early adulthood (age 23 to 33) has a smaller effect on psychological distress among higher educated people. In total 423 respondents (4.6%) experienced the onset of a physical disability between the ages of 23 and 33. We find that a higher educational level cushions the psychology impact of disability. Cognitive ability and occupational class protect against the effect of a disability too. The education buffer arises in part because individuals with a higher level of education have more cognitive abilities, but the better social position of those with higher levels of education appears to be of greater importance. Implications of these findings for the social gradient in health are discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of a 10-week multimodal exercise program on physical and cognitive function of nursing home residents: a psychomotor intervention pilot study.

PubMed

Pereira, Catarina; Rosado, Hugo; Cruz-Ferreira, Ana; Marmeleira, José

2018-05-01

Nursing home institutionalization tends to exacerbate loss of functioning. Examine the feasibility and the effect of a psychomotor intervention-a multimodal exercise program promoting simultaneous cognitive and motor stimulation-on the executive (planning ability and selective attention) and physical function of nursing home residents. Seventeen participants engaged in a 10-week multimodal exercise program and 17 maintained usual activities. Exercise group improved planning ability (25-32%), selective attention (19-67%), and physical function [aerobic endurance, lower body strength, agility, balance, gait, and mobility (19-41%)], corresponding to an effect size ranging from 0.29 (small) to 1.11 (high), p < 0.05. The multimodal exercise program was feasible and well tolerated. The program improved executive and physical functions of the nursing home residents, reverting the usual loss of both cognitive and motor functioning in older adult institutionalized. Multimodal exercise programs may help to maintain or improve nursing home residents' functioning.

Genetic risk for neurodegenerative disorders, and its overlap with cognitive ability and physical function.

PubMed

Hagenaars, Saskia P; Radaković, Ratko; Crockford, Christopher; Fawns-Ritchie, Chloe; Harris, Sarah E; Gale, Catharine R; Deary, Ian J

2018-01-01

Neurodegenerative disorders are associated with impaired cognitive function and worse physical health outcomes. This study aims to test whether polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is associated with cognitive function and physical health in the UK Biobank, a cohort of healthy individuals. Group-based analyses were then performed to compare the top and bottom 10% for the three neurodegenerative polygenic risk scores; these groups were compared on the cognitive and physical health variables. Higher polygenic risk for AD, ALS, and FTD was associated with lower cognitive performance. Higher polygenic risk for FTD was also associated with increased forced expiratory volume in 1s and peak expiratory flow. A significant group difference was observed on the symbol digit substitution task between individuals with high polygenic risk for FTD and high polygenic risk for ALS. The results suggest some overlap between polygenic risk for neurodegenerative disorders, cognitive function and physical health.

Preservation of cognitive and functional ability as markers of longevity.

PubMed

Schupf, Nicole; Costa, Rosann; Tang, Ming-Xin; Andrews, Howard; Tycko, Benjamin; Lee, Joseph H; Mayeux, Richard

2004-10-01

Longevity is a complex biological process for which the phenotypes have not been established. Preservation of cognitive and physical function may be important and preservation of these functions is, in part, inherited. We investigated the relation between rate of change in cognitive and functional abilities in probands and risk of death in their siblings. Probands were classified as showing no decline, slow, medium, or rapid rate of decline, based on the slope of change in cognitive and physical/functional factors over three or more assessments. Siblings of probands who did not decline on measures of memory, visuospatial/cognitive function or ADL skills were approximately half as likely to die as siblings of probands who had the most rapid decline. The reduction in risk of death in siblings of probands who did not decline in was primarily observed among siblings of probands who were older than 75 years, suggesting that genetic influences on life span may be greater at older ages. There was no association between probands' rate of change in language, IADL skills, upper or lower extremity mobility and risk of death in siblings. The results of the present study identify phenotypes associated with preserved cognitive and functional abilities which may serve as markers for longevity.

Relationships among selected physical science misconceptions held by preservice elementary teachers and four variables: Formal reasoning ability, working memory capacity, verbal intelligence, and field dependence/independence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Leslie Little

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of selected cognitive abilities and physical science misconceptions held by preservice elementary teachers. The cognitive abilities under investigation were: formal reasoning ability as measured by the Lawson Classroom Test of Formal Reasoning (Lawson, 1978); working memory capacity as measured by the Figural Intersection Test (Burtis & Pascual-Leone, 1974); verbal intelligence as measured by the Acorn National Academic Aptitude Test: Verbal Intelligence (Kobal, Wrightstone, & Kunze, 1944); and field dependence/independence as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (Witkin, Oltman, & Raskin, 1971). The number of physical science misconceptions held by preservice elementary teachers was measured by the Misconceptions in Science Questionnaire (Franklin, 1992). The data utilized in this investigation were obtained from 36 preservice elementary teachers enrolled in two sections of a science methods course at a small regional university in the southeastern United States. Multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the collected data. The following conclusions were reached following an analysis of the data. The variables of formal reasoning ability and verbal intelligence were identified as having significant relationships, both individually and in combination, to the dependent variable of selected physical science misconceptions. Though the correlations were not high enough to yield strong predictors of physical science misconceptions or strong relationships, they were of sufficient magnitude to warrant further investigation. It is recommended that further investigation be conducted replicating this study with a larger sample size. In addition, experimental research should be implemented to explore the relationships suggested in this study between the cognitive variables of formal reasoning ability and verbal intelligence and the dependent variable of selected physical science misconceptions. Further research should also focus on the detection of a broad range of science misconceptions among preservice elementary teachers.

Social makes smart: rearing conditions affect learning and social behaviour in jumping spiders.

PubMed

Liedtke, J; Schneider, J M

2017-11-01

There is a long-standing debate as to whether social or physical environmental aspects drive the evolution and development of cognitive abilities. Surprisingly few studies make use of developmental plasticity to compare the effects of these two domains during development on behaviour later in life. Here, we present rearing effects on the development of learning abilities and social behaviour in the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa. These spiders are ideally suited for this purpose because they possess the ability to learn and can be reared in groups but also in isolation without added stress. This is a critical but rarely met requirement for experimentally varying the social environment to test its impact on cognition. We split broods of spiders and reared them either in a physically or in a socially enriched environment. A third group kept under completely deprived conditions served as a 'no-enrichment' control. We tested the spiders' learning abilities by using a modified T-maze. Social behaviour was investigated by confronting spiders with their own mirror image. Results show that spiders reared in groups outperform their conspecifics from the control, i.e. 'no-enrichment', group in both tasks. Physical enrichment did not lead to such an increased performance. We therefore tentatively suggest that growing up in contact with conspecifics induces the development of cognitive abilities in this species.

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Cool and Hot Cognitive Processes: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Cobo, María José; Cabello, Rosario; Fernández-Berrocal, Pablo

2016-01-01

Although emotion and cognition were considered to be separate aspects of the psyche in the past, researchers today have demonstrated the existence of an interplay between the two processes. Emotional intelligence (EI), or the ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions, is a relatively young concept that attempts to connect both emotion and cognition. While EI has been demonstrated to be positively related to well-being, mental and physical health, and non-aggressive behaviors, little is known about its underlying cognitive processes. The aim of the present study was to systematically review available evidence about the relationship between EI and cognitive processes as measured through “cool” (i.e., not emotionally laden) and “hot” (i.e., emotionally laden) laboratory tasks. We searched Scopus and Medline to find relevant articles in Spanish and English, and divided the studies following two variables: cognitive processes (hot vs. cool) and EI instruments used (performance-based ability test, self-report ability test, and self-report mixed test). We identified 26 eligible studies. The results provide a fair amount of evidence that performance-based ability EI (but not self-report EI tests) is positively related with efficiency in hot cognitive tasks. EI, however, does not appear to be related with cool cognitive tasks: neither through self-reporting nor through performance-based ability instruments. These findings suggest that performance-based ability EI could improve individuals’ emotional information processing abilities. PMID:27303277

Aerobic Exercises for Cognition Rehabilitation following Stroke: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Zheng, Guohua; Zhou, Wenji; Xia, Rui; Tao, Jing; Chen, Lidian

2016-11-01

Cognitive impairments are highly prevalent in stroke survivors and can substantially affect their physical rehabilitation and quality of life. The management of these impairments currently remains limited, but increasing studies reported the effect of aerobic exercise on cognitive performance in patients suffering from stroke. The purpose of this review was to assess the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function following stroke. Seven electronic databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database [VIP], Wanfang, China Biology Medicine disc [CBM], Science Citation Index [SCI], EMBASE, and PubMed) were searched from their inception to May 31, 2015, for the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive ability compared to usual physical activity in stroke survivors. RevMan V5.3 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre) was used to analyze the data and to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Ten eligible studies including 394 participants were identified. Six studies showed that aerobic exercise significantly improved global cognitive ability in stroke survivors. Four studies reported aerobic exercise to be beneficial in improving memory, but only one showed statistical significance. Two studies investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on attention, and one showed a significant improvement. One study reported a significant benefit of aerobic exercise on visuospatial ability in stroke survivors. No adverse events were reported in the included studies. Aerobic exercise may have a positive effect on improving global cognitive ability and a potential benefit on memory, attention, and the visuospatial domain of cognition in stroke survivors. However, further large, rigorously designed trials are needed to confirm these findings. Copyright © 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiple sclerosis severity and concern about falling: Physical, cognitive and psychological mediating factors.

PubMed

van Vliet, Rob; Hoang, Phu; Lord, Stephen; Gandevia, Simon; Delbaere, Kim

2015-01-01

Concern about falling can have devastating physical and psychological consequences in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, little is known about physical and cognitive determinants for increased concern about falling inthis group. To investigate direct and indirect relationships between MS severity and concern about falling using structural equation modelling (SEM). Two hundred and ten community-dwelling people (21-73 years) with MS Disease Steps 0-5 completed several physical, cognitive and psychological assessments. Concern about falling was assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Concern about falling was significantly associated with MS Disease Step and also balance, muscle strength, disability, previous falls, and executive functioning. SEM revealed a strong direct path between MS Disease Step and concern about falling (r = 0.31, p <  0.01), as well as indirect paths explained by impaired physical ability (r = 0.25, p <  0.01) and reduced cognitive function (r = 0.13, p <  0.01). The final model explained 51% of the variance of concern about falling in people with MS and had an excellent goodness-of-fit. The relationship between MS severity and increased concern about falling was primarily mediated by reduced physical ability (especially if this resulted in disability and falls) and less so by executive functioning. This suggests people with MS have a realistic appraisal of their concern about falling.

2010 Neuroscience Director’s Strategic Initiative

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

distribution unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Understanding how Soldiers’ cognitive abilities meet the increasing demands of dynamic...In order to acquire, monitor, and assess Soldier sensory, perceptual, emotional, cognitive , and physical performance within realistic operational...brain state classification algorithm from EEG data acquired from participants performing tasks with varied cognitive demands. Third, Kaleb McDowell

Cognitive Abilities and Genotype in a Population-Based Sample of People with Prader-Willi Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, J.; Holland, A.; Webb, T.; Butler, J.; Clarke, D.; Boer, H.

2004-01-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by extreme floppiness at birth, impaired sexual development, short stature, severe over-eating, characteristic physical features and learning disabilities (LD). Impaired social cognition, literal mindedness and cognitive inflexibility are also present. The syndrome has two main genetic subtypes that…

STRAIGHT-A STUDENTS DISLIKE PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN ADOLESCENCE: MYTH OR TRUTH? THE AVENA, AFINOS AND UP&DOWN STUDIES.

PubMed

Cañadas, Laura; Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Ortega, Francisco B; Gomez-Martinez, Sonia; Casajús, José Antonio; Cabero, María Jesús; Calle, Maria E; Marcos, Ascensión; Veiga, Oscar L; Martinez-Gomez, David

2015-07-01

to examine if those adolescents who dislike physical education classes get better results on academic and cognitive performance than their peers. participants included 4 226 adolescents from the AVENA, AFINOS and UP&DOWN studies. Physical education enjoyment was assessed with a 7-point Likert scale. Cognitive performance in the AVENA study was assessed using the Spanish version of the SRA Test of Educational Ability. Academic performance in the AFINOS and UP&DOWN studies was assessed through Mathematics and Language grades and the average of both subjects. in the AVENA study we found differences in verbal ability among girls who dislike physical education and their peers (P = 0.033). In the AFINOS study, boys who dislike physical education had higher scores in Language than their peers (P = 0.024). In the UP&DOWN study girls who disliked physical education had higher scores in Language and in the average of Language and Mathematics than their peers (P < 0.001). in the AVENA and AFINOS studies adolescents who disliked physical education had similar results in cognitive and academic performance than their peers, but in the UP&DOWN study girls who disliked physical education showed higher results in academic performance than their peers. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Associations Among Pubertal Development, Empathic Ability, and Neural Responses While Witnessing Peer Rejection in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Masten, Carrie L.; Eisenberger, Naomi I.; Pfeifer, Jennifer H.; Colich, Natalie L.; Dapretto, Mirella

2012-01-01

Links among concurrent and longitudinal changes in pubertal development and empathic ability from age 10 to 13 and neural responses while witnessing peer rejection at age 13 were examined in 16 participants. More advanced pubertal development at age 13, and greater longitudinal increases in pubertal development, related to increased activity in regions underlying cognitive aspects of empathy. Likewise, at age 13 greater perspective taking related to activity in cognitive empathy-related regions; however, affective components of empathy (empathic concern and personal distress) were additionally associated with activity in affective pain-related regions. Longitudinal increases in empathic ability related to cognitive and affective empathy-related circuitry. Findings provide preliminary evidence that physical and cognitive-emotional development relate to adolescents’ neural responses when witnessing peer rejection. PMID:23379360

Cup Stacking: Does It Deserve a Place in Physical Education Curricula?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Udermann, Brian E.; Murray, Steven R.

2006-01-01

Cup stacking has become commonplace in today's physical education nomenclature. Proponents make claims that cup stacking improves cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities. At physical education conferences, scores of professional physical educators eagerly watch cup stacking representatives construct and deconstruct a variety of pyramids…

Motor and cognitive growth following a Football Training Program.

PubMed

Alesi, Marianna; Bianco, Antonino; Padulo, Johnny; Luppina, Giorgio; Petrucci, Marco; Paoli, Antonio; Palma, Antonio; Pepi, Annamaria

2015-01-01

Motor and cognitive growth in children may be influenced by football practice. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess whether a Football Training Program taken over 6 months would improve motor and cognitive performances in children. Motor skills concerned coordinative skills, running, and explosive legs strength. Cognitive abilities involved visual discrimination times and visual selective attention times. Forty-six children with chronological age of ∼9.10 years, were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 24) attended a Football Exercise Program and Group 2 (n = 22) was composed of sedentary children. Their abilities were measured by a battery of tests including motor and cognitive tasks. Football Exercise Program resulted in improved running, coordination, and explosive leg strength performances as well as shorter visual discrimination times in children regularly attending football courses compared with their sedentary peers. On the whole these results support the thesis that the improvement of motor and cognitive abilities is related not only to general physical activity but also to specific ability related to the ball. Football Exercise Programs is assumed to be a "natural and enjoyable tool" to enhance cognitive resources as well as promoting and encouraging the participation in sport activities from early development.

Motor and cognitive growth following a Football Training Program

PubMed Central

Alesi, Marianna; Bianco, Antonino; Padulo, Johnny; Luppina, Giorgio; Petrucci, Marco; Paoli, Antonio; Palma, Antonio; Pepi, Annamaria

2015-01-01

Motor and cognitive growth in children may be influenced by football practice. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess whether a Football Training Program taken over 6 months would improve motor and cognitive performances in children. Motor skills concerned coordinative skills, running, and explosive legs strength. Cognitive abilities involved visual discrimination times and visual selective attention times. Forty-six children with chronological age of ∼9.10 years, were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 24) attended a Football Exercise Program and Group 2 (n = 22) was composed of sedentary children. Their abilities were measured by a battery of tests including motor and cognitive tasks. Football Exercise Program resulted in improved running, coordination, and explosive leg strength performances as well as shorter visual discrimination times in children regularly attending football courses compared with their sedentary peers. On the whole these results support the thesis that the improvement of motor and cognitive abilities is related not only to general physical activity but also to specific ability related to the ball. Football Exercise Programs is assumed to be a “natural and enjoyable tool” to enhance cognitive resources as well as promoting and encouraging the participation in sport activities from early development. PMID:26579014

A dynamic auditory-cognitive system supports speech-in-noise perception in older adults

PubMed Central

Anderson, Samira; White-Schwoch, Travis; Parbery-Clark, Alexandra; Kraus, Nina

2013-01-01

Understanding speech in noise is one of the most complex activities encountered in everyday life, relying on peripheral hearing, central auditory processing, and cognition. These abilities decline with age, and so older adults are often frustrated by a reduced ability to communicate effectively in noisy environments. Many studies have examined these factors independently; in the last decade, however, the idea of the auditory-cognitive system has emerged, recognizing the need to consider the processing of complex sounds in the context of dynamic neural circuits. Here, we use structural equation modeling to evaluate interacting contributions of peripheral hearing, central processing, cognitive ability, and life experiences to understanding speech in noise. We recruited 120 older adults (ages 55 to 79) and evaluated their peripheral hearing status, cognitive skills, and central processing. We also collected demographic measures of life experiences, such as physical activity, intellectual engagement, and musical training. In our model, central processing and cognitive function predicted a significant proportion of variance in the ability to understand speech in noise. To a lesser extent, life experience predicted hearing-in-noise ability through modulation of brainstem function. Peripheral hearing levels did not significantly contribute to the model. Previous musical experience modulated the relative contributions of cognitive ability and lifestyle factors to hearing in noise. Our models demonstrate the complex interactions required to hear in noise and the importance of targeting cognitive function, lifestyle, and central auditory processing in the management of individuals who are having difficulty hearing in noise. PMID:23541911

14 CFR Special Federal Aviation... - Rules for use of portable oxygen concentrator systems on board aircraft

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... must be capable of hearing the unit's alarms, seeing the alarm light indicators, and have the cognitive... licensed physician that: (i) States whether the user of the device has the physical and cognitive ability...

Pilot Cognitive Functioning and Training Outcomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

reducing physical stress and damage to the airframe. In summary, there has been extensive research in the USAF on the use of cognitive ability tests...has amassed a body of knowledge about many topics Comprehension Measures “social acculturation ,” “social intelligence,” and the conventional

Increasing Asian International College Students' Physical Activity Behavior: A Review of the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yan, Zi; Cardinal, Bradley J.

2013-01-01

Asian students attending American colleges and universities report relatively low levels of physical activity participation, which may hinder their ability to realize their full human potential (i.e., cognitively, physically, socially). This paper reviewed the possible reasons underlying their generally inactive lifestyle, addressed the importance…

Daily Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Variability in Older Adults.

PubMed

Phillips, Christine B; Edwards, Jerri D; Andel, Ross; Kilpatrick, Marcus

2016-04-01

Physical activity (PA) is believed to preserve cognitive function in older adulthood, though little is known about these relationships within the context of daily life. The present microlongitudinal pilot study explored within- and between-person relationships between daily PA and cognitive function and also examined within-person effect sizes in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Fifty-one healthy participants (mean age = 70.1 years) wore an accelerometer and completed a cognitive assessment battery for five days. There were no significant associations between cognitive task performance and participants' daily or average PA over the study period. Effect size estimates indicated that PA explained 0-24% of within-person variability in cognitive function, depending on cognitive task and PA dose. Results indicate that PA may have near-term cognitive effects and should be explored as a possible strategy to enhance older adults' ability to perform cognitively complex activities within the context of daily living.

Does cognitive ability buffer the link between childhood disadvantage and adult health?

PubMed

Bridger, Emma; Daly, Michael

2017-10-01

Individual differences in childhood cognitive ability have been neglected in the study of how early life psychosocial factors may buffer the long-term health consequences of social disadvantage. In this study, we drew on rich data from two large British cohorts to test whether high levels of cognitive ability may protect children from experiencing the physical and mental health consequences of early life socioeconomic disadvantage. Participants from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS; N = 11,522) were followed from birth to age 42, and those from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS; N = 13,213) were followed from birth to age 50. Childhood social disadvantage was indexed using 6 indicators gauging parental education, occupational prestige, and housing characteristics (i.e., housing tenure and home crowding). Standardized assessments of cognitive ability were completed at ages 10 (BCS) and 11 (NCDS) years. Psychological distress, self-rated health, and all-cause mortality were examined from early adulthood to midlife in both cohorts. Early social disadvantage predicted elevated levels of psychological distress and lower levels of self-rated health in both cohorts and higher mortality risk in the NCDS. Childhood cognitive ability moderated each of these relationships such that the link between early life social disadvantage and poor health in adulthood was markedly stronger at low (-1 SD) compared to high (+1 SD) levels of childhood cognitive ability. This study provides evidence that high childhood cognitive ability is associated with a decrease in the strength of socioeconomic status-driven health inequalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

A dynamic auditory-cognitive system supports speech-in-noise perception in older adults.

PubMed

Anderson, Samira; White-Schwoch, Travis; Parbery-Clark, Alexandra; Kraus, Nina

2013-06-01

Understanding speech in noise is one of the most complex activities encountered in everyday life, relying on peripheral hearing, central auditory processing, and cognition. These abilities decline with age, and so older adults are often frustrated by a reduced ability to communicate effectively in noisy environments. Many studies have examined these factors independently; in the last decade, however, the idea of an auditory-cognitive system has emerged, recognizing the need to consider the processing of complex sounds in the context of dynamic neural circuits. Here, we used structural equation modeling to evaluate the interacting contributions of peripheral hearing, central processing, cognitive ability, and life experiences to understanding speech in noise. We recruited 120 older adults (ages 55-79) and evaluated their peripheral hearing status, cognitive skills, and central processing. We also collected demographic measures of life experiences, such as physical activity, intellectual engagement, and musical training. In our model, central processing and cognitive function predicted a significant proportion of variance in the ability to understand speech in noise. To a lesser extent, life experience predicted hearing-in-noise ability through modulation of brainstem function. Peripheral hearing levels did not significantly contribute to the model. Previous musical experience modulated the relative contributions of cognitive ability and lifestyle factors to hearing in noise. Our models demonstrate the complex interactions required to hear in noise and the importance of targeting cognitive function, lifestyle, and central auditory processing in the management of individuals who are having difficulty hearing in noise. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exergaming: Hope for future physical activity? or blight on mankind?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Higher levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and maybe even light physical activity, have been related to better health, motor skills, and cognitive outcomes in virtually all age and ability groups. However, most people in general are not prone to enjoy and participate in substantial amo...

Predicting Physical Activity in Arab American School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jeffrey J.; McCaughtry, Nate; Shen, Bo

2008-01-01

Theoretically grounded research on the determinants of Arab American children's physical activity is virtually nonexistent. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social cognitive theory (SCT) to predict Arab American children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).…

Varying Associations Between Body Mass Index and Physical and Cognitive Function in Three Samples of Older Adults Living in Different Settings.

PubMed

Kiesswetter, Eva; Schrader, Eva; Diekmann, Rebecca; Sieber, Cornel Christian; Volkert, Dorothee

2015-10-01

The study investigates variations in the associations between body mass index (BMI) and (a) physical and (b) cognitive function across three samples of older adults living in different settings, and moreover determines if the association between BMI and physical function is confounded by cognitive abilities. One hundred ninety-five patients of a geriatric day hospital, 322 persons receiving home care (HC), and 183 nursing home (NH) residents were examined regarding BMI, cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination), and physical function (Barthel Index for activities of daily living). Differences in Mini-Mental State Examination and activities of daily living scores between BMI groups (<22, 22-<25, 25-<30, 30-<35, ≥35kg/m(2)) were tested by analysis of covariance considering relevant confounders. Activities of daily living and Mini-Mental State Examination impairments increased from the geriatric day hospital over the HC to the NH sample, whereas prevalence rates of obesity and severe obesity (35%, 33%, 25%) decreased. In geriatric day hospital patients cognitive and physical function did not differ between BMI groups. In the HC and NH samples, cognitive abilities were highest in obese and severely obese subjects. Unadjusted mean activities of daily living scores differed between BMI groups in HC receivers (51.6±32.2, 61.8±26.1, 67.5±28.3, 72.0±23.4, 66.2±24.2, p = .002) and NH residents (35.6±28.6, 48.1±25.7, 39.9±28.7, 50.8±24.0, 57.1±28.2, p = .029). In both samples significance was lost after adjustment indicating cognitive function as dominant confounder. In older adults the associations between BMI and physical and cognitive function were dependent on the health and care status corresponding to the setting. In the HC and the NH samples, cognitive status, as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination, emerged as an important confounder within the association between BMI and physical function. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Context-Specific Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior With Cognition in Children.

PubMed

Aggio, Daniel; Smith, Lee; Fisher, Abigail; Hamer, Mark

2016-06-15

In the present study, we investigated how overall and specific domains of physical activity and sedentary behavior at the age of 7 years were associated with cognition at the age of 11 years in 8,462 children from the Millennium Cohort Study. Data were collected from 2001 to 2013. Participation in domains of physical activity and sedentary behavior at 7 years of age were reported. Activity levels were also measured objectively. Cognition was assessed using the British Ability Scales. General linear models were used to assess longitudinal associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior, measured both objectively and via self-report, with cognition. Analyses were adjusted for prespecified covariates. Sports/physical activity club attendance (B = 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.2, 1.1), doing homework (B = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.0, 0.9), and objectively measured sedentary time (B = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.1, 1.4) at age 7 years were positively associated with cognition at age 11 years in final the models. Television viewing was negatively associated with cognition (B = -1.7, 95% CI: -2.4, -1.0), although the association was attenuated to the null after adjustments for baseline cognition. Objectively measured light physical activity was inversely associated with cognition (B = -0.7, 95% CI: -1.3, -0.1). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was also inversely associated with cognition in girls only (B = -1.1, 95% CI: -2.0, -0.3). Associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with cognition appear to be context-specific in young people. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Influence of Learning Strategy of Cognitive Conflict on Student Misconception in Computational Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akmam, A.; Anshari, R.; Amir, H.; Jalinus, N.; Amran, A.

2018-04-01

Misconception is one of the factors causing students are not suitable in to choose a method for problem solving. Computational Physics course is a major subject in the Department of Physics FMIPA UNP Padang. The problem in Computational Physics learning lately is that students have difficulties in constructing knowledge. The indication of this problem was the student learning outcomes do not achieve mastery learning. The root of the problem is the ability of students to think critically weak. Student critical thinking can be improved using cognitive by conflict learning strategies. The research aims to determine the effect of cognitive conflict learning strategy to student misconception on the subject of Computational Physics Course at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Universitas Negeri Padang. The experimental research design conducted after-before design cycles with a sample of 60 students by cluster random sampling. Data were analyzed using repeated Anova measurements. The cognitive conflict learning strategy has a significant effect on student misconception in the subject of Computational Physics Course.

Physical exercise improves strength, balance, mobility, and endurance in people with cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Lam, Freddy Mh; Huang, Mei-Zhen; Liao, Lin-Rong; Chung, Raymond Ck; Kwok, Timothy Cy; Pang, Marco Yc

2018-01-01

Does physical exercise training improve physical function and quality of life in people with cognitive impairment and dementia? Which training protocols improve physical function and quality of life? How do cognitive impairment and other patient characteristics influence the outcomes of exercise training? Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised trials. People with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as the primary diagnosis. Physical exercise. Strength, flexibility, gait, balance, mobility, walking endurance, dual-task ability, activities of daily living, quality of life, and falls. Forty-three clinical trials (n=3988) were included. According to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system, the meta-analyses revealed strong evidence in support of using supervised exercise training to improve the results of 30-second sit-to-stand test (MD 2.1 repetitions, 95% CI 0.3 to 3.9), step length (MD 5cm, 95% CI 2 to 8), Berg Balance Scale (MD 3.6 points, 95% CI 0.3 to 7.0), functional reach (3.9cm, 95% CI 2.2 to 5.5), Timed Up and Go test (-1second, 95% CI -2 to 0), walking speed (0.13m/s, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.24), and 6-minute walk test (50m, 95% CI 18 to 81) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Weak evidence supported the use of exercise in improving flexibility and Barthel Index performance. Weak evidence suggested that non-specific exercise did not improve dual-tasking ability or activity level. Strong evidence indicated that exercise did not improve quality of life in this population. The effect of exercise on falls remained inconclusive. Poorer physical function was a determinant of better response to exercise training, but cognitive performance did not have an impact. People with various levels of cognitive impairment can benefit from supervised multi-modal exercise for about 60minutes a day, 2 to 3days a week to improve physical function. [Lam FMH , Huang MZ, Liao LR, Chung RCK, Kwok TCY, Pang MYC (2018) Physical exercise improves strength, balance, mobility, and endurance in people with cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy 64: 4-15]. Copyright © 2017 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the role of exchange of power and information signals in control and stability of the human-robot interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazerooni, H.

1991-01-01

A human's ability to perform physical tasks is limited, not only by his intelligence, but by his physical strength. If, in an appropriate environment, a machine's mechanical power is closely integrated with a human arm's mechanical power under the control of the human intellect, the resulting system will be superior to a loosely integrated combination of a human and a fully automated robot. Therefore, we must develop a fundamental solution to the problem of 'extending' human mechanical power. The work presented here defines 'extenders' as a class of robot manipulators worn by humans to increase human mechanical strength, while the wearer's intellect remains the central control system for manipulating the extender. The human, in physical contact with the extender, exchanges power and information signals with the extender. The aim is to determine the fundamental building blocks of an intelligent controller, a controller which allows interaction between humans and a broad class of computer-controlled machines via simultaneous exchange of both power and information signals. The prevalent trend in automation has been to physically separate the human from the machine so the human must always send information signals via an intermediary device (e.g., joystick, pushbutton, light switch). Extenders, however are perfect examples of self-powered machines that are built and controlled for the optimal exchange of power and information signals with humans. The human wearing the extender is in physical contact with the machine, so power transfer is unavoidable and information signals from the human help to control the machine. Commands are transferred to the extender via the contact forces and the EMG signals between the wearer and the extender. The extender augments human motor ability without accepting any explicit commands: it accepts the EMG signals and the contact force between the person's arm and the extender, and the extender 'translates' them into a desired position. In this unique configuration, mechanical power transfer between the human and the extender occurs because the human is pushing against the extender. The extender transfers to the human's hand, in feedback fashion, a scaled-down version of the actual external load which the extender is manipulating. This natural feedback force on the human's hand allows him to 'feel' a modified version of the external forces on the extender. The information signals from the human (e.g., EMG signals) to the computer reflect human cognitive ability, and the power transfer between the human and the machine (e.g., physical interaction) reflects human physical ability. Thus the information transfer to the machine augments cognitive ability, and the power transfer augments motor ability. These two actions are coupled through the human cognitive/motor dynamic behavior. The goal is to derive the control rules for a class of computer-controlled machines that augment human physical and cognitive abilities in certain manipulative tasks.

Neuroprotective effects of physical activity on the brain: a closer look at trophic factor signaling

PubMed Central

Phillips, Cristy; Baktir, Mehmet Akif; Srivatsan, Malathi; Salehi, Ahmad

2014-01-01

While the relationship between increased physical activity and cognitive ability has been conjectured for centuries, only recently have the mechanisms underlying this relationship began to emerge. Convergent evidence suggests that physical activity offers an affordable and effective method to improve cognitive function in all ages, particularly the elderly who are most vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to improving cardiac and immune function, physical activity alters trophic factor signaling and, in turn, neuronal function and structure in areas critical for cognition. Sustained exercise plays a role in modulating anti-inflammatory effects and may play a role in preserving cognitive function in aging and neuropathological conditions. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that myokines released by exercising muscles affect the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor synthesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a finding that could lead to the identification of new and therapeutically important mediating factors. Given the growing number of individuals with cognitive impairments worldwide, a better understanding of how these factors contribute to cognition is imperative, and constitutes an important first step toward developing non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies to improve cognition in vulnerable populations. PMID:24999318

Neuroprotective effects of physical activity on the brain: a closer look at trophic factor signaling.

PubMed

Phillips, Cristy; Baktir, Mehmet Akif; Srivatsan, Malathi; Salehi, Ahmad

2014-01-01

While the relationship between increased physical activity and cognitive ability has been conjectured for centuries, only recently have the mechanisms underlying this relationship began to emerge. Convergent evidence suggests that physical activity offers an affordable and effective method to improve cognitive function in all ages, particularly the elderly who are most vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to improving cardiac and immune function, physical activity alters trophic factor signaling and, in turn, neuronal function and structure in areas critical for cognition. Sustained exercise plays a role in modulating anti-inflammatory effects and may play a role in preserving cognitive function in aging and neuropathological conditions. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that myokines released by exercising muscles affect the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor synthesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a finding that could lead to the identification of new and therapeutically important mediating factors. Given the growing number of individuals with cognitive impairments worldwide, a better understanding of how these factors contribute to cognition is imperative, and constitutes an important first step toward developing non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies to improve cognition in vulnerable populations.

Physical frailty is associated with incident mild cognitive impairment in community-based older persons.

PubMed

Boyle, Patricia A; Buchman, Aron S; Wilson, Robert S; Leurgans, Sue E; Bennett, David A

2010-02-01

To test the hypothesis that physical frailty is associated with risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Prospective, observational cohort study. Approximately 40 retirement communities across the Chicago metropolitan area. More than 750 older persons without cognitive impairment at baseline. Physical frailty, based on four components (grip strength, timed walk, body composition, and fatigue), was assessed at baseline, and cognitive function was assessed annually. Proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, and education were used to examine the association between physical frailty and the risk of incident MCI, and mixed effect models were used to examine the association between frailty and the rate of change in cognition. During up to 12 years of annual follow-up, 305 of 761 (40%) persons developed MCI. In a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education, physical frailty was associated with a high risk of incident MCI, such that each one-unit increase in physical frailty was associated with a 63% increase in the risk of MCI (hazard ratio=1.63; 95% confidence interval=1.27-2.08). This association persisted in analyses that required MCI to persist for at least 1 year and after controlling for depressive symptoms, disability, vascular risk factors, and vascular diseases. Furthermore, a higher level of physical frailty was associated with a faster rate of decline in global cognition and five cognitive systems (episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial abilities). Physical frailty is associated with risk of MCI and a rapid rate of cognitive decline in aging.

The physical phenotype of frailty for risk stratification of older medical inpatients.

PubMed

Forti, P; Maioli, F; Zagni, E; Lucassenn, T; Montanari, L; Maltoni, B; Luca Pirazzoli, G; Bianchi, G; Zoli, M

2014-12-01

To determine the usefulness of physical phenotype of frailty, cognitive impairment, and serum albumin for risk stratification of elderly medical impatients. Prospective, observational cohort study. A general internal medicine unit of a university hospital in Italy. Inpatients with an average age of 80.8 ± 7.5 yr (N = 470). Frailty was defined using the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Index, a parsimonious version of the physical phenotype (two of the following markers: weight loss, inability to rise five times from a chair, and exhaustion). Two frailty markers from non-physical dimensions were also evaluated: cognitive impairment (Mini-Cog score < 3) and low serum albumin on ward admission (< 3,5 gr/dl). Logistic regression adjusted for preadmission and admission-related confounders was used to investigate whether the physical phenotype of frailty and the two non-physical markers were associated with ward length of stay and unfavorable discharge (death plus any other ward discharge disposition different from direct return home). Areas Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUCs) and Likelihood Ratios (LRs) were used for evaluation of discriminatory ability and clinical usefulness of significant predictors. The physical phenotype of frailty was associated with both study outcomes (p < 0.010) but the association was mainly mediated by chair standing ability. Non-physical markers were associated only with unfavourable discharge (p < 0.001). All of these predictors, either alone or in combination, had poor discriminatory ability (AUCs < 0.70) and poor clinical usefulness (+LRs near 1) for the study outcomes. The physical phenotype of frailty appears of limited clinical use for risk stratification of older medical inpatients. Combination with markers from non-physical dimensions does not improve its prognostic abilities.

Interrelationship of oral health status, swallowing function, nutritional status, and cognitive ability with activities of daily living in Japanese elderly people receiving home care services due to physical disabilities.

PubMed

Furuta, Michiko; Komiya-Nonaka, Manae; Akifusa, Sumio; Shimazaki, Yoshihiro; Adachi, Munehisa; Kinoshita, Toshinori; Kikutani, Takeshi; Yamashita, Yoshihisa

2013-04-01

Malnutrition and cognitive impairment lead to declines in activities of daily living (ADL). Nutritional status and cognitive ability have been shown to correlate with oral health status and swallowing function. However, the complex relationship among the factors that affect decline in ADL is not understood. We examined direct and indirect relationships among oral health status, swallowing function, nutritional status, cognitive ability, and ADL in Japanese elderly people living at home and receiving home care services because of physical disabilities. Participants were 286 subjects aged 60 years and older (mean age, 84.5±7.9 years) living at home and receiving home care services. Oral health status (the number of teeth and wearing dentures) was assessed, and swallowing function was examined using cervical auscultation. Additionally, ADL, cognitive ability, and nutritional status were assessed using the Barthel Index, the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, and the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, respectively. Path analysis was used to test pathways from these factors to ADL. The mean number of teeth present in the participants was 8.6±9.9 (edentates, 40.6%). Dysphagia, malnutrition, and severe cognitive impairment were found in 31.1%, 14.0%, and 21.3% of the participants, respectively. Path analysis indicated that poor oral health status and cognitive impairment had a direct effect on denture wearing, and the consequent dysphagia, in addition to cognitive impairment, was positively associated with malnutrition. Malnutrition as well as dysphagia and cognitive impairment directly limited ADL. A lower number of teeth are positively related to swallowing dysfunction, whereas denture wearing contributes to recovery of swallowing function. Dysphagia, cognitive impairment, and malnutrition directly and indirectly decreased ADL in elderly people living at home and receiving home nursing care. The findings suggest that preventing tooth loss and encouraging denture wearing when teeth are lost may indirectly contribute to maintaining or improving ADL, mediated by recovery of swallowing function and nutritional status. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Profile of Cognitive Ability and Multiple Intelligence of Vocational Students in Application of Electric Energy Conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, A.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Kaniawati, I.; Hasanah, L.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to obtain a profile picture of cognitive ability and multiple intelligence of students on physics learning activities in relation to the discourse of conservation of electrical energy. Research activities are conducted in the even semester of the 2015/2016 school year. The subjects of the study were the students of class XI (36 students) in one of the state vocational schools in Bandung consisting of one class chosen at random (cluster random sampling). Research data in the form of cognitive ability test results and multiple intelligences are analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Research data is then analyzed and compared with predetermined success indicators. The results showed that the cognitive abilities profile of students in vocational schools in Bandung is still low. This can be seen from the average score of cognitive ability of students in remember (C1) of 57.75, understanding (C2) of 53.50, applying (C3) of 43.75, and analyzing (C4) of 37.75. The multiple intelligence profiles indicate frequency of linguistic intelligence number 9 students, musical intelligence 3 students, logical mathematical intelligence 13 students, spatial intelligence 7 students, kinesthetic intelligence 5 students, intrapersonal intelligence 7 students, interpersonal intelligence 6 students, and naturalistic intelligence 5 students.

Childhood cognitive ability and body composition in adulthood.

PubMed

Kumpulainen, S M; Heinonen, K; Salonen, M K; Andersson, S; Wolke, D; Kajantie, E; Eriksson, J G; Raikkonen, K

2016-08-15

Childhood cognitive ability has been identified as a novel risk factor for adulthood overweight and obesity as assessed by adult body mass index (BMI). BMI does not, however, distinguish fat-free and metabolically harmful fat tissue. Hence, we examined the associations between childhood cognitive abilities and body fat percentage (BF%) in young adulthood. Participants of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study (n=816) underwent tests of general reasoning, visuomotor integration, verbal competence and language comprehension (M=100; s.d.=15) at the age of 56 months. At the age of 25 years, they underwent a clinical examination, including measurements of BF% by the InBody 3.0 eight-polar tactile electrode system, weight and height from which BMI (kg m(-2)) was calculated and waist circumference (cm). After adjustments for sex, age and BMI-for-age s.d. score at 56 months, lower general reasoning and visuomotor integration in childhood predicted higher BMI (kg m(-2)) increase per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (-0.32, 95% confidence interval -0.60,-0.05; -0.45, -0.75,-0.14, respectively) and waist circumference (cm) increase per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (-0.84, -1.56,-0.11; -1.07,-1.88,-0.26, respectively) in adulthood. In addition, lower visuomotor integration predicted higher BF% per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (-0.62,-1.14,-0.09). Associations between general reasoning and BMI/waist were attenuated when adjusted for smoking, alcohol consumption, intake of fruits and vegetables and physical activity in adulthood, and all associations, except for visuomotor integration and BMI, were attenuated when adjusted for parental and/or own attained education and/or birth weight. Of the measured childhood cognitive abilities, only lower visuomotor integration was associated with BF% in adulthood. This challenges the view that cognitive ability, at least when measured in early childhood, poses a risk for adiposity in adulthood, as characterized by higher BF%.

Functional and physical abilities in the early continuum of cognitive decline.

PubMed

Shin, Joon-Ho; Lim, Jae-Young; Kim, Ki Woong; Kim, Suyoung; Lee, Jaebong; Paik, Nam-Jong

2015-01-01

The early cognitive continuum has been emphasized recently. We sought to characterize the functional and physical aspects of the cognitive continuum in subjects with no cognitive impairment (NCI), subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), nonamnestic (NA-MCI), and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (A-MCI). Furthermore, we identified the potential diagnostic utility of specific functional tasks. A total of 702 participants, aged ≥65 years and defined as NCI, SCI, NA-MCI, and A-MCI according to the original Petersen criteria, were included. They completed the Korean basic (K-ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scales (K-IADL) and the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA). Significant differences were observed between the different cognitive status groups in three items and total scores on the K-ADL, six items and total scores on the K-IADL and POMA. Controlling for confounding factors revealed that subjects from the A-MCI group performed poorly at bathing, shopping, handling money, and the sum of assorted functional items. These findings demonstrated the declining feature of functional and physical performance according to the cognitive continuum, with A-MCI being discriminative with respect to specific functional tasks as compared to milder cognitive statuses. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Beliefs about age-related changes in physical functioning across the adult life span and their relationship with physical activity levels of older adults.

PubMed

Lineweaver, Tara T; Kugler, Jennifer; Rabellino, Alessandra; Stephan, Yannick

2018-07-01

Physical activity declines across the adult life span despite the well-established links between physical activity and health-related, psychological, cognitive, and social benefits. We contrasted the beliefs young and older adults hold about how aging affects both physical abilities and physical activity and determined whether older adults' beliefs about physical aging relate to their engagement in physical activity. Using visual rating scales, 56 young and 49 community-dwelling older adults indicated the extent to which a typical woman or typical man aged 20-90 possesses six different physical abilities and engages in three different types of physical activity. Stereotypes of physical aging were ability- and activity-specific, and older adults endorsed more positive views than their younger peers. Stereotypical beliefs predicted older adults' engagement in moderate-intensity activity. This study offers intriguing avenues for future research and suggests that better understanding physical aging stereotypes may contribute toward designing interventions that promote lifelong physical activity.

Secular rise in economically valuable personality traits.

PubMed

Jokela, Markus; Pekkarinen, Tuomas; Sarvimäki, Matti; Terviö, Marko; Uusitalo, Roope

2017-06-20

Although trends in many physical characteristics and cognitive capabilities of modern humans are well-documented, less is known about how personality traits have evolved over time. We analyze data from a standardized personality test administered to 79% of Finnish men born between 1962 and 1976 ( n = 419,523) and find steady increases in personality traits that predict higher income in later life. The magnitudes of these trends are similar to the simultaneous increase in cognitive abilities, at 0.2-0.6 SD during the 15-y window. When anchored to earnings, the change in personality traits amounts to a 12% increase. Both personality and cognitive ability have consistent associations with family background, but the trends are similar across groups defined by parental income, parental education, number of siblings, and rural/urban status. Nevertheless, much of the trends in test scores can be attributed to changes in the family background composition, namely 33% for personality and 64% for cognitive ability. These composition effects are mostly due to improvements in parents' education. We conclude that there is a "Flynn effect" for personality that mirrors the original Flynn effect for cognitive ability in magnitude and practical significance but is less driven by compositional changes in family background.

Secular rise in economically valuable personality traits

PubMed Central

Jokela, Markus; Pekkarinen, Tuomas; Sarvimäki, Matti; Terviö, Marko; Uusitalo, Roope

2017-01-01

Although trends in many physical characteristics and cognitive capabilities of modern humans are well-documented, less is known about how personality traits have evolved over time. We analyze data from a standardized personality test administered to 79% of Finnish men born between 1962 and 1976 (n = 419,523) and find steady increases in personality traits that predict higher income in later life. The magnitudes of these trends are similar to the simultaneous increase in cognitive abilities, at 0.2–0.6 SD during the 15-y window. When anchored to earnings, the change in personality traits amounts to a 12% increase. Both personality and cognitive ability have consistent associations with family background, but the trends are similar across groups defined by parental income, parental education, number of siblings, and rural/urban status. Nevertheless, much of the trends in test scores can be attributed to changes in the family background composition, namely 33% for personality and 64% for cognitive ability. These composition effects are mostly due to improvements in parents’ education. We conclude that there is a “Flynn effect” for personality that mirrors the original Flynn effect for cognitive ability in magnitude and practical significance but is less driven by compositional changes in family background. PMID:28584092

Using Lego robots to estimate cognitive ability in children who have severe physical disabilities.

PubMed

Cook, Albert M; Adams, Kim; Volden, Joanne; Harbottle, Norma; Harbottle, Cheryl

2011-01-01

To determine whether low-cost robots provide a means by which children with severe disabilities can demonstrate understanding of cognitive concepts. Ten children, ages 4 to 10, diagnosed with cerebral palsy and related motor conditions, participated. Participants had widely variable motor, cognitive and receptive language skills, but all were non-speaking. A Lego Invention 'roverbot' was used to carry out a range of functional tasks from single-switch replay of pre-stored movements to total control of the movement in two dimensions. The level of sophistication achieved on hierarchically arranged play tasks was used to estimate cognitive skills. The 10 children performed at one of the six hierarchically arranged levels from 'no interaction' through 'simple cause and effect' to 'development and execution of a plan'. Teacher interviews revealed that children were interested in the robot, enjoyed interacting with it and demonstrated changes in behaviour and social and language skills following interaction. Children with severe physical disabilities can control a Lego robot to perform un-structured play tasks. In some cases, they were able to display more sophisticated cognitive skills through manipulating the robot than in traditional standardised tests. Success with the robot could be a proxy measure for children who have cognitive abilities but cannot demonstrate them in standard testing.

A Longitudinal Examination of Performance Decline in Champion Golfers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, J.; Horton, S.; Pearce, W.; Deakin, J. M.

2005-01-01

The maintenance of skilled performance is of increasing interest and importance in our aging society. Bortz and Bortz (1996) suggested that cognitive and physical abilities decline at a rate of 0.5% per year from peak performance. However, examinations of expert performance in cognitive-motor activities suggest that performance in these areas can…

Age differences in cognitive performance in later life: relationships to self-reported health and activity life style.

PubMed

Hultsch, D F; Hammer, M; Small, B J

1993-01-01

The predictive relationships among individual differences in self-reported physical health and activity life style and performance on an array of information processing and intellectual ability measures were examined. A sample of 484 men and women aged 55 to 86 years completed a battery of cognitive tasks measuring verbal processing time, working memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, world knowledge, word recall, and text recall. Hierarchical regression was used to predict performance on these tasks from measures of self-reported physical health, alcohol and tobacco use, and level of participation in everyday activities. The results indicated: (a) individual differences in self-reported health and activity predicted performance on multiple cognitive measures; (b) self-reported health was more predictive of processing resource variables than knowledge-based abilities; (c) interaction effects indicated that participation in cognitively demanding activities was more highly related to performance on some measures for older adults than for middle-aged adults; and (d) age-related differences in performance on multiple measures were attenuated by partialing individual differences in self-reported health and activity.

An eye-tracking controlled neuropsychological battery for cognitive assessment in neurological diseases.

PubMed

Poletti, Barbara; Carelli, Laura; Solca, Federica; Lafronza, Annalisa; Pedroli, Elisa; Faini, Andrea; Zago, Stefano; Ticozzi, Nicola; Ciammola, Andrea; Morelli, Claudia; Meriggi, Paolo; Cipresso, Pietro; Lulé, Dorothée; Ludolph, Albert C; Riva, Giuseppe; Silani, Vincenzo

2017-04-01

Traditional cognitive assessment in neurological conditions involving physical disability is often prevented by the presence of verbal-motor impairment; to date, an extensive motor-verbal-free neuropsychological battery is not available for such purposes. We adapted a set of neuropsychological tests, assessing language, attentional abilities, executive functions and social cognition, for eye-tracking (ET) control, and explored its feasibility in a sample of healthy participants. Thirty healthy subjects performed a neuropsychological assessment, using an ET-based neuropsychological battery, together with standard "paper and pencil" cognitive measures for frontal (Frontal Assessment Battery-FAB) and working memory abilities (Digit Sequencing Task) and for global cognitive efficiency (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MoCA). Psychological measures of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y-STAI-Y) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI) were also collected, and a usability questionnaire was administered. Significant correlations were observed between the "paper and pencil" screening of working memory abilities and the ET-based neuropsychological measures. The ET-based battery also correlated with the MoCA, while poor correlations were observed with the FAB. Usability aspects were found to be influenced by both working memory abilities and psychological components. The ET-based neuropsychological battery developed could provide an extensive assessment of cognitive functions, allowing participants to perform tasks independently from the integrity of motor or verbal channels. Further studies will be aimed at investigating validity and usability components in neurological populations with motor-verbal impairments.

Physics of the Mind.

PubMed

Perlovsky, Leonid I

2016-01-01

Is it possible to turn psychology into "hard science"? Physics of the mind follows the fundamental methodology of physics in all areas where physics have been developed. What is common among Newtonian mechanics, statistical physics, quantum physics, thermodynamics, theory of relativity, astrophysics… and a theory of superstrings? The common among all areas of physics is a methodology of physics discussed in the first few lines of the paper. Is physics of the mind possible? Is it possible to describe the mind based on the few first principles as physics does? The mind with its variabilities and uncertainties, the mind from perception and elementary cognition to emotions and abstract ideas, to high cognition. Is it possible to turn psychology and neuroscience into "hard" sciences? The paper discusses established first principles of the mind, their mathematical formulations, and a mathematical model of the mind derived from these first principles, mechanisms of concepts, emotions, instincts, behavior, language, cognition, intuitions, conscious and unconscious, abilities for symbols, functions of the beautiful and musical emotions in cognition and evolution. Some of the theoretical predictions have been experimentally confirmed. This research won national and international awards. In addition to summarizing existing results the paper describes new development theoretical and experimental. The paper discusses unsolved theoretical problems as well as experimental challenges for future research.

Physics of the Mind

PubMed Central

Perlovsky, Leonid I.

2016-01-01

Is it possible to turn psychology into “hard science”? Physics of the mind follows the fundamental methodology of physics in all areas where physics have been developed. What is common among Newtonian mechanics, statistical physics, quantum physics, thermodynamics, theory of relativity, astrophysics… and a theory of superstrings? The common among all areas of physics is a methodology of physics discussed in the first few lines of the paper. Is physics of the mind possible? Is it possible to describe the mind based on the few first principles as physics does? The mind with its variabilities and uncertainties, the mind from perception and elementary cognition to emotions and abstract ideas, to high cognition. Is it possible to turn psychology and neuroscience into “hard” sciences? The paper discusses established first principles of the mind, their mathematical formulations, and a mathematical model of the mind derived from these first principles, mechanisms of concepts, emotions, instincts, behavior, language, cognition, intuitions, conscious and unconscious, abilities for symbols, functions of the beautiful and musical emotions in cognition and evolution. Some of the theoretical predictions have been experimentally confirmed. This research won national and international awards. In addition to summarizing existing results the paper describes new development theoretical and experimental. The paper discusses unsolved theoretical problems as well as experimental challenges for future research. PMID:27895558

Description of Self-efficacy and Initial Cognitive Abilities on the Students’ Physics Learning of the Direct Current Electrical Circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaenudin; Maknun, J.; Muslim

2017-03-01

This study aims to determine description of self -efficacy and initial cognitive abilities on the students of MAN 1 Bandung (senior high school) in learning physics on the subject of electrical circuits Direct Current (DC) before they get academy ask assigned in the classroom. From the results of this research can be used as a reference to provide appropriate measures for the advancement of student learning. The theory used in this research is the theory of Bandura. The design in this study using case study and data collection is done by tests and questionnaires, sampling techniques used by random sampling, the study was conducted on 10th grade students of MAN 1 Bandung by the amount of students 35 participants. The results of data analysis showed that the percentage of students who have moderate self-efficacy amounted to 67.05 %, and cognitive ability 50 %, this shows that the process of learning that takes place in school before that junior high school is not much scientific implement processes that provide students the opportunity to discover new things, then learning approaches of right is Problem Based Learning (PBL).

Consumers of eldercare in Sweden: the semblance of choice.

PubMed

Meinow, Bettina; Parker, Marti G; Thorslund, Mats

2011-11-01

In Sweden and other countries, the benefits of user choice and market forces are often voiced in relation to the provision of medical care and social services. Policy makers increasingly view people as customers and consumers of care services. Among very old people-the most frequent care users-how many have the capacity necessary to find information and make decisions concerning providers of medical and social services? Using a nationally representative sample of Swedes aged 77+ (SWEOLD) in 2002 this study describes the prevalence of cognitive, physical and sensory resources associated with the capacity to make and carry out informed choices concerning medical and social care providers. Results showed that one third of a nationally representative sample of persons aged 77+ scored low on a cognitive test or they were so cognitively impaired that they could not be interviewed directly. Another 22% scored poorly on a test of the ability to find and process information. A further 32% had adequate cognition but had limitations in sensory function or mental vitality or were unable to go outside on their own. A total of 10% did not report any of the measured problems. In general, care utilisation increases with age. As health problems increase, physical and cognitive abilities decline. Results suggest that those elderly people who are most dependent on care services and who could benefit most from a "good choice", are also those who have the highest prevalence of cognitive and physical limitations associated with the capacity to act as a rational consumer of care services. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of clinician-predicted to measured low vision outcomes.

PubMed

Chan, Tiffany L; Goldstein, Judith E; Massof, Robert W

2013-08-01

To compare low-vision rehabilitation (LVR) clinicians' predictions of the probability of success of LVR with patients' self-reported outcomes after provision of usual outpatient LVR services and to determine if patients' traits influence clinician ratings. The Activity Inventory (AI), a self-report visual function questionnaire, was administered pre-and post-LVR to 316 low-vision patients served by 28 LVR centers that participated in a collaborative observational study. The physical component of the Short Form-36, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status were also administered pre-LVR to measure physical capability, depression, and cognitive status. After patient evaluation, 38 LVR clinicians estimated the probability of outcome success (POS) using their own criteria. The POS ratings and change in functional ability were used to assess the effects of patients' baseline traits on predicted outcomes. A regression analysis with a hierarchical random-effects model showed no relationship between LVR physician POS estimates and AI-based outcomes. In another analysis, kappa statistics were calculated to determine the probability of agreement between POS and AI-based outcomes for different outcome criteria. Across all comparisons, none of the kappa values were significantly different from 0, which indicates that the rate of agreement is equivalent to chance. In an exploratory analysis, hierarchical mixed-effects regression models show that POS ratings are associated with information about the patient's cognitive functioning and the combination of visual acuity and functional ability, as opposed to visual acuity or functional ability alone. Clinicians' predictions of LVR outcomes seem to be influenced by knowledge of patients' cognitive functioning and the combination of visual acuity and functional ability-information clinicians acquire from the patient's history and examination. However, clinicians' predictions do not agree with observed changes in functional ability from the patient's perspective; they are no better than chance.

Factors influencing the degree of eating ability among people with dementia.

PubMed

Lee, Kyoung Min; Song, Jun-Ah

2015-06-01

To explore the degree of eating ability in people with dementia and identify what factors affect their eating ability. Appropriate food consumption is important to human life. Although eating difficulties are common among people with dementia, little is known about what factors might influence their eating ability. Descriptive, cross-sectional study. A total of 149 people with dementia residing in nursing facilities in Seoul or the Gyeonggi area of Korea were evaluated using the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination, Korean Activities of Daily Living Scale and Eating Behaviour Scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The participants showed a moderate level of dependency with respect to eating ability and were most dependent on the use of utensils. There were significant differences in eating ability according to general characteristics such as duration of residence, duration of illness, degree of visual impairment, eating place, and diet type. The eating ability of the participants was significantly correlated with cognitive function and physical function. Cognitive function, physical function, duration of illness, eating place (living room or dining room), and diet type (soft or liquid) significantly predicted eating ability in people with dementia. The findings of this study suggest that it is necessary to thoroughly assess the eating ability of people with dementia and to develop appropriate training programs to maintain or improve their remaining eating ability. The creation of a pleasurable physical and social environment for eating might also be helpful. These findings would be able to serve a useful basis in the development of materials for nursing intervention programs for people with dementia during mealtimes by improving the techniques and care qualities of nursing caregivers. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Autism Research: Music Aptitude's Effect on Developmental/Academic Gains for Students with Significant Cognitive/Language Delays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sobol, Elise S.

2014-01-01

This research study was built upon findings in neuroscience of the brain's natural ability to physically change itself through cognitive modifiability by creating new pathways and neural connections. The purpose of the research was to investigate instructional music applications for improvement in basic math skills with students who are on the…

Improved Estimates of the Benefits of Breastfeeding Using Sibling Comparisons to Reduce Selection Bias

PubMed Central

Evenhouse, Eirik; Reilly, Siobhan

2005-01-01

Objective Better measurement of the health and cognitive benefits of breastfeeding by using sibling comparisons to reduce sample selection bias. Data We use data on the breastfeeding history, physical and emotional health, academic performance, cognitive ability, and demographic characteristics of 16,903 adolescents from the first (1994) wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The sample includes 2,734 sibling pairs. Study Design We examine the relationship between breastfeeding history and 15 indicators of physical health, emotional health, and cognitive ability, using ordinary least squares and logit regression. For each indicator, we estimate, in addition to the usual between-family model, a within-family model to see whether differences in siblings' outcomes are associated with differences in the siblings' breastfeeding histories. Principal Findings Nearly all of the correlations found in the between-family model become statistically insignificant in the within-family model. The notable exception is a persistent positive correlation between breastfeeding and cognitive ability. These findings hold whether breastfeeding is measured in terms of duration or as a Yes/No variable. Conclusions This study provides persuasive evidence of a causal connection between breastfeeding and intelligence. However, it also suggests that nonexperimental studies of breastfeeding overstate some of its other long-term benefits, even if controls are included for race, ethnicity, income, and education. PMID:16336548

Early Life Cognitive Abilities and Body Weight: Cross-Sectional Study of the Association of Inhibitory Control, Cognitive Flexibility, and Sustained Attention with BMI Percentiles in Primary School Children

PubMed Central

Wirt, Tamara; Schreiber, Anja; Kesztyüs, Dorothea; Steinacker, Jürgen M.

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of different cognitive abilities with children's body weight adjusted for further weight influencing sociodemographic, family, and lifestyle factors. Cross-sectional data of 498 primary school children (7.0 ± 0.6 years; 49.8% boys) participating in a health promotion programme in southwest Germany were used. Children performed a computer-based test battery (KiTAP) including an inhibitory control task (Go-Nogo paradigm), a cognitive flexibility task, and a sustained attention task. Height and weight were measured in a standardized manner and converted to BMI percentiles based on national standards. Sociodemographic features (migration background and parental education), family characteristics (parental body weight), and children's lifestyle (TV consumption, physical activity, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and breakfast habits) were assessed via parental questionnaire. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility to be significant cognitive predictors for children's body weight. There was no association concerning sustained attention. The findings suggest that especially cognitive abilities known as executive functions (inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) are associated with children's body weight. Future longitudinal and intervention studies are necessary to investigate the directionality of the association and the potential of integrating cognitive training in obesity prevention strategies. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov DRKS00000494. PMID:25874122

Early life cognitive abilities and body weight: cross-sectional study of the association of inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and sustained attention with BMI percentiles in primary school children.

PubMed

Wirt, Tamara; Schreiber, Anja; Kesztyüs, Dorothea; Steinacker, Jürgen M

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of different cognitive abilities with children's body weight adjusted for further weight influencing sociodemographic, family, and lifestyle factors. Cross-sectional data of 498 primary school children (7.0 ± 0.6 years; 49.8% boys) participating in a health promotion programme in southwest Germany were used. Children performed a computer-based test battery (KiTAP) including an inhibitory control task (Go-Nogo paradigm), a cognitive flexibility task, and a sustained attention task. Height and weight were measured in a standardized manner and converted to BMI percentiles based on national standards. Sociodemographic features (migration background and parental education), family characteristics (parental body weight), and children's lifestyle (TV consumption, physical activity, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and breakfast habits) were assessed via parental questionnaire. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility to be significant cognitive predictors for children's body weight. There was no association concerning sustained attention. The findings suggest that especially cognitive abilities known as executive functions (inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) are associated with children's body weight. Future longitudinal and intervention studies are necessary to investigate the directionality of the association and the potential of integrating cognitive training in obesity prevention strategies. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov DRKS00000494.

Long term effects of early adversity on cognitive function.

PubMed

Richards, M; Wadsworth, M E J

2004-10-01

To investigate long term effects of early adverse circumstances on cognitive function. Associations between early material home circumstances, parental divorce, maternal management and understanding, and cognitive function in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood were analysed using multiple linear regression, controlling for sex, parental SES, and birth order in 1339 males and females from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Early adverse circumstances were strongly associated with lower cognitive ability in childhood and adolescence, and were detectable on measures of verbal ability, memory, and speed and concentration in midlife. However, these long term effects were mostly explained by the effects of adversity on childhood or adolescent cognitive ability or by differences in educational attainment and adult social class. An exception was the effect of poor material home conditions on visual search speed at 53 years, which was maintained after controlling for adolescent ability, as well as further control for educational attainment, adult social class, physical growth, cigarette smoking, and affective state. There was no evidence of more rapid decline in memory and psychomotor function across middle age in those exposed to early adversity. The effect of early adversity on cognitive function tracks across the life course at least as far as middle age, although there was little evidence from this study of effect amplification over this interval. Nevertheless, in view of the persistence of child poverty in the industrialised world, these findings give cause for concern.

Practice of aerobic sports is associated with better spatial memory in adults and older men.

PubMed

Sánchez-Horcajo, Rubén; Llamas-Alonso, Juan; Cimadevilla, José Manuel

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Cognitive abilities experience diverse age-related changes. Memory complaints are common in aging. The practice of sports is known to benefit brain functioning, improving memory among other abilities. Introduction of virtual reality tasks makes it possible to easily assess cognitive functions such as spatial memory, a hippocampus-dependent cognitive ability. In this study, the authors applied a virtual reality-based task to study spatial reference memory in two groups of men, sportsmen (n=28) and sedentary (n=28), across three different age groups: 50-59, 60-69, and 70-77 years. The data showed that sportsmen outperformed sedentary participants. In addition, there was also a significant effect of the factor age. Hence, older men (70-77 years old) displayed a poorer performance in comparison with the other age groups. These results support the beneficial effect of habitual physical activity in spatial memory.

Intellectual Ability in Young Adulthood as an Antecedent of Physical Functioning in Older Age

PubMed Central

Poranen-Clark, Taina; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B.; Törmäkangas, Timo; Lahti, Jari; Wasenius, Niko; Räikkönen, Katri; Osmond, Clive; Salonen, Minna K.; Rantanen, Taina; Kajantie, Eero; Eriksson, Johan G.

