Academic literature on the topic 'Cognitive and computational psychology not elsewhere classified'

AbstractObjective:To determine whether volumetric measures of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and other cortical measures can differentiate between cognitively normal individuals and subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Method:Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 46 cognitively normal subjects and 50 subjects with MCI as part of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center research registry and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative were used in this cross-sectional study. Cortical, subcortical, and hippocampal subfield volumes were generated from each subject’s MRI data using FreeSurfer v6.0. Nominal logistic regression models containing these variables were used to identify subjects as control or MCI.Results:A model containing regions of interest (superior temporal cortex, caudal anterior cingulate, pars opercularis, subiculum, precentral cortex, caudal middle frontal cortex, rostral middle frontal cortex, pars orbitalis, middle temporal cortex, insula, banks of the superior temporal sulcus, parasubiculum, paracentral lobule) fit the data best (R2= .7310, whole model test chi-square = 97.16,p< .0001).Conclusions:MRI data correctly classified most subjects using measures of selected medial temporal lobe structures in combination with those from other cortical areas, yielding an overall classification accuracy of 93.75%. These findings support the notion that, while volumes of medial temporal lobe regions differ between cognitively normal and MCI subjects, differences that can be used to distinguish between these two populations are present elsewhere in the brain.

It is often assumed that similar domain-specific behavioural impairments found in cases of adult brain damage and developmental disorders correspond to similar underlying causes, and can serve as convergent evidence for the modular structure of the normal adult cognitive system. We argue that this correspondence is contingent on an unsupported assumption that atypical development can produce selective deficits while the rest of the system develops normally (Residual Normality), and that this assumption tends to bias data collection in the field. Based on a review of connectionist models of acquired and developmental disorders in the domains of reading and past tense, as well as on new simulations, we explore the computational viability of Residual Normality and the potential role of development in producing behavioural deficits. Simulations demonstrate that damage to a developmental model can produce very different effects depending on whether it occurs prior to or following the training process. Because developmental disorders typically involve damage prior to learning, we conclude that the developmental process is a key component of the explanation of endstate impairments in such disorders. Further simulations demonstrate that in simple connectionist learning systems, the assumption of Residual Normality is undermined by processes of compensation or alteration elsewhere in the system. We outline the precise computational conditions required for Residual Normality to hold in development, and suggest that in many cases it is an unlikely hypothesis. We conclude that in developmental disorders, inferences from behavioural deficits to underlying structure crucially depend on developmental conditions, and that the process of ontogenetic development cannot be ignored in constructing models of developmental disorders.

Visual illusions and perceptual grouping phenomena offer an invaluable tool for probing the computational mechanism of low-level visual processing. Some illusions, like the Kanizsa figure, reveal illusory contours that form edges collinear with the inducing stimulus. This kind of illusory contour has been modeled by neural network models by way of cells equipped with elongated spatial receptive fields designed to detect and complete the collinear alignment. There are, however, other illusory groupings which are not so easy to account for in neural network terms. The Ehrenstein illusion exhibits an illusory contour that forms a contour orthogonal to the stimulus instead of collinear with it. Other perceptual grouping effects reveal illusory contours that exhibit a sharp corner or vertex, and still others take the form of vertices defined by the intersection of three, four, or more illusory contours that meet at a point. A direct extension of the collinear completion models to account for these phenomena tends towards a combinatorial explosion, because it would suggest cells with specialized receptive fields configured to perform each of those completion types, each of which would have to be replicated at every location and every orientation across the visual field. These phenomena therefore challenge the adequacy of the neural network approach to account for these diverse perceptual phenomena. I have proposed elsewhere an alternative paradigm of neurocomputation in the harmonic resonance theory (Lehar 1999, see website), whereby pattern recognition and completion are performed by spatial standing waves across the neural substrate. The standing waves perform a computational function analogous to that of the spatial receptive fields of the neural network approach, except that, unlike that paradigm, a single resonance mechanism performs a function equivalent to a whole array of spatial receptive fields of different spatial configurations and of different orientations, and thereby avoids the combinatorial explosion inherent in the older paradigm. The present paper presents the directional harmonic model, a more specific development of the harmonic resonance theory, designed to account for specific perceptual grouping phenomena. Computer simulations of the directional harmonic model show that it can account for collinear contours as observed in the Kanizsa figure, orthogonal contours as seen in the Ehrenstein illusion, and a number of illusory vertex percepts composed of two, three, or more illusory contours that meet in a variety of configurations.

