Cognitive Flexibility Ability Research Articles

Cognitive Flexibility in Learning Mathematics Senior High School

<p><em>Cognitive flexibility in learning mathematics is necessary to solve problems with various mathematical ideas. In completing assignments, students have different perspectives so as to bring up creative solutions that encourage problem-solving skills. This study aims to determine students' cognitive flexibility level in high school mathematics learning. This quantitative descriptive research aims to describe the contents of a variable in research, without being intended to test a particular hypothesis. The source of data used in this study was class XI students in Pontianak City totaling 173 people. Data is collected by questionnaire with data analysis calculating the percentage index results of questionnaire answers. Based on the results of the questionnaire categorizing the level of cognitive flexibility ability of students in learning mathematics, it was found that there were 39 students with the category "very high" cognitive abilities, 115 students in the "high" category, and 19 students in the "moderate" category. This shows that most high school students in Pontianak City on average have high cognitive flexibility abilities in mathematics learning. This data is supported by the statements of mathematics teachers who describe the ability of students to achieve cognitive flexibility, of course, with maximum effort in teaching. From a teaching point of view, mathematics teachers have certainly considered more innovative teaching techniques in order to grow these abilities.</em></p>

Association of cognitive flexibility with neural activation during the theory of mind processing

Theory of mind (ToM), which is the ability to infer and reason about others’ mental states, plays a key role in successful social interactions. Previous studies have shown that cognitive flexibility (CF), which refers to the ability to adequately switch between different perspectives, is linked to ToM performance in a variety of experimental tasks. However, the mechanisms of the association between CF and ToM is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relation of CF with neural activity during ToM processing in 26 healthy male adults using a functional magnetic resonance imaging task of moving shapes in social patterns. The CF abilities were estimated using the self-report Cognitive Flexibility Scale. Diverse brain areas, including the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus, amygdala, precuneus, and temporoparietal junction (TPJ), were activated during ToM processing. In these areas, individual differences in CF abilities were associated with the strength of neural activity in the right MFG and TPJ. These findings highlight the notion that cognitive ability to switch between different perspectives according to a changing environment is crucial for the attribution of mental state to others, and suggest that the right MFG and TPJ are deserving of further examination for the development of new therapies to improve social cognition in clinical populations.

Cognitive flexibility abilities in learning: A systematic review of the literature

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt a person's cognitive processes to face new conditions in the environment. The main aim of this research is to find out information about the research design, subject and findings about cognitive flexibility that have been published. This research study uses 5 indexed journal articles throughout 2017-2021. The method used is a systematic review referring to the Kitchenham guidelines. The results of this research show that correlational research is the most commonly used design with students as the most popular subject. Overall, cognitive flexibility abilities have a positive influence. More empirical research is needed to see the extent of cognitive flexibility in the learning process at various levels of education.

THE EFFECT OF COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY ON IMPROVING CLEAN AND HEALTHY LIVING BEHAVIOR IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The emergence of various diseases that often attack school-age children (ages 6-14) was generally related to Clean and Healthy Life Behavior. The purpose of clean and healthy life behavior in schools is to empower students, teachers, and the community in the school environment so that they know and are willing and able to practice clean and healthy life behavior and take an active role in realizing healthy schools. Therefore, instilling clean and healthy life behavior values in schools is an essential and absolute need that can be done through persuasive activities and cognitive flexibility abilities. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to think about things in different ways. This study aims to determine the effect of cognitive flexibility on improving clean and healthy life behavior in elementary school students. The method used is a quantitative correlation, with data analysis using SPSS. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires through Google Form. The study was conducted in one elementary school in Jakarta in grades 1st to 6th, with 125 students as respondents. The improvement of Clean and Healthy Life Behavior is assessed from 3 indicators of cognitive flexibility and 8 indicators of clean and healthy life behavior in schools.

Measurement invariance of a neuropsychological battery across urban and rural older adults in Costa Rica

This study evaluated the measurement invariance of a neuropsychological battery across rural and urban older adults from Costa Rica. Rural and urban older adults (N = 295) from the Epidemiology and Development of Alzheimer’s Disease (EDAD) study in Costa Rica were assessed. The baseline factor model for the EDAD neuropsychological measures was identified with nine neuropsychological measures and three cognitive constructs: Verbal Memory, Spatial Reasoning, and Cognitive Flexibility. Measurement and structural invariance were established, and, then, group comparisons of the latent cognitive factors were conducted to explore regional disparities. The findings showed that most of the neuropsychological tests in EDAD can be directly compared across the groups, allowing for cognitive constructs comparisons. The rural sample showed a disadvantage in the Spatial Reasoning and Cognitive Flexibility abilities. When age and education were included in the models, differences between the regions disappeared. Having more years of education was associated with higher cognitive abilities, with a larger effect for the rural group. Norms for Costa Rican older adults should consider age and education adjustments. This study contributes to the growing area of measurement invariance in neuropsychological assessment as it highlights the importance of examining the comparability of assessment measures across different cultural groups.