2016-01-01

Objectives Low cognitive ability is associated with subsequent functional disability. Whether this association extends across adult life has been little studied. The aim of this study was to examine the association between intellectual ability in young adulthood and physical functioning during a 10-year follow-up in older age. Methods 360 persons of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) male members, born between 1934- 1944 and residing in Finland in 1971, took part in The Finnish Defence Forces Basic Intellectual Ability Test during the first two weeks of their military service training between 1952- 72. Their physical functioning was assessed twice using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire at average ages of 61 and 71 years. A longitudinal path model linking Intellectual Ability Test score to the physical functioning assessments was used to explore the effect of intellectual ability in young adulthood on physical functioning in older age. Results After adjustments for age at measurement, childhood socioeconomic status and adult BMI (kg/m2), better intellectual ability total and arithmetic and verbal reasoning subtest scores in young adulthood predicted better physical functioning at age 61 years (P-values < 0.021). Intellectual ability total and arithmetic and verbal reasoning subtest scores in young adulthood had indirect effects on physical functioning at age 71 years (P-values < 0.022) through better physical functioning at age 61 years. Adjustment for main chronic diseases did not change the results materially. Conclusion Better early life intellectual ability helps in maintaining better physical functioning in older age. PMID:27189726

Executive function moderates the role of muscular fitness in determining functional mobility in older adults.

PubMed

Forte, Roberta; Pesce, Caterina; Leite, Joao Costa; De Vito, Giuseppe; Gibney, Eileen R; Tomporowski, Phillip D; Boreham, Colin A G

2013-06-01

Both physical and cognitive factors are known to independently predict functional mobility in older people. However, the combined predictive value of both physical fitness and cognitive factors on functional mobility has been less investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess if cognitive executive functions moderate the role of physical fitness in determining functional mobility of older individuals. Fifty-seven 65- to 75-year-old healthy participants performed tests of functional mobility (habitual and maximal walking speed, maximal walking speed while picking up objects/stepping over obstacles), physical fitness (peak power, knee extensors torque, back/lower limb flexibility, aerobic fitness), and executive function (inhibition and cognitive flexibility). Maximal walking speeds were predicted by physical fitness parameters and their interaction with cognitive factors. Knee extensor torque emerged as the main predictor of all tested locomotor performances at maximal speed. The effect of peak power and back/lower limb flexibility was moderated by executive functions. In particular, inhibition and cognitive flexibility differed in the way in which they moderate the role of fitness. High levels of cognitive flexibility seem necessary to take advantage of leg power for walking at maximal speed. In contrast, high levels of inhibitory capacity seem to compensate for low levels of back/lower limb flexibility when picking up movements are added to a locomotor task. These findings may have important practical implications for the design and implementation of multi-component training programs aimed at optimizing functional abilities in older adults.

Long-lasting active lifestyle and successful cognitive aging in a healthy elderly population: The PROOF cohort.

PubMed

Saint Martin, M; Sforza, E; Barthélémy, J C; Roche, F; Lefèvre, P; Liénard, G; Thomas-Anterion, C

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether cognitive reserve in the elderly affects the evolution of cognitive performance and what its relationship is with active lifestyles in later life. Cognitive performance was evaluated at baseline and 8 years later in 543 participants of the PROOF cohort, initially aged 67 years. Subjects were categorized as Cognitively Elite (CE), Cognitively Normal (CN) or Cognitively Impaired (CI) at each evaluation. At follow-up, demographic data and lifestyle, including social, intellectual and physical behaviors, were collected by questionnaires. As much as 69% (n=375) remained unchanged, while 25.5% (n=138) decreased and 5.5% (n=30) improved. When present, the reduction in cognitive status was most often limited to one level, but was dependent on the initial level, affecting up to 73% of the initially CN, but only 58% of the initially CE. Cognitive stability was significantly associated with the degree of social engagement at follow-up (CE: P=0.009; CN: P=0.025). In the healthy elderly, high cognitive ability predicts both cognitive ability and social involvement in later life. Cognitive decline by only one level may also extend the time to reach impairment, underlining the importance of the so-called cognitive reserve. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Physical activity improves cognition: possible explanations.

PubMed

Koščak Tivadar, Blanka

2017-08-01

Good cognitive abilities (CA) enable autonomy, improve social inclusion and act preventively. Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and, at the same time, it reduces the decline of CA and stimulates neurogenesis. So PA in connection with cognitive training, nutrition and social interaction has a positive effect on general CA and the central nervous system, the central executor, memory and attention, and reduces the likelihood of developing dementia. Our objective was to examine which sort and intensity of PA is preferred. We did a review, restricted only to human studies, of transparent scientific articles and sample surveys carried out and published in the period between 2001 and 2016 based on the keywords: age, aging, physical activity, physical abilities, cognitive abilities, memory and Alzheimer's disease. According to results CA and PA interact, as an increasing PA of only 10% reduces the risk of dementia and AD significantly. However, there is a question of appropriate intensity of exercise. Low-intensity aerobic exercise has a positive effect on the visual spatial perception and attention, whereas moderate PA has a positive impact on general CA, working memory and attention, verbal memory and attention and vice versa. While the majority of experts recommends vigorous or moderate exercise, many of them warn that higher intensity requires more attention to PA and less to cognitive processes, particularly in terms of reducing reactions, selective attention and flexibility to tasks. There is also a further question what PA should be like. Although some experts believe that the best combination is aerobic PA and exercises against resistance, it is not entirely clear whether the improvement in CA is a result of cardiac vascular fitness. On the other hand, for most elderly it is more suitable to perform an alternative form (not anaerobic) of PA due to comorbidity and actual fragility. We can conclude that PA has a positive effect on CA, but an appropriate intensity and the type of exercise remain unsolved. For the relevant findings it is absolutely necessary to have an interdisciplinary approach.

Gender Differences in Physical Activity and Related Beliefs among Hispanic College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magoc, Dejan; Tomaka, Joe; Shamaley, Angelee Gigi; Bridges, Amber

2016-01-01

This study investigated gender differences in physical activity (PA) and social-cognitive theory (SCT) variables among Hispanics. Students (N = 298) completed measures assessing levels of PA and variables derived from SCT. Men reported greater PA than women. Men also reported having greater self-efficacy for PA, greater perceived ability to set…

Cognitive fatigue effects on physical performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

McMorris, Terry; Barwood, Martin; Hale, Beverley J; Dicks, Matt; Corbett, Jo

2018-05-01

Recent research has examined the effect that undertaking a cognitively fatiguing task for ≤90 min has on subsequent physical performance. Cognitive fatigue is claimed to affect subsequent physical performance by inducing energy depletion in the brain, depletion of brain catecholamine neurotransmitters or changes in motivation. Observation of the psychophysiology and neurochemistry literature questions the ability of 90 min' cognitive activity to deplete energy or catecholamine resources. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the evidence for cognitive fatigue having an effect on subsequent physical performance. A systematic, meta-analytic review was undertaken. We found a small but significant pooled effect size based on comparison between physical performance post-cognitive fatigue compared to post-control (g = -0.27, SE = -0.12, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.04, Z(10) = -2.283, p < 0.05). However, the results were not heterogenous (Q(10) = 2.789, p > 0.10, Τ 2  < 0.001), suggesting that the pooled effect size does not amount to a real effect and differences are due to random error. No publication bias was evident (Kendall's τ = -0.07, p > 0.05). Thus, the results are somewhat contradictory. The pooled effect size shows a small but significant negative effect of cognitive fatigue, however tests of heterogeneity show that the results are due to random error. Future research should use neuroscientific tests to ensure that cognitive fatigue has been achieved. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insightful problem solving and creative tool modification by captive nontool-using rooks.

PubMed

Bird, Christopher D; Emery, Nathan J

2009-06-23

The ability to use tools has been suggested to indicate advanced physical cognition in animals. Here we show that rooks, a member of the corvid family that do not appear to use tools in the wild are capable of insightful problem solving related to sophisticated tool use, including spontaneously modifying and using a variety of tools, shaping hooks out of wire, and using a series of tools in a sequence to gain a reward. It is remarkable that a species that does not use tools in the wild appears to possess an understanding of tools rivaling habitual tool users such as New Caledonian crows and chimpanzees. Our findings suggest that the ability to represent tools may be a domain-general cognitive capacity rather than an adaptive specialization and questions the relationship between physical intelligence and wild tool use.

Effectiveness of the IMPACT:Ability Program to Improve Safety and Self-Advocacy Skills in High School Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dryden, Eileen M.; Desmarais, Jeffery; Arsenault, Lisa

2014-01-01

Background: Individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of abuse than the nondisabled. Few evidence-based prevention interventions have been published despite a need for such work. This study evaluated IMPACT:Ability, a safety and self-advocacy training for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Methods: A…

Cognitive and Executive Functions in Colombian School Children with Conduct Disorder: Sex Differences.

PubMed

Urazán-Torres, Gina Rocío; Puche-Cabrera, Mario José; Caballero-Forero, Mangelli; Rey-Anacona, César Armando

2013-12-01

Most of the studies that have examined cognitive and executive functions in conduct disorders (CD) have been conducted on institutionalized male adolescents. In this research the cognitive and executive functions of non-institutionalized Colombian school children with CD were compared with normal school children, all between 6 and 12 years-old. We used a case-control design. The cases were participants who met the diagnostic criteria for CD (n=39) and controls who did not meet these criteria (n=39), according to reports of a professional of the participants' institution, and a structured interview for childhood psychiatric syndromes. The two groups were selected from educational institutions, and there were no differences in age, school grade, or socioeconomic level. The IQ was reviewed, as well as the presence of other mental disorders, serious physical illnesses, and more serious neurological signs. The cognitive and executive functions were evaluated using a child neuropsychological test battery. We found that participants with CD had significantly lower scores in construction abilities, perceptual abilities (tactile, visual and auditory), differed in verbal memory, differed in visual memory, language (repetition, expression and understanding), meta-linguistic abilities, spatial abilities, visual and auditory attention, conceptual abilities, verbal and graphic fluency, and cognitive flexibility. The same differences were found between males, except in repetition, whereas girls showed fewer differences, thus the cognitive and executive performance was poorer in males with CD than in females, especially in verbal and linguistic-related functions. Children with CD could show generalized cognitive and executive deficits. These deficits seem to be more frequent in boys than in girls with CD. Copyright © 2013 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Exercise improves cognitive function in aging patients

PubMed Central

Hu, Jian-Ping; Guo, Yan-Hua; Wang, Feng; Zhao, Xin-Ping; Zhang, Quan-Hai; Song, Qing-Hua

2014-01-01

A decline in cognitive ability commonly occurs among older individuals. This study sought to explore the restorative effects of exercise in older patients with existing cognitive disabilities. Ninety-six patients with mild cognitive impairment were placed in an exercise program for six months. Following completion of the program, participants were assessed via the Chinese Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Activity of Daily Living (ADL) assessment, and body movement testing and compared to a control group of patients with mild cognitive impairment who did not participate in the exercise program (N = 102). Statistical analyses were performed using the Student’s t-test and chi-square test to compare results between groups. Compared with control group, patients who exercised showed improved cognitive function in immediate memory (p < 0.001) and delayed recall (p = 0.004) function. In addition, activities associated with daily living showed improvement (p < 0.001), as did body movement (p < 0.05), arm stability (p < 0.001), and the appearance of rotation (p < 0.05). Based on these results, we conclude that participation in an exercise program can improve patients’ cognitive function, physical abilities, and body movement capacity. PMID:25419345

Development Scaffolding for Construction of Evaluation Instrument Training Program on The Cognitive Domain For Senior High School Physics Teachers and The Same Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif, W.; Suhandi, A.; Kaniawati, I.; Setiawan, A.

2017-02-01

The development of scaffolding for evaluation instrument construction training program on the cognitive domain for senior high school physics teacher and the same level that is specified in the test instrument has been done. This development was motivated by the low ability of the majority of physics teachers in constructing the physics learning achievement test. This situation not in accordance with the demands of Permendiknas RI no. 16 tahun 2007 concerning the standard of academic qualifications and competence of teachers, stating that teachers should have a good ability to develop instruments for assessment and evaluation of process and learning outcomes. Based on the preliminary study results, it can be seen that the main cause of the inability of teachers in developing physics achievement test is because they do not good understand of the indicators for each aspect of cognitive domains. Scaffolding development is done by using the research and development methods formulated by Thiagarajan which includes define, design and develope steps. Develop step includes build the scaffolding, validation of scaffolding by experts and the limited pilot implementations on the training activities. From the build scaffolding step, resulted the scaffolding for the construction of test instruments training program which include the process steps; description of indicators, operationalization of indicators, construction the itemsframework (items scenarios), construction the items stem, construction the items and checking the items. The results of the validation by three validator indicates that the built scaffolding are suitable for use in the construction of physics achievement test training program, especially for novice. The limited pilot implementation of the built scaffolding conducted in training activities attended by 10 senior high school physics teachers in Garut district. The results of the limited pilot implementation shows that the built scaffolding have a medium effectiveness in improving the ability of senior high school physics teachers in constructing the physic achievement test instrument that is characterized by more than 70% of trainees achieve scores of test instruments construction of about 80 or more.

Weight Status, Parent Reaction, and Self-Concept in Five-Year-Old Girls

PubMed Central

Davison, Kirsten Krahnstoever; Birch, Leann Lipps

2008-01-01

Objective This study examined the relationship between weight status and self-concept in a sample of preschool-aged girls and whether parental concern about child overweight or restriction of access to food are associated with negative self-evaluations among girls. Method Participants were 197 5-year-old girls and their parents. Girls’ weight status (weight for height percentile) was calculated based on height and weight measurements. Girls’ self-concept was assessed using an individually administered questionnaire. Parents’ concern about their child’s weight status and restriction of their child’s access to food were assessed using a self-report questionnaire. Results Girls with higher weight status reported lower body esteem and lower perceived cognitive ability than did girls with lower weight status. Independent of girl’s weight status, higher paternal concern about child overweight was associated with lower perceived physical ability among girls; higher maternal concern about child overweight was associated with lower perceived physical and cognitive ability among girls. Finally, higher maternal restriction of girls’ access to foods was associated with lower perceived physical and cognitive ability among girls with higher weight status but not among girls with lower weight status. Conclusions At least as early as age 5 years, lower self-concept is noted among girls with higher weight status. In addition, parents’ concern about their child’s weight status and restriction of access to food are associated with negative self-evaluations among girls. Public health programs that raise parental awareness of childhood overweight without also providing constructive and blame-free alternatives for addressing child weight problems may be detrimental to children’s mental health. PMID:11134433

The identification of knowledge content and function in manual labour.

PubMed

Shalin, Valerie; Verdile, Charles

2003-06-10

Calls for an alternative conceptualization of cognition for applied concerns retain the core commitment of the basic research community to abstract cognition detached from a physical environment. The present paper attempts to break out of the dominant, narrow view of cognition and cognitive domains, with a cognitive analysis of digging ditches for the utility industry. To illustrate knowledge-based cognition in manual labour excerpts are presented from the journal entries of a moderately experienced student working a summer job, organized with a representation that distinguishes between the goals and methods of work. The journal entries illustrate the functions of knowledge for interacting with a physical environment; knowledge enables the selection, execution and monitoring of work methods, the interpretation of perceptual information, the application of task completion criteria and the ability for explanation and generalization. To emphasize the generality of the functions of cognition in ditch digging, comparable functions are indicated in a domain rarely regarded as a form of manual labour: the practice of internal medicine. Discussion of the results includes the implications for cognitive theory as well as practical implications for productivity, training and task analysis.

Non-pharmacological Interventions for Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Stage Dementia: An Updated Scoping Review

PubMed Central

Rodakowski, Juleen; Saghafi, Ester; Butters, Meryl A.; Skidmore, Elizabeth R.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the science related to non-pharmacological interventions designed to slow decline for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment or early-stage dementia. We reviewed 32 unique randomized controlled trials that employed cognitive training (remediation or compensation approaches), physical exercise, or psychotherapeutic interventions that were published before November 2014. Evidence suggests that cognitive training focused on remediation and physical exercise interventions may promote small improvements in selected cognitive abilities. Cognitive training focused on compensation interventions and selected psychotherapeutic interventions may influence how cognitive changes impact daily living. However, confidence in these findings is limited due methodological limitations. To better assess the value of non-pharmacological interventions for this population, we recommend: 1) adoption of universal criteria for “early stage cognitive decline” among studies, 2) adherence to guidelines for the conceptualization, operationalization, and implementation of complex interventions, 3) consistent characterization of the impact of interventions on daily life, and 3) long-term follow-up of clinical outcomes to assess maintenance and meaningfulness of reported effects over time. PMID:26070444

Memory, thinking, and aging. What we know about what we know.

PubMed Central

Teri, L; McCurry, S M; Logsdon, R G

1997-01-01

Cognition is the foundation that underlies all daily activities, from the most basic to the most complex. Successful aging depends, in large part, on maintaining a level of cognitive ability that allows a person to interact effectively and appropriately with the environment. In the following article we provide an overview of the effects of aging on cognition; discuss physical, social, and psychological factors that have been shown to influence cognition in old age; and review current literature on interventions that may optimize successful cognitive aging. We conclude with a discussion of abnormal cognitive aging and review current research on risk factors and treatments of Alzheimer's disease and other dementing illnesses. PMID:9348759

Age and Time-to-Death Trajectories of Change in Indicators of Cognitive, Sensory, Physical, Health, Social, and Self-Related Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerstorf, Denis; Ram, Nilam; Lindenberger, Ulman; Smith, Jacqui

2013-01-01

Mortality-related processes are known to modulate late-life change in cognitive abilities, but it is an open question whether and how precipitous declines with impending death generalize to other domains of functioning. We investigated this notion by using 13-year longitudinal data from now-deceased participants in the Berlin Aging Study (N = 439;…

Empathy, Attitude towards Bullying, Theory-Of-Mind, and Non-Physical Forms of Bully Perpetration and Victimization among U.S. Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espelage, Dorothy L.; Hong, Jun Sung; Kim, Dong Ha; Nan, Luana

2018-01-01

Background: Children's bullying involvement may arise from biases and deficiencies in social information processing, and it is important to consider cognitive and emotional aspects of bullying because social cognition is an important aspect of children's social skills and their ability to get along with others. It is also important to understand…

Cognitive functioning and disturbances of mood in UK veterans of the Persian Gulf War: a comparative study.

PubMed

David, A S; Farrin, L; Hull, L; Unwin, C; Wessely, S; Wykes, T

2002-11-01

Complaints of poor memory and concentration are common in veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War as are other symptoms. Despite a large research effort, such symptoms remain largely unexplained. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and rating scales was administered to 341 UK servicemen who were returnees from the Gulf War and peace keeping duties in Bosnia, plus non-deployed military controls. All were drawn from a large randomized survey. Most were selected on the basis of impaired physical functioning defined operationally. Group comparisons revealed an association between physical functioning and symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress reactions, increased anger and subjective cognitive failures. Poorer performance on some general cognitive measures, sequencing and attention was also seen in association with being 'ill' but virtually all differences disappeared after adjusting for depressed mood or multiple comparisons. Deployment was also associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress and subjective cognitive failures, independently of health status, as well as minor general cognitive and constructional impairment. The latter remained significantly poorer in the Gulf group even after adjusting for depressed mood. Disturbances of mood are more prominent than quantifiable cognitive deficits in Gulf War veterans and probably lead to subjective underestimation of ability. Task performance deficits can themselves be explained by depressed mood although the direction of causality cannot be inferred confidently. Reduced constructional ability cannot be explained in this way and could be an effect of Gulf-specific exposures.

Implications for complex cognition from the hafting of tools with compound adhesives in the Middle Stone Age, South Africa

PubMed Central

Wadley, Lyn; Hodgskiss, Tamaryn; Grant, Michael

2009-01-01

Compound adhesives made from red ochre mixed with plant gum were used in the Middle Stone Age (MSA), South Africa. Replications reported here suggest that early artisans did not merely color their glues red; they deliberately effected physical transformations involving chemical changes from acidic to less acidic pH, dehydration of the adhesive near wood fires, and changes to mechanical workability and electrostatic forces. Some of the steps required for making compound adhesive seem impossible without multitasking and abstract thought. This ability suggests overlap between the cognitive abilities of modern people and people in the MSA. Our multidisciplinary analysis provides a new way to recognize complex cognition in the MSA without necessarily invoking the concept of symbolism. PMID:19433786

A Combined Early Cognitive and Physical Rehabilitation Program for People Who Are Critically Ill: The Activity and Cognitive Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit (ACT-ICU) Trial

PubMed Central

Jackson, James C.; Girard, Timothy D.; Pandharipande, Pratik P.; Schiro, Elena; Work, Brittany; Pun, Brenda T.; Boehm, Leanne; Gill, Thomas M.; Ely, E. Wesley

2012-01-01

Background In the coming years, the number of survivors of critical illness is expected to increase. These survivors frequently develop newly acquired physical and cognitive impairments. Long-term cognitive impairment is common following critical illness and has dramatic effects on patients' abilities to function autonomously. Neuromuscular weakness affects similar proportions of patients and leads to equally profound life alterations. As knowledge of these short-term and long-term consequences of critical illness has come to light, interventions to prevent and rehabilitate these devastating consequences have been sought. Physical rehabilitation has been shown to improve functional outcomes in people who are critically ill, but subsequent studies of physical rehabilitation after hospital discharge have not. Post-hospital discharge cognitive rehabilitation is feasible in survivors of critical illness and is commonly used in people with other forms of acquired brain injury. The feasibility of early cognitive therapy in people who are critically ill remains unknown. Objective The purpose of this novel protocol trial will be to determine the feasibility of early and sustained cognitive rehabilitation paired with physical rehabilitation in patients who are critically ill from medical and surgical intensive care units. Design This is a randomized controlled trial. Setting The setting for this trial will be medical and surgical intensive care units of a large tertiary care referral center. Patients The participants will be patients who are critically ill with respiratory failure or shock. Intervention Patients will be randomized to groups receiving usual care, physical rehabilitation, or cognitive rehabilitation plus physical rehabilitation. Twice-daily cognitive rehabilitation sessions will be performed with patients who are noncomatose and will consist of orientation, memory, and attention exercises (eg, forward and reverse digit spans, matrix puzzles, letter-number sequences, pattern recognition). Daily physical rehabilitation sessions will advance patients from passive range of motion exercises through ambulation. Patients with cognitive or physical impairment at discharge will undergo a 12-week, in-home cognitive rehabilitation program. Measurements A battery of neurocognitive and functional outcomes will be measured 3 and 12 months after hospital discharge. Conclusions If feasible, these interventions will lay the groundwork for a larger, multicenter trial to determine their efficacy. PMID:22577067

Human adaptations for the visual assessment of strength and fighting ability from the body and face

PubMed Central

Sell, Aaron; Cosmides, Leda; Tooby, John; Sznycer, Daniel; von Rueden, Christopher; Gurven, Michael

2008-01-01

Selection in species with aggressive social interactions favours the evolution of cognitive mechanisms for assessing physical formidability (fighting ability or resource-holding potential). The ability to accurately assess formidability in conspecifics has been documented in a number of non-human species, but has not been demonstrated in humans. Here, we report tests supporting the hypothesis that the human cognitive architecture includes mechanisms that assess fighting ability—mechanisms that focus on correlates of upper-body strength. Across diverse samples of targets that included US college students, Bolivian horticulturalists and Andean pastoralists, subjects in the US were able to accurately estimate the physical strength of male targets from photos of their bodies and faces. Hierarchical linear modelling shows that subjects were extracting cues of strength that were largely independent of height, weight and age, and that corresponded most strongly to objective measures of upper-body strength—even when the face was all that was available for inspection. Estimates of women's strength were less accurate, but still significant. These studies are the first empirical demonstration that, for humans, judgements of strength and judgements of fighting ability not only track each other, but accurately track actual upper-body strength. PMID:18945661

Structure and Correlates of Cognitive Aging in a Narrow Age Cohort

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Aging-related changes occur for multiple domains of cognitive functioning. An accumulating body of research indicates that, rather than representing statistically independent phenomena, aging-related cognitive changes are moderately to strongly correlated across domains. However, previous studies have typically been conducted in age-heterogeneous samples over longitudinal time lags of 6 or more years, and have failed to consider whether results are robust to a comprehensive set of controls. Capitalizing on 3-year longitudinal data from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936, we took a longitudinal narrow age cohort approach to examine cross-domain cognitive change interrelations from ages 70 to 73 years. We fit multivariate latent difference score models to factors representing visuospatial ability, processing speed, memory, and crystallized ability. Changes were moderately interrelated, with a general factor of change accounting for 47% of the variance in changes across domains. Change interrelations persisted at close to full strength after controlling for a comprehensive set of demographic, physical, and medical factors including educational attainment, childhood intelligence, physical function, APOE genotype, smoking status, diagnosis of hypertension, diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, and diagnosis of diabetes. Thus, the positive manifold of aging-related cognitive changes is highly robust in that it can be detected in a narrow age cohort followed over a relatively brief longitudinal period, and persists even after controlling for many potential confounders. PMID:24955992

Structure and correlates of cognitive aging in a narrow age cohort.

PubMed

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M; Briley, Daniel A; Starr, John M; Deary, Ian J

2014-06-01

Aging-related changes occur for multiple domains of cognitive functioning. An accumulating body of research indicates that, rather than representing statistically independent phenomena, aging-related cognitive changes are moderately to strongly correlated across domains. However, previous studies have typically been conducted in age-heterogeneous samples over longitudinal time lags of 6 or more years, and have failed to consider whether results are robust to a comprehensive set of controls. Capitalizing on 3-year longitudinal data from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936, we took a longitudinal narrow age cohort approach to examine cross-domain cognitive change interrelations from ages 70 to 73 years. We fit multivariate latent difference score models to factors representing visuospatial ability, processing speed, memory, and crystallized ability. Changes were moderately interrelated, with a general factor of change accounting for 47% of the variance in changes across domains. Change interrelations persisted at close to full strength after controlling for a comprehensive set of demographic, physical, and medical factors including educational attainment, childhood intelligence, physical function, APOE genotype, smoking status, diagnosis of hypertension, diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, and diagnosis of diabetes. Thus, the positive manifold of aging-related cognitive changes is highly robust in that it can be detected in a narrow age cohort followed over a relatively brief longitudinal period, and persists even after controlling for many potential confounders. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Insightful problem solving and creative tool modification by captive nontool-using rooks

PubMed Central

Bird, Christopher D.; Emery, Nathan J.

2009-01-01

The ability to use tools has been suggested to indicate advanced physical cognition in animals. Here we show that rooks, a member of the corvid family that do not appear to use tools in the wild are capable of insightful problem solving related to sophisticated tool use, including spontaneously modifying and using a variety of tools, shaping hooks out of wire, and using a series of tools in a sequence to gain a reward. It is remarkable that a species that does not use tools in the wild appears to possess an understanding of tools rivaling habitual tool users such as New Caledonian crows and chimpanzees. Our findings suggest that the ability to represent tools may be a domain-general cognitive capacity rather than an adaptive specialization and questions the relationship between physical intelligence and wild tool use. PMID:19478068

Contributions of a Child’s Built, Natural, and Social Environments to Their General Cognitive Ability: A Systematic Scoping Review

PubMed Central

Ruiz, Jazmin Del Carmen; Quackenboss, James J.; Tulve, Nicolle S.

2016-01-01

The etiology of a child’s cognitive ability is complex, with research suggesting that it is not attributed to a single determinant or even a defined period of exposure. Rather, cognitive development is the product of cumulative interactions with the environment, both negative and positive, over the life course. The aim of this systematic scoping review was to collate evidence associated with children’s cognitive health, including inherent factors as well as chemical and non-chemical stressors from the built, natural, and social environments. Three databases were used to identify recent epidemiological studies (2003–2013) that examined exposure factors associated with general cognitive ability in children. Over 100 factors were evaluated from 258 eligible studies. We found that recent literature mainly assessed the hypothesized negative effects of either inherent factors or chemical exposures present in the physical environment. Prenatal growth, sleep health, lead and water pollutants showed consistent negative effects. Of the few studies that examined social stressors, results consistently showed cognitive development to be influenced by both positive and negative social interactions at home, in school or the community. Among behavioral factors related to diet and lifestyle choices of the mother, breastfeeding was the most studied, showing consistent positive associations with cognitive ability. There were mostly inconsistent results for both chemical and non-chemical stressors. The majority of studies utilized traditional exposure assessments, evaluating chemical and non-chemical stressors separately. Collective evidence from a limited number of studies revealed that cumulative exposure assessment that incorporates multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors over the life course may unravel the variability in effect on cognitive development and help explain the inconsistencies across studies. Future research examining the interactions of multiple stressors within a child’s total environment, depicting a more real-world exposure, will aid in understanding the cumulative effects associated with a child’s ability to learn. PMID:26840411

Comparison of Physician-Predicted to Measured Low Vision Outcomes

PubMed Central

Chan, Tiffany L.; Goldstein, Judith E.; Massof, Robert W.

2013-01-01

Purpose To compare low vision rehabilitation (LVR) physicians’ predictions of the probability of success of LVR to patients’ self-reported outcomes after provision of usual outpatient LVR services; and to determine if patients’ traits influence physician ratings. Methods The Activity Inventory (AI), a self-report visual function questionnaire, was administered pre and post-LVR to 316 low vision patients served by 28 LVR centers that participated in a collaborative observational study. The physical component of the Short Form-36, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status were also administered pre-LVR to measure physical capability, depression and cognitive status. Following patient evaluation, 38 LVR physicians estimated the probability of outcome success (POS), using their own criteria. The POS ratings and change in functional ability were used to assess the effects of patients’ baseline traits on predicted outcomes. Results A regression analysis with a hierarchical random effects model showed no relationship between LVR physician POS estimates and AI-based outcomes. In another analysis, Kappa statistics were calculated to determine the probability of agreement between POS and AI-based outcomes for different outcome criteria. Across all comparisons, none of the kappa values were significantly different from 0, which indicates the rate of agreement is equivalent to chance. In an exploratory analysis, hierarchical mixed effects regression models show that POS ratings are associated with information about the patient’s cognitive functioning and the combination of visual acuity and functional ability, as opposed to visual acuity or functional ability alone. Conclusions Physicians’ predictions of LVR outcomes appear to be influenced by knowledge of patients’ cognitive functioning and the combination of visual acuity and functional ability - information physicians acquire from the patient’s history and examination. However, physicians’ predictions do not agree with observed changes in functional ability from the patient’s perspective; they are no better than chance. PMID:23873036

A New Measure for Neural Compensation Is Positively Correlated With Working Memory and Gait Speed.

PubMed

Ji, Lanxin; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Hawkins, Keith A; Steffens, David C; Guo, Hua; Wang, Lihong

2018-01-01

Neuroimaging studies suggest that older adults may compensate for declines in brain function and cognition through reorganization of neural resources. A limitation of prior research is reliance on between-group comparisons of neural activation (e.g., younger vs. older), which cannot be used to assess compensatory ability quantitatively. It is also unclear about the relationship between compensatory ability with cognitive function or how other factors such as physical exercise modulates compensatory ability. Here, we proposed a data-driven method to semi-quantitatively measure neural compensation under a challenging cognitive task, and we then explored connections between neural compensation to cognitive engagement and cognitive reserve (CR). Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired for 26 healthy older adults during a face-name memory task. Spatial independent component analysis (ICA) identified visual, attentional and left executive as core networks. Results show that the smaller the volumes of the gray matter (GM) structures within core networks, the more networks were needed to conduct the task ( r = -0.408, p = 0.035). Therefore, the number of task-activated networks controlling for the GM volume within core networks was defined as a measure of neural compensatory ability. We found that compensatory ability correlated with working memory performance ( r = 0.528, p = 0.035). Among subjects with good memory task performance, those with higher CR used fewer networks than subjects with lower CR. Among poor-performance subjects, those using more networks had higher CR. Our results indicated that using a high cognitive-demanding task to measure the number of activated neural networks could be a useful and sensitive measure of neural compensation in older adults.

Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery Improves Mental Imagery Ability, Disease Severity, and Motor and Cognitive Functions in People with Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Hart, Ariel; Andrade, Isaac; Hackney, Madeleine E.

2018-01-01

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience kinesthetic deficits, which affect motor and nonmotor functions, including mental imagery. Imagery training is a recommended, yet underresearched, approach in PD rehabilitation. Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery (DNI™) is a codified method for imagery training. Twenty subjects with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages I–III) were randomly allocated into DNI training (experimental; n = 10) or in-home learning and exercise program (control; n = 10). Both groups completed at least 16 hours of training within two weeks. DNI training focused on anatomical embodiment and kinesthetic awareness. Imagery abilities, disease severity, and motor and nonmotor functions were assessed pre- and postintervention. The DNI participants improved (p < .05) in mental imagery abilities, disease severity, and motor and spatial cognitive functions. Participants also reported improvements in balance, walking, mood, and coordination, and they were more physically active. Both groups strongly agreed they enjoyed their program and were more mentally active. DNI training is a promising rehabilitation method for improving imagery ability, disease severity, and motor and nonmotor functions in people with PD. This training might serve as a complementary PD therapeutic approach. Future studies should explore the effect of DNI on motor learning and control strategies. PMID:29725348

Child Neglect and Maltreatment and Childhood-to-Adulthood Cognition and Mental Health in a Prospective Birth Cohort.

PubMed

Geoffroy, Marie-Claude; Pinto Pereira, Snehal; Li, Leah; Power, Chris

2016-01-01

Life-long adverse effects of childhood maltreatment on mental health are well established, but effects on child-to-adulthood cognition and related educational attainment have yet to be examined in the general population. We aimed to establish whether different forms of child maltreatment are associated with poorer cognition and educational qualifications in childhood/adolescence and whether associations persist to midlife, parallel to associations for mental health. Cognitive abilities at ages 7, 11, and 16 years (math, reading, and general intellectual ability) and 50 years (immediate/delayed memory, verbal fluency, processing speed) were assessed using standardized tests, and qualifications by age 42 were self-reported. Information on childhood maltreatment (neglect and abuse: sexual, physical, psychological, witnessed), cognition, and mental health was available for 8,928 participants in the 1958 British Birth Cohort. We found a strong association of child neglect with cognitive deficits from childhood to adulthood. To illustrate, the most neglected 6% of the population (score ≥4) had a 0.60 (95% CI = 0.56-0.68) SD lower cognitive score at age 16 and a 0.28 (95% CI = 0.20-0.36) SD deficit at age 50 years relative to the non-neglected participants (score = 0) after adjustment for confounding factors and mental health, and they also had increased risk of poor qualifications (i.e., none/low versus degree-level). Childhood neglect and all forms of abuse were associated with poorer child-to-adulthood mental health, but abuse was mostly unrelated to cognitive abilities. The study provides novel data that child neglect is associated with cognitive deficits in childhood/adolescence and decades later in adulthood, independent of mental health, and highlights the lifelong burden of child neglect on cognitive abilities and mental health. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Leisure activity, health, and medical correlates of neurocognitive performance among monozygotic twins: the Older Australian Twins Study.

PubMed

Lee, Teresa; Lipnicki, Darren M; Crawford, John D; Henry, Julie D; Trollor, Julian N; Ames, David; Wright, Margaret J; Sachdev, Perminder S

2014-07-01

We aimed to examine associations between each of three leisure activities (Cognitive, Physical, and Social) and performance in selected cognitive domains (Speed, Memory, Verbal ability, and Executive functions) and global cognition. We also aimed to explore associations between medical and health factors and late-life cognition. Our sample comprised 119 pairs of monozygotic twins from the Older Australian Twins Study. Their mean age was 71 years and 66% were women. We used a discordant co-twin design, with cognitive performance measures as dependent variables and leisure activities as independent variables. Multiple regression analyses were performed, adjusting for potentially relevant medical and health factors. Discordance in Cognitive Activity and Social Activity participation was positively associated with discordance in performance on some cognitive domains. There were no associations between Physical Activity participation and cognition. Discordance in several cardiovascular, frailty, and sensory variables was associated with discordance in cognitive performance measures. This study identified lifestyle and health-related influences on late-life cognition. Our findings not only help in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms, they also have practical implications for interventions to prevent or slow age-related cognitive decline. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Outsourcing Memory in Response to an Aging Population.

PubMed

Ross, Michael; Schryer, Emily

2015-11-01

With baby boomers entering old age and longevity increasing, policymakers have focused on the physical, social, and health needs of older persons. We urge policymakers to consider cognitive aging as well, particularly normal, age-related memory decline. Psychological scientists attribute memory decline mainly to cognitive overload stemming from age-related reductions in sensory capacities, speed of cognitive processing, and the ability to filter out irrelevant information. Even in the absence of decline, however, memory is imperfect and forgetting can be especially consequential for older adults. For example, forgetting to take prescription medicines is an age-related problem largely because older adults tend to ingest many more prescription drugs. We propose that policymakers focus on increasing environmental support for memory that can reduce the burden on cognitive resources and thus improve recall. In providing environmental support, policymakers need to pay careful attention to potential age-related changes in physical and cognitive capacity, as well as behavior. © The Author(s) 2015.

Improving safety and mobility for older road users in Australia and Japan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-10-01

Age-related declines in vision, cognition, and physical ability affect how older road users drive and use other transportation modes. The Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and National...

Free recall and outdoor running: cognitive and physical demand interference.

PubMed

Epling, Samantha L; Blakely, Megan J; Russell, Paul N; Helton, William S

2016-10-01

Cognitive resource theory is a proposed explanation for people's limited ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Reallocation of a restricted supply of cognitive resources to two or more tasks may be detrimental to performance on one or both tasks. Many professionals in high-risk fields, such as those engaged in firefighting, military, and search and rescue missions, face simultaneous mental and physical demands, yet little is known about the resources required to move over the natural terrain these operators may encounter. In the present research, we investigated whether interference was found between outdoor running and a word recall task. As hypothesized, a reduction in word recall was observed in the dual task compared to a recall-alone task; however, the distance run was not significantly different between the dual task and the run-alone task. Subjective reports of workload, task focus, and being "spent" (measures calculated from responses on a questionnaire) were greatest in the dual task. These results support the cognitive resource theory and have important theoretical and practical implications. Further research is required to better understand the type and extent of cognitive resources required by such physical tasks and the potential interference with simultaneous mental tasks.

[Relevant Factors on Cognitive Evaluation of the Portuguese Population].

PubMed

Oliveira, Catarina Resende; Mota-Pinto, Anabela; Rodrigues, Vítor; Alves, Catarina

2017-04-28

Aging is an inevitable process that has a social impact in the forecoming decades, and it will present a great challenge regarding public health. An efficient health system requires a reflection on the preventive measures to be implemented. The study population comprised a total number of 2672 individuals of both genders, aged 55 years and over, residents in continental Portugal, to whom a questionnaire was applied that included the following sections: Social network; Locomotion; Physical autonomy; Instrumental autonomy; Cognitive assessment; Physical activity. The study of aging in the Portuguese population found that physical autonomy for tasks related to daily life are associated with better cognitive evaluation. A statistically significant association was found between performance in cognitive assessment and gender, age, schooling, the fact of living alone, the number of hours being alone, autonomy to walk in the street, washing, dressing, eating, preparing meals, doing shopping, managing money and taking medications and washer / treat clothing. Cognitive evaluation is negatively influenced by the number of hours that an individual is alone. Activities of daily life must be valued, since they require the ability to plan and carry out tasks and their preservation is a key component in successful aging.

Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Marioni, Riccardo E; Proust-Lima, Cecile; Amieva, Helene; Brayne, Carol; Matthews, Fiona E; Dartigues, Jean-Francois; Jacqmin-Gadda, Helene

2015-10-24

Identifying modifiable lifestyle correlates of cognitive decline and risk of dementia is complex, particularly as few population-based longitudinal studies jointly model these interlinked processes. Recent methodological developments allow us to examine statistically defined sub-populations with separate cognitive trajectories and dementia risks. Engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits, social network size, self-perception of feeling well understood, and degree of satisfaction with social relationships were assessed in 2854 participants from the Paquid cohort (mean baseline age 77 years) and related to incident dementia and cognitive change over 20-years of follow-up. Multivariate repeated cognitive information was exploited by defining the global cognitive functioning as the latent common factor underlying the tests. In addition, three latent homogeneous sub-populations of cognitive change and dementia were identified and contrasted according to social environment variables. In the whole population, we found associations between increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits and increased cognitive ability (but not decline) and decreased risk of incident dementia, and between feeling understood and slower cognitive decline. There was evidence for three sub-populations of cognitive aging: fast, medium, and no cognitive decline. The social-environment measures at baseline did not help explain the heterogeneity of cognitive decline and incident dementia diagnosis between these sub-populations. We observed a complex series of relationships between social-environment variables and cognitive decline and dementia. In the whole population, factors such as increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits were related to a decreased risk of dementia. However, in a sub-population analysis, the social-environment variables were not linked to the heterogeneous patterns of cognitive decline and dementia risk that defined the sub-groups.

A conceptual model of children's cognitive adaptation to physical disability.

PubMed

Bernardo, M L

1982-11-01

Increasing numbers of children are being required to adapt to lifelong illness and disability. While numerous studies exist on theories of adaptation, reaction to illness, and children's concepts of self and of illness, an integrated view of children's ability to conceptualize themselves, their disabilities and possible adaptations has not been formulated. In this article an attempt has been made to integrate models of adaptation to disability and knowledge about children's cognitive development using Piagetian theory of cognitive development and Crate's stages of adaptation to chronic illness. This conceptually integrated model can be used as a departure point for studies to validate the applicability of Piaget's theory to the development of the physically disabled child and to clinically assess the adaptational stages available to the child at various developmental stages.

Performance in normal subjects on a novel battery of driving-related sensory-motor and cognitive tests.

PubMed

Innes, Carrie R H; Jones, Richard D; Anderson, Tim J; Hollobon, Susan G; Dalrymple-Alford, John C

2009-05-01

Currently, there is no international standard for the assessment of fitness to drive for cognitively or physically impaired persons. A computerized battery of driving-related sensory-motor and cognitive tests (SMCTests) has been developed, comprising tests of visuoperception, visuomotor ability, complex attention, visual search, decision making, impulse control, planning, and divided attention. Construct validity analysis was conducted in 60 normal, healthy subjects and showed that, overall, the novel cognitive tests assessed cognitive functions similar to a set of standard neuropsychological tests. The novel tests were found to have greater perceived face validity for predicting on-road driving ability than was found in the equivalent standard tests. Test-retest stability and reliability of SMCTests measures, as well as correlations between SMCTests and on-road driving, were determined in a subset of 12 subjects. The majority of test measures were stable and reliable across two sessions, and significant correlations were found between on-road driving scores and measures from ballistic movement, footbrake reaction, hand-control reaction, and complex attention. The substantial face validity, construct validity, stability, and reliability of SMCTests, together with the battery's level of correlation with on-road driving in normal subjects, strengthen our confidence in the ability of SMCTests to detect and identify sensory-motor and cognitive deficits related to unsafe driving and increased risk of accidents.

Aging and cognition.

PubMed

Mather, Mara

2010-05-01

As we grow older, we gain knowledge and experience greater emotional balance, but we also experience memory loss and difficulties in learning new associations. Which cognitive abilities decline, remain stable or improve with age depends on the health of the brain and body as well as on what skills are practiced or challenged in everyday life. Recent research provides a growing understanding of the relationship between physical and cognitive changes across the life span and reveals ways to increase mental sharpness and avoid cognitive decline. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and childhood physical and cognitive development of children: a systematic review.

PubMed

Adane, A A; Mishra, G D; Tooth, L R

2016-11-01

Maternal obesity, usually associated with the adverse birth outcomes, has been a serious public health concern. Studies examining its effect on the physical and cognitive development of children have only recently emerged and the findings are inconsistent. This review aimed to systematically examine the role of maternal obesity on children's physical and cognitive development using the available evidence. The CINAHL, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, PUBMED and SCOPUS databases were searched. Studies addressing children's (⩽12 years) physical and cognitive development as outcome and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index as an exposure were included. Data were extracted and evaluated for quality by two independent reviewers. A total of 17 articles were eligible for this systematic review; 10 of them were birth cohorts from the USA. Nine of the 14 studies supported an adverse association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and childhood cognitive development. A few studies also demonstrated a negative association between the maternal obesity and gross motor function in children (5 of 10), but not with fine motor function (none out of five studies). Whether the observed negative association between the maternal obesity and children's cognitive and gross motor abilities is casual or due to residual confounding effects is unclear. The current evidence is based on a limited number of studies with heterogeneous measurement scales and obesity definition. From the available evidence, it seems that exposure to maternal pre-pregnancy obesity in the intrauterine environment has a detrimental effect on children's cognitive development. However, evidence of the association between the maternal obesity and physical development of children is too scarce to offer a conclusion. More research work is required to delineate the intrauterine effect of the maternal obesity from the residual confounding effects.

Motor and cognitive development: the role of karate.

PubMed

Alesi, Marianha; Bianco, Antonino; Padulo, Johnny; Vella, Francesco Paolo; Petrucci, Marco; Paoli, Antonio; Palma, Antonio; Pepi, Annamaria

2014-04-01

regular physical activity has an effect on biological responses in both muscles and organs that, in turn, alter the structure and functions of the brain. Therefore, this study aims at comparing motor (sprint, coordination ability and explosive legs strength skills) and cognitive abilities (working memory, attention, executive functioning) in children. 39 children with average chronological age of 9 years were divided in: Karatekas (n=19) and Sedentary (n=20) groups. Their abilities were measured by motor and cognitive tests. Motor skills were assessed through a battery composed by the 20 mt Sprint test, the Agility test and the Standing board jump Test. Cognitive profile was assessed by a battery of tests derived from BVN 5-11, "Batteria di Valutazione Neuropsicologica per l'Et à Evolutiva": Visual discrimination test, Reaction time test, Forwards and Backwards Digit Span Tests, Corsi Block-Tapping test and Tower of London. our results reveal significant differences between two groups (p < 0.05). Karate children show better speed times, explosive legs strength and coordination skills. They scored better on working memory, visual selective attention and executive functions. karate exercise training shows global benefits resulting in physiological and psychological gains in children.

Motor and cognitive development: the role of karate

PubMed Central

Alesi, Marianha; Bianco, Antonino; Padulo, Johnny; Vella, Francesco Paolo; Petrucci, Marco; Paoli, Antonio; Palma, Antonio; Pepi, Annamaria

2014-01-01

Summary Background: regular physical activity has an effect on biological responses in both muscles and organs that, in turn, alter the structure and functions of the brain. Therefore, this study aims at comparing motor (sprint, coordination ability and explosive legs strength skills) and cognitive abilities (working memory, attention, executive functioning) in children. Methods: 39 children with average chronological age of 9 years were divided in: Karatekas (n=19) and Sedentary (n=20) groups. Their abilities were measured by motor and cognitive tests. Motor skills were assessed through a battery composed by the 20 mt Sprint test, the Agility test and the Standing board jump Test. Cognitive profile was assessed by a battery of tests derived from BVN 5–11, “Batteria di Valutazione Neuropsicologica per l’Et à Evolutiva”: Visual discrimination test, Reaction time test, Forwards and Backwards Digit Span Tests, Corsi Block-Tapping test and Tower of London. Results: our results reveal significant differences between two groups (p < 0.05). Karate children show better speed times, explosive legs strength and coordination skills. They scored better on working memory, visual selective attention and executive functions. Conclusion: karate exercise training shows global benefits resulting in physiological and psychological gains in children. PMID:25332920

The mental cost of cognitive enhancement.

PubMed

Iuculano, Teresa; Cohen Kadosh, Roi

2013-03-06

Noninvasive brain stimulation provides a potential tool for affecting brain functions in the typical and atypical brain and offers in several cases an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention. Some studies have suggested that transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), a form of noninvasive brain stimulation, can also be used to enhance cognitive performance. Critically, research so far has primarily focused on optimizing protocols for effective stimulation, or assessing potential physical side effects of TES while neglecting the possibility of cognitive side effects. We assessed this possibility by targeting the high-level cognitive abilities of learning and automaticity in the mathematical domain. Notably, learning and automaticity represent critical abilities for potential cognitive enhancement in typical and atypical populations. Over 6 d, healthy human adults underwent cognitive training on a new numerical notation while receiving TES to the posterior parietal cortex or the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Stimulation to the the posterior parietal cortex facilitated numerical learning, whereas automaticity for the learned material was impaired. In contrast, stimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impaired the learning process, whereas automaticity for the learned material was enhanced. The observed double dissociation indicates that cognitive enhancement through TES can occur at the expense of other cognitive functions. These findings have important implications for the future use of enhancement technologies for neurointervention and performance improvement in healthy populations.

Techniques and devices to restore cognition

PubMed Central

Serruya, Mijail Demian; Kahana, Michael J.

2011-01-01

Executive planning, the ability to direct and sustain attention, language and several types of memory may be compromised by conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, cancer, autism, cerebral palsy and Alzheimer’s disease. No medical devices are currently available to help restore these cognitive functions. Recent findings about the neurophysiology of these conditions in humans coupled with progress in engineering devices to treat refractory neurological conditions imply that the time has arrived to consider the design and evaluation of a new class of devices. Like their neuromotor counterparts, neurocognitive prostheses might sense or modulate neural function in a non-invasive manner or by means of implanted electrodes. In order to paint a vision for future device development, it is essential to first review what can be achieved using behavioral and external modulatory techniques. While non-invasive approaches might strengthen a patient’s remaining intact cognitive abilities, neurocognitive prosthetics comprised of direct brain–computer interfaces could in theory physically reconstitute and augment the substrate of cognition itself. PMID:18539345

Developing a dimensional model for successful cognitive and emotional aging.

PubMed

Vahia, Ipsit V; Thompson, Wesley K; Depp, Colin A; Allison, Matthew; Jeste, Dilip V

2012-04-01

There is currently a lack of consensus on the definition of successful aging (SA) and existing implementations have omitted constructs associated with SA. We used empirical methods to develop a dimensional model of SA that incorporates a wider range of associated variables, and we examined the relationship among these components using factor analysis and Bayesian Belief Nets. We administered a successful aging questionnaire comprising several standardized measures related to SA to a sample of 1948 older women enrolled in the San Diego site of the Women's Health Initiative study. The SA-related variables we included in the model were self-rated successful aging, depression severity, physical and emotional functioning, optimism, resilience, attitude towards own aging, self-efficacy, and cognitive ability. After adjusting for age, education and income, we fitted an exploratory factor analysis model to the SA-related variables and then, in order to address relationships among these factors, we computed a Bayesian Belief Net (BBN) using rotated factor scores. The SA-related variables loaded onto five factors. Based on the loading, we labeled the factors as follows: self-rated successful aging, cognition, psychosocial protective factors, physical functioning, and emotional functioning. In the BBN, self-rated successful aging emerged as the primary downstream factor and exhibited significant partial correlations with psychosocial protective factors, physical/general status and mental/emotional status but not with cognitive ability. Our study represents a step forward in developing a dimensional model of SA. Our findings also point to a potential role for psychiatry in improving successful aging by managing depressive symptoms and developing psychosocial interventions to improve self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism.

Evaluating and Enhancing Driving Ability among Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

see Appendix 1). It assesses both positive and negative cognitions, physical arousal, and behaviors that relate to contemplating driving, preparing to...driving. Their eagerness or discomfort may be expressed through their thoughts, actions, or physical responses. To what extent does your teen do the...drive? 0 1 2 3 Avoids talking about driving? 0 1 2 3 Smiles and is physically excited about possibly driving? 0 1 2 3 Becomes agitated or tense when

Academic Achievement in Physics-Chemistry: The Predictive Effect of Attitudes and Reasoning Abilities.

PubMed

Vilia, Paulo N; Candeias, Adelinda A; Neto, António S; Franco, Maria Da Glória S; Melo, Madalena

2017-01-01

Science education plays a critical role as political priority due to its fundamental importance in engaging students to pursue technological careers considered essential in modern societies, in order to face scientific development challenges. High-level achievement on science education and positive attitudes toward science constitutes a crucial challenge for formal education. Several studies indicate close relationships between students' attitudes, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of student's attitudes toward the school discipline of Physics and Chemistry and their reasoning abilities on academic achievement on that school subject, among Portuguese 9th grade students using the data collected during the Project Academic Performance and Development: a longitudinal study on the effects of school transitions in Portuguese students (PTDC/CPE-CED/104884/2008). The participants were 470 students (267 girls - 56.8% and 203 boys - 43.2%), aged 14-16 years old (μ = 14.3 ± 0.58). The attitude data were collected using the Attitude toward Physics-Chemistry Questionnaire (ATPCQ) and, the Reasoning Test Battery (RTB) was used to assess the students reasoning abilities. Achievement was measured using the students' quarterly (9-week) grades in the physics and chemistry subject. The relationships between the attitude dimensions toward Physics-chemistry and the reasoning dimensions and achievement in each of the three school terms were assessed by multiple regression stepwise analyses and standardized regression coefficients (β), calculated with IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. Both variables studied proved to be significant predictor variables of school achievement. The models obtained from the use of both variables were always stronger accounting for higher proportions of student's grade variations. The results show that ATPCQ and RTB had a significantly positive relationship with student's achievement in Physics-chemistry, indicating that both attitudinal and cognitive variables should be taken into account on science education as well as in educative intervention.

Academic Achievement in Physics-Chemistry: The Predictive Effect of Attitudes and Reasoning Abilities

PubMed Central

Vilia, Paulo N.; Candeias, Adelinda A.; Neto, António S.; Franco, Maria Da Glória S.; Melo, Madalena

2017-01-01

Science education plays a critical role as political priority due to its fundamental importance in engaging students to pursue technological careers considered essential in modern societies, in order to face scientific development challenges. High-level achievement on science education and positive attitudes toward science constitutes a crucial challenge for formal education. Several studies indicate close relationships between students’ attitudes, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of student’s attitudes toward the school discipline of Physics and Chemistry and their reasoning abilities on academic achievement on that school subject, among Portuguese 9th grade students using the data collected during the Project Academic Performance and Development: a longitudinal study on the effects of school transitions in Portuguese students (PTDC/CPE-CED/104884/2008). The participants were 470 students (267 girls – 56.8% and 203 boys – 43.2%), aged 14–16 years old (μ = 14.3 ± 0.58). The attitude data were collected using the Attitude toward Physics-Chemistry Questionnaire (ATPCQ) and, the Reasoning Test Battery (RTB) was used to assess the students reasoning abilities. Achievement was measured using the students’ quarterly (9-week) grades in the physics and chemistry subject. The relationships between the attitude dimensions toward Physics-chemistry and the reasoning dimensions and achievement in each of the three school terms were assessed by multiple regression stepwise analyses and standardized regression coefficients (β), calculated with IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. Both variables studied proved to be significant predictor variables of school achievement. The models obtained from the use of both variables were always stronger accounting for higher proportions of student’s grade variations. The results show that ATPCQ and RTB had a significantly positive relationship with student’s achievement in Physics-chemistry, indicating that both attitudinal and cognitive variables should be taken into account on science education as well as in educative intervention. PMID:28701978

Profiling nonhuman intelligence: An exercise in developing unbiased tools for describing other "types" of intelligence on earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzing, Denise L.

2014-02-01

Intelligence has historically been studied by comparing nonhuman cognitive and language abilities with human abilities. Primate-like species, which show human-like anatomy and share evolutionary lineage, have been the most studied. However, when comparing animals of non-primate origins our abilities to profile the potential for intelligence remains inadequate. Historically our measures for nonhuman intelligence have included a variety of tools: (1) physical measurements - brain to body ratio, brain structure/convolution/neural density, presence of artifacts and physical tools, (2) observational and sensory measurements - sensory signals, complexity of signals, cross-modal abilities, social complexity, (3) data mining - information theory, signal/noise, pattern recognition, (4) experimentation - memory, cognition, language comprehension/use, theory of mind, (5) direct interfaces - one way and two way interfaces with primates, dolphins, birds and (6) accidental interactions - human/animal symbiosis, cross-species enculturation. Because humans tend to focus on "human-like" attributes and measures and scientists are often unwilling to consider other "types" of intelligence that may not be human equated, our abilities to profile "types" of intelligence that differ on a variety of scales is weak. Just as biologists stretch their definitions of life to look at extremophiles in unusual conditions, so must we stretch our descriptions of types of minds and begin profiling, rather than equating, other life forms we may encounter.

Avian Models for Human Cognitive Neuroscience: A Proposal.

PubMed

Clayton, Nicola S; Emery, Nathan J

2015-06-17

Research on avian cognitive neuroscience over the past two decades has revealed the avian brain to be a better model for understanding human cognition than previously thought, despite differences in the neuroarchitecture of avian and mammalian brains. The brain, behavior, and cognition of songbirds have provided an excellent model of human cognition in one domain, namely learning human language and the production of speech. There are other important behavioral candidates of avian cognition, however, notably the capacity of corvids to remember the past and plan for the future, as well as their ability to think about another's perspective, and physical reasoning. We review this work and assess the evidence that the corvid brain can support such a cognitive architecture. We propose potential applications of these behavioral paradigms for cognitive neuroscience, including recent work on single-cell recordings and neuroimaging in corvids. Finally, we discuss their impact on understanding human developmental cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning and Individual Differences: An Ability/Information - Processing Framework for Skill Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-03-15

1992, Journal of Applied Psychology ).] This study represented an attempt to extend and test the Ackerman (1988) theory of the cognitive ability...both the physical state of the test -taker (e.g., time-of-day, arousal level; see Revelle, Humphreys, Simon, & Gilliland, 1980) and the psychological ...little consideration in the psychology of individual differences. -. Test directions almost never tell the examinee how to approach the task. Theoretically

Dopamine antagonism decreases willingness to expend physical, but not cognitive, effort: a comparison of two rodent cost/benefit decision-making tasks.

PubMed

Hosking, Jay G; Floresco, Stan B; Winstanley, Catharine A

2015-03-01

Successful decision making often requires weighing a given option's costs against its associated benefits, an ability that appears perturbed in virtually every severe mental illness. Animal models of such cost/benefit decision making overwhelmingly implicate mesolimbic dopamine in our willingness to exert effort for a larger reward. Until recently, however, animal models have invariably manipulated the degree of physical effort, whereas human studies of effort have primarily relied on cognitive costs. Dopamine's relationship to cognitive effort has not been directly examined, nor has the relationship between individuals' willingness to expend mental versus physical effort. It is therefore unclear whether willingness to work hard in one domain corresponds to willingness in the other. Here we utilize a rat cognitive effort task (rCET), wherein animals can choose to allocate greater visuospatial attention for a greater reward, and a previously established physical effort-discounting task (EDT) to examine dopaminergic and noradrenergic contributions to effort. The dopamine antagonists eticlopride and SCH23390 each decreased willingness to exert physical effort on the EDT; these drugs had no effect on willingness to exert mental effort for the rCET. Preference for the high effort option correlated across the two tasks, although this effect was transient. These results suggest that dopamine is only minimally involved in cost/benefit decision making with cognitive effort costs. The constructs of mental and physical effort may therefore comprise overlapping, but distinct, circuitry, and therapeutic interventions that prove efficacious in one effort domain may not be beneficial in another.

8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... unable, because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments... English language as noted in paragraph (a) of this section. The loss of any cognitive abilities based on..., the term medically determinable means an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or...

8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... unable, because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments... English language as noted in paragraph (a) of this section. The loss of any cognitive abilities based on..., the term medically determinable means an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or...

8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... unable, because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments... English language as noted in paragraph (a) of this section. The loss of any cognitive abilities based on..., the term medically determinable means an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or...

A Mobile Game for the Social and Cognitive Well-Being of Elderly People in China.

PubMed

Li, Nan; Chen, Weiqin

2017-01-01

China, like many other countries, is facing the challenges of an ageing population. Literature has shown that the lack of social interaction has a negative impact on the physical health of the elderly, and playing games can be beneficial in maintaining or even improving their cognitive abilities. This study describes the design and development process for a social and cognitive mobile game and the related user evaluation in terms of well-being. The objective is to explore the underlying connections between game playing and the improvement of well-being among elderly people in China.

Contributions of a Child’s Built, Natural, and Social Environments to Their General Cognitive Ability: A Systematic Scoping Review

DOE PAGES

Ruiz, Jazmin Del Carmen; Quackenboss, James J.; Tulve, Nicolle S.; ...

2016-02-03

The etiology of a child’s cognitive ability is complex, with research suggesting that it is not attributed to a single determinant or even a defined period of exposure. Rather, cognitive development is the product of cumulative interactions with the environment, both negative and positive, over the life course. The aim of this systematic scoping review was to collate evidence associated with children’s cognitive health, including inherent factors as well as chemical and non-chemical stressors from the built, natural, and social environments. Three databases were used to identify recent epidemiological studies (2003–2013) that examined exposure factors associated with general cognitive abilitymore » in children. Over 100 factors were evaluated from 258 eligible studies. We found that recent literature mainly assessed the hypothesized negative effects of either inherent factors or chemical exposures present in the physical environment. Prenatal growth, sleep health, lead and water pollutants showed consistent negative effects. Of the few studies that examined social stressors, results consistently showed cognitive development to be influenced by both positive and negative social interactions at home, in school or the community. Among behavioral factors related to diet and lifestyle choices of the mother, breastfeeding was the most studied, showing consistent positive associations with cognitive ability. There were mostly inconsistent results for both chemical and non-chemical stressors. The majority of studies utilized traditional exposure assessments, evaluating chemical and non-chemical stressors separately. Collective evidence from a limited number of studies revealed that cumulative exposure assessment that incorporates multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors over the life course may unravel the variability in effect on cognitive development and help explain the inconsistencies across studies. Here, future research examining the interactions of multiple stressors within a child’s total environment, depicting a more real-world exposure, will aid in understanding the cumulative effects associated with a child’s ability to learn.« less

Contributions of a Child’s Built, Natural, and Social Environments to Their General Cognitive Ability: A Systematic Scoping Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruiz, Jazmin Del Carmen; Quackenboss, James J.; Tulve, Nicolle S.

The etiology of a child’s cognitive ability is complex, with research suggesting that it is not attributed to a single determinant or even a defined period of exposure. Rather, cognitive development is the product of cumulative interactions with the environment, both negative and positive, over the life course. The aim of this systematic scoping review was to collate evidence associated with children’s cognitive health, including inherent factors as well as chemical and non-chemical stressors from the built, natural, and social environments. Three databases were used to identify recent epidemiological studies (2003–2013) that examined exposure factors associated with general cognitive abilitymore » in children. Over 100 factors were evaluated from 258 eligible studies. We found that recent literature mainly assessed the hypothesized negative effects of either inherent factors or chemical exposures present in the physical environment. Prenatal growth, sleep health, lead and water pollutants showed consistent negative effects. Of the few studies that examined social stressors, results consistently showed cognitive development to be influenced by both positive and negative social interactions at home, in school or the community. Among behavioral factors related to diet and lifestyle choices of the mother, breastfeeding was the most studied, showing consistent positive associations with cognitive ability. There were mostly inconsistent results for both chemical and non-chemical stressors. The majority of studies utilized traditional exposure assessments, evaluating chemical and non-chemical stressors separately. Collective evidence from a limited number of studies revealed that cumulative exposure assessment that incorporates multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors over the life course may unravel the variability in effect on cognitive development and help explain the inconsistencies across studies. Here, future research examining the interactions of multiple stressors within a child’s total environment, depicting a more real-world exposure, will aid in understanding the cumulative effects associated with a child’s ability to learn.« less

Predicting Peer Acceptance in Dutch Youth: A Multilevel Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubbers, Miranda; Van Der Werf, Margaretha; Kuyper, Hans; Offringa, G.

2006-01-01

This article uses an ecological approach to predict students' peer acceptance within junior high school classes. The authors investigate whether various characteristics (self-perception of physical attractiveness and athletic competence, cognitive ability, agreeableness, extraversion, age, parents education, number of siblings, siblings at same…

Evaluating and Enhancing Driving Ability among Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

was developed to address the first goal above (see Appendix 1). It assesses both positive and negative cognitions, physical arousal, and behaviors... physical responses. To what extent does your teen do the following: Not at all A little Some- what A Lot When talking about driving… Is...in an accident? 0 1 2 3 Asks about whether s/he can drive? 0 1 2 3 Avoids talking about driving? 0 1 2 3 Smiles and is physically excited about

The role of socio-communicative rearing environments in the development of social and physical cognition in apes.

