Dissertations / Theses: 'Cognitive Factors'

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McGowan, Alastair. "Cognitive factors mediating situation awareness." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2006. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55639/.

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The six experiments reported in this thesis tested Endsley's (1995) three level theory of perception, comprehension and projection in SA alongside relevant cognitive theories, using a driving hazard perception test (HPT) of both hazard recognition and hazard anticipation as the main dependent measures. Experiments 1 and 2 tested the effects of training and expertise on the HPT, revealing a positive association between hazard anticipation and both SA training and expertise. Experiment 2 revealed a potentially complex relationship between expertise and recognition and anticipation. The effects of training Endsley's (1995) perception and comprehension levels of SA did not appear to be additive as predicted by that theory. Experiments 3 and 4 tested the effects of concurrent freeze probes and real time SA probes on the HPT. This revealed a negative effect of interruption and a positive effect of reorientation (revealing the rationale of the task) associated with the use of a freeze probe, in terms of hazard anticipation. Furthermore, these two effects appear to be mutually cancelling. It was also found that notification of forthcoming online probes does not ameliorate the negative effects of those interruptions in terms of hazard anticipation. Experiments 5 and 6 tested the effects of working memory interference in terms of visual-spatial, phonological and episodic buffer processing on the two HPT measures. This revealed more deleterious effects on hazard recognition associated with visual-spatial and episodic buffer interference than with phonological interference. It is argued that in terms of SA related visual processing during driving Milner and Goodale's (1992) dual pathway theory appears to have more explanatory power than Endsley's (1995) theory of SA.

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Menon, Mahesh. "Cognitive factors in schizophrenic delusions." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614728.

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Todd, Gillian. "Cognitive factors in bulimia nervosa." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.613854.

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Barnacle, Gemma Elizabeth. "Understanding emotional memory : cognitive factors." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/understanding-emotional-memory-cognitive-factors(9b13f29e-169a-4dc5-a835-c5d8d7347ac4).html.

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The term Emotional Enhancement of Memory (EEM) describes the better memory of emotional compared to neutral events. When the EEM effect is measured after a delay the modulation model explains this effect very well, citing preferential consolidation of emotional events as the cause. However, the EEM effect can be observed before consolidation, an inexplicable result for the modulation model. Mediation theory offers an alternative explanation of the EEM effect: cognitive factors at encoding contribute to the immediate EEM (iEEM); namely attention, semantic relatedness, and distinctiveness processing (DP). The current research sought to further elucidate the neural underpinnings of DP – said to occur in ‘mixed’ lists of emotional and neutral stimuli – as a significant contributor to the iEEM. This was measured by comparing immediate free recall memory of emotional and neutral stimuli presented in mixed, and pure lists (emotional or neutral stimuli), using a specially formulated stimulus set which controlled for differential semantic relatedness (SeRENS, Chapter 3).Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data provided preliminary evidence of neural encoding correlates of the iEEM (Chapter 4 and 5); data which is not predicted by the modulation model. The behavioural EEM effect found in mixed lists was driven by a reduction in neutral memory relative to pure lists; however neural correlates of this effect were minimal. Conversely, successful mixed list emotional encoding (relative to pure list emotional encoding and neutral encoding) correlated with greater neural activity associated with [bottom-up] attention (in P300 and right supramarginal gyrus) and semantic processing (late positive potential and left anterior superior temporal gyrus; EEG and fMRI evidence respectively); although this did not correlate with behavioural measures of memory. This behaviour-neuroimaging discrepancy can be reconciled when one considers the results of Chapter 6: the crucial iEEM behavioural effect of impaired neutral memory was associated with retroactive interference from proceeding emotional stimuli (especially when relational processing resources were depleted); a neural effect that cannot be captured by the current event-related designs. This suggests that what is captured in the neuroimaging data is the mechanism which drives the retroactive interference at the temporal locus of emotional stimulus onset. These results raise the possibility of two disociable EEM effects: the iEEM effect explained by poor neutral memory due to retroactive interference of proceeding emotional stimuli (mediation theory); and the delayed EEM effect explained by preferential emotional stimulus consolidation (modulation model). These explanations can be unified into one model; however further testing would be required to determine the endurance of cognitive contributions to the EEM effect.

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Burton, David L. "Cognitive factors in sexually aggressive children /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/11185.

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Baldwin, Erin. "Humor Perception: The Contribution of Cognitive Factors." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2007. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/psych_diss/31.

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Most of the extant humor research has focused on humor comprehension with only a few studies investigating humor appreciation as a separate construct. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relation between humor and underlying cognitive processes. Literature on brain injured individuals has indicated that working memory, verbal and visual-spatial reasoning, cognitive flexibility, and concept formation are related to performance on comprehension tests of humor. In this study, cognitive processes underlying both verbal and nonverbal humor were investigated in a sample of healthy young adults. There is evidence that semantic and phonological humor are associated with different neural networks; therefore, both semantic and phonological humor were explored. Studies investigating physiological arousal and humor have indicated that arousal is necessary for the experience of humor. This suggests that the appreciation of humor may require the integration of cognitive and affective information, a process mediated by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Thus, a second goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between humor comprehension and appreciation and the VMPFC, by including experimental tasks that previously have been linked to VMPFC functioning. Participants included 94 undergraduate psychology students between the ages of 18 and 39 years. Participants watched film clips and listened to jokes. After the presentation of each joke and each film clip, they completed a humor comprehension/appreciation inventory developed for this study. They also completed measures assessing a range of cognitive abilities hypothesized to underlie humor perception. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that verbal reasoning was predictive of semantic humor comprehension, indicating that verbal reasoning is a core cognitive ability for the comprehension of jokes in which the humor depends on factors other than simple word play. Cognitive measures were not predictive of phonological humor comprehension or nonverbal humor comprehension. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the indicators of VMPFC functioning did not correlate with either humor comprehension or humor appreciation and did not moderate the relation between humor comprehension and humor appreciation. Future research is necessary to elucidate the relationships between cognitive abilities and humor perception and to further explore the contribution of the VMPFC to humor appreciation.

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Baldwin, Erin Jannett Maren. "Humor perception the contribution of cognitive factors /." unrestricted, 2007. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-06172007-015744/.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007.
Title from file title page. Mary Morris, committee chair; Diana Robins, Erin McClure, Eric Vanman, committee members. Electronic text (137 p. : ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Nov. 6, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-106).

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Holttum, Susan. "Depression : cognitive, social, environmental and emotional factors." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2654.

