Language Constructs Research Articles

Computational Thinking and Notional Machines: The Missing Link

In learning to program and understanding how a programming language controls a computer, learners develop both insights and misconceptions whilst their mental models are gradually refined. It is important that the learner is able to distinguish the different elements and roles of a computer (compiler, interpreter, memory, etc.), which novice programmers may find difficult to comprehend. Forming accurate mental models is one of the potential sources of difficulty inextricably linked to mastering computing concepts and processes, and for learning computer programming. It is common to use some form of representation (e.g., an abstract machine or a Computational Agent (CA)) to support technical or pedagogic explanations. The Notional Machine (NM) is a pedagogical device that entails one or more computational concepts, originally described as an idealised computer operating with the constructs of a particular programming language. It can be used to support specific or general learning goals and will typically have some concrete representation that can be referred to. Computational Thinking (CT), which is defined as a way of thinking that is used for [computational] problem solving, is often presented as using a CA to carry out information processing presented by a solution. In CT, where the typical goal is to produce an algorithm or a computer program, the CA seemingly serves a purpose very similar to an NM. Although it changes through the different stages of development (of the learner and of the curriculum), the roles of CAs and NMs can be seen as versatile tools that connect a learner’s mental model with the conceptual model of a program. In this article, we look at this relationship between CAs and NMs, and indicate how they would look at different stages of learning. We traverse the range of definitions and usages of these concepts, and articulate models that clarify how these are viewed in the literature. This includes exploring the nature of machines and agents, and how historical views of these relate to modern pedagogy for computation. We argue that the CA can be seen as an abstract, simplified variant of an NM that provides a useful perspective to the learner to support them to form robust mental models of NMs more efficiently and effectively. We propose that teaching programming should make use of the idea of a CA at different stages of learning, as a link that connects a learner’s mental model to a full NM.

Brief Review of Quotations of Linguists’ Opinions About Connective Compounds Constructions of the Russian Language

A brief review of the linguistic literature on the problem of attachment and parceling in the form of direct quotations, extracted from the publications of the authors who deal with this problem, is presented in the article for the first time. A review of the papers has shown that the connection, expressed by connecting compound constructions that are outside the main sentence, after a dot, is interpreted by scientists ambiguously. The status of connection structures is interpreted in three ways. The main reason is the views of scientists on the nature of attachment and parcellation. The first point of view is typical for the majority of researchers who consider connecting compound constructions to be parceled. They are widely represented in the language of fiction, the media, advertising, less often in the language of journalism. The second point of view is expressed by scientists who see transitivity (syncretism, asymmetry) in the connecting compound constructions. The reason is the discrepancy between form and content, as opposed to traditional. The third point of view belongs to linguists who recognize connecting compound constructions as connecting elements independent of parceling, located outside the main sentence, after the dot. The presented three points of view indicate that the problem of distinguishing between accession and parceling is still relevant. Therefore, research on these and similar issues will continue for a long time. This is evidenced by the transformation of the views of authoritative scientists regarding their linguistic status, and the emergence of new interesting works on these constructions in Russian and other languages. I hope that a short review of quotations will allow the reader to save the time needed to search for the relevant scientific literature, and to quickly navigate the problem of connecting compound constructions.