PubMed

Russell, Jamie L; Lyn, Heidi; Schaeffer, Jennifer A; Hopkins, William D

2011-11-01

The cultural intelligence hypothesis (CIH) claims that humans' advanced cognition is a direct result of human culture and that children are uniquely specialized to absorb and utilize this cultural experience (Tomasello, 2000). Comparative data demonstrating that 2.5-year-old human children outperform apes on measures of social cognition but not on measures of physical cognition support this claim (Herrmann et al., 2007). However, the previous study failed to control for rearing when comparing these two species. Specifically, the human children were raised in a human culture whereas the apes were raised in standard sanctuary settings. To further explore the CIH, here we compared the performance on multiple measures of social and physical cognition in a group of standard reared apes raised in conditions typical of zoo and biomedical laboratory settings to that of apes reared in an enculturated socio-communicatively rich environment. Overall, the enculturated apes significantly outperformed their standard reared counterparts on the cognitive tasks and this was particularly true for measures of communication. Furthermore, the performance of the enculturated apes was very similar to previously reported data from 2.5-year-old children. We conclude that apes who are reared in a human-like socio-communicatively rich environment develop superior communicative abilities compared to apes reared in standard laboratory settings, which supports some assumptions of the cultural intelligence hypothesis. 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A conceptual and empirical analysis of the cognitive ability-voluntary turnover relationship.

PubMed

Maltarich, Mark A; Nyberg, Anthony J; Reilly, Greg

2010-11-01

Despite much research into cognitive ability as a selection tool and a separate large literature on the causes of voluntary turnover, little theoretical or empirical work connects the two. We propose that voluntary turnover is also a potentially key outcome of cognitive ability. Incorporating ideas from the person-environment fit literature and those regarding push and pull influences on turnover, we posit a theoretical connection between cognitive ability and voluntary turnover that addresses both why and how voluntary turnover is related to cognitive ability. Integrating data from 3 different sources, our empirical analyses support the theoretical perspective that the relationship between cognitive ability and voluntary turnover depends on the cognitive demands of the job. When the cognitive demands of a job are high, our findings support the hypothesized curvilinear relationship between cognitive ability and voluntary turnover, such that employees of higher and lower cognitive ability are more likely than medium cognitive ability employees to leave voluntarily. With regard to jobs with low cognitive demands, our data are more consistent with a negative linear relationship between cognitive ability and voluntary turnover, such that higher cognitive ability employees are less likely to leave voluntarily. We also examine the role of job satisfaction, finding that job satisfaction is more strongly linked to voluntary turnover in jobs with high cognitive demands. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Leisure Activities and Change in Cognitive Stability: A Multivariate Approach

PubMed Central

Mella, Nathalie; Grob, Emmanuelle; Döll, Salomé; Ghisletta, Paolo; de Ribaupierre, Anik

2017-01-01

Aging is traditionally associated with cognitive decline, attested by slower reaction times and poorer performance in various cognitive tasks, but also by an increase in intraindividual variability (IIV) in cognitive performance. Results concerning how lifestyle activities protect from cognitive decline are mixed in the literature and all focused on how it affects mean performance. However, IIV has been proven to be an index more sensitive to age differences, and very little is known about the relationships between lifestyle activities and change in IIV in aging. This longitudinal study explores the association between frequency of physical, social, intellectual, artistic, or cultural activities and age-related change in various cognitive abilities, considering both mean performance and IIV. Ninety-six participants, aged 64–93 years, underwent a battery of cognitive tasks at four measurements over a seven-year period, and filled out a lifestyle activity questionnaire. Linear multilevel models were used to analyze the associations between change in cognitive performance and five types of activities. Results showed that the practice of leisure activities was more strongly associated with IIV than with mean performance, both when considering overall level and change in performance. Relationships with IIV were dependent of the cognitive tasks considered and overall results showed protective effects of cultural, physical and intellectual activities on IIV. These results underline the need for considering IIV in the study of age-related cognitive change. PMID:28257047

Physics of mind: Experimental confirmations of theoretical predictions.

PubMed

Schoeller, Félix; Perlovsky, Leonid; Arseniev, Dmitry

2018-02-02

What is common among Newtonian mechanics, statistical physics, thermodynamics, quantum physics, the theory of relativity, astrophysics and the theory of superstrings? All these areas of physics have in common a methodology, which is discussed in the first few lines of the review. Is a physics of the mind possible? Is it possible to describe how a mind adapts in real time to changes in the physical world through a theory based on a few basic laws? From perception and elementary cognition to emotions and abstract ideas allowing high-level cognition and executive functioning, at nearly all levels of study, the mind shows variability and uncertainties. Is it possible to turn psychology and neuroscience into so-called "hard" sciences? This review discusses several established first principles for the description of mind and their mathematical formulations. A mathematical model of mind is derived from these principles. This model includes mechanisms of instincts, emotions, behavior, cognition, concepts, language, intuitions, and imagination. We clarify fundamental notions such as the opposition between the conscious and the unconscious, the knowledge instinct and aesthetic emotions, as well as humans' universal abilities for symbols and meaning. In particular, the review discusses in length evolutionary and cognitive functions of aesthetic emotions and musical emotions. Several theoretical predictions are derived from the model, some of which have been experimentally confirmed. These empirical results are summarized and we introduce new theoretical developments. Several unsolved theoretical problems are proposed, as well as new experimental challenges for future research. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Physical activity as intervention for age-related loss of muscle mass and function: protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the LISA study)

PubMed Central

Eriksen, Christian Skou; Garde, Ellen; Reislev, Nina Linde; Wimmelmann, Cathrine Lawaetz; Bieler, Theresa; Ziegler, Andreas Kraag; Gylling, Anne Theil; Dideriksen, Kasper Juel; Siebner, Hartwig Roman; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Kjaer, Michael

2016-01-01

Introduction Physical and cognitive function decline with age, accelerating during the 6th decade. Loss of muscle power (force×velocity product) is a dominant physical determinant for loss of functional ability, especially if the lower extremities are affected. Muscle strength training is known to maintain or even improve muscle power as well as physical function in older adults, but the optimal type of training for beneficial long-term training effects over several years is unknown. Moreover, the impact of muscle strength training on cognitive function and brain structure remains speculative. The primary aim of this randomised controlled trial is to compare the efficacy of two different 1 year strength training regimens on immediate and long-lasting improvements in muscle power in retirement-age individuals. Secondary aims are to evaluate the effect on muscle strength, muscle mass, physical and cognitive function, mental well-being, health-related quality of life and brain morphology. Methods and analysis The study includes 450 home-dwelling men and women (62–70 years). Participants are randomly allocated to (1) 1 year of supervised, centre-based heavy resistance training, (2) home-based moderate intensity resistance training or (3) habitual physical activity (control). Changes in primary (leg extensor power) and secondary outcomes are analysed according to the intention to treat principle and per protocol at 1, 2, 4, 7 and 10 years. Ethics and dissemination The study is expected to generate new insights into training-induced promotion of functional ability and independency after retirement and will help to formulate national recommendations regarding physical activity schemes for the growing population of older individuals in western societies. Results will be published in scientific peer-reviewed journals, in PhD theses and at public meetings. The study is approved by the Regional Ethical Committee (Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark, number H-3-2014-017). Trial registration number NCT02123641. PMID:27913559

Is there information contained within the sentence-writing component of the mini mental state examination? A retrospective study of community dwelling older people.

PubMed

Shenkin, Susan D; Starr, John M; Dunn, Joanne M; Carter, Samantha; Deary, Ian J

2008-12-01

To investigate the relationship between features of the MMSE written sentence and cognitive function, depression and disability. MMSE sentences from 191 community dwelling individuals without dementia from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921) study were: (a) photocopied and (b) typed as written. Sentences were rated for objective criteria: word number and frequency, first person usage, time orientation, and letter case. Twenty healthy raters (50% male, age 20-26 years), blind to all other data, rated each handwritten and typed sentence for subjective criteria: legibility, 'emotional' tone (positive to negative), estimated age, health, and intelligence. As part of the LBC1921 volunteers had results available for cognitive ability tests (from which we extracted a general cognitive ability factor, g), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS), and Townsend disability scores. 43.5% of subjects were male, mean age 78.6, SD 0.43 years. There was no significant association between the objective sentence criteria, legibility or tone and measured cognitive ability or physical disability. However, estimates of intelligence from the MMSE written sentence correlated significantly with current cognitive ability (r = 0.29, p < 0.001). There was a trend towards sentences with a negative tone being associated with a higher HADS-depression score (rho = -0.12, p = 0.09). In community dwelling people aged around 80 years, despite no association between objectively rated features of the MMSE sentence and intelligence or disability, raters were able to make better-than-chance estimates of subjects' intelligence test scores. (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Are teachers' judgements of pupils' ability influenced by body shape?

PubMed

Shackleton, N L; Campbell, T

2014-04-01

Evidence indicates that teachers can judge pupils on the basis of their physical appearance, including their body shape. Teacher bias towards obese pupils has been suggested as a potential pathway through which obese children attain relatively lower academic levels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether teachers' judgements of pupils' ability are influenced by the body shape of the child. The sample includes English, singleton children in state schools from the Millennium Cohort Study. The data were taken from the fourth wave of data collection, when the children were approximately 7 years old. In all, 5086/5072 children had teacher ability ratings of reading and maths. Logistic regression analyses were used to test whether teachers' perceptions of the child's reading and mathematics ability were influenced by the pupil's waist circumference, conditional upon cognitive test scores of reading and maths ability. After adjustment for cognitive test scores, no significant overall relationship was found between the pupil's waist circumference and the teacher's judgements of ability. No statistically significant differences were observed in the probability of being judged as above average after further adjustments were made for potential confounders. There is little evidence that teachers' judgements of pupils' ability are influenced by obesity.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid Beta and Tau Concentrations Are Not Modulated by 16 Weeks of Moderate- to High-Intensity Physical Exercise in Patients with Alzheimer Disease.

PubMed

Steen Jensen, Camilla; Portelius, Erik; Siersma, Volkert; Høgh, Peter; Wermuth, Lene; Blennow, Kaj; Zetterberg, Henrik; Waldemar, Gunhild; Gregers Hasselbalch, Steen; Hviid Simonsen, Anja

2016-01-01

Physical exercise may have some effect on cognition in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the underlying biochemical effects are unclear. Animal studies have shown that amyloid beta (Aβ), one of the pathological hallmarks of AD, can be altered with high levels of physical activity. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of 16 weeks of moderate- to high-intensity physical exercise on the biomarkers of AD, with special emphasis on the amyloidogenic pathway. From a total of 53 patients with AD participating in the Preserving Cognition, Quality of Life, Physical Health and Functional Ability in Alzheimer's Disease: The Effect of Physical Exercise (ADEX) study we analyzed cerebrospinal fluid samples for Aβ species, total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and soluble amyloid precursor protein (sAPP) species. We also assessed the patients for apolipoprotein E ε4 (ApoE ε4) genotype. We found no effect of 16 weeks of physical exercise on the selected biomarkers, and no effect of ApoE ε4 genotype. Our findings suggest that the possible effect of physical exercise on cognition in patients with AD is not due to modulation of Aβ, t-tau, p-tau and sAPP species. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Cognitive and behavioural assessment of people with traumatic brain injury in the work place: occupational therapists' perceptions.

PubMed

Bootes, Kylie; Chapparo, Christine J

2002-01-01

Cognitive and behavioural impairments, in the absence of severe physical disability, are commonly related to poor return to work outcomes for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Along with other health professionals, occupational therapists make judgements about cognitive and behavioural dimensions of work capacity of clients with TBI during the return to work process. Unlike many physical functional capacity evaluations, there is no standard method that therapists use to assess the ability of people with TBI to perform cognitive operations required for work. Little is known about what information occupational therapists use in their assessment of cognitive and behavioural aspects of client performance within the work place. This study employed qualitative research methods to determine what information is utilised by 20 therapists who assess the work capacity of people with TBI in the workplace. Results indicated that the process of making judgements about cognitive and behavioural competence within the work place is a multifaceted process. Therapists triangulate client information from multiple sources and types of data to produce an accurate view of client work capacity. Central to this process is the relationship between the client, the job and the work environment.

The effects of domestication and ontogeny on cognition in dogs and wolves.

PubMed

Lampe, Michelle; Bräuer, Juliane; Kaminski, Juliane; Virányi, Zsófia

2017-09-15

Cognition is one of the most flexible tools enabling adaptation to environmental variation. Living close to humans is thought to influence social as well as physical cognition of animals throughout domestication and ontogeny. Here, we investigated to what extent physical cognition and two domains of social cognition of dogs have been affected by domestication and ontogeny. To address the effects of domestication, we compared captive wolves (n = 12) and dogs (n = 14) living in packs under the same conditions. To explore developmental effects, we compared these dogs to pet dogs (n = 12) living in human families. The animals were faced with a series of object-choice tasks, in which their response to communicative, behavioural and causal cues was tested. We observed that wolves outperformed dogs in their ability to follow causal cues, suggesting that domestication altered specific skills relating to this domain, whereas developmental effects had surprisingly no influence. All three groups performed similarly in the communicative and behavioural conditions, suggesting higher ontogenetic flexibility in the two social domains. These differences across cognitive domains need to be further investigated, by comparing domestic and non-domesticated animals living in varying conditions.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms in older nursing home residents with intact cognitive function in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hu, Sophia H; Chuang, Yeu-Hui; Ting, Yeh-Feng; Lin, Kuan-Yu; Hsieh, Chia-Jung

2018-03-25

The investigators aimed to explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among older residents with intact cognitive function in nursing homes in Taiwan. A cross-sectional descriptive and correlational research design was used. A convenience sample of 178 older residents without cognitive impairment was recruited from 36 nursing homes in Southern Taiwan. The questionnaires included demographic data; the Barthel Index, which assesses the ability to perform activities of daily living; and the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. Among older residents in nursing homes with intact cognitive function, 39.3% had depressive symptoms. Age, religion, previous living status, previous working status, being totally dependent in physical function, and being severely dependent in physical function were significant predictors of depressive symptoms among cognitively intact older residents. The findings highlight the critical mental healthcare issues among older residents with intact cognitive function in nursing homes. Practical strategies for preventing the occurrence of depressive symptoms and caring for those who have depressive symptoms should be developed, especially for younger or dependent older residents or residents who have never been employed, have no religious beliefs, or have lived alone before they moved into an institution. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Got EQ?: Increasing Cultural and Clinical Competence through Emotional Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Shari A.

2007-01-01

Cultural intelligence has been described across three parameters of human behavior: cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence (EQ), and physical intelligence. Each contributes a unique and important perspective to the ability of speech-language pathologists and audiologists to provide benefits to their clients regardless of cultural…

Pathways of Intergenerational Transmission of Advantages during Adolescence: Social Background, Cognitive Ability, and Educational Attainment.

PubMed

Schulz, Wiebke; Schunck, Reinhard; Diewald, Martin; Johnson, Wendy

2017-10-01

Educational attainment in adolescence is of paramount importance for attaining higher education and for shaping subsequent life chances. Sociological accounts focus on the role of differences in socioeconomic resources in intergenerational reproduction of educational inequalities. These often disregard the intergenerational transmission of cognitive ability and the importance of children's cognitive ability to educational attainment. Psychological perspectives stress the importance of cognitive ability for educational attainment but underemphasize potentially different roles of specific socioeconomic resources in shaping educational outcomes, as well as individual differences in cognitive ability. By integrating two strands of research, a clearer picture of the pathways linking the family of origin, cognitive ability, and early educational outcomes can be reached. Using the population-based TwinLife study in Germany, we investigated multidimensional pathways linking parental socioeconomic position to their children's cognitive ability and academic track attendance in the secondary school. The sample included twins (N = 4008), respectively ages 11 and 17, and siblings (N = 801). We observed strong genetic influences on cognitive ability, whereas shared environmental influences were much more important for academic tracking. In multilevel analyses, separate dimensions of socioeconomic resources influenced child cognitive ability, controlling parental cognitive ability. Controlling adolescent cognitive ability and parental cognitive ability, parental socioeconomic resources also directly affected track attendance. This indicated that it is crucial to investigate the intertwined influences on educational outcomes in adolescence of both cognitive ability and the characteristics of the family of origin.

Shifting the focus from quantitative to qualitative exercise characteristics in exercise and cognition research.

PubMed

Pesce, Caterina

2012-12-01

In exercise and cognition research, few studies have investigated whether and how the qualitative aspects of physical exercise may impact cognitive performance in the short or long term. This commentary, after recalling the evidence on the "dose-response" relationship, shifts the focus to intersections between different research areas that are proposed to shed light on how qualitative exercise characteristics can be used to obtain cognitive benefits. As concerns the acute exercise area, this commentary highlights the applied relevance of developmental and aging studies investigating the effects of exercise bouts differing in movement task complexity and cognitive demands. As regards the chronic exercise area, potential links to research on cognitive expertise in sport, functional ability in aging, and life skills training during development are discussed. "Gross-motor cognitive training" is proposed as a key concept with relevant implications for intervention strategies in childhood and older adulthood.

Toward cognitive robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laird, John E.

2009-05-01

Our long-term goal is to develop autonomous robotic systems that have the cognitive abilities of humans, including communication, coordination, adapting to novel situations, and learning through experience. Our approach rests on the recent integration of the Soar cognitive architecture with both virtual and physical robotic systems. Soar has been used to develop a wide variety of knowledge-rich agents for complex virtual environments, including distributed training environments and interactive computer games. For development and testing in robotic virtual environments, Soar interfaces to a variety of robotic simulators and a simple mobile robot. We have recently made significant extensions to Soar that add new memories and new non-symbolic reasoning to Soar's original symbolic processing, which should significantly improve Soar abilities for control of robots. These extensions include episodic memory, semantic memory, reinforcement learning, and mental imagery. Episodic memory and semantic memory support the learning and recalling of prior events and situations as well as facts about the world. Reinforcement learning provides the ability of the system to tune its procedural knowledge - knowledge about how to do things. Mental imagery supports the use of diagrammatic and visual representations that are critical to support spatial reasoning. We speculate on the future of unmanned systems and the need for cognitive robotics to support dynamic instruction and taskability.

Spatial visualization in physics problem solving.

PubMed

Kozhevnikov, Maria; Motes, Michael A; Hegarty, Mary

2007-07-08

Three studies were conducted to examine the relation of spatial visualization to solving kinematics problems that involved either predicting the two-dimensional motion of an object, translating from one frame of reference to another, or interpreting kinematics graphs. In Study 1, 60 physics-naíve students were administered kinematics problems and spatial visualization ability tests. In Study 2, 17 (8 high- and 9 low-spatial ability) additional students completed think-aloud protocols while they solved the kinematics problems. In Study 3, the eye movements of fifteen (9 high- and 6 low-spatial ability) students were recorded while the students solved kinematics problems. In contrast to high-spatial students, most low-spatial students did not combine two motion vectors, were unable to switch frames of reference, and tended to interpret graphs literally. The results of the study suggest an important relationship between spatial visualization ability and solving kinematics problems with multiple spatial parameters. 2007 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

The Cognition of Multiaircraft Control (MAC): Cognitive Ability Predictors, Working Memory, Interference, and Attention Control in Radio Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

THE COGNITION OF MULTIAIRCRAFT CONTROL (MAC): COGNITIVE ABILITY PREDICTORS, WORKING MEMORY ...COGNITIVE ABILITY PREDICTORS, WORKING MEMORY , INTERFERENCE, AND ATTENTION CONTROL IN RADIO COMMUNICATION THESIS Presented to the Faculty...UNLIMITED. AFIT-ENV-MS-15-M-205 THE COGNITION OF MULTIAIRCRAFT CONTROL (MAC): COGNITIVE ABILITY PREDICTORS, WORKING MEMORY , INTERFERENCE

Training the Developing Brain Part II: Cognitive Considerations for Youth Instruction and Feedback

PubMed Central

Kushner, Adam M.; Kiefer, Adam W.; Lesnick, Samantha; Faigenbaum, Avery D.; Kashikar-Zuck, Susmita; Myer, Gregory D.

2015-01-01

Growing numbers of youth participating in competitive, organized physical activity has led to a concern for the risk of sports related injuries during important periods of human development. Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of Integrative Neuromuscular Training (INT) to enhance athletic performance and to reduce the risk of sports related injuries in youth. Successful implementation of INT necessitates instruction from knowledgeable and qualified instructors who understand the unique physical, cognitive and psychosocial characteristics of youth to provide appropriate training instruction and feedback. Principles of a classical theory of cognitive development provide a useful context for discussion of developmentally appropriate methods and strategies for INT instruction of youth. INT programs that consider these developmentally appropriate approaches will provide a controlled, efficacious environment for youth to improve athletic performance and to reduce risk of sports related injury; thus, promoting a healthy, active lifestyle beyond an individual’s formative years. PMID:25968858

Is there a link between the crafting of tools and the evolution of cognition?

PubMed

Taylor, Alex H; Gray, Russell D

2014-11-01

The ability to craft tools is one of the defining features of our species. The technical intelligence hypothesis predicts that tool-making species should have enhanced physical cognition. Here we review how the physical problem-solving performance of tool-making apes and corvids compares to closely related species. We conclude that, while some performance differences have been found, overall the evidence is at best equivocal. We argue that increased sample sizes, novel experimental designs, and a signature-testing approach are required to determine the effect tool crafting has on the evolution of intelligence. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:693-703. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1322 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. © 2014 The Authors. WIREs Cognitive Science published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Motivational reserve: motivation-related occupational abilities and risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Forstmeier, Simon; Maercker, Andreas; Maier, Wolfgang; van den Bussche, Hendrik; Riedel-Heller, Steffi; Kaduszkiewicz, Hanna; Pentzek, Michael; Weyerer, Siegfried; Bickel, Horst; Tebarth, Franziska; Luppa, Melanie; Wollny, Anja; Wiese, Birgitt; Wagner, Michael

2012-06-01

Midlife motivational abilities, that is, skills to initiate and persevere in the implementation of goals, have been related to mental and physical health, but their association with risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has not yet been directly investigated. This relation was examined with data from the German Study on Ageing, Cognition, and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe). A total of 3,327 nondemented participants (50.3% of a randomly selected sample) aged 75-89 years were recruited in primary care and followed up twice (after 1.5 and 3 years). Motivation-related occupational abilities were estimated on the basis of the main occupation (assessed at follow-up II) using the Occupational Information Network (O* NET) database, which provides detailed information on worker characteristics and abilities. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the relative risk of developing MCI and AD in relation to motivation-related occupational abilities, adjusting for various covariates. Over the 3 years of follow-up, 15.2% participants developed MCI and 3.0% developed AD. In a fully adjusted model, motivation-related occupational abilities were found to be associated with a reduced risk of MCI (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.64-0.92). Motivation-related occupational abilities were associated with reduced risk of AD in ApoE ε4 carriers (HR: 0.48; CI: 0.25-0.91), but not in noncarriers (HR: 0.99; CI: 0.65-1.53). These results suggest that midlife motivational abilities are associated with reduced risk of MCI in general and with reduced risk of AD in ApoE ε4 carriers. Revealing the mechanisms underlying this association may inform novel prevention strategies for decelerating cognitive decline in old age. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

When Are High-Tech Communicators Effective in Parkinson's Disease?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferriero, Giorgio; Caligari, Marco; Ronconi, Gianpaolo; Franchignoni, Franco

2012-01-01

This report describes a 63-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease showing loss of intelligibility of speech and severely impaired handwriting, despite undergoing physical and speech therapies. As the patient had sufficient residual motor abilities and adequate cognitive function and motivation, a computer-based communication aid with a software…

Early Identification of Infants Who Are Deaf-Blind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malloy, Peggy; Thomas, Kathleen Stremel; Schalock, Mark; Davies, Steven; Purvis, Barbara; Udell, Tom

2009-01-01

Experiences that occur during the earliest years of life critically impact children's abilities to learn, move, and interact with others. This is especially true for children with severe sensory and multiple disabilities, for whom physical, communicative, cognitive, social, and emotional developmental domains are deeply intertwined. In…

Early Identification and Referral of Infants Who Are Deaf-Blind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purvis, Barbara; Malloy, Peggy; Schalock, Mark; McNulty, Kathy; Davies, Steven; Thomas, Kathleen Stremel; Udell, Tom

2014-01-01

Experiences that occur during the earliest years of life critically impact children's abilities to learn, move, and interact with others. This is especially true for children with severe sensory and multiple disabilities, for whom physical, communicative, cognitive, social, and emotional developmental domains are deeply intertwined. In…

Making Schools the Model for Healthier Environments Toolkit: What It Is

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012

2012-01-01

Healthy students perform better. Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity can affect not only academic achievement, but also other factors such as absenteeism, classroom behavior, ability to concentrate, self-esteem, cognitive performance, and test scores. This toolkit provides information to help make schools the model for healthier…

The Effect of Physical Load and Environment on Soldier Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-01

when walking over obstacles compared with standing still with and without a load. Knapik et al. (1990) found significant decrements in military...load carriage (34–61 kg carried 20 km) led to decrements in subsequent physical performance but not in cognitive ability. Crowell et al. (1999) found...with a simultaneous visual navigation task was thought to be advantageous; Wickens’s (1984) multiple resource theory stated that different tasks can

Differential effects of water-based exercise on the cognitive function in independent elderly adults.

PubMed

Sato, Daisuke; Seko, Chihiro; Hashitomi, Tatsuya; Sengoku, Yasuo; Nomura, Takeo

2015-04-01

Physical exercise has been reported to be the most effective method to improve cognitive function and brain health, but there is as yet no research on the effect of water-based exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of water-based exercise with and without cognitive stimuli on cognitive and physical functions. The design is a single-blind randomized controlled study. Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to a normal water-based exercise (Nor-WE) group or a cognitive water-based exercise (Cog-WE) group. The exercise sessions were divided into two exercise series: a 10-min series of land-based warm-up, consisting of flexibility exercises, and a 50-min series of exercises in water. The Nor-WE consisted of 10 min of walking, 30 min of strength and stepping exercise, including stride over, and 10 min of stretching and relaxation in water. The Cog-WE consisted of 10 min of walking, 30 min of water-cognitive exercises, and 10 min of stretching and relaxation in water. Cognitive function, physical function, and ADL were measured before the exercise intervention (pre-intervention) and 10 weeks after the intervention (post-intervention). Participation in the Cog-WE performed significantly better on the pegboard test and the choice stepping reaction test and showed a significantly improved attention, memory, and learning, and in the general cognitive function (measured as the total score in the 5-Cog test). Participation in the Nor-WE dramatically improved walking ability and lower limb muscle strength. Our results reveal that the benefits elderly adults may obtain from water-based exercise depend on the characteristics of each specific exercise program. These findings highlight the importance of prescription for personalized water-based exercises to elderly adults to improve cognitive function.

Computational Grounded Cognition: a new alliance between grounded cognition and computational modeling

PubMed Central

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Barsalou, Lawrence W.; Cangelosi, Angelo; Fischer, Martin H.; McRae, Ken; Spivey, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Grounded theories assume that there is no central module for cognition. According to this view, all cognitive phenomena, including those considered the province of amodal cognition such as reasoning, numeric, and language processing, are ultimately grounded in (and emerge from) a variety of bodily, affective, perceptual, and motor processes. The development and expression of cognition is constrained by the embodiment of cognitive agents and various contextual factors (physical and social) in which they are immersed. The grounded framework has received numerous empirical confirmations. Still, there are very few explicit computational models that implement grounding in sensory, motor and affective processes as intrinsic to cognition, and demonstrate that grounded theories can mechanistically implement higher cognitive abilities. We propose a new alliance between grounded cognition and computational modeling toward a novel multidisciplinary enterprise: Computational Grounded Cognition. We clarify the defining features of this novel approach and emphasize the importance of using the methodology of Cognitive Robotics, which permits simultaneous consideration of multiple aspects of grounding, embodiment, and situatedness, showing how they constrain the development and expression of cognition. PMID:23346065

Cognitive Impacts of Estrogen Treatment in Androgen-Deprived Males: What Needs to be Resolved.

PubMed

Wibowo, Erik

2017-01-01

Many prostate cancer (PCa) patients are on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as part of their cancer treatments but ADT may lead to cognitive impairments. ADT depletes men of both androgen and estrogen. Whether estradiol supplementation can improve cognitive impairments in patients on ADT is understudied. To summarize data on the effects of estradiol treatment on cognitive function of androgen-deprived genetic male populations (PCa patients and male-to-female transsexuals) and castrated male animals. Publications were identified by a literature search on PubMed and Google Scholar. While some studies showed that estradiol improves cognitive function (most notably, spatial ability) for castrated rats, what remains uninvestigated are: 1) whether estradiol can improve cognition after long-term androgen deprivation, 2) how estradiol affects memory retention, and 3) how early vs. delayed estradiol treatment after castration influences cognition. For androgendeprived genetic males, estradiol treatment may improve some cognitive functions (e.g., verbal and visual memory), but the findings are not consistent due to large variability in the study design between studies. Future studies are required to determine the best estradiol treatment protocol to maximize cognitive benefits for androgen-deprived genetic males. Tests that assess comparable cognitive domains in human and rodents are needed. What particularly under-investigated is how the effects of estradiol on cognitive ability intersect with other parameters; sleep, depression and physical fatigue. Such studies have clinical implications to improve the quality of life for both PCa patients on ADT as well as for male-to-female transsexuals. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Impact of frontal white matter hyperintensity on instrumental activities of daily living in elderly women with Alzheimer disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Ogama, Noriko; Sakurai, Takashi; Nakai, Toshiharu; Niida, Shumpei; Saji, Naoki; Toba, Kenji; Umegaki, Hiroyuki; Kuzuya, Masafumi

2017-01-01

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) start to decline during the progression of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD). Cognitive and physical decline are involved in the loss of functional independence. However, little is known about AD-related neural change that leads to IADL impairment. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of regional white matter hyperintensity (WMH) on IADL impairment in persons with AD and aMCI. The participants were 347 female subjects aged 65-85 years diagnosed with AD (n = 227), aMCI (n = 44) or normal cognition (n = 76). IADL was assessed by the Lawton Index. Cognition, mood and mobility function were evaluated by comprehensive geriatric assessment batteries. WMH and brain atrophy were analyzed with brain magnetic resonance imaging, using an automatic segmentation program. Regional WMH was measured in the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes. Ability to carry out IADL of shopping, food preparation, mode of transportation, responsibility for own medication, and ability to handle finances was obviously impaired in the early stage of AD. Frontal WMH was specifically associated with disability to do shopping and food preparation even after adjusting for several confounders including brain atrophy. IADL subcategories were differentially impaired along with cognitive status in persons with AD and aMCI. Frontal WMH was an important predictor of impaired ability to do shopping and food preparation. A preventive strategy for WMH might lead to suppression of IADL disability and slow the progression of AD.

Impact of frontal white matter hyperintensity on instrumental activities of daily living in elderly women with Alzheimer disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment

PubMed Central

Ogama, Noriko; Sakurai, Takashi; Nakai, Toshiharu; Niida, Shumpei; Saji, Naoki; Toba, Kenji; Umegaki, Hiroyuki; Kuzuya, Masafumi

2017-01-01

Background Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) start to decline during the progression of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD). Cognitive and physical decline are involved in the loss of functional independence. However, little is known about AD-related neural change that leads to IADL impairment. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of regional white matter hyperintensity (WMH) on IADL impairment in persons with AD and aMCI. Methods The participants were 347 female subjects aged 65–85 years diagnosed with AD (n = 227), aMCI (n = 44) or normal cognition (n = 76). IADL was assessed by the Lawton Index. Cognition, mood and mobility function were evaluated by comprehensive geriatric assessment batteries. WMH and brain atrophy were analyzed with brain magnetic resonance imaging, using an automatic segmentation program. Regional WMH was measured in the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes. Results Ability to carry out IADL of shopping, food preparation, mode of transportation, responsibility for own medication, and ability to handle finances was obviously impaired in the early stage of AD. Frontal WMH was specifically associated with disability to do shopping and food preparation even after adjusting for several confounders including brain atrophy. Conclusions IADL subcategories were differentially impaired along with cognitive status in persons with AD and aMCI. Frontal WMH was an important predictor of impaired ability to do shopping and food preparation. A preventive strategy for WMH might lead to suppression of IADL disability and slow the progression of AD. PMID:28253275

Sex Differences in Latent Cognitive Abilities Ages 6 to 59: Evidence from the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keith, Timothy Z.; Reynolds, Matthew R.; Patel, Puja G.; Ridley, Kristen P.

2008-01-01

Sex differences in the latent general and broad cognitive abilities underlying the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities were investigated for children, youth, and adults ages 6 through 59. A developmental, multiple indicator-multiple cause, structural equation model was used to investigate sex differences in latent cognitive abilities as…

The Role of Socio-Communicative Rearing Environments on the Development of Social and Physical Cognition in Apes

PubMed Central

Russell, J. L.; Lyn, H.; Schaeffer, J. A.; Hopkins, W. D.

2011-01-01

The cultural intelligence hypothesis (CIH) claims that humans' advanced cognition is a direct result of human culture and that children are uniquely specialized to absorb and utilize this cultural experience (Tomasello, 2000). Comparative data demonstrating that 2.5 year old human children outperform apes on measures of social cognition but not on measures of physical cognition support this claim (E. Herrmann, J. Call, M. V. Hernandez-Lloreda, B. Hare, & M. Tomasello, 2007). However, the previous study failed to control for rearing when comparing these two species. Specifically, the human children were raised in a human culture whereas the apes were raised in standard sanctuary settings. To further explore the CIH, here we compared the performance on multiple measures of social and physical cognition in a group of standard reared apes raised in conditions typical of zoo and biomedical laboratory settings to that of apes reared in an enculturated socio-communicatively rich environment. Overall, the enculturated apes significantly outperformed their standard reared counterparts on the cognitive tasks and this was particularly true for measures of communication. Furthermore, the performance of the enculturated apes was very similar to previously reported data from 2.5 year old children. We conclude that apes who are reared in a human-like socio-communicatively rich environment develop superior communicative abilities compared to apes reared in standard laboratory settings, which supports some assumptions of the cultural intelligence hypothesis. PMID:22010903

Artificial gravity as a multi-system countermeasure: effects on cognitive function.

PubMed

Seaton, Kimberly A; Slack, Kelley J; Sipes, Walter; Bowie, Kendra

2007-07-01

The Space Flight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) is used on the International Space Station to evaluate cognitive functioning after physical insult or trauma. The current study uses WinSCAT to assess cognitive functioning in a space flight analog (bed rest) environment where intermittent artificial gravity (AG) is being tested as a countermeasure. Fifteen male subjects (8 treatment, 7 control), who participated in 21 days of 6 degree head-down tilt bed rest, were assessed during the acclimatization phase, bed rest phase, and recovery phase. Individual differences were found within both the treatment and control groups. The treatment group accounted for more off-nominal WinSCAT scores than the control group. The length of time spent in bed rest was not associated with a change in cognitive function. Individual differences in underlying cognitive ability and motivation level are other possible explanations for the current findings.

Object permanence in domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and gray wolves (Canis lupus).

PubMed

Fiset, Sylvain; Plourde, Vickie

2013-05-01

Recent evidence suggests that phylogenetic constraints exerted on dogs by the process of domestication have altered the ability of dogs to represent the physical world and the displacement of objects. In this study, invisible (Experiment 1) and visible (Experiment 2) displacement problems were administered to determine whether domestic dogs' and gray wolves' cognitive capacities to infer the position of a hidden object differ. The results revealed that adult dogs and wolves performed similarly in searching for disappearing objects: Both species succeeded the visible displacement tasks but failed the invisible displacement problems. We conclude that physical cognition for finding hidden objects in domestic dogs and gray wolves is alike and unrelated to the process of domestication.

Association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults.

PubMed

Hwang, Jungyun; Kim, Kiyoung; Brothers, R Matthew; Castelli, Darla M; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2018-05-01

Studies of the effects of physical activity on cognition suggest that aerobic fitness can improve cognitive abilities. However, the physiological mechanisms for the cognitive benefit of aerobic fitness are less well understood. We examined the association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults. Participants aged 18-29 years underwent measurements of cerebral vasomotor reactivity (CVMR) in response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia, maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max) during cycle ergometry to voluntary exhaustion, and simple- and complex-neurocognitive assessments at rest. Ten subjects were identified as having low-aerobic fitness (LF < 15th fitness percentile), and twelve subjects were identified as having high-aerobic fitness (HF > 80th fitness percentile). There were no LF versus HF group differences in cerebrovascular hemodynamics during the baseline condition. Changes in middle cerebral artery blood velocity and CVMR during hypercapnia were elevated more in the HF than the LF group. Compared to the LF, the HF performed better on a complex-cognitive task assessing fluid reasoning, but not on simple attentional abilities. Statistical modeling showed that measures of VO 2 max, CVMR, and fluid reasoning were positively inter-correlated. The relationship between VO 2 max and fluid reasoning, however, did not appear to be reliably mediated by CVMR. In conclusion, a high capacity for maximal oxygen uptake among healthy, young adults was associated with greater CVMR and better fluid reasoning, implying that high-aerobic fitness may promote cerebrovascular and cognitive functioning abilities.

The relationship between learning mathematics and general cognitive ability in primary school.

PubMed

Cowan, Richard; Hurry, Jane; Midouhas, Emily

2018-06-01

Three relationships between learning mathematics and general cognitive ability have been hypothesized: The educational hypothesis that learning mathematics develops general cognitive skills, the psychometric hypothesis that differences in general cognitive ability cause differences in mathematical attainment, and the reciprocal influence hypothesis that developments in mathematical ability and general cognitive ability influence each other. These hypotheses are assessed with a sample of 948 children from the Twins Early Development Study who were assessed at 7, 9, and 10 years on mathematics, English, and general cognitive ability. A cross-lagged path analysis with mathematics and general cognitive ability measures supports the reciprocal influence hypothesis between 7 and 9 and between 9 and 10. A second analysis including English assessments only provides evidence of a reciprocal relationship between 7 and 9. Statement of Contribution What is already known on this subject? The correlations between mathematical attainment, literacy, and measures of general cognitive skills are well established. The role of literacy in developing general cognitive skills is emerging. What the present study adds? Mathematics contributes to the development of general cognitive skills. General cognitive ability contributes to mathematical development between 7 and 10. These findings support the hypothesis of reciprocal influence between mathematics and general cognitive ability, at least between 7 and 9. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Validation of the NOSCA - nurses' observation scale of cognitive abilities.

PubMed

Persoon, Anke; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Melis, Rene J F; van Achterberg, Theo; Kessels, Roy P C; Rikkert, Marcel G M Olde

2012-11-01

To examine the psychometric properties of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities. Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities is a behavioural rating scale comprising eight subscales that represent different cognitive domains. It is based on observations during contact between nurse and patient. Observational study. A total of 50 patients from two geriatric wards in acute care hospitals participated in this study. Reliability was examined via internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. Construct validity of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities and its subscales were explored by means of convergent and divergent validity and post hoc analyses for group differences. Cronbach's αs of the total Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities and its subscales were 0·98 and 0·66-0·93, respectively. The item-total correlations were satisfactory (overall > 0·4). The intra-class coefficients were good (37 of 39 items > 0·4). The convergent validity of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities against cognitive ratings (MMSE, NOSGER) and severity of dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating) demonstrated satisfactory correlations (0·59-0·70, p < 0·01), except for IQCODE (0·30, p > 0·05). The divergent validity of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities against depressive symptoms was low (0·12, p > 0·05). The construct validity of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities subscales against 13 specific neuropsychological tests showed correlations varying from poor to fair (0·18-0·74; 10 of 13 correlations p < 0·05). Validity and reliability of the total Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities are excellent. The correlations between the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities subscales and standard neuropsychological tests were moderate. More conclusive results may be found if the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities subscales were to be validated using more ecologically valid tests and in a patient population with less cognitive impairment. Use of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities yields standardised, reliable and valid information about patient's cognitive behaviour in daily practice. The Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities aids in tailoring nursing interventions to patients' specific cognitive needs. We advocate the implementation of the Nurses' Observation Scale for Cognitive Abilities both in research and at geriatric units in acute care hospitals. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Self-assessment of social cognitive ability in schizophrenia: Association with social cognitive test performance, informant assessments of social cognitive ability, and everyday outcomes.

PubMed

Silberstein, Juliet M; Pinkham, Amy E; Penn, David L; Harvey, Philip D

2018-04-17

Impairments in self-assessment are common in people with schizophrenia and impairments in self-assessment of cognitive ability have been found to predict impaired functional outcome. In this study, we examined self-assessment of social cognitive ability and related them to assessments of social cognition provided by informants, to performance on tests of social cognition, and to everyday outcomes. The difference between self-reported social cognition and informant ratings was used to predict everyday functioning. People with schizophrenia (n=135) performed 8 different tests of social cognition. They were asked to rate their social cognitive abilities on the Observable Social Cognition Rating Scale (OSCARs). High contact informants also rated social cognitive ability and everyday outcomes, while unaware of the patients' social cognitive performance and self-assessments. Social competence was measured with a performance-based assessment and clinical ratings of negative symptoms were also performed. Patient reports of their social cognitive abilities were uncorrelated with performance on social cognitive tests and with three of the four domains of functional outcomes. Differences between self-reported and informant rated social cognitive ability predicted impaired everyday functioning across all four functional domains. This difference score predicted disability even when the influences of social cognitive performance, social competence, and negative symptoms were considered. Mis-estimation of social cognitive ability was an important predictor of social and nonsocial outcomes in schizophrenia compared to performance on social cognitive tests. These results suggest that consideration of self-assessment is critical when attempting to evaluate the causes of disability and when trying to implement interventions targeting disability reduction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mental representation for action in the elderly: implications for movement efficiency and injury risk.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl

2015-04-01

Recent research findings indicate that with older adulthood, there are functional decrements in spatial cognition and more specially, in the ability to mentally represent and effectively plan motor actions. A typical finding is a significant over- or underestimation of one's actual physical abilities with movement planning-planning that has implications for movement efficiency and physical safety. A practical, daily life example is estimation of reachability--a situation that for the elderly may be linked with fall incidence. A strategy used to mentally represent action is the use of motor imagery--an ability that also declines with advancing older age. This brief review highlights research findings on mental representation and motor imagery in the elderly and addresses the implications for improving movement efficiency and lowering the risk of movement-related injury. © The Author(s) 2013.

Exploring the Relationship Between Students' Visual Spatial Abilities and Comprehension in STEM Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cid, Ximena; Lopez, Ramon

2011-10-01

It is well known that student have difficulties with concepts in physics and space science as well as other STEM fields. Some of these difficulties may be rooted in student conceptual errors, whereas other difficulties may arise from issues with visual cognition and spatial intelligence. It has also been suggested that some aspects of high attrition rates from STEM fields can be attributed to students' visual spatial abilities. We will be presenting data collected from introductory courses in the College of Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington. These data examine the relationship between students' visual spatial abilities and comprehension in the subject matter. Where correlations are found to exist, visual spatial interventions can be implemented to reduce the attrition rates.

Brain structure mediates the association between height and cognitive ability.

PubMed

Vuoksimaa, Eero; Panizzon, Matthew S; Franz, Carol E; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Hagler, Donald J; Lyons, Michael J; Dale, Anders M; Kremen, William S

2018-05-11

Height and general cognitive ability are positively associated, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Both height and general cognitive ability are positively associated with brain size. Still, the neural substrate of the height-cognitive ability association is unclear. We used a sample of 515 middle-aged male twins with structural magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate whether the association between height and cognitive ability is mediated by cortical size. In addition to cortical volume, we used genetically, ontogenetically and phylogenetically distinct cortical metrics of total cortical surface area and mean cortical thickness. Height was positively associated with general cognitive ability and total cortical volume and cortical surface area, but not with mean cortical thickness. Mediation models indicated that the well-replicated height-general cognitive ability association is accounted for by individual differences in total cortical volume and cortical surface area (highly heritable metrics related to global brain size), and that the genetic association between cortical surface area and general cognitive ability underlies the phenotypic height-general cognitive ability relationship.

Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in university students.

PubMed

Patrick, Yusuf; Lee, Alice; Raha, Oishik; Pillai, Kavya; Gupta, Shubham; Sethi, Sonika; Mukeshimana, Felicite; Gerard, Lothaire; Moghal, Mohammad U; Saleh, Sohag N; Smith, Susan F; Morrell, Mary J; Moss, James

2017-01-01

Sleep deprivation is common among university students, and has been associated with poor academic performance and physical dysfunction. However, current literature has a narrow focus in regard to domains tested, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a night of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in students. A randomized controlled crossover study was carried out with 64 participants [58% male ( n  = 37); 22 ± 4 years old (mean ± SD)]. Participants were randomized into two conditions: normal sleep or one night sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation was monitored using an online time-stamped questionnaire at 45 min intervals, completed in the participants' homes. The outcomes were cognitive: working memory (Simon game© derivative), executive function (Stroop test); and physical: reaction time (ruler drop testing), lung function (spirometry), rate of perceived exertion, heart rate, and blood pressure during submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Data were analysed using paired two-tailed T tests and MANOVA. Reaction time and systolic blood pressure post-exercise were significantly increased following sleep deprivation (mean ± SD change: reaction time: 0.15 ± 0.04 s, p  = 0.003; systolic BP: 6 ± 17 mmHg, p  = 0.012). No significant differences were found in other variables. Reaction time and vascular response to exercise were significantly affected by sleep deprivation in university students, whilst other cognitive and cardiopulmonary measures showed no significant changes. These findings indicate that acute sleep deprivation can have an impact on physical but not cognitive ability in young healthy university students. Further research is needed to identify mechanisms of change and the impact of longer term sleep deprivation in this population.

Young and Older Adults’ Beliefs about Effective Ways to Mitigate Age-Related Memory Decline

PubMed Central

Horhota, Michelle; Lineweaver, Tara; Ositelu, Monique; Summers, Kristi; Hertzog, Christopher

2013-01-01

This study investigated whether young and older adults vary in their beliefs about the impact of various mitigating factors on age-related memory decline. Eighty young (ages 18–23) and eighty older (ages 60–82) participants reported their beliefs about their own memory abilities and the strategies that they use in their everyday lives to attempt to control their memory. Participants also reported their beliefs about memory change with age for hypothetical target individuals who were described as using (or not using) various means to mitigate memory decline. There were no age differences in personal beliefs about control over current or future memory ability. However, the two age groups differed in the types of strategies they used in their everyday life to control their memory. Young adults were more likely to use internal memory strategies, whereas older adults were more likely to focus on cognitive exercise and maintaining physical health as ways to optimize their memory ability. There were no age differences in rated memory change across the life span in hypothetical individuals. Both young and older adults perceived strategies related to improving physical and cognitive health as effective means of mitigating memory loss with age, whereas internal memory strategies were perceived as less effective means for controlling age-related memory decline. PMID:22082012

The Janus face of Darwinian competition

PubMed Central

Hintze, Arend; Phillips, Nathaniel; Hertwig, Ralph

2015-01-01

Without competition, organisms would not evolve any meaningful physical or cognitive abilities. Competition can thus be understood as the driving force behind Darwinian evolution. But does this imply that more competitive environments necessarily evolve organisms with more sophisticated cognitive abilities than do less competitive environments? Or is there a tipping point at which competition does more harm than good? We examine the evolution of decision strategies among virtual agents performing a repetitive sampling task in three distinct environments. The environments differ in the degree to which the actions of a competitor can affect the fitness of the sampling agent, and in the variance of the sample. Under weak competition, agents evolve decision strategies that sample often and make accurate decisions, which not only improve their own fitness, but are good for the entire population. Under extreme competition, however, the dark side of the Janus face of Darwinian competition emerges: Agents are forced to sacrifice accuracy for speed and are prevented from sampling as often as higher variance in the environment would require. Modest competition is therefore a good driver for the evolution of cognitive abilities and of the population as a whole, whereas too much competition is devastating. PMID:26354182

The Janus face of Darwinian competition.

PubMed

Hintze, Arend; Phillips, Nathaniel; Hertwig, Ralph

2015-09-10

Without competition, organisms would not evolve any meaningful physical or cognitive abilities. Competition can thus be understood as the driving force behind Darwinian evolution. But does this imply that more competitive environments necessarily evolve organisms with more sophisticated cognitive abilities than do less competitive environments? Or is there a tipping point at which competition does more harm than good? We examine the evolution of decision strategies among virtual agents performing a repetitive sampling task in three distinct environments. The environments differ in the degree to which the actions of a competitor can affect the fitness of the sampling agent, and in the variance of the sample. Under weak competition, agents evolve decision strategies that sample often and make accurate decisions, which not only improve their own fitness, but are good for the entire population. Under extreme competition, however, the dark side of the Janus face of Darwinian competition emerges: Agents are forced to sacrifice accuracy for speed and are prevented from sampling as often as higher variance in the environment would require. Modest competition is therefore a good driver for the evolution of cognitive abilities and of the population as a whole, whereas too much competition is devastating.

Task control and cognitive abilities of self and spouse in collaboration in middle-aged and older couples.

PubMed

Berg, Cynthia A; Smith, Timothy W; Ko, Kelly J; Beveridge, Ryan M; Story, Nathan; Henry, Nancy J M; Florsheim, Paul; Pearce, Gale; Uchino, Bert N; Skinner, Michelle A; Glazer, Kelly

2007-09-01

Collaborative problem solving may be used by older couples to optimize cognitive functioning, with some suggestion that older couples exhibit greater collaborative expertise. The study explored age differences in 2 aspects of collaborative expertise: spouses' knowledge of their own and their spouse's cognitive abilities and the ability to fit task control to these cognitive abilities. The participants were 300 middle-aged and older couples who completed a hypothetical errand task. The interactions were coded for control asserted by husbands and wives. Fluid intelligence was assessed, and spouses rated their own and their spouse's cognitive abilities. The results revealed no age differences in couple expertise, either in the ability to predict their own and their spouse's cognitive abilities or in the ability to fit task control to abilities. However, gender differences were found. Women fit task control to their own and their spouse's cognitive abilities; men only fit task control to their spouse's cognitive abilities. For women only, the fit between control and abilities was associated with better performance. The results indicate no age differences in couple expertise but point to gender as a factor in optimal collaboration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Physical activity and trajectories in cognitive function: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

PubMed

Hamer, Mark; Muniz Terrera, Graciela; Demakakos, Panayotes

2018-06-01

There are limited data on physical activity in relation to trajectories in cognitive function. The aim was to examine the association of physical activity with trajectories in cognitive function, measured from repeated assessments over 10 years. We conducted a 10-year follow-up of 10 652 (aged 65±10.1 years) men and women from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a cohort of community dwelling older adults. Self-reported physical activity was assessed at baseline and neuropsychological tests of memory and executive function were administered at regular 2-year intervals. Data from six repeated measurements of memory over 10 years and five repeated measurements of executive function over 8 years were used. The multivariable models revealed relatively small baseline differences in cognitive function by physical activity status in both men and women. Over the 10-year follow-up, physically inactive women experienced a greater decline in their memory (-0.20 recalled words, 95% CI -0.29 to -0.11, per study wave) and in executive function ability (-0.33 named animals; -0.54 to -0.13, per study wave) in comparison with the vigorously active reference group. In men, there were no differences in memory (-0.08 recalled words, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.01, per study wave), but small differences in executive function (-0.23 named animals; -0.46 to -0.01, per study wave) between inactive and vigorously active. Physical activity was associated with preservation of memory and executive function over 10 years follow-up. The results were, however, more pronounced in women. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Cognitive function in childhood and lifetime cognitive change in relation to mental wellbeing in four cohorts of older people.

PubMed

Gale, Catharine R; Cooper, Rachel; Craig, Leone; Elliott, Jane; Kuh, Diana; Richards, Marcus; Starr, John M; Whalley, Lawrence J; Deary, Ian J

2012-01-01

Poorer cognitive ability in youth is a risk factor for later mental health problems but it is largely unknown whether cognitive ability, in youth or in later life, is predictive of mental wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cognitive ability at age 11 years, cognitive ability in later life, or lifetime cognitive change are associated with mental wellbeing in older people. We used data on 8191 men and women aged 50 to 87 years from four cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921, the National Child Development Survey, and the MRC National Survey for Health and Development. We used linear regression to examine associations between cognitive ability at age 11, cognitive ability in later life, and lifetime change in cognitive ability and mean score on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and meta-analysis to obtain an overall estimate of the effect of each. People whose cognitive ability at age 11 was a standard deviation above the mean scored 0.53 points higher on the mental wellbeing scale (95% confidence interval 0.36, 0.71). The equivalent value for cognitive ability in later life was 0.89 points (0.72, 1.07). A standard deviation improvement in cognitive ability in later life relative to childhood ability was associated with 0.66 points (0.39, 0.93) advantage in wellbeing score. These effect sizes equate to around 0.1 of a standard deviation in mental wellbeing score. Adjustment for potential confounding and mediating variables, primarily the personality trait neuroticism, substantially attenuated these associations. Associations between cognitive ability in childhood or lifetime cognitive change and mental wellbeing in older people are slight and may be confounded by personality trait differences.

The skeletons in our closet: E-learning tools and what happens when one side does not fit all.

PubMed

Van Nuland, Sonya E; Rogers, Kem A

2017-11-01

In the anatomical sciences, e-learning tools have become a critical component of teaching anatomy when physical space and cadaveric resources are limited. However, studies that use empirical evidence to compare their efficacy to visual-kinesthetic learning modalities are scarce. The study examined how a visual-kinesthetic experience, involving a physical skeleton, impacts learning when compared with virtual manipulation of a simple two-dimensional (2D) e-learning tool, A.D.A.M. Interactive Anatomy. Students from The University of Western Ontario, Canada (n = 77) participated in a dual-task study to: (1) investigate if a dual-task paradigm is an effective tool for measuring cognitive load across these different learning modalities; and (2) to assess the impact of knowledge recall and spatial ability when using them. Students were assessed using knowledge scores, Stroop task reaction times, and mental rotation test scores. Results demonstrated that the dual-task paradigm was not an effective tool for measuring cognitive load across different learning modalities with respect to kinesthetic learning. However, our study highlighted that handing physical specimens yielded major, positive impacts on performance that a simple commercial e-learning tool failed to deliver (P < 0.001). Furthermore, students with low spatial ability were significantly disadvantaged when they studied the bony joint and were tested on contralateral images (P = 0.046, R = 0.326). This suggests that, despite limbs being mirror images, students should be taught the anatomy of, as well as procedures on, both sides of the human body, enhancing the ability of all students, regardless of spatial ability, to take anatomical knowledge into the clinic and perform successfully. Anat Sci Educ 10: 570-588. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Cross-sex hormone treatment does not change sex-sensitive cognitive performance in gender identity disorder patients.

PubMed

Haraldsen, Ira R; Egeland, Thore; Haug, Egil; Finset, Arnstein; Opjordsmoen, Stein

2005-12-15

Cognitive performance in untreated early onset gender identity disorder (GID) patients might correspond to their born sex and not to their perceived gender. As a current mode of intervention, cross-sex hormone treatment causes considerable physical changes in GID patients. We asked, as has been suggested, whether this treatment skews cognitive performance towards that of the acquired sex. Somatically healthy male and female early onset GID patients were neuropsychologically tested before, 3 and 12 months after initiating cross-sex hormone treatment, whereas untreated healthy subjects without GID served as controls (C). Performance was assessed by testing six cognitive abilities (perception, arithmetic, rotation, visualization, logic, and verbalization), and controlled for age, education, born sex, endocrine differences and treatment by means of repeated measures analysis of variance. GID patients and controls showed an identical time-dependent improvement in cognitive performance. The slopes were essentially parallel for males and females. There was no significant three-way interaction of born sex by group by time for the six investigated cognitive abilities. Only education and age significantly influenced this improvement. Despite the substantial somatic cross-sex changes in GID patients, no differential effect on cognition over time was found between C and GID participants. The cognitive performance of cross-sex hormone-treated GID patients was virtually identical to that of the control group. The documented test-retest effect should be taken into consideration when evaluating treatment effects generally in psychiatry.

Stereotypes of Aging: Their Effects on the Health of Seniors in North American Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton, Sean; Baker, J.; Deakin, J. M.

2007-01-01

Seniors are routinely subjected to negative stereotypes regarding their physical and cognitive abilities. The power and prevalence of cultural stereotypes of aging essentially results in a "double-whammy" to seniors. First, they influence the way that seniors are treated by society. Second, cultural stereotypes affect how seniors see…

Promoting Self-Regulation through School-Based Martial Arts Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakes, Kimberley D.; Hoyt, William T.

2004-01-01

The impact of school-based Tae Kwon Do training on self-regulatory abilities was examined. A self-regulation framework including three domains (cognitive, affective, and physical) was presented. Children (N = 207) from kindergarten through Grade 5 were randomly assigned by homeroom class to either the intervention (martial arts) group or a…

Meeting the challenges of an aging workforce.

PubMed

Silverstein, Michael

2008-04-01

Demographic, labor market and economic forces are combining to produce increases in the number and percentage of U.S. workers 55 and older. In some ways these workers will be our most skilled and productive employees but in others the most vulnerable. The literature on aging and work was reviewed, including demographic trends, physical and cognitive changes, safety and performance, work ability, and retirement patterns. Older workers have more serious, but less frequent, workplace injuries and illnesses than younger ones. There is evidence that many of these problems can be prevented and their consequences reduced by anticipating the physical and cognitive changes of age. Many employers are aware that such efforts are necessary, but most have not yet addressed them. There is a need for implementation and evaluative research of programs and policies with four dimensions: the work environment, work arrangements and work-life balance, health promotion and disease prevention, and social support. Employers who establish age-friendly workplaces that promote and support the work ability of employees as they age may gain in safety, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable business practices. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Self-reported physical activity is associated with cognitive function in lean, but not obese individuals.

PubMed

Galioto Wiedemann, R; Calvo, D; Meister, J; Spitznagel, M B

2014-12-01

Convergent evidence demonstrates that greater physical activity is associated with better cognitive functioning across many patient and healthy samples. However, this relationship has not been well examined among obese individuals and remains unclear. The present study examined the relationship between performance-based measures of attention/executive function and self-reported physical activity, as measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, among lean (n = 36) and obese (n = 36) college students. Lean individuals performed better than obese individuals on measures of attention/executive function. No significant differences in self-reported physical activity emerged between weight groups. Higher self-reported physical activity was related to faster reaction time in lean individuals but slower reaction time in obese individuals. Additionally, in lean individuals, higher levels of self-reported physical activity were related to more errors on a task of speeded inhibitory control. The results are consistent with previous research demonstrating that greater physical activity is associated with faster attention and executive function abilities in healthy samples and highlight the importance of examining reaction time and accuracy indices separately on these measures. The lack of association among obese individuals may be due in part to inaccurate self-report in the current study. Additionally, the cognitive consequences of obesity may outweigh the benefits of physical activity in this group. Future work should investigate these associations in obese individuals using physical activity interventions, as well as a combination of self-report and objective measures to investigate discrepancies in reporting. © 2014 The Authors. Clinical Obesity © 2014 World Obesity.

Differentiation of Cognitive Abilities across the Lifespan

PubMed Central

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

2009-01-01

Existing representations of cognitive ability structure are exclusively based on linear patterns of interrelations. However, a number of developmental and cognitive theories predict that abilities are differentially related across ages (age differentiation-dedifferentiation) and across levels of functioning (ability differentiation). Nonlinear factor analytic models were applied to multivariate cognitive ability data from 6,273 individuals, ages 4 to 101 years, who were selected to be nationally representative of the United States population. Results consistently supported ability differentiation, but were less clear with respect to age differentiation-dedifferentiation. Little evidence for age modification of ability differentiation was found. These findings are particularly informative about the nature of individual differences in cognition, and the developmental course of cognitive ability level and structure. PMID:19586182

Genome-wide estimates of inbreeding in unrelated individuals and their association with cognitive ability.

PubMed

Power, Robert A; Nagoshi, Craig; DeFries, John C; Plomin, Robert

2014-03-01

The consequence of reduced cognitive ability from inbreeding has long been investigated, mainly restricted to cousin-cousin marriages. Molecular genetic techniques now allow us to test the relationship between increased ancestral inbreeding and cognitive ability in a population of traditionally unrelated individuals. In a representative UK sample of 2329 individuals, we used genome-wide SNP data to estimate the percentage of the genome covered by runs of homozygous SNPs (ROH). This was tested for association with general cognitive ability, as well as measures of verbal and non-verbal ability. Further, association was tested between these traits and specific ROH. Burden of ROH was not associated with cognitive ability after correction for multiple testing, although burden of ROH was nominally associated with increased non-verbal cognitive ability (P=0.03). Moreover, although no individual ROH was significantly associated with cognitive ability, there was a significant bias towards increased cognitive ability in carriers of ROH (P=0.002). A potential explanation for these results is increased positive assortative mating in spouses with higher cognitive ability, although we found no evidence in support of this hypothesis in a separate sample. Reduced minor allele frequency across the genome was associated with higher cognitive ability, which could contribute to an apparent increase in ROH. This may reflect minor alleles being more likely to be deleterious.

Genome-wide estimates of inbreeding in unrelated individuals and their association with cognitive ability

PubMed Central

Power, Robert A; Nagoshi, Craig; DeFries, John C; Donnelly, Peter; Barroso, Ines; Blackwell, Jenefer M; Bramon, Elvira; Brown, Matthew A; Casas, Juan P; Corvin, Aiden; Deloukas, Panos; Duncanson, Audrey; Jankowski, Janusz; Markus, Hugh S; Mathew, Christopher G; Palmer, Colin NA; Plomin, Robert; Rautanen, Anna; Sawcer, Stephen J; Trembath, Richard C; Viswanathan, Ananth C; Wood, Nicholas W; Spencer, Chris C A; Band, Gavin; Bellenguez, Céline; Freeman, Colin; Hellenthal, Garrett; Giannoulatou, Eleni; Pirinen, Matti; Pearson, Richard; Strange, Amy; Su, Zhan; Vukcevic, Damjan; Donnelly, Peter; Langford, Cordelia; Hunt, Sarah E; Edkins, Sarah; Gwilliam, Rhian; Blackburn, Hannah; Bumpstead, Suzannah J; Dronov, Serge; Gillman, Matthew; Gray, Emma; Hammond, Naomi; Jayakumar, Alagurevathi; McCann, Owen T; Liddle, Jennifer; Potter, Simon C; Ravindrarajah, Radhi; Ricketts, Michelle; Waller, Matthew; Weston, Paul; Widaa, Sara; Whittaker, Pamela; Barroso, Ines; Deloukas, Panos; Mathew, Christopher G; Blackwell, Jenefer M; Brown, Matthew A; Corvin, Aiden; Spencer, Chris C A; Plomin, Robert

2014-01-01

The consequence of reduced cognitive ability from inbreeding has long been investigated, mainly restricted to cousin–cousin marriages. Molecular genetic techniques now allow us to test the relationship between increased ancestral inbreeding and cognitive ability in a population of traditionally unrelated individuals. In a representative UK sample of 2329 individuals, we used genome-wide SNP data to estimate the percentage of the genome covered by runs of homozygous SNPs (ROH). This was tested for association with general cognitive ability, as well as measures of verbal and non-verbal ability. Further, association was tested between these traits and specific ROH. Burden of ROH was not associated with cognitive ability after correction for multiple testing, although burden of ROH was nominally associated with increased non-verbal cognitive ability (P=0.03). Moreover, although no individual ROH was significantly associated with cognitive ability, there was a significant bias towards increased cognitive ability in carriers of ROH (P=0.002). A potential explanation for these results is increased positive assortative mating in spouses with higher cognitive ability, although we found no evidence in support of this hypothesis in a separate sample. Reduced minor allele frequency across the genome was associated with higher cognitive ability, which could contribute to an apparent increase in ROH. This may reflect minor alleles being more likely to be deleterious. PMID:23860046

No cross-sectional evidence for an increased relation of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age.