Although emotional labour has been studied extensively among work populations such as doctors, detectives and adventure tourism guides, there has been no known research on the psychology of actors and acting within an emotional labour framework. This investigation had two purposes. The first was to extend what is currently known about two emotional labour strategies: surface acting, the regulation of observable expressions of emotions, and deep acting, the regulation of felt emotions, to include actual actors. The dependent variables used in this study were job and life satisfaction. The second purpose was to examine whether having a sense of community moderated the relationship between surface acting, deep acting and the dependent variables. Responses from 89 professional, amateur and community theatre actors were analysed. Pearson’s correlation coefficients showed a significant relationship between surface acting and the dependent variables. Hierarchical regression results showed a significant moderation effect for sense of community on the relationship between deep acting and life satisfaction. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

This study investigates linguistic, perceptual, and pedagogical change (LPPC) in a short-term, study abroad English immersion program. It proposes the LPPC Interactive Model of second language acquisition based on Gardner's 1985 socioeducational model and Woods' 1996 beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge (BAK) structure. The framework is applied in a cross-cultural context, highlighting participants in the 1993 Camosun Osaka Aoyama English Language Institute involving Japanese English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students from Aoyama Junior College in Osaka, Japan, and non-Japanese ESL teachers at Camosun College and Canada's University of Victoria in British Columbia. The study examined the definition of teacher achievement; distinctions between language activation and language acquisition in the short-term, study abroad context; development of the constructs student BAK+, teacher BAK+, and class BAK+ to describe interactions in "class fit"; and the influence of temporal parameters on linguistic, perceptual, and pedagogical change. Data from teacher and student surveys and interviews suggest that change occurs in each of the linguistic, perceptual, and pedagogical dimensions and support constructs proposed for the model.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the interactions between firefighters’ sleep, ambient temperature, hydration status, and cognitive performance during simulated single and multi-day wildfire suppressions. These exact aims are addressed through four studies: 1.To assess the effect of ambient heat during day-(33-35°C) and night-time (23-25°C) exposures on firefighters’ sleep quantity and quality during a simulated multi-day wildfire suppression compared to thermoneutral temperatures (18-20°C; Study 1 -Chapter 4). 2.To quantify the effect of sleep restriction in either ambient heat with day- (33-35°C) and night-time (23-25°C) exposures or thermoneutral conditions (18-20°C) on firefighters’ sleep architecture during a simulated multi-day wildfire suppression compared to a control condition with normal sleep in temperate conditions (18-20°C; Study 2 –Chapter 5). 3.To examine the association between firefighters’ hydration status and cognitive performance during a simulated prolonged wildfire suppression shift in the heat (33-35°C) compared to thermoneutral temperatures (18-20°C; Study 3 –Chapter 6). 4.To examine the effect on cognitive performance of sleep restriction in either ambient heat with day-(33-35°C) and night-time (18-20°C) temperature changes or temperate conditions (18-20°C) during a simulated multi-day wildfire suppression compared to a control condition with full sleep opportunities in thermoneutral temperatures (18-20°C; Study 4 –Chapter 7).

The ability to solve problems creatively has been crucial for the adaptation and survival of humans throughout history. In many real–life situations, cognitive processes are not isolated. Humans are social, they communicate and form groups to solve daily problems and make decisions. Therefore, the final output of cognitive processes can come from multi–brains in groups rather than an individual one. This multi–brain output can be largely different from the output that an individual person produces in isolation. As a result, it is essential to include team–level processes in cognitive models to make a more accurate description of real– world cognitive processes in general and problem solving in particular. This research aims to answer the general question of how working in a team affects creative problem solving. For doing that, first, we propose a computational model for multi-agent creative problem solving. Then, we show how the model can be used to study the factors that are involved in creativity in teams and potentially will suggest answers to questions such as, ‘how team size is related to creativity’.

Cognitive control is accomplished by a set of higher-order cognitive processes that are recruited to aid in the completion of various tasks. A popular proposed mechanism is the Dual Mechanisms of Control (Braver, Gray, & Burgess, 2007), proposing proactive and reactive mechanisms. While neuroscience studies provide evidence that these are two distinct processes, it remains unclear whether the processes are competing, or whether they can be used together. That is, are the two processes able to both be enacted to some degree? Further, whether these mechanisms can be titrated to produce a gradient-like use of control on a trial-level basis is unknown. These are the two primary pursuits of this dissertation. Experiment 1 shows the titrated pattern of control use, indicating (a) sensitivity to task demands, and (b) dynamic use of proactive and reactive control at the trial level, in a new task. Further, a novel contribution is the observation of ability to titrate the use of control. Additional experiments relate performance on this task to working memory (Experiment 2), replicate the findings in an online format (Experiment 3), and differentiate performance from distance effects commonly seen in relative judgment tasks (Experiment 4). This work has implications for the understanding of how cognitive control functions and how dynamically the use of these mechanisms can be adjusted.

