Cognitive Information Processing Research Articles

Prediction of mild cognitive impairment using EEG signal and BiLSTM network

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a cognitive disease that primarily affects elderly persons. Patients with MCI have impairments in one or more cognitive areas, such as memory, attention, language, and problem-solving. The risk of Alzheimer’s disease development is 10 times higher among individuals who meet the MCI diagnosis than in those who do not have such a diagnosis. Identifying the primary neurophysiological variations between those who are suffering from cognitive impairment and those who are ageing normally may provide helpful techniques to assess the effectiveness of therapies. Event-related Potentials (ERPs) are utilized to investigate the processing of sensory, cognitive, and motor information in the brain. ERPs enable excellent temporal resolution of underlying brain activity. ERP data is complex due to the temporal variation that occurs in the time domain. It is actually a type of electroencephalography (EEG) signal that is time-locked to a specific event or behavior. To remove artifacts from the data, this work utilizes Independent component analysis, finite impulse response filter, and fast Fourier transformation as preprocessing techniques. The bidirectional long short-term memory network is utilized to retain the spatial relationships between the ERP data while learning changes in temporal information for a long time. This network performed well both in modeling and information extraction from the signals. To validate the model performance, the proposed framework is tested on two benchmark datasets. The proposed framework achieved a state-of-the-art accuracy of 96.03% on the SJTU Emotion EEG Dataset dataset and 97.31% on the Chung–Ang University Hospital EEG dataset for the classification tasks.

Retrospective perceptions of support for career development among PhD graduates from US and New Zealand universities

Purpose PhD graduates are entering an increasing range of careers, but past research has highlighted a lack of preparation for these careers. This study aims to explore the reflections of PhD graduates from science and humanities and social science disciplines regarding support for career development (CD) during their study. Design/methodology/approach The authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design and collected 136 survey responses and interviewed 21 PhD graduates from two US and one New Zealand universities to investigate their career readiness. Using the lens of Cognitive Information Processing theory, the authors explored the development of self-knowledge and career options-knowledge, and how support at the macro (institutional), meso (departmental) and micro (supervisors) levels influenced CD. Findings During doctoral study, there was very poor engagement with CD activities. Graduates displayed limited self-knowledge and poor knowledge about career options. Graduates reported drawing mainly on their departments and supervisors for career guidance. Although there were pockets of good practice, some departments were perceived as promoting academia as the only successful outcome, neglecting to support other possible pathways. Some graduates reported excellent supervisor support for CD, but others described disinterest or a damaging response if students said they were not wanting to pursue academia. Originality/value The enabling aspects for developing self- and options-knowledge are collated into a conceptual model, which identifies key factors at institutional, departmental and supervisor levels, as well as for PhD students themselves.

일반계 고등학생 진로분별력 개념모형 개발

Objectives The purposes of this study were to investigate the definition of career savvy that fits general high school students and its components and variables for the conceptual model. Methods For the purpose of this study, a conceptual model draft of career savvy was derived based on a comprehensive review of literature in business administration and pedagogy as well as two main theories which are trait-factor theory and cognitive information processing theory. With a conceptual model draft, Delphi surveys were conducted three times on eight career education experts. Results As a result of the Delphi survey, a conceptual model of career savvy was made and it was agreed upon by the expert panel and its validity was secured. Carrer savvy is the concept that consists of 3 components (career information collecting competence, career strategic formulation ability, and career meta-cognition ability). Specifically, career information collecting competence has 3 factors(technological ability, Networking ability, and critical acceptance ability). Career strategic formulation ability includes 4 factors(finding the gaps, analysis, synthesis, and executing). Career meta-cognition ability forms 2 factors(knowledge meta-cognition, process meta-cognition). Conclusions Career savvy consists of three components which are the ability to collect career information, the ability to formulate career strategies, and the ability of career meta-cognition and these components also contain more specific variables. The Career savvy conceptual model of this study can be used as a foundation for customized career education to improve the future career competency of general high school students.

LAYANAN BIMBINGAN KARIR DALAM UPAYA MENGURANGI KECEMASAN SISWA SMA DALAM PEMILIHAN KARIR

This research aims to determine the results of services in an effort to reduce students' anxiety in choosing a career using the SLR (Systrmatic literature review) method. Literature sources were obtained from the crossref metadata database in the Indonesian Bebrahasa journal for 2016-2023. In this research there are several results from career guidance services in an effort to reduce students' anxiety in choosing a career, including; (1) career guidance services; (2) career anxiety; and (3) the role of guidance and counseling teachers. There are several strategies from guidance services that have provided positive results in the success of career guidance services, including; (1) career guidance services, (2) trait factors, (3) Rational Emotive Therapy (TRE), (4) cognitive information processing career counseling, and (5) Client Centered Therapy.