PubMed

Ihle, Andreas; Oris, Michel; Fagot, Delphine; Kliegel, Matthias

2017-04-01

A key question in gerontological research concerns whether good functioning can be maintained in some cognitive abilities in old age, even if deficits occur in other cognitive or sensory abilities. Our goals were to investigate relations of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age, whether these relations differed in size across old age, and whether this was affected by general cognitive ability (processing speed), educational level, and/or general health status. Two thousand eight hundred and twelve older adults (aged 65-101, M = 77.9 years) from the Vivre-Leben-Vivere survey served as cross-sectional sample for the present study. We administered psychometric tests on processing speed (the speed of cognitive processing), cognitive flexibility (the ability to alternate between cognitive operations), and verbal abilities (vocabulary). In addition, we interviewed individuals on their hearing, eyesight, educational level, and general health status. We regressed sizes of relations between abilities (calculated within each 1-year age tranche) on mean age within the corresponding age tranche, with the number of participants within the corresponding age tranche as case weights. We observed a decrease in relations between processing speed and cognitive flexibility in old age that was particularly pronounced in individuals with high educational level (r = -.41). In contrast, we did not find differences in relations between other cognitive and sensory abilities across old age, which held for different levels of general cognitive ability, education, and general health status. Present data do not support the view of a generally increased relation of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age.

Childhood cognitive ability and its relationship with anxiety and depression in adolescence.

PubMed

Weeks, M; Wild, T C; Ploubidis, G B; Naicker, K; Cairney, J; North, C R; Colman, I

2014-01-01

Childhood cognitive ability may have protective effects against internalizing symptoms in adolescence, although this may depend on the time of symptom assessment and child gender. Also, the effects of childhood stressors on adolescent internalizing symptoms may be moderated by childhood cognitive ability. The sample included 4405 individuals from the Canadian National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Between ages 4-5 and 10-11, children completed a test of verbal ability and scholastic aptitude and a series of mathematics computation tests. Internalizing symptoms were assessed via self-reports at ages 12-13 and 14-15. Greater cognitive ability was generally associated with decreased odds of internalizing symptoms at age 12-13. However, greater cognitive ability generally increased, or had no effect on, the odds of internalizing symptoms at age 14-15. Some of the effects of childhood cognitive ability varied with child gender. Also, childhood cognitive ability attenuated the effects of family dysfunction and chronic illness throughout childhood on subsequent internalizing symptoms. These data are largely subject to some degree of reporting bias, the tests of cognitive ability are limited and may not represent overall cognitive ability, and there may be intermediary variables that account for the relationship between childhood cognitive ability and adolescent internalizing symptoms. Results suggest that programs attempting to increase early cognitive skills may be particularly beneficial for girls. Also, an increased focus on cognitive skills may attenuate the negative effects of some stressors on subsequent anxious and depressive symptoms, regardless of child gender. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leisure activity associated with cognitive ability level, but not cognitive change

PubMed Central

Gow, Alan J.; Avlund, Kirsten; Mortensen, Erik L.

2014-01-01

Although activity participation is promoted as cognitively protective, critical questions of causality remain. In a cohort followed every 5 years from age 75 to 85 years, potential reciprocal associations between level and change in leisure activity participation and level and change in cognitive abilities were examined. Participants in the Glostrup 1914 Cohort, a longitudinal study of aging, completed standardized cognitive ability tests and reported their leisure activity participation (11 activities defined a leisure activity score) at ages 75, 80, and 85. Higher leisure activity was associated with higher cognitive ability (significant correlations ranged from 0.15 to 0.31, p < 0.05). Between ages 75 and 85, participation in leisure activities and cognitive ability declined significantly. Growth curve models, which provided latent variables for level of and 10-year change in both leisure activity and cognitive ability, confirmed the positive association between levels of leisure activity and cognitive ability (path coefficient = 0.36, p < 0.001); however, neither leisure activity level nor change in leisure activity were associated with cognitive change. Although a positive association between leisure activity and cognitive ability was reported—the likely precedents of this are discussed—there was no evidence that a higher level or maintenance of leisure activity was protective against cognitive decline across a 10-year follow-up. PMID:25352824

Physical activity attenuates age-related biomarker alterations in preclinical AD

PubMed Central

Schultz, Stephanie A.; Oh, Jennifer M.; Larson, Jordan; Edwards, Dorothy; Cook, Dane; Koscik, Rebecca; Gallagher, Catherine L.; Dowling, N.M.; Carlsson, Cynthia M.; Bendlin, Barbara B.; LaRue, Asenath; Rowley, Howard A.; Christian, Brad T.; Asthana, Sanjay; Hermann, Bruce P.; Johnson, Sterling C.; Sager, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Objective: To examine whether engagement in physical activity might favorably alter the age-dependent evolution of Alzheimer disease (AD)-related brain and cognitive changes in a cohort of at-risk, late-middle-aged adults. Methods: Three hundred seventeen enrollees in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention underwent T1 MRI; a subset also underwent 11C-Pittsburgh compound B–PET (n = 186) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose–PET (n = 152) imaging. Participants' responses on a self-report measure of current physical activity were used to classify them as either physically active or physically inactive based on American Heart Association guidelines. They also completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Covariate-adjusted regression analyses were used to test whether the adverse effect of age on imaging and cognitive biomarkers was modified by physical activity. Results: There were significant age × physical activity interactions for β-amyloid burden (p = 0.014), glucose metabolism (p = 0.015), and hippocampal volume (p = 0.025) such that, with advancing age, physically active individuals exhibited a lesser degree of biomarker alterations compared with the physically inactive. Similar age × physical activity interactions were also observed on cognitive domains of Immediate Memory (p = 0.042) and Visuospatial Ability (p = 0.016). In addition, the physically active group had higher scores on Speed and Flexibility (p = 0.002) compared with the inactive group. Conclusions: In a middle-aged, at-risk cohort, a physically active lifestyle is associated with an attenuation of the deleterious influence of age on key biomarkers of AD pathophysiology. However, because our observational, cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, randomized controlled trials/longitudinal studies will be necessary for determining whether midlife participation in structured physical exercise forestalls the development of AD and related disorders in later life. PMID:25298312

Physical activity attenuates age-related biomarker alterations in preclinical AD.

PubMed

Okonkwo, Ozioma C; Schultz, Stephanie A; Oh, Jennifer M; Larson, Jordan; Edwards, Dorothy; Cook, Dane; Koscik, Rebecca; Gallagher, Catherine L; Dowling, N M; Carlsson, Cynthia M; Bendlin, Barbara B; LaRue, Asenath; Rowley, Howard A; Christian, Brad T; Asthana, Sanjay; Hermann, Bruce P; Johnson, Sterling C; Sager, Mark A

2014-11-04

To examine whether engagement in physical activity might favorably alter the age-dependent evolution of Alzheimer disease (AD)-related brain and cognitive changes in a cohort of at-risk, late-middle-aged adults. Three hundred seventeen enrollees in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention underwent T1 MRI; a subset also underwent (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B-PET (n = 186) and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (n = 152) imaging. Participants' responses on a self-report measure of current physical activity were used to classify them as either physically active or physically inactive based on American Heart Association guidelines. They also completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Covariate-adjusted regression analyses were used to test whether the adverse effect of age on imaging and cognitive biomarkers was modified by physical activity. There were significant age × physical activity interactions for β-amyloid burden (p = 0.014), glucose metabolism (p = 0.015), and hippocampal volume (p = 0.025) such that, with advancing age, physically active individuals exhibited a lesser degree of biomarker alterations compared with the physically inactive. Similar age × physical activity interactions were also observed on cognitive domains of Immediate Memory (p = 0.042) and Visuospatial Ability (p = 0.016). In addition, the physically active group had higher scores on Speed and Flexibility (p = 0.002) compared with the inactive group. In a middle-aged, at-risk cohort, a physically active lifestyle is associated with an attenuation of the deleterious influence of age on key biomarkers of AD pathophysiology. However, because our observational, cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, randomized controlled trials/longitudinal studies will be necessary for determining whether midlife participation in structured physical exercise forestalls the development of AD and related disorders in later life. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

Test Anxiety Among College Students With Specific Reading Disability (Dyslexia): Nonverbal Ability and Working Memory as Predictors.

PubMed

Nelson, Jason M; Lindstrom, Will; Foels, Patricia A

2015-01-01

Test anxiety and its correlates were examined with college students with and without specific reading disability (RD; n = 50 in each group). Results indicated that college students with RD reported higher test anxiety than did those without RD, and the magnitude of these differences was in the medium range on two test anxiety scales. Relative to college students without RD, up to 5 times as many college students with RD reported clinically significant test anxiety. College students with RD reported significantly higher cognitively based test anxiety than physically based test anxiety. Reading skills, verbal ability, and processing speed were not correlated with test anxiety. General intelligence, nonverbal ability, and working memory were negatively correlated with test anxiety, and the magnitude of these correlations was medium to large. When these three cognitive constructs were considered together in multiple regression analyses, only working memory and nonverbal ability emerged as significant predictors and varied based on the test anxiety measure. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Positive effects of resistance training in frail elderly patients with dementia after long-term physical restraint.

PubMed

Cadore, Eduardo L; Moneo, Ana B Bays; Mensat, Marta Martinez; Muñoz, Andrea Rozas; Casas-Herrero, Alvaro; Rodriguez-Mañas, Leocadio; Izquierdo, Mikel

2014-04-01

This study investigated the effects of a multicomponent exercise intervention on muscle strength, incidence of falls and functional outcomes in frail elderly patients with dementia after long-term physical restraint, followed by 24 weeks of training cessation. Eighteen frail elderly patients with mild dementia (88.1 ± 5.1 years) performed a multicomponent exercise program, which consisted of 4 weeks of walking, balance and cognitive exercises, followed by 4 weeks of resistance exercise performed twice weekly [8-12 repetitions at 20-50 % of the one-repetition maximum (1RM)], combined with walking, balance and cognitive exercises. Before and after training, as well as after 24 weeks of training cessation, strength outcomes, Barthel Index, balance, gait ability, rise from a chair ability, dual task performance, incidence of falls and Mini-Mental State Examination were assessed. After the first 4 weeks of training, there was a significant improvement only in the balance test, whereas no additional changes were observed. However, after the second part of the training, the participants required significantly less time for the time-up-and-go test (P < 0.05), and improved the isometric hand grip, hip flexion and knee extension strength, as well as the leg press 1RM (P < 0.01). A significant reduction was also observed in the incidence of falls (P < 0.01). After 24 weeks of training cessation, abrupt decreases were observed in nearly all of the physical outcomes (P < 0.05). The exercise intervention improved strength, balance and gait ability in frail elderly patients with dementia after long-term physical restraint, and these benefits were lost after training cessation.

Observer perceptions of pain in children with cognitive impairments: vignette development and validation.

PubMed

Genik, Lara M; McMurtry, C Meghan; Breau, Lynn M

2015-01-01

Develop vignettes depicting different pain types in verbal and nonverbal children with cognitive impairments that could help examine pain assessment and management decisions of secondary caregivers, and conduct initial convergent and divergent validity analyses. For six vignettes, 76 undergraduate students (38 females, mean age = 19.55) rated (0-10): pain intensity, difficulty rating pain intensity, need for medical attention and need for other attention (e.g., physical comfort). Ratings significantly varied by pain source (e.g., headache was rated more painful than injections). Verbal ability did not impact ratings. Vignettes could serve as an alternative method to study pain decisions by caregivers of children with cognitive impairments when ethical barriers limit more naturalistic research.

Determinants of Objectively Measured Physical Functional Performance in Early to Mid-stage Parkinson Disease

PubMed Central

Kluger, Benzi M.; Brown, R. Preston; Aerts, Shanae; Schenkman, Margaret

2014-01-01

Background Parkinson disease (PD) may lead to functional limitations through both motor and non-motor symptoms. While patients with advanced disease have well-documented and profound functional limitations, less is known about the determinants of function in early to mid-stage disease where interventions may be more likely to benefit and preserve function. Objective The objective of the current study was to identify motor, cognitive and gait determinants of physical functional performance in patients with early to mid-stage PD. Design Secondary analysis of cross-sectional baseline data from a randomized clinical trial of exercise. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Participants 121 patients with early to mid-stage PD. Methods Our functional performance outcomes included: 1) the Continuous Scale Functional Performance Test (CS-PFP; primary outcome); 2) the timed up and go (TUG) tests; and Section 2 (Activities of Daily Living) of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Explanatory variables included measures of disease severity, motor function, cognitive function, balance and gait. Step-wise linear regression models were used to determine correlations between explanatory variables and outcome measures. Results In our regression models the CS-PFP significantly correlated with walking endurance (six minute walk; r2 = 0.12, p < .0001), turning ability (360 degree turn; r2 = .03, p = .002), attention (brief test of attention; r2 = .01, p = .03), overall cognitive status (Mini-mental State Examination; r2 = .01, p = .04) and bradykinesia (timed tapping; r2 = .02, p = .02). The TUG significantly correlated with walking speed (5 meter walk; r2 = 0.33, p <.0001), stride length (r2 = 0.25, p <.0001), turning ability (360 turn r2 = .05, p = .0003) and attention (r2 = .016, p = .03). Section 2 of the UPDRS was significantly correlated with endurance (r2 = .09, p < .0001), turning ability (r2 = .03, p = .001) and attention (r2 = .01, p = .03). Conclusions Gait, motor and cognitive function all contribute to objectively measured global functional ability in mild to moderate PD. Subjectively measured functional activity outcomes may underestimate the impact of both motor and non-motor symptoms. PMID:24880056

The dissociation of perception and cognition in children with early brain damage.

PubMed

Stiers, Peter; Vandenbussche, Erik

2004-03-01

Reduced non-verbal compared to verbal intelligence is used in many outcome studies of perinatal complications as an indication of visual perceptual impairment. To investigate whether this is justified, we re-examined data sets from two previous studies, both of which used the visual perceptual battery L94. The first study comprised 47 children at risk for cerebral visual impairment due to prematurity or birth asphyxia, who had been administered the McCarthy Scales of Children's abilities. The second study evaluated visual perceptual abilities in 82 children with a physical disability. These children's intellectual ability had been assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and/or Wechsler Pre-school and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised. No significant association was found between visual perceptual impairment and (1) reduced non-verbal to verbal intelligence; (2) increased non-verbal subtest scatter; or (3) non-verbal subtest profile deviation, for any of the intelligence scales. This result suggests that non-verbal intelligence subtests assess a complex of cognitive skills that are distinct from visual perceptual abilities, and that this assessment is not hampered by deficits in perceptual abilities as manifested in these children.

Role of cognitive assessment for high school graduates prior to choosing their college major.

PubMed

AlAbdulwahab, Sami S; Kachanathu, Shaji John; AlSaeed, Abdullah Saad

2018-02-01

[Purpose] Academic performance of college students can be impacted by the efficacy of students' ability and teaching methods. It is important to assess the progression of college students' cognitive abilities among different college majors and as they move from junior to senior levels. However, dearth of studies have been examined the role of cognitive ability tests as a tool to determine the aptitude of the perspective students. Therefore, this study assessed cognitive abilities of computer science and ART students. [Subjects and Methods] Participants were 130 college students (70 computer and 60 art students) in their first and final years of study at King Saud University. Cognitive ability was assessed using the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Third Edition. [Results] The cognitive ability of computer science students were statistically better than that of art students and were shown improvement from junior to senior levels, while the cognitive ability of art students did not. [Conclusion] The cognitive ability of computer science college students was superior compared to those in art, indicating the importance of cognitive ability assessment for high school graduates prior to choosing a college major. Cognitive scales should be included as an aptitude assessment tool for decision-makers and prospective students to determine an appropriate career, which might reduce the rate of university drop out.

Cognitive Function is Associated with the Development of Mobility Impairments in Community-Dwelling Elders

PubMed Central

Buchman, Aron S.; Boyle, Patricia A.; Leurgans, Sue E.; Barnes, Lisa L.; Bennett, David A.

2010-01-01

Objective To examine the association of cognitive function with the risk of incident mobility impairments and the rate of declining mobility in older adults. Design Prospective, observational cohort study. Setting Retirement communities across metropolitan Chicago. Participants 1154 ambulatory elders from two longitudinal studies without baseline clinical dementia or history of stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Measurements All participants underwent baseline cognitive testing and annual mobility exams. Mobility impairments were based on annual timed walking performance. A composite mobility measure which summarized gait and balance measures was used to examine the annual rate of mobility change. Results During follow-up of 4.5 years, 423 of 836 (50.6%) participants developed impaired mobility. In a proportional hazards model controlled for age, sex, education and race, each 1-unit higher level of baseline global cognition was associated with a reduction to about half in the risk of mobility impairments (HR=0.51, 95% CI 0.40, 0.66) and was similar to a participant being about 13 years younger at baseline. These results did not vary by sex or race and were unchanged in analyses controlling for BMI, physical activity, vascular diseases and risk factors. The level of cognition in 5 different cognitive abilities was also related to incident mobility impairment. Cognition showed similar associations with incident loss of the ability to ambulate. Linear mixed-effects models showed that global cognition at baseline was associated with the rate of declining mobility. Conclusions Among ambulatory elders, cognition is associated with incident mobility impairment and mobility decline. PMID:21606900

Explaining the black-white gap in cognitive test scores: Toward a theory of adverse impact.

PubMed

Cottrell, Jonathan M; Newman, Daniel A; Roisman, Glenn I

2015-11-01

In understanding the causes of adverse impact, a key parameter is the Black-White difference in cognitive test scores. To advance theory on why Black-White cognitive ability/knowledge test score gaps exist, and on how these gaps develop over time, the current article proposes an inductive explanatory model derived from past empirical findings. According to this theoretical model, Black-White group mean differences in cognitive test scores arise from the following racially disparate conditions: family income, maternal education, maternal verbal ability/knowledge, learning materials in the home, parenting factors (maternal sensitivity, maternal warmth and acceptance, and safe physical environment), child birth order, and child birth weight. Results from a 5-wave longitudinal growth model estimated on children in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development from ages 4 through 15 years show significant Black-White cognitive test score gaps throughout early development that did not grow significantly over time (i.e., significant intercept differences, but not slope differences). Importantly, the racially disparate conditions listed above can account for the relation between race and cognitive test scores. We propose a parsimonious 3-Step Model that explains how cognitive test score gaps arise, in which race relates to maternal disadvantage, which in turn relates to parenting factors, which in turn relate to cognitive test scores. This model and results offer to fill a need for theory on the etiology of the Black-White ethnic group gap in cognitive test scores, and attempt to address a missing link in the theory of adverse impact. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of action video game experience on task-switching

PubMed Central

Green, C.Shawn; Sugarman, Michael A.; Medford, Katherine; Klobusicky, Elizabeth; Daphne Bavelier

2012-01-01

There is now a substantial body of work demonstrating that action video game experience results in enhancements in a wide variety of perceptual skills. More recently, several groups have also demonstrated improvements in abilities that are more cognitive in nature, in particular, the ability to efficiently switch between tasks. In a series of four experiments, we add to this body of work, demonstrating that the action video game player advantage is not exclusively due to an ability to map manual responses onto arbitrary buttons, but rather generalizes to vocal responses, is not restricted to tasks that are perceptual in nature (e.g. respond to a physical dimension of the stimulus such as its color), but generalizes to more cognitive tasks (e.g. is a number odd or even), and is present whether the switch requires a goal-switch or only a motor switch. Finally, a training study establishes that the relationship between the reduction in switch cost and action game playing is causal. PMID:22393270

Intervention activities to improve the reasoning ability of students at risk in introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coletta, Vincent P.; Phillips, J.

2006-12-01

We describe a number of activities we have begun using in interventions targeting students who are at risk in introductory college physics courses. Some are adaptations of the work of others with pre-high school children, including Philip Adey in Great Britain (Cognitive Acceleration though Science Education), Reuven Feuerstein in Israel (Instrumental Enrichment), and Kurtz and Karplus in the U. S. in the 70’s (Numerical Relationships). We have also added some other activities, including Sudoku strategy development.

Individual differences in perceiving and recognizing faces-One element of social cognition.

PubMed

Wilhelm, Oliver; Herzmann, Grit; Kunina, Olga; Danthiir, Vanessa; Schacht, Annekathrin; Sommer, Werner

2010-09-01

Recognizing faces swiftly and accurately is of paramount importance to humans as a social species. Individual differences in the ability to perform these tasks may therefore reflect important aspects of social or emotional intelligence. Although functional models of face cognition based on group and single case studies postulate multiple component processes, little is known about the ability structure underlying individual differences in face cognition. In 2 large individual differences experiments (N = 151 and N = 209), a broad variety of face-cognition tasks were tested and the component abilities of face cognition-face perception, face memory, and the speed of face cognition-were identified and then replicated. Experiment 2 also showed that the 3 face-cognition abilities are clearly distinct from immediate and delayed memory, mental speed, general cognitive ability, and object cognition. These results converge with functional and neuroanatomical models of face cognition by demonstrating the difference between face perception and face memory. The results also underline the importance of distinguishing between speed and accuracy of face cognition. Together our results provide a first step toward establishing face-processing abilities as an independent ability reflecting elements of social intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

GROW: Green Organic Vegetable Gardens to Promote Older Adult Wellness: a Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Strout, Kelley; Jemison, John; O'Brien, Liam; Wihry, David; Waterman, Timothy

2017-01-01

Protecting older adult's cognitive health is a public health priority. Wellness behaviors within 6 domains have demonstrated effectiveness in protecting older adult's cognitive abilities. Interventions targeted to low-income older adults are needed because these populations experience greater social and physical health disparities compared to adults in higher socioeconomic statuses. This study examined the feasibility of engaging independent, community-dwelling older adults living in low-income senior housing in cultivating raised-bed gardens and reviewed the improvements in cognition and nutrition. Ten participants received ergonomic garden tools, seeds, waist-height garden beds, and weekly garden education. Participants planted vegetables of their choosing and tended to their garden beds for 17 weeks. Cognition and nutrition outcomes were measured before and after the intervention. Adults successfully engaged in the intervention throughout the duration and experienced improvement in cognitive and nutrition outcomes.

Physical fitness is predictive for a decline in the ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living in older adults with intellectual disabilities: Results of the HA-ID study.

PubMed

Oppewal, Alyt; Hilgenkamp, Thessa I M; van Wijck, Ruud; Schoufour, Josje D; Evenhuis, Heleen M

2015-01-01

The ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) is important for one's level of independence. A high incidence of limitations in IADL is seen in older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), which is an important determinant for the amount of support one needs. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of physical fitness for the ability to perform IADL, over a 3-year follow-up period, in 601 older adults with ID. At baseline, an extensive physical fitness assessment was performed. In addition, professional caregivers completed the Lawton IADL scale, both at baseline and at follow-up. The average ability to perform IADL declined significantly over the 3-year follow-up period. A decline in the ability to perform IADL was seen in 44.3% of the participants. The percentage of participants being completely independent in IADL declined from 2.7% to 1.3%. Manual dexterity, balance, comfortable and fast gait speed, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness were significant predictors for a decline in IADL after correcting for baseline IADL and personal characteristics (age, gender, level of ID, and Down syndrome). This can be interpreted as representing the predictive validity of the physical tests for a decline in IADL. This study shows that even though older adults with ID experience dependency on others due to cognitive limitations, physical fitness also is an important aspect for IADL, which stresses the importance of using physical fitness tests and physical fitness enhancing programs in the care for older adults with ID. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research Trend of Physical Skill Science --Towards Elucidation of Physical Skill--

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Koichi; Ueno, Ken; Ozaki, Tomonobu; Kamisato, Shihoko; Kawamoto, Ryuji; Shibuya, Koji; Shiratori, Naruhiko; Suwa, Masaki; Soga, Masato; Taki, Hirokazu; Fujinami, Tsutomu; Hori, Satoshi; Motomura, Yoichi; Morita, Souhei

Physical skills and language skills are both fundamental intelligent abilities of human being. In this paper, we focus our attention to such sophisticated physical skills as playing sports and playing instruments and introduce research activities aiming at elucidating and verbalizing them. This research area has been launched recently. We introduce approaches from physical modeling, measurements and data analysis, cognitive science and human interface. We also discuss such issues as skill acquisition and its support systems. Furthermore, we consider a fundamental issue of individual differences occurring in every application of skill elucidation. Finally we introduce several attempts of skill elucidation in the fields of dancing, manufacturing, playing string instruments, sports science and medical care.

Children's perceptions of and beliefs about facial maturity.

PubMed

Gross, Thomas F

2004-03-01

The author studied children's and young adult's perceptions of facial age and beliefs about the sociability, cognitive ability, and physical fitness of adult faces. From pairs of photographs of adult faces, participants (4-6 years old, 8-10 years old, 13-16 years old, and 19-23 years old) selected the one face that appeared younger, older, better at remembering, smarter, more caring, friendlier, healthier, or stronger. Pairings consisted of faces at different adult age levels (young adults, middle-age adults, older adults, and very old adults.) Older participants were more sensitive to age differences in older faces and to faces more proximal in age. Children and adolescents believed that very old adult faces appeared to be less cognitively able than middle-aged faces (for children) and young adult faces (for adolescents). Very old male faces were judged to be less sociable. Old and very old faces were judged to be less physically fit than young and middle-aged faces. Significant positive correlation coefficients were found between the youngest children's abilities to discriminate between the adult faces of proximal age and youthful biases when selecting faces appearing to be more sociable and cognitively able. The results are discussed with respect to the development of facial information-processing skills and how those skills may be associated with the development of and changes in beliefs about older adults.

Cognitive deficits in heart failure: Re-cognition of vulnerability as a strange new world.

PubMed

Sloan, Rebecca S; Pressler, Susan J

2009-01-01

Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) have impairment in memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function. The aim of this study was to describe how individuals with HF and cognitive deficits manage self-care in their daily lives. Using an interpretive phenomenology method, HF patients completed unstructured face-to-face interviews about their ability to manage complex health regimens and maintain their health-related quality of life. Analysis of data was aided by use of Atlas.ti computer software. The sample consisted of 12 patients (10 men; aged 43-81 years) who had previously undergone neuropsychological testing and were found to have deficits in 3 or more cognitive domains. Patients confirmed that they followed the advice of healthcare providers by adherence to medication regimens, dietary sodium restrictions, and HF self-care. One overarching theme was identified: "Re-cognition of Vulnerability: A Strange New World." This theme was further differentiated into 3 components: (1) not recognizing cognitive deficits; (2) recognizing cognitive deficits, described as (a) never could remember anything, (b) just old age, (c) HF-related change, and (d) making normal accommodations; and (3) recognizing vulnerability, explained by perception of (a) cognitive, (b) physical, and (c) social vulnerabilities, as well as perception of (d) the nearness of death. Although the study was designed to focus on the cognitive changes in HF patients, it was difficult to separate cognitive, physical, and social challenges. These changes are most useful when taken as a constellation. Healthcare professionals can use the knowledge to identify problems and interventions for HF patients.

A multi-faceted workplace intervention targeting low back pain was effective for physical work demands and maladaptive pain behaviours, but not for work ability and sickness absence: Stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Charlotte Diana Nørregaard; Holtermann, Andreas; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Ørberg, Anders; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Søgaard, Karen

2016-08-01

The aims of this study were to test whether a multi-faceted intervention effective for low back pain was effective for physical capacity, work demands, maladaptive pain behaviours, work ability and sickness absence due to low back pain. A stepped wedge cluster randomised, controlled trial with 594 nurses' aides was conducted. The intervention lasted 12 weeks and consisted of physical training (12 sessions), cognitive behavioural training (two sessions) and participatory ergonomics (five sessions). Occupational lifting, fear avoidance, physical exertion, muscle strength, support from management, work ability and sickness absence due to low back pain were measured every 3 months. Before and after the intervention we measured physical capacity, kinesiophobia and need for recovery. Linear mixed models adjusted for baseline values of the outcome were used to estimate the effect. Significant reduction in occupational lifting (-0.35 (95% confidence interval -0.61 to -0.08)), and improvement in two measures of fear avoidance ((-0.75 (95% confidence interval -1.05 to -0.45) and -0.45 (95% confidence interval -0.80 to -0.11)) were found for the intervention group compared to the control. There were no significant effects on physical exertion, muscle strength, support from management, work ability or sickness absence due to low back pain. After the intervention, significant increased physical capacity and improvements in kinesiophobia were found, but no change in need for recovery. CONCLUSIONS THE INTERVENTION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECTIVE FOR PHYSICAL WORK DEMANDS AND MALADAPTIVE PAIN BEHAVIOURS, BUT NOT FOR WORK ABILITY AND SICKNESS ABSENCE DUE TO LOW BACK PAIN TO IMPROVE WORK ABILITY OR REDUCE SICKNESS ABSENCE DUE TO LOW BACK PAIN MORE SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS SHOULD PROBABLY BE DEVELOPED. © 2016 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

The association between obesity and fluid intelligence impairment is mediated by chronic low-grade inflammation.

PubMed

Spyridaki, Eirini C; Simos, Panagiotis; Avgoustinaki, Pavlina D; Dermitzaki, Eirini; Venihaki, Maria; Bardos, Achilles N; Margioris, Andrew N

2014-11-28

Published evidence suggests that obesity impairs cognition. Development of chronic low-grade inflammation (CLGI) represents the earliest consequence of obesity. The present study investigated the association between obesity and fluid intelligence impairment and assessed the potential mediating role of CLGI and psychological (depression/anxiety symptoms), lifestyle (exercise) and physiological (metabolic dysfunction indices) factors in this association. Clinically healthy participants (n 188), grouped as per BMI, underwent cognitive (General Ability Measure for Adults), psychological (Beck Depression Inventory-II and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and activity (Godin leisure-time physical activity) measurements. Biochemical parameters included the following: (a) indices of CLGI (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fibrinogen); (b) insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance index); (c) adiposity (plasma adiponectin). An inverse association between elevated BMI and fluid intelligence was observed, with obese participants displaying significantly poorer performance compared with age-matched normal-weight peers. Structural equation modelling results were consistent with a negative impact of obesity on cognition that was mediated by CLGI. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that reduced general cognitive ability is associated with obesity, an adverse effect mainly mediated by obesity-associated activation of innate immunity.

Surprise responses in the human brain demonstrate statistical learning under high concurrent cognitive demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrido, Marta Isabel; Teng, Chee Leong James; Taylor, Jeremy Alexander; Rowe, Elise Genevieve; Mattingley, Jason Brett

2016-06-01

The ability to learn about regularities in the environment and to make predictions about future events is fundamental for adaptive behaviour. We have previously shown that people can implicitly encode statistical regularities and detect violations therein, as reflected in neuronal responses to unpredictable events that carry a unique prediction error signature. In the real world, however, learning about regularities will often occur in the context of competing cognitive demands. Here we asked whether learning of statistical regularities is modulated by concurrent cognitive load. We compared electroencephalographic metrics associated with responses to pure-tone sounds with frequencies sampled from narrow or wide Gaussian distributions. We showed that outliers evoked a larger response than those in the centre of the stimulus distribution (i.e., an effect of surprise) and that this difference was greater for physically identical outliers in the narrow than in the broad distribution. These results demonstrate an early neurophysiological marker of the brain's ability to implicitly encode complex statistical structure in the environment. Moreover, we manipulated concurrent cognitive load by having participants perform a visual working memory task while listening to these streams of sounds. We again observed greater prediction error responses in the narrower distribution under both low and high cognitive load. Furthermore, there was no reliable reduction in prediction error magnitude under high-relative to low-cognitive load. Our findings suggest that statistical learning is not a capacity limited process, and that it proceeds automatically even when cognitive resources are taxed by concurrent demands.

Students’ Cognitive Abilities in Plant Anatomy Practical Work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiono, S.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Rahmat, A.; Anggraeni, S.

2017-09-01

Cognitive abilities is fundamental for the students, as it is closely related to higher thinking skills such as the ability to think critically, creatively, and problem solving. This descriptive study aims to investigate the cognitive abilities of biology prospective teachers in the course of Plant Anatomy Practicum based on the cognitive process dimension and dimensions of knowledge the using the framework of Revision of Bloom taxonomy. A number of biology prospective teachers was involved in this study (n=42). The instrument used to collect data for students’ cognitive process mastery in the form of multiple choice with 5 options. Research finding shows that the average student’s cognitive ability is 68.10. The acquisition of knowledge mastery of cognitive ability is still under the criterion of mastery in the course of the Plant Anatomy Practicum (75). Validity and reliability of the instrument (0,71) and (0,81). It is necessary to design lecture programs both in the class and laboratory to develop student’ cognitive abilities.

Everyday Cognition: Age and Intellectual Ability Correlates

PubMed Central

Allaire, Jason C.; Marsiske, Michael

2010-01-01

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between a new battery of everyday cognition measures, which assessed 4 cognitive abilities within 3 familiar real-world domains, and traditional psychometric tests of the same basic cognitive abilities. Several theoreticians have argued that everyday cognition measures are somewhat distinct from traditional cognitive assessment approaches, and the authors investigated this assertion correlationally in the present study. The sample consisted of 174 community-dwelling older adults from the Detroit metropolitan area, who had an average age of 73 years. Major results of the study showed that (a) each everyday cognitive test was strongly correlated with the basic cognitive abilities; (b) several basic abilities, as well as measures of domain-specific knowledge, predicted everyday cognitive performance; and (c) everyday and basic measures were similarly related to age. The results suggest that everyday cognition is not unrelated to traditional measures, nor is it less sensitive to age-related differences. PMID:10632150

The continuing benefits of education: adult education and midlife cognitive ability in the British 1946 birth cohort.

PubMed

Hatch, Stephani L; Feinstein, Leon; Link, Bruce G; Wadsworth, Michael E J; Richards, Marcus

2007-11-01

Evidence shows education positively impacts cognitive ability. However, researchers have given little attention to the potential impact of adult education on cognitive ability, still malleable in midlife. The primary study aim was to examine whether there were continuing effects of education over the life course on midlife cognitive ability. This study used data from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, also known as the British 1946 birth cohort, and multivariate regression to estimate the continuing effects of adult education on multiple measures of midlife cognitive ability. Educational attainment completed by early adulthood was associated with all measures of cognitive ability in late midlife. The continued effect of education was apparent in the associations between adult education and higher verbal ability, verbal memory, and verbal fluency in late midlife. We found no association between adult education and mental speed and concentration. Associations between adult education and midlife cognitive ability indicate wider benefits of education to health that may be important for social integration, well-being, and the delay of cognitive decline in later life.

Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility Mediates Visuoconstructional Abilities in Older Adults with Heterogeneous Cognitive Ability.

PubMed

Ávila, Rafaela T; de Paula, Jonas J; Bicalho, Maria A; Moraes, Edgar N; Nicolato, Rodrigo; Malloy-Diniz, Leandro F; Diniz, Breno S

2015-05-01

Previous studies suggest that executive functions influence the performance on visuoconstructional tasks. This study aims to investigate whether the relationship between planning ability and the copy of complex figures is mediated by distinct components of executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). We included a 129 older adults with Alzheimer's disease (n=36, AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=67), and with no evidence of cognitive impairment (controls, n=26). We evaluated the mediation effect of planning abilities, working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control on visuoconstructional tasks using a multiple mediation models. We found a significant direct effect of planning on visuoconstructional abilities and a partial mediation effect of working memory and cognitive flexibility on visuoconstructional abilities. The present results indicate that the performance on visuoconstructional task is mediated by multiple interrelated executive functions components, in particular working memory and cognitive flexibility.

Children's Perceptions of and Beliefs about Facial Maturity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Gross F.

2004-01-01

The author studied children's and young adult's perceptions of facial age and beliefs about the sociability, cognitive ability, and physical fitness of adult faces. From pairs of photographs of adult faces, participants (4-6 years old, 8-10 years old, 13-16 years old, and 19-23 years old) selected the one face that appeared younger, older, better…

Physical and Emotional Development, Appetite and Body Image in Adolescents Who Failed to Thrive as Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drewett, R. F.; Corbett, S. S.; Wright, C. M.

2006-01-01

Background: Previous studies suggest that failure to thrive in infancy may be associated with adverse sequelae in childhood. Although cognitive abilities have been extensively investigated, little systematic research is available on other aspects of development. Methods: Eighty-nine children who failed to thrive as infants and 91 controls were…

The Impact of Anticipatory Grief on Caregiver Burden in Dementia Caregivers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holley, Caitlin K.; Mast, Benjamin T.

2009-01-01

Purpose: Interest in anticipatory grief (AG) has typically focused on terminal diseases such as cancer. However, the issues involved in AG are unique in the context of dementia due to the progressive deterioration of both cognitive and physical abilities. The current study investigated the nature of AG in a sample of dementia caregivers and…

Different Mental Rotation Performance in Students of Music, Sport and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietsch, Stefanie; Jansen, Petra

2012-01-01

In this study the effect of long-term physical and musical activity on spatial cognitive performance, measured by mental rotation performance, is investigated in detail. Mental rotation performance is the ability to rotate a three-dimensional object using the imagination. Three groups, each consisting of 40 students, and divided by the subjects,…

Babies in Minnesota: The Well-Being and Vulnerabilities of Our Youngest Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Richard; Valorose, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Researchers in many fields agree. The physical, social, and economic health and well-being of adults and society as a whole are strongly influenced by the early experiences of children, when the foundation for effective cognitive and social skills and abilities are developed. Children who have developmental delays or disabilities require and often…

Inflammation and Oxidative Stress as Biomarkers of Premature Aging in Persons with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmeli, Eli; Imam, Bita; Bachar, Asad; Merrick, Joav

2012-01-01

The decline in cognitive ability and physical performance in older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) is accompanied by less participation in social activities and a sedentary lifestyle; however the pathogenesis is not clear yet. It was recently suggested that chronic disease, adverse drug reactions, and aging create a cascade of events…

Experiencing Our Anatomy: Incorporating Human Biology into Dance Class via Imagery, Imagination, and Somatics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirk, Johanna

2014-01-01

This article proposes a model for introducing biological perspectives into teaching dance as a means to encourage students toward deeper, healthier, and more personal relationships with their art form as well as appreciation for their physical and cognitive abilities, both inside and outside of the dance studio. It recommends that dance teachers…

Making the Most of the Middle: A Strategic Model for Middle School Afterschool Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morehouse, Holly

2009-01-01

Early adolescence is a time of transition, change, and growth. At no other time after gestation and early infancy are the human body and mind undergoing such rapid developmental changes. The bodies of young adolescents are physically and sexually maturing. Cognitive changes expand thinking abilities; social and emotional changes move adolescents…

Estimated maximal and current brain volume predict cognitive ability in old age

PubMed Central

Royle, Natalie A.; Booth, Tom; Valdés Hernández, Maria C.; Penke, Lars; Murray, Catherine; Gow, Alan J.; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Starr, John; Bastin, Mark E.; Deary, Ian J.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.

2013-01-01

Brain tissue deterioration is a significant contributor to lower cognitive ability in later life; however, few studies have appropriate data to establish how much influence prior brain volume and prior cognitive performance have on this association. We investigated the associations between structural brain imaging biomarkers, including an estimate of maximal brain volume, and detailed measures of cognitive ability at age 73 years in a large (N = 620), generally healthy, community-dwelling population. Cognitive ability data were available from age 11 years. We found positive associations (r) between general cognitive ability and estimated brain volume in youth (male, 0.28; females, 0.12), and in measured brain volume in later life (males, 0.27; females, 0.26). Our findings show that cognitive ability in youth is a strong predictor of estimated prior and measured current brain volume in old age but that these effects were the same for both white and gray matter. As 1 of the largest studies of associations between brain volume and cognitive ability with normal aging, this work contributes to the wider understanding of how some early-life factors influence cognitive aging. PMID:23850342

Practice makes perfect: familiarity of task determines success in solvable tasks for free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

PubMed

Bhattacharjee, Debottam; Dasgupta, Sandipan; Biswas, Arpita; Deheria, Jayshree; Gupta, Shreya; Nikhil Dev, N; Udell, Monique; Bhadra, Anindita

2017-07-01

Domestic dogs' (Canis lupus familiaris) socio-cognitive faculties have made them highly sensitive to human social cues. While dogs often excel at understanding human communicative gestures, they perform comparatively poorly in problem-solving and physical reasoning tasks. This difference in their behaviour could be due to the lifestyle and intense socialization, where problem solving and physical cognition are less important than social cognition. Free-ranging dogs live in human-dominated environments, not under human supervision and are less socialized. Being scavengers, they often encounter challenges where problem solving is required in order to get access to food. We tested Indian street dogs in familiar and unfamiliar independent solvable tasks and quantified their persistence and dependence on a novel human experimenter, in addition to their success in solving a task. Our results indicate that free-ranging dogs succeeded and persisted more in the familiar task as compared to the unfamiliar one. They showed negligible amount of human dependence in the familiar task, but showed prolonged gazing and considerable begging behaviour to the human experimenter in the context of the unfamiliar task. Cognitive abilities of free-ranging dogs thus play a pivotal role in determining task-associated behaviours based on familiarity. In addition to that, these dogs inherently tend to socialize with and depend on humans, even if they are strangers. Our results also illustrate free-ranging dogs' low competence at physical cognitive tasks.

Cardiovascular risk profile: cross-sectional analysis of motivational determinants, physical fitness and physical activity.

PubMed

Sassen, Barbara; Kok, Gerjo; Schaalma, Herman; Kiers, Henri; Vanhees, Luc

2010-10-07

Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with physical fitness and, to a lesser extent, physical activity. Lifestyle interventions directed at enhancing physical fitness in order to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases should be extended. To enable the development of effective lifestyle interventions for people with cardiovascular risk factors, we investigated motivational, social-cognitive determinants derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and other relevant social psychological theories, next to physical activity and physical fitness. In the cross-sectional Utrecht Police Lifestyle Intervention Fitness and Training (UP-LIFT) study, 1298 employees (aged 18 to 62) were asked to complete online questionnaires regarding social-cognitive variables and physical activity. Cardiovascular risk factors and physical fitness (peak VO2) were measured. For people with one or more cardiovascular risk factors (78.7% of the total population), social-cognitive variables accounted for 39% (p < .001) of the variance in the intention to engage in physical activity for 60 minutes every day. Important correlates of intention to engage in physical activity were attitude (beta = .225, p < .001), self-efficacy (beta = .271, p < .001), descriptive norm (beta = .172, p < .001) and barriers (beta = -.169, p < .01). Social-cognitive variables accounted for 52% (p < .001) of the variance in physical active behaviour (being physical active for 60 minutes every day). The intention to engage in physical activity (beta = .469, p < .001) and self-efficacy (beta = .243, p < .001) were, in turn, important correlates of physical active behavior.In addition to the prediction of intention to engage in physical activity and physical active behavior, we explored the impact of the intensity of physical activity. The intensity of physical activity was only significantly related to physical active behavior (beta = .253, p < .01, R2 = .06, p < .001). An important goal of our study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness, the intensity of physical activity and social-cognitive variables. Physical fitness (R2 = .23, p < .001) was positively associated with physical active behavior (beta = .180, p < .01), self-efficacy (beta = .180, p < .01) and the intensity of physical activity (beta = .238, p < .01).For people with one or more cardiovascular risk factors, 39.9% had positive intentions to engage in physical activity and were also physically active, and 10.5% had a low intentions but were physically active. 37.7% had low intentions and were physically inactive, and about 11.9% had high intentions but were physically inactive. This study contributes to our ability to optimize cardiovascular risk profiles by demonstrating an important association between physical fitness and social-cognitive variables. Physical fitness can be predicted by physical active behavior as well as by self-efficacy and the intensity of physical activity, and the latter by physical active behavior.Physical active behavior can be predicted by intention, self-efficacy, descriptive norms and barriers. Intention to engage in physical activity by attitude, self-efficacy, descriptive norms and barriers. An important input for lifestyle changes for people with one or more cardiovascular risk factors was that for ca. 40% of the population the intention to engage in physical activity was in line with their actual physical active behavior.

Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: background, design and conceptual model of FINALE.

PubMed

Holtermann, Andreas; Jørgensen, Marie B; Gram, Bibi; Christensen, Jeanette R; Faber, Anne; Overgaard, Kristian; Ektor-Andersen, John; Mortensen, Ole S; Sjøgaard, Gisela; Søgaard, Karen

2010-03-09

A mismatch between individual physical capacities and physical work demands enhance the risk for musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence, termed physical deterioration. However, effective intervention strategies for preventing physical deterioration in job groups with high physical demands remains to be established. This paper describes the background, design and conceptual model of the FINALE programme, a framework for health promoting interventions at 4 Danish job groups (i.e. cleaners, health-care workers, construction workers and industrial workers) characterized by high physical work demands, musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence. A novel approach of the FINALE programme is that the interventions, i.e. 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 1 exploratory case-control study are tailored to the physical work demands, physical capacities and health profile of workers in each job-group. The RCT among cleaners, characterized by repetitive work tasks and musculoskeletal disorders, aims at making the cleaners less susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders by physical coordination training or cognitive behavioral theory based training (CBTr). Because health-care workers are reported to have high prevalence of overweight and heavy lifts, the aim of the RCT is long-term weight-loss by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and diet. Construction work, characterized by heavy lifting, pushing and pulling, the RCT aims at improving physical capacity and promoting musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health. At the industrial work-place characterized by repetitive work tasks, the intervention aims at reducing physical exertion and musculoskeletal disorders by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and participatory ergonomics. The overall aim of the FINALE programme is to improve the safety margin between individual resources (i.e. physical capacities, and cognitive and behavioral skills) and physical work demands, and thereby reduce the physical deterioration in a long term perspective by interventions tailored for each respective job-group. The FINALE programme has the potential to provide evidence-based knowledge of significant importance for public health policy and health promotion strategies for employees at high risk for physical deterioration. ISRCTN96241850, NCT01015716 and NCT01007669.

Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: Background, design and conceptual model of FINALE

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background A mismatch between individual physical capacities and physical work demands enhance the risk for musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence, termed physical deterioration. However, effective intervention strategies for preventing physical deterioration in job groups with high physical demands remains to be established. This paper describes the background, design and conceptual model of the FINALE programme, a framework for health promoting interventions at 4 Danish job groups (i.e. cleaners, health-care workers, construction workers and industrial workers) characterized by high physical work demands, musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence. Methods/Design A novel approach of the FINALE programme is that the interventions, i.e. 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 1 exploratory case-control study are tailored to the physical work demands, physical capacities and health profile of workers in each job-group. The RCT among cleaners, characterized by repetitive work tasks and musculoskeletal disorders, aims at making the cleaners less susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders by physical coordination training or cognitive behavioral theory based training (CBTr). Because health-care workers are reported to have high prevalence of overweight and heavy lifts, the aim of the RCT is long-term weight-loss by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and diet. Construction work, characterized by heavy lifting, pushing and pulling, the RCT aims at improving physical capacity and promoting musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health. At the industrial work-place characterized by repetitive work tasks, the intervention aims at reducing physical exertion and musculoskeletal disorders by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and participatory ergonomics. The overall aim of the FINALE programme is to improve the safety margin between individual resources (i.e. physical capacities, and cognitive and behavioral skills) and physical work demands, and thereby reduce the physical deterioration in a long term perspective by interventions tailored for each respective job-group. Discussion The FINALE programme has the potential to provide evidence-based knowledge of significant importance for public health policy and health promotion strategies for employees at high risk for physical deterioration. Trial registrations ISRCTN96241850, NCT01015716 and NCT01007669 PMID:20214807

Apolipoprotein E genotype does not moderate the associations of depressive symptoms, neuroticism and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive aging in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.

PubMed

Crook, Zander; Booth, Tom; Cox, Simon R; Corley, Janie; Dykiert, Dominika; Redmond, Paul; Pattie, Alison; Taylor, Adele M; Harris, Sarah E; Starr, John M; Deary, Ian J

2018-01-01

In this replication-and-extension study, we tested whether depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load (multisystem physiological dysregulation) were related to lower baseline cognitive ability and greater subsequent cognitive decline in older adults, and whether these relationships were moderated by the E4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. We also tested whether allostatic load mediated the relationships between neuroticism and cognitive outcomes. We used data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n at Waves 1-3: 1,028 [M age = 69.5 y]; 820 [M duration since Wave 1 = 2.98 y]; 659 [M duration since Wave 1 = 6.74 y]). We fitted latent growth curve models of general cognitive ability (modeled using five cognitive tests) with groups of APOE E4 non-carriers and carriers. In separate models, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load predicted baseline cognitive ability and subsequent cognitive decline. In addition, models tested whether allostatic load mediated relationships between neuroticism and cognitive outcomes. Baseline cognitive ability had small-to-moderate negative associations with depressive symptoms (β range = -0.20 to -0.17), neuroticism (β range = -0.27 to -0.23), and allostatic load (β range = -0.11 to 0.09). Greater cognitive decline was linked to baseline allostatic load (β range = -0.98 to -0.83) and depressive symptoms (β range = -1.00 to -0.88). However, APOE E4 allele possession did not moderate the relationships of depressive symptoms, neuroticism and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive decline. Additionally, the associations of neuroticism with cognitive ability and cognitive decline were not mediated through allostatic load. Our results suggest that APOE E4 status does not moderate the relationships of depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The most notable positive finding in the current research was the strong association between allostatic load and cognitive decline.

On cognitive ecology and the environmental factors that promote Alzheimer disease: lessons from Octodon degus (Rodentia: Octodontidae).

PubMed

Rivera, Daniela S; Inestrosa, Nibaldo C; Bozinovic, Francisco

2016-02-20

Cognitive ecologist posits that the more efficiently an animal uses information from the biotic and abiotic environment, the more adaptive are its cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, this approach does not test for natural neurodegenerative processes under field or experimental conditions, which may recover animals information processing and decision making and may explain, mechanistically, maladaptive behaviors. Here, we call for integrative approaches to explain the relationship between ultimate and proximate mechanisms behind social behavior. We highlight the importance of using the endemic caviomorph rodent Octodon degus as a valuable natural model for mechanistic studies of social behavior and to explain how physical environments can shape social experiences that might influence impaired cognitive abilities and the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease. We consequently suggest neuroecological approaches to examine how key elements of the environment may affect neural and cognitive mechanisms associated with learning, memory processes and brain structures involved in social behavior. We propose the following three core objectives of a program comprising interdisciplinary research in O. degus, namely: (1) to determine whether diet types provided after weaning can lead to cognitive impairment associated with spatial memory, learning and predisposing to develop Alzheimer disease in younger ages; (2) to examine if early life social experience has long term effects on behavior and cognitive responses and risk for development Alzheimer disease in later life and (3) To determine if an increase of social interactions in adult degu reared in different degree of social stressful conditions alter their behavior and cognitive responses.

Cognitive Ability: Social Correlates and Consequences in Contemporary China*

PubMed Central

Huang, Guoying; Xie, Yu; Xu, Hongwei

2016-01-01

In this paper, we describe the measurement of cognitive ability in the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), especially for verbal skill, mathematical skill, memory, and quantitative reasoning. The available CFPS cognitive measurements can be useful for studies on the importance of cognitive ability in many substantive domains of interest. Using the CFPS data, we show that measures of cognitive ability are clearly related to key demographic and social characteristics, such as age, gender, education, and hukou status. We also illustrate how cognitive ability influences school performance and deviant behaviors among children, income and political capital among adults, and daily functioning among the elderly. PMID:27570709

Rivastigmine transdermal patch and physical exercises for Alzheimer's disease: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Aguiar, Paula; Monteiro, Larissa; Feres, Ana; Gomes, Irênio; Melo, Ailton

2014-01-01

To determine the effects of rivastigmine patch associated with physical exercise versus rivastigmine patch alone in quality of life (QOL), cognition, activities of daily living (ADL) and functional mobility in Alzheimer's disease (AD)subjects. A randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial was conducted in 40 patients with mild to moderate stages of AD. All patients were daily treated with rivastigmine transdermal patch at a stable dose of 4.6 mg and randomized into two groups: physical exercises or control. The exercise program consisted of aerobic, flexibility, strength and balance movements, twice a week for 6 months. Main outcomes were Quality of Life in Alzheimer's disease scale (QOL), Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (ADL), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and "Time Up and Go Test". Thirty-four patients completed the study. After 6 months, there was a significant improvement in QOL of patients randomized to physical exercise group (P< 0.05). In both groups, there was an improvement on caregivers QOL (P>0.05). When considering cognitive functions, there was no difference between groups. The ability to perform ADL worsened in the group enrolled to RTP alone. There was an improvement in functional mobility in the group treated with RTP. Our results suggest that the association between physical exercises and RTP improves QOL in patients with AD. Cognition remained unchanged in both groups. Regarding the effect of physical exercises in ADL, further trials are necessary to confirm these results.

The Relationships between Cognitive Ability and Dental Status in a National Sample of USA Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabbah, Wael; Sheiham, Aubrey

2010-01-01

There are very few studies on the relationship between cognitive ability and dental status in middle aged and younger adults. We postulate that lower cognitive ability is directly related to poorer dental status and that this relationship operates through the relationship between cognitive ability and health-related behaviors. The objectives of…

Physical, cognitive and emotional factors contributing to quality of life, functional health and participation in community dwelling in chronic kidney disease.

PubMed

Seidel, Ulla K; Gronewold, Janine; Volsek, Michaela; Todica, Olga; Kribben, Andreas; Bruck, Heike; Hermann, Dirk M

2014-01-01

Quality of life (QoL) impairment is a well-known consequence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The factors influencing QoL and late life functional health are poorly examined. Using questionnaires combined with neuropsychological examinations, we prospectively evaluated physical, cognitive, and emotional factors influencing QoL, functional health and participation in community dwelling in 119 patients with CKD stages 3-5 including hemodialysis (61.5±15.7years; 63% men) and 54 control patients of the same age without CKD but with similar cardiovascular risk profile. Compared with control patients, CKD patients showed impairment of the physical component of QoL and overall function, assessed by the SF-36 and LLFDI, whereas disability, assessed by LLFDI, was selectively impaired in CKD patients on hemodialysis. Multivariable linear regressions (forced entry) confirmed earlier findings that CKD stage (β = -0.24; p = 0.012) and depression (β = -0.30; p = 0.009) predicted the QoL physical component. Hitherto unknown, CKD stage (β = -0.23; p = 0.007), cognition (β = 0.20; p = 0.018), and depression (β = -0.51; <0.001) predicted disability assessed by the LLFDI, while age (β = -0.20; p = 0.023), male gender (B = 5.01; p = 0.004), CKD stage (β = -0.23; p = 0.005), stroke history (B = -9.00; p = 0.034), and depression (β = -0.41; p<0.001) predicted overall function. Interestingly, functional health deficits, cognitive disturbances, depression, and anxiety were evident almost only in CKD patients with coronary heart disease (found in 34.2% of CKD patients). The physical component of QoL and functional health decreased with age and depressive symptoms, and increased with cognitive abilities. In CKD, QoL, functional health, and participation in community dwelling are influenced by physical, cognitive, and emotional factors, most prominently in coronary heart disease patients.

Interventions incorporating physical and cognitive elements to reduce falls risk in cognitively impaired older adults: a systematic review.

PubMed

Booth, Vicky; Hood, Victoria; Kearney, Fiona

2016-05-01

Cognitive impairment is a risk factor for falls. Older adults with cognitive impairment (such as dementia) have an increased risk of falling compared with age-matched individuals without a cognitive impairment. To reduce falls in this population, interventions could theoretically target and train both physical and cognitive abilities. Combining and addressing cognitive components in falls rehabilitation is a novel and emerging area of healthcare. The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of combined cognitive and physical interventions on the risk of falls in cognitively impaired older adults. Older persons who were 65 years or older and identified as having a cognitive impairment either through diagnosis or assessment of global cognition. Multifactorial or multiple interventions where physical and cognitive elements were combined was compared against standard care or a single element intervention. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials and experimental studies in which randomization was used. Outcomes related to falls, including falls rate, specific falls risk measures (i.e. Physiological Profile Assessment) or related clinical outcome measures (i.e. Timed Up and Go test, Tinetti and gait speed). A three-step search strategy was utilized in this review, including search of electronic databases: CENTRAL, JBISRIR, MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL and PsychINFO. Initial keywords used were dementia, cognitive impairment, memory loss, exercise, rehabilitation and accidental falls. Grey literature (Google Scholar) and trials registers (Current Controlled Trials) searches were also completed. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) software. Data was extracted from articles included in the review using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI-MAStARI. A quantitative meta-analysis was performed where possible. Otherwise, data synthesis was in the form of narrative review. Sub-group analysis according to level of cognitive impairment was completed where possible. Eight RCTs were included in this review; they evaluated the effectiveness of multicomponent exercise programs, including physical and cognitive activities, music-based group exercise and mind-body tai chi on falls related outcomes. Most of the studies were of good quality with an average quality score of 7.5. Four studies reported effectiveness based on the number of falls, half of which reported a significant difference between the groups, but pooling of results into meta-analysis was not possible because of differences in reporting of the outcome. Falls related outcomes that were combined in meta-analysis included balance (Berg balance scale), functional mobility (Timed Up and Go) and gait speed (m/s). There was a statistically significant improvement in balance and gait speed following the intervention; however, the studies were too heterogeneous to be included in the analysis from the functional mobility results. Overall, multicomponent interventions incorporating both physical and cognitive components demonstrated positive effects on balance, functional mobility and gait speed when compared with a control and had significantly better effect on balance and gait speed within mild cognitive impairment populations.

Is the impact of fatigue related to walking capacity and perceived ability in persons with multiple sclerosis? A multicenter study.

PubMed

Dalgas, U; Langeskov-Christensen, M; Skjerbæk, A; Jensen, E; Baert, I; Romberg, A; Santoyo Medina, C; Gebara, B; Maertens de Noordhout, B; Knuts, K; Béthoux, F; Rasova, K; Severijns, D; Bibby, B M; Kalron, A; Norman, B; Van Geel, F; Wens, I; Feys, P

2018-04-15

The relationship between fatigue impact and walking capacity and perceived ability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is inconclusive in the existing literature. A better understanding might guide new treatment avenues for fatigue and/or walking capacity in patients with MS. To investigate the relationship between the subjective impact of fatigue and objective walking capacity as well as subjective walking ability in MS patients. A cross-sectional multicenter study design was applied. Ambulatory MS patients (n = 189, age: 47.6 ± 10.5 years; gender: 115/74 women/men; Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): 4.1 ± 1.8 [range: 0-6.5]) were tested at 11 sites. Objective tests of walking capacity included short walking tests (Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), 10-Metre Walk Test (10mWT) at usual and fastest speed and the timed up and go (TUG)), and long walking tests (2- and 6-Minute Walk Tests (MWT). Subjective walking ability was tested applying the Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12). Fatigue impact was measured by the self-reported modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS) consisting of a total score (MFIS total ) and three subscales (MFIS physical , MFIS cognitive and MFIS psychosocial ). Uni- and multivariate regression analysis were performed to evaluate the relation between walking and fatigue impact. MFIS total was negatively related with long (6MWT, r = -0.14, p = 0.05) and short composite (TUG, r = -0.22, p = 0.003) walking measures. MFIS physical showed a significant albeit weak relationship to walking speed in all walking capacity tests (r = -0.22 to -0.33, p < .0001), which persisted in the multivariate linear regression analysis. Subjective walking ability (MSWS-12) was related to MFIS total (r = 0.49, p < 0.0001), as well as to all other subscales of MFIS (r = 0.24-0.63, p < 0.001), showing stronger relationships than objective measures of walking. The physical impact of fatigue is weakly related to objective walking capacity, while general, physical, cognitive and psychosocial fatigue impact are weakly to moderately related to subjective walking ability, when analysed in a large heterogeneous sample of MS patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activities, self-referent memory beliefs, and cognitive performance: evidence for direct and mediated relations.

PubMed

Jopp, Daniela; Hertzog, Christopher

2007-12-01

In this study, the authors investigated the role of activities and self-referent memory beliefs for cognitive performance in a life-span sample. A factor analysis identified 8 activity factors, including Developmental Activities, Experiential Activities, Social Activities, Physical Activities, Technology Use, Watching Television, Games, and Crafts. A second-order general activity factor was significantly related to a general factor of cognitive function as defined by ability tests. Structural regression models suggested that prediction of cognition by activity level was partially mediated by memory beliefs, controlling for age, education, health, and depressive affect. Models adding paths from general and specific activities to aspects of crystallized intelligence suggested additional unique predictive effects for some activities. In alternative models, nonsignificant effects of beliefs on activities were detected when cognition predicted both variables, consistent with the hypothesis that beliefs derive from monitoring cognition and have no influence on activity patterns. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

Young and older adults' beliefs about effective ways to mitigate age-related memory decline.

PubMed

Horhota, Michelle; Lineweaver, Tara; Ositelu, Monique; Summers, Kristi; Hertzog, Christopher

2012-06-01

This study investigated whether young and older adults vary in their beliefs about the impact of various mitigating factors on age-related memory decline. Eighty young (ages 18-23) and 80 older (ages 60-82) participants reported their beliefs about their own memory abilities and the strategies that they use in their everyday lives to attempt to control their memory. Participants also reported their beliefs about memory change with age for hypothetical target individuals who were described as using (or not using) various means to mitigate memory decline. There were no age differences in personal beliefs about control over current or future memory ability. However, the two age groups differed in the types of strategies they used in their everyday life to control their memory. Young adults were more likely to use internal memory strategies, whereas older adults were more likely to focus on cognitive exercise and maintaining physical health as ways to optimize their memory ability. There were no age differences in rated memory change across the life span in hypothetical individuals. Both young and older adults perceived strategies related to improving physical and cognitive health as effective means of mitigating memory loss with age, whereas internal memory strategies were perceived as less effective means for controlling age-related memory decline. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Video game training does not enhance cognitive ability: A comprehensive meta-analytic investigation.

PubMed

Sala, Giovanni; Tatlidil, K Semir; Gobet, Fernand

2018-02-01

As a result of considerable potential scientific and societal implications, the possibility of enhancing cognitive ability by training has been one of the most influential topics of cognitive psychology in the last two decades. However, substantial research into the psychology of expertise and a recent series of meta-analytic reviews have suggested that various types of cognitive training (e.g., working memory training) benefit performance only in the trained tasks. The lack of skill generalization from one domain to different ones-that is, far transfer-has been documented in various fields of research such as working memory training, music, brain training, and chess. Video game training is another activity that has been claimed by many researchers to foster a broad range of cognitive abilities such as visual processing, attention, spatial ability, and cognitive control. We tested these claims with three random-effects meta-analytic models. The first meta-analysis (k = 310) examined the correlation between video game skill and cognitive ability. The second meta-analysis (k = 315) dealt with the differences between video game players and nonplayers in cognitive ability. The third meta-analysis (k = 359) investigated the effects of video game training on participants' cognitive ability. Small or null overall effect sizes were found in all three models. These outcomes show that overall cognitive ability and video game skill are only weakly related. Importantly, we found no evidence of a causal relationship between playing video games and enhanced cognitive ability. Video game training thus represents no exception to the general difficulty of obtaining far transfer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Child-related cognitions and affective functioning of physically abusive and comparison parents.

