Development Of Cognitive Skills Research Articles

Expertise en écriture académique – entre acculturation et conscience disciplinaire

As an intellectual task, academic writing is not reducible solely to language skills or adequate writing tech-niques. The paper aims to compare the research results related to the cognitive and discursive aspects of expertise in academic writing to determine the key elements that contribute to its special character. These elements are intended to lay the foundation for the teaching of academic writing in tertiary education. The analysis focuses on the development of cognitive skills among novice researchers.

Language policy and planning in the teaching of native languages in Pakistan

ABSTRACT The teaching of native languages is seen as being key to the development of cognitive skills, better academic performance in early grades and a resource for linguistic (re)vitalization and cultural revival. This study examines the institutional challenges in teaching and learning native languages in Pakistan. The study uses teachers’ agency through the public sphere paradigm as a theoretical framework to investigate the concerns and opinions of teachers and their agency regarding the challenges to native languages policy. The majority of teachers overwhelmingly support native languages, and endorse their importance in education, particularly in the development of cognitive skills and better academic performance. However, several institutional challenges hold back the teaching of native languages in public schools in Pakistan. The participants argue that native languages need an effective language-in-education policy. In addition, students, teachers and parents are not likely to deem native languages as resources until they gain some economic value. The study suggests that the current policy regarding native languages should be reviewed and refashioned considering their importance to students’ academic performance. Further, a dynamic policy-making mechanism is proposed where stakeholders at every level are able to coordinate in policy formulation and its effective implementation.

Mobile Applications in Education

The purpose of the study is to consider the features of the use of mobile applications for the development of professional competencies, in particular cognitive skills, and their general impact on the effectiveness of learning. There were 845 students from 2 countries participating in the research. The students were divided into two groups: one group was trained in accordance with the curriculum developed based on mobile applications while the curriculum of the second group was not changed. The results of the reinterview showed a significant increase in the cognitive abilities of respondents in Group 1 as 81% of them indicated a strong effect of the use of mobile applications on the development of cognitive skills. The analysis of the results also showed an increase in the students' motivation to use mobile applications as compared to the survey conducted at the first stage the list of professional competencies and percentage changed.

Early Childhood Dietary Intake and Subsequent Socioemotional and Cognitive School Readiness Among Australian Children.

Dietary intake can affect the physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development of young children. Few studies have explored the relationships between dietary intake and the cognitive and socioemotional dimensions of school readiness. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between children's dietary intake in early childhood, and cognitive and socioemotional school readiness indicators at age 4-5 years using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. A total of 4,253 children were included in the analysis. Multiple linear regression models were built to investigate whether dietary intake (measured by questionnaire at parent interview) at age 2-3 years predicted school readiness indicators of socioemotional and behavioral functioning (measured by parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ total score and pro-social scale]), verbal (assessed by Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition [PPVT-III]) and nonverbal (assessed by "Who Am I" test [WAI] cognitive skills) at age 4-5 years. Furthermore, using cross-sectional data at age 4-5 years, four multiple linear regression models were built to investigate if dietary intake was correlated with the aforementioned school readiness indicators. All models were adjusted for potential confounders. It was found that every one-point increase in child dietary intake score at age 2-3 years led to a decrease in SDQ total score by 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.10, 0.28], and an increase in SDQ pro-social scale, WAI score and PPVT score by 0.07 (95% CI = [0.03, 0.10]), 0.27 (95% CI = [0.13, 0.41]), and 0.20 (95% CI = [0.09, 0.30]), respectively, at age 4-5 years. Children's dietary intake was also a correlate of their school readiness at age 4-5 years. These results add to the limited evidence base suggesting that children's early dietary intake may play an important role in later socioemotional and behavioral development, and the development of cognitive skills, which are critical school readiness indicators.

Multivariate Training Programs during Physical Education Classes in School Context: Theoretical Considerations and Future Perspectives.