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This work examined four issues, in relation to both the experience of depression, and vulnerability to depression. There were four empirical studies, each with two parts. The first study examined the role of cognitions, such as overgeneralizations (Beck, 1963; Beck et al, 1979), and causal attributions (Abramson et al, 1978; Alloy et al, 1988). Their role as symptoms of depression, and as possible vulnerability factors, independent of current mood, was examined. In the first part of the study, clinically depressed patients, recovered subjects, and community control subjects were interviewed and given questionnaires. In the second part of the study a larger sample of students, some of whom became mildly depressed on beginning university filled in questionnaires at the start of term and again five weeks later. The same subject groups were the basis for the study on social factors, and the study on life events. The fourth study was also in two parts. A different sample of students were the subjects for the first part, and the same clinical and control groups participated in the second part. Factors found to be associated with the state of depression were: Internal, stable and global attributions for the causes of bad events, negative view of future outcomes, and negative view of self; social skill deficits and lack of social support; recent difficult life events. One factor failed to show any strong association with the depressed state – unrealistic goals. Factors associated with vulnerability to depression: Negative evaluations of future outcomes, and of self, unrealistic goals and, surprisingly, lower-than-normal goals; deficits in social skill (especially low self-confidence in social settings) and lack of social support; history-of difficult life events. Factors which failed to show association with vulnerability to depression: Causal-attributions for events; adverse reaction to depression itself. Deficits in social skill were associated with lack of social support. Depression proneness itself appeared to be a risk factor for negative life events.

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Malek-Ahmadi, Michael. "Cardiovascular risk factors for mild cognitive impairment." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002872.

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Golden, Ann-Marie Jelena. "Complicated grief (CG) : emotional and cognitive factors." Thesis, Open University, 2007. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.446278.

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Koyama, Alain K. "Mechanisms and Risk Factors of Cognitive Aging." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:16121142.

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This dissertation explores the role of biologic factors and a novel method of measuring cognitive function in investigating mechanisms and risk factors of cognitive aging. With a rapidly increasing aging population, the public health burden of dementia is expected to rise in the future. Therefore, it is important to both better understand the etiology and identify novel risk factors, in order to reduce the incidence of new cases and develop effective treatments. Blood-based biomarkers, such as amyloid-beta and sex hormones, can provide an objective measure of factors likely associated with dementia risk. Additionally, computerized cognitive testing can provide efficient and accurate measurement of cognitive function, yet is seldom used in epidemiologic studies. Our first chapter involves the first systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies exploring the association between plasma amyloid-beta and incident Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. While preclinical prediction of Alzheimer’s disease is important for effective intervention, studies have considerably varied in design, assays and sample size, making it difficult to interpret the overall data and thus necessitating a systematic review and meta-analysis. The second chapter explores the association between endogenous hormone levels and cognitive function in a population of older women. While many studies have investigated the role of hormone therapy in cognitive aging, fewer studies have investigated endogenous hormones, which may provide a more objective measure of hormonal status. We therefore present a prospective cohort study investigating the association between several endogenous sex hormones and their prohormones at baseline, and cognitive function over 20 years later. The third chapter evaluates the feasibility and performance of a self-administered computerized cognitive battery. Although most epidemiologic studies of cognitive aging rely on traditional neuropsychological testing to measure cognitive outcomes, such methods can be prone to error, interviewer bias, and demand substantial time and cost. Therefore, we present results demonstrating for the first time the feasibility and performance of an unsupervised self-administered computerized cognitive battery in a population of older men.
Epidemiology

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Kaffashian, Sara. "Cognitive Aging : Role of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors." Phd thesis, Université Paris Sud - Paris XI, 2013. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00940586.

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Several cardiovascular disease risk factors including, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and diabetes have been proposed as important modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. These risk factors often co-occur and their aggregation is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. However, studies of composite measures of cardiovascular disease risk in relation to cognitive outcomes in non-elderly populations are scarce. The aim of this thesis was to examine composite measures of risk in relation to cognition and longitudinal cognitive change amongmiddle-aged adults. Data from the Whitehall II study were used to study the associations between the metabolic syndrome, two Framingham risk scores; the Framingham stroke and general cardiovascular disease risk scores, and cognition, based on three cognitive assessments over 10 years. In addition, these two (cardio)vascular risk scores were compared with the CAIDE dementia risk score. Of all composite measures of risk examined, the two Framingham risk scores were the best predictors of 10-year cognitive decline. Higher cardiovascular risk was associated with faster 10-year decline inmultiple cognitive tests including verbal fluency, vocabulary and global cognition. These results suggest that multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors contribute to cognitive decline starting in midlife and that multi-risk factor models such as cardiovascular risk scores may be better suited to assessing risk of cognitive decline. Early identification and treatment of cardiovascular disease risk factors may offer the possibility of markedly delaying or preventing cognitive decline.

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Solé, Pijuan Ester. "The cognitive side of pain experience in adolescents." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/352211.