Social Identities and Cognitive Information Processing Theory: A Qualitative Analysis

Social identities impact the way individuals see themselves and their career options but career theories have been slow to the call in exploring how social identities interface with theoretical assumptions. The purpose of this study was to examine how social identities affect and inform specific dimensions identified by cognitive information processing (CIP) theory as being essential for effective career decision-making, that is, self-knowledge, options knowledge, decision-making process and skills, career beliefs, and overall career decision. Seventy-six students across ten sections of an undergraduate CIP-based career development course answered questions on an anonymous survey related to how their social identities impacted aspects of their career decision-making. Frequencies for social identities were calculated for each CIP dimension, and 11 categories identified for open-ended responses using the consensual qualitative research-modified approach accompanied pre-determined domains based on CIP theory. Across each component, the most common SI was age and generational differences. While students expressed the influence of social identities as occurring in each CIP dimension, statements related to the self-concept category occurred most often and were present in each domain. Our findings support previous work that the presence and impact of SIs on career decision-making components is undeniable, but also not universal. CIP theory provides a structure and avenues for discussing the role of social identities in career decision-making.

A qualitative study of career decision making among African and Asian international medical students in China: process, challenges, and strategies.

China hosts around 68,000 international medical students (IMSs) primarily from lower income countries in Africa and Asia, who have the potential to contribute to international medical services. Understanding how these IMSs make career decisions can help better address the issue of global medical workforce shortage. However, such research is limited. Our study aims to explore the career decision-making process of China-educated IMSs, the challenges they experienced and the strategies they employed.In this exploratory qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with IMSs educated in China in 2022 using purposeful sampling. Twenty virtual one-on-one interviews were conducted, and data were analysed through directed qualitative content analysis. Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) theory was applied as the guiding framework for organising and analysing the data.The career decision-making process of the participants generally followed the stages of decision-making cycle in CIP theory, with a combination of urgent migration decisions and specialisation considerations adding layers of complexity to their career trajectories. Identified challenges encompassed lack of knowledge about oneself and career options, lack of decision-making skills, concerns of contextual complexities that limited the career decision-making process, low motivation and negative thoughts. Specific challenges due to their role as IMSs arose, which were related to career information access, self-capability evaluation, degree accreditation, employment competitiveness and mental states. Participants' proposed strategies were categorised into personal and institutional aspects, providing insights into addressing these challenges.This study substantiates and expands the application of the CIP theory within the sphere of the particular cultural and educational context of IMSs educated in China. It highlights the significance of integrating migration decision-making into career guidance for IMSs, and contributes to the literature by proposing an evidence-based tiered career intervention programme for IMSs.

Indistinguishable behavioural and neural correlates of perceptual self-other distinction in autistic and neurotypical adults

Previous research has suggested that self-bias (i.e., enhanced cognitive processing of self-versus other-relevant information) may be atypical in autism spectrum conditions (ASC), perhaps due to difficulties with self-other distinction. However, empirical evidence for this is inconsistent, and the neural basis of processing differences remains unknown. We present two experiments that aimed to test perceptual self-bias and familiarity effects in ASC using a perceptual-association task. Participants were asked to distinguish face/label associations of the self from those of other people of differing levels of familiarity (i.e., friend vs stranger). Experiment 1 took an individual differences approach by testing whether behavioural self-bias is associated with the number of autistic traits in a neurotypical adult sample (N = 59). Experiment 2 took a case–control approach by testing whether behavioural self-bias and associated ERP responses differ between neurotypical (N = 27) and autistic (N = 30) adults. Across both experiments, behavioural results showed that participants experienced a self-bias (self > friend and stranger) and a familiarity effect (e.g., friend > stranger); neither effect was affected by the number of autistic traits or autism diagnosis. In Experiment 2, analysis of N1, N2, and P3 ERP components revealed a typical self-bias in both groups (self distinct from friend and stranger), and only the autistic group showed evidence of a familiarity effect (N2 more negative-going for stranger than friend). The findings are discussed in relation to self-other distinction ability, and the relevance of other neuropsychological and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and alexithymia are also considered.