Physical Education plays a fundamental role in promoting healthy habits and lifestyles, as well as in the development of individual and cognitive skills. To date, several investigations have reported positive effects on indicators of physical fitness, motor proficiency, and creativity as a result of specific training programs during Physical Education classes. However, the effects of multivariate training programs on the improvement of the aforementioned skills remain unclear in the literature. Through this brief review, the benefit of applying multivariate training programs during Physical Education classes on indicators of physical fitness, motor proficiency and creativity was critically analyzed. A narrative approach was applied to summarize the availed research as following: (i) theoretical background; (ii) research gaps/issues; (iii) subject explanation about multivariate training programs in Physical Education; and (iv) practical application and further research. The evidence reported in this regard may be useful for the development of multivariate training programs that simultaneously enable the improvement of indicators of physical fitness, motor proficiency and creativity. However, there is still no consensus in the literature on the best strategies (i.e., type of program, duration, intensity) to enhance motor proficiency and creativity in the context of Physical Education classes using multivariate training programs.

Cooking With Kids: A Preliminary Conceptual Model of Child Involvement in Home Food Preparation and Diet Quality

Abstract Objectives Developing culinary skills in children is an increasingly popular approach to health promotion, and parents can play a critical role in this by involving children in food preparation. Yet little is known about how parents cook with their children or the pathways linking child food involvement and downstream health. Our objective was to develop a conceptual framework of this process. Methods The framework was developed through data, investigator, and theory triangulation. We leveraged a re-analysis of observations of parents preparing meals with their children in the home (n = 15) consensus-building discussions between members of the research team and experts in related fields, and from the extant scientific literature. Results We identified three interrelated ways child involvement in food preparation can be optimized to support downstream health: 1) skill building, 2) positive environment, and 3) teaching. Through modeling cooking practices, exposure to new tasks/foods, and encouragement, parents transmit cooking skills to their children tailored to their home food environment. Additionally, parents nurture child autonomy and receptivity to learning by creating a positive emotional climate during food preparation. This creates an optimal setting for children to learn complex cognitive skills, such as those related to executive functioning (EF), which are critical to ensuring other forms of knowledge learned (e.g., measurement and counting) transfer to academic success in the real-world across subjects like reading, science, and math. As better EF is linked to higher dietary quality and lower weight, the combination of cooking/food skills with improved EF executive functioning will synergistically support healthy eating. Conclusions By involving children in food preparation, parents can facilitate the development of healthy cognitive skills and eating behaviors, which have been shown to influence health into adulthood across a variety of domains. Investment in cooking education for kids should be accompanied by parallel training for parents on how to optimally engage children in food preparation at home. Funding Sources This research was supported in part by the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001.

Skin Carotenoids Are Related to Cognitive and Motor Skills Among Toddlers

ObjectivesRecent studies have demonstrated the significance of carotenoid status for cognitive and motor development. However, little research has been conducted among infants and toddlers in this area. Given the rapid development in cognitive and motor skills that occurs in early life, it is important to determine the role of carotenoid status on cognitive and motor skills in toddlers. MethodsToddlers (N = 20) between 12 to 18 months participated in this study. Reflection spectroscopy (Veggie Meter) was used to measure skin carotenoids. The Bayley’s Scales of Infant Development Screening Test-4th Edition was used to assess cognitive and motor development. Covariates accounted for included weight-for-length, parent education level, and breast-feeding duration. ResultsFollowing adjustment for weight-for-length z-score, level of parent education, and breastfeeding duration, there was a significant positive relationship between skin carotenoids and the cognitive (rho = 0.508, 0.008) and gross motor (rho = 0.395, 0.035) subsections of the Bayley’s assessment. Infants (N = 20) exhibited a mean veggie meter score of 251.3, mean Bayley’s cognitive score of 32.6, and a mean Bayley’s gross motor score of 36.8. ConclusionsThis finding is consistent with prior literature among children and adults suggesting that carotenoid status may positively influence both cognitive and motor development in early life. Funding SourcesFunding is provided by the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center.

Students engaged in learning

Engaging students in learning is a basic principle of effective undergraduate education. Outcomes of engaging students include meaningful learning experiences and enhanced skills in all learning domains. This chapter reviews the influence of engaging students in different forms of active learning on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skill development.