Validating a critical thinking ability questionnaire for EFL learners

The present study validated a self-developed Critical Thinking Ability Questionnaire by analyzing data from 1169 valid questionnaires completed by students, as well as analyzing interview data from with four students and two experts. Through exploratory factor analysis, a seven-factor model was identified, including analysis, inference, argument evaluation, language construction, self-reflection and correction, cultural comparison, and credibility evaluation of language sources. Confirmatory factor analysis further supported the construct of the questionnaire, confirming that the construct of the questionnaire supports the adequacy and appropriateness of inferences made from the interpretation of questionnaire scores. The interviews provided additional evidence of the consistency between the critical thinking ability assessed by the questionnaire and the theoretical model. Experts interviewed also confirmed the relevance and coverage of the questionnaire, so the content of the questionnaire can support appropriate score interpretation. The evidence of criterion-related validity was supported by significant correlation coefficients. Additionally, the interpretation of questionnaire scores demonstrated satisfactory internal reliability and stability over time. With psychometrical and qualitative results, this research indicated that the CTA questionnaire is a sound instrument that demonstrated evidence of construct validity, content validity and criterion-related validity for Chinese high school students. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The Construction of Chinese Language and Literature Resource Base in Colleges and Universities under the Construction of Cognitive Mapping

Abstract Keeping up with the development of the Internet era, it is imperative for colleges and universities to vigorously carry out the construction of a Chinese language and literature resource base to promote the healthy development of Chinese language and literature education. This paper starts with the construction of Chinese language literature resource base related technology, analyzes the basic model of the cognitive map and the construction of the cognitive map of Chinese language literature. The graph database technology is used to transform the data structure of the resource base and load data from the Chinese literature resource base. Based on the cognitive map and graph database, jointly constructed the Chinese language literature resource base and introduced the fuzzy C-mean integration algorithm to integrate the data resources for better access to Chinese language literature resources. To verify the effectiveness of the Chinese language and literature resource base constructed in this paper, it was tested and analyzed through practice. The results show that the overall average response time of the resource library in this paper is 718.50ms, which is 214.78ms lower than that of the online learning data platform, and the resource library developed in this paper can realize the loss in data sharing to be controlled to be less than 0.5MB. Utilizing the resource library to experiment with teaching Chinese language and literature, the average score of the experimental class increased from 88.96 to 95.23, which is an improvement of 6.27 points. The construction of the Chinese language and literature resource base under the cognitive mapping architecture can effectively enhance the common sharing of Chinese language and literature educational resources and prompt teachers to have richer teaching resources.

Construction of languages as the interlinguistic problem

Abstract This study attempts to sketch the vast problem of the construction of languages or construction within languages. So far, linguists have paid little attention to these issues, as under the influence of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, stressed especially by A. Schleicher based on Darwinism, they were considered understood and untouchable. Only later, especially under the influence of B. de Courtenay, H. Schuchardt and O. Jespersen, language started to be understood as a sociopsychological tool that allows conscious influence on its structure and evolution. After dealing with the topic of the attributes of language according to a new classification, the author then discusses the object of interlinguistics, which is presented according to the latest concept of the Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik (GIL). The following three overviews of important interlinguistics works with an emphasis on the construction of languages begin with D. Blanke’s book Internationale Plansprachen, which offers the reader the most extensive work on this topic until now, with an extraordinarily rich bibliography. Then there is a rather detailed review of A. Piperski’s book focuses on the construction of languages, and the author ends his extensive study with a short analysis of Y. Wahlgren’s work on fantasy languages, for which the moment of construction plays an essential role.

Etymology of the Udmurt enimitive uk and grammaticalization of discourse particles

This paper deals with the etymology of the Udmurt enimitive marker uk. Contrary to the existing etymologies, which claim uk to be either a Chuvash or a Tatar borrowing, I claim that it was in fact grammaticalized from a tag question construction, which involves a negative verb and a question particle. This is supported by early written sources and dialectal data. Casting the net in a diachronically and geographically diverse variety of sources allows one to find traces of earlier grammaticalization stages that support my claim. Given that there are conceptually very similar enimitive constructions in the Samoyedic languages, negative interrogatives may prove to be an important grammaticalization source for the enimitive markers. Apart from uk, I examine several other cognate particles, which apparently were formed in a similar way.

