Cognitive Attributes Research Articles

Predicting Neural Activity Patterns Associated with Sentences Using a Neurobiologically Motivated Model of Semantic Representation

We introduce an approach that predicts neural representations of word meanings contained in sentences then superposes these to predict neural representations of new sentences. A neurobiological semantic model based on sensory, motor, social, emotional, and cognitive attributes was used as a foundation to define semantic content. Previous studies have predominantly predicted neural patterns for isolated words, using models that lack neurobiological interpretation. Fourteen participants read 240 sentences describing everyday situations while undergoing fMRI. To connect sentence-level fMRI activation patterns to the word-level semantic model, we devised methods to decompose the fMRI data into individual words. Activation patterns associated with each attribute in the model were then estimated using multiple-regression. This enabled synthesis of activation patterns for trained and new words, which were subsequently averaged to predict new sentences. Region-of-interest analyses revealed that prediction accuracy was highest using voxels in the left temporal and inferior parietal cortex, although a broad range of regions returned statistically significant results, showing that semantic information is widely distributed across the brain. The results show how a neurobiologically motivated semantic model can decompose sentence-level fMRI data into activation features for component words, which can be recombined to predict activation patterns for new sentences.

Assessing Change in Latent Skills Across Time With Longitudinal Cognitive Diagnosis Modeling: An Evaluation of Model Performance.

Cognitive diagnosis models are diagnostic models used to classify respondents into homogenous groups based on multiple categorical latent variables representing the measured cognitive attributes. This study aims to present longitudinal models for cognitive diagnosis modeling, which can be applied to repeated measurements in order to monitor attribute stability of individuals and to account for respondent dependence. Models based on combining latent transition analysis modeling and the DINA and DINO cognitive diagnosis models were developed and then evaluated through a Monte Carlo simulation study. The study results indicate that the proposed models provide adequate convergence and correct classification rates.

Interlimb coordination and academic performance in elementary school children.

The specific mechanisms linking motor ability and cognitive performance, especially academic achievement, are still unclear. Whereas the literature provides an abundance of information on fine and visual-motor skill and cognitive attributes, much less has been reported on gross motor ability. This study examined interlimb coordination and its relationship to academic performance in children aged 8-11 years. Motor and academic skills were examined in 100 Brazilian children using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Academic Performance Test. Participants were grouped into low (<25%) and high (>75%) academic achievers. There was a significant difference between groups for Total Motor Composite (P < 0.001) favoring the high group. On regression analysis there was a significant association between academic performance and Body Coordination. Of the subtests of Body Coordination (Bilateral Coordination and Balance), Bilateral Coordination accounted for the highest impact on academic performance. Of interest here, that subtest consists primarily of gross motor tasks involving interlimb coordination. Overall, there was a positive relationship between motor behavior, in particular activities involving interlimb coordination, and academic performance. Application of these findings in the area of early assessment may be useful in the identification of later academic problems.

Empathy and stress in nurses working in haemodialysis: a qualitative study.

To explore the concepts of empathy and stress in nurses working in haemodialysis units in France and their possible interactions. Nurses' work in haemodialysis is rather complex. It requires technical expertise, because of the peculiarity of the treatment, and emotional skills, to care for patients throughout a long-lasting therapy. Empathy is considered as a key in the concept of caring, which allows nurses to give appropriate answers to their patients' needs. In addition, nurses' work environment can generate stress. A qualitative descriptive design. Nurses (N = 23) working in haemodialysis units were interviewed in three different sites in 2014. The analysis of nurses' speech emphasized a predominance of the cognitive attributes of empathy: understanding, communication, adjusted response (43%), and a special feature of the relationship due to the chronicity of the care (23%). The main stressors highlighted were time management (14%), emergencies (12%) and technical nature of the task (8%). Nurses' experience in haemodialysis seemed to be a modulating factor regarding empathy and stress. The main stressors highlighted were time management (14%), emergencies (12%) and technical nature of the task (8%). Nurses' experience in haemodialysis seemed to be a modulating factor regarding empathy and stress. The results showed the special features of nurses' work in haemodialysis and the need for further studies to investigate these concepts. The influence of stress on empathy needs to be explored more precisely, especially regarding nurses' experience and its impact on patients.

