Cognitive Attributes Research Articles

Genetic overlap between executive functions and BMI in childhood

Executive functions (EFs) comprise a group of cognitive processes that selectively control and regulate attention. Inverse relations have been reported between EFs and BMI. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. We aimed to decompose the inverse relation between EFs and BMI into genetic and environmental components. We employed a cross-sectional analysis of data from 869 twins aged 7-15 y from the Texas Twin Project, who completed a neuropsychological test battery measuring 4 EFs (switching, inhibitory control, working memory, and updating); academic achievement (reading and mathematics); and general cognitive abilities (general intelligence/intelligence quotient; crystallized and fluid intelligence; and processing speed). Participants also had their height and weight measured. After controlling for age, sex, and race/ethnicity, BMI was inversely associated with a general EF factor representing the capacity to control and regulate goal-oriented behaviors (r=-0.125; P=0.01; Q=0.04). This inverse BMI-EF association was due to a significant overlap in genetic factors contributing to each phenotype (genetic correlation, rA, =-0.15; P<0.001). Shared genetic influences accounted for 80% of the phenotypic association. Children with higher general EF have lower BMIs, and this association is primarily attributable to shared genetic influences on both phenotypes. The results emphasize that higher weight associates not only with physical sequelae, but also with important cognitive attributes. This work adds to a growing body of research suggesting there are sets of genetic variants common across physical health and cognitive functioning.

Children under 15 years old of road risk in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Road accidents among children are now a major public health problem worldwide. According to a WHO report (2015), 186 300 children die on the roads worldwide, and the most at risk of death live in low- and middle-income countries (WHO 2015). The sub-Saharan African region has the highest number of road accidents among children with 32% of deaths (Li, Alonge, and Hyder 2016). They are the most vulnerable to road crash risk because of their physical and cognitive attributes still in development ...

Triviality Arguments Reconsidered

Opponents of the computational theory of mind (CTM) have held that the theory is devoid of explanatory content, since whatever computational procedures are said to account for our cognitive attributes will also be realized by a host of other ‘deviant’ physical systems, such as buckets of water and possibly even stones. Such ‘triviality’ claims rely on a simple mapping account (SMA) of physical implementation. Hence defenders of CTM traditionally attempt to block the trivialization critique by advocating additional constraints on the implementation relation. However, instead of attempting to ‘save’ CTM by constraining the account of physical implementation, I argue that the general form of the triviality argument is invalid. I provide a counterexample scenario, and show that SMA is in fact consistent with empirically rich and theoretically plausible versions of CTM. This move requires rejection of the computational sufficiency thesis, which I argue is scientifically unjustified in any case. By shifting the ‘burden of explanatory force’ away from the concept of physical implementation, and instead placing it on salient aspects of the target phenomenon to be explained, it’s possible to retain a maximally liberal and unfettered view of physical implementation, and at the same time defuse the triviality arguments that have motivated defenders of CTM to impose various theory-laden constraints on SMA.

Satisfaction with crowding and other attributes in public transport

We analyse customer satisfaction surveys conducted among public transport passengers over 15 years in Stockholm. We analyze satisfaction and importance of many attributes and their temporal trends, focusing on attributes that stand out from the rest in some way, which is primarily crowding. Crowding is the attribute with the lowest satisfaction and the only attribute for which satisfaction declines over time. However, in spite of the low satisfaction, crowding is still less important for the total satisfaction than the cognitive attributes reliability and frequency (the most important attributes). Only when crowding levels reach high levels, like that of the most crowded bus services in central Stockholm, does crowding become as important as the cognitive attributes. Also the attribute reliability stands out – it is the most important attribute. For the attributes reliability and crowding, data allow us to compare satisfaction and importance with performance. We find that that satisfaction and importance are influenced by the performance level for both attributes.