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El dolor és el resultat de la interacció de factors físico-biològics, psicològics i socials segons el model biopsicosocial. Aquesta tesi doctoral es centra en els aspectes psicològics específicament en els factors cognitius (el catastrofisme davant el dolor, les creences respecte al dolor i la fusió cognitiva). Per a mesurar la dimensió cognitiva en els joves de forma adequada és necessari disposar d’eines apropiades i validades. Inclou 4 estudis, 3 avaluen les propietats psicomètriques de qüestionaris autoinformats en escolars catalans (estudi I: l’escala de catastrofisme al dolor per a nens; estudi II: la versió revisada del qüestionari pediàtric d’actituds davant el dolor; estudi III: el qüestionari de fusió cognitiva) i un l’altre (estudi IV) explora les associacions entre la fusió cognitiva i algunes variables associades al dolor. L’estudi I i III usaren un procediment de retrotraducció per desenvolupar les versions catalanes d’aquests qüestionaris. L’estudi II ha desenvolupat una versió modificada del qüestionari pediàtric d’actituds davant el dolor. Les conclusions més importants d’aquesta tesi són: 1. L’escala de catastrofisme al dolor per a nens ha mostrat puntuacions fiables i vàlides en escolars catalans. L’estructura factorial original de 3 factors ha estat replicada. 2. La versió pediàtrica revisada del qüestionari d’actituds davant el dolor ha presentat unes puntuacions amb una fiabilitat adequada per a totes les escales exceptuant l’escala de Cura Mèdica i una bona validesa de criteri excloent les escales de cura mèdica, medicació i emoció. L’estructura original de 7 factors ha estat confirmada. 3. El qüestionari de fusió cognitiva ha presentat puntuacions vàlides i fiables quan s’ha utilitzat en adolescents catalans. 4. La fusió cognitiva s’ha observat associada amb la intensitat del dolor , la discapacitat i el catastrofisme. També s’ha vist que actuava de mediador entre el catastrofisme al dolor i la discapacitat.
El dolor es el resultado de la interacción de factores físico-biológicos, psicológicos y sociales según el modelo biopsicosocial. Esta tesis doctoral se centra en los aspectos psicológicos específicamente en los factores cognitivos (el catastrofismo ante el dolor, las creencias respecto al dolor y la fusión cognitiva). Para medir la dimensión cognitiva en los jóvenes de forma adecuada es necesario disponer de herramientas apropiadas y validadas. Incluye 4 estudios, 3 evalúan les propiedades psicométricas de cuestionarios autoinformados en escolares catalanes (estudio I: la escala de catastrofismo ante el dolor para niños; estudio II: la versión revisada del cuestionario pediátrico de actitudes ante el dolor; estudio III: el cuestionario de fusión cognitiva) y el otro (estudio IV) explora las asociaciones entre la fusión cognitiva y algunas variables asociadas al dolor. Los estudios I y III usaron un procedimiento de retrotraducción para crear las versiones catalanas de estos cuestionarios. El estudio II ha desarrollado una versión modificada del cuestionario pediátrico de actitudes ante el dolor. Les conclusiones más importantes de esta tesis son: 1. La escala de catastrofismo al dolor para niños ha mostrado puntuaciones fiables y válidas en escolares catalanes. La estructura factorial original de 3 factores ha sido replicada. 2. La versión pediátrica revisada del cuestionario de actitudes ante el dolor ha presentado puntuaciones con fiabilidad adecuada para totas las escalas (exceptuando la escala de Cuidados Médicos) y buena validez de criterio excluyendo las escalas de Cuidados Médicos, Medicación y Emoción. La estructura original de 7 factores ha sido confirmada. 3. El cuestionario de fusión cognitiva ha presentado puntuaciones válidas y fiables cuando se ha utilizado en adolescentes catalanes. 4. La fusión cognitiva se ha demostrado asociada con la intensidad del dolor, la discapacidad y el catastrofismo. También se ha observado que actuaba de mediador entre el catastrofismo y la discapacidad.
According to the biopsychosocial model of pain, pain is the result of the interaction between biological/physical, psychological and social factors. In this Dissertation we focus on the psychological domain and specifically on the cognitive factors of pain catastrophizing, pain beliefs and cognitive fusion. Suitable, validated tools for assessing these cognitive constructs are needed in order to properly evaluate the cognitive dimension of pain in young people. This Dissertation includes 4 studies, three of which examine the psychometric properties of self-report questionnaires (Study I: the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children, PCS-C; Study II: the revised version of the Pediatric Survey of Pain Attitudes, Peds-SOPA; Study III: the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, CFQ). Study IV explores the associations between cognitive fusion and certain pain-related variables. Study I and Study III used a back translation procedure to create the Catalan versions of these scales. Study II created a new version of the Pediatric Survey of Pain Attitudes. The most important conclusions of this Dissertation are: 1. The PCS-C, one of the most common questionnaires for evaluating catastrophizing in children and adolescents, showed reliable and valid scores when used with Catalan schoolchildren. The original three-factor structure with 13 items was confirmed. 2. The Peds-SOPA is one of the main scales for evaluating the pain beliefs of children and adolescents. The scores from our revised version demonstrated adequate reliability for all scales (except for Medical Cure) and good criteria validity for most scales (except for Medical Cure, Medication and Emotion). The original Peds-SOPA seven-factor structure has been confirmed. 3. The CFQ, a brief measure of cognitive fusion, has shown valid and reliable scores when used with Catalan adolescents.

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Withdrawn, Theodore Reremoana Farquharson. "Factors associated with cognitive ability in middle childhood." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/2378.

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There has been considerable debate among cognitive psychologists and epidemiologists regarding which determinants of children’s intelligence are most important. Factors such as children’s diet, maternal stress and social support are important for general health and wellbeing, but have received little research attention in longitudinal studies involving cognitive outcomes. Few studies have examined the determinants of intelligence in children born small-for-gestational age (SGA) at term even though these children may be particularly vulnerable to poorer postnatal environments. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with cognitive ability in middle childhood in New Zealand (NZ) European children and children born SGA. The present research was conducted as part of the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative (ABC) study. Approximately half of the children in this study were born SGA (birthweight<10th percentile) and half were born appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA=birthweight>10th percentile). Information was collected from mothers and children on pregnancy, obstetric, socio-demographic, postnatal and dietary factors when the children were born (n=871), at one year (n=744), 3.5 years (n=550), and 7 years of age (n=591). Cognitive ability was assessed at 7 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition. For the total sample, the analyses utilised weighting to allow for the disproportionate sampling of children born SGA. Results showed that SGA and AGA children did not differ in intelligence at 7 years. Factors associated with intelligence included maternal pregnancy factors (e.g. hypertension), socio-demographic factors (e.g. paternal education), and postnatal factors (e.g. maternal social support). In general, the effects of environmental factors did not differ significantly for SGA children compared with AGA children. A number of dietary factors were also found to be significantly and positively associated with intelligence measures including higher intakes of breads and cereals and weekly fish consumption. In contrast, daily margarine consumption was associated with significantly lower intelligence scores, particularly in SGA children, and this is the first study to report this association. iii Dietary and “environmental” factors were stronger predictors of children’s intelligence in middle childhood than “biological” factors, such as infant’s birthweight. Importantly, most of the factors associated with intelligence that were identified in this study are potentially modifiable. Further research is needed to examine whether these factors continue to be associated with cognitive ability in later childhood.

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Davis, Robert G. "Cognitive and perceptual factors in lighted architectural environments." Diss., Connect to online resource, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3239430.

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Rode, Sibylle. "Cognitive-behavioural factors in pain and health anxiety." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.420273.

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Crossett, Sarah E. "Interpersonal and cognitive risk factors for postpartum depression." Diss., Online access via UMI:, 2009.

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Shalev, Nir. "Methodological considerations and cognitive factors underlying sustained attention." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:883547ed-49a9-420f-830c-88585bebaaf5.

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The active, ongoing maintenance of an adequate level of performance over time on task is an essential cognitive faculty, and has been described in multiple frameworks since the earliest days of cognitive research. Theoretical accounts of performance maintenance focused on the timely fluctuations of attention components, using the partially overlapping constructs of sustained attention, arousal, vigilance and alertness. In this thesis, particular attention is given to sustained attention, arguably the most useful and frequently used construct in a clinical context. Chapter 1 provides an introductory overview of the literature, focusing on the theories and paradigms available to assess sustained attention and other closely related constructs. Chapter 2 introduces a new task for assessing sustained attention, based on a variation of the Continuous Performance Task (CPT), and discusses the contribution of various task factors to performance patterns. In Chapter 3, the newly established paradigm is used to assess sustained attention among stroke survivors and the healthy ageing, and relate task-performance to subjective reports of daily lapses in attention. A detailed discussion is devoted to identifying the task indices that best represent sustained attention capacity, favouring measures incorporating the notion of change in performance over time. Chapter 4 applies the same approach of estimating change in performance over time to studying sustained attention among children with genetic developmental disorders. Chapters 5 and 6 show how performance in a CPT is influenced by the pace at which stimuli are presented in the task. It is argued that individuals are sensitive to varying levels of temporal regularities; consequently, when measuring sustained attention, researchers must account for the rhythmic pattern that the CPT may introduce. Chapter 7 will present an intervention study combining brain stimulation and a spatially-lateralised CPT paradigm, demonstrating changes in components of Selective Attention as defined by a computational model. The thesis is concluded in Chapter 8, which discusses the contributions of the experimental findings to the understanding of sustained attention and associated experimental methods. The thesis proposes a clear mapping of sustained attention with relation to other closely related constructs, and attempts to provide useful tools for improving clinical assessment.