Analysis of Student and School Level Variables Related to Mathematics Self-Efficacy Level Based on PISA 2012 Results for China-Shanghai, Turkey, and Greece

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)In today's globalized world, the notion of development has come to be contextualized in terms of such basic indicators as human capital, education, health, living standards, poverty, and equality, and to be evaluated using human development as its criterion (Firat & Aydin, 2015). Since education and skills are among the criteria used to identify living index - itself an indicator of development - these two variables constitute two of the basic criteria used to determine whether individuals have or have not achieved better living conditions. More specifically, educated individuals are more likely to attain better working conditions and higher income, on the one hand, and to be involved in a variety of non-economic activities, on the other. In this respect, it may be argued that the one's education level is directly related to his state of material well-being and that higher educational level leads to increased material well-being (Durand & Smith, 2013 as cited in Firat & Aydin, 2015). In order to increase their overall level of development and to achieve a higher life index, developing countries in particular attach special attention to education. Developing countries need large-scale test results to shape their educational policies and to improve their education system. In this regard, PISA, TIMMS, and PIRLS are examples of such exams applied at the international level that are used to measure and compare students' achievements in different countries.Organized at three-year intervals by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (EARGED, 2010), PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) is just one examination aimed at the assessment of knowledge and skills acquired by 15 year old students. and Rather than measuring to what extent 15 year old students receiving formal education following compulsory education curriculums have learned the subjects (mathematical literacy, science literacy, and reading skills) dealt with in the curriculum, the PISA project aims to measure students' efficacy in making use of their acquired skills and knowledge in situations encountered in real life. The fundamental characteristic that distinguishes the PISA project from other projects is that it not only analyzes individuals' cognitive attributes, but also analyzes the affective factors relating to school and student characteristics.It is quite important to identify to what extent such skills as mathematical literacy, science literacy, and reading skills are used in real life situations, as dealt with by the PISA project. The utilization of information learned at school in real life situations is an indicator of the fact that such information has not only been memorized, but internalized. Mathematical literacy, one of the areas that PISA measures, is the cognitive dimension that includes skills with which students in today's society should be equipped. Since many of the skills used in daily life, including counting, telling time, making payments while shopping, weighing and measuring, and graph reading, are related to mathematical concepts, it is only logical to say that mathematics is intertwined with real life and that it is a strength for one to know mathematics (I§ik, Ciltac, & Bekdemir, 2008). This is because mathematics is important for individuals and societies in order not only to develop scientific thinking skills in line with living conditions, but also to apply such skills in their relevant areas. Beyond the skills related to one's ability to perform mathematical operations, the PISA project emphasizes the ability to use mathematics in daily life skills based on analysis, reasoning, effective transmission of ideas, problem-solving in different situations, essaying, and interpretation.It is important to examine the factors affecting literacy skills related to mathematics, which although occupy such a significant space in individuals' daily lives, are at the same time disliked, feared, and lead to anxiety. …

Examine destination loyalty of first-time and repeat visitors at all-inclusive resorts

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the factors that are likely to influence the loyalty behavior of first-time and repeat visitors to all-inclusive resorts.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from first-time and repeat Russian tourists to Antalya, Turkey, utilizing a self-administered survey questionnaire. A total of 339 usable responses were obtained. A structural equation modeling approach was used to test the proposed model on the first-time and repeat visitors’ samples.FindingsThis study suggests that the effects of cognitive evaluation of the resort (service quality) channel through affective evaluation of the visitor experience (visitor satisfaction) before bolstering visitor loyalty. This study also shows that differences exist between the two groups of visitors – first time visitors value cognitive attributes more and rely more on cognitive evaluation.Practical implicationsDestination marketers and managers need to promote all aspects and attributes of a destination among all-inclusive vacationers by creating innovative and comprehensive marketing campaign. Due to the differences between first-time and repeat visitors, it is critical to differentiate the two groups in designing targeted marketing campaign and providing targeted service/product.Originality valueAll-inclusive resorts have attained substantial global presence and popularity over the past 40 years. However, guest satisfaction/loyalty studies in this particular context have not often been approached with the kind of statistical breadth and rigor presented herein. This study adds new information for the understanding of and marketing to the all-inclusive resort guest.

Differential neural activity patterns for spatial relations in humans: a MEG study.

Children learn the words for above-below relations earlier than for left-right relations, despite treating these equally well in a simple visual categorization task. Even as adults--conflicts in congruency, such as when a stimulus is depicted in a spatially incongruent manner with respect to salient global cues--can be challenging. Here we investigated the neural correlates of encoding and maintaining in working memory above-below and left-right relational planes in 12 adults using magnetoencephalography in order to discover whether above-below relations are represented by the brain differently than left-right relations. Adults performed perfectly on the task behaviorally, so any differences in neural activity were attributed to the stimuli's cognitive attributes. In comparing above-below to left-right relations during stimulus encoding, we found the greatest differences in neural activity in areas associated with space and movement. In comparing congruent to incongruent trials, we found the greatest differential activity in premotor areas. For both contrasts, brain areas involved in the encoding phase were also involved in the maintenance phase, which provides evidence that those brain areas are particularly important in representing the relational planes or congruency types throughout the trial. When comparing neural activity associated with the relational planes during working memory, additional right posterior areas were implicated, whereas the congruent-incongruent contrast implicated additional bilateral frontal and temporal areas. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis left-right relations are represented differently than above-below relations.