Identification of key performance characteristics of elite Australian football umpires

This research aimed to present a hierarchy of key attributes for Australian football umpires. Elite Australian football umpires ( n = 19) and their coaches ( n = 5) participated in this study. A list of attributes necessary for sports officiating was obtained from past research and adapted specifically for Australian football umpires. Umpires were required to rate each attribute on a scale of 0–9 (least to most importance), and provide a justification of its importance to performance. A modified questionnaire was developed with attributes removed or added, according to the first survey round. This research identified two cognitive attributes: knowing the laws/interpretations and decision-making as the two highest rated attributes, respectively. Psychological attributes composure and concentration were rated highly by the umpires, ranked as number three and five, respectively. The game skill attribute of teamwork was rated as the fourth highest. Fitness was the only physical attribute to be rated in the most important category. Results highlight the importance of cognitive and psychological attributes to elite performance; however, participant feedback suggests that the integration of all attributes is critical. This knowledge establishes an understanding of the key attributes for expert performance, and this information could be used by coaches for the assessment and development of Australian football umpires.

Differences in the literacy skills of Danish dyslexic students in two types of higher education programmes.

Previous research has treated high-functioning dyslexic students as a homogeneous group. This study explores the clinical observation that dyslexic students attending university programmes differ from dyslexic students attending tertiary education professional programmes in some aspects of their literacy skills. Four groups, dyslexic university students (n=32), dyslexic students attending professional programmes (n=32), control university students (n=31), and control students from professional programmes (n=30), were assessed on measures of pseudoword reading, phonological choice, vocabulary, reading and spelling of morphologically complex single words, and reading aloud from a syntactically complex text. The results showed that the two dyslexic groups were comparable only on the phonological tasks, the dyslexic university students outperforming the professional programme students in all reading and spelling measures. Controlling vocabulary and number of semesters studied, the difference was no longer significant. Nevertheless, the analyses indicate that phonological deficits underlie the performance of professional programme students with dyslexia across a wide range of tasks, whereas university students with dyslexia may be able to limit the impact of phonological deficits to some extent by relying on some alternative cognitive attributes. Reading experience, orthographic learning, and working memory efficiency are discussed as possible explanations for this pattern of results.

Cognitive diagnosis of cultural and rural tourism convergence

Neural networks are widely used in the field of cognitive diagnosis. Cognitive diagnosis can diagnose the subjects’ knowledge of cognitive attributes according to their responses, so as to obtain the specific cognitive status of the subjects and provide remedial measures. The studies on the convergence of cultural industry and tourism industry are emerging, but the theoretical system needs to be improved. The research on the convergence mechanism between cultural industry and tourism industry can complement each other on the basis of independent theoretical system, which establishes relationship between the two theoretical systems. Based on the adaptive neural network algorithm and from the perspective of blockchain, this study takes cultural industry and rural tourism industry as examples to diagnose the industry convergence of rural cultural industry and rural tourism industry development, which will further consolidate the theoretical basis for the convergence and development of tourism industry and cultural industry, as well as contribute to promoting development of industry convergence.

The Effects of Alarm on the Situation Awareness in Firefighter

Background: One of the effective factors on controlling fire stations' system is situational awareness potentially varying in different scenarios. This study will investigate the relationship between situational awareness, as a set of the cognitive attributes, and ergonomics. It has been proved that situational awareness improves the performance of an organization's staff. Methods: This is semi-experimental research in which 30 firefighters from Isfahan urban fire stations participated. Materials used in this research are brachial pressure, a pulse oximeter (fingertip), and Situation Awareness Assessment Approaches. In each step, five firefighters from one fire station were tested twice. Results: Average score of situational awareness did not change significantly after the fire station alarm compared to before it. After the alarm, physiological variables such as blood pressure and heart rate decreased and increased, respectively. The results showed work experience played a significant role in the score of situational awareness and increase in heartbeat. Conclusion: Given the lack of effect of alarm but the effect of work experience on situational awareness, experienced firefighters’ experiences and training can be used for improving situational awareness in young and inexperienced firefighters.