PubMed

Haskett, Mary E; Smith Scott, Susan; Grant, Raven; Ward, Caryn Sabourin; Robinson, Canby

2003-06-01

The goal of this research was to utilize the cognitive behavioral model of abusive parenting to select and examine risk factors to illuminate the unique and combined influences of social cognitive and affective variables in predicting abuse group membership. Participants included physically abusive parents (n=56) and a closely-matched group of comparison parents (n=62). Social cognitive risk variables measured were (a) parent's expectations for children's abilities and maturity, (b) parental attributions of intentionality of child misbehavior, and (c) parents' perceptions of their children's adjustment. Affective risk variables included (a) psychopathology and (b) parenting stress. A series of logistic regression models were constructed to test the individual, combined, and interactive effects of risk variables on abuse group membership. The full set of five risk variables was predictive of abuse status; however, not all variables were predictive when considered individually and interactions did not contribute significantly to prediction. A risk composite score computed for each parent based on the five risk variables significantly predicted abuse status. Wide individual differences in risk across the five variables were apparent within the sample of abusive parents. Findings were generally consistent with a cognitive behavioral model of abuse, with cognitive variables being more salient in predicting abuse status than affective factors. Results point to the importance of considering diversity in characteristics of abusive parents.

[Intelligence and the explanation for socio-economic inequalities in health].

PubMed

Huisman, M; Mackenbach, J P

2007-05-12

Attention is increasingly being paid to the role of cognitive ability to explain socio-economic inequalities in health. The universal socio-economic gradient in health, where each rung lower on the socio-economic ladder implies worse health, has still not been satisfactorily explained scientifically. Because cognitive ability is related to a multitude of social outcomes in a similarly graded manner, hypothesising that cognitive ability plays a major role in health inequalities by socio-economic status is appealing. Recent empirical studies have shown that at least part of socio-economic health inequalities can indeed be explained by differences in cognitive ability. However, this does not imply that we should be pessimistic about future attempts to break the chain that links socio-economic status and cognitive ability with health. During some life stages, environmental factors may be able to influence cognitive ability. Interventions may therefore be targeted in order to optimize these effects. In addition, there is evidence that cognitive ability is correlated with health-related behaviours such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and obesity. Therefore, another opportunity for reducing health inequalities related to cognitive ability and socio-economic status would be to develop tailored interventions to improve health-related behaviours in disadvantaged groups. However, the first priority is to further investigate the role of cognitive ability in health inequalities by examining various health outcomes, different age groups and variations across the life course.

Relationships between Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Cognitive Abilities and Math Achievement within a Sample of College Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proctor, Briley

2012-01-01

This study examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and math achievement within a sample of college students with learning disabilities (LD). The cognitive abilities were seven areas identified by Stratum II of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities, in addition to the eighth area of Working Memory. Math…

The Continuing Benefits of Education: Adult Education and Midlife Cognitive Ability in the British 1946 Birth Cohort

PubMed Central

Hatch, Stephani L.; Feinstein, Leon; Link, Bruce G.; Wadsworth, Michael E. J.; Richards, Marcus

2007-01-01

Objectives. Evidence shows education positively impacts cognitive ability. However, researchers have given little attention to the potential impact of adult education on cognitive ability, still malleable in midlife. The primary study aim was to examine whether there were continuing effects of education over the life course on midlife cognitive ability. Methods. This study used data from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, also known as the British 1946 birth cohort, and multivariate regression to estimate the continuing effects of adult education on multiple measures of midlife cognitive ability. Results. Educational attainment completed by early adulthood was associated with all measures of cognitive ability in late midlife. The continued effect of education was apparent in the associations between adult education and higher verbal ability, verbal memory, and verbal fluency in late midlife. We found no association between adult education and mental speed and concentration. Discussion. Associations between adult education and midlife cognitive ability indicate wider benefits of education to health that may be important for social integration, well-being, and the delay of cognitive decline in later life. PMID:18079429

Estimated maximal and current brain volume predict cognitive ability in old age.

PubMed

Royle, Natalie A; Booth, Tom; Valdés Hernández, Maria C; Penke, Lars; Murray, Catherine; Gow, Alan J; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Starr, John; Bastin, Mark E; Deary, Ian J; Wardlaw, Joanna M

2013-12-01

Brain tissue deterioration is a significant contributor to lower cognitive ability in later life; however, few studies have appropriate data to establish how much influence prior brain volume and prior cognitive performance have on this association. We investigated the associations between structural brain imaging biomarkers, including an estimate of maximal brain volume, and detailed measures of cognitive ability at age 73 years in a large (N = 620), generally healthy, community-dwelling population. Cognitive ability data were available from age 11 years. We found positive associations (r) between general cognitive ability and estimated brain volume in youth (male, 0.28; females, 0.12), and in measured brain volume in later life (males, 0.27; females, 0.26). Our findings show that cognitive ability in youth is a strong predictor of estimated prior and measured current brain volume in old age but that these effects were the same for both white and gray matter. As 1 of the largest studies of associations between brain volume and cognitive ability with normal aging, this work contributes to the wider understanding of how some early-life factors influence cognitive aging. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the specificity of face cognition compared with general cognitive functioning across adult age.

PubMed

Hildebrandt, Andrea; Wilhelm, Oliver; Schmiedek, Florian; Herzmann, Grit; Sommer, Werner

2011-09-01

Face cognition is considered a specific human ability, clearly differentiable from general cognitive functioning. Its specificity is primarily supported by cognitive-experimental and neuroimaging research, but recently also from an individual differences perspective. However, no comprehensive behavioral data are available, which would allow estimating lifespan changes of the covariance structure of face-cognition abilities and general cognitive functioning as well as age-differences in face cognition after accounting for interindividual variability in general cognition. The present study aimed to fill this gap. In an age-heterogeneous (18-82 years) sample of 448 adults, we found no factorial dedifferentiation between face cognition and general cognition. Age-related differences in face memory were still salient after taking into account changes in general cognitive functioning. Face cognition thus remains a specific human ability compared with general cognition, even until old age. We discuss implications for models of cognitive aging and suggest that it is necessary to include more explicitly special social abilities in those models.

Motivational processes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: results from the Motivational Reserve in Alzheimer's (MoReA) study.

PubMed

Forstmeier, Simon; Maercker, Andreas

2015-11-17

Brain reserve, i.e., the ability of the brain to tolerate age- and disease-related changes in a way that cognitive function is still maintained, is assumed to be based on the lifelong training of various abilities. The Motivational Reserve in Alzheimer's (MoReA) is a longitudinal study that aims to examine motivational processes as a protective factor in mild Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This paper presents the results of motivational variables, frequency of diagnoses, and prediction of global cognition as well as depression in a one-year longitudinal study. The sample consists of 64 subjects with MCI and 47 subjects with mild AD at baseline. At baseline, the physical/neurological examinations, standard clinical assessment, neuropsychological testing, and assessment of motivational variables were performed. At follow-up (FU) one year later, neuropsychological testing including cognition, functional abilities, behavioral and affective symptoms, and global clinical assessments of severity have been repeated. AD cases have lower motivational capacities as measured with a midlife motivation-related occupational score and informant-reported present motivational processes, but do not differ with regard to delay of gratification (DoG) and self-reported motivational processes. DoG and delay discounting (DD) were relatively stable during the measurement interval. However, 20 % of the MCI cases converted to mild AD at FU, and 17 % of the mild AD cases converted to moderate AD. The rate of depression of Alzheimer's disease was 9 at baseline and 21 % at FU, and the rate of apathy was 7 and 14 %, respectively. Global cognition at FU was mainly predicted by baseline global cognition but also by one of the motivational variables (scenario test). Depression at FU was predicted mainly by two motivational variables (self-reported and informant-reported motivational processes). This research might inform motivation-related strategies for prevention and early intervention with older people or people at risk for AD.

Evolutionary conserved longevity genes and human cognitive abilities in elderly cohorts

PubMed Central

Lopez, Lorna M; Harris, Sarah E; Luciano, Michelle; Liewald, Dave; Davies, Gail; Gow, Alan J; Tenesa, Albert; Payton, Antony; Ke, Xiayi; Whalley, Lawrence J; Fox, Helen; Haggerty, Paul; Ollier, William; Pickles, Andrew; Porteous, David J; Horan, Michael A; Pendleton, Neil; Starr, John M; Deary, Ian J

2012-01-01

Genetic influences have an important role in the ageing process. The genetic factors that influence success in bodily ageing may also contribute to the successful ageing of cognitive abilities. A comparative genomics approach found longevity genes conserved between yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We hypothesised that these longevity genes influence variance in cognitive ability and age-related cognitive decline in humans. Here, we investigated six of these genes that have human orthologs and show expression in the brain. We tested AFG3L2 (MIM: 604581, AFG3 ATPase family gene 3-like 2 (yeast)), FRAP1 (MIM: 601231, a FK506 binding protein 12-rapamycin associated protein), MAT1A, MAT2A (MIM: 610550 and 601468, methionine adenosyltransferases I alpha and II alpha, respectively), SYNJ1 and SYNJ2 (MIM: 604297 and 609410, synaptojanin-1 and synaptojanin-2, respectively) in approximately 1000 healthy older Scots: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936). They were tested on general cognitive ability at age 11 years. At a mean age of 70 years, they re-sat the same general cognitive ability test and underwent an additional battery of diverse cognitive tests. In all, 70 tag and functional SNPs in the six longevity genes were genotyped and tested for association with cognition and cognitive ageing in LBC1936. Suggestive associations were detected between SNPs in SYNJ2, MAT1A, AFG3L2 and SYNJ1 and a general memory factor and general cognitive ability at age 11 and 70 years. Replication studies for cognitive ability associations were performed in 2506 samples from the Cognitive Ageing Genetics in England and Scotland consortium. A meta-analysis replicated the SYNJ2 association with cognitive abilities (lowest P=0.00077). SYNJ2 is a novel gene in which variation is potentially associated with cognitive abilities. PMID:22045296

Anticipatory Cognitive Systems: a Theoretical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terenzi, Graziano

This paper deals with the problem of understanding anticipation in biological and cognitive systems. It is argued that a physical theory can be considered as biologically plausible only if it incorporates the ability to describe systems which exhibit anticipatory behaviors. The paper introduces a cognitive level description of anticipation and provides a simple theoretical characterization of anticipatory systems on this level. Specifically, a simple model of a formal anticipatory neuron and a model (i.e. the τ-mirror architecture) of an anticipatory neural network which is based on the former are introduced and discussed. The basic feature of this architecture is that a part of the network learns to represent the behavior of the other part over time, thus constructing an implicit model of its own functioning. As a consequence, the network is capable of self-representation; anticipation, on a oscopic level, is nothing but a consequence of anticipation on a microscopic level. Some learning algorithms are also discussed together with related experimental tasks and possible integrations. The outcome of the paper is a formal characterization of anticipation in cognitive systems which aims at being incorporated in a comprehensive and more general physical theory.

Cognitive abilities of health and art college students a pilot study.

PubMed

AlAbdulwahab, Sami S; Kachanathu, Shaji John; AlKhamees, Abdullah K

2016-05-01

[Purpose] The selection of a college major is a struggle that high school students undergo every year; however, there is a dearth of studies examining the role of cognitive ability tests as a tool for determining the aptitude of prospective students. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess cognitive ability differences among students. [Subjects and Methods] A convenience sample of 60 college students (30 health science and 30 art students) with a mean age of 19 ± 1.6 years, voluntarily participated in this study. Cognitive ability was assessed using the self-administered Cognitive Assessment of Minnesota (CAM) scale under the supervision of a researcher. [Results] The findings indicated that there was a significant cognitive ability difference between health science and art students, especially in the cognitive components of knowledge, calculation, and thinking. However, the difference in the social cognitive component of both the health science and art students was not significant. [Conclusion] The results indicate that the health science students' cognitive abilities were better than those of the art students. This finding implies that it is important for high school graduates to undertake a cognitive ability assessment prior to choosing a subject major. Hence, it is recommended that cognitive scales should be included as an aptitude assessment tool for the decision-makers and prospective students to determine an appropriate career, since it might reduce the percentage of university drop-out ratio.

A Quest for Meta-Learning Gains in a Physics Serious Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verpoorten, Dominique; Castaigne, Jean-Loup; Westera, Wim; Specht, Marcus

2014-01-01

This paper describes how a short, repeated and structured opportunity to reflect was integrated in the storyline of a serious game in order to stimulate the development of a meta-cognitive skill: the ability to self-assess the degree of confidence in own answers. An empirical validation of the approach, conducted with 28 secondary school pupils,…

Making Friends, PreK-3: A Social Skills Program for Inclusive Settings. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Ruth Herron; Roberts-Pacchione, Beth

2011-01-01

Research shows that a child's social and behavioral skills affect the development of cognitive and physical abilities. Set students on a path to success and have fun doing it with this activity-packed second edition of "Wanna Play". The authors provide hundreds of activities that help children learn how to behave appropriately and make friends.…

The Effects of Maltreatment in Childhood on Working Memory Capacity in Adulthood

PubMed Central

Dodaj, Arta; Krajina, Marijana; Sesar, Kristina; Šimić, Nataša

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to research the relation between exposure to maltreatment in childhood and working memory capacity in adulthood. A survey among 376 females in the age between 16 and 67 was administered. Exposure to maltreatment in childhood (sexual, physical and psychological abuse, neglect and witnessing family violence) was assessed retrospectively using the Child Maltreatment Questionnaire (Karlović, Buljan-Flander, & Vranić, 2001), whilst the Working Memory Questionnaire (Vallat-Azouvi, Pradat-Diehl, & Azouvi, 2012) was used to assess working memory capacity (recalling verbal information, numerical information, attention ability and executive functioning). The results suggest a significantly greater prevalence of physical abuse and witnessing family violence in comparison to other forms of maltreatment in childhood. Psychological abuse and witnessing family violence have shown themselves to be statistically significant predictors for deficits in total working memory capacity, verbal recall and attention ability. The results suggest that traumatic experiences during childhood, such as abuse, may trigger particular cognitive changes which may be reflected in adulthood. It is, therefore, exceedingly important to conduct further research in order to contribute to the understanding of the correlation between cognitive difficulties and maltreatment in childhood. PMID:29358978

The Effects of Maltreatment in Childhood on Working Memory Capacity in Adulthood.

PubMed

Dodaj, Arta; Krajina, Marijana; Sesar, Kristina; Šimić, Nataša

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to research the relation between exposure to maltreatment in childhood and working memory capacity in adulthood. A survey among 376 females in the age between 16 and 67 was administered. Exposure to maltreatment in childhood (sexual, physical and psychological abuse, neglect and witnessing family violence) was assessed retrospectively using the Child Maltreatment Questionnaire (Karlović, Buljan-Flander, & Vranić, 2001), whilst the Working Memory Questionnaire (Vallat-Azouvi, Pradat-Diehl, & Azouvi, 2012) was used to assess working memory capacity (recalling verbal information, numerical information, attention ability and executive functioning). The results suggest a significantly greater prevalence of physical abuse and witnessing family violence in comparison to other forms of maltreatment in childhood. Psychological abuse and witnessing family violence have shown themselves to be statistically significant predictors for deficits in total working memory capacity, verbal recall and attention ability. The results suggest that traumatic experiences during childhood, such as abuse, may trigger particular cognitive changes which may be reflected in adulthood. It is, therefore, exceedingly important to conduct further research in order to contribute to the understanding of the correlation between cognitive difficulties and maltreatment in childhood.

The NEIL Memory Research Unit: psychosocial, biological, physiological and lifestyle factors associated with healthy ageing: study protocol.

PubMed

Hannigan, Caoimhe; Coen, Robert F; Lawlor, Brian A; Robertson, Ian H; Brennan, Sabina

2015-01-01

Population ageing is a global phenomenon that has characterised demographic trends during the 20th and 21st century. The rapid growth in the proportion of older adults in the population, and resultant increase in the incidence of age-related cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, brings significant social, economic and healthcare challenges. Decline in cognitive abilities represents the most profound threat to active and healthy ageing. Current evidence suggests that a significant proportion of cases of age-related cognitive decline and dementia may be preventable through the modification of risk factors including education, depressive symptomology, physical activity, social engagement and participation in cognitively stimulating activities. The NEIL Memory Research Unit cohort study was established to investigate factors related to brain health and the maintenance of cognitive function. A cohort of 1000 normally ageing adults aged 50 years and over are being recruited to participate in comprehensive assessments at baseline, and at follow-up once every 2 years. The assessment protocol comprises a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, some basic physical measures, psychosocial scales, questionnaire measures related to a range of health, lifestyle and behavioural factors, and a measure of resting state activity using electroencephalography (EEG). The NEIL Memory Research Unit cohort study will address key questions about brain health and cognitive ageing in the population aged 50+, with a particular emphasis on the influence of potentially modifiable factors on cognitive outcomes. Analyses will be conducted with a focus on factors involved in the maintenance of cognitive function among older adults, and therefore will have the potential to contribute significant knowledge related to key questions within the field of cognitive ageing, and to inform the development of public health interventions aimed at preventing cognitive decline and promoting active and healthy ageing.

Apolipoprotein E genotype does not moderate the associations of depressive symptoms, neuroticism and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive aging in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

PubMed Central

Booth, Tom; Cox, Simon R.; Corley, Janie; Dykiert, Dominika; Redmond, Paul; Pattie, Alison; Taylor, Adele M.; Harris, Sarah E.; Starr, John M.; Deary, Ian J.

2018-01-01

Objectives In this replication-and-extension study, we tested whether depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load (multisystem physiological dysregulation) were related to lower baseline cognitive ability and greater subsequent cognitive decline in older adults, and whether these relationships were moderated by the E4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. We also tested whether allostatic load mediated the relationships between neuroticism and cognitive outcomes. Methods We used data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n at Waves 1–3: 1,028 [M age = 69.5 y]; 820 [M duration since Wave 1 = 2.98 y]; 659 [M duration since Wave 1 = 6.74 y]). We fitted latent growth curve models of general cognitive ability (modeled using five cognitive tests) with groups of APOE E4 non-carriers and carriers. In separate models, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load predicted baseline cognitive ability and subsequent cognitive decline. In addition, models tested whether allostatic load mediated relationships between neuroticism and cognitive outcomes. Results Baseline cognitive ability had small-to-moderate negative associations with depressive symptoms (β range = -0.20 to -0.17), neuroticism (β range = -0.27 to -0.23), and allostatic load (β range = -0.11 to 0.09). Greater cognitive decline was linked to baseline allostatic load (β range = -0.98 to -0.83) and depressive symptoms (β range = -1.00 to -0.88). However, APOE E4 allele possession did not moderate the relationships of depressive symptoms, neuroticism and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive decline. Additionally, the associations of neuroticism with cognitive ability and cognitive decline were not mediated through allostatic load. Conclusions Our results suggest that APOE E4 status does not moderate the relationships of depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and allostatic load with cognitive ability and cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The most notable positive finding in the current research was the strong association between allostatic load and cognitive decline. PMID:29451880

Predictors of chewing ability among community-residing older adults in Korea.

PubMed

Park, Kyongok; Hong, Gwi-Ryung Son

2017-01-01

Decreased chewing ability in older adults can lead to poor nutritional and physical conditions, and eventually death. The present study examined the relationships between chewing ability and related characteristics (e.g. health promotion habits, health status and functional status), and identified predictors of chewing ability in community-residing older adults. Among the total of 11 542 participants in the 2011 National Survey on Older Adults in Korea, data from 10 543 participants were used for analysis. Chewing ability was evaluated using a self-report of chewing ability. Exercise ability was assessed by objective exercise ability and perceived exercise ability in both the upper and lower extremities. Depression and cognitive functions were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form and the Mini-Mental State Examination, respectively. A total of 56.9% of participants had poor chewing abilities. After adjusting for age and sex, logistic regression analysis showed that depression (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.60-1.92), cognitive impairment (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17-1.40), objective exercise ability (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.41), regular exercise habits (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.13-1.34), medical check-up history (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.32), number of chronic diseases (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.09-1.15) and perceived exercise ability in the lower extremities (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05-1.10) were significant predictors of chewing ability. Chewing ability in older adults should be improved in consideration of mental and general health condition. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 78-84. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Cognitive ability across the life course and cortisol levels in older age.

PubMed

Harris, Mathew A; Cox, Simon R; Brett, Caroline E; Deary, Ian J; MacLullich, Alasdair M J

2017-11-01

Elevated cortisol levels have been hypothesized to contribute to cognitive aging, but study findings are inconsistent. In the present study, we examined the association between salivary cortisol in older age and cognitive ability across the life course. We used data from 370 members of the 36-Day Sample of the Scottish Mental Survey 1947, who underwent cognitive testing at age 11 years and were then followed up at around age 78 years, completing further cognitive tests and providing diurnal salivary cortisol samples. We hypothesized that higher cortisol levels would be associated with lower cognitive ability in older age and greater cognitive decline from childhood to older age but also lower childhood cognitive ability. Few of the tested associations were significant, and of those that were, most suggested a positive relationship between cortisol and cognitive ability. Only 1 cognitive measure showed any sign of cortisol-related impairment. However, after correcting for multiple comparisons, no results remained significant. These findings suggest that cortisol may not play an important role in cognitive aging across the life course. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Perceptions of Aging across 26 Cultures and their Culture-Level Associates

PubMed Central

Löckenhoff, Corinna E.; De Fruyt, Filip; Terracciano, Antonio; McCrae, Robert R.; De Bolle, Marleen; Costa, Paul T.; Aguilar-Vafaie, Maria E.; Ahn, Chang-kyu; Ahn, Hyun-nie; Alcalay, Lidia; Allik, Juri; Avdeyeva, Tatyana. V.; Barbaranelli, Claudio; Benet-Martinez, Veronica; Blatný, Marek; Bratko, Denis; Brunner-Sciarra, Marina; Cain, Thomas R.; Crawford, Jarret T.; Lima, Margarida P.; Ficková, Emília; Gheorghiu, Mirona; Halberstadt, Jamin; Hřebíčková, Martina; Jussim, Lee; Klinkosz, Waldemar; Knežević, Goran; Leibovich de Figueroa, Nora; Martin, Thomas. A.; Marušić, Iris; Mastor, Khairul Anwar; Miramontez, Daniel R.; Nakazato, Katsuharu; Nansubuga, Florence; Pramila, V.S.; Purić, Danka; Realo, Anu; Reátegui, Norma; Rolland, Jean-Pierre; Rossier, Jerome; Schmidt, Vanina; Sekowski, Andrzej; Shakespeare-Finch, Jane; Shimonaka, Yoshiko; Simonetti, Franco; Siuta, Jerzy; Smith, Peter B.; Szmigielska, Barbara; Wang, Lei; Yamaguchi, Mami; Yik, Michelle

2010-01-01

College students (N = 3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (1) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning, (2) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect, and (3) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure. PMID:20025408

Cognitive factors affecting children's nonsymbolic and symbolic magnitude judgment abilities: A latent profile analysis.

PubMed

Chew, Cindy S; Forte, Jason D; Reeve, Robert A

2016-12-01

Early math abilities are claimed to be linked to magnitude representation ability. Some claim that nonsymbolic magnitude abilities scaffold the acquisition of symbolic (Arabic number) magnitude abilities and influence math ability. Others claim that symbolic magnitude abilities, and ipso facto math abilities, are independent of nonsymbolic abilities and instead depend on the ability to process number symbols (e.g., 2, 7). Currently, the issue of whether symbolic abilities are or are not related to nonsymbolic abilities, and the cognitive factors associated with nonsymbolic-symbolic relationships, remains unresolved. We suggest that different nonsymbolic-symbolic relationships reside within the general magnitude ability distribution and that different cognitive abilities are likely associated with these different relationships. We further suggest that the different nonsymbolic-symbolic relationships and cognitive abilities in combination differentially predict math abilities. To test these claims, we used latent profile analysis to identify nonsymbolic-symbolic judgment patterns of 124, 5- to 7-year-olds. We also assessed four cognitive factors (visuospatial working memory [VSWM], naming numbers, nonverbal IQ, and basic reaction time [RT]) and two math abilities (number transcoding and single-digit addition abilities). Four nonsymbolic-symbolic ability profiles were identified. Naming numbers, VSWM, and basic RT abilities were differentially associated with the different ability profiles and in combination differentially predicted math abilities. Findings show that different patterns of nonsymbolic-symbolic magnitude abilities can be identified and suggest that an adequate account of math development should specify the inter-relationship between cognitive factors and nonsymbolic-symbolic ability patterns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physiologic Dysfunction Scores and Cognitive Function Test Performance in United States Adults

PubMed Central

Kobrosly, Roni W; Seplaki, Christopher L; Jones, Courtney M; van Wijngaarden, Edwin

2013-01-01

Objective To investigate the relationship between a measure of cumulative physiologic dysfunction and specific domains of cognitive function. Methods We examined a summary score measuring physiological dysfunction, a multisystem measure of the body’s ability to effectively adapt to physical and psychological demands, in relation to cognitive function deficits in a population of 4511 adults aged 20 to 59 who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994). Measures of cognitive function comprised three domains: working memory, visuomotor speed, and perceptual-motor speed. ‘Physiologic dysfunction’ scores summarizing measures of cardiovascular, immunologic, kidney, and liver function were explored. We used multiple linear regression models to estimate associations between cognitive function measures and physiological dysfunction scores, adjusting for socioeconomic factors, test conditions, and self-reported health factors. Results We noted a dose-response relationship between physiologic dysfunction and working memory (coefficient = 0.207, 95% CI = (0.066, 0.348), p < 0.0001) that persisted after adjustment for all covariates (p = 0.03). We did not observe any significant relationships between dysfunction scores and visuomotor (p = 0.37) or perceptual-motor ability (p = 0.33). Conclusions Our findings suggest that multisystem physiologic dysfunction is associated with working memory. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms and explore the persistency of this association into later life. We suggest that such studies should incorporate physiologic data, neuroendocrine parameters, and a wide range of specific cognitive domains. PMID:22155941

Dogs are able to solve a means-end task

PubMed Central

Range, Friederike; Hentrup, Marleen; Viranyi, Zsofia

2014-01-01

Dogs, although very skilled in social communicative tasks, have shown limited abilities in the domain of physical cognition. Consequently, several researchers hypothesized that domestication enhanced dogs’ cognitive abilities in the social realm, but relaxed selection on the physical one. For instance, dogs failed to demonstrate means-end understanding, an important form of relying on physical causal connection, when tested in a string-pulling task. Here, we tested dogs in an ‘on/off’ task using a novel approach. Thirty-two dogs were confronted with four different conditions in which they could choose between two boards one with a reward ‘on’ and another one with a reward ‘off’ (reward was placed next to the board). The dogs chose the correct board when 1) both rewards were placed at the same distance from the dog, when 2) the reward placed ‘on’ the board was closer to the dog, and 3) even when the reward placed ‘off’ the board was much closer to the dog and was food. Interestingly, in the latter case dogs did not perform above chance, if instead of a direct reward, the dogs had to retrieve an object placed on the board to get a food reward. In contrast to previous string pulling studies, our results show that dogs are able to solve a means-end task even if proximity of the unsupported reward is a confounding factor. PMID:21445577

Toddler development.

PubMed

Colson, E R; Dworkin, P H

1997-08-01

The toddler years are ones of exciting and challenging changes in cognitive, affective, and physical growth. Physical growth is particularly remarkable for the child's increasing skills and ability to navigate the environment. Affective development is marked by the push for autonomy and independence and the highly visible nature of the child's temperament or behavioral style. The toddler also enters the wonderful years of imagination and pretend play. Perhaps most noteworthy is the child's dramatic increase in ability to communicate with others through speech and language, as evidence of the progression to symbolic thinking. The dynamic changes in children's development during the toddler years have important implications for child health supervision. Familiarity with toddler development will enable the pediatrician to monitor children's development effectively and to address common, stage-related behaviors with families during anticipatory guidance.

Factors Influencing Learner Conceptions of Force: Exploring the Interaction among Visuospatial Ability, Motivation, and Conceptions of Newtonian Mechanics in University Undergraduates from an Evolutionary Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallett, David Bruce

This study examined the relationships among visuospatial ability, motivation to learn science, and learner conceptions of force across commonly measured demographics with university undergraduates with the aim of examining the support for an evolved sense of force and motion. Demographic variables of interest included age, ethnicity, and gender, which served to determine the ubiquity of the effects of the exogenous variables. Participants (n=91) self selected from introductory physics courses at a large public university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Utilizing a single-group exploratory design, all participants completed a series of anonymous online instruments to assess the variables of interest. Analysis consisted of an ANOVA for significance testing of demographic variables and a single-level structural equation model (SEM) to ascertain the causal influence of visuospatial ability and affect in the form of motivation on learner conceptions of force. Results of the SEM indicated that while motivation had a nonsignificant (p>.05) impact with this sample, visuospatial ability had a strong (.5 unit change in physics achievement per unit of VSA, p<.05) influence on Newtonian conceptions of mechanics. The results of this study inform physics educators as to the factors underlying conceptual change in Newtonian physics and generate hypotheses regarding the cognitive processes and corresponding neural substrates associated with successful Newtonian reasoning.

Assessing residual reasoning ability in overtly non-communicative patients using fMRI☆

PubMed Central

Hampshire, Adam; Parkin, Beth L.; Cusack, Rhodri; Espejo, Davinia Fernández; Allanson, Judith; Kamau, Evelyn; Pickard, John D.; Owen, Adrian M.

2012-01-01

It is now well established that some patients who are diagnosed as being in a vegetative state or a minimally conscious state show reliable signs of volition that may only be detected by measuring neural responses. A pertinent question is whether these patients are also capable of logical thought. Here, we validate an fMRI paradigm that can detect the neural fingerprint of reasoning processes and moreover, can confirm whether a participant derives logical answers. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach in a physically non-communicative patient who had been shown to engage in mental imagery in response to simple auditory instructions. Our results demonstrate that this individual retains a remarkable capacity for higher cognition, engaging in the reasoning task and deducing logical answers. We suggest that this approach is suitable for detecting residual reasoning ability using neural responses and could readily be adapted to assess other aspects of cognition. PMID:24179769

Adapted Minds and Evolved Schools

PubMed Central

Keil, Frank C.

2009-01-01

Evolutionary psychology raises questions about how cognitive adaptations might be related to the emergence of formal schooling. Is there a special role for natural domains of cognition such as folk physics, folk psychology and folk biology? These domains may vary from small fragments of reasoning to large integrated systems. This heterogeneity complicates claims about abilities to inhibit folk sciences and about how formal education exploits such inhibitory abilities. Moreover, formal education often needs to build on intuitive knowledge systems rather than inhibit them. Education must also reduce complex information to the right level of granularity and help students appreciate the limits of their understanding. This involves learning how to outsource understanding to other minds and to read intentions. Geary (2008) provides an important focus on these issues by suggesting that educational and evolutionary psychologists ask how the patterns found in each field might inform the other. PMID:19946618

Do the Effects of Working Memory Training Depend on Baseline Ability Level?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Jeffrey L.; Harrison, Tyler L.; Hicks, Kenny L.; Draheim, Christopher; Redick, Thomas S.; Engle, Randall W.

2017-01-01

There is a debate about the ability to improve cognitive abilities such as fluid intelligence through training on tasks of working memory capacity. The question addressed in the research presented here is who benefits the most from training: people with low cognitive ability or people with high cognitive ability? Subjects with high and low working…

Cognitive performance across the life course of Bolivian forager-farmers with limited schooling.

PubMed

Gurven, Michael; Fuerstenberg, Eric; Trumble, Benjamin; Stieglitz, Jonathan; Beheim, Bret; Davis, Helen; Kaplan, Hillard

2017-01-01

Cognitive performance is characterized by at least two distinct life course trajectories. Many cognitive abilities (e.g., "effortful processing" abilities, including fluid reasoning and processing speed) improve throughout early adolescence and start declining in early adulthood, whereas other abilities (e.g., "crystallized" abilities like vocabulary breadth) improve throughout adult life, remaining robust even at late ages. Although schooling may impact performance and cognitive "reserve," it has been argued that these age patterns of cognitive performance are human universals. Here we examine age patterns of cognitive performance among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia and test whether schooling is related to differences in cognitive performance over the life course to assess models of active versus passive cognitive reserve. We used a battery of eight tasks to assess a range of latent cognitive traits reflecting attention, processing speed, verbal declarative memory, and semantic fluency (n = 919 individuals, 49.9% female). Tsimane cognitive abilities show similar age-related differences as observed in industrialized populations: higher throughout adolescence and only slightly lower in later adulthood for semantic fluency but substantially lower performance beginning in early adulthood for all other abilities. Schooling is associated with greater cognitive abilities at all ages controlling for sex but has no attenuating effect on cognitive performance in late adulthood, consistent with models of passive cognitive reserve. We interpret the minimal attenuation of semantic fluency late in life in light of evolutionary theories of postreproductive life span, which emphasize indirect fitness contributions of older adults through the transfer of information, labor, and food to descendant kin. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive performance across the life course of Bolivian forager-farmers with limited schooling

PubMed Central

Gurven, Michael; Fuerstenberg, Eric; Trumble, Ben; Stieglitz, Jonathan; Beheim, Bret; Davis, Helen; Kaplan, Hillard

2016-01-01

Cognitive performance is characterized by at least two distinct life course trajectories. Many cognitive abilities (e.g. “effortful processing” abilities including fluid reasoning, and processing speed) improve throughout early adolescence and start declining in early adulthood, while other abilities (e.g. “crystallized” abilities like vocabulary breadth) improve throughout adult life, remaining robust even at late ages. Although schooling may impact performance and cognitive “reserve”, it has been argued that these age patterns of cognitive performance are human universals. Here we examine age patterns of cognitive performance among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia, and test whether schooling is related to differences in cognitive performance over the life course to assess models of active vs. passive cognitive reserve. We used a battery of eight tasks to assess a range of latent cognitive traits reflecting attention, processing speed, verbal declarative memory and semantic fluency (n=919 individuals, 49.9% female). Tsimane cognitive abilities show similar age-related differences as observed in industrialized populations: higher throughout adolescence and only slightly lower in later adulthood for semantic fluency, but substantially lower performance beginning in early adulthood for all other abilities. Schooling is associated with greater cognitive abilities at all ages controlling for sex, but has no attenuating effect on cognitive performance in late adulthood, consistent with models of passive cognitive reserve. We interpret the minimal attenuation of semantic fluency late in life in light of evolutionary theories of post-reproductive lifespan, which emphasize indirect fitness contributions of older adults through the transfer of information, labor and food to descendant kin. PMID:27584668

Effects of physical activity training in patients with Alzheimer's dementia: results of a pilot RCT study.

PubMed

Holthoff, Vjera A; Marschner, Kira; Scharf, Maria; Steding, Julius; Meyer, Shirin; Koch, Rainer; Donix, Markus

2015-01-01

There is evidence that physical activity (PA) is of cognitive benefit to the ageing brain, but little is known on the effect in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present pilot study assessed the effect of a home-based PA training on clinical symptoms, functional abilities, and caregiver burden after 12 and 24 weeks. In an RCT thirty patients (aged 72.4±4.3 years) with AD (MMSE: 20.6±6.5 points) and their family caregivers were allocated to a home-based 12-week PA intervention program or the usual care group. The program changed between passive, motor-assisted or active resistive leg training and changes in direction on a movement trainer in order to combine physical and cognitive stimuli. Analysis of activities of daily living in the patients (ADCS ADL total score) revealed a significant group × time interaction effect (95% CI of the difference between both groups at T2: 5.01-10.51). The control group experienced decreases in ADL performance at week 12 and 24 whereas patients in the intervention group remained stable. Analyses of executive function and language ability revealed considerable effects for semantic word fluency with a group × time interaction (95% CI of the difference between both groups at T2: 0.18-4.02). Patients in the intervention group improved during the intervention and returned to initial performance at week 12 whereas the controls revealed continuous worsening. Analyses of reaction time, hand-eye quickness and attention revealed improvement only in the intervention group. Caregiver burden remained stable in the intervention group but worsened in the control group. This study suggests that PA in a home-based setting might be an effective and intrinsically attractive way to promote PA training in AD and modulate caregiver burden. The results demonstrate transfer benefits to ADL, cognitive and physical skill in patients with AD. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02196545.

Tool use as distributed cognition: how tools help, hinder and define manual skill

PubMed Central

Baber, Chris; Parekh, Manish; Cengiz, Tulin G.

2014-01-01

Our thesis in this paper is that, in order to appreciate the interplay between cognitive (goal-directed) and physical performance in tool use, it is necessary to determine the role that representations play in the use of tools. We argue that rather being solely a matter of internal (mental) representation, tool use makes use of the external representations that define the human–environment–tool–object system. This requires the notion of Distributed Cognition to encompass not simply the manner in which artifacts represent concepts but also how they represent praxis. Our argument is that this can be extended to include how artifacts-in-context afford use and how this response to affordances constitutes a particular form of skilled performance. By artifacts-in-context, we do not mean solely the affordances offered by the physical dimensions of a tool but also the interaction between the tool and the object that it is being used on. From this, “affordance” does not simply relate to the physical appearance of the tool but anticipates subsequent actions by the user directed towards the goal of changing the state of the object and this is best understood in terms of the “complimentarity” in the system. This assertion raises two challenges which are explored in this paper. The first is to distinguish “affordance” from the adaptation that one might expect to see in descriptions of motor control; when we speak of “affordance” as a form of anticipation, don’t we just mean the ability to adjust movements in response to physical demands? The second is to distinguish “affordance” from a schema of the tool; when we talk about anticipation, don’t we just mean the ability to call on a schema representing a “recipe” for using that tool for that task? This question of representation, specifically what knowledge needs to be represented in tool use, is central to this paper. PMID:24605103

Tool use as distributed cognition: how tools help, hinder and define manual skill.

PubMed

Baber, Chris; Parekh, Manish; Cengiz, Tulin G

2014-01-01

Our thesis in this paper is that, in order to appreciate the interplay between cognitive (goal-directed) and physical performance in tool use, it is necessary to determine the role that representations play in the use of tools. We argue that rather being solely a matter of internal (mental) representation, tool use makes use of the external representations that define the human-environment-tool-object system. This requires the notion of Distributed Cognition to encompass not simply the manner in which artifacts represent concepts but also how they represent praxis. Our argument is that this can be extended to include how artifacts-in-context afford use and how this response to affordances constitutes a particular form of skilled performance. By artifacts-in-context, we do not mean solely the affordances offered by the physical dimensions of a tool but also the interaction between the tool and the object that it is being used on. From this, "affordance" does not simply relate to the physical appearance of the tool but anticipates subsequent actions by the user directed towards the goal of changing the state of the object and this is best understood in terms of the "complimentarity" in the system. This assertion raises two challenges which are explored in this paper. The first is to distinguish "affordance" from the adaptation that one might expect to see in descriptions of motor control; when we speak of "affordance" as a form of anticipation, don't we just mean the ability to adjust movements in response to physical demands? The second is to distinguish "affordance" from a schema of the tool; when we talk about anticipation, don't we just mean the ability to call on a schema representing a "recipe" for using that tool for that task? This question of representation, specifically what knowledge needs to be represented in tool use, is central to this paper.

The Genetic and Environmental Etiologies of the Relations between Cognitive Skills and Components of Reading Ability

PubMed Central

Christopher, Micaela E.; Keenan, Janice M.; Hulslander, Jacqueline; DeFries, John C.; Miyake, Akira; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Willcutt, Erik; Pennington, Bruce; Olson, Richard K.

2016-01-01

While previous research has shown cognitive skills to be important predictors of reading ability in children, the respective roles for genetic and environmental influences on these relations is an open question. The present study explored the genetic and environmental etiologies underlying the relations between selected executive functions and cognitive abilities (working memory, inhibition, processing speed, and naming speed) with three components of reading ability (word reading, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension). Twin pairs drawn from the Colorado Front Range (n = 676; 224 monozygotic pairs; 452 dizygotic pairs) between the ages of eight and 16 (M = 11.11) were assessed on multiple measures of each cognitive and reading-related skill. Each cognitive and reading-related skill was modeled as a latent variable, and behavioral genetic analyses estimated the portions of phenotypic variance on each latent variable due to genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental influences. The covariance between the cognitive skills and reading-related skills was driven primarily by genetic influences. The cognitive skills also shared large amounts of genetic variance, as did the reading-related skills. The common cognitive genetic variance was highly correlated with the common reading genetic variance, suggesting that genetic influences involved in general cognitive processing are also important for reading ability. Skill-specific genetic variance in working memory and processing speed also predicted components of reading ability. Taken together, the present study supports a genetic association between children’s cognitive ability and reading ability. PMID:26974208

The Impact of Captivity and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Cognitive Performance Among Former Prisoners of War: A Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Aloni, Roy; Crompton, Laura; Levin, Yafit; Solomon, Zahava

2018-04-24

War captivity is a potent pathogen for various aspects of mental health, including cognitive impairments. However, little is known about the long-term impact of war captivity and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on cognitive functioning among former prisoners of war (ex-POWs). This study assesses the effect of captivity, PTSD trajectories, and the accumulating differential effect in the prediction of cognitive performance. This longitudinal research includes 4 assessments (1991 [T1], 2003 [T2], 2008 [T3], 2015 [T4]) of Israeli ex-POWs and comparable combatants from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Accordingly, 95 ex-POWs and 26 comparable combatants were included in this study. PTSD was assessed according to the DSM-IV, and cognitive performance was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Ex-POWs reported higher levels of PTSD symptoms compared to controls (P = 0.007). No difference was found between the groups regarding MoCA total score. Ex-POWs with chronic PTSD were found to have more difficulty in overall cognitive functioning, compared to ex-POWs with delayed, recovery, and resilient trajectories (P = 0.03). Finally, physical and psychological suffering in captivity and intrusion symptoms predicted cognitive performance (P < .001, R² = 37.9%). These findings support the potent pathogenic effects of war captivity on cognitive abilities, more than 4 decades after the end of the traumatic event. Our results showed captivity to be a unique and powerful traumatic experience, leading to PTSD and long-lasting and enduring neuropsychological implications. These findings highlight the importance of viewing ex-POWs, in particular those suffering from chronic PTSD, especially as they age, as a high-risk population for cognitive disorders. This requires the appropriate diagnosis and cognitive therapy as a way to preserve cognitive abilities among this population. © Copyright 2018 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

The effects of cognitive activity combined with active extremity exercise on balance, walking activity, memory level and quality of life of an older adult sample with dementia.

PubMed

Yoon, Jung Eun; Lee, Suk Min; Lim, Hee Sung; Kim, Tae Hoon; Jeon, Ji Kyeng; Mun, Mee Hyang

2013-12-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive activity combined with active physical exercise for a sample of older adults with dementia. [Subjects] A convenience sample of 30 patients with dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination score between 16 and 23) was used. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: cognitive activity combined with physical exercise CAE, n=11), and only cognitive activity CA, n=9). [Methods] Both groups participated in a therapeutic exercise program for 30 minutes, three days a week for 12 weeks. The CAE group performed an additional exercise for 30 minutes a day, three days a week for 12 weeks. A Wii Balance Board (WBB, Nintendo, Japan) was used to evaluate postural sway as an assessment of balance. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES) were used to assess dynamic balance abilities. The Timed Up-and-Go test (TUG) was used to assess gait, and the Digit Span Test (DST) and 7 Minute Screening Test (7MST) were used to measure memory performance. The Mini-Mental Status Exam-Korean version (MMSE-K), Kenny Self-Care Evaluation (KSCE), and Short Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used to assess quality of life (QOL). [Results] There were significant beneficial effects of the therapeutic program on balance (velocity in EOWB, path length in ECNB, BBS, and MMFE), QOL (MMSE-KC, GDS, KSCE), and memory performance (DSB) in the CAE group compared to CA group, and between pre-test and post-test. [Conclusion] A 12-week CAE program resulted in improvements in balance, memory and QOL. Therefore, some older adults with dementia have the ability to acquire effective skills relevant to daily living.

A Life Course Model of Cognitive Activities, Socioeconomic Status, Education, Reading Ability, and Cognition

PubMed Central

Jefferson, Angela L.; Gibbons, Laura E.; Rentz, Dorene M.; Carvalho, Janessa O.; Manly, Jennifer; Bennett, David A.; Jones, Richard N.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVES To cross-sectionally quantify the contribution of proxy measures of cognitive reserve reflective of the lifespan, such as education, socioeconomic status (SES), reading ability, and cognitive activities, in explaining late-life cognition. DESIGN Prospective observational cohort study of aging. SETTING Retirement communities across the Chicago metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS Nine hundred fifty-one older adults free of clinical dementia in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (aged 79 ± 8, 74% female). MEASUREMENTS Baseline data on multiple life course factors included early-, mid-, and late-life participation in cognitive activities; early-life and adult SES; education; and reading ability (National Adult Reading Test; NART). Path analysis quantified direct and indirect standardized effects of life course factors on global cognition and five cognitive domains (episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, visuospatial ability, perceptual speed). RESULTS Adjusting for age, sex, and race, education had the strongest association with global cognition, episodic memory, semantic memory, and visuospatial ability, whereas NART (followed by education) had the strongest association with working memory. Late-life cognitive activities had the strongest association with perceptual speed, followed by education. CONCLUSIONS These cross-sectional findings suggest that education and reading ability are the most-robust proxy measures of cognitive reserve in relation to late-life cognition. Additional research leveraging path analysis is warranted to better understand how these life course factors, reflecting the latent construct of cognitive reserve, affect abnormal cognitive aging. PMID:21797830

A life course model of cognitive activities, socioeconomic status, education, reading ability, and cognition.

PubMed

Jefferson, Angela L; Gibbons, Laura E; Rentz, Dorene M; Carvalho, Janessa O; Manly, Jennifer; Bennett, David A; Jones, Richard N

2011-08-01

To cross-sectionally quantify the contribution of proxy measures of cognitive reserve reflective of the lifespan, such as education, socioeconomic status (SES), reading ability, and cognitive activities, in explaining late-life cognition. Prospective observational cohort study of aging. Retirement communities across the Chicago metropolitan area. Nine hundred fifty-one older adults free of clinical dementia in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (aged 79 ± 8, 74% female). Baseline data on multiple life course factors included early-, mid-, and late-life participation in cognitive activities; early-life and adult SES; education; and reading ability (National Adult Reading Test; NART). Path analysis quantified direct and indirect standardized effects of life course factors on global cognition and five cognitive domains (episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, visuospatial ability, perceptual speed). Adjusting for age, sex, and race, education had the strongest association with global cognition, episodic memory, semantic memory, and visuospatial ability, whereas NART (followed by education) had the strongest association with working memory. Late-life cognitive activities had the strongest association with perceptual speed, followed by education. These cross-sectional findings suggest that education and reading ability are the most-robust proxy measures of cognitive reserve in relation to late-life cognition. Additional research leveraging path analysis is warranted to better understand how these life course factors, reflecting the latent construct of cognitive reserve, affect abnormal cognitive aging. © 2011, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

The future of future-oriented cognition in non-humans: theory and the empirical case of the great apes.

PubMed

Osvath, Mathias; Martin-Ordas, Gema

2014-11-05

One of the most contested areas in the field of animal cognition is non-human future-oriented cognition. We critically examine key underlying assumptions in the debate, which is mainly preoccupied with certain dichotomous positions, the most prevalent being whether or not 'real' future orientation is uniquely human. We argue that future orientation is a theoretical construct threatening to lead research astray. Cognitive operations occur in the present moment and can be influenced only by prior causation and the environment, at the same time that most appear directed towards future outcomes. Regarding the current debate, future orientation becomes a question of where on various continua cognition becomes 'truly' future-oriented. We question both the assumption that episodic cognition is the most important process in future-oriented cognition and the assumption that future-oriented cognition is uniquely human. We review the studies on future-oriented cognition in the great apes to find little doubt that our closest relatives possess such ability. We conclude by urging that future-oriented cognition not be viewed as expression of some select set of skills. Instead, research into future-oriented cognition should be approached more like research into social and physical cognition. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

The future of future-oriented cognition in non-humans: theory and the empirical case of the great apes

PubMed Central

Osvath, Mathias; Martin-Ordas, Gema

2014-01-01

One of the most contested areas in the field of animal cognition is non-human future-oriented cognition. We critically examine key underlying assumptions in the debate, which is mainly preoccupied with certain dichotomous positions, the most prevalent being whether or not ‘real’ future orientation is uniquely human. We argue that future orientation is a theoretical construct threatening to lead research astray. Cognitive operations occur in the present moment and can be influenced only by prior causation and the environment, at the same time that most appear directed towards future outcomes. Regarding the current debate, future orientation becomes a question of where on various continua cognition becomes ‘truly’ future-oriented. We question both the assumption that episodic cognition is the most important process in future-oriented cognition and the assumption that future-oriented cognition is uniquely human. We review the studies on future-oriented cognition in the great apes to find little doubt that our closest relatives possess such ability. We conclude by urging that future-oriented cognition not be viewed as expression of some select set of skills. Instead, research into future-oriented cognition should be approached more like research into social and physical cognition. PMID:25267827

Psychophysiological response to cognitive workload during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking.

PubMed

Knaepen, Kristel; Marusic, Uros; Crea, Simona; Rodríguez Guerrero, Carlos D; Vitiello, Nicola; Pattyn, Nathalie; Mairesse, Olivier; Lefeber, Dirk; Meeusen, Romain

2015-04-01

Walking with a lower limb prosthesis comes at a high cognitive workload for amputees, possibly affecting their mobility, safety and independency. A biocooperative prosthesis which is able to reduce the cognitive workload of walking could offer a solution. Therefore, we wanted to investigate whether different levels of cognitive workload can be assessed during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking and to identify which parameters are the most sensitive. Twenty-four healthy subjects participated in this study. Cognitive workload was assessed through psychophysiological responses, physical and cognitive performance and subjective ratings. The results showed that breathing frequency and heart rate significantly increased, and heart rate variability significantly decreased with increasing cognitive workload during walking (p<.05). Performance measures (e.g., cadence) only changed under high cognitive workload. As a result, psychophysiological measures are the most sensitive to identify changes in cognitive workload during walking. These parameters reflect the cognitive effort necessary to maintain performance during complex walking and can easily be assessed regardless of the task. This makes them excellent candidates to feed to the control loop of a biocooperative prosthesis in order to detect the cognitive workload. This information can then be used to adapt the robotic assistance to the patient's cognitive abilities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vision-Enhancing Interventions in Nursing Home Residents and Their Short-Term Impact on Physical and Cognitive Function

PubMed Central

Elliott, Amanda F.; McGwin, Gerald; Owsley, Cynthia

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of vision-enhancing interventions (i.e., cataract surgery or refractive error correction) on physical function and cognitive status in nursing home residents. DESIGN Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING Seventeen nursing homes in Birmingham, AL. PARTICIPANTS A total of 187 English-speaking older adults (>55 years of age). INTERVENTION Participants took part in one of two vision-enhancing interventions: cataract surgery or refractive error correction. Each group was compared against a control group (persons eligible for but who declined cataract surgery, or who received delayed correction of refractive error). MEASUREMENTS Physical function (i.e., ability to perform activities of daily living and mobility) was assessed with a series of self-report and certified nursing assistant ratings at baseline and at 2 months for the refractive error correction group, and at 4 months for the cataract surgery group. The Mini Mental State Exam was also administered. RESULTS No significant differences existed within or between groups from baseline to follow-up on any of the measures of physical function. Mental status scores significantly declined from baseline to follow-up for both the immediate (p= 0.05) and delayed (p< 0.02) refractive error correction groups and for the cataract surgery control group (p= 0.05). CONCLUSION Vision-enhancing interventions did not lead to short-term improvements in physical functioning or cognitive status in this sample of elderly nursing home residents. PMID:19170783

Fluid cognitive ability is associated with greater exposure and smaller reactions to daily stressors.

PubMed

Stawski, Robert S; Almeida, David M; Lachman, Margie E; Tun, Patricia A; Rosnick, Christopher B

2010-06-01

The authors of this study investigated whether fluid cognitive ability predicts exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors. A national sample of adults from the Midlife in the United States study and the National Study of Daily Experiences (N = 1,202) who had a mean age of 57 years (SD = 12; 56% women, 44% men) completed positive and negative mood reports as well as a stressor diary on 8 consecutive evenings via telephone. Participants also completed a telephone-based battery of tests measuring fluid cognitive ability. Higher levels of fluid cognitive ability were associated with greater exposure to work- and home-related overload stressors. Possessing higher levels of fluid cognitive ability was associated with smaller stressor-related increases in negative mood, primarily for interpersonal tensions and network stressors, and smaller stressor-related decreases in positive mood for interpersonal tensions. Furthermore, fluid cognitive ability was unrelated to subjective severity ratings of the stressors reported. Discussion focuses on the role of fluid cognitive ability in daily stress processes. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Heuristic and analytic processing: age trends and associations with cognitive ability and cognitive styles.

PubMed

Kokis, Judite V; Macpherson, Robyn; Toplak, Maggie E; West, Richard F; Stanovich, Keith E

2002-09-01

Developmental and individual differences in the tendency to favor analytic responses over heuristic responses were examined in children of two different ages (10- and 11-year-olds versus 13-year-olds), and of widely varying cognitive ability. Three tasks were examined that all required analytic processing to override heuristic processing: inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning under conditions of belief bias, and probabilistic reasoning. Significant increases in analytic responding with development were observed on the first two tasks. Cognitive ability was associated with analytic responding on all three tasks. Cognitive style measures such as actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition explained variance in analytic responding on the tasks after variance shared with cognitive ability had been controlled. The implications for dual-process theories of cognition and cognitive development are discussed.

Cognitive abilities and genotype in a population-based sample of people with Prader-Willi syndrome.

PubMed

Whittington, J; Holland, A; Webb, T; Butler, J; Clarke, D; Boer, H

2004-02-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by extreme floppiness at birth, impaired sexual development, short stature, severe over-eating, characteristic physical features and learning disabilities (LD). Impaired social cognition, literal mindedness and cognitive inflexibility are also present. The syndrome has two main genetic subtypes that both result in the failure of expression of maternally imprinted genes on chromosome 15 at the locus q11-13. Through multiple sources, we attempted to identify all people with PWS living in one health region in the UK. Additional people with PWS identified in other regions were also recruited to augment the study sample. A comparison group of people with LD as a result of aetiologies other than PWS was also identified. All people from these three groups, over age three, who gave their consent, were assessed using tests of ability and attainment. In addition, their main carers were interviewed using a semistructured interview. Blood samples for genetic diagnosis were obtained from all consenting participants. The IQ distribution of the population sample was approximately normal with a mean IQ 40 points below that of the general population. There were systematic differences between the two main genetic subtypes. Those with disomies differed in cognitive profiles from both those with deletions and the comparison LD group (the latter two groups were very similar) in terms of better verbal abilities and impaired coding ability. Some people with PWS deletions had strong visuospatial skills. We propose that the normal distribution of IQ, shifted downwards relative to that of the general population, is the result of a global effect on IQ of the PWS gene(s), and that the different cognitive profile seen in those with chromosome 15 maternal disomies is a specific effect of a gene, or genes, on chromosome 15 which is differentially either expressed or not expressed in those with disomies relative to those with deletions. One hypothesis is that these subtle cognitive differences are a manifestation of the genetic influences of gender-specific imprinted genes on cerebral lateralization. This requires further investigation.

Cognitive ability predicts motor learning on a virtual reality game in patients with TBI.

PubMed

O'Neil, Rochelle L; Skeel, Reid L; Ustinova, Ksenia I

2013-01-01

Virtual reality games and simulations have been utilized successfully for motor rehabilitation of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little is known, however, how TBI-related cognitive decline affects learning of motor tasks in virtual environments. To fill this gap, we examined learning within a virtual reality game involving various reaching motions in 14 patients with TBI and 15 healthy individuals with different cognitive abilities. All participants practiced ten 90-second gaming trials to assess various aspects of motor learning. Cognitive abilities were assessed with a battery of tests including measures of memory, executive functioning, and visuospatial ability. Overall, participants with TBI showed both reduced performance and a slower learning rate in the virtual reality game compared to healthy individuals. Numerous correlations between overall performance and several of the cognitive ability domains were revealed for both the patient and control groups, with the best predictor being overall cognitive ability. The results may provide a starting point for rehabilitation programs regarding which cognitive domains interact with motor learning.

Sex Differences in Latent Cognitive Abilities Ages 5 to 17: Evidence from the Differential Ability Scales--Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keith, Timothy Z.; Reynolds, Matthew R.; Roberts, Lisa G.; Winter, Amanda L.; Austin, Cynthia A.

2011-01-01

Sex differences in the latent general and broad cognitive abilities underlying the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition were investigated for children and youth ages 5 through 17. Multi-group mean and covariance structural equation modeling was used to investigate sex differences in latent cognitive abilities as well as changes in these…

The role of cognitive flexibility in cognitive restructuring skill acquisition among older adults.

PubMed

Johnco, C; Wuthrich, V M; Rapee, R M

2013-08-01

Cognitive flexibility is one aspect of executive functioning that encompasses the ability to produce diverse ideas, consider response alternatives, and modify behaviors to manage changing circumstances. These processes are likely to be important for implementing cognitive restructuring. The present study investigated the impact of cognitive flexibility on older adults' ability to learn cognitive restructuring. Neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility were administered to 40 normal community-dwelling older adult volunteers and their ability to implement cognitive restructuring was coded and analyzed. Results indicated that the majority of participants showed good cognitive restructuring skill acquisition with brief training. The multiple regression analysis suggested that those with poorer cognitive flexibility on neuropsychological testing demonstrated poorer quality cognitive restructuring. In particular, perseverative thinking styles appear to negatively impact the ability to learn cognitive restructuring. Further research is needed to clarify whether older adults with poor cognitive flexibility can improve their cognitive restructuring skills with repetition over treatment or whether alternative skills should be considered. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Musical Competence is Predicted by Music Training, Cognitive Abilities, and Personality.

PubMed

Swaminathan, Swathi; Schellenberg, E Glenn

2018-06-15

Individuals differ in musical competence, which we defined as the ability to perceive, remember, and discriminate sequences of tones or beats. We asked whether such differences could be explained by variables other than music training, including socioeconomic status (SES), short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and personality. In a sample of undergraduates, musical competence had positive simple associations with duration of music training, SES, short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and openness-to-experience. When these predictors were considered jointly, musical competence had positive partial associations with music training, general cognitive ability, and openness. Nevertheless, moderation analyses revealed that the partial association between musical competence and music training was evident only among participants who scored below the mean on our measure of general cognitive ability. Moreover, general cognitive ability and openness had indirect associations with musical competence by predicting music training, which in turn predicted musical competence. Musical competence appears to be the result of multiple factors, including but not limited to music training.

Big cats as a model system for the study of the evolution of intelligence.

PubMed

Borrego, Natalia

2017-08-01

Currently, carnivores, and felids in particular, are vastly underrepresented in cognitive literature, despite being an ideal model system for tests of social and ecological intelligence hypotheses. Within Felidae, big cats (Panthera) are uniquely suited to studies investigating the evolutionary links between social, ecological, and cognitive complexity. Intelligence likely did not evolve in a unitary way but instead evolved as the result of mutually reinforcing feedback loops within the physical and social environments. The domain-specific social intelligence hypothesis proposes that social complexity drives only the evolution of cognitive abilities adapted only to social domains. The domain-general hypothesis proposes that the unique demands of social life serve as a bootstrap for the evolution of superior general cognition. Big cats are one of the few systems in which we can directly address conflicting predictions of the domain-general and domain-specific hypothesis by comparing cognition among closely related species that face roughly equivalent ecological complexity but vary considerably in social complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relationship between Big-5 personality traits and cognitive ability in older adults - a review.

PubMed

Curtis, Rachel G; Windsor, Tim D; Soubelet, Andrea

2015-01-01

It is well established that fundamental aspects of cognition such as memory and speed of processing tend to decline with age; however, there is substantial between-individual variability in levels of cognitive performance in older adulthood and in rates of change in cognitive abilities over time. Recent years have seen an increasing number of studies concerned with examining personality characteristics as possible predictors of some of this variability in cognitive aging. The purpose of this article is to review the literature, and identify patterns of findings regarding the relationships between personality (focusing on the Big-5) and cognitive ability across nonclinical populations of older adults. Possible mechanisms underlying associations of personality characteristics with cognition are reviewed, and assessed in the context of the current literature. Some relatively consistent relationships are identified, including positive associations between openness and cognitive ability, and associations of conscientiousness with slower rates of cognitive decline. However, the relationships between several personality traits and cognitive abilities in older adults remain unclear. We suggest some approaches to research design and analysis that may help increase our understanding of how personality differences may contribute to cognitive aging.

Relationship between Auditory and Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Sheft, Stanley

2015-01-01

Objective The objective was to evaluate the association of peripheral and central hearing abilities with cognitive function in older adults. Methods Recruited from epidemiological studies of aging and cognition at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, participants were a community-dwelling cohort of older adults (range 63–98 years) without diagnosis of dementia. The cohort contained roughly equal numbers of Black (n=61) and White (n=63) subjects with groups similar in terms of age, gender, and years of education. Auditory abilities were measured with pure-tone audiometry, speech-in-noise perception, and discrimination thresholds for both static and dynamic spectral patterns. Cognitive performance was evaluated with a 12-test battery assessing episodic, semantic, and working memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial abilities. Results Among the auditory measures, only the static and dynamic spectral-pattern discrimination thresholds were associated with cognitive performance in a regression model that included the demographic covariates race, age, gender, and years of education. Subsequent analysis indicated substantial shared variance among the covariates race and both measures of spectral-pattern discrimination in accounting for cognitive performance. Among cognitive measures, working memory and visuospatial abilities showed the strongest interrelationship to spectral-pattern discrimination performance. Conclusions For a cohort of older adults without diagnosis of dementia, neither hearing thresholds nor speech-in-noise ability showed significant association with a summary measure of global cognition. In contrast, the two auditory metrics of spectral-pattern discrimination ability significantly contributed to a regression model prediction of cognitive performance, demonstrating association of central auditory ability to cognitive status using auditory metrics that avoided the confounding effect of speech materials. PMID:26237423

Explaining the association between music training and reading in adults.

PubMed

Swaminathan, Swathi; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Venkatesan, Kirthika

2018-06-01

We sought to clarify whether the positive association between music lessons and reading ability is explained better by shared resources for processing pitch and temporal information, or by general cognitive abilities. Participants were native and nonnative speakers of English with varying levels of music training. We measured reading ability (comprehension and speed), music-perception skills (melody and rhythm), general cognitive ability (nonverbal intelligence, short-term memory, and working memory), and socioeconomic status (SES; family income, parents' education). Reading ability was associated positively with music training, English as a native language, and general cognitive ability. The association between reading and music training was significant after SES, native language, and music-perception skills were controlled. After general cognitive abilities were held constant, however, there was no longer an association between reading and music training. These findings suggest that the association between reading ability and music training is a consequence of general cognitive abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Motor and cognitive performance of overweight preschool children.

PubMed

Krombholz, Heinz

2013-02-01

Gross and fine motor skills and cognitive performance in obese and overweight children were compared to healthy weight children. Participants were 1,543 children (797 boys and 746 girls) ages 43 to 84 months, attending childcare centers in Munich, Germany. According to German Body Mass Index (BMI) standards for age and sex, 4.6% of the children were classified as obese (percentile greater or equal 97), 6.8% as overweight (percentile greater or equal 90 and less than 97), 5.9% as underweight (percentile less than 10), and 83.1% as being of healthy weight. Dependent variables were physical characteristics (height, weight, skinfold thickness), physical fitness (standing broad jump, shuttle run, hanging), body coordination (balancing forward, balancing backward, lateral jump, hopping), manual dexterity (right and left hand), and cognitive performance (intelligence, verbal ability, concentration). Higher proportions of children from lower socioeconomic and immigrant backgrounds were overweight. There was no association between weight and sex. Overweight children showed lower performance on gross motor skills (coordination and fitness), manual dexterity, and intelligence compared to healthy weight children, even after controlling for the effects of social class and immigration status.

Can the theory of planned behaviour predict the physical activity behaviour of individuals?