Mental arrangement in cognitive processes, processing information accurately, and performing the skill of shooting from both sides in basketball

Basketball is considered an open-surface game that requires the player to deal with the variables of the match according to the movement or stability of the opponent and in the form of motor responses and accuracy and the arrival of the balls to the different playing areas in which the teammate is present to obtain an appropriate opportunity for the process of possession and control of the course of the game that qualifies the team to win the game. Or achieve the required points in the matches. The response is the motor ability that a basketball player needs. It takes a short time to execute, provided that this execution is distinguished by the element of accuracy, which comes from the mental arrangement of cognitive processes through which information related to the details of the technical performance of skills, especially the skill of lateral shooting in basketball, is prepared. The research aims to identify the role of mental arrangement in cognitive processes and prepare information for the accuracy of performing the skill of shooting from both sides of the basket among young players. It is assumed that there is a statistically significant correlation between mental arrangement in cognitive processes and preparing information for the accuracy of performing shooting from both sides of the basket for the youth group, and it was the research sample was 30 young players from the Al-Zafaraniya Youth and Sports Center, Diyala Bridge, and the municipalities in Baghdad - Al-Rusafa. The descriptive approach was adopted using the method of correlational relations, and the researcher used statistical methods, percentages, correlation coefficient (Pearson), arithmetic mean, and standard deviation to reach the results, and the results were presented. Analyzing and discussing the results, and arriving at the most important conclusions, there is a significant correlation between the mental arrangement in the cognitive processes and processing of information and the accuracy of shooting from both sides of the basket for the youth group. It is recommended to emphasize the mental arrangement in the cognitive processes and processing of information, provided that it is coupled with the accuracy of shooting side tackles with the ball. Basketball for young players.

Helpful or harmful? The impact of gender stereotypes on publics’ crisis response

PurposeAlthough situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) is centered on rationality and cognitive information processing, it ignores that people are also driven by irrationality and non-cognitive information processing. The purpose of this study aims to fill this gap by examining how gender stereotypes, based on perceived spokesperson sex influence the public’s perceptions of crisis response messages.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (industry type: automotive vs daycare industry) × 2 (spokesperson’s sex: male vs female) × 2 (crisis response appeal: rational vs emotional) between-subject online experiment was conducted to examine the effect of gender stereotype in crisis communication.FindingsResults showed that either matching spokesperson sex with sex differed industry or matching sex differed industry with appropriate crisis response appeal can generate a more positive evaluation of the spokesperson and the organization. The results also revealed under which circumstances, the attractiveness of different sex of the spokesperson can either promote or mitigate people’s perceptions of the organization. Furthermore, when people are aware of a spokesperson’s sex, in a female-associated industry, a mismatching effect of a positive violation of a male-related stereotype overrides a matching effect of a female-related stereotype in crisis communication.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to identify how the gender of a spokesperson and industry type affect publics’ crisis response.

Factor analysis of neuropsychological domains in a preschool clinic

ABSTRACT Introduction The clinical practice of preschool neuropsychology assumes that our assessment tools are measuring underlying neuropsychological functions, and that these functions are negatively impacted by early life neurological injury, disease, and disorder. This study hypothesized that general intellectual capacity and specific cognitive skills, both “broad” neuropsychological domains and “specific” subdomains within those broader clusters, would be differentiable in a preschool-age clinical population. Methods Using neuropsychological data from 580 children (6 and 71 months) seen for a clinical neuropsychological evaluation in the Preschool and Infant Neuropsychological Testing (PINT) Clinic, exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted. Results: A one-factor model provided a good fit when considering verbal, nonverbal, and adaptive functions. Consideration of one- versus two-factor solutions for broad neuropsychological domains indicated that a 2-factor solution provided a significantly better fit for the data. Factor 1 was defined by motor, language, and nonverbal reasoning abilities; Factor 2 was defined by inhibitory control and attention. Further consideration of specific neuropsychological functions also supported a 2-factor solution. Factor 1 (“thinking”) was defined by nonverbal reasoning, receptive language, and expressive language; Factor 2 (“processing”) was defined by impulse control, inhibitory control, inattention, visual-motor integration, and visuo-constructional abilities. Motor skills cross-loaded onto both factors. Secondary analyses suggest these models provide the best fit for preschool-aged children with > 70 overall intellectual functioning and no comorbid medical diagnosis. Conclusions In a clinical sample of preschool-age children, neuropsychological assessment data appears to assess a general level of intellectual capacity or functioning. Further differentiation between assessing “thinking” (knowledge and reasoning skills) and “processing” (cognitive attention and processing of information) can be considered clinically. Next steps include more recent clinical sample replication, consideration of whether neuropsychological profiles are detectable in the preschool-age range and whether the results of early life assessment are predictive of future functioning.