Let’s Play a Game! Kin-LDD: A Tool for Assisting in the Diagnosis of Children with Learning Difficulties

This paper presents an alternative approach for the diagnosis of learning difficulties in children. A game-based evaluation study, using Kinaesthetic Learning Difficulties Diagnosis (Kin-LDD), was performed during the actual diagnosis procedure for the identification of learning difficulties. Kin-LDD is a serious game that provides a gesture-based interface and incorporates spatial and time orientation activities. These activities assess children’s cognitive attributes while they are using their motor skills to interact with the game. The aim of this work was to introduce the fun parameter to the diagnostic process, provide a useful tool for the special educators and investigate potential correlations between in-game metrics and the diagnosis outcome. An experiment was conducted in which 30 children played the game during their official assessment for the diagnosis of learning difficulties at the Center for Differential Diagnosis, Diagnosis and Support. Performance metrics were collected automatically while the children were playing the game. These metrics, along with questionnaires appropriate for children and post-session interviews were later analyzed and the findings are presented in the paper. According to the results: (a) children evaluated the game as a fun experience, (b) special educators claimed it was helpful to the diagnostic procedure, and (c) there were statistically significant correlations between in-game metrics and the category of learning difficulty the child was characterized with.

Joint Modeling of Compensatory Multidimensional Item Responses and Response Times.

Computer-based testing (CBT) is becoming increasingly popular in assessing test-takers' latent abilities and making inferences regarding their cognitive processes. In addition to collecting item responses, an important benefit of using CBT is that response times (RTs) can also be recorded and used in subsequent analyses. To better understand the structural relations between multidimensional cognitive attributes and the working speed of test-takers, this research proposes a joint-modeling approach that integrates compensatory multidimensional latent traits and response speediness using item responses and RTs. The joint model is cast as a multilevel model in which the structural relation between working speed and accuracy are connected through their variance-covariance structures. The feasibility of this modeling approach is investigated via a Monte Carlo simulation study using a Bayesian estimation scheme. The results indicate that integrating RTs increased model parameter recovery and precision. In addition, Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 mathematics standard unit items are analyzed to further evaluate the feasibility of the approach to recover model parameters.

Power of positive words: communication, cognition, and organizational transformation

Purpose In the extant organizational change literature scant attention has been given to the communication and cognitive processes consequential to organizational transformation. From the communication and sense-making perspectives, this study discusses the role of positive communication involving stories, metaphors or axioms in fostering socio-cognitive routines necessary for organizational change. The study further examines the empirical link between positive communication and organizational transformation with the survey data from professionals who have experienced the organizational change episode. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the empirical link between the positive communication and organizational transformation with a survey data collected from 174 management professionals who have recently experienced the organizational change episodes such as restructuring, reengineering, TQM adoption or new strategy implementation. With the content analysis of narratives containing metaphors, axioms and stories, the study unravels the underlying clusters of organizational and socio-cognitive dimensions associated with organizational transformation. Findings The study results affirm the importance of positive communication and its effects on the emotional buy-in, learning and transformation occurring at the individual level, and attest to the transformational effect of positive axioms, metaphors or stories on the organization. The study also revealed that the positive communication diffusing social, cognitive or emotional attributes such as commitment, trust or optimism produces the desired transformational effect. Practical implications It is imperative for managers to understand the relationship between socio-linguistic processes and cognitive attributes such as trust, commitment and learning. With the help of right metaphors, stories and axioms that resonate with changing industry conditions, managers can effectively orchestrate the strategic intent and organizational transformation. Originality/value Most studies on the relationship between managerial communication and organizational transformation are primarily qualitative case studies focusing on the dialectics of organizational change. This study carries the strong external validity by capturing the connection between managerial communications and their transformational effect with the help of data collected from the management professionals across multiple industries.