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Shoji, Kristy Douglas. "Factors predicting intraindividual cognitive variability in older adults with different degrees of cognitive integrity." Thesis, The University of Alabama, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10162515.

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Given the increasing number of older adults in the population, the fact that about 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 will develop mild cognitive impairment, and the substantial individual, familial, and financial burden associated with such disorders, the need for innovative research examining cognitive impairment in older adults is evident. The present study used a microlongitudinal design to assess cognition and contextual factors that may affect cognition for 14 consecutive days using a daily diary method in older adults with varying degrees of cognitive function. This study design enables investigation of concurrent associations between variables, as well as providing unique information not gleaned from the traditional focus on mean values of cognition. The present study had two broad aims: 1) to compare variability in cognition in older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and 2) to investigate relationships between daily cognitive performance, variability in cognitive performance, and contextual factors that may influence daily cognitive performance and variability in older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Results suggest there was sufficient intraindividual variability in daily cognition to warrant investigation of within-person associations. Furthermore, the contextual factors of pain, stress, and sleep were predictive of cognitive performance, but with significance and directionality of these associations depending on level of measurement (baseline, daily, or mean values). Finally, associations between contextual factors and cognition were frequently conditional upon baseline cognitive status. The findings highlight the need for continued examination of these associations to expand our understanding of cognition in older adults and to discover potential targets for interventions to attenuate cognitive decline.

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Chapman, Heather Allyson. "Using Character Analysis Techniques to Teach Cognitive Empathy." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/746.

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Individuals who report better relationships with their mental health providers have better treatment outcomes. One element of the relationship is therapist empathy, or the therapist's ability to see the world from the client's point-of-view. Researchers have struggled to define, measure, and teach empathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether instruction in character analysis techniques, such as those used by actors, had an effect on cognitive empathy. A convenience sample of 20 adults enrolled in undergraduate or graduate-level coursework was recruited for participation in this study. Each individual provided demographic information and completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Literature Empathy Test (LET). The intervention group (n = 10) participated in a 45-minute character analysis training prior to completing the LET. The control group (n = 10) completed both assessments in a separate meeting with no intervention. A univariate analysis of covariance was used to discover the effect of character analysis training on LET scores in light of IRI scores. The data analysis revealed no significant relationship between the intervention and LET scores, but the findings provided several insights. Future research would benefit from modifications to the LET, inclusion of an additional empathy measure, and revisions to the sample size and inclusion criteria. Although the results of the present study were not significant, this area of research remains a promising means by which to promote social change by informing the pursuit of positive interpersonal relationships and prosocial behaviors

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Pavlidis, George. "Social and behavioural factors associated with cognitive and functional performance in cognitively healthy older adults." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21290/.

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The current paradigm on cognitive ageing suggests that greater social participation, higher socioeconomic status, as well as more physical and mental exercise, have a positive effect on cognitive decline trajectories with ageing. In turn, favourable cognitive decline trajectories with ageing lead to better outcomes in terms of everyday functioning. Although this paradigm has received significant recognition in research and policymaking, it has been insufficiently examined among cognitively healthy older adults. This research set out to examine explicitly among cognitively healthy older adults, whether higher social participation, higher socioeconomic status, as well as more physical exercise and Internet use have a beneficial effect on cognitive vitality and everyday functioning. Firstly, a meta-analysis of studies that examined the relationship between cognitive performance and everyday functioning among healthy older adults was conducted. Subsequently, the translation and cultural validation of two measures of everyday functioning from English to Greek was carried out. Lastly, a cross-sectional study that examined the relationship between social participation, socioeconomic status, physical exercise, Internet, cognitive performance and everyday functioning was conducted. The findings indicate that cognitive performance and everyday functioning are moderately related in the healthy spectrum of cognitive performance. Furthermore, social participation, education, Internet use and exercise seem to moderate age-related decrements in cognitive performance. These effects seem to be contingent upon certain age groups and subpopulations with specific characteristics. The findings do not support the transferability of cognitive benefits to everyday functioning. It was concluded that social participation, Internet use and exercise might have a significant beneficial effect on at least one domain of cognitive performance (executive function) in older adults with specific characteristics, without resulting necessarily in everyday functioning benefits.

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Nagamatsu, Lindsay S. "Cognitive factors associated with increased falls risk in seniors." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/12576.

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Falls are experienced annually by approximately one third of community dwellers over the age of 65, and while neuro-cognitive deficits have been shown to increase falls risk, the specific nature of these deficits remain unspecified. Here we examined whether visual-spatial attention may be a core neuro-cognitive system showing abnormal function in fallers. Using a between-groups design, we recorded event-related potentials in a canonical spatial cuing task performed by two groups of senior (aged 65 years old and older) participants: those with a recent history of falls and those with no such history. In terms of attentional control systems in cortex, we found no significant differences in function between groups. However, in terms of attentional facilitation of cortical processing, we found that fallers manifest specific abnormalities in the sensory/perceptual processing of targets in the left visual field. Our findings thus suggest that fallers have specific deficits in visuocortical systems associated with attentional enhancement of events on the left side of visual space.

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Moos, Daniel Charles. "Learning with hypermedia examining cognitive, motivational, and contextual factors /." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/6750.

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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.
Thesis research directed by: Human Development. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

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Stafford, Lorenzo Dante. "What makes caffeine reinforcing? : salient factors and cognitive mechanisms." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.400391.

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Karcher, Michael Justin. "Social and cognitive-developmental factors in adolescent ethnic prejudice /." Digital version accessible at:, 1999. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.