PubMed

Hobbs, Nicola; Dixon, Diane; Johnston, Marie; Howie, Kate

2013-01-01

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) can identify cognitions that predict differences in behaviour between individuals. However, it is not clear whether the TPB can predict the behaviour of an individual person. This study employs a series of n-of-1 studies and time series analyses to examine the ability of the TPB to predict physical activity (PA) behaviours of six individuals. Six n-of-1 studies were conducted, in which TPB cognitions and up to three PA behaviours (walking, gym workout and a personally defined PA) were measured twice daily for six weeks. Walking was measured by pedometer step count, gym attendance by self-report with objective validation of gym entry and the personally defined PA behaviour by self-report. Intra-individual variability in TPB cognitions and PA behaviour was observed in all participants. The TPB showed variable predictive utility within individuals and across behaviours. The TPB predicted at least one PA behaviour for five participants but had no predictive utility for one participant. Thus, n-of-1 designs and time series analyses can be used to test theory in an individual.

Cognitive ability influences on written expression: Evidence for developmental and sex-based differences in school-age children.

PubMed

Hajovsky, Daniel B; Villeneuve, Ethan F; Reynolds, Matthew R; Niileksela, Christopher R; Mason, Benjamin A; Shudak, Nicholas J

2018-04-01

Some studies have demonstrated that the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive abilities influence writing; however, little research has investigated whether CHC cognitive abilities influence writing the same way for males and females across grades. We used multiple group structural equation models to investigate whether CHC cognitive ability influences on written expression differed between grades or sex using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition and the Kaufman Tests of Educational Achievement, Second Edition co-normed standardization sample data (N=2117). After testing for consistent measurement of cognitive abilities across grades and sex, we tested whether the cognitive ability influences on written expression were moderated by grade level or sex. An important developmental shift was observed equally across sex groups: Learning Efficiency (Gl) influences decreased whereas Crystallized Ability (Gc) influences increased after fourth grade. Further, Short-Term Memory (Gsm) and Retrieval Fluency (Gr) influences on written expression depended on sex at grades 1-4, with larger Gr influences for females and larger Gsm influences for males. We internally replicated our main findings using two different cognitive explanatory models, adding further support for the developmental and sex-based differential cognitive ability influences on writing. Explanatory cognitive models of writing need to incorporate development, and possibly, sex to provide an expanded understanding of writing development and guard against potential generalizability issues characteristic of special population (i.e., male-female) studies. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relations between Measures of Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Cognitive Abilities and Mathematics Achievement across the School-Age Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, Randy G.; Evans, Jeffrey J.; McGrew, Kevin S.

2003-01-01

Cognitive clusters from the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III) Tests of Cognitive Abilities that measure select Cattell-Horn-Carroll broad and narrow cognitive abilities were shown to be significantly related to mathematics achievement in a large, nationally representative sample of children and adolescents. Multiple regression analyses were used to…

Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample.

PubMed

Spengler, Marion; Gottschling, Juliana; Hahn, Elisabeth; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M; Harzer, Claudia; Spinath, Frank M

2018-01-01

A well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be universal, as it has mostly been demonstrated in the United States, but not in other Western nations. In the present study we tested whether the importance of genetic and environmental effects on cognitive abilities varies as a function of parental education in a German twin sample. Cognitive ability scores (general, verbal, and nonverbal) were obtained on 531 German twin pairs (192 monozygotic, 339 dizygotic, ranging from 7 to 14 years of age; Mage = 10.25, SD = 1.83). Data on parental education were available from mothers and fathers. Results for general cognitive ability and nonverbal ability indicated no significant gene x parental education interaction effect. For verbal ability, a significant nonshared environment (E) x parental education interaction was found in the direction of greater nonshared environmental influences on verbal abilities among children raised by more educated parents.

Influence of Cognitive Ability on Therapy Outcomes for Anomia in Adults With Chronic Poststroke Aphasia.

PubMed

Dignam, Jade; Copland, David; O'Brien, Kate; Burfein, Penni; Khan, Asaduzzaman; Rodriguez, Amy D

2017-02-01

The relationship between cognitive abilities and aphasia rehabilitation outcomes is complex and remains poorly understood. This study investigated the influence of language and cognitive abilities on anomia therapy outcomes in adults with aphasia. Thirty-four adults with chronic aphasia participated in Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy. A language and cognitive assessment battery, including 3 baseline naming probes, was administered prior to therapy. Naming accuracy for 30 treated and 30 untreated items was collected at posttherapy and 1-month follow-up. Multiple regression models were computed to evaluate the relationship between language and cognitive abilities at baseline and anomia therapy outcomes. Both language and cognitive variables significantly influenced anomia therapy gains. Verbal short-term memory ability significantly predicted naming gains for treated items at posttherapy (β = -.551, p = .002) and for untreated items at posttherapy (β = .456, p = .014) and 1-month follow-up (β = .455, p = .021). Furthermore, lexical-semantic processing significantly predicted naming gains for treated items at posttherapy (β = -.496, p = .004) and 1-month follow-up (β = .545, p = .012). Our findings suggest that individuals' cognitive ability, specifically verbal short-term memory, affects anomia treatment success. Further research into the relationship between cognitive ability and anomia therapy outcomes may help to optimize treatment techniques.

Socioeconomic Attainment of Extremely Low Birth Weight Survivors: The Role of Early Cognition.

PubMed

Dobson, Kathleen G; Ferro, Mark A; Boyle, Michael H; Schmidt, Louis A; Saigal, Saroj; Van Lieshout, Ryan J

2017-03-01

To determine: (1) if childhood cognitive and academic abilities mediate the association between being born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and socioeconomic attainment at age 29 to 36 years; (2) which cognitive abilities (IQ, verbal abilities, fluid intelligence, mathematical abilities, or academic achievement) most strongly mediate this association; and (3) if the mediating role of cognition is different in ELBW survivors with significant neurosensory impairment (NSI). A prospective, longitudinal cohort of 100 Canadian ELBW survivors born between 1977 and 1982 and 89 normal birth weight comparison participants were used to examine the mediating role of childhood cognition by using 5 cognitive mediators assessed at age 8 years (overall IQ, verbal IQ, performance IQ, quantitative ability, and academic achievement) on socioeconomic attainment at adulthood. Socioeconomic attainment was defined as personal annual earnings and full-time employment assessed via self-report at age 29 to 36 years. Mediation models revealed that childhood cognition mediated the association between ELBW status and income attainment, with mathematical abilities and overall IQ each accounting for 26% of the direct effect. Mediated effects were not statistically significant in full-time employment models. For both outcomes, the mediating effect of cognition was stronger for ELBW survivors with NSI. Childhood cognitive abilities partially mediate associations between ELBW status and adult income attainment. Early life cognition is a critical predictor of socioeconomic attainment in ELBW survivors, particularly in those born with NSI. Interventions aimed at enhancing early cognition in ELBW survivors may help optimize their later socioeconomic attainment. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Neuropsychological comparison of alcohol-exposed children with or without physical features of fetal alcohol syndrome.

PubMed

Mattson, S N; Riley, E P; Gramling, L; Delis, D C; Jones, K L

1998-01-01

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is associated with behavioral and cognitive deficits. However, the majority of children born to alcohol-abusing women do not meet the formal criteria for FAS and it is not known if the cognitive abilities of these children differ from those of children with FAS. Using a set of neuropsychological tests, 3 groups were compared: (a) children with FAS, (b) children without FAS who were born to alcohol-abusing women (the PEA group), and (c) normal controls. The results indicated that, relative to controls, both the FAS and the PEA groups were impaired on tests of language, verbal learning and memory, academic skills, fine-motor speed, and visual-motor integration. These data suggest that heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is related to a consistent pattern of neuropsychological deficits and the degree of these deficits may be independent of the presence of physical features associated with FAS.

48,XXYY, 48,XXXY and 49,XXXXY syndromes: not just variants of Klinefelter syndrome

PubMed Central

Tartaglia, Nicole; Ayari, Natalie; Howell, Susan; D’Epagnier, Cheryl; Zeitler, Philip

2012-01-01

Sex chromosome tetrasomy and pentasomy conditions occur in 1:18 000–1:100 000 male births. While often compared with 47,XXY/Klinefelter syndrome because of shared features including tall stature and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, 48,XXYY, 48,XXXY and 49,XXXXY syndromes are associated with additional physical findings, congenital malformations, medical problems and psychological features. While the spectrum of cognitive abilities extends much higher than originally described, developmental delays, cognitive impairments and behavioural disorders are common and require strong treatment plans. Future research should focus on genotype–phenotype relationships and the development of evidence-based treatments. Conclusion The more complex physical, medical and psychological phenotypes of 48,XXYY, 48,XXXY and 49,XXXXY syndromes make distinction from 47,XXY important; however, all of these conditions share features of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and the need for increased awareness, biomedical research and the development of evidence-based treatments. PMID:21342258

Physiological and cognitive military related performances after 10-kilometer march.

PubMed

Yanovich, Ran; Hadid, Amir; Erlich, Tomer; Moran, Daniel S; Heled, Yuval

2015-01-01

Prior operational activities such as marching in diverse environments, with heavy backloads may cause early fatigue and reduce the unit's readiness. The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the effect of 10-kilometer (km) march on selected, military oriented, physiological and cognitive performances. Eight healthy young males (age 25 ± 3 years) performed a series of cognitive and physiological tests, first without any prior physiological strain and then after a 10 km march in comfort laboratory conditions (24°C, 50%RH) consisting a 5 km/h speed and 2-6% incline with backload weighing 30% of their body weight. We found that the subjects' time to exhaustion (TTE) after the march decreased by 27% with no changes in anaerobic performance. Cognitive performance showed a significant (20%) reduction in accuracy and a tendency to reduce reaction time after the march. We conclude that a moderate-intensity march under relatively comfort environmental conditions may differently decrease selected military related physical and cognitive abilities. This phenomenon is probably associated with the type and intensity of the pre-mission physical activity and the magnitude of the associated mental fatigue. We suggest that quantifying these effects, as was presented in this preliminary study, by adopting this practical scientific approach would assist in preserving the soldiers' performance and health during training and military operations.

The cognitive niche: Coevolution of intelligence, sociality, and language

PubMed Central

Pinker, Steven

2010-01-01

Although Darwin insisted that human intelligence could be fully explained by the theory of evolution, the codiscoverer of natural selection, Alfred Russel Wallace, claimed that abstract intelligence was of no use to ancestral humans and could only be explained by intelligent design. Wallace's apparent paradox can be dissolved with two hypotheses about human cognition. One is that intelligence is an adaptation to a knowledge-using, socially interdependent lifestyle, the “cognitive niche.” This embraces the ability to overcome the evolutionary fixed defenses of plants and animals by applications of reasoning, including weapons, traps, coordinated driving of game, and detoxification of plants. Such reasoning exploits intuitive theories about different aspects of the world, such as objects, forces, paths, places, states, substances, and other people's beliefs and desires. The theory explains many zoologically unusual traits in Homo sapiens, including our complex toolkit, wide range of habitats and diets, extended childhoods and long lives, hypersociality, complex mating, division into cultures, and language (which multiplies the benefit of knowledge because know-how is useful not only for its practical benefits but as a trade good with others, enhancing the evolution of cooperation). The second hypothesis is that humans possess an ability of metaphorical abstraction, which allows them to coopt faculties that originally evolved for physical problem-solving and social coordination, apply them to abstract subject matter, and combine them productively. These abilities can help explain the emergence of abstract cognition without supernatural or exotic evolutionary forces and are in principle testable by analyses of statistical signs of selection in the human genome. PMID:20445094

Colloquium paper: the cognitive niche: coevolution of intelligence, sociality, and language.

PubMed

Pinker, Steven

2010-05-11

Although Darwin insisted that human intelligence could be fully explained by the theory of evolution, the codiscoverer of natural selection, Alfred Russel Wallace, claimed that abstract intelligence was of no use to ancestral humans and could only be explained by intelligent design. Wallace's apparent paradox can be dissolved with two hypotheses about human cognition. One is that intelligence is an adaptation to a knowledge-using, socially interdependent lifestyle, the "cognitive niche." This embraces the ability to overcome the evolutionary fixed defenses of plants and animals by applications of reasoning, including weapons, traps, coordinated driving of game, and detoxification of plants. Such reasoning exploits intuitive theories about different aspects of the world, such as objects, forces, paths, places, states, substances, and other people's beliefs and desires. The theory explains many zoologically unusual traits in Homo sapiens, including our complex toolkit, wide range of habitats and diets, extended childhoods and long lives, hypersociality, complex mating, division into cultures, and language (which multiplies the benefit of knowledge because know-how is useful not only for its practical benefits but as a trade good with others, enhancing the evolution of cooperation). The second hypothesis is that humans possess an ability of metaphorical abstraction, which allows them to coopt faculties that originally evolved for physical problem-solving and social coordination, apply them to abstract subject matter, and combine them productively. These abilities can help explain the emergence of abstract cognition without supernatural or exotic evolutionary forces and are in principle testable by analyses of statistical signs of selection in the human genome.

Stereotype threat lowers older adults’ self-reported hearing abilities

PubMed Central

Barber, Sarah J.; Lee, Soohyoung Rain

2016-01-01

Background Although stereotype threat is a well-documented phenomenon, previous studies examining it in older adults have almost exclusively focused on objective cognitive outcomes. Considerably less attention has been paid to the impact of stereotype threat on older adults’ subjective assessments of their own abilities or to the impact of stereotype threat in non-cognitive domains. Objective Older adults are stereotyped as having experienced not only cognitive declines, but physical declines as well. The current study tested the prediction that stereotype threat can negatively influence older adult's subjective hearing abilities. Methods To test this, 115 adults (M age = 50.02, range = 41-67) read either a positive or negative description about how aging affects hearing. All participants then answered a questionnaire in which they assessed their own hearing abilities. Results The impact of stereotype threat on self-reported hearing was moderated by chronological age. Participants in their 40's and early 50's were unaffected by the stereotype threat manipulation. In contrast, participants in their late 50's and 60's rated their hearing as being subjectively worse when under stereotype threat. Conclusion The current study provides a clear demonstration that stereotype threat negatively impacts older adults’ subjective assessments of their own abilities. It is also the first study to demonstrate an effect of stereotype threat within the domain of hearing. These results have important implications for researchers investigating age-related hearing decline. Stereotype threat can lead to overestimation of the prevalence of age-related hearing decline. It can also serve as a confounding variable when examining the psychosocial correlates of hearing loss. Because of this, researchers studying age-related hearing loss should aim to provide a stereotype-threat free testing environment and also include assessments of stereotype threat within their studies. PMID:26461273

Cognitive function and living situation in COPD: is there a relationship with self-management and quality of life?

PubMed

Dulohery, Megan M; Schroeder, Darrell R; Benzo, Roberto P

2015-01-01

Cognitive impairment is increasingly being found to be a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study sought to understand the relationship of comprehensively measured cognitive function with COPD severity, quality of life, living situation, health care utilization, and self-management abilities. Subjects with COPD were recruited from the outpatient pulmonary clinic. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Self-management abilities were measured using the Self Management Ability Score 30. Quality of life was measured using the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used to assess the bivariate association of the MOCA with other study measures. Multivariate analysis was completed to understand the interaction of the MOCA and living situation on COPD outcomes of hospitalization, quality of life, and self-management ability. This study included 100 participants of mean age 70±9.4 years (63% male, 37% female) with COPD (mean FEV1 [forced expiratory volume in 1 second] percentage predicted 40.4±16.7). Mean MOCA score was 23.8±3.9 with 63% of patients having mild cognitive impairment. The MOCA was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.28, P=0.005) and positively correlated with education (r=+0.24, P=0.012). There was no significant correlation between cognitive function and exacerbations, emergency room (ER) visits, or hospitalizations. There was no association between the MOCA score and self-management abilities or quality of life. We tested the interaction of living situation and the MOCA with self-management abilities and found statistical significance (P=0.017), indicating that individuals living alone with higher cognitive function report lower self-management abilities. Cognitive impairment in COPD does not appear to be meaningfully associated with COPD severity, health outcomes, or self-management abilities. The routine screening for cognitive impairment due to a diagnosis of COPD may not be indicated. Living alone significantly affects the interaction between self-management abilities and cognitive function.

Physical aggressive resident behavior during hygienic care.

PubMed

Farrell Miller, M

1997-05-01

Management of aggressive behavior has been identified as a concern for nursing staff who provide institutional care for cognitively impaired elderly. The Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA '87) mandates a trial reduction in the use of chemical and physical restraints, and the development of nursing interventions for the management of behavioral disorders of institutionalized cognitively impaired elderly. Most skilled nursing facilities, however, are limited in their ability to provide environmental and behavioral programs to manage aggressive patient behavior. For the purposes of this study, physically aggressive behavior was identified as threatened or actual aggressive patient contact which has taken place between a patient and a member of the nursing staff. This study explored the nursing staff's responses to patient physical aggression and the effects that physical aggression had on them and on nursing practice from the perspective of the nursing staff. Nursing staff employed on one Dementia Special Care Unit (DSCU) were invited to participate. Interviews with nursing staff were analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods described by Miles and Huberman (1994). Nursing staff reported that they were subjected to aggressive patient behaviors ranging from verbal threats to actual physical violence. Nursing staff reported that showering a resident was the activity of daily living most likely to provoke patient to staff physical aggression. The findings revealed geropsychiatric nursing practices for the management of physically aggressive residents, and offered recommendations for improving the safety of nursing staff and residents on a secured DSCU.

The ABCs of Math: A Genetic Analysis of Mathematics and Its Links With Reading Ability and General Cognitive Ability

PubMed Central

Hart, Sara A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Thompson, Lee A.; Plomin, Robert

2009-01-01

The goal of this first major report from the Western Reserve Reading Project Math component is to explore the etiology of the relationship among tester-administered measures of mathematics ability, reading ability, and general cognitive ability. Data are available on 314 pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins analyzed across 5 waves of assessment. Univariate analyses provide a range of estimates of genetic (h2 = .00 –.63) and shared (c2 = .15–.52) environmental influences across math calculation, fluency, and problem solving measures. Multivariate analyses indicate genetic overlap between math problem solving with general cognitive ability and reading decoding, whereas math fluency shares significant genetic overlap with reading fluency and general cognitive ability. Further, math fluency has unique genetic influences. In general, math ability has shared environmental overlap with general cognitive ability and decoding. These results indicate that aspects of math that include problem solving have different genetic and environmental influences than math calculation. Moreover, math fluency, a timed measure of calculation, is the only measured math ability with unique genetic influences. PMID:20157630

Assessment of the effects of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies and trace elements on cognitive performance in older adults.

PubMed

Alghadir, Ahmad H; Gabr, Sami A; Al-Eisa, Einas S

2015-01-01

Homeostatic imbalance of trace elements such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) demonstrated adverse effects on brain function among older adults. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of trace elements and the presence of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADAs) in human cognitive abilities among healthy older adults. A total of 100 healthy subjects (65 males, 35 females; age range; 64-96 years) were recruited for this study. Based on Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) score, the participants were classified according to cognitive performance into normal (n=45), moderate (n=30), and severe (n=25). Cognitive functioning, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), serum trace elements - Fe, Cu, Zn, Zn/Cu, and GADAs were assessed using LOTCA battery, pre-validated physical activity (PA) questionnaire, atomic absorption, and immunoassay techniques, respectively. Approximately 45% of the study population (n=45) had normal distribution of cognitive function and 55% of the study population (n=55) had abnormal cognitive function; they were classified into moderate (score 62-92) and severe (score 31-62). There was a significant reduction in the level of Zn and Zn/Cu ratio along with an increase in the level of Fe, Cu, and anti-GADAs in subjects of severe (P=0.01) and moderate (P=0.01) cognitive performance. LOTCA-cognitive scores correlated positively with sex, HbA(1c), Fe, Cu, Zn, and Zn/Cu ratio, and negatively with age, PA, body mass index, and anti-GADAs. Significant inter-correlation was reported between serum trace element concentrations and anti-GADAs which suggest producing a cognitive decline via oxidative and neural damage mechanism. This study found significant associations among trace elements, anti-GADAs, and cognitive function in older adults. The homeostatic balance of trace elements should be recommended among older adults for better cognitive performance.

Improving cognitive outcomes for pediatric stroke.

PubMed

Greenham, Mardee; Anderson, Vicki; Mackay, Mark T

2017-04-01

The past 20 years have seen a 35% increase in prevalence of pediatric stroke. Contrary to widely held views, children do not recover better than adults. This review explores the impact of pediatric stroke on cognitive domains, including intellectual and executive functions, memory and behavior, and the influence of age, lesion characteristics, and comorbidities on outcome. Cognitive problems occur in up to half of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke survivors. Single-center studies have shown intelligence quotient scores skewed to the lower end of the average range, with greater impairment in performance than verbal domains. Executive function, such as attention and processing speed are particularly vulnerable to the effects of pediatric stroke. Age at stroke, larger infarct size, cortical/subcortical lesion location, epilepsy, and comorbid physical deficits are associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. Cognitive impairment occurs relatively frequently following pediatric stroke but the nature, severity, and predictors of specific deficits are not well defined. Improving understanding of outcomes following pediatric stroke is a key priority for families but a paucity of data limits the ability to develop targeted disease, and age-specific pediatric rehabilitation strategies to optimize cognitive outcomes following pediatric stroke.

Joint Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Differential Ability Scales and the "Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities--Third Edition"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Sarah; McIntosh, David E.; Dunham, Mardis; Rothlisberg, Barbara A.; Finch, Holmes

2007-01-01

This study examined the underlying constructs measured by the "Differential Ability Scales" ("DAS"; C.D. Elliott, 1990a) as they relate to the "Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory" (K.S. McGrew, 1997) of cognitive abilities. The "DAS" and "Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities" ("WJ-III COG"; R.W.Woodcock, K.S. McGrew, & N. Mather, 2001)…

Associations of suicidality with cognitive ability and cognitive insight in outpatients with Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Villa, Jennifer; Choi, Jennifer; Kangas, Julie L; Kaufmann, Christopher N; Harvey, Philip D; Depp, Colin A

2018-02-01

Previous literature suggests that better cognitive ability and insight are associated with greater lifetime risk of suicide attempts in schizophrenia, counter to the direction of association in the general population. However, the conjoint association between distinct cognitive domains, insight, and suicidality has not been assessed. In a cross-sectional study, 162 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed cognitive testing via the MATRICS battery, symptom and cognitive insight assessments, along with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. We then contrasted participants based on history of suicidality by cognitive domains and insight measures and conducted multivariate analyses. Although a history of any passive ideation was not associated with cognitive ability or insight, verbal learning was positively associated with a greater history of suicidal attempt and prior ideation with a plan and intent. Higher cognitive insight, and the self-reflectiveness subscale insight, was also associated with history of passive or active suicidal ideation. Cognitive insight and cognitive ability were independent from each other, and there were no moderating influences of insight on the effect of cognitive ability on suicide related history. Exploratory analyses revealed that history of planned attempts were associated with greater verbal learning, whereas histories of aborted attempts were associated with poorer reasoning and problem-solving. Although cross-sectional and retrospective, this study provides support that greater cognitive ability, specifically verbal learning, along with self-reflectiveness, may confer elevated risk for more severe suicidal ideation and behavior in an independent fashion. Interestingly, poorer problem-solving was associated with aborted suicide attempts. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll Cognitive-Achievement Relations: What We Have Learned from the Past 20 Years of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrew, Kevin S.; Wendling, Barbara J.

2010-01-01

Contemporary Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities has evolved over the past 20 years and serves as the theoretical foundation for a number of current cognitive ability assessments. CHC theory provides a means by which we can better understand the relationships between cognitive abilities and academic achievement, an important…

Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age☆

PubMed Central

Valdés Hernández, Maria del C.; Booth, Tom; Murray, Catherine; Gow, Alan J.; Penke, Lars; Morris, Zoe; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Royle, Natalie A.; Aribisala, Benjamin S.; Bastin, Mark E.; Starr, John M.; Deary, Ian J.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.

2013-01-01

Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = −0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = −0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = −0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging. PMID:23850341

Longitudinal associations between physical and cognitive performance among community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Tolea, Magdalena I; Morris, John C; Galvin, James E

2015-01-01

To assess the directionality of the association between physical and cognitive decline in later life, we compared patterns of decline in performance across groups defined by baseline presence of cognitive and/or physical impairment [none (n = 217); physical only (n = 169); cognitive only (n = 158), or both (n = 220)] in a large sample of participants in a cognitive aging study at the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis who were followed for up to 8 years (3,079 observations). Rates of decline reached 20% for physical performance and varied across cognitive tests (global, memory, speed, executive function, and visuospatial skills). We found that physical decline was better predicted by baseline cognitive impairment (slope = -1.22, p<0.001), with baseline physical impairment not contributing to further decline in physical performance (slope = -0.25, p = 0.294). In turn, baseline physical impairment was only marginally associated with rate of cognitive decline across various cognitive domains. The cognitive-functional association is likely to operate in the direction of cognitive impairment to physical decline although physical impairment may also play a role in cognitive decline/dementia. Interventions to prevent further functional decline and development of disability and complete dependence may benefit if targeted to individuals with cognitive impairment who are at increased risk.

Correlates of health and financial literacy in older adults without dementia

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Recent research has begun to recognize the important influence of literacy levels and how they affect health and wellbeing, especially in older adults. Our study focuses on health and financial literacy, two domains of literacy which previous research has suggested may be significantly related to health and wellbeing. Our study examines the relation of health and financial literacy with health promoting behaviors and health status among community-based older persons. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a community-based cohort study of aging in northeastern Illinois. The study consisted of 556 older persons without dementia, each determined by a clinical evaluation. Health and financial literacy were measured using a series of questions designed to assess the ability to understand and process health and financial information, concepts, and numeracy; the two scores were averaged to yield a total literacy score. Health promoting behaviors, including engagement in cognitive, physical, and social activities, were assessed using self report measures. Indicators of heath status, including cognition (global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities), functional status (basic and instrumental activities of daily living, mobility disability), and mental health (depressive symptoms, loneliness) were assessed. Results In a series of regression models adjusted for age, sex, and education, higher total literacy scores were associated with more frequent participation in health promoting behaviors, including cognitive, physical and social activities (all p values <0.05). Higher total literacy scores were associated with higher cognitive function, less disability, and better mental health (all p values < 0.05). Literacy remained associated with health promoting behaviors and health status in fully adjusted models that also controlled for income and the number of chronic medical conditions. Most of the findings were similar for health and financial literacy except that health literacy was more strongly associated with health promoting behaviors whereas financial literacy was more strongly associated with mental health. Conclusions Health and financial literacy are associated with more frequent engagement in health promoting behaviors and better health status in older persons without dementia. PMID:22691341

Correlates of health and financial literacy in older adults without dementia.

PubMed

Bennett, Jarred S; Boyle, Patricia A; James, Bryan D; Bennett, David A

2012-06-12

Recent research has begun to recognize the important influence of literacy levels and how they affect health and wellbeing, especially in older adults. Our study focuses on health and financial literacy, two domains of literacy which previous research has suggested may be significantly related to health and wellbeing. Our study examines the relation of health and financial literacy with health promoting behaviors and health status among community-based older persons. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a community-based cohort study of aging in northeastern Illinois. The study consisted of 556 older persons without dementia, each determined by a clinical evaluation. Health and financial literacy were measured using a series of questions designed to assess the ability to understand and process health and financial information, concepts, and numeracy; the two scores were averaged to yield a total literacy score. Health promoting behaviors, including engagement in cognitive, physical, and social activities, were assessed using self report measures. Indicators of heath status, including cognition (global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities), functional status (basic and instrumental activities of daily living, mobility disability), and mental health (depressive symptoms, loneliness) were assessed. In a series of regression models adjusted for age, sex, and education, higher total literacy scores were associated with more frequent participation in health promoting behaviors, including cognitive, physical and social activities (all p values <0.05). Higher total literacy scores were associated with higher cognitive function, less disability, and better mental health (all p values < 0.05). Literacy remained associated with health promoting behaviors and health status in fully adjusted models that also controlled for income and the number of chronic medical conditions. Most of the findings were similar for health and financial literacy except that health literacy was more strongly associated with health promoting behaviors whereas financial literacy was more strongly associated with mental health. Health and financial literacy are associated with more frequent engagement in health promoting behaviors and better health status in older persons without dementia.

Dietary patterns and cognitive ability among 12- to 13 year-old adolescents in Selangor, Malaysia.

PubMed

Nurliyana, Abdul Razak; Mohd Nasir, Mohd Taib; Zalilah, Mohd Shariff; Rohani, Abdullah

2015-02-01

The present study aimed to identify dietary patterns and determine the relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive ability among 12- to 13 year-old Malay adolescents in the urban areas of Gombak district in Selangor, Malaysia. Data on sociodemographic background were obtained from parents. Height and weight were measured and BMI-for-age was determined. Adolescents were interviewed on their habitual dietary intakes using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Cognitive ability was assessed using the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability in a one-to-one manner. Dietary patterns were constructed using principal component analysis based on thirty-eight food groups of the semi-quantitative FFQ. Urban secondary public schools in the district of Gombak in Selangor, Malaysia. Malay adolescents aged 12 to 13 years (n 416). The mean general cognitive ability score was 101·8 (sd 12·4). Four major dietary patterns were identified and labelled as 'refined-grain pattern', 'snack-food pattern', 'plant-based food pattern' and 'high-energy food pattern'. These dietary patterns explained 39·1 % of the variance in the habitual dietary intakes of the adolescents. The refined-grain pattern was negatively associated with processing speed, which is a construct of general cognitive ability. The high-energy food pattern was negatively associated with general cognitive ability, perceptual reasoning and processing speed. Monthly household income and parents' educational attainment were positively associated with all of the cognitive measures. In multivariate analysis, only the high-energy food pattern was found to contribute significantly towards general cognitive ability after controlling for socio-economic status. Consumption of foods in the high-energy food pattern contributed towards general cognitive ability after controlling for socio-economic status. However, the contribution was small.

Cognitive ability and risk of post-traumatic stress disorder after military deployment: an observational cohort study

PubMed Central

Karstoft, Karen-Inge; Vedtofte, Mia S.; Nielsen, Anni B.S.; Osler, Merete; Mortensen, Erik L.; Christensen, Gunhild T.; Andersen, Søren B.

2017-01-01

Background Studies of the association between pre-deployment cognitive ability and post-deployment post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have shown mixed results. Aims To study the influence of pre-deployment cognitive ability on PTSD symptoms 6–8 months post-deployment in a large population while controlling for pre-deployment education and deployment-related variables. Method Study linking prospective pre-deployment conscription board data with post-deployment self-reported data in 9695 Danish Army personnel deployed to different war zones in 1997–2013. The association between pre-deployment cognitive ability and post-deployment PTSD was investigated using repeated-measure logistic regression models. Two models with cognitive ability score as the main exposure variable were created (model 1 and model 2). Model 1 was only adjusted for pre-deployment variables, while model 2 was adjusted for both pre-deployment and deployment-related variables. Results When including only variables recorded pre-deployment (cognitive ability score and educational level) and gender (model 1), all variables predicted post-deployment PTSD. When deployment-related variables were added (model 2), this was no longer the case for cognitive ability score. However, when educational level was removed from the model adjusted for deployment-related variables, the association between cognitive ability and post-deployment PTSD became significant. Conclusions Pre-deployment lower cognitive ability did not predict post-deployment PTSD independently of educational level after adjustment for deployment-related variables. Declaration of interest None. Copyright and usage © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license. PMID:29163983

Blood Glucose, Diet-Based Glycemic Load and Cognitive Aging Among Dementia-Free Older Adults

PubMed Central

Andel, Ross; McEvoy, Cathy; Dahl Aslan, Anna K.; Finkel, Deborah; Pedersen, Nancy L.

2015-01-01

Background. Although evidence indicates that Type II Diabetes is related to abnormal brain aging, the influence of elevated blood glucose on long-term cognitive change is unclear. In addition, the relationship between diet-based glycemic load and cognitive aging has not been extensively studied. The focus of this study was to investigate the influence of diet-based glycemic load and blood glucose on cognitive aging in older adults followed for up to 16 years. Methods. Eight-hundred and thirty-eight cognitively healthy adults aged ≥50 years (M = 63.1, SD = 8.3) from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging were studied. Mixed effects growth models were utilized to assess overall performance and change in general cognitive functioning, perceptual speed, memory, verbal ability, and spatial ability as a function of baseline blood glucose and diet-based glycemic load. Results. High blood glucose was related to poorer overall performance on perceptual speed as well as greater rates of decline in general cognitive ability, perceptual speed, verbal ability, and spatial ability. Diet-based glycemic load was related to poorer overall performance in perceptual speed and spatial ability. Conclusion. Diet-based glycemic load and, in particular, elevated blood glucose appear important for cognitive performance/cognitive aging. Blood glucose control (perhaps through low glycemic load diets) may be an important target in the detection and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. PMID:25149688

The moderating effects of aging and cognitive abilities on the association between work stress and negative affect.

PubMed

Hyun, Jinshil; Sliwinski, Martin J; Almeida, David M; Smyth, Joshua M; Scott, Stacey B

2018-05-01

Given that the association between work stress and negative affect can exacerbate negative health and workplace outcomes, it is important to identify the protective and risk factors that moderate this association. Socioemotional aging and cognitive abilities might influence how people utilize emotion regulation skills and engage in practical problem solving to manage their work stress. The aim of this study is to examine whether age and cognitive abilities independently and interactively moderate the association between work-related stress and negative affect. A diverse working adult sample (N = 139, age 25-65, 69% of females) completed a cross-sectional survey that assessed chronic work stress, negative affect, and fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities. Results from regression analyses suggested that both fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities, but not age, moderated the association between work stress and negative affect. Further, we found that crystallized cognition had a stronger attenuating effect on the work stress-negative affect association for older compared to younger workers. The moderating effect of fluid cognition was invariant across age. Our findings demonstrate that cognitive abilities are an important personal resource that might protect individuals against the negative impacts of work stress and negative affect. Although the role that fluid cognition plays in work stress-negative affect association is comparably important for both younger and older workers, crystallized cognition might play a more valuable role for older than younger workers.

Measurement of latent cognitive abilities involved in concept identification learning.

PubMed

Thomas, Michael L; Brown, Gregory G; Gur, Ruben C; Moore, Tyler M; Patt, Virginie M; Nock, Matthew K; Naifeh, James A; Heeringa, Steven; Ursano, Robert J; Stein, Murray B

2015-01-01

We used cognitive and psychometric modeling techniques to evaluate the construct validity and measurement precision of latent cognitive abilities measured by a test of concept identification learning: the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test (PCET). Item response theory parameters were embedded within classic associative- and hypothesis-based Markov learning models and were fitted to 35,553 Army soldiers' PCET data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Data were consistent with a hypothesis-testing model with multiple latent abilities-abstraction and set shifting. Latent abstraction ability was positively correlated with number of concepts learned, and latent set-shifting ability was negatively correlated with number of perseverative errors, supporting the construct validity of the two parameters. Abstraction was most precisely assessed for participants with abilities ranging from 1.5 standard deviations below the mean to the mean itself. Measurement of set shifting was acceptably precise only for participants making a high number of perseverative errors. The PCET precisely measures latent abstraction ability in the Army STARRS sample, especially within the range of mildly impaired to average ability. This precision pattern is ideal for a test developed to measure cognitive impairment as opposed to cognitive strength. The PCET also measures latent set-shifting ability, but reliable assessment is limited to the impaired range of ability, reflecting that perseverative errors are rare among cognitively healthy adults. Integrating cognitive and psychometric models can provide information about construct validity and measurement precision within a single analytical framework.

Clinically Meaningful Rehabilitation Outcomes of Low Vision Patients Served by Outpatient Clinical Centers.

PubMed

Goldstein, Judith E; Jackson, Mary Lou; Fox, Sandra M; Deremeik, James T; Massof, Robert W

2015-07-01

To facilitate comparative clinical outcome research in low vision rehabilitation, we must use patient-centered measurements that reflect clinically meaningful changes in visual ability. To quantify the effects of currently provided low vision rehabilitation (LVR) on patients who present for outpatient LVR services in the United States. Prospective, observational study of new patients seeking outpatient LVR services. From April 2008 through May 2011, 779 patients from 28 clinical centers in the United States were enrolled in the Low Vision Rehabilitation Outcomes Study. The Activity Inventory, a visual function questionnaire, was administered to measure overall visual ability and visual ability in 4 functional domains (reading, mobility, visual motor function, and visual information processing) at baseline and 6 to 9 months after usual LVR care. The Geriatric Depression Scale, Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical functioning questionnaires were also administered to measure patients' psychological, cognitive, and physical health states, respectively, and clinical findings of patients were provided by study centers. Mean changes in the study population and minimum clinically important differences in the individual in overall visual ability and in visual ability in 4 functional domains as measured by the Activity Inventory. Baseline and post-rehabilitation measures were obtained for 468 patients. Minimum clinically important differences (95% CIs) were observed in nearly half (47% [95% CI, 44%-50%]) of patients in overall visual ability. The prevalence rates of patients with minimum clinically important differences in visual ability in functional domains were reading (44% [95% CI, 42%-48%]), visual motor function (38% [95% CI, 36%-42%]), visual information processing (33% [95% CI, 31%-37%]), and mobility (27% [95% CI, 25%-31%]). The largest average effect size (Cohen d = 0.87) for the population was observed in overall visual ability. Age (P = .006) was an independent predictor of changes in overall visual ability, and logMAR visual acuity (P = .002) was predictive of changes in visual information processing. Forty-four to fifty percent of patients presenting for outpatient LVR show clinically meaningful differences in overall visual ability after LVR, and the average effect sizes in overall visual ability are large, close to 1 SD.

Cognitive Capitalism: Economic Freedom Moderates the Effects of Intellectual and Average Classes on Economic Productivity.

PubMed

Coyle, Thomas R; Rindermann, Heiner; Hancock, Dale

2016-10-01

Cognitive ability stimulates economic productivity. However, the effects of cognitive ability may be stronger in free and open economies, where competition rewards merit and achievement. To test this hypothesis, ability levels of intellectual classes (top 5%) and average classes (country averages) were estimated using international student assessments (Programme for International Student Assessment; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) (N = 99 countries). The ability levels were correlated with indicators of economic freedom (Fraser Institute), scientific achievement (patent rates), innovation (Global Innovation Index), competitiveness (Global Competitiveness Index), and wealth (gross domestic product). Ability levels of intellectual and average classes strongly predicted all economic criteria. In addition, economic freedom moderated the effects of cognitive ability (for both classes), with stronger effects at higher levels of freedom. Effects were particularly robust for scientific achievements when the full range of freedom was analyzed. The results support cognitive capitalism theory: cognitive ability stimulates economic productivity, and its effects are enhanced by economic freedom. © The Author(s) 2016.

Ergonomics and Beyond: Understanding How Chemical and Heat Exposures and Physical Exertions at Work Affect Functional Ability, Injury, and Long-Term Health.

PubMed

Ross, Jennifer A; Shipp, Eva M; Trueblood, Amber B; Bhattacharya, Amit

2016-08-01

To honor Tom Waters's work on emerging occupational health issues, we review the literature on physical along with chemical exposures and their impact on functional outcomes. Many occupations present the opportunity for exposure to multiple hazardous exposures, including both physical and chemical factors. However, little is known about how these different factors affect functional ability and injury. The goal of this review is to examine the relationships between these exposures, impairment of the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems, functional outcomes, and health problems with a focus on acute injury. Literature was identified using online databases, including PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Google Scholar. References from included articles were searched for additional relevant articles. This review documented the limited existing literature that discussed cognitive impairment and functional disorders via neurotoxicity for physical exposures (heat and repetitive loading) and chemical exposures (pesticides, volatile organic compounds [VOCs], and heavy metals). This review supports that workers are exposed to physical and chemical exposures that are associated with negative health effects, including functional impairment and injury. Innovation in exposure assessment with respect to quantifying the joint exposure to these different exposures is especially needed for developing risk assessment models and, ultimately, preventive measures. Along with physical exposures, chemical exposures need to be considered, alone and in combination, in assessing functional ability and occupationally related injuries. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Effect of complex aerobic physical exercise on PSD-95 in the hippocampus and on cognitive function in juvenile mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satriani, W. H.; Redjeki, S.; Kartinah, N. T.

2017-08-01

Increased neuroplasticity induced by complex aerobic physical exercise is associated with improved cognitive function in adult mice. Increased cognitive function is assumed to be based on increased synapse formation. One of the regions of the brain that is important in cognitive function is the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory formation. Post synaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is an adhesion protein of the post-synaptic density scaffolding that is essential to synaptic stabilization. As we age, the PSD-95 molecule matures the synapses needed for the formation of the basic circuitry of the nervous system in the brain. However, during the growth period, synapse elimination is higher than its formation. This study aims to determine whether complex aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function and PSD-95 levels in the hippocampus of juvenile mice during their growth stage. The mice performed complex aerobic exercise starting at five weeks of age and continuing for seven weeks with a gradual increase of 8 m/min. At eight weeks it was increased to 10 m/min. The exercise was done for five days of each week. The subjects of the study were tested for cognition one week before being sacrificed (at 12 weeks). The PSD-95 in the hippocampus was measured with ELISA. The results showed that there was a significant difference in cognitive function, where p < 0.05, between the group that was given complex aerobic exercise and a control group that did not. However, the PSD-95 levels did not differ significantly between the two groups. The results of this study indicate that early complex aerobic exercise can improve cognitive ability in adulthood but does not increase the levels of PSD-95 in adults.

Sleep Spindles and Intellectual Ability: Epiphenomenon or Directly Related?

PubMed

Fang, Zhuo; Sergeeva, Valya; Ray, Laura B; Viczko, Jeremy; Owen, Adrian M; Fogel, Stuart M

2017-01-01

Sleep spindles-short, phasic, oscillatory bursts of activity that characterize non-rapid eye movement sleep-are one of the only electrophysiological oscillations identified as a biological marker of human intelligence (e.g., cognitive abilities commonly assessed using intelligence quotient tests). However, spindles are also important for sleep maintenance and are modulated by circadian factors. Thus, the possibility remains that the relationship between spindles and intelligence quotient may be an epiphenomenon of a putative relationship between good quality sleep and cognitive ability or perhaps modulated by circadian factors such as morningness-eveningness tendencies. We sought to ascertain whether spindles are directly or indirectly related to cognitive abilities using mediation analysis. Here, we show that fast (13.5-16 Hz) parietal but not slow (11-13.5 Hz) frontal spindles in both non-rapid eye movement stage 2 sleep and slow wave sleep are directly related to reasoning abilities (i.e., cognitive abilities that support "fluid intelligence," such as the capacity to identify complex patterns and relationships and the use of logic to solve novel problems) but not verbal abilities (i.e., cognitive abilities that support "crystalized intelligence"; accumulated knowledge and experience) or cognitive abilities that support STM (i.e., the capacity to briefly maintain information in an available state). The relationship between fast spindles and reasoning abilities is independent of the indicators of sleep maintenance and circadian chronotype, thus suggesting that spindles are indeed a biological marker of cognitive abilities and can serve as a window to further explore the physiological and biological substrates that give rise to human intelligence.

Specificity of autonomic arousal to anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Chiu, Tabitha A; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Brian, Jessica; Chau, Tom; Kushki, Azadeh

2016-04-01

Anxiety is one of the most concerning comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to its high prevalence, negative impact on physical and psychological well-being, and interaction with core deficits of ASD. Current assessment and treatment of anxiety, which rely on the observation of behavior and self-reports, are often ineffective as ASD is associated with deficits in communication and diminished introspective ability. In this light, autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity has been suggested as a marker of physiological arousal associated with anxiety. However, physiological arousal measured by ANS indices also occurs with other cognitive and emotional processes, and it is unclear whether anxiety-related arousal can be differentiated from that related to other cognitive processes. To address this gap, we investigated the use of linear and nonlinear classification techniques for differentiating anxiety-related arousal from arousal due to three cognitive processes (attention, inhibitory control, and social cognition) and physical activity based on electrocardiography signal features. Our results indicate that over 80% classification accuracy can be achieved, suggesting that ANS response can be used as a specific marker of anxiety-related arousal in a subgroup of children with ASD who demonstrate an increase in heart rate in response to anxiogenic stimuli. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Test Review: C. D. Elliott "Differential Ability Scales-Second Edition." San Antonio, TX--Harcourt Assessment, 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Stephanie; McGoey, Kara E.; Moschos, Susan

2011-01-01

This article presents a review of the Differential Ability Scales-Second Edition (DAS-II), an individually administered cognitive test battery, designed to evaluate children ages 2 years 6 months to 17 years 11 months. It purports to measure a hierarchy of cognitive abilities, including broad abilities contributing to a single cognitive factor…

Motor-cognitive dual-task deficits in individuals with early-mid stage Huntington disease.

PubMed

Fritz, Nora E; Hamana, Katy; Kelson, Mark; Rosser, Anne; Busse, Monica; Quinn, Lori

2016-09-01

Huntington disease (HD) results in a range of cognitive and motor impairments that progress throughout the disease stages; however, little research has evaluated specific dual-task abilities in this population, and the degree to which they may be related to functional ability. The purpose of this study was to a) examine simple and complex motor-cognitive dual-task performance in individuals with HD, b) determine relationships between dual-task walking ability and disease-specific measures of motor, cognitive and functional ability, and c) examine the relationship of dual-task measures to falls in individuals with HD. Thirty-two individuals with HD were evaluated for simple and complex dual-task ability using the Walking While Talking Test. Demographics and disease-specific measures of motor, cognitive and functional ability were also obtained. Individuals with HD had impairments in simple and complex dual-task ability. Simple dual-task walking was correlated to disease-specific motor scores as well as cognitive performance, but complex dual-task walking was correlated with total functional capacity, as well as a range of cognitive measures. Number of prospective falls was moderately-strongly correlated to dual-task measures. Our results suggest that individuals with HD have impairments in cognitive-motor dual-task ability that are related to disease progression and specifically functional ability. Dual-task measures appear to evaluate a unique construct in individuals with early to mid-stage HD, and may have value in improving the prediction of falls risk in this population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Meta-Analysis of Cognitive Functioning in Breast Cancer Survivors Previously Treated With Standard-Dose Chemotherapy

PubMed Central

Jim, Heather S.L.; Phillips, Kristin M.; Chait, Sari; Anne Faul, Leigh; Popa, Mihaela A.; Lee, Yun-Hsiang; Hussin, Mallory G.; Jacobsen, Paul B.; Small, Brent J.

2012-01-01

Purpose Evidence is mixed regarding long-term cognitive deficits in patients treated with chemotherapy. Previous meta-analyses have not focused specifically on the postchemotherapy period and have not incorporated several recent studies. The goal of the current study was to conduct a meta-analysis of cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors who were treated with chemotherapy ≥ 6 months previously. Methods A search of PubMed, PsycInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Cochrane Library yielded 2,751 abstracts, which were independently evaluated by pairs of raters. Meta-analysis was conducted on 17 studies of 807 patients previously treated with standard-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer. Neuropsychological tests were categorized according to eight cognitive domains: attention, executive functioning, information processing, motor speed, verbal ability, verbal memory, visual memory, and visuospatial ability. Results Deficits in cognitive functioning were observed in patients treated with chemotherapy relative to controls or prechemotherapy baseline in the domains of verbal ability (g = −0.19; P < .01) and visuospatial ability (g = −0.27; P < .01). Patients treated with chemotherapy performed worse than noncancer controls in verbal ability and worse than patients treated without chemotherapy in visuospatial ability (both P < .01). Age, education, time since treatment, and endocrine therapy did not moderate observed cognitive deficits in verbal ability or visuospatial ability (all P ≥ .51). Conclusion Results indicate that, on average, observed cognitive deficits in patients with breast cancer previously treated with chemotherapy are small in magnitude and limited to the domains of verbal ability and visuospatial ability. This information can be used to inform interventions to educate patients with breast cancer regarding the long-term impact of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning. PMID:22927526

Cognitive capitalism: the effect of cognitive ability on wealth, as mediated through scientific achievement and economic freedom.

PubMed

Rindermann, Heiner; Thompson, James

2011-06-01

Traditional economic theories stress the relevance of political, institutional, geographic, and historical factors for economic growth. In contrast, human-capital theories suggest that peoples' competences, mediated by technological progress, are the deciding factor in a nation's wealth. Using three large-scale assessments, we calculated cognitive-competence sums for the mean and for upper- and lower-level groups for 90 countries and compared the influence of each group's intellectual ability on gross domestic product. In our cross-national analyses, we applied different statistical methods (path analyses, bootstrapping) and measures developed by different research groups to various country samples and historical periods. Our results underscore the decisive relevance of cognitive ability--particularly of an intellectual class with high cognitive ability and accomplishments in science, technology, engineering, and math--for national wealth. Furthermore, this group's cognitive ability predicts the quality of economic and political institutions, which further determines the economic affluence of the nation. Cognitive resources enable the evolution of capitalism and the rise of wealth.

You Are What You Eat? Meal Type, Socio-Economic Status and Cognitive Ability in Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Stumm, Sophie

2012-01-01

The current study tests if the type of children's daily main meal (slow versus fast food) mediates the association of socioeconomic status (SES) with cognitive ability and cognitive growth in childhood. A Scottish birth cohort (Growing Up in Scotland) was assessed at ages 3 (N = 4512) and 5 years (N = 3833) on cognitive ability (i.e. vocabulary…

Cognitive and Physical Fatigue Tasks Enhance Pain, Cognitive Fatigue and Physical Fatigue in People with Fibromyalgia

PubMed Central

Dailey, Dana L; Keffala, Valerie J; Sluka, Kathleen A

2014-01-01

Objective Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue. The primary objective of this study was to determine if pain, perceived cognitive fatigue, and perceived physical fatigue were enhanced in participants with fibromyalgia compared to healthy controls during a cognitive fatigue task, a physical fatigue task and a dual fatigue task. Methods Twenty four people with fibromyalgia and 33 healthy controls completed pain, fatigue and function measures. A cognitive fatigue task (Controlled Oral Word Association Test) and physical fatigue task (Valpar peg test) were done individually and combined for a dual fatigue task. Resting pain, perceived cognitive fatigue and perceived physical fatigue were assessed during each task using visual analogue scales. Function was assessed with shoulder range of motion and grip. Results People with fibromyalgia had significantly higher increases in pain, cognitive fatigue and physical fatigue when compared to healthy controls after completion of a cognitive fatigue task, a physical fatigue task, or a dual fatigue task (p<0.01). People with fibromyalgia performed equivalently on measures of physical performance and cognitive performance on the physical and cognitive fatigue tasks, respectively. Conclusions These data show that people with fibromyalgia show larger increases in pain, perceived cognitive fatigue and perceived physical fatigue to both cognitive and physical fatigue tasks compared to healthy controls. The increases in pain and fatigue during cognitive and physical fatigue tasks could influence subject participation in daily activities and rehabilitation. PMID:25074583

A comprehensive assessment of cognitive function in the common genetic generalized epilepsy syndromes.

PubMed

Loughman, A; Bowden, S C; D'Souza, W J

2017-03-01

Considered to be benign conditions, the common genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) syndromes are now known to be frequently accompanied by cognitive dysfunction. However, unresolved issues impede clinical management of this common comorbidity, including which cognitive abilities are most affected, whether there are differences between syndromes and how seizure type and mood symptoms affect cognitive dysfunction. We provide a detailed description of cognitive ability and evaluate factors contributing to cognitive dysfunction. A total of 76 adults with GGE were assessed with the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Scores on tests of overall cognitive ability, acquired knowledge, long-term retrieval and speed of information processing were significantly below the normative mean. Long-term retrieval was a pronounced weakness with a large reduction in scores (d = 0.84). GGE syndrome, seizure type and the presence of recent psychopathology symptoms were not significantly associated with cognitive function. This study confirms previous meta-analytic findings with a prospective study, offers new insights into the cognitive comorbidity of these common epilepsy syndromes and reinforces the need for cognitive interventions in people with GGE. © 2016 EAN.

Physical Impairment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trewin, Shari

Many health conditions can lead to physical impairments that impact computer and Web access. Musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and cumulative trauma disorders can make movement stiff and painful. Movement disorders such as tremor, Parkinsonism and dystonia affect the ability to control movement, or to prevent unwanted movements. Often, the same underlying health condition also has sensory or cognitive effects. People with dexterity impairments may use a standard keyboard and mouse, or any of a wide range of alternative input mechanisms. Examples are given of the diverse ways that specific dexterity impairments and input mechanisms affect the fundamental actions of Web browsing. As the Web becomes increasingly sophisticated, and physically demanding, new access features at the Web browser and page level will be necessary.

Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no

PubMed Central

Gow, Alan J.; Johnson, Wendy; Mishra, Gita; Richards, Marcus; Kuh, Diana; Deary, Ian J.

2012-01-01

Although a number of analyses have addressed whether initial cognitive ability level is associated with age-related cognitive decline, results have been inconsistent. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to two aging cohorts, extending previous analyses with a further wave of data collection, or as a more appropriate analytical methodology than used previously. In the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921, cognitive ability at age 11 was not associated with cognitive change from age 79 to 87, either in general cognitive ability, or in tests of reasoning, memory and executive function. However, data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development suggested that higher cognitive ability at age 15 predicted less decline between ages 43 and 53 years in a latent cognitive factor from tests of verbal memory and search speed, and in search speed when considered separately. The results are discussed in terms of the differences between the cohorts and the interpretability of the analytical approach. Suggestions are made about when initial ability might be cognitively protective, and study requirements to bring about a clearer resolution. PMID:23690652

Associations between Private Speech, Behavioral Self-Regulation, and Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aro, Tuija; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Laakso, Marja-Leena; Tolvanen, Asko; Ahonen, Timo

2015-01-01

We examined the associations between 5-year-old children's private speech, behavioural self-regulation, and cognitive abilities. Behavioural self-regulation was assessed using parental and preschool teacher questionnaires. Cognitive abilities (i.e., language, inhibition, planning and fluency, and memory) were assessed with neurocognitive tests,…

Relationships between balance and cognition in patients with subjective cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Tangen, Gro Gujord; Engedal, Knut; Bergland, Astrid; Moger, Tron Anders; Mengshoel, Anne Marit

2014-08-01

Balance impairments are common in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), but which aspects of balance are affected, at which stage of cognitive impairment, and their associations with cognitive domains remain unexplored. The aims of this study were: (1) to explore differences in balance abilities among patients with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild AD, and moderate AD and (2) to examine the relationship between the various aspects of balance and cognitive domains. This was a cross-sectional study. Home-dwelling patients with SCI or MCI (n=33), mild AD (n=99), and moderate AD (n=38) participated in this study. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), comprising 6 subscales-"Biomechanical Constraints," "Stability Limits/Verticality," "Anticipatory Postural Adjustments," "Postural Responses," "Sensory Orientation," and "Stability in Gait"-was used to assess balance. Cognitive domains were assessed using the following measures: Mini-Mental Status Examination, Word-List Learning Test from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD), Verbal Fluency Test, Clock Drawing Test, and Trail Making Test, parts A and B (TMT-A and TMT-B, respectively). Two-way between-group analyses of variance, adjusted for age, were used to analyze differences among the groups. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the associations between balance and cognition. Differences were found between the groups on all BESTest subscales; the moderate AD group had the worst scores. The TMT-B (measuring executive function) was associated with all of the BESTest subscales after controlling for demographic factors. The cross-sectional design hampered interpretation of the development of balance impairments. The study findings indicate that all aspects of balance control deteriorate with increasing severity of cognitive impairment and that executive function plays an important role in balance control. Physical therapists should pay attention to these findings both in clinical practice and in future research. © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association.

German National Proficiency Scales in Biology: Internal Structure, Relations to General Cognitive Abilities and Verbal Skills

PubMed Central

KÖLLER, OLAF

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT National and international large‐scale assessments (LSA) have a major impact on educational systems, which raises fundamental questions about the validity of the measures regarding their internal structure and their relations to relevant covariates. Given its importance, research on the validity of instruments specifically developed for LSA is still sparse, especially in science and its subdomains biology, chemistry, and physics. However, policy decisions for the improvement of educational quality based on LSA can only be helpful if valid information on students’ achievement levels is provided. In the present study, the nature of the measurement instruments based on the German Educational Standards in Biology is examined. On the basis of data from 3,165 students in Grade 10, we present dimensional analyses and report the relationship between different subdimensions of biology literacy and cognitive covariates such as general cognitive abilities and verbal skills. A theory‐driven two‐dimensional model fitted the data best. Content knowledge and scientific inquiry, two subdimensions of biology literacy, are highly correlated and show differential correlational patterns to the covariates. We argue that the underlying structure of biology should be incorporated into curricula, teacher training and future assessments. PMID:27818532

German National Proficiency Scales in Biology: Internal Structure, Relations to General Cognitive Abilities and Verbal Skills.

PubMed

Kampa, Nele; Köller, Olaf

2016-09-01

National and international large-scale assessments (LSA) have a major impact on educational systems, which raises fundamental questions about the validity of the measures regarding their internal structure and their relations to relevant covariates. Given its importance, research on the validity of instruments specifically developed for LSA is still sparse, especially in science and its subdomains biology, chemistry, and physics. However, policy decisions for the improvement of educational quality based on LSA can only be helpful if valid information on students' achievement levels is provided. In the present study, the nature of the measurement instruments based on the German Educational Standards in Biology is examined. On the basis of data from 3,165 students in Grade 10, we present dimensional analyses and report the relationship between different subdimensions of biology literacy and cognitive covariates such as general cognitive abilities and verbal skills. A theory-driven two-dimensional model fitted the data best. Content knowledge and scientific inquiry, two subdimensions of biology literacy, are highly correlated and show differential correlational patterns to the covariates. We argue that the underlying structure of biology should be incorporated into curricula, teacher training and future assessments.

Analysis of Mathematics Critical Thinking Students in Junior High School Based on Cognitive Style

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agoestanto, A.; Sukestiyarno, YL; Rochmad

2017-04-01

The purpose of this research was to determine the critical thinking ability of mathematics from junior high school students based on FI and FD cognitive style. Data of this research were taken from students grade VIII at SMPN 2 Ambarawa. The research method used a descriptive qualitative approach. Data was taken with a testing method; the critical thinking was measured with WGCTA which is modified with mathematical problems, the cognitive style was measured with GEFT. The student’s test result was analysed, then four students were selected, the two of them are FI cognitive style, and the others are FD cognitive style, for qualitative analysis. The result showed that the ability of mathematics critical thinking students with FI cognitive style is better than FD cognitive style on the ability of inference, assumption, deduction, and interpretation. While on the aspect of argument evaluation, mathematics critical thinking ability of students with FD cognitive style is a little better than students with FI cognitive style.

Genetic variants associated with altered plasma levels of C-reactive protein are not associated with late-life cognitive ability in four Scottish samples.

PubMed

Marioni, Riccardo E; Deary, Ian J; Murray, Gordon D; Lowe, Gordon D O; Rafnsson, Snorri B; Strachan, Mark W J; Luciano, Michelle; Houlihan, Lorna M; Gow, Alan J; Harris, Sarah E; Stewart, Marlene C; Rumley, Ann; Fowkes, F Gerry R; Price, Jackie F

2010-01-01

It is unknown whether the relationship between raised inflammatory biomarker levels and late-life cognitive ability is causal. We explored this issue by testing the association between genetic regulators of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and cognition. Data were analysed from four cohorts based in central Scotland (Total N = 4,782). Associations were tested between variants in the CRP gene and both plasma CRP levels and a battery of neuropsychological tests, including a vocabulary-based estimate of peak prior cognitive ability and a general (summary) cognitive factor score, or 'g'. CRP levels were associated with a number of variants in the CRP gene (SNPs), including rs1205, rs1130864, rs1800947, and rs1417938 (P range 4.2e-06 to 0.041). Higher CRP levels were also associated with vocabulary-adjusted cognitive ability, used here to estimate lifetime cognitive change (P range 1.7e-04 to 0.038). After correction for multiple testing and adjustment for age and sex, no statistically significant associations were found between the SNPs and cognition. CRP is unlikely to be a causal determinant of late-life cognitive ability.

Cognitive world: Neuropsychology of individual differences.

PubMed

Ardila, Alfredo; Rosselli, Monica

2018-01-01

It is proposed that depending upon the specific pattern of cognitive abilities, each individual lives in an idiosyncratic "cognitive world." Brain pathology can be associated with some disturbed abilities, and frequently experiential changes (i.e., how the world is understood) are observed. Because these patients often are aware of their intellectual changes, they may represent excellent models to illustrate the diversity of cognitive interpretations an individual can have about the surrounding environmental conditions. Four neuropsychology cases are presented to illustrate this point: (a) prosopagnosia associated with spatial agnosia; (b) Gerstmann's syndrome; (c) dysexecutive syndrome due to a head injury; and, (d) patient with Capgras' syndrome associated with a left temporal cyst. It is further emphasized that non-brain damaged people present an enormous-but usually overlooked-dispersion in different cognitive domains, resulting in specific and idiosyncratic patterns of cognitive abilities. It is concluded that the concept of "cognitive world" in neuropsychology can parallel the concept of "perceptual world" introduced by von Uexküll in biology, which assumes that different animal species live in idiosyncratic perceptual worlds, available and knowable by the differences in their sensory system abilities. That is, different individuals live in idiosyncratic cognitive worlds, owing to their differences in cognitive abilities.

Auditory emotion recognition impairments in Schizophrenia: Relationship to acoustic features and cognition

PubMed Central

Gold, Rinat; Butler, Pamela; Revheim, Nadine; Leitman, David; Hansen, John A.; Gur, Ruben; Kantrowitz, Joshua T.; Laukka, Petri; Juslin, Patrik N.; Silipo, Gail S.; Javitt, Daniel C.

2013-01-01

Objective Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in ability to perceive emotion based upon tone of voice. The basis for this deficit, however, remains unclear and assessment batteries remain limited. We evaluated performance in schizophrenia on a novel voice emotion recognition battery with well characterized physical features, relative to impairments in more general emotional and cognitive function. Methods We studied in a primary sample of 92 patients relative to 73 controls. Stimuli were characterized according to both intended emotion and physical features (e.g., pitch, intensity) that contributed to the emotional percept. Parallel measures of visual emotion recognition, pitch perception, general cognition, and overall outcome were obtained. More limited measures were obtained in an independent replication sample of 36 patients, 31 age-matched controls, and 188 general comparison subjects. Results Patients showed significant, large effect size deficits in voice emotion recognition (F=25.4, p<.00001, d=1.1), and were preferentially impaired in recognition of emotion based upon pitch-, but not intensity-features (group X feature interaction: F=7.79, p=.006). Emotion recognition deficits were significantly correlated with pitch perception impairments both across (r=56, p<.0001) and within (r=.47, p<.0001) group. Path analysis showed both sensory-specific and general cognitive contributions to auditory emotion recognition deficits in schizophrenia. Similar patterns of results were observed in the replication sample. Conclusions The present study demonstrates impairments in auditory emotion recognition in schizophrenia relative to acoustic features of underlying stimuli. Furthermore, it provides tools and highlights the need for greater attention to physical features of stimuli used for study of social cognition in neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:22362394

Mental and physical activities delay cognitive decline in older persons with dementia.

PubMed

Cheng, Sheung-Tak; Chow, Pizza K; Song, You-Qiang; Yu, Edwin C S; Chan, Alfred C M; Lee, Tatia M C; Lam, John H M

2014-01-01

To examine the effects of cognitive stimulation (mahjong) and physical exercise (tai chi [TC]) on cognitive performance in persons with dementia. Cluster-randomized open-label controlled design. Nursing homes. One hundred ten residents, most of whom were cholinesterase-inhibitor naive. Inclusion criteria were Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) = 10-24 and suffering from at least very mild dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating ≥ 0.5). Exclusion criteria were being bedbound, audio/visual impairment, regular activity participation before study, or contraindications for physical or group activities. Homes were randomized into three conditions (mahjong, TC, and simple handicrafts [control]). Activities were conducted three times weekly for 12 weeks. Primary outcome was MMSE. Secondary outcomes were immediate/delayed recall, categorical fluency, and digit span. Various biological risk factors, including apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, were included as covariates. Measures were collected at 0 (baseline), 3 (posttreatment), 6, and 9 months. Intent-to-treat analyses were performed using mixed-effects regression. Mahjong's effect varied by time for MMSE, delayed recall, and forward digit span. TC had similar effects but not for delayed recall. The typical pattern was that control participants deteriorated while mahjong and TC participants maintained their abilities over time, leading to enlarged treatment effects as time progressed. By 9 months, mahjong and TC differed from control by 4.5 points (95% confidence interval: 2.0-6.9; d = 0.48) and 3.7 points (95% confidence interval: 1.4-6.0; d = 0.40), respectively, on MMSE. No treatment effects were observed for immediate recall and backward digit span. Mahjong and TC can preserve functioning or delay decline in certain cognitive domains, even in those with significant cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecological validity of virtual reality daily living activities screening for early dementia: longitudinal study.