An Investigation of a Country-Level Diagnostic Assessment Model for the TIMSS

국제 수학·과학 성취도 추이 연구와 같은 교육평가의 목적은 국가와 같은 집단을 비교하는 것이다. 이와 같이 평가의 단위가 학생보다 상위 수준일 때 집단을 비교하기 위해서는 다층 문항반응이론 기반의 집단 수준 진단평가 모형을 고려할 수 있다. 이 연구에서는 Park과 Bolt(2008)가 제안한 문항특성모형을 수정하여 새로운 다층 문항반응이론 기반의 집단 수준 진단평가 모형을 제안하였다. 이 수정된 모형은 2015년에 실시된 국제 수학·과학 성취도 추이 연구의 8학년 수학 평가 자료에 적용되었다. 그 결과 9개의 인지적 요소에 대한 국가들의 프로파일을 구할 수 있었다. 이 연구 결과는 국가 간 비교 또는 요소 간 상호 비교에 이용될 수 있다. 이와 같이 잔차항을 설명할 수 있도록 수정된 모형은 보다 높은 신뢰도를 지니며 국가 간 비교에 보다 정확한 정보를 제공할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. 예를 이용하여 연구 결과를 어떻게 해석할 수 있는지 제시하였으며, 연구의 제한점과 후속 연구에 대해서도 논의하였다.The purpose of educational assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is to compare groups such as countries. When the unit of measurement is above the student level, group-level diagnostic assessment based on multilevel item response theory (ML-IRT) can be considered just as cognitive diagnosis models are developed from item response theory. This study suggests an ML-IRT-based group-level diagnostic assessment model by modifying an item feature model by Park and bolt (2008). The model is illustrated on the recently released TIMSS 2015 Grade 8 mathematics assessment. The results provide skill profiles for the studied countries and the nine cognitive attributes; that is, the attribute effects can be compared across the countries and also across the attributes. By controlling unexplained variance, the suggested model may provide more reliable and more informative group-level comparisons. The results are interpreted using an example. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

The Identification of Talent in Soccer a Brief Review

In this review, we intended to identify and provide the most important overview of research in talent identification in soccer and highlighting information for those who are interested into future research in this field. Some peer-reviewed empirical articles were collected and analyzed. The literature reveals considerable evidence demonstrating that 8 indicators must be taken into consideration in talent assessment: maturation, physiological abilities, technical skills, tactical skills, psychosocial attributes, deliberate practice, genetic factors and the context. It seems that the traditional trend of selecting young players based on physical, technical, psychological, cognitive and sociological attributes must be completed with another several factors: perceptual and tactical skills and abilities, genetics.

Acute effects of methadone on EEG power spectrum and event-related potentials among heroin dependents.

Methadone as the most prevalent opioid substitution medication has been shown to influence the neurophysiological functions among heroin addicts. However, there is no firm conclusion on acute neuroelectrophysiological changes among methadone-treated subjects as well as the effectiveness of methadone in restoring brain electrical abnormalities among heroin addicts. This study aims to investigate the acute and short-term effects of methadone administration on the brain's electrophysiological properties before and after daily methadone intake over 10weeks of treatment among heroin addicts. EEG spectral analysis and single-trial event-related potential (ERP) measurements were used to investigate possible alterations in the brain's electrical activities, as well as the cognitive attributes associated with MMN and P3. The results confirmed abnormal brain activities predominantly in the beta band and diminished information processing ability including lower amplitude and prolonged latency of cognitive responses among heroin addicts compared to healthy controls. In addition, the alteration of EEG activities in the frontal and central regions was found to be associated with the withdrawal symptoms of drug users. Certain brain regions were found to be influenced significantly by methadone intake; acute effects of methadone induction appeared to be associative to its dosage. The findings suggest that methadone administration affects cognitive performance and activates the cortical neuronal networks, resulting in cognitive responses enhancement which may be influential in reorganizing cognitive dysfunctions among heroin addicts. This study also supports the notion that the brain's oscillation powers and ERPs can be utilized as neurophysiological indices for assessing the addiction treatment traits.

Information and Communication Technologies as a Didactic Tool for the Construction of Meaningful Learning in the Area of Mathematics

The main objective of the research is to analyze the cognitive attributes offered by Information and Communication Technologies to promote mathematical software as a model of teaching and learning. In the study, the software was used as a motivating didactic resource for the construction of meaningful learning. One hundred students of the first semester of Universidad Iberoamericana of Ecuador participated in this research. For the selection of the sample it was applied a non-probabilistic participatory type technique. The study was developed according to the approach of mixed methods of sequential explanatory design. The researcher organized the article in two phases: the first phase was quantitative. Quantitative results were obtained by applying a questionnaire to the students. The data demonstrated the need for change in university mathematics education. For students in the first semester, it was implemented the Wiris and Geogebra operational program during the qualitative phase. Moreover, the observation guide made it possible to collect qualitative information. The results of both phases were joined through the triangulation method. In conclusion, it is proposed the use of software as a model of teaching-learning process. It is highlighted the importance of active group knowledge sharing.