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Raschi, Elena <1988&gt. "Genetic and Epidemiological Factors in Cognitive Impairment and Dementia." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2016. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/7323/.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial and progressive form of dementia with a senile onset that affects specific areas of the brain. Recent genome wide association (GWA) studies reported that the allele 4 of apolipoprotein E (APOE) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in other genes that regulate inflammatory pathways, such as the gene coding for clusterin (CLU), are associated with AD. The hypothesis is that all of these genes may be involved in different mechanisms mediated by herpes viruses and we argued that the concomitant presence of SNPs in these genes in the same individual may represent a genetic signature predisposing to AD. The present study is focused on SNPs in CLU, interferon (IFN)-λ3/IL-28B, Med23 and the transcription factor IRF7, which are genes involved in antiviral responses and their association with AD and cognitive deterioration. Moreover, the effects of IL-28B, Med23 and IRF7 genotypes upon the presence of epstein-barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) in the peripheral blood of AD and controls (CTR) have been also investigated. The activation of the innate immune system has a key role as a promoting factor for AD and in AD patients activated microglia release cytokines that induce neuro-inflammation. In this thesis gene variants and different expression of genes involved in the innate immune response in case-control population studies and in a mouse model of AD were investigated. Results from these experiments suggest that individuals with a particular genetic makeup in defensive mechanisms of the innate immunity may be at risk of defective immune responses. Impaired immunity against persistent viruses such as those of herpes family, might result in chronic and inappropriate activation of microglia, abnormal Aβ production and increased amyloid deposition. Cycles of virus latency and infections may therefore contribute to neurodegeneration associated with AD in genetically predisposed elderly.

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Roiser, Jonathan Paul. "Genetic, neurochemical and cognitive factors in understanding unipolar depression." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614897.

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Malanchini, Margherita. "Non-cognitive factors of educational achievement : motivation and anxiety." Thesis, Goldsmiths College (University of London), 2017. http://research.gold.ac.uk/20168/.

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Educational achievement has traditionally been closely associated with general cognitive ability (g). Although g explains a substantial portion of variance in educational attainment, several non-cognitive factors have been found to relate to achievement beyond g. The present thesis focuses on exploring the association between achievement and two such factors: motivation and anxiety. The five empirical chapters included in the present thesis address several questions regarding the relation between motivation, anxiety and achievement, which to date remained unexplored. The present thesis includes data from two samples: the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a large-scale developmental twin sample from the United Kingdom (UK), and a sample of students attending the first year of secondary school in the UK, who contributed data longitudinally. The results showed that academic anxiety and motivation are domain-specific constructs. This observed domain-specificity of motivation and anxiety was also found to apply to their association with academic achievement. Motivation and anxiety constructs were moderately heritable, and the remaining variance explained by nonshared, individual specific, environmental influences. The cross-sectional and longitudinal links between motivation, anxiety and achievement were largely due to genetic influences common to all measures within a specific academic domain. The present thesis also explored the directionality of effects in the longitudinal associations between educational achievement and motivation; partly supporting the view of reciprocal links between the two constructs in several academic domains. However, a reciprocal relation between motivation and achievement was not observed in the domain of second language in a sample of naïve learners. The results of the present thesis have important implication for future research and practice. For example, it is argued that future interventions aimed at reducing the academic anxiety should consider three main factors: (1) its domain specific; (2) the directionality of effects in its association with achievement; (3) possible factors moderating or mediating the association between anxiety and achievement (i.e. motivation).

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McGregor, Patricia A. (Patricia Ann). "Problem Solving Cognitive Processes in Younger and Older Adults." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1993. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278256/.

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The purpose of the present study was to examine cognitive abilities and problem solving processes of young and older adults. Specifically, three areas of inquiry were investigated: possible age-related differences in problem solving cognitive abilities, possible differences in cognitive processes used during problem solution, and possible differences in determinants of problem solving cognitive processes.

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Karlsson, Tobias. "Climate change beliefs and attitudes relationship to informational influences and demographic factors." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för datavetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-159208.

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One of the biggest challenges for the modern society is that of climate change. Despite the growing accumulation of scientific evidence that points towards a strong need for action to be made regarding anthropogenic (human made) climate change, there is a lack of unity in what actions are needed and an outspread passivity amongst both establishments and the public. The reason behind this is attributed to lack of belief in anthropogenic climate change, and lack of pro-environmental attitudes amongst the public. Furthermore, these issues have been found to relate to identity related beliefs and attitudes that conflict with pro-environmental beliefs and attitudes, where political orientation has proven to be a strong factor. One way of dealing with these issues could be through informational influences. By presenting people to information shaped in different ways, one could increase the belief in anthropogenic climate change and pro-environmental attitudes. This study examined the relationship between three different informational influences, and its potential effect on climate change beliefs and attitudes. Furthermore, this study examined the relationship between demographic factors such as age, gender and political orientation with regards to their potential effect on climate change beliefs and attitudes. 449 participants completed a survey with intent to measure the potential effects informational influences and demographic factors had on climate change beliefs and attitudes. Despite that indications where found, no significant results could be identified for the informational influences. All demographic factors had some significant effect on climate change beliefs or attitudes, where political orientation was the strongest influencing factor. This relates to earlier research and further implications were discussed for future studies.

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Robey, Alison Marie. "The Benefits of Testing| Individual Differences Based on Student Factors." Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10286129.

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The testing effect, the notion that retrieval practice compared to restudying information leads to greater and longer retention, is one of the most robust findings in cognitive science. However, not all learners experience a benefit from retrieval practice. Many manipulations that influence the benefits of the testing effect have been explored, however, there is still much to learn about potential individual differences in the benefits of retrieval practice over restudy. As the testing effect grows in popularity and increasing numbers of classrooms begin implementing retrieval practice, it is essential to understanding how students’ individual differences and cognitive abilities contribute to the effect. For my dissertation, I explore how students’ cognitive abilities, specifically, episodic memory, general fluid intelligence, and strategy use, relate to the benefit of retrieval practice. In Study 1, I developed a new measure to simultaneously capture two aspects of strategy use: variation in what strategies learners use and variation in how learners use strategies. In Study 2, I examine how these two types of strategy use, along with episodic memory and general fluid intelligence can be used to predict the magnitude of the testing effect. Converging evidence from multiple analyses suggests variation in how learners use strategies was the only individual difference to influence the benefit learners receive from retrieval practice. More specifically, learners who are less adaptive and flexible in their strategy use show a greater benefit than more skilled strategy users. These findings have implications both for improving existing theories of the mechanisms of the testing effect and for determining how to best incorporate retrieval practice into classroom settings.

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McHugh, Brendan Thomas. "Architecture as a cognitive teaching device." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/23206.

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Van, der Linden Lotje. "The influence of low-level visuomotor factors versus high-level cognitive factors on object viewing." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018AIXM0066.