PubMed

Tarnanas, Ioannis; Schlee, Winfried; Tsolaki, Magda; Müri, René; Mosimann, Urs; Nef, Tobias

2013-08-06

Dementia is a multifaceted disorder that impairs cognitive functions, such as memory, language, and executive functions necessary to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks required for goal-directed behaviors. In most cases, individuals with dementia experience difficulties interacting with physical and social environments. The purpose of this study was to establish ecological validity and initial construct validity of a fire evacuation Virtual Reality Day-Out Task (VR-DOT) environment based on performance profiles as a screening tool for early dementia. The objectives were (1) to examine the relationships among the performances of 3 groups of participants in the VR-DOT and traditional neuropsychological tests employed to assess executive functions, and (2) to compare the performance of participants with mild Alzheimer's-type dementia (AD) to those with amnestic single-domain mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls in the VR-DOT and traditional neuropsychological tests used to assess executive functions. We hypothesized that the 2 cognitively impaired groups would have distinct performance profiles and show significantly impaired independent functioning in ADL compared to the healthy controls. The study population included 3 groups: 72 healthy control elderly participants, 65 amnestic MCI participants, and 68 mild AD participants. A natural user interface framework based on a fire evacuation VR-DOT environment was used for assessing physical and cognitive abilities of seniors over 3 years. VR-DOT focuses on the subtle errors and patterns in performing everyday activities and has the advantage of not depending on a subjective rating of an individual person. We further assessed functional capacity by both neuropsychological tests (including measures of attention, memory, working memory, executive functions, language, and depression). We also evaluated performance in finger tapping, grip strength, stride length, gait speed, and chair stands separately and while performing VR-DOTs in order to correlate performance in these measures with VR-DOTs because performance while navigating a virtual environment is a valid and reliable indicator of cognitive decline in elderly persons. The mild AD group was more impaired than the amnestic MCI group, and both were more impaired than healthy controls. The novel VR-DOT functional index correlated strongly with standard cognitive and functional measurements, such as mini-mental state examination (MMSE; rho=0.26, P=.01) and Bristol Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale scores (rho=0.32, P=.001). Functional impairment is a defining characteristic of predementia and is partly dependent on the degree of cognitive impairment. The novel virtual reality measures of functional ability seem more sensitive to functional impairment than qualitative measures in predementia, thus accurately differentiating from healthy controls. We conclude that VR-DOT is an effective tool for discriminating predementia and mild AD from controls by detecting differences in terms of errors, omissions, and perseverations while measuring ADL functional ability.

Special Education: Estimates of Handicapped Indian Preschoolers and Sufficiency of Services

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-05

special education services needed to improve educational performance or ability to learn or both. Federal regulations require that all recommended ser...for Indian Chidren SPeciall Bdimeatrn: fedwates of Hanfiisp~ed hidim Preedwmehm and hffl~demey Fog 5: AgencJes Swvig Handica p Indian Preschooer 7n...articulation and voice impairments. Developmental delays are deficiencies in one or more of the following areas: cognitive development, physical

Cognitive benefits of computer games for older adults.

PubMed

Zelinski, Elizabeth M; Reyes, Ricardo

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a basis for the hypothesis that digital action games may produce cognitive benefits for older adults. First, a discussion of the relationship between cognitive and physical health shows the increasing weight given to the role of declines in cognition in the development of dependency in older adult population studies. Second, evidence that cognitive training produces 'far transfer' in elders is presented. The key issue is that one approach, known as extended practice training, has been successful in producing far transfer to memory and other processes. Its principles, which are consistent with those associated with positive brain plasticity effects, are identified. Those principles are then related to the mechanics of digital action games, which also have the important added feature of producing the experiences of presence, engagement, and flow, the subjective elements of game play that are likely to sustain interest and emotional investment in the skills practiced so that the play produces cognitive benefits. The specific cognitive abilities proposed to be improved by different types of game genres are outlined, and recent developments in game and interface design that may affect the willingness of older adults to play are described.

Cognitive benefits of computer games for older adults

PubMed Central

Zelinski, Elizabeth M.; Reyes, Ricardo

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a basis for the hypothesis that digital action games may produce cognitive benefits for older adults. First, a discussion of the relationship between cognitive and physical health shows the increasing weight given to the role of declines in cognition in the development of dependency in older adult population studies. Second, evidence that cognitive training produces ‘far transfer’ in elders is presented. The key issue is that one approach, known as extended practice training, has been successful in producing far transfer to memory and other processes. Its principles, which are consistent with those associated with positive brain plasticity effects, are identified. Those principles are then related to the mechanics of digital action games, which also have the important added feature of producing the experiences of presence, engagement, and flow, the subjective elements of game play that are likely to sustain interest and emotional investment in the skills practiced so that the play produces cognitive benefits. The specific cognitive abilities proposed to be improved by different types of game genres are outlined, and recent developments in game and interface design that may affect the willingness of older adults to play are described. PMID:25126043

Rumination and Cognitive Distraction in Major Depressive Disorder: An Examination of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia

PubMed Central

LeMoult, Joelle; Yoon, K. Lira; Joormann, Jutta

2015-01-01

Difficulty regulating emotions following stressful events is a hallmark of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Although individuals’ ability to regulate their emotions is believed to have direct consequences for both emotional and physical wellbeing, few studies have examined the cardiovascular effects of different emotion regulation strategies in MDD. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to examine the effects of two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive distraction and rumination, on both self-reported sadness and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in individuals with MDD and healthy controls (CTLs). Following a forced-failure stressor, participants were randomly assigned to a rumination or cognitive distraction condition. As expected, rumination increased sadness and triggered RSA withdrawal for both MDDs and CTLs. Interestingly, although cognitive distraction reduced sadness, it also triggered RSA withdrawal. Moreover, cognitive distraction was associated with greater RSA withdrawal for MDDs than CTLs. Thus, although depressed individuals are able to use cognitive distraction to emotionally recover from stress, it may be associated with greater cognitive effort. Adding low-cost physiological measures such as RSA into assessments has the potential to offer new and important information about the effects of emotion regulation on mental and physiological health. PMID:27199505

Mapping cognitive structures of community college students engaged in basic electrostatics laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haggerty, Dennis Charles

Community college students need to be abstract thinkers in order to be successful in the introductory Physics curriculum. The purpose of this dissertation is to map the abstract thinking of community college Physics students. The laboratory environment was used as a vehicle for the mapping. Three laboratory experiments were encountered. One laboratory was based on the classic Piagetian task, the centripetal motion (CM) problem. The other two laboratories were introductory electrostatic Physics experiments, Resistance (RES) and Capacitance (CAP). The students performed all laboratories using the thinking-aloud technique. The researcher collected their verbal protocols using audiotapes. The audiotaped data was quantified by comparing it to a scoring matrix based on the Piagetian logical operators (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958) for abstract thinking. The students received scores for each laboratory experiment. These scores were compared to a reliable test of intellectual functioning, the Shipley Institute of Living Scale (SILS). Spearman rank correlation coefficients (SRCC) were obtained for SILS versus CM; SILS versus RES; and SILS versus CAP. Statistically significant results were obtained for SILS versus CM and SILS versus RES at the p < 0.05 level. When an outlier to the data was considered and suppressed, the SILS versus CAP was also statistically significant at the p < 0.05 level. The scoring matrix permits a bridge from the qualitative Piagetian level of cognitive development to a quantified, mapped level of cognitive development. The ability to quantify student abstract thinking in Physics education provides a means to adjust an instructional approach. This approach could lead to a proper state of Physics education.

Cognitive Ability, Learning Approaches and Personality Correlates of General Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Swami, Viren; Arteche, Adriane; Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas

2008-01-01

The relationship between general knowledge (GK) and cognitive ability (IQ and abstract reasoning), learning approaches, and personality ("big five" traits and typical intellectual engagement) was investigated in a sample of 101 British undergraduates. As predicted, GK was positively correlated with cognitive ability (more so with IQ than…

Does Test Anxiety Induce Measurement Bias in Cognitive Ability Tests?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Charlie L.; Bonaccio, Silvia

2008-01-01

Although test anxiety is typically negatively related to performance on cognitive ability tests, little research has systematically investigated whether differences in test anxiety result in measurement bias on cognitive ability tests. The current paper uses a structural equation modeling technique to explicitly test for measurement bias due to…

An Analysis of Content Knowledge and Cognitive Abilities as Factors That Are Associated with Algebra Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Tamika Ann

2017-01-01

The current study investigated college students' content knowledge and cognitive abilities as factors associated with their algebra performance, and examined how combinations of content knowledge and cognitive abilities related to their algebra performance. Specifically, the investigation examined the content knowledge factors of computational…

Children's and Adolescents' Thoughts on Pollution: Cognitive Abilities Required to Understand Environmental Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez, Manuel; Kohen, Raquel; Delval, Juan

2015-01-01

Pollution phenomena are complex systems in which different parts are integrated by means of causal and temporal relationships. To understand pollution, children must develop some cognitive abilities related to system thinking and temporal and causal inferential reasoning. These cognitive abilities constrain and guide how children understand…

Effects of General and Broad Cognitive Abilities on Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taub, Gordon E.; Keith, Timothy Z.; Floyd, Randy G.; Mcgrew, Kevin S.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the direct and indirect effects of general intelligence and 7 broad cognitive abilities on mathematics achievement. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the simultaneous effects of both general and broad cognitive abilities on students' mathematics achievement. A hierarchical model of intelligence derived…

Cognitive Performance across the Life Course of Bolivian Forager-Farmers with Limited Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurven, Michael; Fuerstenberg, Eric; Trumble, Benjamin; Stieglitz, Jonathan; Beheim, Bret; Davis, Helen; Kaplan, Hillard

2017-01-01

Cognitive performance is characterized by at least two distinct life course trajectories. Many cognitive abilities (e.g., "effortful processing" abilities, including fluid reasoning and processing speed) improve throughout early adolescence and start declining in early adulthood, whereas other abilities (e.g., "crystallized"…

Is there a link between cognitive abilities and environmental awareness? Cross-national evidence.

PubMed

Salahodjaev, Raufhon

2018-06-05

This article explores the effect of cognitive abilities on environmental awareness using data from 119 countries for the period 2005-2015. Our findings provide pioneering confirmation that a facet of human psychology, namely cognitive ability, is positively associated with environmentalism. The empirical estimations indicate that when cognitive abilities increase by one standard deviation, climate change awareness increases by approximately 19% (slightly less than one standard deviation). This positive association remains intact when we control for other determinants of environmentalism. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic and Environmental Links Between Natural Language Use and Cognitive Ability in Toddlers.

PubMed

Canfield, Caitlin F; Edelson, Lisa R; Saudino, Kimberly J

2017-03-01

Although the phenotypic correlation between language and nonverbal cognitive ability is well-documented, studies examining the etiology of the covariance between these abilities are scant, particularly in very young children. The goal of this study was to address this gap in the literature by examining the genetic and environmental links between language use, assessed through conversational language samples, and nonverbal cognition in a sample of 3-year-old twins (N = 281 pairs). Significant genetic and nonshared environmental influences were found for nonverbal cognitive ability and language measures, including mean length of utterance and number of different words, as well as significant genetic covariance between cognitive ability and both language measures. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Graphic Abilities in Relation to Mathematical and Scientific Ability in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stavridou, Fotini; Kakana, Domna

2008-01-01

Background: The study investigated a small range of cognitive abilities, related to visual-spatial intelligence, in adolescents. This specific range of cognitive abilities was termed "graphic abilities" and defined as a range of abilities to visualise and think in three dimensions, originating in the domain of visual-spatial…

Predicting functional ability in mild cognitive impairment with the Dementia Rating Scale-2.

PubMed

Greenaway, Melanie C; Duncan, Noah L; Hanna, Sherrie; Smith, Glenn E

2012-06-01

We examined the utility of cognitive evaluation to predict instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and decisional ability in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Sixty-seven individuals with single-domain amnestic MCI were administered the Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2) as well as the Everyday Cognition assessment form to assess functional ability. The DRS-2 Total Scores and Initiation/Perseveration and Memory subscales were found to be predictive of IADLs, with Total Scores accounting for 19% of the variance in IADL performance on average. In addition, the DRS-2 Initiation/Perseveration and Total Scores were predictive of ability to understand information, and the DRS-2 Conceptualization helped predict ability to communicate with others, both key variables in decision-making ability. These findings suggest that performance on the DRS-2, and specific subscales related to executive function and memory, is significantly related to IADLs in individuals with MCI. These cognitive measures are also associated with decision-making-related abilities in MCI.

An arms race between producers and scroungers can drive the evolution of social cognition

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The “social intelligence hypothesis” states that the need to cope with complexities of social life has driven the evolution of advanced cognitive abilities. It is usually invoked in the context of challenges arising from complex intragroup structures, hierarchies, and alliances. However, a fundamental aspect of group living remains largely unexplored as a driving force in cognitive evolution: the competition between individuals searching for resources (producers) and conspecifics that parasitize their findings (scroungers). In populations of social foragers, abilities that enable scroungers to steal by outsmarting producers, and those allowing producers to prevent theft by outsmarting scroungers, are likely to be beneficial and may fuel a cognitive arms race. Using analytical theory and agent-based simulations, we present a general model for such a race that is driven by the producer–scrounger game and show that the race’s plausibility is dramatically affected by the nature of the evolving abilities. If scrounging and scrounging avoidance rely on separate, strategy-specific cognitive abilities, arms races are short-lived and have a limited effect on cognition. However, general cognitive abilities that facilitate both scrounging and scrounging avoidance undergo stable, long-lasting arms races. Thus, ubiquitous foraging interactions may lead to the evolution of general cognitive abilities in social animals, without the requirement of complex intragroup structures. PMID:24822021

Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age.

PubMed

Valdés Hernández, Maria Del C; Booth, Tom; Murray, Catherine; Gow, Alan J; Penke, Lars; Morris, Zoe; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Royle, Natalie A; Aribisala, Benjamin S; Bastin, Mark E; Starr, John M; Deary, Ian J; Wardlaw, Joanna M

2013-12-01

Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = -0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = -0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = -0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The need for monitoring metabolic status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanderveen, John E.

2005-05-01

Modern military operations utilize complex technologies that require high levels of readiness and sustained cognitive and physical performance of combat military combat personnel. These military operations often depend on weapon systems that use advanced computer technology coupled with an array of sensors that provide continuous information on the battlefield environment and on equipment function. However there is a lack of real-time information on status of the personnel who control these systems and who are vital to mission success. Failure of the human element renders the weapon system useless so it is important to know if an individual is physically and cognitively fit to perform his or her task. Based on the premise that status of metabolic processes provide an early indication of a change in an individuals physiological status, monitoring of selective biomarkers of metabolism and organ function can provide insight on the individual"s ability to perform mission tasks. During combat individuals may not be aware that they have reached a compromised physiological condition due to dehydration, physical exertion, stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation, exposure to toxins or other condition that may affect physical and cognitive performance and health. Systems that can provide the individual or his or her commander with information about significant changes in one or more metabolic functions could permit timely intervention to correct the condition. In the event that serious injury has already occurred to an individual, metabolic monitoring can provide valuable intelligence needed for decisions on achieving mission objectives.

Predictive factors of hospital stay, mortality and functional recovery after surgery for hip fracture in elderly patients.

PubMed

Pareja Sierra, T; Bartolomé Martín, I; Rodríguez Solís, J; Bárcena Goitiandia, L; Torralba González de Suso, M; Morales Sanz, M D; Hornillos Calvo, M

Due to its high prevalence and serious consequences it is very important to be well aware of factors that might be related to medical complications, mortality, hospital stay and functional recovery in elderly patients with hip fracture. A prospective study of a group of 130 patients aged over 75 years admitted for osteoporotic hip fracture. Their medical records, physical and cognitive status prior to the fall, fracture type and surgical treatment, medical complications and functional and social evolution after hospitalization were evaluated. Patients with greater physical disability, more severe cognitive impairment and those who lived in a nursing home before the fracture had worse functional recovery after surgery. Treatment with intravenous iron to reduce transfusions reduced hospital stay and improved walking ability. Infections and heart failure were the most frequent medical complications and were related to a longer hospital stay. The prescription of nutritional supplements for the patients with real indication improved their physical recovery after the hip fracture CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of physical, cognitive and social status prior to hip fracture should be the basis of an individual treatment plan because of its great prognostic value. Multidisciplinary teams with continuous monitoring of medical problems should prevent and treat complications as soon as possible. Intravenous iron and specific nutritional supplements can improve functional recovery six months after hip fracture. Copyright © 2017 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

When physics is not "just physics": complexity science invites new measurement frames for exploring the physics of cognitive and biological development.

PubMed

Kelty-Stephen, Damian; Dixon, James A

2012-01-01

The neurobiological sciences have struggled to resolve the physical foundations for biological and cognitive phenomena with a suspicion that biological and cognitive systems, capable of exhibiting and contributing to structure within themselves and through their contexts, are fundamentally distinct or autonomous from purely physical systems. Complexity science offers new physics-based approaches to explaining biological and cognitive phenomena. In response to controversy over whether complexity science might seek to "explain away" biology and cognition as "just physics," we propose that complexity science serves as an application of recent advances in physics to phenomena in biology and cognition without reducing or undermining the integrity of the phenomena to be explained. We highlight that physics is, like the neurobiological sciences, an evolving field and that the threat of reduction is overstated. We propose that distinctions between biological and cognitive systems from physical systems are pretheoretical and thus optional. We review our own work applying insights from post-classical physics regarding turbulence and fractal fluctuations to the problems of developing cognitive structure. Far from hoping to reduce biology and cognition to "nothing but" physics, we present our view that complexity science offers new explanatory frameworks for considering physical foundations of biological and cognitive phenomena.

Estimating Premorbid Cognitive Abilities in Low-Educated Populations

PubMed Central

Apolinario, Daniel; Brucki, Sonia Maria Dozzi; Ferretti, Renata Eloah de Lucena; Farfel, José Marcelo; Magaldi, Regina Miksian; Busse, Alexandre Leopold; Jacob-Filho, Wilson

2013-01-01

Objective To develop an informant-based instrument that would provide a valid estimate of premorbid cognitive abilities in low-educated populations. Methods A questionnaire was drafted by focusing on the premorbid period with a 10-year time frame. The initial pool of items was submitted to classical test theory and a factorial analysis. The resulting instrument, named the Premorbid Cognitive Abilities Scale (PCAS), is composed of questions addressing educational attainment, major lifetime occupation, reading abilities, reading habits, writing abilities, calculation abilities, use of widely available technology, and the ability to search for specific information. The validation sample was composed of 132 older Brazilian adults from the following three demographically matched groups: normal cognitive aging (n = 72), mild cognitive impairment (n = 33), and mild dementia (n = 27). The scores of a reading test and a neuropsychological battery were adopted as construct criteria. Post-mortem inter-informant reliability was tested in a sub-study with two relatives from each deceased individual. Results All items presented good discriminative power, with corrected item-total correlation varying from 0.35 to 0.74. The summed score of the instrument presented high correlation coefficients with global cognitive function (r = 0.73) and reading skills (r = 0.82). Cronbach's alpha was 0.90, showing optimal internal consistency without redundancy. The scores did not decrease across the progressive levels of cognitive impairment, suggesting that the goal of evaluating the premorbid state was achieved. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.96, indicating excellent inter-informant reliability. Conclusion The instrument developed in this study has shown good properties and can be used as a valid estimate of premorbid cognitive abilities in low-educated populations. The applicability of the PCAS, both as an estimate of premorbid intelligence and cognitive reserve, is discussed. PMID:23555894

The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Ross K.; Bates, Simon P.; Parker, Jonathan; Usoskina, Evguenia

2013-01-01

Inspired by a paper at last year's PERC conference, in which Rebello [1] compared students' individual and cohort mean score estimations with their actual assessment scores, we present results of a study in which students in an introductory physics class were asked to predict their scores on two assessments, one delivered at the start of the course (pre-instruction) and one at the end of the course (post-instruction). Our results show that, pre-instruction, the academically strongest students tend to underestimate their score slightly, whereas the weakest overestimate their performance significantly, consistent with the findings of Rebello and demonstrating a well-known cognitive bias (the Dunning-Kruger effect). Post-instruction, we find that the ability of the original weakest quartile cohort to accurately predict their own assessment score has improved significantly, but a flux of students between quartiles from one assessment to the other reveals that the least able students continue to over-estimate their performance, but with a reduced mean discrepancy. We discuss the implications these results have for instruction and for development of enhanced metacognition amongst physics students.

Aerobic Activity in the Healthy Elderly Is Associated with Larger Plasticity in Memory Related Brain Structures and Lower Systemic Inflammation

PubMed Central

Thielen, Jan-Willem; Kärgel, Christian; Müller, Bernhard W.; Rasche, Ina; Genius, Just; Bus, Boudewijn; Maderwald, Stefan; Norris, David G.; Wiltfang, Jens; Tendolkar, Indira

2016-01-01

Cognitive abilities decline over the time course of our life, a process, which may be mediated by brain atrophy and enhanced inflammatory processes. Lifestyle factors, such as regular physical activities have been shown to counteract those noxious processes and are assumed to delay or possibly even prevent pathological states, such as dementing disorders. Whereas the impact of lifestyle and immunological factors and their interactions on cognitive aging have been frequently studied, their effects on neural parameters as brain activation and functional connectivity are less well studied. Therefore, we investigated 32 healthy elderly individuals (60.4 ± 5.0 SD; range 52–71 years) with low or high level of self-reported aerobic physical activity at the time of testing. A higher compared to a lower level in aerobic physical activity was associated with an increased encoding related functional connectivity in an episodic memory network comprising mPFC, thalamus, hippocampus precuneus, and insula. Moreover, encoding related functional connectivity of this network was associated with decreased systemic inflammation, as measured by systemic levels of interleukin 6. PMID:28082894

Early Detection of Cognitive-Linguistic Change Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Valarie B.

2014-01-01

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may present with subtle declines in linguistic ability that go undetected by tasks not challenging enough to tax a relatively intact cognitive-linguistic system. This study was designed to replicate and extend a previous study of cognitive-linguistic ability in MCI using a complex discourse…

Cognitive ability at age 11 and 70 years, information processing speed, and APOE variation: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study.

PubMed

Luciano, Michelle; Gow, Alan J; Harris, Sarah E; Hayward, Caroline; Allerhand, Mike; Starr, John M; Visscher, Peter M; Deary, Ian J

2009-03-01

The e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene confers risk of Alzheimer's disease and, in some studies, relates to cognitive ability and decline in older people without Alzheimer's disease. Its relationship with processing speed, a contributor to cognitive decline with age, is largely unknown. This study tests the association of APOE with cognition and speed, with and without covarying childhood mental ability. The 1,013 participants were tested on cognitive ability at age 11 as part of the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947 and, at age 70, were tested on reasoning, working memory, information processing speed, and executive function. The results showed that APOE was associated with the general cognitive factor, 2 nonverbal tests, and choice reaction time (RT) variability; as expected, the e4 allele was the risk allele. RT measures and a general speed factor were nonlinearly related to APOE when factoring childhood ability (p < .05): The correlation between childhood ability and speed was lower in e4 allele carriers. APOE has an influence on nonverbal cognition in old age and interacts with childhood IQ to influence processing speed.

Socioeconomic Position Across the Life Course and Cognitive Ability Later in Life: The Importance of Considering Early Cognitive Ability.

PubMed

Foverskov, Else; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Holm, Anders; Pedersen, Jolene Lee Masters; Osler, Merete; Lund, Rikke

2017-11-01

Investigate direct and indirect associations between markers of socioeconomic position (SEP) across the life course and midlife cognitive ability while addressing methodological limitations in prior work. Longitudinal data from the Danish Metropolit cohort of men born in 1953 ( N = 2,479) who completed ability tests at age 12, 18, and 56-58 linked to register-based information on paternal occupational class, educational attainment, and occupational level. Associations were assessed using structural equation models, and different models were estimated to examine the importance of accounting for childhood ability and measurement error. Associations between adult SEP measures and midlife ability decreased significantly when adjusting for childhood ability and measurement error. The association between childhood and midlife ability was by far the strongest. The impact of adult SEP on later life ability may be exaggerated when not accounting for the stability of individual differences in cognitive ability and measurement error in test scores.

Investigation of basic cognitive predictors of reading and spelling abilities in Tunisian third-grade primary school children.

PubMed

Batnini, Soulef; Uno, Akira

2015-06-01

This study investigated first the main cognitive abilities; phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary in predicting reading and spelling abilities in Arabic. Second, we compared good/poor readers and spellers to detect the characteristics of cognitive predictors which contribute to identifying reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic speaking children. A sample of 116 Tunisian third-grade children was tested on their abilities to read and spell, phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary. For reading, phonological processing and automatization uniquely predicted Arabic word reading and paragraph reading abilities. Automatization uniquely predicted Arabic non-word reading ability. For spelling, phonological processing was a unique predictor for Arabic word spelling ability. Furthermore, poor readers had significantly lower scores on the phonological processing test and slower reading times on the automatization test as compared with good readers. Additionally, poor spellers showed lower scores on the phonological processing test as compared with good spellers. Visual cognitive processing and receptive vocabulary were not significant cognitive predictors of Arabic reading and spelling abilities for Tunisian third grade children in this study. Our results are consistent with previous studies in alphabetic orthographies and demonstrate that phonological processing and automatization are the best cognitive predictors in detecting early literacy problems. We suggest including phonological processing and automatization tasks in screening tests and in intervention programs may help Tunisian children with poor literacy skills overcome reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic. Copyright © 2014 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Cognitive Roots of Scientific and Mathematical Ability and Discussant Reaction: Alternative Representations: A Key to Academic Talent?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, D. N.; Simmons, Rebecca

This paper examines the cognitive structures and processes that mediate mathematical and scientific ability. Ability is divided into achieved abilities and precursor abilities. Identified concepts in the area of achieved ability include expertise, understanding, and problem-solving. Other abilities can be seen as precursors to such achieved…

Process skills acquisition, cognitive growth, and attitude change of ninth grade students in a scientific literacy course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Dale R.; Piburn, Michael

This is a report of the effects of a scientific literacy course on the skills, cognitive ability, and attitude of students in the first year of high school. Specifically, the research examines (1) whether it is possible to teach scientific skills, (2) whether a literacy curriculum affects attitude and cognitive ability, and (3) whether incoming student characteristics affect the development of attitude and cognitive abilities. Two hundred and fifty (126 male and 124 female) ninth grade students were enrolled in a specially designed literacy course which met for 3 hours and 20 minutes each week for 39 weeks. Students were pretested for logical, spatial, verbal, and mathematical ability, as well as for attitude toward self and science, and psychological type. The course was successful in teaching skills. In addition, there were significant increases in spatial, verbal, and quantitative ability. Increases in cognitive ability were predicted by logical ability, measurement skills, and academic self-concept. Attitudes declined as a result of participation in the course. Self concept and mastery were related to cognitive variables and motivation, mastery, and control were related to psychological type.

Relationship between chewing ability and cognitive impairment in the rural elderly.

PubMed

Kim, Eun-Kyong; Lee, Sung Kook; Choi, Youn-Hee; Tanaka, Makiko; Hirotsu, Kimiko; Kim, Hyeon Chang; Lee, Hee-Kyung; Jung, Yun-Sook; Amano, Atsuo

Relationship between masticatory function and cognitive impairment had been suggested but still understudied. We investigated the association between chewing ability and cognitive impairment among the elderly living in a rural region. A total of 295 elderly individuals aged ≥70 years in a rural city of Korea participated in a cross-sectional study. Trained nurses conducted interviews and assessed chewing ability using gum that changed color based on chewing performance. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) of Korean vesrsion. Socio-demographic characteristics, activities of daily living (ADL), Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were also assessed using questionnaires as potential confounders. The mean age of the participants was 81.4 (ranged 70-102) years and 67.8% of them were female. Participants with low chewing ability were significantly older, dependent, and had lower MNA and MMSE-DS scores. The elderly with middle or low chewing ability had significantly higher risk for having cognitive impairment than those with higher chewing ability. Our findings suggest that poor chewing ability is associated with cognitive impairment or dementia in the elderly living in rural area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global, broad, or specific cognitive differences? Using a MIMIC model to examine differences in CHC abilities in children with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Niileksela, Christopher R; Reynolds, Matthew R

2014-01-01

This study was designed to better understand the relations between learning disabilities and different levels of latent cognitive abilities, including general intelligence (g), broad cognitive abilities, and specific abilities based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of intelligence (CHC theory). Data from the Differential Ability Scales-Second Edition (DAS-II) were used to create a multiple-indicator multiple cause model to examine the latent mean differences in cognitive abilities between children with and without learning disabilities in reading (LD reading), math (LD math), and reading and writing(LD reading and writing). Statistically significant differences were found in the g factor between the norm group and the LD groups. After controlling for differences in g, the LD reading and LD reading and writing groups showed relatively lower latent processing speed, and the LD math group showed relatively higher latent comprehension-knowledge. There were also some differences in some specific cognitive abilities, including lower scores in spatial relations and numerical facility for the LD math group, and lower scores in visual memory for the LD reading and writing group. These specific mean differences were above and beyond any differences in the latent cognitive factor means.

Brain White Matter Tract Integrity and Cognitive Abilities in Community-Dwelling Older People: The Lothian Birth Cohort, 1936

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Objective: The present study investigates associations between brain white matter tract integrity and cognitive abilities in community-dwelling older people (N = 655). We explored two potential confounds of white matter tract−cognition associations in later life: (a) whether the associations between tracts and specific cognitive abilities are accounted for by general cognitive ability (g); and (b) how the presence of atrophy and white matter lesions affect these associations. Method: Tract integrity was determined using quantitative diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography (tract-averaged fractional anisotropy [FA]). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we compared first-order and bifactor models to investigate whether specific tract-ability associations were accounted for by g. Results: Significant associations were found between g and FA in bilateral anterior thalamic radiations (r range: .16−.18, p < .01), uncinate (r range: .19−.26, p < .001), arcuate fasciculi (r range: .11−.12, p < .05), and the splenium of corpus callosum (r = .14, p < .01). After controlling for g within the bifactor model, some significant specific cognitive domain associations remained. Results also suggest that the primary effects of controlling for whole brain integrity were on g associations, not specific abilities. Conclusion: Results suggest that g accounts for most of, but not all, the tract−cognition associations in the current data. When controlling for age-related overall brain structural changes, only minor attenuations of the tract−cognition associations were found, and these were primarily with g. In totality, the results highlight the importance of controlling for g when investigating associations between specific cognitive abilities and neuropsychology variables. PMID:23937481

Do cognitive training strategies improve motor and positive psychological skills development in soccer players? Insights from a systematic review.

PubMed

Slimani, Maamer; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi; Tod, David; Dellal, Alexandre; Hue, Olivier; Cheour, Foued; Taylor, Lee; Chamari, Karim

2016-12-01

Soccer players are required to have well-developed physical, technical and cognitive abilities. The present systematic review, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, examined the effects of cognitive training strategies on motor and positive psychological skills development in soccer performance and identified the potential moderators of the "cognitive training-soccer performance" relationship. Thirteen databases were systematically searched using keywords related to psychological or cognitive training in soccer players. The review is based on 18 studies, employing 584 soccer players aged 7-39 years. Cognitive strategies, particularly imagery, appear to improve sports performance in soccer players. Regarding imagery, the combination of two different types of cognitive imagery training (i.e., cognitive general and cognitive specific) has a positive influence on soccer performance during training, whereas motivational imagery (i.e., motivational general-arousal, motivational general-mastery and motivational specific) enhance competition performance. Younger soccer players employ cognitive general and cognitive specific imagery techniques to a greater extent than older soccer players. Combined cognitive training strategies were more beneficial than a single cognitive strategy relative to motor skills enhancement in elite (particularly midfielders) and amateur (i.e., when practising complex and specific soccer skills in precompetitive period) soccer players. In conclusion, it appears that there are differences in cognitive/psychological training interventions, and their efficacy, according to whether they are directed towards training or competition, and the age, standard and playing position of the players.

Enhancing Warfighter Cognitive Abilities with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: A Feasibility Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

AFRL-HE-WP-TR-2007-0095 Enhancing Warfighter Cognitive Abilities with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation : a Feasibility Analysis Jeremy T. Nelson...Abilities with Transcranial N/A Magnetic Stimulation : a Feasibility Analysis 5b. GRANTNUMBER N/A 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 62202F 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...feasibility of using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to enhance warfighter cognitive abilities. An extensive literature review was conducted

Cognitive reflection vs. calculation in decision making

PubMed Central

Sinayev, Aleksandr; Peters, Ellen

2015-01-01

Scores on the three-item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) have been linked with dual-system theory and normative decision making (Frederick, 2005). In particular, the CRT is thought to measure monitoring of System 1 intuitions such that, if cognitive reflection is high enough, intuitive errors will be detected and the problem will be solved. However, CRT items also require numeric ability to be answered correctly and it is unclear how much numeric ability vs. cognitive reflection contributes to better decision making. In two studies, CRT responses were used to calculate Cognitive Reflection and numeric ability; a numeracy scale was also administered. Numeric ability, measured on the CRT or the numeracy scale, accounted for the CRT's ability to predict more normative decisions (a subscale of decision-making competence, incentivized measures of impatient and risk-averse choice, and self-reported financial outcomes); Cognitive Reflection contributed no independent predictive power. Results were similar whether the two abilities were modeled (Study 1) or calculated using proportions (Studies 1 and 2). These findings demonstrate numeric ability as a robust predictor of superior decision making across multiple tasks and outcomes. They also indicate that correlations of decision performance with the CRT are insufficient evidence to implicate overriding intuitions in the decision-making biases and outcomes we examined. Numeric ability appears to be the key mechanism instead. PMID:25999877

Do different types of school mathematics development depend on different constellations of numerical versus general cognitive abilities?

PubMed

Fuchs, Lynn S; Geary, David C; Compton, Donald L; Fuchs, Douglas; Hamlett, Carol L; Seethaler, Pamela M; Bryant, Joan D; Schatschneider, Christopher

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the interplay between basic numerical cognition and domain-general abilities (such as working memory) in explaining school mathematics learning. First graders (N = 280; mean age = 5.77 years) were assessed on 2 types of basic numerical cognition, 8 domain-general abilities, procedural calculations, and word problems in fall and then reassessed on procedural calculations and word problems in spring. Development was indexed by latent change scores, and the interplay between numerical and domain-general abilities was analyzed by multiple regression. Results suggest that the development of different types of formal school mathematics depends on different constellations of numerical versus general cognitive abilities. When controlling for 8 domain-general abilities, both aspects of basic numerical cognition were uniquely predictive of procedural calculations and word problems development. Yet, for procedural calculations development, the additional amount of variance explained by the set of domain-general abilities was not significant, and only counting span was uniquely predictive. By contrast, for word problems development, the set of domain-general abilities did provide additional explanatory value, accounting for about the same amount of variance as the basic numerical cognition variables. Language, attentive behavior, nonverbal problem solving, and listening span were uniquely predictive.

Cognitive reflection vs. calculation in decision making.

PubMed

Sinayev, Aleksandr; Peters, Ellen

2015-01-01

Scores on the three-item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) have been linked with dual-system theory and normative decision making (Frederick, 2005). In particular, the CRT is thought to measure monitoring of System 1 intuitions such that, if cognitive reflection is high enough, intuitive errors will be detected and the problem will be solved. However, CRT items also require numeric ability to be answered correctly and it is unclear how much numeric ability vs. cognitive reflection contributes to better decision making. In two studies, CRT responses were used to calculate Cognitive Reflection and numeric ability; a numeracy scale was also administered. Numeric ability, measured on the CRT or the numeracy scale, accounted for the CRT's ability to predict more normative decisions (a subscale of decision-making competence, incentivized measures of impatient and risk-averse choice, and self-reported financial outcomes); Cognitive Reflection contributed no independent predictive power. Results were similar whether the two abilities were modeled (Study 1) or calculated using proportions (Studies 1 and 2). These findings demonstrate numeric ability as a robust predictor of superior decision making across multiple tasks and outcomes. They also indicate that correlations of decision performance with the CRT are insufficient evidence to implicate overriding intuitions in the decision-making biases and outcomes we examined. Numeric ability appears to be the key mechanism instead.

Do Different Types of School Mathematics Development Depend on Different Constellations of Numerical versus General Cognitive Abilities?

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Lynn S.; Geary, David C.; Compton, Donald L.; Fuchs, Douglas; Hamlett, Carol L.; Seethaler, Pamela M.; Bryant, Joan D.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the interplay between basic numerical cognition and domain-general abilities (such as working memory) in explaining school mathematics learning. First graders (n=280; 5.77 years) were assessed on 2 types of basic numerical cognition, 8 domain-general abilities, procedural calculations (PCs), and word problems (WPs) in fall and then reassessed on PCs and WPs in spring. Development was indexed via latent change scores, and the interplay between numerical and domain-general abilities was analyzed via multiple regression. Results suggest that the development of different types of formal school mathematics depends on different constellations of numerical versus general cognitive abilities. When controlling for 8 domain-general abilities, both aspects of basic numerical cognition were uniquely predictive of PC and WP development. Yet, for PC development, the additional amount of variance explained by the set of domain-general abilities was not significant, and only counting span was uniquely predictive. By contrast, for WP development, the set of domain- general abilities did provide additional explanatory value, accounting for about the same amount of variance as the basic numerical cognition variables. Language, attentive behavior, nonverbal problem solving, and listening span were uniquely predictive. PMID:20822213

Object-Spatial Visualization and Verbal Cognitive Styles, and Their Relation to Cognitive Abilities and Mathematical Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haciomeroglu, Erhan Selcuk

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the object-spatial visualization and verbal cognitive styles among high school students and related differences in spatial ability, verbal-logical reasoning ability, and mathematical performance of those students. Data were collected from 348 students enrolled in Advanced Placement calculus courses at six high…

Influence of Cognitive Ability on Therapy Outcomes for Anomia in Adults with Chronic Poststroke Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dignam, Jade; Copland, David; O'Brien, Kate; Burfein, Penni; Khan, Asaduzzaman; Rodriguez, Amy D.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The relationship between cognitive abilities and aphasia rehabilitation outcomes is complex and remains poorly understood. This study investigated the influence of language and cognitive abilities on anomia therapy outcomes in adults with aphasia. Method: Thirty-four adults with chronic aphasia participated in Aphasia Language Impairment…

CognitiveGenesis (CG): Assessing Academic Achievement and Cognitive Ability in Adventist Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thayer, Jerome; Kido, Elissa

2012-01-01

CognitiveGenesis collected achievement and ability test data from 2006-2009 for all students in Seventh-day Adventist schools in North America. Students were above average in achievement compared to national norms and achieved above that predicted by their ability scores. The more years students attended Adventist schools, the higher they…

Social Networking Sites and Cognitive Abilities: Do They Make You Smarter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Horton, John; Alloway, Ross G.; Dawson, Clare

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of social networking sites (SNS) on cognitive abilities and reported levels of social connectedness in adolescents. In order to provide a reliable measure of cognitive skills, standardized tests of verbal ability, working memory, and academic attainment were administered. Students also…

Effects of a Modified Thinking Science Program for Year 8 Students of Various Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mobbs, Ellen

2016-01-01

The aim of this research was to identify whether students of various academic abilities would achieve positive gains in cognitive ability after completing a modified cognitive acceleration program based on the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) program. This research was quasi-experimental in design, with small samples of…

Cognitive Process Modeling of Spatial Ability: The Assembling Objects Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivie, Jennifer L.; Embretson, Susan E.

2010-01-01

Spatial ability tasks appear on many intelligence and aptitude tests. Although the construct validity of spatial ability tests has often been studied through traditional correlational methods, such as factor analysis, less is known about the cognitive processes involved in solving test items. This study examines the cognitive processes involved in…

Differentiation of Cognitive Abilities as a Function of Neuroticism Level: A Measurement Equivalence/Invariance Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonaccio, Silvia; Reeve, Charlie L.

2006-01-01

This paper investigates the differentiation of cognitive abilities as a function of neuroticism. Specifically, we examine Eysenck and White's [Eysenck, H. J., and White, P. O. (1964). Personality and the measurement of intelligence. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 24, 197-201.] hypothesis that cognitive abilities are less differentiated…

Healthy children show gender differences in correlations between nonverbal cognitive ability and brain activation during visual perception.

PubMed

Asano, Kohei; Taki, Yasuyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sassa, Yuko; Thyreau, Benjamin; Asano, Michiko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Kawashima, Ryuta

2014-08-08

Humans perceive textual and nontextual information in visual perception, and both depend on language. In childhood education, students exhibit diverse perceptual abilities, such that some students process textual information better and some process nontextual information better. These predispositions involve many factors, including cognitive ability and learning preference. However, the relationship between verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities and brain activation during visual perception has not yet been examined in children. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between nonverbal and verbal cognitive abilities and brain activation during nontextual visual perception in large numbers of children. A significant positive correlation was found between nonverbal cognitive abilities and brain activation in the right temporoparietal junction, which is thought to be related to attention reorienting. This significant positive correlation existed only in boys. These findings suggested that male brain activation differed from female brain activation, and that this depended on individual cognitive processes, even if there was no gender difference in behavioral performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Quality of Life and Ability to Perform Activities of Daily Living on Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older People Living in Publicly Managed Congregate Housing.

PubMed

Chang, Chun-Feng; Yang, Rea-Jeng; Chang, Shu-Fang; Chou, Yuan Hwa; Huang, Ean-Wen

2017-06-01

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by a decrease in cognitive abilities that does not affect the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Therefore, this condition is easily overlooked. The prevalence and factors of influence for MCI in older people living in publicly managed congregate housing are currently unknown. This study investigated the prevalence and distribution of MCI in older people living in publicly managed congregate housing and assessed the correlations among quality of life (QoL), ADL, and MCI. This study applied a correlational study design. The participants were older people who met the study criteria and who lived in public housing in Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan. One-on-one interviews were conducted to measure the cognitive abilities of the participants, and 299 valid samples were collected. The prevalence of MCI in older people living in publicly managed congregate housing was 16.1%. The χ test was employed to evaluate the distribution of MCI prevalence and indicated that the group with higher MCI prevalence exhibited the following characteristics: older than 81 years; married; lived in public housing for more than 20 years; cohabiting; had a history of drinking; and exhibited severe memory regression, physical disabilities, psychological distress, and low QoL. The difference between the groups achieved statistical significance (p < .05). After performing logistical regression analysis to control demographic variables, we found that QoL and ADL were critical for predicting MCI. This study confirmed that QoL and ADL correlate significantly with MCI in older people. Maintaining an open and supportive community enables older people to maintain sufficient mental activity, which has been shown to reduce MCI. These findings may provide an important reference for policy makers, educators, researchers, and community practitioners in their development of service strategies for older people.

Influential Cognitive Processes on Framing Biases in Aging

PubMed Central

Perez, Alison M.; Spence, Jeffrey Scott; Kiel, L. D.; Venza, Erin E.; Chapman, Sandra B.

2018-01-01

Factors that contribute to overcoming decision-making biases in later life pose an important investigational question given the increasing older adult population. Limited empirical evidence exists and the literature remains equivocal of whether increasing age is associated with elevated susceptibility to decision-making biases such as framing effects. Research into the individual differences contributing to decision-making ability may offer better understanding of the influence of age in decision-making ability. Changes in cognition underlying decision-making have been shown with increased age and may contribute to individual variability in decision-making abilities. This study had three aims; (1) to understand the influence of age on susceptibility to decision-making biases as measured by framing effects across a large, continuous age range; (2) to examine influence of cognitive abilities that change with age; and (3) to understand the influence of individual factors such as gender and education on susceptibility to framing effects. 200 individuals (28–79 years of age) were tested on a large battery of cognitive measures in the domains of executive function, memory and complex attention. Findings from this study demonstrated that cognitive abilities such as strategic control and delayed memory better predicted susceptibility to framing biases than age. The current findings demonstrate that age may not be as influential a factor in decision-making as cognitive ability and cognitive reserve. These findings motivate future studies to better characterize cognitive ability to determine decision-making susceptibilities in aging populations. PMID:29867641

Influential Cognitive Processes on Framing Biases in Aging.

PubMed

Perez, Alison M; Spence, Jeffrey Scott; Kiel, L D; Venza, Erin E; Chapman, Sandra B

2018-01-01

Factors that contribute to overcoming decision-making biases in later life pose an important investigational question given the increasing older adult population. Limited empirical evidence exists and the literature remains equivocal of whether increasing age is associated with elevated susceptibility to decision-making biases such as framing effects. Research into the individual differences contributing to decision-making ability may offer better understanding of the influence of age in decision-making ability. Changes in cognition underlying decision-making have been shown with increased age and may contribute to individual variability in decision-making abilities. This study had three aims; (1) to understand the influence of age on susceptibility to decision-making biases as measured by framing effects across a large, continuous age range; (2) to examine influence of cognitive abilities that change with age; and (3) to understand the influence of individual factors such as gender and education on susceptibility to framing effects. 200 individuals (28-79 years of age) were tested on a large battery of cognitive measures in the domains of executive function, memory and complex attention. Findings from this study demonstrated that cognitive abilities such as strategic control and delayed memory better predicted susceptibility to framing biases than age. The current findings demonstrate that age may not be as influential a factor in decision-making as cognitive ability and cognitive reserve. These findings motivate future studies to better characterize cognitive ability to determine decision-making susceptibilities in aging populations.

Music training, cognition, and personality.

PubMed

Corrigall, Kathleen A; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Misura, Nicole M

2013-01-01

Although most studies that examined associations between music training and cognitive abilities had correlational designs, the prevailing bias is that music training causes improvements in cognition. It is also possible, however, that high-functioning children are more likely than other children to take music lessons, and that they also differ in personality. We asked whether individual differences in cognition and personality predict who takes music lessons and for how long. The participants were 118 adults (Study 1) and 167 10- to 12-year-old children (Study 2). We collected demographic information and measured cognitive ability and the Big Five personality dimensions. As in previous research, cognitive ability was associated with musical involvement even when demographic variables were controlled statistically. Novel findings indicated that personality was associated with musical involvement when demographics and cognitive ability were held constant, and that openness-to-experience was the personality dimension with the best predictive power. These findings reveal that: (1) individual differences influence who takes music lessons and for how long, (2) personality variables are at least as good as cognitive variables at predicting music training, and (3) future correlational studies of links between music training and non-musical ability should account for individual differences in personality.

The effect of donepezil on the cognitive ability early in the course of recovery from traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Campbell, Kelsey A; Kennedy, Richard E; Brunner, Robert C; Hollis, Sean D; Lumsden, Ross A; Novack, Thomas A

2018-05-08

To investigate the effect of donepezil on cognitive ability in patients who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, would enhance cognitive recovery beyond that of usual care in an acute rehabilitation facility. This retrospective, longitudinal analysis included 55 patients who were non-randomly prescribed donepezil during acute care and compared them to 74 patients who received usual rehabilitation treatment. All 129 patients completed neuropsychological assessment at two time points. Donepezil was increased from 5 to 10 mg 7-10 days after initiation and maintained until follow-up cognitive assessment. Primary cognitive abilities of interest included processing speed, attention and memory. Cognitive and functional abilities were assessed by a standard neuropsychological battery for TBI. Propensity scores were used to adjust for differences between groups. Mixed effect model analysis showed no significant differences between treatment and control groups on all neuropsychological subtests over time. Acute administration of donepezil did not significantly improve measures of cognitive or functional ability beyond that of treatment as usual in patients with moderate-to-severe TBI.

The Effects of Mood, Cognitive Style, and Cognitive Ability on Implicit Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pretz, Jean E.; Totz, Kathryn Sentman; Kaufman, Scott Barry

2010-01-01

In an experiment with 109 undergraduates, we examined the effect of mood, cognitive style, and cognitive ability on implicit learning in the Artificial Grammar (AG) and Serial Reaction Time (SRT) tasks. Negative mood facilitated AG learning, but had no significant effect on SRT learning. Rational cognitive style predicted greater learning on both…

Cognitive abilities predict death during the next 15 years in older Japanese adults.

PubMed

Nishita, Yukiko; Tange, Chikako; Tomida, Makiko; Otsuka, Rei; Ando, Fujiko; Shimokata, Hiroshi

2017-10-01

The longitudinal relationship between cognitive abilities and subsequent death was investigated among community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Participants (n = 1060; age range 60-79 years) comprised the first-wave participants of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants' cognitive abilities were measured at baseline using the Japanese Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Short Form, which includes the following tests: Information (general knowledge), Similarities (logical abstract thinking), Picture Completion (visual perception and long-term visual memory) and Digit Symbol (information processing speed). By each cognitive test score, participants were classified into three groups: the high-level group (≥ the mean + 1SD), the low-level group (≤ the mean - 1SD) and the middle-level group. Data on death and moving during the subsequent 15 years were collected and analyzed using the multiple Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for physical and psychosocial covariates. During the follow-up period, 308 participants (29.06%) had died and 93 participants (8.77%) had moved. In the Similarities test, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of the low-level group to the high-level group were significant (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02-2.17, P = 0.038). Furthermore, in the Digit symbol test, the adjusted HR of the low-level group to the high-level group was significant (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.03-2.58, P = 0.038). Significant adjusted HR were not observed for the Information or Picture Completion tests. It is suggested that a lower level of logical abstract thinking and slower information processing speed are associated with shorter survival among older Japanese adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1654-1660. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

The prevalence of mind-body dualism in early China.

PubMed

Slingerland, Edward; Chudek, Maciej

2011-07-01

We present the first large-scale, quantitative examination of mind and body concepts in a set of historical sources by measuring the predictions of folk mind-body dualism against the surviving textual corpus of pre-Qin (pre-221 BCE) China. Our textual analysis found clear patterns in the historically evolving reference of the word xin (heart/heart-mind): It alone of the organs was regularly contrasted with the physical body, and during the Warring States period it became less associated with emotions and increasingly portrayed as the unique locus of "higher" cognitive abilities. We interpret this as a semantic shift toward a shared cognitive bias in response to a vast and rapid expansion of literacy. Our study helps test the proposed universality of folk dualism, adds a new quantitative approach to the methods used in the humanities, and opens up a new and valuable data source for cognitive scientists: the record of dead minds. Copyright © 2011 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Vestibular involvement in cognition: Visuospatial ability, attention, executive function, and memory.

PubMed

Bigelow, Robin T; Agrawal, Yuri

2015-01-01

A growing body of literature suggests the inner ear vestibular system has a substantial impact on cognitive function. The strongest evidence exists in connecting vestibular function to the cognitive domain of visuospatial ability, which includes spatial memory, navigation, mental rotation, and mental representation of three-dimensional space. Substantial evidence also exists suggesting the vestibular system has an impact on attention and cognitive processing ability. The cognitive domains of memory and executive function are also implicated in a number of studies. We will review the current literature, discuss possible causal links between vestibular dysfunction and cognitive performance, and suggest areas of future research.

Impairments in social cognition following severe traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

McDonald, Skye

2013-03-01

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to physical, neuropsychological, and emotional deficits that interfere with the individual’s capacity to return to his or her former lifestyle. This review focuses on social cognition, that is, the capacity to attend to, recognize and interpret interpersonal cues that guide social behavior. Social cognition entails ‘‘hot’’ processes, that is, emotion perception and emotional empathy and ‘‘cold’’ processes, that is, the ability to infer the beliefs, feelings, and intentions of others (theory of mind: ToM) to see their point of view (cognitive empathy) and what they mean when communicating (pragmatic inference). This review critically examines research attesting to deficits in each of these domains and also examines evidence for theorized mechanisms including specific neural networks, the role of simulation, and non-social cognition. Current research is hampered by small, heterogeneous samples and the inherent complexity of TBI pathology. Nevertheless, there is evidence that facets of social cognition are impaired in this population. New assessment tools to measure social cognition following TBI are required that predict everyday social functioning. In addition, research into remediation needs to be guided by the growing empirical base for understanding social cognition that may yet reveal how deficits dissociate following TBI.

Cognitive Abilities, Monitoring Confidence, and Control Thresholds Explain Individual Differences in Heuristics and Biases

PubMed Central

Jackson, Simon A.; Kleitman, Sabina; Howie, Pauline; Stankov, Lazar

2016-01-01

In this paper, we investigate whether individual differences in performance on heuristic and biases tasks can be explained by cognitive abilities, monitoring confidence, and control thresholds. Current theories explain individual differences in these tasks by the ability to detect errors and override automatic but biased judgments, and deliberative cognitive abilities that help to construct the correct response. Here we retain cognitive abilities but disentangle error detection, proposing that lower monitoring confidence and higher control thresholds promote error checking. Participants (N = 250) completed tasks assessing their fluid reasoning abilities, stable monitoring confidence levels, and the control threshold they impose on their decisions. They also completed seven typical heuristic and biases tasks such as the cognitive reflection test and Resistance to Framing. Using structural equation modeling, we found that individuals with higher reasoning abilities, lower monitoring confidence, and higher control threshold performed significantly and, at times, substantially better on the heuristic and biases tasks. Individuals with higher control thresholds also showed lower preferences for risky alternatives in a gambling task. Furthermore, residual correlations among the heuristic and biases tasks were reduced to null, indicating that cognitive abilities, monitoring confidence, and control thresholds accounted for their shared variance. Implications include the proposal that the capacity to detect errors does not differ between individuals. Rather, individuals might adopt varied strategies that promote error checking to different degrees, regardless of whether they have made a mistake or not. The results support growing evidence that decision-making involves cognitive abilities that construct actions and monitoring and control processes that manage their initiation. PMID:27790170

Cognitive Abilities, Monitoring Confidence, and Control Thresholds Explain Individual Differences in Heuristics and Biases.

PubMed

Jackson, Simon A; Kleitman, Sabina; Howie, Pauline; Stankov, Lazar

2016-01-01

In this paper, we investigate whether individual differences in performance on heuristic and biases tasks can be explained by cognitive abilities, monitoring confidence, and control thresholds. Current theories explain individual differences in these tasks by the ability to detect errors and override automatic but biased judgments, and deliberative cognitive abilities that help to construct the correct response. Here we retain cognitive abilities but disentangle error detection, proposing that lower monitoring confidence and higher control thresholds promote error checking. Participants ( N = 250) completed tasks assessing their fluid reasoning abilities, stable monitoring confidence levels, and the control threshold they impose on their decisions. They also completed seven typical heuristic and biases tasks such as the cognitive reflection test and Resistance to Framing. Using structural equation modeling, we found that individuals with higher reasoning abilities, lower monitoring confidence, and higher control threshold performed significantly and, at times, substantially better on the heuristic and biases tasks. Individuals with higher control thresholds also showed lower preferences for risky alternatives in a gambling task. Furthermore, residual correlations among the heuristic and biases tasks were reduced to null, indicating that cognitive abilities, monitoring confidence, and control thresholds accounted for their shared variance. Implications include the proposal that the capacity to detect errors does not differ between individuals. Rather, individuals might adopt varied strategies that promote error checking to different degrees, regardless of whether they have made a mistake or not. The results support growing evidence that decision-making involves cognitive abilities that construct actions and monitoring and control processes that manage their initiation.

The contribution of general cognitive abilities and number abilities to different aspects of mathematics in children.

PubMed

Träff, Ulf

2013-10-01

This study examined the relative contributions of general cognitive abilities and number abilities to word problem solving, calculation, and arithmetic fact retrieval in a sample of 134 children aged 10 to 13 years. The following tasks were administered: listening span, visual matrix span, verbal fluency, color naming, Raven's Progressive Matrices, enumeration, number line estimation, and digit comparison. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that number abilities provided an independent contribution to fact retrieval and word problem solving. General cognitive abilities contributed to problem solving and calculation. All three number tasks accounted for a similar amount of variance in fact retrieval, whereas only the number line estimation task contributed unique variance in word problem solving. Verbal fluency and Raven's matrices accounted for an equal amount of variance in problem solving and calculation. The current findings demonstrate, in accordance with Fuchs and colleagues' developmental model of mathematical learning (Developmental Psychology, 2010, Vol. 46, pp. 1731-1746), that both number abilities and general cognitive abilities underlie 10- to 13-year-olds' proficiency in problem solving, whereas only number abilities underlie arithmetic fact retrieval. Thus, the amount and type of cognitive contribution to arithmetic proficiency varies between the different aspects of arithmetic. Furthermore, how closely linked a specific aspect of arithmetic is to the whole number representation systems is not the only factor determining the amount and type of cognitive contribution in 10- to 13-year-olds. In addition, the mathematical complexity of the task appears to influence the amount and type of cognitive support. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of disease, cognitive and behavioural factors on caregiver outcome in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Watermeyer, Tamlyn J; Brown, Richard G; Sidle, Katie C L; Oliver, David J; Allen, Christopher; Karlsson, Joanna; Ellis, Cathy; Shaw, Christopher E; Al-Chalabi, Ammar; Goldstein, Laura H

2015-01-01

Up to 50% of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show mild to moderate cognitive-behavioural change alongside their progressive functional impairment. This study examines the relative impact of patients' disease symptoms, behavioural change and current executive function and social cognition abilities on psychosocial outcomes in spouse caregivers of people with ALS. Thirty-five spouse caregivers rated their own levels of depression and anxiety, subjective burden and marital satisfaction. Caregivers also rated their partner's everyday behaviour. The patients were assessed for disease severity and cognitive function, with composite scores derived for executive function and social cognition. Regression analyses revealed that caregiver burden was predicted by the severity of patients' limb involvement and behavioural problems. Depression was predicted by patients' limb involvement, while behavioural problems and patient age predicted caregiver anxiety. Current marital satisfaction was predicted by patient behavioural problems beyond the level of pre-illness marital satisfaction. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential impact of ALS patients' functional impairment and behavioural change on ALS caregivers' psychosocial functioning. Clinical communication with ALS families should emphasise both physical and psychological challenges presented by the disease.

A cognitive characterization of dyscalculia in Turner syndrome.

PubMed

Bruandet, Marie; Molko, Nicolas; Cohen, Laurent; Dehaene, Stanislas

2004-01-01

Current theories of number processing postulate that the human abilities for arithmetic are based on cerebral circuits that are partially laid down under genetic control and later modified by schooling and education. This view predicts the existence of genetic diseases that interfere specifically with components of the number system. Here, we investigate whether Turner syndrome (TS) corresponds to this definition. TS is a genetic disorder which affects one woman in 2500 and is characterized by partial or complete absence of one X chromosome. In addition to well-characterized physical and hormonal dysfunction, TS patients exhibit cognitive deficits including dyscalculia. We tested 12 women with Turner syndrome and 13 control subjects on a cognitive battery including arithmetical tests (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) as well as tests of the understanding of numerosity and quantity (cognitive estimation, estimation, comparison, bisection, subitizing/counting). Impairments were observed in cognitive estimation, subitizing, and calculation. We examine whether these deficits can be attributed to a single source, and discuss the possible implications of hormonal and genetic factors in the neuropsychological profile of TS patients.

Ontological confusions but not mentalizing abilities predict religious belief, paranormal belief, and belief in supernatural purpose.

PubMed

Lindeman, Marjaana; Svedholm-Häkkinen, Annika M; Lipsanen, Jari

2015-01-01

The current research tested the hypothesis that the abilities for understanding other people's minds give rise to the cognitive biases that underlie supernatural beliefs. We used structural equation modeling (N=2789) to determine the roles of various mentalizing tendencies, namely self-reported affective and cognitive empathy (i.e., mind reading), actual cognitive and affective empathic abilities, hyper-empathizing, and two cognitive biases (core ontological confusions and promiscuous teleology) in giving rise to supernatural beliefs. Support for a path from mentalizing abilities through cognitive biases to supernatural beliefs was weak. The relationships of mentalizing abilities with supernatural beliefs were also weak, and these relationships were not substantially mediated by cognitive biases. Core ontological confusions emerged as the best predictor, while promiscuous teleology predicted only a small proportion of variance. The results were similar for religious beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and for belief in supernatural purpose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activities of daily living in children with hemiparesis: influence of cognitive abilities and motor competence.

PubMed

Adler, Caroline; Rauchenzauner, Markus; Staudt, Martin; Berweck, Steffen

2014-12-01

The aim of the article is to investigate whether motor competence and cognitive abilities influence the quality of performance of activities of daily living (ADL) in children with hemiparesis. Patients and A total of 20 children with hemiparesis (age, 6-12 years; 11 congenital, 9 acquired during childhood) were studied. Motor competence was assessed with the Assisting Hand Assessment, cognitive abilities with the German version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV, and the quality of ADL performance with the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). The motor skills scale of the AMPS correlated with motor competence, and the process skills scale of the AMPS correlated with cognitive abilities. The quality of ADL performance is influenced not only by motor competence but also by the cognitive abilities of a hemiparetic child. This suggests that, in addition to motor-oriented training programs, an optimal therapy for hemiparetic children should also consider cognitive approaches. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Acute exercise performed close to the anaerobic threshold improves cognitive performance in elderly females.

PubMed

Córdova, C; Silva, V C; Moraes, C F; Simões, H G; Nóbrega, O T

2009-05-01

The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of acute exercise performed at different intensities in relation to the anaerobic threshold (AT) on abilities requiring control of executive functions or alertness in physically active elderly females. Forty-eight physically active elderly females (63.8 +/- 4.6 years old) were assigned to one of four groups by drawing lots: control group without exercise or trial groups with exercise performed at 60, 90, or 110% of AT (watts) and submitted to 5 cognitive tests before and after exercise. Following cognitive pretesting, an incremental cycle ergometer test was conducted to determine AT using a fixed blood lactate concentration of 3.5 mmol/L as cutoff. Acute exercise executed at 90% of AT resulted in significant (P < 0.05, ANOVA) improvement in the performance of executive functions when compared to control in 3 of 5 tests (verbal fluency, Tower of Hanoi test (number of movements), and Trail Making test B). Exercising at 60% of AT did not improve results of any tests for executive functions, whereas exercise executed at 110% of AT only improved the performance in one of these tests (verbal fluency) compared to control. Women from all trial groups exhibited a remarkable reduction in the Simple Response Time (alertness) test (P = 0.001). Thus, physical exercise performed close to AT is more effective to improve cognitive processing of older women even if conducted acutely, and using a customized exercise prescription based on the anaerobic threshold should optimize the beneficial effects.

Blood glucose, diet-based glycemic load and cognitive aging among dementia-free older adults.