Cognitive Attributes, Attention, and Self-Efficacy of Adequate and Inadequate Responders in a Fourth Grade Reading Intervention.

We examined cognitive attributes, attention, and self-efficacy of fourth grade struggling readers who were identified as adequate responders (n = 27), inadequate responders with comprehension only deficits (n = 46), and inadequate responders with comprehension and word reading deficits (n = 52) after receiving a multicomponent reading intervention. We also included typical readers (n = 40). These four groups were compared on measures of nonverbal reasoning, working memory, verbal knowledge, listening comprehension, phonological awareness, and rapid naming as well as on teacher ratings of attention problems and self-reported self-efficacy. The two inadequate responder groups demonstrated difficulties primarily with verbal knowledge and listening comprehension compared to typical readers and adequate responders. Phonological awareness and rapid naming differentiated the two inadequate responder groups. In addition, both inadequate responder groups showed more attention problems and low self-efficacy compared to typical readers.

Cognition, Behavior, and Team Structure in Enterprise Systems Implementation: A Comparative Study

The METRICS framework was developed during a landmark enterprise-wide system implementation in a Brazilian university. It was designed as a tool for managing the social subsystem (cognition, behavior, and structure) of customer teams as they work with external technology and business teams. Our research draws on METRICS to verify the stability of cognitive, behavioral, and structural attributes that are expected to impact the performance of customer teams in projects. We compare two studies developed in different periods, with different methods, theories, projects, and types of teams, and in different geographical, cultural, and economic regions of Brazil—the south and the northeast. Data collection and analysis were based on personal constructs theory and the repertory grid technique applied to select information technology professionals from external teams (that worked with customer teams) in the northeast. With 77.3% (68/88) of the original measures verified empirically, the framework was considered stable across multiple settings. Given that enterprise-wide system implementation usually involves global technology vendors, and since Brazil is an illustrative case of Latin America and the developing world, our research contributes with insights into the social aspects of customer teams that impact project performance.

What Athletic Achievement Can Teach About Ethics

Athletic achievement exemplifies the nature of classical ethical virtue. Aristotelian virtue grows from self-mastery combined with intentionally learned skills of practice and striving with others to achieve a common purpose. Virtue expresses itself through judgment and action that flow from the integration of cognitive, emotional, perceptual, physical, and relational attributes into pattern recognition and coordinated activity to achieve a purpose. Athletic excellence embodies such integrated judgment and action. Personal, professional, and athletic achievement all express similar structural virtues. Such intentional and virtuous action grows not only from self-discipline but also from self-knowledge and the cognitive commitment to study, learn, and master complex skills. It manifests as the integrated cognitive, emotional, and physical ability to sacrifice and overcome obstacles. Athletic excellence further requires serious commitment to social community and its norms. Athletic achievement demonstrates how the virtues of self-mastery, sacrifice, courage, truthfulness, curiosity and learning, and honor and loyalty unite to support high levels of professional excellence. As a form of virtue, athletics possesses ethical worth that deserves respect and emulation.

What Athletic Achievement Can Teach About Ethics

Athletic achievement exemplifies the nature of classical ethical virtue. Aristotelian virtue grows from self-mastery combined with intentionally learned skills of practice and striving with others to achieve a common purpose. Virtue expresses itself through judgment and action that flow from the integration of cognitive, emotional, perceptual, physical and relational attributes into pattern recognition and coordinated activity to achieve a purpose Athletic excellence embodies such integrated judgment and action. Personal, professional and athletic achievement all express similar structural virtues. Such intentional and virtuous action grows not only from self-discipline but self-knowledge and the cognitive commitment to study, learn, and master complex skills. It manifests as the integrated cognitive, emotional and physical ability to sacrifice and overcome obstacles. Athletic excellence further requires serious commitment to social community and its norms. Athletic achievement demonstrates how virtues such as self-mastery, sacrifice, courage, truthfulness, curiosity and learning, and honor and loyalty among others unite to support high levels of professional excellence. As a form of virtue, athletics possesses ethical worth that deserves respect and emulation.