Perception of online and face to face microbiology laboratory sessions among medical students and faculty at Arabian Gulf University: a mixed method study

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all spheres of society including medical education and healthcare systems. In response to the pandemic, there has been a transition in medical education practice from traditional forms of teaching to online instruction delivery and virtual learning. Effective clinical microbiology education involves a combination of 'hands-on' practical learning and instructional delivery of scientific knowledge. Microbiology practical laboratories are critical learning environments offering 'hands-on' learning experiences that cannot be replicated through online learning. We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand the perception of online and face-to-face microbiology laboratory sessions among the medical students and microbiology faculty at Arabian Gulf University (AGU).MethodsThe study participants were third and fourth-year undergraduate medical students and faculty involved in delivering microbiology labs at AGU. The questionnaire consisted of questions ranging from perceived learning style to attitude towards online delivery of microbiology curriculum. After the questionnaire administration (google form), focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted for students and microbiology faculty separately.ResultsAmong 168 students, 50.6% preferred face-to-face lab sessions as compared to 30.4% who preferred online labs, and 51.8% considered online labs to be an essential addition to face-to-face labs. Among the faculty, 85.7% preferred the face-to-face mode of teaching. All the faculty (100%) disagreed that all the microbiology labs teaching should be online. 57.2% considered online labs to be an essential addition to traditional face-to-face labs. Both faculty and students hold that a blended mode of instructional delivery is vital and indispensable for the transfer of skills and knowledge for microbiology students.ConclusionThe blended mode of delivering microbiology laboratory sessions in medical school is successful and well-received by both students and faculty. Students take the responsibility for furthering their own learning and understanding of concepts. Instructors have also noticed that blending learning strategies also successfully enhances the development of cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities in students. A review of the microbiology lab curriculum is necessary to identify content areas that can be delivered effectively through online, face-to-face lab sessions, or both, supported with appropriate tools and infrastructure.

DAUGAVPILS MEDICAL COLLEGE STUDENTS' START POTENTIAL OF MOTIVES FOR A CHOICE OF THE DOCTORS'S ASSISTANT PROFESSION

Analyses of the students’ education results reveal their insufficient matching with the necessary skills. That serves as a clear evidence for the need of changes in the study process for designing an innovative education system which corresponds to the urgent demands of the modern health care systems. Modern approaches are focused on the development of cognitive and practical skills and attitudes. Covid-19 conditions highlighted the role of health care specialists’ professional attitudes and importance of promoting them in the medical educational process. In addition, long-term pedagogical experience is a basis to claim that college level students also need an assistance for understanding and accepting learning process and taking an active part in it. One of the main aspects of learning is students' readiness to acquire knowledge, active learning and motivation. That is the main reason to define the students' motives to choose the medical profession.

The Influence of Musical Activities on Cognitive Control Mechanisms

This article provides an overview of the ways music therapy may contribute to the improvement of cognitive control mechanisms, which play a central role in managing our goal-directed behaviors. First, we introduce the cognitive control model of Cohen (2017) and we summarize the main findings of the literature about the near and far transfer effects of music therapy. The integration of these two theoretical frameworks will allow us to describe the associations between higher-level cognitive control functions and music processing. In the second part of this paper, we present the preliminary findings of our recent study. We examined the relationship between formal regular music training and cognitive control in young adults by focusing on working memory updating and cognitive flexibility. We used the N-back paradigm with manipulations in task complexity and modality (visual (letters and shapes); auditory (pitches and timbres)) to examine whether long-term musical experiences affect working memory updating and cognitive flexibility. Our results revealed that the musicians were more accurate in working memory updating than their non-musician peers. Further, the musicians’ performance was significantly better in the pitch N-back task than in the timbre N-back. In contrast to accuracy, the groups did not differ in reaction time. Our first results support the notion that musical training may promote the development of certain cognitive control skills, but further research is needed to better understand this relationship.