Integrating Scholarly Evidence and Personal Experience in Health Information Technology-Enabled Evidence-Based Patient-Care Practices: Challenges, Opportunities, and Outcomes

Scholarly evidence and personal experience are two prominent sources of knowledge informing patient-care practices in hospitals. In evidence-based patient-care practices, jointly applying both forms of knowledge is challenging due to the divergent preferences of administrative personnel versus frontline providers towards these knowledge sources and the limited understanding of how to combine these knowledge sources effectively despite divergent preferences. Health information technologies (HITs) tend to influence this challenge by simultaneously imprinting a standardized practice based on scholarly evidence while also allowing workarounds based on personal experience. We apply a theoretical framework, integrating cognitive information processing theory and agency theory, to the context of HIT-enabled evidence-based patient-care practices to investigate the circumstances that enable joint consideration of scholarly evidence and personal experience in value-adding versus value-depleting ways in these practices. Our findings reveal the salience of outcome uncertainty and of the prior stored knowledge of administrative personnel versus frontline providers in enabling joint considerations of the two types of knowledge and the value-adding versus value-depleting outcomes that result.

Temporal and Spatial Information Elicit Different Power and Connectivity Profiles during Working Memory Maintenance.

Working memory (WM) is the cognitive ability to store and manipulate information necessary for ongoing tasks. Although frontoparietal areas are involved in the retention of visually presented information, oscillatory neural activity differs for temporal and spatial WM processing. In this study, we corroborated previous findings describing the modulation of neural oscillations and expanded our investigation to the network organization underlying the cognitive processing of temporal and spatial information. We utilized MEG recordings during a Sternberg visual WM task. The spectral oscillatory activity in the maintenance phase revealed increased frontal theta (4-8 Hz) and parietal beta (13-30 Hz) in the temporal condition. Source level coherence analysis delineated the prominent role of parietal areas in all frequency bands during the maintenance of temporal information, whereas frontal and central areas showed major contributions in theta and beta ranges during the maintenance of spatial information. Our study revealed distinct spectral profiles of neural oscillations for separate cognitive subdomains of WM processing. The delineation of specific functional networks might have important implications for clinical applications, enabling the development of stimulation protocols targeting cognitive disabilities associated with WM impairments.

The Efficacy of Cognitive Remediation Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.

Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) for anorexia nervosa (AN) is an intervention specifically focused on addressing cognitive difficulties associated with the eating disorder. This systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis aimed to provide a summary of the existing literature examining the efficacy of CRT in improving the neuropsychological, psychological, and clinical parameters of patients with AN. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were sought in electronic databases, encompassing studies that explored the impact of CRT on AN. Three eligible reviews were identified based on the inclusion criteria. The Revised Assessment of Multiple SysTemAtic Reviews (R-AMSTAR) was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of the reviews, and all included reviews demonstrated satisfactory methodological quality with an R-AMSTAR score of ≥22. Relevant information was extracted from each review and qualitatively compiled. Findings suggest that CRT can help people increase their awareness of cognitive styles and information processing and have a positive effect on patients' responses to treatment. Further research is required to better understand its impact on other relevant outcomes, including psychological variables, to optimize the treatment's benefits.

Compound factors of students’ cognitive information processing

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the intellectual and creative abilities and cognitive-activity style of students through factor analysis. First of all, we made a review of scientific works relating to intellectual and creative abilities, cognitive style, cognitive-activity style, and general learning styles. During the study, the following psychodiagnostic methods were remotely conducted to determine the intellectual and creative abilities and cognitive-activity style of 80 students of Almaty universities aged 18–22 years: “Structure of Intelligence” by R. Amthauer, “Diagnostics of Personal Creativity” by E.E. Tunic, Torrance Creativity Test and L. Rebecca’s “Identification of Cognitive Activity Style”. Factor analysis (Varimax rotation) in the SPSS program was used to determine the dimensions at the intersection of these variables. As a result, a total of 29 scales were collected into the following 8 component scales and received the following names: “cognitive-activity style”, “systemic thinking”, “intuitive ingenuity”, “persistence”, “verbal intelligence and combinatorial thinking”, “innovation”, “concentration of attention”, “systematic imagination”. These scale components were described according to their structure. The results of the study can be used by researchers in the field of educational psychology, school teachers, and university professors to determine the characteristics of students receiving and processing cognitive information.