Exploring the relationship between cognitive, sensory and nutritional food attributes and consumer understanding of their potential for satiety

Exploring the relationship between cognitive, sensory and nutritional food attributes and consumer understanding of their potential for satiety

Why We Plan: The Impact of Nascent Entrepreneurs' Cognitive Characteristics and Human Capital on Business Planning

We examine the impact of nascent entrepreneurs' cognitive attributes and human capital on business planning behavior. We find that entrepreneurial self‐efficacy facilitates development of formal business plans and entrepreneurial perseverance promotes engaging in business planning activities. Further, advanced academic education leads nascent entrepreneurs to engage in business planning activities and create formal business plans, but prior work experience has a marginal effect on business plan formality. The results further indicate that a nascent entrepreneur's striving for outside financing promotes business planning activities, while being in a supportive environment or a member of a business association does not impact business planning behavior. Copyright © 2015 Strategic Management Society.

Improved Functional Independence, Balance, And Force Production With Low-volume, Alternative Training In Older Adults

Reduced strength, balance, and functional independence are common with aging; this diminishes quality of life and increases individual and societal health care costs. Efficacious, safe and lifestyle-accommodating interventions that minimize or reverse these changes are needed. PURPOSE: Measure and compare effects of three interventions on strength (force production), balance, and functional independence in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: 12-wk trial. Participants were randomized to a control group or one of three intervention groups: 1) bioDensity (bD); 2) Power Plate whole-body vibration (PP); or 3) bD+PP. bD training involved one 5-sec voluntary, maximal contraction of four major muscle groups (chest press, core pull, leg press, and vertical lift) done once a week. PP training involved alternating 1 min of marching in place and rest for 5 min twice a week. Primary outcomes were: force production (bD); static and dynamic balance (KOREBALANCE); and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). The FIM looks at physical and cognitive attributes using a 7-point scale, where 7 = fully independent. RESULTS: 24 men (83 ± 4 yr; BMI = 27 ± 4 kg/m2) and 36 women (81 ± 6 yr; BM I = 25 ± 4 kg/m2) completed the study (control, N=14; bD, N=16; PP, N=13; bD+PP, N=17). At baseline, no groups differed in force production capacity, balance, or FIM. Force production increased for chest press, leg press, and vertical lift in the bD and bD+PP groups (range: 21 to 49%; P<0.001). Dynamic balance improved in the bD+PP group. Between-group differences were isolated to the physical attribute FIM scores of self-care and mobility. bD+PP improved self-care (6.8 to 6.9; P=0.002). Mobility improved in bD and bD+PP (6.6 to 6.8; P<0.001; and 6.7 to 6.9; P<0.001, respectively). The scores for cognitive attributes (social cognition and communication) were 7 at baseline and did not change. CONCLUSION: The improved force production from a single weekly 5-min session of bD shows that this intervention not only has important health and clinical value but also overcomes the often-cited lack of time as an exercise barrier. The improved dynamic balance in the bD+PP group may reduce their risk of falls. The improved physical FIM scores in bD and bD+PP groups are clinically significant and justify larger RCTs investigating the efficacy of bD and bD+PP.

인지진단이론에 근거한 TIMSS 2011의 과학 결과 분석을 통한 인지 속성의 국제비교

This research purports to find out the characteristics of Korean students cognitive attributes and compare it with that of high-achieving countries who took TIMSS 2011 based on the Cognitive Diagnostic Theory. Based on TIMSS 2011 Science framework, nine cognitive attributes were extracted and the researcher analyzed that 216 of the TIMSS 2011 science items require these attributes. This analysis was conducted to come up with a Q-matrix. After producing the Q-matrix, multi-level IRT was used to figure out each countries` characteristics for each of the cognitive attribute. According to the study results, four attributes, such as `Use Models,` `Interpret Information,` `Draw Conclusions,` and `Evaluate and justify` were easier attributes for Korean middle school students. However, the other five attributes such as `Recall/Recognize`, `Explain`, `Classify`, `Integrate`, `Hypothesize and Design` were considered as harder attributes compared to other countries. Korean students also considered `Interpret Information` as the easiest attributes, and `Explain` as the hardest attributes of all. For Korean students, those attributes considered to be easy were the easiest and hard attributes as the hardest compared to other countries, showing very extreme cases. Therefore, to give students more meaningful learning experience, it is better to use all the attributes altogether rather than use specific attributes while constructing Science curriculum or textbooks.