Assessing Physical and Cognitive Function in Individuals With Head and Neck Cancer: A Feasibility Study.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) and associated treatments have significant long-term and late adverse effects that can impair function. Therefore, there is a need for reliable common metrics to assess function in HNC that limit participant burden and are cost-effective and easy to use in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using the Fitbit Zip, NIH Toolbox, and REDCap electronic data collection tool to measure function and symptoms in individuals with HNC and to explore preliminary findings. A prospective descriptive design with a total of 16 participants was used to assess function and symptoms pretreatment to 3 months post treatment initiation. The enrollment rate was 49%, the retention rate was 81%, and the Fitbit Zip adherence rate was 86%. Exploratory analyses suggested a possible decline in physical activity and worsening symptom burden alongside improved attention and cognitive flexibility abilities ( P ≤ .05). There were no differences in strength, functional mobility, information processing, or perceived attentional function. The results of this study suggest that use of the Fitbit Zip, NIH Toolbox, and REDCap data collection tool in HNC is feasible. Exploratory analyses suggest that the Fitbit Zip may be a sensitive measure of physical activity in HNC. This study provides preliminary evidence for metrics that could be used in the clinical settings to assess function and symptom distress in HNC. Integration of these measures, upon further validation, could help providers better identify patients in need of intervention.

Associations between depression symptoms and executive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: One‐year follow‐up

AbstractBackgroundPsychiatric disorders are among etiologies for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), one of the main one is depression. The relationship between depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not yet fully understood and it is considered both, isolated risk factor and prodrome stage of AD. The aim of this work is to investigate if older adults with MCI associated with significant depressive symptoms, compared with those without these symptoms, will have different executive functions outcomes after one‐year follow‐up.MethodRepeated measures ANCOVA with Bonferroni post‐hoc analysis was used with cognitive variables at baseline and follow up evaluation as dependent, presence of significative depression symptoms at baseline as independent while controlling for covariates age, gender and years of formal education. Depressive symptoms were measured by 15‐item geriatric depression scale and the cutoff point was 6. Executive functions as inhibitory control e cognitive flexibility were assessed by Five Digit Test, working memory by Digit Span Test and phonemic verbal fluency by letter S. Patients started depression treatment at baseline.ResultWere included 170 participants (125 without depressive symptoms and 45 with symptoms), mean age 74.44, 68 women, mean years of formal education was 4,54. Among these, 99 (29 with depressive symptoms) complete all tests in the two assessments. Due to cognitive impairment, some of them were unable to even start cognitive flexibility test. Results indicated there was a significant effect of depression symptoms at baseline on cognitive flexibility ability [F (1.94) = 7,271, p = 0.008). Participants with depression presented a significant improvement (p = 0.006) on cognitive flexibility average from baseline (11.60) to the end of follow up (7.24). For those without symptoms of depression at baseline, the averages were 6.32 at baseline and 5.98 at follow‐up. There was no significant effect of depressive symptoms on the other cognitive skills assessed when considering these covariates.ConclusionComparing participants with and without depression symptoms at baseline, there was an improvement in cognitive flexibility in the former group. We think this result could be related to effect of depression treatment.

Kadın migren hastalarında bilişsel esneklik: vaka-kontrol çalışması

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if cognition is affected in female migraine sufferers by comparing cognitive domains with a healthy control group.Materials and Methods: Fifty patients with migraine and 50 healthy controls (all female) were enrolled in this cross-sectional case–control study. The Beck Depression test, Beck Anxiety test, California Verbal Learning Test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were performed in both groups. Results: Using a multivariate logistic regression model of migraine, WCST non-perseverative error (odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.028–2.568; p = 0.03), WCST percent of perseverative error (OR, 0.23; 95%CI, 0.071–0.786; p = 0.01), WCST perseverative response (OR, 4.55; 95%CI, 1.272–16.298; p = 0.02), no alcohol consumption (OR, 0.006; 95%CI, 0.000–0.943; p = 0.04), family history of hypertension (OR, 4.46; 95%CI, 1.114–17.915; p = 0.03), family history of migraine (OR, 4.028; 95%CI, 1.027–15.799; p = 0.04), and no family history of stroke (OR, 0.034; 95%CI, 0.003–0.448; p = 0.01) were significant factorsConclusion: Among WCST scores, non-perseverative error provides insight into the patient’s problem solving ability. Meanwhile, percent perseverative error and perseverative response scores provide insight into cognitive flexibility ability. Therefore, in our study group, patients with migraine show better problem solving and cognitive flexibility ability than the healthy control group.