Given the current production and service requirements for many organisations, 24/7 operations have become increasingly commonplace. This has resulted in a greater use of non-standard working arrangements, including shift work, and increasingly, on-call work. Despite being operationally essential for many industries, there has been limited research on the human impact of on-call work. There is evidence to suggest that workers experience increased anxiety surrounding their on-call periods, which has been linked with poorer sleep outcomes. It is well known that poor sleep can result in significant cognitive and work performance decrements. As such, it is vital to understand any changes to anxiety and subsequent sleep, as decrements may have far reaching implications for worker and organisational health and safety. This is particularly pertinent as on-call work is often performed in response to emergency situations or in workplaces with high levels of safety risk (i.e., emergency services, healthcare, power network services). Despite the potentially severe consequences of impaired cognitive performance when on-call, no research has determined which components of on-call work may lead to increased worker anxiety and poorer sleep. Additionally, little previous research has investigated the effects of on-call periods decoupled from the sleep restriction that accompanies the calls and call-outs themselves. As such, this thesis investigates how certain components of on-call work affect anxiety, sleep, and cognitive performance in a laboratory context, without the confounding effect of shortened or interrupted sleep periods. This thesis consists of three studies, each designed to address one component of on-call work thought to cause anxiety. Seventy-two healthy, male participants were recruited to participate in a four-night laboratory study in the Appleton Institute’s time-isolated sleep laboratory (n = 24 per study). The same methodology was employed in each study, aside from the on-call conditions they comprised. The four nights of each study were; an adaptation night, a control night (not on-call), and two counterbalanced on-call nights designed to address specific on-call components. These components were; Study 1: The likelihood of receiving a call (on-call conditions = definitely and maybe; Chapter 3), Study 2: How stressful the tasks to be performed on-call are (on-call conditions = high stress and low stress; Chapter 4), and Study 3: The perceived chance of missing the alarm (on-call conditions = high chance and low chance; Chapter 5). Participants were given instructions regarding their on-call status prior to bed each night. Outcome measures included pre-bed state anxiety, sleep (as measured by both polysomnography and quantitative electroencephalographic assessment), and next day cognitive performance. The effect of trait anxiety on state anxiety, sleep, and cognitive performance was measured across all three studies. The relationship between trait anxiety and each of these outcome variables was examined in the context of each on-call component, to determine if higher levels of trait anxiety result in poorer tolerance of on-call work (Chapter 6). Results indicated that conditions with uncertainty around the on-call alarm resulted in poorer sleep and cognitive performance. These differences were seen when participants were instructed that they may be called (Chapter 3), and when there was a high chance of missing the alarm (Chapter 5). Further, next day cognitive performance improved when participants performed a high stress task on-call, compared with a low stress task, potentially as a result of increased physiological and psychological arousal (Chapter 4). However, the magnitude of these changes was limited. When the effect of trait anxiety was examined in the context of these three studies, it appeared that individuals with lower trait anxiety were no more tolerant of on-call working arrangements than those with higher trait anxiety (Chapter 6). From this thesis we can conclude that there are some components of on-call work that affect anxiety, sleep, and cognitive performance outcomes more than others. Specifically, the uncertainty around calls seems to produce the most noticeable decrements, though these decrements were not large in magnitude. The findings of this thesis suggest potentially simple, cost-effective strategies for minimising the uncertainty surrounding on-call periods (e.g., a backup call system, or the identification and management of call likelihood). Additionally, findings suggest that there may be some protective effects of performing high stress tasks on cognitive performance on-call. However, it is important to note that this protective effect was apparent under laboratory conditions with just one high stress on-call night, and must be interpreted with caution. These findings are presented with a view to making on-call periods safer and more productive for workers and organisations.

The goal of my dissertation is to take a step toward shifting the narrative in engineering from “surviving” to “thriving” so that more engineering students can reach their full potential in college and beyond. Many engineering students experience barriers such as the hardships of engineering culture, which are exacerbated for women and underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities(such as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students). These barriers are well documented in research and well discussed in interventions to support engineering student success, under the assumption that helping students cope with these cultural and systemic barriers will, by itself, lead to their success. My research on engineering thriving challenges this assumption by asserting that the skills engineering students need to succeed academically, socially, and personally differ from the skills they need to “survive” cultural and systemic barriers.

Explanatory style optimism and Self -Esteem theorists both claim to be able positively to influence the child's psychological well-being. This study was conducted to compare the effects of Optimism training and Self -Esteem training with children. Participants were 157 children (83 boys and 74 girls) attending Grade 6. Participants in Class groups were assigned to one of three conditions for

training in Optimism (n = 51), Self -Esteem (n ----49) and a Control group (n = 57). Children completed self -report questionnaires on explanatory style (CASQ), depression (CES-DC), global self-esteem (RSE), and domain self-esteem (PH). Peer ratings on each participant were conducted via a sociogram, school achievement was assessed using the Milton Spelling Age test, and participants completed three hypothetical questions based on Flavell's theory of metacognition. This battery of tests was completed on three occasions: before training, immediately after the training and six months following the training. Comparison of the two theoretical models showed that the Optimism model fitted the data better than the Self -Esteem model. Optimism training was more effective than Self -Esteem training in increasing optimism, and decreasing depression with a follow-on effect to social skills and aspects of domain self-esteem. Implications for education are that Optimism training may have a greater influence on the child's psychological welfare than existing Self -Esteem programs.