Contingent Negative Variation in the Evaluation of Neurocognitive Disorders Due to Possible Alzheimer's Disease.

The usefulness of Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) potential as a biomarker of neurocognitive disorders due to possible Alzheimer's disease, is based on its possible physiological correlates. However, its application in the diagnostic evaluation of these disorders is still incipient. The aim of this study is to characterize the patterns of cognitive processing of information in the domain of nonspecific global attention, by recording potential CNV in a group of patients with neurocognitive disorders due to possible Alzheimer's disease. An experimental study of cases and controls was carried out. The sample included 39 patients classified according to DSM-5 with a neurocognitive disorder subtype possibly due Alzheimer's disease, and a Control Group of 53 subjects with normal cognitive functions. CNV potential was registered using standard protocol. The analysis of variance obtained significant differences in mean values and confidence intervals of total CNV amplitude between the three study groups. The late CNV segment amplitudes makes it possible to discriminate between the level of mild and major dysfunction in the group of patients. The CNV total amplitudes of potential allows for effective discrimination between normal cognitive functioning and neurocognitive disorders due to possible Alzheimer's disease.

Features of oculomotor activity (eye movement) in patients with schizophrenia in recognizing essential signs using the example of the "Exclusion of the 4th superfluous" technique

The research is devoted to the study of the specifics of oculomotor activity of patients with schizophrenia when solving the cognitive task of searching for common (similar) signs in 4 stimulus images and, on this basis, the exclusion of 1 superfluous object on the cards of the "Exclusion of the 4th superfluous" technique. Oculomotor activity is a reliable biomarker of both conscious and unconscious cognitive processes, and eye movement patterns serve as a quantitative (objective) characteristic of the process of perception, attention and thinking in real time. When solving cognitive tasks, the subject of study was the mental processes of patients with schizophrenia: comparison, classification, generalization, abstraction, which were revealed in the responses of patients in the "Exclusion of the fourth superfluous" technique. The respondents' answers were analyzed depending on the level of generalization: by categorical and functional criteria, by specific situational criteria, and latent criteria. To assess the characteristics of oculomotor activity, the AI tracker method was used using a hardware and software complex for contactless registration of human oculomotor activity. To assess the characteristics of mental activity, the “Exclusion of the fourth superfluous" technique was used. Patients with schizophrenia demonstrate difficulties in the recognition process, there is an emphasis on individual parts of the image, as well as: chaotic movements of the gaze between objects and their details. This indicates the need for a longer time period for image recognition, as well as difficulties in analyzing and identifying common essential features of objects (images), as a result of which schizophrenia patients carry out mental generalization operations based on a variety of, more often insignificant and latent signs, which is reflected in making the "wrong" decision. The study of eye movement during the solution of such mental tasks has shown that the characteristics of the gaze during the search for common features reflect the mental acts of comparison and generalization of essential features and can provide objective information about the difficulties and violations of the produced. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the features of oculomotor activity in patients with schizophrenia are closely related to disorders of cognitive processing of visual information at early levels of the thought process. Eye movements in solving cognitive tasks accompany the mental process of searching and selecting significant features from the general background of diverse visual information and reflect the difficulties of its selection.

Unravelling Student Learning: Exploring Nonlinear Dynamics in Science Education

Abstract Background: Traditional education research often relies on static linear approaches to measure dynamic systems involved in student information processing, overlooking the complexity of learning. Emerging research in related fields acknowledges the highly dynamic and nonlinear nature of cognitive states and information processing. Current educational research methods, predominantly based on quantitative and qualitative "snapshot" examinations, inadequately capture the dynamic and nonlinear aspects of cognitive processing during learning. Objective: This study aims to explore nonlinear dynamics as a means to describe and understand student learning processes. Methods: This study analyzed actions of 158,000 high school students in science-based immersive video games, specifically focusing on task completion within a virtual setting. Students aged 14-18, enrolled in Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics programs, participated. Tasks, resembling Piagetian tasks, centered on volume conservation within a chemistry classroom context, employing the Student Task and Cognition Model (STAC-M) to emphasize computational cognition modeling. Results: The study tracked alterations in cognitive activations during information processing using derivatives, modeled through parameters from the authors' cognitive dataset. Employing the STAC-M model, achaotic attractors depicted convergence and sensitivity to initial conditions, reflecting cognitive associations and stability. Random data lacked the observed dynamic properties found in cognitive data, while bifurcation plots illustrated transitions from stability to chaos in cognitive processing pathways, highlighting the system's intricate nature. Conclusion: Modern science education explores beyond conventional assessments, acknowledging teaching methods' impact on students' cognitive processing. Achaotic attractors depict shifts from stable to unstable mental activities, highlighting the potential for diverse teaching approaches to minimize misconceptions and enable quicker transitions to responsive, stable learning states, aligning with educational objectives. Keyword: Cognition, Nonlinear Dynamics, Student Learning, Science Education.