PubMed

Seetharaman, Shyam; Andel, Ross; McEvoy, Cathy; Dahl Aslan, Anna K; Finkel, Deborah; Pedersen, Nancy L

2015-04-01

Although evidence indicates that Type II Diabetes is related to abnormal brain aging, the influence of elevated blood glucose on long-term cognitive change is unclear. In addition, the relationship between diet-based glycemic load and cognitive aging has not been extensively studied. The focus of this study was to investigate the influence of diet-based glycemic load and blood glucose on cognitive aging in older adults followed for up to 16 years. Eight-hundred and thirty-eight cognitively healthy adults aged ≥50 years (M = 63.1, SD = 8.3) from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging were studied. Mixed effects growth models were utilized to assess overall performance and change in general cognitive functioning, perceptual speed, memory, verbal ability, and spatial ability as a function of baseline blood glucose and diet-based glycemic load. High blood glucose was related to poorer overall performance on perceptual speed as well as greater rates of decline in general cognitive ability, perceptual speed, verbal ability, and spatial ability. Diet-based glycemic load was related to poorer overall performance in perceptual speed and spatial ability. Diet-based glycemic load and, in particular, elevated blood glucose appear important for cognitive performance/cognitive aging. Blood glucose control (perhaps through low glycemic load diets) may be an important target in the detection and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Efficacy of an Exercise Game Based on Kinect in Improving Physical Performances of Fall Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Kayama, Hiroki; Okamoto, Kazuya; Nishiguchi, Shu; Yukutake, Taiki; Tanigawa, Takanori; Nagai, Koutatsu; Yamada, Minoru; Aoyama, Tomoki

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate whether a 12-week program of training with dual-task Tai Chi (DTTC), which is a new concept game we developed using Kinect (Microsoft, Redmond, WA), would be effective in improving physical functions of fall risk factors. This study examined balance, muscle strength, locomotive ability, and dual-task ability in community-dwelling older adults (75.4±6.3 years) before and after 12 weeks of DTTC training (training group [TG]; n=32) or standardized training (control group [CG]; n=41). Primary end points were based on the difference in physical functions between the TG and the CG. Significant differences were observed between the two groups with significant group×time interaction for the following physical function measures: timed up-and-go (TUG) (P<0.01), one-leg standing (OLS) (P<0.05), and 5 chair stand (5-CS) (P<0.05). There were no significant differences among the other measures: 10-m walking time under standard conditions, manual-task conditions, and cognitive-task conditions, 10-m maximal walking time, and Functional Reach test scores. Thus, the scores of TUG, OLS, and 5-CS in the TG improved significantly with DTTC training compared with the CG. The results suggest that the DTTC training is effective in improving balance ability and mobility, which are risk factors for falls.

Essentials of WJ III[TM] Cognitive Abilities Assessment. Essentials of Psychological Assessment Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrank, Fredrick A.; Flanagan, Dawn P.; Woodcock, Richard W.; Mascolo, Jennifer T.

This book is designed to help mental health professionals acquire the knowledge and skills to use the Cognitive Abilities battery of the Woodcock-Johnson[TM] comprehensive assessment system (WJ III). The WJ III was recently divided into the Cognitive Abilities and the Achievement batteries. The chapters are: (1) "Overview"; (2) "How…

SES and CHAOS as Environmental Mediators of Cognitive Ability: A Longitudinal Genetic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Sara A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Deckard, Kirby Deater; Thompson, Lee A.

2007-01-01

This study examined shared environmental influences on the longitudinal stability of general cognitive ability, as mediated by socioeconomic status and chaos in the home, using 287 pairs of elementary school-age twins drawn from the Western Reserve Reading Project (WRRP). General cognitive ability was evaluated at two annual assessments using the…

Assessment of Cognitive Abilities and Reading Comprehension across School-Age Development: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Diana Baker

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of specific cognitive abilities and reading comprehension across a variety of norm referenced tests that align with Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities and integrative models of reading. Data from existing studies was analyzed by comparing the relationships of four…

Cognitive and Academic Distinctions between Gifted Students with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Assouline, Susan G.; Stinson, Rebecca D.

2012-01-01

The cognitive and academic profiles of high ability students with autism spectrum disorder were examined. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of autism (high functioning) or Asperger syndrome and at least one ability and/or achievement index standard score of 120 or above. Results indicated that despite the restricted range of cognitive abilities,…

The Contribution of General Cognitive Abilities and Approximate Number System to Early Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passolunghi, Maria Chiara; Cargnelutti, Elisa; Pastore, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

Background: Math learning is a complex process that entails a wide range of cognitive abilities to be fulfilled. There is sufficient evidence that both general and specific cognitive skills assume a fundamental role, despite the absence of shared consensus about the relative extent of their involvement. Moreover, regarding general abilities, there…

The Preparation of Cognitively Agile Principals for Turnaround Schools: A Leadership Preparation Programme Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes-Guerra, Daniel; Pisapia, John; Mick, Annie

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of two educational leadership university programmes to improve the cognitive agility of their graduates. The research looked to discover whether the aspiring principals exited the programmes with an increased ability to employ cognitive agility--the ability to use the multiple thinking skills of…

Levels of Stress as Reported by Parents and Its Relationship to Their Child's Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodbury, Christine

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine if any relationship exists between "Parenting Stress Index" factors and child's cognitive abilities (Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory of general intelligence). The participant population consisted of 16 mothers and 16 children. The cognitive abilities were measured by using one of the following measures: (1)…

Theory of mind and its relation to schizotypy.

PubMed

Pickup, Graham J

2006-03-01

Frith (1992) suggested that many psychotic symptoms are associated with impaired theory of mind (ToM), the ability to represent the mental states of others. Langdon and Coltheart (1999) found an association in a nonclinical adult population between schizotypal traits and poorer ToM on a picture-sequencing task. The present study attempted to replicate and extend this finding using a ToM story task. A total of 62 nonclinical individuals completed a schizotypy questionnaire (the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences; O-LIFE) and a set of ToM stories. Matched "physical" control stories were administered to control for general reasoning ability. Executive function and current verbal IQ were assessed using the Cognitive Estimates Test and the Quick Test, respectively. Schizotypal traits analogous to positive symptoms of schizophrenia (UE scale of the O-LIFE) predicted poorer scores on the ToM task, but were unrelated to scores on physical stories. Individuals with high scores for total schizotypy on the O-LIFE did not differ in ToM from those with low total scores. There was no association between poorer ToM and schizotypal traits analogous to the "behavioural signs" of schizophrenia. Executive function and verbal IQ did not significantly predict story scores. Positive schizotypal traits in the normal population are associated with subtle impairments in ToM, independent of reasoning ability, executive function, or verbal IQ. A strong association between poor ToM and "behavioural signs" may only appear in studies of schizophrenic patients, and not in studies of nonclinical individuals. The findings are discussed in relation to Frith's (1992) cognitive neuropsychological model of schizophrenia.

Self-regulatory fatigue in hematologic malignancies: impact on quality of life, coping, and adherence to medical recommendations.

PubMed

Solberg Nes, Lise; Ehlers, Shawna L; Patten, Christi A; Gastineau, Dennis A

2013-03-01

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an intensive cancer therapy entailing numerous physical, emotional, cognitive, and practical challenges. Patients' ability to adjust and cope with such challenges may depend on their ability to exert control over cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes, that is, ability to self-regulate. Self-regulatory capacity is a limited resource that can be depleted or fatigued (i.e., "self-regulatory fatigue"), particularly in the context of stressful life events such as cancer diagnosis and treatment. This is one of the first studies to examine self-regulatory fatigue in a cancer population. The current study aimed to (1) extract items for a specific scale of self-regulatory capacity and (2) examine the impact of such capacity on adaptation in patients with hematologic malignancies preparing for HSCT. Factor analysis of four existing scales gauging psychological adjustment and well-being in 314 patients preparing for HSCT (63% male and 89% Caucasian) identified 23 items (α = 0.85) related to self-regulatory control or fatigue. This measure was then examined using existing clinical data obtained from 178 patients (57% male and 91% Caucasian) undergoing treatment for hematologic malignancies in relationship to quality of life, coping, and self-reported adherence to physicians' recommendations. Controlling for pain severity, physical fatigue, and depression, self-regulatory fatigue scores were incrementally associated with decreased quality of life, use of avoidance coping strategies, and decreased adherence to physicians' recommendations. These results emphasize the potential role of self-regulatory capacity in coping with and adjusting to hematologic cancers and future research is warranted.

Dancing or Fitness Sport? The Effects of Two Training Programs on Hippocampal Plasticity and Balance Abilities in Healthy Seniors

PubMed Central

Rehfeld, Kathrin; Müller, Patrick; Aye, Norman; Schmicker, Marlen; Dordevic, Milos; Kaufmann, Jörn; Hökelmann, Anita; Müller, Notger G.

2017-01-01

Age-related degenerations in brain structure are associated with balance disturbances and cognitive impairment. However, neuroplasticity is known to be preserved throughout lifespan and physical training studies with seniors could reveal volume increases in the hippocampus (HC), a region crucial for memory consolidation, learning and navigation in space, which were related to improvements in aerobic fitness. Moreover, a positive correlation between left HC volume and balance performance was observed. Dancing seems a promising intervention for both improving balance and brain structure in the elderly. It combines aerobic fitness, sensorimotor skills and cognitive demands while at the same time the risk of injuries is low. Hence, the present investigation compared the effects of an 18-month dancing intervention and traditional health fitness training on volumes of hippocampal subfields and balance abilities. Before and after intervention, balance was evaluated using the Sensory Organization Test and HC volumes were derived from magnetic resonance images (3T, MP-RAGE). Fourteen members of the dance (67.21 ± 3.78 years, seven females), and 12 members of the fitness group (68.67 ± 2.57 years, five females) completed the whole study. Both groups revealed hippocampal volume increases mainly in the left HC (CA1, CA2, subiculum). The dancers showed additional increases in the left dentate gyrus and the right subiculum. Moreover, only the dancers achieved a significant increase in the balance composite score. Hence, dancing constitutes a promising candidate in counteracting the age-related decline in physical and mental abilities. PMID:28674488

Cognitive Abilities Underlying Reading Accuracy, Fluency and Spelling Acquisition in Korean Hangul Learners from Grades 1 to 4: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Park, Hyun-Rin; Uno, Akira

2015-08-01

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the cognitive abilities that predict reading and spelling performance in Korean children in Grades 1 to 4, depending on expertise and reading experience. As a result, visual cognition, phonological awareness, naming speed and receptive vocabulary significantly predicted reading accuracy in children in Grades 1 and 2, whereas visual cognition, phonological awareness and rapid naming speed did not predict reading accuracy in children in higher grades. For reading, fluency, phonological awareness, rapid naming speed and receptive vocabulary were crucial abilities in children in Grades 1 to 3, whereas phonological awareness was not a significant predictor in children in Grade 4. In spelling, reading ability and receptive vocabulary were the most important abilities for accurate Hangul spelling. The results suggested that the degree of cognitive abilities required for reading and spelling changed depending on expertise and reading experience. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Variations in working memory capacity predict individual differences in general learning abilities among genetically diverse mice.

PubMed

Kolata, Stefan; Light, Kenneth; Townsend, David A; Hale, Gregory; Grossman, Henya C; Matzel, Louis D

2005-11-01

Up to 50% of an individuals' performance across a wide variety of distinct cognitive tests can be accounted for by a single factor (i.e., "general intelligence"). Despite its ubiquity, the processes or mechanisms regulating this factor are a matter of considerable debate. Although it has been hypothesized that working memory may impact cognitive performance across various domains, tests have been inconclusive due to the difficulty in isolating working memory from its overlapping operations, such as verbal ability. We address this problem using genetically diverse mice, which exhibit a trait analogous to general intelligence. The general cognitive abilities of CD-1 mice were found to covary with individuals' working memory capacity, but not with variations in long-term retention. These results provide evidence that independent of verbal abilities, variations in working memory are associated with general cognitive abilities, and further, suggest a conservation across species of mechanisms and/or processes that regulate cognitive abilities.

Negotiation Performance: Antecedents, Outcomes, and Training Recommendations

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Tutorial Cognitive Apprenticeships Instructional Conversations Independent Programmed Instruction Computer-Based Instruction I Rr La...procedural knowledge, as well as the more distal antecedents of individual difference variables (e.g., cognitive ability , personality) and psychological...individual difference variables (e.g., cognitive ability , personality) and psychological processes (e.g., cognitive , motivational, and emotional). This

Rational thinking and cognitive sophistication: development, cognitive abilities, and thinking dispositions.

PubMed

Toplak, Maggie E; West, Richard F; Stanovich, Keith E

2014-04-01

We studied developmental trends in 5 important reasoning tasks that are critical components of the operational definition of rational thinking. The tasks measured denominator neglect, belief bias, base rate sensitivity, resistance to framing, and the tendency toward otherside thinking. In addition to age, we examined 2 other individual difference domains that index cognitive sophistication: cognitive ability (intelligence and executive functioning) and thinking dispositions (actively open-minded thinking, superstitious thinking, and need for cognition). All 5 reasoning domains were consistently related to cognitive sophistication regardless of how it was indexed (age, cognitive ability, thinking dispositions). The implications of these findings for taxonomies of developmental trends in rational thinking tasks are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Feasibility and safety of early combined cognitive and physical therapy for critically ill medical and surgical patients: the Activity and Cognitive Therapy in ICU (ACT-ICU) trial.

PubMed

Brummel, N E; Girard, T D; Ely, E W; Pandharipande, P P; Morandi, A; Hughes, C G; Graves, A J; Shintani, A; Murphy, E; Work, B; Pun, B T; Boehm, L; Gill, T M; Dittus, R S; Jackson, J C

2014-03-01

Cognitive impairment after critical illness is common and debilitating. We developed a cognitive therapy program for critically ill patients and assessed the feasibility and safety of administering combined cognitive and physical therapy early during a critical illness. We randomized 87 medical and surgical ICU patients with respiratory failure and/or shock in a 1:1:2 manner to three groups: usual care, early once-daily physical therapy, or early once-daily physical therapy plus a novel, progressive, twice-daily cognitive therapy protocol. Cognitive therapy included orientation, memory, attention, and problem-solving exercises, and other activities. We assessed feasibility outcomes of the early cognitive plus physical therapy intervention. At 3 months, we also assessed cognitive, functional, and health-related quality of life outcomes. Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or frequency (%). Early cognitive therapy was a delivered to 41/43 (95%) of cognitive plus physical therapy patients on 100% (92-100%) of study days beginning 1.0 (1.0-1.0) day following enrollment. Physical therapy was received by 17/22 (77%) of usual care patients, by 21/22 (95%) of physical therapy only patients, and 42/43 (98%) of cognitive plus physical therapy patients on 17% (10-26%), 67% (46-87%), and 75% (59-88%) of study days, respectively. Cognitive, functional, and health-related quality of life outcomes did not differ between groups at 3-month follow-up. This pilot study demonstrates that early rehabilitation can be extended beyond physical therapy to include cognitive therapy. Future work to determine optimal patient selection, intensity of treatment, and benefits of cognitive therapy in the critically ill is needed.

Feasibility and safety of early combined cognitive and physical therapy for critically ill medical and surgical patients: the Activity and Cognitive Therapy in ICU (ACT-ICU) trial

PubMed Central

Brummel, N.E.; Girard, T.D.; Ely, E.W.; Pandharipande, P.P.; Morandi, A.; Hughes, C.G.; Graves, A.J.; Shintani, A.K.; Murphy, E.; Work, B.; Pun, B.T.; Boehm, L.; Gill, T.M.; Dittus, R.S.; Jackson, J.C.

2013-01-01

PURPOSE Cognitive impairment after critical illness is common and debilitating. We developed a cognitive therapy program for critically ill patients and assessed the feasibility and safety of administering combined cognitive and physical therapy early during a critical illness. METHODS We randomized 87 medical and surgical ICU patients with respiratory failure and/or shock in a 1:1:2 manner to three groups: usual care, early once-daily physical therapy, or early once-daily physical therapy plus a novel, progressive, twice-daily cognitive therapy protocol. Cognitive therapy included orientation, memory, attention, and problem solving exercises, and other activities. We assessed feasibility outcomes of the early cognitive plus physical therapy intervention. At 3-months, we also assessed cognitive, functional and health-related quality of life outcomes. Data are presented as median [interquartile range] or frequency (%). RESULTS Early cognitive therapy was a delivered to 41/43 (95%) of cognitive plus physical therapy patients on 100% [92–100%] of study days beginning 1.0 [1.0–1.0] day following enrollment. Physical therapy was received by 17/22 (77%) of usual care patients, by 21/22 (95%) of physical therapy only patients and 42/43 (98%) of cognitive plus physical therapy patients on 17% [10–26%], 67% [46–87%] and 75% [59–88%] of study days, respectively. Cognitive, functional and health-related quality of life outcomes did not differ between groups at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study demonstrates that early rehabilitation can be extended beyond physical therapy to include cognitive therapy. Future work to determine optimal patient selection, intensity of treatment and benefits of cognitive therapy in the critically ill is needed. PMID:24257969

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities III's Cognitive Performance Model: Empirical Support for Intermediate Factors within CHC Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taub, Gordon E.; McGrew, Kevin S.

2014-01-01

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability Third Edition is developed using the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) measurement-theory test design as the instrument's theoretical blueprint. The instrument provides users with cognitive scores based on the Cognitive Performance Model (CPM); however, the CPM is not a part of CHC theory. Within the…

Reciprocal Relationships between Teacher Ratings of Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescents with Different Levels of Cognitive Abilities.

PubMed

Morin, Alexandre J S; Arens, A Katrin; Maïano, Christophe; Ciarrochi, Joseph; Tracey, Danielle; Parker, Philip D; Craven, Rhonda G

2017-04-01

Are internalizing and externalizing behavior problems interrelated via mutually reinforcing relationships (with each behavior leading to increases over time in levels of the other behavior) or mutually suppressing relationships (with each behavior leading to decreases over time in levels of the other behavior)? Past research on the directionality of these relationships has led to ambiguous results, particularly in adolescence. Furthermore, the extent to which prior results will generalize to adolescents with low levels of cognitive abilities remains unknown. This second limit is particularly important, given that these adolescents are known to present higher levels of externalizing and internalizing behaviors than their peers with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities, and that the mechanisms involved in the reciprocal relationships between these two types of behaviors may differ across both populations. This study examines the directionality of the longitudinal relationships between externalizing and internalizing behavior problems as rated by teachers across three measurement waves (corresponding to Grades 8-10) in matched samples of 138 adolescents (34.78 % girls) with low levels of cognitive abilities and 556 adolescents (44.88 % girls) with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities. The results showed that the measurement structure was fully equivalent across time periods and groups of adolescents, revealing high levels of developmental stability in both types of problems, and moderately high levels of cross-sectional associations. Levels of both internalizing and externalizing behaviors were higher among adolescents with low levels of cognitive abilities relative to those with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities. Finally, the predictive analyses revealed negative reciprocal longitudinal relationships (i.e., mutually suppressing relationships) between externalizing and internalizing problems, a result that was replicated within samples of adolescents with low, and average-to-high levels of cognitive ability.

Haplotype-based association analysis of general cognitive ability in Generation Scotland, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and UK Biobank.

PubMed

Howard, David M; Adams, Mark J; Clarke, Toni-Kim; Wigmore, Eleanor M; Zeng, Yanni; Hagenaars, Saskia P; Lyall, Donald M; Thomson, Pippa A; Evans, Kathryn L; Porteous, David J; Nagy, Reka; Hayward, Caroline; Haley, Chris S; Smith, Blair H; Murray, Alison D; Batty, G David; Deary, Ian J; McIntosh, Andrew M

2017-01-01

Cognitive ability is a heritable trait with a polygenic architecture, for which several associated variants have been identified using genotype-based and candidate gene approaches. Haplotype-based analyses are a complementary technique that take phased genotype data into account, and potentially provide greater statistical power to detect lower frequency variants. In the present analysis, three cohort studies (n total = 48,002) were utilised: Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (GS:SFHS), the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and the UK Biobank. A genome-wide haplotype-based meta-analysis of cognitive ability was performed, as well as a targeted meta-analysis of several gene coding regions. None of the assessed haplotypes provided evidence of a statistically significant association with cognitive ability in either the individual cohorts or the meta-analysis. Within the meta-analysis, the haplotype with the lowest observed P -value overlapped with the D-amino acid oxidase activator ( DAOA ) gene coding region. This coding region has previously been associated with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, which have all been shown to impact upon cognitive ability. Another potentially interesting region highlighted within the current genome-wide association analysis (GS:SFHS: P = 4.09 x 10 -7 ), was the butyrylcholinesterase ( BCHE ) gene coding region. The protein encoded by BCHE has been shown to influence the progression of Alzheimer's disease and its role in cognitive ability merits further investigation. Although no evidence was found for any haplotypes with a statistically significant association with cognitive ability, our results did provide further evidence that the genetic variants contributing to the variance of cognitive ability are likely to be of small effect.

Associations between Physical and Cognitive Doping – A Cross-Sectional Study in 2.997 Triathletes

PubMed Central

Dietz, Pavel; Ulrich, Rolf; Dalaker, Robert; Striegel, Heiko; Franke, Andreas G.; Lieb, Klaus; Simon, Perikles

2013-01-01

Purpose This study assessed, for the first time, prevalence estimates for physical and cognitive doping within a single collective of athletes using the randomized response technique (RRT). Furthermore, associations between the use of legal and freely available substances to improve physical and cognitive performance (enhancement) and illicit or banned substances to improve physical and cognitive performance (doping) were examined. Methods An anonymous questionnaire using the unrelated question RRT was used to survey 2,997 recreational triathletes in three sports events (Frankfurt, Regensburg, and Wiesbaden) in Germany. Prior to the survey, statistical power analyses were performed to determine sample size. Logistic regression was used to predict physical and cognitive enhancement and the bootstrap method was used to evaluate differences between the estimated prevalences of physical and cognitive doping. Results 2,987 questionnaires were returned (99.7%). 12-month prevalences for physical and cognitive doping were 13.0% and 15.1%, respectively. The prevalence estimate for physical doping was significantly higher in athletes who also used physical enhancers, as well as in athletes who took part in the European Championship in Frankfurt compared to those who did not. The prevalence estimate for cognitive doping was significantly higher in athletes who also used physical and cognitive enhancers. Moreover, the use of physical and cognitive enhancers were significantly associated and also the use of physical and cognitive doping. Discussion The use of substances to improve physical and cognitive performance was associated on both levels of legality (enhancement vs. doping) suggesting that athletes do not use substances for a specific goal but may have a general propensity to enhance. This finding is important for understanding why people use such substances. Consequently, more effective prevention programs against substance abuse and doping could be developed. PMID:24236038

Association Between Perceived Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Older Adults.

PubMed

Loprinzi, Paul D; Frith, Emily

2018-01-01

There is irrefutable evidence that regular participation in physical activity is favorably associated with numerous positive health outcomes, including cognitive function. Emerging work suggests that perceived physical activity, independent of actual physical activity behavior, is inversely associated with mortality risk. In this study, we evaluate whether perceived physical activity, independent of actual physical activity, is associated with cognitive function, a robust indicator of mortality risk. Data from the cross-sectional 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were employed ( N = 2352; 60+ years of age). Actual physical activity was assessed via a validated survey. Perceived physical activity was assessed using the following question: "Compared with others of the same age, would you say that you are: more active, less active, or about the same?" Cognitive function was assessed from the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. When examined in separate models, both actual and perceived physical activity were positively and statistically significantly associated with cognitive function. However, when considered in the same model, actual physical activity was no longer statistically significantly associated with cognitive function, but perceived physical activity was. Perceived physical activity, independent of actual physical activity, is independently associated with cognitive function. If these findings are replicated, future work should consider evaluating perceived physical activity when examining the effects of actual physical activity behavior on cognitive function.

Impact of Learning Model Based on Cognitive Conflict toward Student’s Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mufit, F.; Festiyed, F.; Fauzan, A.; Lufri, L.

2018-04-01

The problems that often occur in the learning of physics is a matter of misconception and low understanding of the concept. Misconceptions do not only happen to students, but also happen to college students and teachers. The existing learning model has not had much impact on improving conceptual understanding and remedial efforts of student misconception. This study aims to see the impact of cognitive-based learning model in improving conceptual understanding and remediating student misconceptions. The research method used is Design / Develop Research. The product developed is a cognitive conflict-based learning model along with its components. This article reports on product design results, validity tests, and practicality test. The study resulted in the design of cognitive conflict-based learning model with 4 learning syntaxes, namely (1) preconception activation, (2) presentation of cognitive conflict, (3) discovery of concepts & equations, (4) Reflection. The results of validity tests by some experts on aspects of content, didactic, appearance or language, indicate very valid criteria. Product trial results also show a very practical product to use. Based on pretest and posttest results, cognitive conflict-based learning models have a good impact on improving conceptual understanding and remediating misconceptions, especially in high-ability students.

The association between cognition and academic performance in Ugandan children surviving malaria with neurological involvement.

PubMed

Bangirana, Paul; Menk, Jeremiah; John, Chandy C; Boivin, Michael J; Hodges, James S

2013-01-01

The contribution of different cognitive abilities to academic performance in children surviving cerebral insult can guide the choice of interventions to improve cognitive and academic outcomes. This study's objective was to identify which cognitive abilities are associated with academic performance in children after malaria with neurological involvement. 62 Ugandan children with a history of malaria with neurological involvement were assessed for cognitive ability (working memory, reasoning, learning, visual spatial skills, attention) and academic performance (reading, spelling, arithmetic) three months after the illness. Linear regressions were fit for each academic score with the five cognitive outcomes entered as predictors. Adjusters in the analysis were age, sex, education, nutrition, and home environment. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation models (SEM) were used to determine the nature of the association between cognition and academic performance. Predictive residual sum of squares was used to determine which combination of cognitive scores was needed to predict academic performance. In regressions of a single academic score on all five cognitive outcomes and adjusters, only Working Memory was associated with Reading (coefficient estimate = 0.36, 95% confidence interval = 0.10 to 0.63, p<0.01) and Spelling (0.46, 0.13 to 0.78, p<0.01), Visual Spatial Skills was associated with Arithmetic (0.15, 0.03 to 0.26, p<0.05), and Learning was associated with Reading (0.06, 0.00 to 0.11, p<0.05). One latent cognitive factor was identified using EFA. The SEM found a strong association between this latent cognitive ability and each academic performance measure (P<0.0001). Working memory, visual spatial ability and learning were the best predictors of academic performance. Academic performance is strongly associated with the latent variable labelled "cognitive ability" which captures most of the variation in the individual specific cognitive outcome measures. Working memory, visual spatial skills, and learning together stood out as the best combination to predict academic performance.

Number-specific and general cognitive markers of preschoolers' math ability profiles.

PubMed

Gray, Sarah A; Reeve, Robert A

2016-07-01

Different number-specific and general cognitive markers have been claimed to underlie preschoolers' math ability. It is unclear, however, whether similar/different cognitive markers, or combinations of them, are associated with different patterns of emerging math abilities (i.e., different patterns of strength and weakness). To examine this question, 103 preschoolers (40-60 months of age) completed six math tasks (count sequence, object counting, give a number, naming numbers, ordinal relations, and arithmetic), three number-specific markers of math ability (dot enumeration, magnitude comparison, and spontaneous focusing on numerosity), and four general markers (working memory, response inhibition, attention, and vocabulary). A three-step latent profile modeling procedure identified five math ability profiles that differed in their patterns of math strengths and weaknesses; specifically, the profiles were characterized by (a) excellent math ability on all math tasks, (b) good arithmetic ability, (c) good math ability but relatively poor count sequence recitation ability, (d) average ability on all math tasks, and (e) poor ability on all math tasks. After controlling for age, only dot enumeration and spontaneous focusing on numerosity were associated with the math ability profiles, whereas vocabulary was also marginally significant, and these markers were differentially associated with different profiles; that is, different cognitive markers were associated with different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in math abilities. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of math cognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Everyday cognitive functioning and global cognitive performance are differentially associated with physical frailty and chronological age in older Chinese men and women.

PubMed

Liu, Tianyin; Wong, Gloria Hy; Luo, Hao; Tang, Jennifer Ym; Xu, Jiaqi; Choy, Jacky Cp; Lum, Terry Ys

2017-05-02

Intact cognition is a key determinant of quality of life. Here, we investigated the relative contribution of age and physical frailty to global and everyday cognition in older adults. Data came from 1396 community-dwelling, healthy Chinese older adults aged 65 or above. We measured their global cognition using the Cantonese Chinese Montreal Cognitive Assessment, everyday cognition with the short Chinese Lawton Instrumental Activities Daily Living scale, and physical frailty using the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of Weight Scale and grip strength. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the comparative roles of age and physical frailty. In the global cognition model, age explained 12% and physical frailty explained 8% of the unique variance. This pattern was only evident in women, while the reverse (physical frailty explains a greater extent of variance) was evident in men. In the everyday cognition model, physical frailty explained 18% and chronological age explained 9% of the unique variance, with similar results across both genders. Physical frailty is a stronger indicator than age for everyday cognition in both genders and for global cognition in men. Our findings suggest that there are alternative indexes of cognitive aging than chronological age.

Physical activity and physical fitness of nursing home residents with cognitive impairment: A pilot study.

PubMed

Marmeleira, José; Ferreira, Soraia; Raimundo, Armando

2017-12-15

Physical activity and physical fitness are important for health, functional mobility and performance of everyday activities. To date, little attention has been given to physical activity and physical fitness among nursing home residents with cognitive impairment. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to examine physical activity behavior and physical fitness of institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment and to investigate their interrelations. Forty-eight older adults with cognitive impairment (83.9±7.7years; 72.9% women) and 22 without cognitive impairment (82.2±8.8years; 54.5% women) participated. Physical activity was objectively assessed with accelerometers and physical fitness components (muscular strength, flexibility, balance, body composition and reaction time) were evaluated with physical fitness field tests. Nursing home residents with cognitive impairment spent only ~1min per day in moderate physical activity and ~89min in light physical activity. In average they accumulated 863 (±599) steps per day and spent 87.2% of the accelerometer wear time in sedentary behavior. Participants' physical fitness components were markedly low and according to the cut-offs used for interpreting the results a great number of nursing home residents had an increased risk of associated health problems, functional impairment and of falling. The performance in some physical fitness tests was positively associated with physical activity. Participants without cognitive impairment had higher levels of physical activity and physical fitness than their counterparts with cognitive impairment. These results indicate that nursing home residents, especially those with cognitive impairment, have low levels of physical activity, spent a high proportion of daytime in sedentary behavior and have low physical fitness. Nursing homes should implement health promotion strategies targeting physical activity and physical fitness of their residents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Midlife Physical Activity and Cognition Later in Life: A Prospective Twin Study.

PubMed

Iso-Markku, Paula; Waller, Katja; Vuoksimaa, Eero; Heikkilä, Kauko; Rinne, Juha; Kaprio, Jaakko; Kujala, Urho M

2016-10-18

Physical activity has been associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline but the nature of this association remains obscure. To study associations between midlife physical activity and cognition in old age for a prospective cohort of Finnish twins. Physical activity in the Finnish Twin Cohort was assessed using questionnaire responses collected in 1975 and 1981. After a mean follow-up of 25.1 years, the subjects' (n = 3050; mean age 74.2; range 66-97) cognition was evaluated with a validated telephone interview. Both participation in vigorous physical activity, and the volume of physical activity, divided into quintiles, were used as predictors of cognitive impairment. Metrics collected by TELE were used to categorize participants as: cognitively impaired, suffering mild cognitive impairment, or cognitively healthy. Participation in vigorous physical activity compared to non-participation for both 1975 and 1981 was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in individual-based analyses (fully adjusted OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.73). Pairwise analyses yielded similar but statistically non-significant associations. In terms of the volume of physical activity, the most active quintile of individuals (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.46-1.04) had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared with the most sedentary quintile in the fully adjusted model although no clear dose-response was found. Vigorous midlife physical activity was associated with less cognitive impairment but without a clear dose-response association between the volume of physical activity and cognition.

Evolving methods to combine cognitive and physical training for individuals with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Lee, Ya-Yun; Wu, Ching-Yi; Teng, Ching-Hung; Hsu, Wen-Chuin; Chang, Ku-Chou; Chen, Poyu

2016-10-28

Nonpharmacologic interventions, such as cognitive training or physical exercise, are effective in improving cognitive functions for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Some researchers have proposed that combining physical exercise with cognitive training may augment the benefits of cognition. However, strong evidence is lacking regarding whether a combined therapy is superior to a single type of training for older adults with MCI. Moreover, which combination approach - combining physical exercise with cognitive training sequentially or simultaneously - is more advantageous for cognitive improvement is not yet clear. This proposed study is designed to clarify these questions. This study is a single-blinded, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Eighty individuals with MCI will be recruited and randomly assigned to cognitive training (COG), physical exercise training (PE), sequential training (SEQ), and dual-task training (DUAL) groups. The intervention programs will be 90 min/day, 2-3 days/week, for a total of 36 training sessions. The participants in the SEQ group will first perform 45 min of physical exercise followed by 45 min of cognitive training, whereas those in the DUAL group will perform physical exercise and cognitive training simultaneously. Participants will be assessed at baseline, after the intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. The primary cognitive outcome tests will include the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the color-naming Stroop test. Other outcomes will include assessments that evaluate the cognitive, physical, and daily functions of older adults with MCI. The results of this proposed study will provide important information regarding the feasibility and intervention effects of combining physical exercise and cognitive training for older individuals with MCI. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02512627 , registered on 20 July 2015.

Young children's ability to report on past, future, and hypothetical pain states: a cognitive-developmental perspective.

PubMed

Jaaniste, Tiina; Noel, Melanie; von Baeyer, Carl L

2016-11-01

Children are at times asked by clinicians or researchers to rate their pain associated with their past, future, or hypothetical experiences. However, little consideration is typically given to the cognitive-developmental requirements of such pain reports. Consequently, these pain assessment tasks may exceed the abilities of some children, potentially resulting in biased or random responses. This could lead to the over- or under-treatment of children's pain. This review provides an overview of factors, and specifically the cognitive-developmental prerequisites, that may affect a child's ability to report on nonpresent pain states, such as past, future, or hypothetical pain experiences. Children's ability to report on past pains may be influenced by developmental (age, cognitive ability), contextual (mood state, language used by significant others), affective and pain-related factors. The ability to mentally construct and report on future painful experiences may be shaped by memory of past experiences, information provision and learning, contextual factors, knowledge about oneself, cognitive coping style, and cognitive development. Hypothetical pain reports are sometimes used in the development and validation of pain assessment scales, as a tool in assessing cognitive-developmental and social-developmental aspects of children's reports of pain, and for the purposes of training children to use self-report scales. Rating pain associated with hypothetical pain scenarios requires the ability to recognize pain in another person and depends on the child's experience with pain. Enhanced understanding of cognitive-developmental requirements of young children's pain reports could lead to improved understanding, assessment, and treatment of pediatric pain.

Association between MRI structural features and cognitive measures in pediatric multiple sclerosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amoroso, N.; Bellotti, R.; Fanizzi, A.; Lombardi, A.; Monaco, A.; Liguori, M.; Margari, L.; Simone, M.; Viterbo, R. G.; Tangaro, S.

2017-09-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease associated with neurodegenerative processes that lead to brain structural changes. The disease affects mostly young adults, but 3-5% of cases has a pediatric onset (POMS). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is generally used for diagnosis and follow-up in MS patients, however the most common MRI measures (e.g. new or enlarging T2-weighted lesions, T1-weighted gadolinium- enhancing lesions) have often failed as surrogate markers of MS disability and progression. MS is clinically heterogenous with symptoms that can include both physical changes (such as visual loss or walking difficulties) and cognitive impairment. 30-50% of POMS experience prominent cognitive dysfunction. In order to investigate the association between cognitive measures and brain morphometry, in this work we present a fully automated pipeline for processing and analyzing MRI brain scans. Relevant anatomical structures are segmented with FreeSurfer; besides, statistical features are computed. Thus, we describe the data referred to 12 patients with early POMS (mean age at MRI: 15.5 +/- 2.7 years) with a set of 181 structural features. The major cognitive abilities measured are verbal and visuo-spatial learning, expressive language and complex attention. Data was collected at the Department of Basic Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari, and exploring different abilities like the verbal and visuo-spatial learning, expressive language and complex attention. Different regression models and parameter configurations are explored to assess the robustness of the results, in particular Generalized Linear Models, Bayes Regression, Random Forests, Support Vector Regression and Artificial Neural Networks are discussed.

Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson Disease: A Descriptive Review on Social Cognition Ability.

PubMed

Palmeri, Rosanna; Lo Buono, Viviana; Corallo, Francesco; Foti, Maria; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Bramanti, Placido; Marino, Silvia

2017-03-01

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms. Nonmotor symptoms include cognitive deficits and impairment in emotions recognition ability associated with loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and with alteration in frontostriatal circuits. In this review, we analyzed the studies on social cognition ability in patients with PD. We searched on PubMed and Web of Science databases and screening references of included studied and review articles for additional citations. From initial 260 articles, only 18 met search criteria. A total of 496 patients were compared with 514 health controls, through 16 different tests that assessed some subcomponents of social cognition, such as theory of mind, decision-making, and emotional face recognition. Studies on cognitive function in patients with PD have focused on executive function. Patients with PD showed impairment in social cognition from the earliest stages of disease. This ability seems to not be significantly associated with other cognitive functions.

Assessment of Cognitive Ability of Students with Severe and Low-Incidence Disabilities--Part 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crepeau-Hobson, Franci; Vujeva, Hana

2012-01-01

The assessment of cognitive ability in students with the most severe disabilities presents a challenge to the clinicians who are charged with this task. This article is the second of a two-part series that summarizes what is currently known about effective assessment of the cognitive ability of students with significant impairments in order to…

Shared Genetic Aetiology between Cognitive Ability and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: Generation Scotland's Scottish Family Health Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luciano, Michelle; Batty, G. David; McGilchrist, Mark; Linksted, Pamela; Fitzpatrick, Bridie; Jackson, Cathy; Pattie, Alison; Dominiczak, Anna F.; Morris, Andrew D.; Smith, Blair H.; Porteous, David; Deary, Ian J.

2010-01-01

People with higher general cognitive ability in early life have more favourable levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adulthood and CVD itself. The mechanism of these associations is not known. Here we examine whether general cognitive ability and CVD risk factors share genetic and/or environmental aetiology. In this large,…

Theoretical Value Belief, Cognitive Ability, and Personality as Predictors of Student Performance in Object-Oriented Programming Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Dianne J.; Cegielski, Casey G.; Wade, James N.

2006-01-01

The research described in this article reports the results of a study designed to evaluate the relationship among object-oriented (OO) computer programming task performance and a student's (1) theoretical value belief, (2) cognitive ability, and (3) personality. The results of this study do not support the assertion that cognitive ability is a…

Style Matching or Ability Building? An Empirical Study on FD Learners' Learning in Well-Structured and Ill-Structured Asynchronous Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Robert Z.; Flygare, Jill A.; Dahl, Laura B.

2009-01-01

The present study investigated (1) the impact of cognitive styles on learner performance in well-structured and ill-structured learning, and (2) scaffolding as a cognitive tool to improve learners' cognitive abilities, especially field dependent (FD) learners' ability to thrive in an ill-structured learning environment. Two experiments were…

Self-Esteem Trajectories and Their Social Determinants in Adolescents with Different Levels of Cognitive Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Arens, A. Katrin; Tracey, Danielle; Parker, Philip D.; Ciarrochi, Joseph; Craven, Rhonda G.; Maïano, Christophe

2017-01-01

This study examines the development of self-esteem in a sample of 138 Australian adolescents (90 males; 48 females) with cognitive abilities in the lowest 15% (L-CA) and a matched sample of 556 Australian adolescents (312 males; 244 females) with average to high levels of cognitive abilities (A/H-CA). These participants were measured annually…

The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Music Instruction on Intelligence and General Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costa-Giomi, Eugenia

2015-01-01

This article reviews research on the effects of music instruction on general cognitive abilities. The review of more than 75 reports shows (1) the consistency in results pertaining to the short-term effects of music instruction on cognitive abilities and the lack of clear evidence on the long-term effects on intelligence; (2) the complex nature of…

Comparison of Teachers' and School Psychologists' Accuracy in Assigning Basic Academic Tasks to Underlying CHC-Model Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petruccelli, Meredith Lohr; Fiorello, Catherine A.; Thurman, S. Kenneth

2010-01-01

Teacher perceptions of their students' cognitive abilities affect the referrals they make and intervention strategies they implement. In this study, teachers and school psychologists were asked to sort basic academic tasks into categories on the basis of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) broad cognitive abilities, such as fluid reasoning and…

Does the Direction and Magnitude of Cognitive Change Depend on Initial Level of ability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salthouse, Timothy A.

2012-01-01

Longitudinal change in five cognitive abilities was investigated to determine if the direction or magnitude of change was related to the individual's ability level. Adults between 18 and 97 years of age performed three versions of 16 cognitive tests on two occasions separated by an average of 2.7 years. In order to control for influences…

Do Different Types of School Mathematics Development Depend on Different Constellations of Numerical versus General Cognitive Abilities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Lynn S.; Geary, David C.; Compton, Donald L.; Fuchs, Douglas; Hamlett, Carol L.; Seethaler, Pamela M.; Bryant, Joan D.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the interplay between basic numerical cognition and domain-general abilities (such as working memory) in explaining school mathematics learning. First graders (N = 280; mean age = 5.77 years) were assessed on 2 types of basic numerical cognition, 8 domain-general abilities, procedural calculations, and word…

Family poverty and trajectories of children's emotional and behavioural problems: the moderating roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability.

PubMed

Flouri, Eirini; Midouhas, Emily; Joshi, Heather

2014-08-01

Socio-economic disadvantage is strongly associated with children's emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) problems. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have been related to children's emotional and behavioural resilience to socio-economic disadvantage. Despite being inter-related, self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have not been examined jointly as promoting resilience in young children. This study investigated the roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability in children's emotional and behavioural resilience to family socio-economic disadvantage from early to middle childhood (ages 3, 5, and 7 years; N = 16,916; 49 % girls). Using multivariate response growth curve modelling, we found that the relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and internalising problems was stronger for children with lower verbal cognitive ability. Also, poor children with high and low levels of self-regulation showed a widening gap in both emotional and behavioural problems over time. Poor and non-poor children alike benefited from self-regulation, but poor children appeared to be more vulnerable to low self-regulation. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability seem to be important protective factors for young children growing up in poor families.

Is education associated with improvements in general cognitive ability, or in specific skills?

PubMed

Ritchie, Stuart J; Bates, Timothy C; Deary, Ian J

2015-05-01

Previous research has indicated that education influences cognitive development, but it is unclear what, precisely, is being improved. Here, we tested whether education is associated with cognitive test score improvements via domain-general effects on general cognitive ability (g), or via domain-specific effects on particular cognitive skills. We conducted structural equation modeling on data from a large (n = 1,091), longitudinal sample, with a measure of intelligence at age 11 years and 10 tests covering a diverse range of cognitive abilities taken at age 70. Results indicated that the association of education with improved cognitive test scores is not mediated by g, but consists of direct effects on specific cognitive skills. These results suggest a decoupling of educational gains from increases in general intellectual capacity. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Incubation under climate warming affects learning ability and survival in hatchling lizards.

PubMed

Dayananda, Buddhi; Webb, Jonathan K

2017-03-01

Despite compelling evidence for substantial individual differences in cognitive performance, it is unclear whether cognitive ability influences fitness of wild animals. In many animals, environmental stressors experienced in utero can produce substantial variation in the cognitive abilities of offspring. In reptiles, incubation temperatures experienced by embryos can influence hatchling brain function and learning ability. Under climate warming, the eggs of some lizard species may experience higher temperatures, which could affect the cognitive abilities of hatchlings. Whether such changes in cognitive abilities influence the survival of hatchlings is unknown. To determine whether incubation-induced changes in spatial learning ability affect hatchling survival, we incubated velvet gecko, Amalosia lesueurii , eggs using two fluctuating temperature regimes to mimic current (cold) versus future (hot) nest temperatures. We measured the spatial learning ability of hatchlings from each treatment, and released individually marked animals at two field sites in southeastern Australia. Hatchlings from hot-incubated eggs were slower learners than hatchlings from cold-incubated eggs. Survival analyses revealed that hatchlings with higher learning scores had higher survival than hatchlings with poor learning scores. Our results show that incubation temperature affects spatial learning ability in hatchling lizards, and that such changes can influence the survival of hatchlings in the wild. © 2017 The Author(s).

Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) Program for stroke

PubMed Central

Eng, Janice J.

2011-01-01

Given the potential of exercise to positively influence so many physical and psychosocial domains, the Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) Program was developed to address the multiple impairments arising from the chronic health condition of stroke. We present the details of this exercise program and the evidence which has shown that the FAME Program can improve motor function (muscle strength, balance, walking), cardiovascular fitness, bone density, executive functions and memory. The FAME Program can help to improve the physical and cognitive abilities of people living with a stroke and reduce the risk of secondary complications such as falls, fractures and heart disease. PMID:22287825

Associations between daily physical activity and executive functioning in primary school-aged children.

PubMed

van der Niet, Anneke G; Smith, Joanne; Scherder, Erik J A; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Hartman, Esther; Visscher, Chris

2015-11-01

While there is some evidence that aerobic fitness is positively associated with executive functioning in children, evidence for a relation between children's daily physical activity and their executive functioning is limited. The objective was to examine associations between objectively measured daily physical activity (total volume, sedentary behavior, moderate to vigorous physical activity) and executive functioning in children. Cross-sectional. Eighty primary school children (36 boys, 44 girls) aged 8-12 years old participated in the study. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Executive functions measured included inhibition (Stroop test), working memory (Visual Memory Span test), cognitive flexibility (Trailmaking test), and planning (Tower of London). Total volume of physical activity, time spent in sedentary behavior and moderate to vigorous physical activity were calculated and related to performance on executive functioning. More time spent in sedentary behavior was related to worse inhibition (r = -0.24). A higher total volume of physical activity was associated with better planning ability, as reflected by both a higher score on the Tower of London (r = 0.24) and a shorter total execution time (r = -0.29). Also, a significant moderate correlation was found between time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity and the total execution time of the Tower of London (r = -0.29). Children should limit time spent in sedentary behavior, and increasing their total physical activity. Total volume of physical activity, which consisted mostly of light intensity physical activity, is related to executive functioning. This opens up new possibilities to explore both the quantity and quality of physical activity in relation to cognition in children. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The educational gradient in coronary heart disease: the association with cognition in a cohort of 57,279 male conscripts.

PubMed

Ariansen, Inger; Mortensen, Laust; Igland, Jannicke; Tell, Grethe S; Tambs, Kristian; Graff-Iversen, Sidsel; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Næss, Øyvind

2015-04-01

Independently of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, cognitive ability may account for some of the excess risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with lower education. We aimed to assess how late adolescence cognitive ability and midlife CVD risk factors are associated with the educational gradient in CHD in Norway. In a cohort of 57 279 men born during 1949-1959, health survey information was linked to military conscription records of cognitive ability, to national educational data, to hospitalisation records from the Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR) project and to the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Age and period adjusted HR for incident CHD events was 3.62 (95% CI 2.50 to 5.24) for basic relative to tertiary education, and was attenuated after adjustment; to 2.86 (1.87 to 4.38) for cognitive ability, to 1.90 (1.30 to 2.78) for CVD risk factors, and to 1.84 (1.20 to 2.83) when adjusting for both. Age and period adjusted absolute rate difference was 51 (33 to 70) incident CHD events per 100,000 person years between basic and tertiary educated, and was attenuated after adjustment; to 42 (22 to 61) for cognitive ability, to 25 (7 to 42) for CVD risk factors, and to 24 (5 to 43) when adjusting for both. Late adolescence cognitive ability attenuated the educational gradient in incident CHD events. CVD risk factors further attenuated the gradient, and to the same extent regardless of whether cognitive ability was included or not. Cognitive ability might be linked to the educational gradient through CVD risk factors. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Changes in Cognition and Decision Making Capacity Following Brain Tumour Resection: Illustrated with Two Cases.

PubMed

Veretennikoff, Katie; Walker, David; Biggs, Vivien; Robinson, Gail

2017-09-24

Changes in cognition, behaviour and emotion frequently occur in patients with primary and secondary brain tumours. This impacts the ability to make considered decisions, especially following surgical resection, which is often overlooked in the management of patients. Moreover, the impact of cognitive deficits on decision making ability affects activities of daily living and functional independence. The assessment process to ascertain decision making capacity remains a matter of debate. One avenue for evaluating a patient's ability to make informed decisions in the context of brain tumour resection is neuropsychological assessment. This involves the assessment of a wide range of cognitive abilities on standard measurement tools, providing a robust approach to ascertaining capacity. Evidence has shown that a comprehensive and tailored neuropsychological assessment has greater sensitivity than brief cognitive screening tools to detect subtle and/or specific cognitive deficits in brain tumours. It is the precise nature and severity of any cognitive deficits that determines any implications for decision making capacity. This paper focuses on cognitive deficits and decision making capacity following surgical resection of both benign and malignant, and primary and secondary brain tumours in adult patients, and the implications for patients' ability to consent to future medical treatment and make decisions related to everyday activities.

Changes in Cognition and Decision Making Capacity Following Brain Tumour Resection: Illustrated with Two Cases

PubMed Central

Veretennikoff, Katie; Walker, David; Biggs, Vivien; Robinson, Gail

2017-01-01

Changes in cognition, behaviour and emotion frequently occur in patients with primary and secondary brain tumours. This impacts the ability to make considered decisions, especially following surgical resection, which is often overlooked in the management of patients. Moreover, the impact of cognitive deficits on decision making ability affects activities of daily living and functional independence. The assessment process to ascertain decision making capacity remains a matter of debate. One avenue for evaluating a patient’s ability to make informed decisions in the context of brain tumour resection is neuropsychological assessment. This involves the assessment of a wide range of cognitive abilities on standard measurement tools, providing a robust approach to ascertaining capacity. Evidence has shown that a comprehensive and tailored neuropsychological assessment has greater sensitivity than brief cognitive screening tools to detect subtle and/or specific cognitive deficits in brain tumours. It is the precise nature and severity of any cognitive deficits that determines any implications for decision making capacity. This paper focuses on cognitive deficits and decision making capacity following surgical resection of both benign and malignant, and primary and secondary brain tumours in adult patients, and the implications for patients’ ability to consent to future medical treatment and make decisions related to everyday activities. PMID:28946652

Social cognition and work performance of persons with schizophrenia in a Chinese population.

PubMed

Lo, Panmi; Siu, Andrew M H

2015-01-01

Social-cognitive deficits have a significant impact on the community and vocational functioning of persons with schizophrenia. This study aimed to explore the relationship between social-cognitive abilities and vocational functioning in a Chinese population. We recruited 30 outpatients with schizophrenia to participate. We administered the Chinese Social Cognition and Screening Questionnaire (C-SCSQ) to assess Theory of Mind (ToM), attributional bias, and neurocognition; the Facial Expression Identification Test (FEIT) to assess emotion perception (EP) ability, and the Chinese Work Personality Profile (CWPP) to assess work performance in a simulated work setting. ToM showed a significant negative correlation with attributional bias. The neurocognitive measure displayed a significant positive correlation with ToM and EP. The structural equation model was a good fit to the data (CFI=0.91, RMSEA=0.12), and showed that social-cognitive abilities had a significant impact (-0.41) on work performance. Of the four social-cognitive domains, ToM and paranoid attributional style (PAS) contributed significantly to variations in work performance. These results support the theory that social-cognitive abilities have an impact on work performance. ToM has a positive impact whereas PAS has an adverse effect. Persons with schizophrenia present specific deficits in their social-cognitive abilities, which have significant impact on their work performance and employability.

Cognitive correlates of financial abilities in mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Okonkwo, Ozioma C; Wadley, Virginia G; Griffith, H Randall; Ball, Karlene; Marson, Daniel C

2006-11-01

To investigate the cognitive correlates of financial abilities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Controlled, matched-sample, cross-sectional analysis regressing five cognitive composites on financial performance measures. University medical and research centers. Forty-three persons with MCI and 43 normal controls. The Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI) and a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. Patients with MCI performed significantly worse than controls on cognitive domains of executive function, memory, and language and on FCI domains of financial conceptual knowledge, bank statement management, and bill payment. Patients with MCI also needed significantly more time to complete a multistep financial task and were significantly more likely than controls to make errors on this task. Stepwise regression models revealed that, within the MCI group, attention and executive function were significant correlates of FCI performance. Although impaired memory is the cardinal deficit in MCI, the neurocognitive basis of lower functional performance in MCI appears to be emergent declines in abilities to selectively attend, self-monitor, and temporally integrate information. Compromised performance on cognitive measures of attention and executive function may constitute clinical markers of lower financial abilities and should be evaluated for its relationship to functional ability in general. These cognitive domains may be appropriate targets of future intervention studies aimed at preservation of functional independence in people with MCI.

Socio-cognitive profiles for visual learning in young and older adults

PubMed Central

Christian, Julie; Goldstone, Aimee; Kuai, Shu-Guang; Chin, Wynne; Abrams, Dominic; Kourtzi, Zoe

2015-01-01

It is common wisdom that practice makes perfect; but why do some adults learn better than others? Here, we investigate individuals’ cognitive and social profiles to test which variables account for variability in learning ability across the lifespan. In particular, we focused on visual learning using tasks that test the ability to inhibit distractors and select task-relevant features. We tested the ability of young and older adults to improve through training in the discrimination of visual global forms embedded in a cluttered background. Further, we used a battery of cognitive tasks and psycho-social measures to examine which of these variables predict training-induced improvement in perceptual tasks and may account for individual variability in learning ability. Using partial least squares regression modeling, we show that visual learning is influenced by cognitive (i.e., cognitive inhibition, attention) and social (strategic and deep learning) factors rather than an individual’s age alone. Further, our results show that independent of age, strong learners rely on cognitive factors such as attention, while weaker learners use more general cognitive strategies. Our findings suggest an important role for higher-cognitive circuits involving executive functions that contribute to our ability to improve in perceptual tasks after training across the lifespan. PMID:26113820

Profiling Fragile X Syndrome in Males: Strengths and Weaknesses in Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van der Molen, M. J. W.; Huizinga, M.; Huizenga, H. M.; Ridderinkhof, K. R.; Van der Molen, M. W.; Hamel, B. J. C.; Curfs, L. M. G.; Ramakers, G. J. A.

2010-01-01

The present study examined the cognitive profile in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) males, and investigated whether cognitive profiles are similar for FXS males at different levels of intellectual functioning. Cognitive abilities in non-verbal, verbal, memory and executive functioning domains were contrasted to both a non-verbal and verbal mental age…

Is Education Associated with Improvements in General Cognitive Ability, or in Specific Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Stuart J.; Bates, Timothy C.; Deary, Ian J.

2015-01-01

Previous research has indicated that education influences cognitive development, but it is unclear what, precisely, is being improved. Here, we tested whether education is associated with cognitive test score improvements via domain-general effects on general cognitive ability ("g"), or via domain-specific effects on particular cognitive…

The Cognitive Profile of Adult Dyslexics and Its Relation to Their Reading Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beidas, Hanin; Khateb, Asaid; Breznitz, Zvia

2013-01-01

The question of which cognitive impairments are primarily associated with dyslexia has been a source of continuous debate. This study examined the cognitive profile of Hebrew-speaking compensated adult dyslexics and investigated whether their cognitive abilities accounted for a unique variance in their reading performance. Sixty-nine young adults…

Comparison of body composition and physical and cognitive function between older Japanese adults with no diabetes, prediabetes and diabetes: A cross-sectional study in community-dwelling Japanese older people.

PubMed

Kera, Takeshi; Kawai, Hisashi; Hirano, Hirohiko; Kojima, Motonaga; Watanabe, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Yoshinori; Ihara, Kazushige; Obuchi, Shuichi

2018-03-26

Diabetes is associated with not only cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, but also reductions in physical and cognitive function. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether muscle strength, walking ability and balance declined in Japanese community-dwelling older adults with diabetes or prediabetes. We analyzed data from comprehensive health checkups carried out for 1689 individuals (710 men, 979 women; mean age 71.4 ± 5.6 years) between 2011 and 2016. Participants were divided into three groups: no diabetes (non-history of diabetes and glycated hemoglobin level <5.7%), prediabetes (non-history of diabetes, but glycated hemoglobin level was 5.7-6.4%) and diabetes (history of diabetes or glycated hemoglobin level >6.4%). Physical and cognitive function were compared between groups after adjusting for covariates. Participants with diabetes showed higher levels of obesity, comorbidity, gonarthrosis, and body fat, and lower levels of physical function relative to those observed in participants with prediabetes or no diabetes. After adjusting covariates, participants with diabetes showed significantly lower grip strength (P < 0.010), slower walking speed (P < 0.005), longer Timed Up and Go test time (P < 0.007) and less time spent standing on one foot (P < 0.001) relative to those with no diabetes, but not those with prediabetes. Significant functional decline was observed in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes, but not in those with prediabetes. Prevention of the progression of prediabetes to diabetes is important in avoiding reductions in physical function. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; ••: ••-••. © 2018 Japan Geriatrics Society.

A systematic review of cognitive failures in daily life: Healthy populations.

PubMed

Carrigan, Nicole; Barkus, Emma

2016-04-01

Cognitive failures are minor errors in thinking reported by clinical and non-clinical individuals during everyday life. It is not yet clear how subjectively-reported cognitive failures relate to objective neuropsychological ability. We aimed to consolidate the definition of cognitive failures, outline evidence for the relationship with objective cognition, and develop a unified model of factors that increase cognitive failures. We conducted a systematic review of cognitive failures, identifying 45 articles according to the PRISMA statement. Failures were defined as reflecting proneness to errors in 'real world' planned thought and action. Vulnerability to failures was not consistently associated with objective cognitive performance. A range of stable and variable factors were linked to increased risk of cognitive failures. We conclude that cognitive failures measure real world cognitive capacity rather than pure 'unchallenged' ability. Momentary state may interact with predisposing trait factors to increase the likelihood of failures occurring. Inclusion of self-reported cognitive failures in objective cognitive research will increase the translational relevance of ability into more ecologically valid aspects of real world functioning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A meta-analysis of heritability of cognitive aging: minding the "missing heritability" gap.

PubMed

Reynolds, Chandra A; Finkel, Deborah

2015-03-01

The etiologies underlying variation in adult cognitive performance and cognitive aging have enjoyed much attention in the literature, but much of that attention has focused on broad factors, principally general cognitive ability. The current review provides meta-analyses of age trends in heritability of specific cognitive abilities and considers the profile of genetic and environmental factors contributing to cognitive aging to address the 'missing heritability' issue. Our findings, based upon evaluating 27 reports in the literature, indicate that verbal ability demonstrated declining heritability, after about age 60, as did spatial ability and perceptual speed more modestly. Trends for general memory, working memory, and spatial ability generally indicated stability, or small increases in heritability in mid-life. Equivocal results were found for executive function. A second meta-analysis then considered the gap between twin-based versus SNP-based heritability derived from population-based GWAS studies. Specifically, we considered twin correlation ratios to agnostically re-evaluate biometrical models across age and by cognitive domain. Results modestly suggest that nonadditive genetic variance may become increasingly important with age, especially for verbal ability. If so, this would support arguments that lower SNP-based heritability estimates result in part from uncaptured non-additive influences (e.g., dominance, gene-gene interactions), and possibly gene-environment (GE) correlations. Moreover, consistent with longitudinal twin studies of aging, as rearing environment becomes a distal factor, increasing genetic variance may result in part from nonadditive genetic influences or possible GE correlations. Sensitivity to life course dynamics is crucial to understanding etiological contributions to adult cognitive performance and cognitive aging.

Cognitive and adaptive correlates of an ADOS-derived joint attention composite

PubMed Central

Harrison, Ashley Johnson; Lu, Zhenqiu (Laura); McLean, Rebecca L.; Sheinkopf, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

Joint attention skills have been shown to predict language outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Less is known about the relationship between joint attention (JA) abilities in children with ASD and cognitive and adaptive abilities. In the current study, a subset of items from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), designed to quantify JA abilities, were used to investigate social attention among an unusually large cross-sectional sample of children with ASD (n = 1061). An examination of the association between JA and a range of functional correlates (cognitive and adaptive) revealed JA was significantly related to verbal (VIQ) and non-verbal (NVIQ) cognitive ability as well as all domains of adaptive functioning (socialization, communication, and daily living skills). Additional analyses examined the degree to which the relation between adaptive abilities (socialization, communication, and daily living skills) and JA was maintained after taking into account the potentially mediating role of verbal and nonverbal cognitive ability. Results revealed that VIQ fully mediated the relation between JA and adaptive functioning, whereas the relation between these adaptive variables and JA was only partially mediated by NVIQ. Moderation analyses were also conducted to examine how verbal and non-verbal cognitive ability and gender impacted the relation between JA and adaptive functioning. In line with research showing a relation between language and JA, this indicates that while JA is significantly related to functional outcomes, this appears to be mediated specifically through a verbal cognitive pathway. PMID:28168003

Motivation and learning styles in young children with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Wishart, J

2001-10-01

There are both psychological and biological reasons to expect that certain areas of learning will present young children with Down syndrome with significant problems. Knowledge of the neurological underpinnings of these specific difficulties can often allow compensatory teaching strategies to be put in place, however, and some of these have proved highly effective. The impact of the psychological environment on the progress of development in children with Down syndrome is less well understood. Experience of how others respond to their attempts at understanding the physical and social world and the balance of successes and failures they experience in their early learning are both likely to influence the approach to learning adopted when faced with mastering new skills. Findings from inter-linking studies of cognitive and socio-cognitive development which have explored learning behaviours at different ages and at different developmental stages illustrate how a learning style can sometimes evolve over time in which less than efficient use is made of current levels of cognitive ability. Social ploys are sometimes used to avoid engagement in learning, with the net effect that opportunities to learn new skills are not fully exploited and old skills are sometimes inadequately consolidated. Findings of a misuse of social skills in cognitive contexts do not necessarily provide support for the widely-held view that social understanding is an area of strength in children with Down syndrome and less vulnerable to disruption than cognitive development. Data from a recent study of face-processing abilities suggest that there may in fact be a specific weakness in a fundamental skill normally underpinning the development of social understanding: the ability to recognise differences in emotional expressions. The children with Down syndrome in this study had few problems in correctly identifying individual faces but evidenced difficulties in reliably interpreting the emotional expressions portrayed in these faces. These findings are consistent with the emerging picture of neurological disruption in Down syndrome and with what is known of the neurology underlying this key component in social cognition. As most learning takes place in a social context, the findings have implications for adult-child and child-child learning partnerships and would seem to merit further investigation.

Inferring mass in complex scenes by mental simulation.

PubMed

Hamrick, Jessica B; Battaglia, Peter W; Griffiths, Thomas L; Tenenbaum, Joshua B

2016-12-01

After observing a collision between two boxes, you can immediately tell which is empty and which is full of books based on how the boxes moved. People form rich perceptions about the physical properties of objects from their interactions, an ability that plays a crucial role in learning about the physical world through our experiences. Here, we present three experiments that demonstrate people's capacity to reason about the relative masses of objects in naturalistic 3D scenes. We find that people make accurate inferences, and that they continue to fine-tune their beliefs over time. To explain our results, we propose a cognitive model that combines Bayesian inference with approximate knowledge of Newtonian physics by estimating probabilities from noisy physical simulations. We find that this model accurately predicts judgments from our experiments, suggesting that the same simulation mechanism underlies both peoples' predictions and inferences about the physical world around them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical activity and cognitive trajectories in cognitively normal adults: the adult children study.

PubMed

Pizzie, Rachel; Hindman, Halley; Roe, Catherine M; Head, Denise; Grant, Elizabeth; Morris, John C; Hassenstab, Jason J

2014-01-01

Increased physical activity may protect against cognitive decline, the primary symptom of Alzheimer disease. In this study, we examined the relationship between physical activity and trajectories of cognitive functioning over serial assessments. Cognitively normal (Clinical Dementia Rating 0) middle-aged and older adults (N=173; mean age, 60.7 ± 7.8 y) completed a self-report measure of physical activity and a battery of standard neuropsychological tests assessing processing speed, attention, executive functioning, and verbal memory. At baseline, individuals with higher physical activity levels performed better on tests of episodic memory and visuospatial functioning. Over subsequent follow-up visits, higher physical activity was associated with small performance gains on executive functioning and working memory tasks in participants with one or more copies of the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4). In APOE4 noncarriers, slopes of cognitive performance over time were not related to baseline physical activity. Our results suggest that cognitively normal older adults who report higher levels of physical activity may have slightly better cognitive performance, but the potential cognitive benefits of higher levels of physical activity over time may be most evident in individuals at genetic risk for Alzheimer disease.