Peculiarities of the use of some comparative constructions in the series of detectives by C. McCullough «Carmine Delmonico»

The article deals with the peculiarities of using the equative construction as...as in the works of C. McCullough. The choice of the topic is conditioned by the limited number of scientific works devoted to comparative constructions of the modern English language connected with the concept of equivalence. The possibility of deepening theoretical knowledge about the functioning of comparative constructions with the semantics of «equality» and «equivalence» seems important. The authors point out that despite the fact that identity in the category of comparison is still poorly studied, the article proposes the consideration of the means of expressing equality in the language with the help of the construction as...as and defines its use and functions in the text. The authors base their analysis on the works of C. McCullough in the series «Carmine Delmonico», emphasizing the importance of using equative constructions in the construction of artistic images in detective novels. As a result of the study, the authors conclude that equality and equivalence represent groups of identical concepts in language, united under a similar way of action or a similar description. The main idea of the article is that equality and equivalence have a significant impact on the perception of the artistic world, which is expressed in the presence of both positive and negative images arising in readers. The article presents and groups examples showing the variety of possibilities for expressing equality in the detective field. The paper also presents the results of studying the frequency of using equative constructions as a means of artistic description. Thus, this study represents an important contribution to the study of the equative construction as...as.

The connection of mathematics and logic in the structure of axiomatized and formalized theories

The aim of the research is to study the relationship between logic and mathematics in the structure of axiomatized and formalized scientific theories. The object of the study is the explication of this connection and its explanation. The subject of the study is syntactic and semantic views on the structure of scientific theories, the relationship between logic and mathematics has not been studied in detail in them. In the syntactic view, the structure of the theory is understood as a linguistic construct build from various logical propositions of the theoretical level, correspondence propositions and observation propositions. The structure of the theory does not take into account the variety of model representations of the theory that generate a variety of language constructs. The semantic view overcomes this disadvantage, and in it the structure of the theory is presented as a hierarchy of models: from axioms to theoretical-level models, experimental models and data models. The structure of the theory, the connection of logic and mathematics were studied using comparative analysis, methods of interpretive analysis and reconstruction of scientific theories. The methods made it possible to explicate mathematical concepts in the structure of the theory and correlate them with logic and natural language. Comparative analysis has shown that in the syntactic view, the connection between logic and mathematics lies in the fact that mathematical concepts of physics are interpreted in the language of logic of first-order predicates with equality. The connection between mathematical concepts is provided by the axiomatic method, which serves as a means of formalizing concepts. Mathematics comes down to logic. In the semantic approach, in order to identify the connection between mathematics and logic, it was necessary to reconstruct the structure of non-relativistic quantum mechanics. With the help of the set-theoretic predicate of Suppes, its axioms were determined, the connection between mathematical structures, postulates of the theory, axioms, and observable quantities was established. Logic and mathematics are related to each other in such a way that metamathematics or linguistics is a part of mathematics. Mathematics includes set theory and model theory, i.e. mathematical logic. The connection of mathematical formalisms with phenomena and with natural language remains problematic, and there is this drawback in the syntactic approach. The novelty lies in the fact that the research contributes to the methodology and logic of science, to the explanation of the connection between logic and mathematics in scientific theory, which was illustrated by various examples from various fields of physics.

Impaired Cognitive Function in Immune-TTP Is Better Predicted By Serum Thrombomodulin Than ADAMTS13 Activity: Results of a Longitudinal Multicenter Pilot Study