자동화 머신러닝(AutoML)과 SHAP을 적용한 청소년의 다중시민성 유형 및 설명 변인 탐색

This study aims to investigate the typology of multiple citizenship among Korean adolescents and the predictive factors in the global era. The study analyzed data from the 6th wave of the 2013 Korean Educational Longitudinal Study and utilized latent profile analysis to explore the typology of multiple citizenship. To identify the predictive factors determining multiple citizenship, an automated machine learning algorithm was used to find the most performant model. SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) techniques were then applied to provide interpretable explanations of the machine learning results. The key findings are as follows. First, in the latent profile analysis, the multiple citizenship of adolescents was categorized into “high multiple citizenship,” “moderate multiple citizenship,” and “low multiple citizenship.” Second, the results of automated machine learning showed that gradient boosting exhibited the highest performance among machine learning techniques. When predicting the key variables related to adolescents’ multiple citizenship through machine learning, it was found that communication competence emerged as the most important predictor, followed by cognitive information processing skills, awareness of cultural and artistic activities, independent career maturity, educational experiences involving cultural diversity and international issues, gender, and relationships with teachers and peers. Based on these results, this study provides policy recommendations and implications for effective civic education for adolescents.

The Use of Monitoring Cards is Effective In Improving Dental And Mouth Cleanliness and The Behavior of Deaf Children

Problem statement : The limitations that deaf children have in hearing, result in cognitive information processing disorders, namely limitations in receiving, storing, and re-disclosing information as an understanding, being able to explore and add information about something (especially about dental and oral health. The role of people Parents are very necessary in maintaining children's health, especially dental and oral hygiene because deaf children are still dependent on their parents. Method: Pre Test and Post Test Control Group Design. The study population was students of Prof. Dr. Sri Soedewi Mschjun Sofwan, SH and their parents as the intervention group and students of SLB Negeri 1 Jambi City and their parents as the control group. In the intervention group, counseling was given and Monitoring Cards, while the control group was only given counseling. The measuring instrument used is PHPM. Children's behavior is seen by using a questionnaire. Analysis of the data to see the status of oral hygiene and student behavior in maintaining oral health with a pair t-test. Scientific finding results: The results showed that dental health education using a monitoring card was more effective in improving the status of dental and oral hygiene and dental health behavior in SLB children than not using a monitoring card. A short conclusion: The recommendation from this study is for parents to be more active in motivating their children to maintain oral and dental health by using a monitoring card so that the way their children brush their teeth will be better and correct.

Exposure to the insecticide, imidacloprid, impairs predator-recognition learning in damselfly larvae

Many aquatic organisms use chemosensory information to learn about local predation threats, but contaminants in their environment may impair such cognitive processes. Neonicotinoids are a class of water-soluble systemic insecticides that have become a major concern in aquatic systems. In this study, we explored how a 10-day exposure to various concentrations (0, 0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 μg/L) of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid affects the learned recognition of predator odour by non-target damselfly larvae (Lestes spp). Unexposed larvae and those exposed to the low concentration (0.1 μg/L) demonstrated an appropriate learned response to a novel predator odour following a conditioning with the odour paired with chemical alarm cues. However, such learning failed to occur for larvae that were exposed to imidacloprid concentrations of 1.0 and 10.0 μg/L. Thus, either the cognitive processing of the chemical information was impaired or the chemistry of one or both of the conditioning cues was altered, making them ineffective for learning. In a second experiment, we found evidence for this latter hypothesis. In the absence of background imidacloprid exposure, larvae did not show significant learned responses to the predator odour when the conditioning cues were mixed with imidacloprid (initial pulse solution of 3.0 μg/L) at the start of conditioning (reaching a final concentration of 0.01 μg/L). These findings indicate that even low levels of imidacloprid can have important implications for chemosensory cognition of non-target species in aquatic environments.