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La fovéa est la seule zone de la rétine où l’acuité visuelle est maximale. Les mécanismes qui visent à déterminer à quels endroits vont avoir lieu les prochaines fixations restent débattus. Certains auteurs suggèrent que les yeux sont principalement attirés par les zones les plus saillantes de la scène. D’autres suggèrent qu’ils sont orientés vers les objets. Les propriétés du système oculomoteur contraignent également les mouvements oculaires. L’objectif de cette thèse était de départager ces différents points de vue en examinant la contribution respective et le décours temporel des facteurs visuo-moteurs de bas niveau et des facteurs cognitifs de plus haut niveau dans la détermination des mouvements oculaires. Nous nous sommes focalisés sur trois phénomènes comportementaux clés : la tendance à bouger les yeux à proximité du centre des objets (Prefered-Viewing Location), les répercussions qu’ont ces positions d’atterrissage sur les durées initiales des fixations (Inverted Optimal-Viewing-Position) et les probabilités de refixation (Optimal-Viewing-Position). Nous avons observé que ces trois effets émergeaient, et ce, quel que soit le type de stimulus testé: des objets, des mots ou des objets sans signification. Cela suggère que ces effets reflètent les propriétés de bas niveau des systèmes visuel et oculomoteur. Par ailleurs, nous avons observé que l’endroit où les yeux atterrissaient au sein de l’objet était également influencé au fil du temps par les traitements de plus haut-niveau des propriétés du stimulus. Les saccades initiées plus tardivement atterrissaient plus proches de la zone la plus informative de l’objet
High-quality vision is restricted to the fovea - a small region at the center of gaze. The mechanisms that determine which locations in a scene are selected for fixation remain debated. Some suggest that eye movements are mainly driven by the salient features in a scene. Others suggest that eye guidance is object based. The properties of the oculomotor system also strongly constrain eye behavior, but these have been neglected in most existing models. The purpose of this thesis was to disentangle between these different views, by investigating how low-level visuomotor factors versus higher-level cognitive factors contribute to eye movements towards and within isolated objects, and with which time course. We focused on three viewing-position effects: the tendency to move the eyes near the centers of objects (the PVL effect), and the repercussions these initial landing positions have on initial fixation durations (the I-OVP effect) and refixation probabilities (the OVP effect). We found that these three viewing-position effects emerged, and were comparable, in all stimulus types that we tested in this thesis: objects, words and even meaningless non-objects. This suggests that the effects reflect low-level properties of the visual and oculomotor systems. Furthermore, we found that where the eye moved within objects became influenced by ongoing processing of higher-level stimulus properties (e.g., object affordances) over time. Later- compared to early-triggered initial saccades, and even more so within-object refixations, were biased towards the most informative part of the objects, and away from their center of gravity

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Hedner, Margareta. "Olfactory Function : The Influence of Demographic, Cognitive, and Genetic Factors." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Psykologiska institutionen, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-85907.

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Olfactory function is affected by demographic, cognitive, and genetic factors. In the present thesis, three empirical studies investigated individual differences in olfactory ability. Study I explored demographic and cognitive correlates in common olfactory tasks; odor detection, odor discrimination, and odor identification. The results indicated that old age influenced performance negatively in all tasks, and that semantic memory proficiency and executive functioning were related to odor discrimination and odor identification performance. No cognitive influence was observed for measurements of olfactory threshold. Using population-based data, Study II investigated a potential influence of the ApoE gene on olfactory identification after controlling for health status, semantic memory, and preclinical and clinical dementia. The main finding was that the ApoE- ɛ4 allele interacted with age, such that older ɛ4-carriers had an impaired odor identification performance relative to older non-carriers. Importantly, the negative ApoE- ɛ4 effect on olfactory proficiency was independent of clinical dementia conversion within five years. Study III investigated the effects of the BDNF val66met polymorphism on olfactory change over a five-year interval, in a community dwelling sample of young and old age cohorts. The results showed that age-related decline in olfactory identification was influenced by the BDNF val66met. In middle-aged subjects, no effect of BDNF val66met was observed although older val homozygote carriers showed a selectively larger olfactory decline than the older met carriers. Overall, results suggest that the relative influence of demographic and cognitive factors vary across different olfactory tasks and that two genes (ApoE and BDNF) impact age-related deficits in odor identification. Potential theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed as well as potential limitations of association studies in genomics research.

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Ikumi, Montserrat Nara 1986. "The effect of cognitive factors on cross-modal synchrony perception." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/398008.

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Perception in our everyday life takes place in multisensory environments, and hence involves the processing of a multitude of signals captured by various sensory modalities. Given the different nature of the signals, understanding how all the information is combined in the brain to form an integrated percept is not straightforward. One of the paramount questions is how the considerable timing differences between sensory information processing are managed. For example, in the last years there has been a tremendous surge in interest to understand how the perceptual system elicits the subjective impression of synchrony for stimuli coming from different sensory modalities. Yet, most evidence so far concerns stimulus-related properties in simple contexts. The present dissertation addresses the influence of cognitive factors and participants’ inner state (such as attention, action task demands, and ongoing brain rhythms) on synchrony perception between audio-visual events. In the first two studies of the dissertation, we have addressed the role of selective attention and action during cross-modal temporal recalibration. The results of these studies provide evidence that subjective simultaneity can be strongly modulated as a function of the focus of the observer’s endogenous attention, in otherwise identical stimulation conditions. In the third study, we have recorded electroencephalographic activity while participants performed an audio-visual simultaneity judgment task for stimuli presented at different asynchronies. Our results show that the phase of low frequency neural oscillations, reflecting brain states prior to the occurrence of an audio-visual event, can predict perceptual variability in synchrony judgments. Overall, our results shed new light on how cognitive factors can modulate multisensory perception.
La percepció del nostre entorn és multisensorial, és a dir, involucra el processament de senyals a través de diverses modalitats sensorials. Combinar aquesta informació en el cervell per tal de formar una percepció coherent i integrada és un procés complex, degut a la diferent naturalesa de les senyals. A més, això farà que el cervell hagi de resoldre diferències temporals durant el processament de la informació. En els últims anys, ha sorgit un profund interès per entendre com el sistema perceptiu genera la impressió de sincronia d’estímuls provinents de diferents modalitats sensorials. La major part dels estudis han examinat propietats de la percepció de sincronia relacionades directament amb els estímuls físics, en contexts molt simplificats. En aquesta tesi investigo la influència de factors cognitius i de l’estat intern de l’individu (com per exemple l’atenció, demandes en tasques motores, i els ritmes interns cerebrals) en la percepció de sincronia entre estímuls audiovisuals. En els primers dos estudis de la tesi, hem examinat la funció de l’atenció i les accions durant la recalibració temporal d’estímuls audiovisuals. Els resultats dels estudis mostren com la sincronia subjectiva pot ser fortament modulada en funció d’on es dirigeixi el focus atencional del participant, en condicions on l’estimulació física és idèntica. En el tercer estudi, hem enregistrat l’activitat electroencefalogràfica dels participants, mentres realitzaven una tasca de simultaneïtat. Durant aquesta tasca presentàvem diferentes asincronies entre estímuls audiovisuals per tal d’estudiar la percepció de sincronia (vs. asincronia). Els resultats indiquen que la fase de les oscil•lacions neuronals, que reflecteixen estats cerebrals abans de la presència d’un estímul audiovisual, poden predir la resposta en quan a percepció de sincronia. En resum, els nostres resultats aporten coneixement sobre com alguns factors cognitius poden modular la percepció multisensorial.

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Smith, M. E. "Factors in the measurement of cognitive load of multimedia learning." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2007. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06182008-142102.