Background: High rates of mood disorders and cognitive dysfunction in immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) survivors have been observed. However, there are no long-term prospective studies to precisely define the proportion of affected patients, rate of progression, and underlying mechanisms. We hypothesized that a large-scale multicenter study is essential to determine the natural history of these complications. Thus, we conducted a multicenter pilot study of iTTP patients in remission to assess feasibility, study design, and explore novel biomarkers. Given ADAMTS13 deficiency during remission is a risk factor for stroke, we also hypothesized that low ADAMTS13 activity predisposes patients to cognitive impairment. Methods: We aimed to enroll 50 participants from 3 USTMA Consortium sites, prospectively including adult iTTP patients (age ≥ 18 years) in clinical remission (ADAMTS13 remission was not required) for at least 90 days. Diagnosis of iTTP relied on ADAMTS13 activity <10% during an acute TMA episode. Over 2 years, participants underwent comprehensive assessments of mental and physical health, cognition, ADAMTS13 activity, and biomarker sample collection every 3 months. Study assessments included: Beck Anxiety Index (BAI), Beck Depression Index-II (BDI), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), SF-36v2 (health-related quality of life), and CPT-3 (computer-based assessment of reaction-time, attention, and processing speed). Cognition was assessed annually (entry, year 1 and close) using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) substituted the other visits. Results: Between September 2019 and July 2022, we enrolled 38 of 50 planned participants. Of the 38 enrolled, 16 completed the study (42.1%) 11 were lost to follow up because they did not complete the close-out visit (29%), and 11 have not yet completed the study (29%). After excluding lost subjects, we found that 131 of 221 visits were completed (59%). Demographics and burden of mental and physical health impairments are shown (Figure A). At enrollment, 45% (15/33) had at least moderate anxiety on BAI, and 45 % (15/33) had at least moderate depression on BDI. HIT-6 revealed69.7 % (23/33) had clinically significant headaches warranting referral to a specialist (median score 57, IQR 47-63). SF-36 found increased fatigue (median fatigue score of 30, population mean 52.15) and pain (median 57.5, population mean 78.77), as well as impairments in social functioning (median 50, population mean 78.77) and general health (median 35, population mean 56.99). The The CPT-3 test (see table) was highly unacceptable to some participants at all sites. RBANS scores at enrollment detected overall cognitive impairment (median score 18 th %ile) with marked deficiencies in immediate memory (median score 11 th %ile), visuospatial construction (median score 10 th %ile), and milder impairments in language and delayed memory with no evidence of attention deficits. We collected several novel biomarkers and observed a correlation between serum CD141 (thrombomodulin) and overall RBANS scores (Figure B) when compared between participants above and below the median baseline CD141. This association was not seen with ADAMTS13, or the other biomarkers collected (Syndecan-1, Vascular adhesion protein-1, E-selectin). Conclusions: In this pilot study, we found a high attrition rate, likely due to the frequency of study visits and the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude a larger study is feasible but should account for high attrition, employ less frequent study visits, and avoid unacceptable study assessments to reduce lost subjects. Enrollment findings confirmed previous single-center reports of high prevalence of mental health disorders, reduced physical health, and subtle but measurable cognitive deficits. The CPT-3 test should be excluded from future studies due to poor acceptance. Surprisingly, we found no association between lower ADAMTS13 activity and cognitive impairment but observed a significant link between serum CD141 and cognitive impairment. These findings suggest CD141 is potentially a sensitive biomarker for risk of cognitive impairment during remission and may suggest a novel mechanism. A longer-term study with more subjects will be essential to fully explore the clinical and therapeutic implications of these findings.

Siuslaw final-consonant reduplication and the anti-mirative domain

Abstract This paper argues that the function of final consonant reduplication (FCR) in Siuslaw ([sis]; Oregon-Coast Penutian/Isolate) is to construe the information in a proposition as unsurprising and expected, as information that should already be known to listeners or at least well anticipated by them. This function is more or less the opposite of mirativity, where information is construed as surprising or unexpected, and is related to a functional domain that was recently labeled “enimitive”: the construal of information as “uncontroversial”. This paper shows that the discourse profile of the Siuslaw FCR includes uses that belong to the domain of the enimitive, e.g., when deployed in quoted speech or monologues, but that it also includes functionally related uses that do not belong to the enimitive domain, e.g., on the main event line of narratives and in procedural texts. The functional range of the Siuslaw FCR, then, is wider than the enimitive domain. We use this range of uses, together with the uses of similar constructions in some other languages, to argue for a functional domain of anti-mirativity that includes the enimitive as a sub-domain. We conclude by proposing a preliminary sketch of the anti-mirativity functional domain.