Social network development in classrooms

Group work is often a critical component of how we ask students to interact while learning in active and interactive environments. A common-sense extension of this feature is the inclusion of group assessments. Moreover, one of the key scientific practices is the development of collaborative working relationships. As instructors, we should be cognizant of our classes’ development in the social crucible of our classroom, along with their development of cognitive and/or problem solving skills. We analyze group exam network data from a two-class introductory physics sequence. In each class, on each of four exams, students took an individual version of the exam and then reworked the exam with classmates. Students recorded their collaborators, and these reports are used to build directed networks. We compare global network measures and node centrality distributions between exams in each semester and contrast these trends between semesters. The networks are partitioned using positional analysis, which blocks nodes by similarities in linking behavior, and by edge betweenness community detection, which groups densely connected nodes. By calculating the block structure for each exam and mapping over time, it is possible to see a stabilizing social structure in the two-class sequence. Comparing global and node-level measures suggests that the period from the first to second exam disrupts network structure, even when the blocks are relatively stable.

Infant behavioural effects of smartphone interrupted parent-infant interaction.

Infants are vulnerable to changes in the dyadic synchrony with their caregivers, as demonstrated in numerous experiments employing the still‐face paradigm. The sudden lack of attunement causes infant stress reactions and the still‐face literature have suggested potential long‐term costs of this in terms of development of social, emotional and cognitive skills. Acknowledging the rapid technological development accompanied by altered practices in the parent‐infant interaction, the current study investigates infant behavioural reactions in a similar experimental paradigm, manipulating parental responsiveness and sensitivity in a slightly different manner. In the current study, the parent interrupts the ongoing interaction, simulating occupation with a smartphone, rather than making a ‘still‐face’. In a cross‐sectional design, infants of six, nine and twelve months display increased levels of protest behaviour in response to the interrupted interaction with their parent, together with lowered levels of positive engagement and social monitoring, suggesting similar behavioural responses as the still‐face effect. Implications for infant social and emotional development, as well as for mindful tech habits are discussed.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY OF DOCTORS-TEACHERS OF MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

The history of Russian medical education indicates the importance of developing the clinical thinking of a future doctor. Today, the problem has become even more acute due to the peculiarities of the educational situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when the training of future doctors was carried out online. Considering the difficulties of forming the clinical thinking of future doctors, in 2019-2022 a study was conducted at St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University to identify specific cognitive skills of medical university teachers who train prospective doctors.
 Purpose. To study specific cognitive skills that determine the specifics of the intellectual activity of teachers of clinical and theoretical departments of medical universities that train prospective doctors.
 Methodology. The research is based on activity-based and cognitive approaches that allow studying personality as a subject of professional activity. The diagnostic procedure was carried out using the R. Amthauer test. The structure of intelligence was determined by the factor analysis and the principal component method followed by varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization. The Statistica 10.0 program was used to process the obtained empirical results.
 Results. The research materials served as a source of forming ideas about the features of cognitive skills underlying the clinical thinking of doctors – teachers of clinical and theoretical departments, contributing to the development of cognitive skills of prospective doctors and determining the success of their intellectual activity.
 Conclusions. The obtained results can be used in the field of higher medical education.

Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots in Copywriting – from Revolution in Communication to Folklorization of Digital Postmodernity

Artificial intelligence nowadays has transformed the main characteristics of mass and interpersonal communication. Chat GPT is both a channel of communication and an equal participant in the communication process. In such a way, a correction has been made in the classical models of communication, such as the models of Schramm or Shannon-Weaver, where the sender, the receiver and the channel are separate elements in the communication process. The fact that Chat GPT can be both the sender and the channel of the message predetermines its significant role in communication. In addition to the numerous advantages of the artificial intelligence, the paper also examines some serious challenges that modern civilization has faced, such as the questions of the development of cognitive abilities, talents and skills of individuals in the presence of chatbots, the interrelations between technology and psychological well-being of human beings, and the need for legal and ethical regulation of the use of Chat GPT.