The Concept of Luxury Brands and the Relationship between Consumer and Luxury Brands

The study aims to articulate a definition of luxury brands, to propose a framework for consumer luxury brand relationships and to provide empirical evidence of the proposed model. The study conducted two surveys in Portugal and the United States in 2009 and 2013 for selected luxury brands. The study employs factor analysis and structural equation modelling techniques to test the hypotheses. The study finds a link between luxury products and consumer’s psychological association represents in a hierarchical order of: cognitive attributes at its base level, extrinsic attributes on a secondary level and intrinsic attributes at the advance level. The findings suggest a concept for luxury brands from three dimensions of: luxury product characteristics, consumer’s psychological characteristics, and consumer’s psychological association with the luxury product. The research was conducted in Portugal and the United States so that there is always a potential criticism concerning the ability to generalize research results to a broader international population. The findings provide a holistic perspective in the understanding of luxury brand constructs and a definition of luxury brands in the way why consumers involve symbolic consumption. The successful application of the findings in a brand setting would be of particular interest to marketers and brand strategists.

Cognition, Network Structure, and Learning in Top Managers’ Interpersonal Networks

In an uncertain, complex and competitive business landscape, top managers’ ability to quickly and effectively learn from others in their interpersonal networks could give their companies a competitive edge. We propose an integrative cognitive framework to explain how their interpersonal learning outcomes might be shaped by the interplay between cognitive attributes, such as impatience and conservatism, and the degree to which extremely well-connected individuals, or hubs, is probable in their networks. Using agent-based simulation models, we find that impatience and conservatism may lead to poor interpersonal learning outcomes, particularly if top managers belong to less “hubby” networks. In addition, distorted information has the potential to compromise learning, regardless of the level of impatience or conservatism and network “hubbiness”. Moderate to high levels of initial knowledge variety may also hamper interpersonal learning if top managers are highly impatient or conservative, and operate in networks with a certain degree of “hubbiness”. Although the adoption of less-than-ideal standards for judging the accuracy of beliefs may expedite learning, it is generally costly in terms of low learning performance levels. However, more impatient or conservative top managers may improve their learning performance by primarily targeting hubs, or some mix of hubs and nearby contacts.

잠재계층분석을 활용한 초등학생들의 읽기이해 인지 특성 분석

잠재계층분석을 활용한 초등학생들의 읽기이해 인지 특성 분석

Validation of Metacognitive Awareness Inventory in Academic Stage of Undergraduate Medical Education

Medical students are expected to improve critical thinking, clinical reasoning and problem solving skills. These cognitive attributes need to be supported with metacognitive skills. Students with better metacognitive ability will be able to synergize their learning with self-reflection strategies to achieve learning target. One of the tools to assess students’ metacognitive skills is Metacognition Awareness Inventory (MAI). This study is aimed to validate Indonesian MAI in the academic stage of undergraduate medical education and was done on May-June 2014 at faculty of medicine Universitas Malahayati Bandar Lampung. This study used cross-sectional design consisted of 3 stages: language adaptation, pilot study and validation study. Validation study involved 1200 medical students. Factor analysis was conducted to identify factors of MAI. Language adaptation and pilot study produced Indonesian MAI which contains the same number of items. There were 757 MAI questionnaires eligible for analysis. Extraction of the 51-item MAI using principal component analysis (PCA) produced 5 factors which were cognitive preparation, supervision, management, strategy and evaluation. The Cronbach alpha value for the whole Indonesian MAI was 0.904. Indonesian MAI complies to construct validity criteria, specifically content validity and internal consistency. MAI is useful as an instrument to assess metacognitive ability in the academic stage of undergraduate medical education.

모바일 게임의 사용자 경험의 요소로서 시지각적 속성과 인지적 속성의 상관관계 실증분석

모바일 게임의 사용자 경험의 요소로서 시지각적 속성과 인지적 속성의 상관관계 실증분석