Performance of Lambda Expressions in High Level Programming Languages

Functional programming is a programming paradigm that is becoming increasingly popular among software developers. This is due in part to the rise of distributed systems and the need for more robust and scalable code. In the paper is presented an overview of the syntax and capabilities of Lambda expressions in three programming languages – C#, Java and Python. Performance of programming language constructions is an important research task. Some popular topics for investigation are comparison of programming languages efficiency in fields like bioinformatics or classification of Lambda expression usage and their productiveness. In the current study the performance of Lambda expressions is tested with three specific test cases and the results are compared to alternative technologies that could be used to solve similar problems. The results shows that speed performance of C# is the best from the compared languages and that List Comprehensions is the optimal method for collection filtering in Python.

Requirements development for IoT systems with UCM4IoT

The engineering of IoT (Internet of Things) systems brings about various challenges due to the inherent complexities associated with such adaptive systems. Addressing the adaptive nature of IoT systems in the early stages of the development life cycle is essential for developing a complete and precise system specification. In this paper, we propose a use case-based modelling language, UCM4IoT, to support requirements elicitation and specification of IoT systems. UCM4IoT takes into account the heterogeneity of IoT systems and provides domain-specific language constructs to model the different facets of IoT systems. The language also incorporates the notion of exceptional situations and adaptive system behaviour. Our language is supported with a textual modelling environment to assist modellers in writing use cases. The environment supports syntax-directed editing, validation of use case models, and requirements analysis. The proposed language and tool is demonstrated and evaluated with two case studies: smart store system and smart fire alarm system.

How the police (over)use explicit apology language to manage aspects of their identity

Abstract Public and academic debate suggest a perception that institutions such as the police may be reluctant to apologise or ineffective when they do. This article takes the unusual step of considering the apology culture of the institution potentially offering apology as a crucial step in identifying possible barriers to change in institutional practice. I have analysed explicit apology language in letters written by Scottish police to individuals as a final stage in responding to their complaints about the police. Rather than police reluctance to apologise, I found the police potentially overusing apology language, in the sense that explicit apology language was consistently used where evidence both had and had not been found that the police were at fault. The grammatical construction of the explicit apology language differed between these two contexts. I conclude that police politeness culture includes an empirical norm to use explicit apology language in response to public complaints regardless of the outcome of that complaint, as part of their identity as a public service institution. Tension between this empirical norm and another aspect of police identity, as a law enforcement institution, is managed by a systematic grammatical distinction in apology language patterning with the complaint outcome.

Par dažu bezpriedēkļa un priedēkļa verbu lietojumu ar adverbiem un prievārdu pār

In Latvian language, prefix and prefix-free verb constructions with prepositions and adverbs are used in parallel, where the prefix, adverb and preposition are close in terms of the meaning. The aim of the research is to study the connection of prefix-free and prefix verbs with prepositions and adverbs, to study the use of these constructions, reciprocal attitudes and semantics. The novelty of the research is indicated by the fact that extensive systematic studies have not been conducted on the connection between prefixed and prefix-free verb and preposition and/or adverb, their semantics, as well as the possible motivation for doubling the preposition and adverb. The article examines constructions with prepositions uz, no, caur, pār, expressing spatial direction attitudes and which, in modern Latvian, have prefixes corresponding in the meaning – uz-, no-, pār-, as well as adverbs: virsū, ārā, cauri, pāri, nost. The source of the examples analysed in the study is written language on the Internet – chatting, i.e. microblogging site „Twitter”, news publications, comments on the Internet, „Web Corpus of Latvian Language” (Tīmeklis2020) and other sources where coverage of spoken language is available. It has been observed that in cases when a prefix, adverb and preposition of close meaning are used in the same sentence, it is easier to visualize what is being said as if it is being „drawn” before the eyes, and such structures make the text more imaginative. The meaning of a verb plays an important role in what adverb or preposition it binds to itself. In the research, a tendency was observed that most of the time, in constructions of prefixed verb and prefix-free verb, preposition and adverb with verbs of motion of close meaning and of literal sense, are used.