P04.56 Brain tumor patients with impaired cognitive flexibility do not efficiently update functional connectivity within the fronto-parietal network

Background The majority of brain tumor patients suffers from cognitive deficits. These deficits can be very disruptive for a person’s daily functioning, quality of life and treatment compliance. Examining functional connectivity patterns during the performance of a cognitive task may enhance our understanding of the relationship between functional brain networks and cognitive performance. Despite the similarity in network topology across rest and task states, there are also meaningful differences in functional connectivity that are likely to be linked to cognitive performance. Currently, it is largely unknown how differences between rest and task functional connectivity patterns are related to cognitive functioning in brain tumor patients. The goal of this study was therefore to explore this relationship, whereby we focussed on cognitive flexibility. We expected less intense task-evoked network reconfiguration in patients with worse cognitive flexibility abilities. Material and Methods Resting state and functional MRI data (while performing several working memory tasks) were acquired in 50 brain tumor patients (23 meningioma, 13 low grade and 14 high grade glioma patients) before tumor resection. Performance on the “Shifting Attention Test” (SAT; part of CNS-VS) was used as an independent measure of a patient’s cognitive flexibility. Task-evoked network reconfiguration was investigated at the whole-brain and at the network level (fronto-parietal (FPN), cingulo-opercular (CON), and default mode (DMN) network). Whole-brain and network-specific connectivity matrices were created for each patient. We used the Pearson correlation value as a measure of similarity between rest and task functional connectivity patterns. For each network and for the whole brain, a linear regression (4 in total) using demographic and clinical factors, tumor characteristics and the reconfiguration measure was performed to test the relationship between the reconfiguration measure and cognitive flexibility performance while correcting for the other variables. Results We found that, across patients, SAT performance was negatively associated with the similarity of the FPN connectivity pattern between task and rest (β= -75.84, t(42)=-3.63, p<0.001). No association was found between SAT scores and degree of reconfiguration at the whole brain level or for the CON or DMN. Conclusion Our results show that cognitive flexibility problems in brain tumor patients are associated with a higher rest-task similarity in the fronto-parietal network topology. Possibly, the problems with cognitive flexibility are related to reduced capacity to update the fronto-parietal connections to changing cognitive demands. Our findings provide an important step towards individually-tailored treatment of cognitive deficits.

Performance Enhancement with Low Stress and Anxiety Modulated by Cognitive Flexibility

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare cognitive flexibility abilities, stress, and anxiety between starters and non-starter athletes.MethodsA total of 30 male professional-soccer and 40 professional-baseball athletes were recruited. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Trail Making Test A & B (TMT A & B) were administered to assess cognitive flexibility during competition. The Korean version of the STAI form Y (STAI-KY) and Visual analogue scale for anxiety and stress were used to assess the anxiety and stress.ResultsThe starter group had better cognitive function (fewer perseverative errors and rapid TMTB times) (Z=3.32, p<0.01; Z=2.20, p=0.03, respectively) and lower stress and anxiety (F=4.34, p=0.01; F=6.61, p<0.01, respectively) during competition than the non-starter group.ConclusionThe better cognitive performances were negatively correlated with stress and anxiety. Current results suggested that cognitive flexibility would enhance human performance by modulation of the anxiety and stress during competition.

Cerebellar involvement in cognitive flexibility

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the cerebellar structures are involved in functions requiring cognitive flexibility abilities. The flexibility of the hemicerebellectomized and control animals in learning a four-choice learning task, adapting to ever-changing response rules was investigated. While in the initial phase of the task both experimental groups exhibited similar performances, only the control animals significantly improved their performance as the sessions went by. The lack of improvement in lesioned animals’ performance rendered their responses particularly defective in the final phases of the task, when conversely intact animals performed best, exploiting their “learning to learn” ability. The findings demonstrate the defective influence of the cerebellar lesion on the acquisition, not the execution, of new responses. The results underline the crucial role of the cerebellum in mediating cognitive flexibility behaviors.

Environmental enrichment mitigates the effects of basal forebrain lesions on cognitive flexibility

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether basal forebrain lesions were able to impair a task requiring cognitive flexibility abilities and analyzing the effect of the rearing in an enriched environment on such form of flexibility in rats with or without basal forebrain cholinergic lesions. In adult rats reared in enriched or standard conditions of the cholinergic projection to the neocortex damage was inflicted by 192 IgG-saporin injection into Ch4 region of basal forebrain. Their performance was compared with those of intact animals reared in analogous conditions in a four-choice serial learning task which taps flexibility in adapting to changing response rules. The results underlined the crucial role of the basal forebrain in mediating cognitive flexibility behaviors and revealed that the increase in social interactions, cognitive stimulation and physical activity of the rearing in enriched environment attenuated impairments caused by the cholinergic lesion. These findings demonstrate that rearing in an enriched environment can improve the ability to cope with brain damage suffered in adulthood.