Modular-Cybernetic Approach for Development of Digital Competence of Students – Future Teachers

The present research aims to investigate opportunities for the development of digital competence of future teachers through the application of a modular-cybernetic approach and a technological variant developed on its basis. The experimental research focuses on diagnosing the cognitive and practical achievements of students in order to identify the possibilities and limitations of the modular-cybernetic approach in the development of digital competence. The empirical research was conducted with a group of 86 students admitted to study Bachelor’s degree in the professional field of Pedagogy. The system of criteria and indicators in the course of the empirical research is used as a “core of the competence” with an emphasis on the cognitive and practical achievements. The Wilcoxon’s Test (Wicoxon) is utilized to compare correlating groups. The results of the Wicoxon application show that the modular-cybernetic approach for the development of students’ competence has a greater than average impact on knowledge formation and also affects the development of cognitive skills to a small extent. On the other hand, the applied technological variant does not help the development of problem-solving skills and practical-applied skills.

Concept Mapping to Enhance Critical Thinking in Nursing Students

Background: Teaching strategies are embraced to engage and support students in learning and realizingthe potential through the guiding tools. Concept mapping is an innovative and effective strategy tofacilitate meaningful learning and promote critical thinking among nursing students.Material: Concept map is a learning tool as it links concepts and sub-concepts in a diagrammaticmanner. This teaching strategy encourages in-depth learning of concepts, better comprehension, andcorrelation in clinical practice. This leads to enhanced critical thinking and improved decision making.Conclusion: Concept mapping is a new pedagogical approach that can be used to developed students’critical thinking skills. However, it means development of higher-order reasoning and cognitive skills.

Early Attachment and the Development of Social Communication: A Neuropsychological Approach.

Social communication forms the foundation of human relationships. Social communication, i.e., the appropriate understanding and use of verbal and non-verbal communication within a social context, profoundly impacts mental health across the lifespan and is also highly vulnerable to neurodevelopmental threats and social adversities. There exists a strong interconnection between the development of language and other higher cognitive skills, mediated, in part, through the early attachment relationship. Consideration of how attachment links to brain development can help us understand individuals with social communication difficulties across the lifespan. The early attachment relationship supports the development of the foundational constructs of social communication. In this paper, a neuropsychological perspective was applied to social communication, which integrated evidence from early attachment theory, examining the underpinnings of social communication components identified by the SoCom model, namely socio-cognitive, socio-emotional, and socio-linguistic constructs. A neuropsychological perspective underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. This should also inform approaches to prevention, policy, intervention, and advocacy for individuals with or at risk for social communication impairments, as well as their families.

Geobotanical field activities for learning landscape interpretation concepts and methods for university students

The landscapes of various areas of southern Spain are studied, for this we rely on the methodology previously established by other researchers, through which a complete diagnosis of a territory is reached, since the series and geoseries of vegetation are revealed. Being a study of natural reality, the abstract character presented by concepts such as sigmetum, sinassociation, series, geoserie, climatófilo, edafoxerofilo, catena; it is perfectly clarified to the student, which makes the student progress efficiently, coming to the fore the acquisition of practical knowledge compared to theoretical ones. For this reason practical teaching acquires preponderance, since it not only provides knowledge, but also development of cognitive and psychomotor skills, which are essential in the acquisition of skills and development of the individual's personality.

Mathematical Thinking and the VESS Model: A Descriptive Study

Critical, creative, and flexible thinking is one of the educational priorities in the 21st Century, at a time in which the world is showing its most ephemeral and uncertain side. In this sense, visible thinking is a fundamental tool for achieving more significant and meaningful learning. The VESS (Meaningful Life with Balance and Wisdom) model, considering how we learn, provides different tools, such as the aforementioned, which facilitate learning. Thus, thinking, and, more specifically, the development of mathematical thinking through the VESS model, provides an open door towards the development of basic cognitive skills, such as attention, metacognition, and memory, and has a direct effect on the three areas of the early childhood education curriculum. The aim of the present work is to discover, in a descriptive manner, how the learning of the VESS model influences future teachers. In the present article, a series of descriptive, correlational, and survey-based models conducted at the University of Cordoba (Córdoba, Spain) are described. Beforehand, a validation of the instrument was performed, which obtained high goodness-of-fit indices, with an adequate validity and reliability.