Differential impact of affective and cognitive attributes on preference under deliberation and distraction

Two experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that affective information looms relatively larger than cognitive information when individuals are distracted for a period of time compared to when they engage in deliberative thinking. In two studies, participants were presented with information about 4 decision alternatives: An affective alternative that scored high on affective attributes but low on cognitive attributes, a cognitive alternative with the opposite trade-off, and two fillers. They were then asked to indicate their attitudes toward each of four decision alternatives either immediately, after a period of deliberation, or after a period of distraction. The results of both experiments demonstrated that participants significantly preferred the affective alternative to the cognitive alternative after distraction, but not after deliberation. The implications for understanding when and how unconscious thought may lead to better decisions are being discussed.

Promoting innovative thinking.

Innovation is the engine of scientific progress, yet we do not train public health students to think creatively. I present the key concepts within an evidence-based method currently taught at the University of Texas. Habitual thought patterns involve deeply held framed expectations. Finding alternatives generates originality. Because frame breaking is difficult, a series of innovation heuristics and tools are offered including enhancing observation, using analogies, changing point of view, juggling opposites, broadening perspective, reversal, reorganization and combination, and getting the most from groups. Gaining cognitive attributes such as nonjudgment, willingness to question, mindfulness, and plasticity is also emphasized. Students completing the class demonstrate substantial increases on a standardized test of idea fluency and originality, more joyful attitudes toward science, and more pluralistic approaches.

Bundling of STDs and HIV in Prevention Messages.

This study aims to explore peoples cognitive perceptions of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to inform decisions on message development with regard to message bundling, with limited research on the concept of bundling-related prevention messages and no studies that consider the bundling of HIV and other STD prevention messages. Individual and small-group interviews were conducted with 158 African American men and women to explore perceptions of STDs and communication preferences. Open-ended questions and a pile-sort exercise were used to elicit individuals' judgments on similarities of 12 STDs, including HIV. Interview data were coded and analyzed for themes and patterns; pile sort data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cluster analysis to visualize the set of relations identified from the piles. STDs and HIV are associated with stigma, risk behaviors and personal responsibility. The card sorting activity revealed two primary dimensions by which people organized STDs: seriousness and curability. Potential clusters of STDs that correspond to participants described sorting strategies were identified and they may have implications for message bundling. Disaggregation of the data by sex and age revealed slight variations in the relationships of HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV) to other STDs. By identifying a set of cognitive attributes people use in organizing the overall semantic domain of STDs, ideas can be generated for how best to combine STD and HIV messages to meet public health communication goals.

Challenges of Nurse Tutors’ Classroom and Clinical Performance When Teaching

Introduction: Nursing is a dual profession that involves teaching both in class and at the clinical area. Nurse tutors meet a lot of challenges in their profession through their cognitive, affective and psychomotor nursing performance. The aim of this paper is to determine the challenges of nurse tutor clinical affective, cognitive and psychomotor performance in Malawi. Methods: Mixed methods design was employed. Quantitatively, 129 students and 82 nurse tutors randomly selected were involved for the five ranked Likert Scale questionnaire, and 42 nurse tutors were involved in in-depth. While 8 focus group discussions were conducted in 8 nursing colleges. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used quantitatively for predictive variable of nurse tutor work experience and student study experience to compare with the dependent variables from the 39 cognitive, affective and psychomotor attributes. Results: Both nurse tutors and students are not impressed with nurse tutors cognitive, affective and psychomotor performance during teaching. There is inadequate clinical orientation to students [OR ≤ 0.302; 95%CI (0.096 ± 2.955); p ≥ 0.042] and inadequate funding from college administration [OR ≤ 1.013; 95%CI (0.271 ± 3.793); p ≥ 0.985] as a result it creates much pressure on teaching. Conclusion: There is a need to develop an effective teaching strategy that would be conducive and easy to use for the limited resource environments in Malawi.

Entrepreneurial Environment in Slovakia: Multi-Perspective Comparison with Innovation-Driven Economies

Abstract Entrepreneurial environment is a phenomenon that substantially influences quantity and quality of entrepreneurial activity in an economy. In order to create favorable conditions where individuals and groups of individuals can flourish their entrepreneurial efforts, policy makers need to know the absolute as well as comparative strengths and weaknesses in the relevant international context. In order to answer this question, we have executed a comprehensive multi-perspective analysis (using data from seven international initiatives) of entrepreneurial environment in Slovakia. Building on the institutional theory, we examined its regulative, normative, cognitive and conducive dimensions. To obtain the contextual picture, we compared Slovakia with group of innovation-driven economies that serve as a relevant and desirable benchmark for our country. Our findings suggest that Slovakia lacks especially in conducive dimension (particularly important for innovative entrepreneurship) as well as in several regulatory aspects, while we exhibit comparatively favorable levels of certain cognitive and normative attributes (such as self-confidence, network or uncertainty avoidance).