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Banerjee, Robin Anil. "Cognitive and motivational factors in the development of self-presentation." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.263910.

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Foster, Mindi D. (Mindi Debra) Carleton University Dissertation Psychology. "Socio-cognitive factors in reducing the personal/group discrimination discrepancy." Ottawa, 1996.

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Hughes, Tiffany F. "The role of lifestyle factors in cognitive aging and dementia." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002490.

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West, Melanie. "Factors influencing singleton search and cognitive intervention with older adults." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7152/.

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The current thesis aimed to investigate visual attention in relation to the effects of stored knowledge and ageing, as well as the contribution of top-down and bottom-up processes in visual search. A first set of experiments focused on ‘singleton search’. The performance of younger adults was compared to older adults. Results of these experiments revealed evidence that the presence of a singleton distractor can sometimes facilitate search as reported by Geng & DiQuattro (2010). Apparent differences between the groups were found to be attributable to the ageing process. In the second set of experiments examined the impact of stored knowledge and colour associations on search. Results of these experiments indicated an impact of stored knowledge. Again, apparent differences between the groups on these 2 experiments were found to be attributable to the ageing process. Finally I carried out a cognitive intervention aimed at improving attention and working memory in older adults, and compared the performance of an intervention group to a control group. Results demonstrated that this computerised attention training programme (CPAT) can improve cognitive functions which otherwise decline with age. The implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions made for future research.

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Gracie, A. "Relational and cognitive factors in psychosis-related posttraumatic stress disorder." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2013. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1417571/.

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Research suggests that the experience of acute psychosis (symptoms and treatment) may be traumatic and precipitate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that outcomes may be worse for people affected. The first part of this thesis reviewed studies of psychosis-related PTSD (PR-PTSD), with a particular focus on evaluating the methodologies of research, given the complexities of assessment. Three assessment factors were identified as critical to the reliability of prevalence rates (the timepoint of assessment; the assessment method; and the definition of the traumatic stressor). Sample selection biases were also identified as key to the validity of findings. Additional indicators of quality were judged to be the assessment and control of current symptoms of psychosis; measurement of the subjective meaning of trauma; and the control of co-existing variables such as distress in relation to prior trauma, and current symptoms of psychosis. The second part is an empirical paper which derived hypotheses from a cognitive interpersonal model of psychosis to test the relationship between psychosis-related PTSD and a number of relational and cognitive variables. Thirty participants with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia completed measures of childhood trauma and related PTSD, negative emotional memories, adult attachment, PTSD symptoms in relation to psychosis, fear of recurrence and depression. In addition, current symptoms of psychosis were assessed and Care Coordinators completed a measure of service engagement. Some support was found for the cognitive interpersonal model, particularly with respect to anxious attachment. Anxious attachment and fear of recurrence of psychosis were the strongest predictors of psychosis-related PTSD symptoms, after controlling for the role of current symptomatology. Childhood trauma-related PTSD was associated with PR-PTSD. There was less support for other relational variables and no relationship was found between service engagement, avoidant attachment and PR-PTSD. Part three is a critical appraisal. It assesses the empirical paper in light of the methodological recommendations made in the literature review. It also concerns participant wellbeing, which has been a priority from initial planning of the study and throughout recruitment.

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Benetti, Idonezia Collodel. "Cognitive and affective factors affecting task difficulty in efl reading." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UFSC, 1998. http://repositorio.ufsc.br/xmlui/handle/123456789/77434.

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Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão
Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-17T04:10:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2016-01-08T23:50:18Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 149274.pdf: 2762489 bytes, checksum: a364007b6ef24d13daa256e66d15f988 (MD5)
O presente estudo tem por objetivo investigar, através de atividades, quatro diferentes tipos de operações mentais - Identificar, Deduzir, Definir e Reordenar, em três categorias da taxionomia de Bloom, com o propósito de: (1) descobrir a ordem de dificuldade destas operações no contexto do ensino de língua estrangeira, (2) verificar o que os alunos fazem enquanto trabalham em um exercício, e (3) avaliar o esforço cognitivo destes alunos. Todos as unidades de exercícios eram de padrão semelhante, consistindo de três elementos básicos: o Pré-exercício feito por toda a classe sob a orientação da pesquisadora, o Exercício I feito em duplas pelos participantes da pesquisa, e o Exercício II feito pelos alunos em duplas. O Pré- exercício e o Exercício I eram semelhantes, envolvendo a mesma situação, os mesmos fatos/tópicos e o mesmo processo cognitivo. Os Exercícios II mantiveram a mesma estrutura, porém apresentaram um tópico novo. O objetivo do Pré-exercício era providenciar um contexto onde os alunos pudessem trabalhar as dificuldades do Exercício I previamente, e assim permitir à pesquisadora reduzir o nível de difficuldade dos exercícios e dar assistência apropriada aos sujeitos para a execução do Exercício I. Ao término dos Exercícios I e II, foi passado um questionário para obter a opinião dos alunos sobre as dificuldades relacionadas a fatores tais como: Vocabulário, Familiaridade, Pré-Exercício e Português, uma tentativa de separar as dificuldades lingüísticas das dificuldades relacionadas às operações mentais. Como não foi possível estabelecer nenhuma hierarquia quanto ao grau de dificuldade dos exercícios e foram poucas as correlações obtidas entre as variáveis do questionário, estes fatos são, então, atribuídos a três principais fatores: a) várias operações mentais ocorrendo ao mesmo tempo, b) fatores inerentes a cada exercício e c) fatores afetivos.

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Smith, Maria Elizabeth. "Factors in the measurement of cognitive load of multimedia learning." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25611.

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In this study, the author investigated factors that influence the direct measurement of cognitive load using the dual-task method. The dual-task method is an unambiguous and objective technique to measure cognitive load. The primary task was to master content in a lesson about the Autonomic Nervous System. The secondary task was to respond to a symbol that changed colour by pressing the Enter key. The time between the symbol changing colour and the response of the student was measured. Two versions of the multimedia program tested the influence of the presentation format and instructional strategy on cognitive load. Each version of the program was further subdivided into four lessons, which were used to test the influence of the position of the secondary task on the cognitive load. All the data was collected electronically. The statistical analysis revealed that the position of the secondary task does not influence cognitive load (F (1, 2661) = 3.25, p = 0.071). The presentation format and instructional strategy used in this study however did result in a significant difference between the cognitive load of the two versions. The mean cognitive load of the version using animation was 6.408 and that of the version using predominantly static images and text was 5.684. This difference was found to be highly significant (F (1, 2661) = 52.39, p <.0001). It was concluded that using animation to present content required more mental effort by participants than using images and text to present the same content.
Dissertation (MEd (Computer-Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Curriculum Studies
unrestricted

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Brewster, Kay. "Client experiences of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) : factors influencing engagement." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2015. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/75548/.

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This thesis constitutes a qualitative exploration of individuals’ experiences of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in both physical and mental healthcare settings. The literature review comprises a meta-synthesis of nine papers exploring experiences of CBT, which resulted in the identification of six themes: shared experience allowing reconnection; CBT skills enabling changing relationship with illness; therapist factors central to engagement; therapy as challenging; the importance of being able to talk to someone outside of the family; and therapy as life-changing. The main implication of these findings is the need for greater consideration of the complex nature of social support in the context of chronic illness and the specific challenges and benefits of engagement in CBT in this population. The empirical paper provides a qualitative exploration of the experiences of adults who have dropped out of CBT in a community mental healthcare setting. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of five themes: the role of therapist factors; limitations of the CBT model; CBT as pathologising; the socio-political context of CBT; and responsibility for engagement and change. This is the first qualitative exploration of CBT drop-out across diagnostic groups and, as such, this study contributes an important insight into the challenges associated with engagement in CBT and the influence of socio-political context. Finally, the strengths, limitations and challenges of the research process are discussed in the critical appraisal, with particular reference to the broader theme of occupying the position of both clinician and researcher.

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Bishop, Emma Rebecca. "Cognitive factors in NHS staff responses to violence and aggression." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2006. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/171/.

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NHS staff frequently experience violence and aggression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is amongst the potential psychological consequences. Using a prospective design, the present study sought to establish whether cognitive factors, specified in Ehlers and Clark's (2000) model, could predict symptom severity over and above other established risk factors. The aim was to develop and refine a predictive tool, which could be used to identify individuals who may benefit from early, targeted interventions. Forty-eight healthcare workers completed questionnaires assessing a range of cognitive factors, immediately following an incident of violence or aggression. Of these participants, twenty provided data concerning PTSD symptoms at three-month follow-up, despite implementing strategies to maximise response rates. It was therefore not possible to address the original research question owing to the small sample size. However, several participants reported experiencing symptoms, and for some these were moderate to severe. Several potential reasons for non-response were identified, including the possibility that healthcare workers appraise workplace incidents in such a way that subsequent effects are minimised. An experimental analogue study examined this hypothesis. Student nurses (N = 190) read a vignette as an analogue for a violent incident, in which the context was manipulated. Results indicated that neither organisational setting (work / non-work), nor cause of the perpetrator's behaviour (illness / non-illness) influenced the type of appraisals endorsed, or ratings of perceived distress. It therefore seems likely that other factors contributed to the low response rate observed in Study 1. However, in line with Ehlers and Clark's (2000) cognitive model, appraisals explained a significant amount variance in dysfunctional behaviours after controlling for perceived distress. Study 1 indicated that a proportion of staff were adversely affected by incidents of violence and aggression. Replication of this research is warranted in light of the current literature, and recommendations are made for modification.

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Hepgul, Nilay. "Cognitive, biological and psychosocial factors predicting interferon-alpha-induced depression." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2013. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/cognitive-biological-and-psychosocial-factors-predicting-interferonalphainduced-depression(bcba081e-60d5-4ccb-9085-1b47bb256013).html.

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Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the development of depression and other neuropsychiatric adverse effects. However, well-defined predictors of this depression are still lacking. Several interlinked biological systems as well as cognitive and psychosocial factors may predispose individuals to the development of IFN-α-induced depression. The aim of this study was to identify such predictive factors as well as prospectively monitor the impact of IFN-α on a variety of clinical and biological outcomes. Forty-eight patients with chronic HCV infection were recruited and assessed at baseline and after 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks of IFN-α treatment. At each assessment, patients were evaluated with a number of questionnaires as well as the structured Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Blood samples were also collected at all time points as well as salivary cortisol at baseline and end of treatment. IFN-α-induced depression developed in 40% of patients. Patients who developed IFN-α-induced depression had more negative illness perceptions, lower baseline levels of cortisol during the day, and lower baseline levels of kynurenic acid. Patients who developed IFN-α-induced depression also had altered gene expression in a number of pathways relevant for depression such as inflammation and neuroplasticity. Finally, detection and management of depression in this population is shown to be a complex process, reliant on the availability of clinical experts and good communication within a multidisciplinary team. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide evidence for a number of cognitive, psychosocial and biological predictors of IFN-α-induced depression. These findings provide a rationale to test the effect of preventative cognitive interventions in these patients. However, future studies are needed to confirm some of these novel clinical and biological predictors, as well as to look at the interplay between these factors.

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Stephenson, Lisa Ann. "A comparative study of cognitive and non-cognitive factors relationship to academic success for foreign master's students." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/1367.

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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2004.
Thesis research directed by: Education Policy, and Leadership. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

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Dorhofer, Diana M. "Physiological and cognitive factors in asthma and panic disorder: application of the cognitive and dyspnensuffocation fear theories." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 2001. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/DorhoferDM2001.pdf.

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Meinz, Elizabeth J. "When can experience reduce age differences in cognitive tasks? : a study of musical memory." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28791.

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Kelley, Timothy D. "Systemic effects of human factors in information security." Thesis, Indiana University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3665483.

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Abstract:

This dissertation couples the growing corpus of human subjects and behavioral research in information security with large-scale data and robust quantitative methods. Linking human subject experimentation with theoretical models enables the information security community to reason more effectively about the system-wide effects of user behavior. I examine how users interact with the digital environment, how those interactions affect decision-making, and how aggregate decision-making affects system-wide vulnerabilities. This interdisciplinary challenge requires a combination of techniques from cognitive neuroscience, social network analysis, human-subjects research, dynamical systems, network theory, and agent-based models.

In the first section, eye-tracking data demonstrates the relationships between expertise and online perceptual awareness of security cues. Expertise is shown to be only a small factor in attention to security cues, and task-type proves to be much larger indicator of attention, with tasks requiring the use of personal accounts driving attention to cues. This section uses Bayesian ANOVA to evaluate users' perceptual awareness of security cues as they complete common online tasks, as it relates to user sophistication and task type.

The second section uses a theoretical epidemiological model of malware spread to investigate factors that might mitigate the prevalence of malware in a coupled, two-population model. This both demonstrates that cost is the largest factor for affecting malware prevalence, outside of malware infection rates, and identifies appropriate strategies for system-wide botnet mitigation.

The final section utilizes an agent-based model of mobile application adoption combined with social network data and mobile marketplace policy. The result is an examination of the dynamic effects of user and market behavior on the spread of mobile malware and the second order effects, such as privacy loss, due to that spread. This model reveals that well-regulated markets are effective at limiting malware spread, but user behavior grows in importance as markets become less restricted.

Each study examines ways in which users interact with their technology, the aggregate effects of those behaviors, and identifies possible inflection points to change system-wide behaviors. This dissertation integrates empirical behavioral studies to develop a better understanding of digital behavior, thus enabling a more holistic approach to information security.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cognitive Factors'

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