Modelling flocks of birds and colonies of ants from the bottom up

This paper advocates the use of compositional specifications based on formal languages as a means of modelling and analysing sophisticated collective behaviour in natural systems. With the use of appropriate linguistic constructs, models can be developed that are both compact and intuitive, and can be easily refined and extended in small steps. Automated workflows can be implemented on top of this methodology to provide quick feedback, enabling rapid design iterations. To support our argument, we present three examples from the natural world, focusing on flocks of birds and colonies of ants, which feature well-known examples of emergent behaviour in collective adaptive systems. We use an agent-based language to develop simple models that aim at capturing these collective phenomena, and discuss the specific language constructs that we use in the process. Then, we adapt an existing verification tool for the language to simulate our models, and show that our simulations do display emergent behaviour.

Анализ интонационных особенностей и коммуникативных стратегий вежливости в речи учителя на уроках английского языка

The paper presents the results of the phonopragmatic analysis of the communicative styles of BA students in teaching and CELTA candidates. The focus is made on classroom management and prosodic characteristics used in the speech of two groups of non-native informants. We aim to find the connection of speakers’ national identity and language teaching. Regarding pronunciation as part of a person’s identity, the authors carry out a comparative analysis of English and Russian cultures and examine linguistic and paralinguistic expression of national indexical features in communication. Singling out the strategies that allow teachers to carry out classroom interactions with their students, identifying the correlation of classroom interaction language and speech prosody with politeness strategies provide the novelty of the research. We clearly stated that conventionality of classroom language discourse varied at the level of prosody and reflected national specific characteristics in the speech of a foreign language teacher. Due to perceptive and analytical methods of analysis, we recognized that CELTA candidates follow standardized teaching framework requirements, whilst future language teachers demonstrate the influence of native language interference to a greater degree. The findings show that the tendencies that reveal the status inequality in classroom interactions between teachers and students are in the choice of prosodic features and language construction. University students in teaching realize strategies of positive politeness culture typical of their own Russian culture; in the group of CELTA candidates the level of phonetic competence and personal experience is higher thus they choose phonetic features characteristic of negative politeness culture.

Функционально-семантический потенциал конструкций ‘noun + go / sit / lay + negative Participle II’ и способы их перевода на русский язык

The research aims at defining functional and semantic potential of 'noun + go/sit/lay + negative Participle II' constructions and the ways of translating them into Russian. Language material obtained from Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) is processed with the help of the method of collostructional analysis, which combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The constructions under study have grammatical and collocational restrictions and can be considered as quasi-passive. Left context collocates of the constructions usually form several intersecting lexical semantic domains. Right context collocates represent a dynamic scenario of prototypical interactive situations related to the left context domains. The verbs go, sit, lay cannot be used in Continuous tenses as a result of coercion. The constructions can be translated into Russian in various ways due to usage-based and typological constructional differences between the languages. The work draws on achievements and problems of constructional approach applied to translation. The paper discusses development and prospects of research in construction grammar for finding a solution to practical issues in translation including cataloging of existing constructions in typologically different languages, matching constructions in various languages using parallel tagged corpora, defining unique constructions specific to certain languages and giving a detailed description of their pragmatic, stylistic functional and semantic features.

APPROACHES TO THE DESCRIPTION OF EXCEPTIVE AND ADDITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN RUSSIAN STUDIES

This article presents a review of papers describing exceptive (e.g. All my classmates came to the birthday party, except for Ivan) and additive (e.g. Besides Ivan, all my classmates came to the birthday party) constructions. The main aims of this work are to compare different points of view, as well as identify some features of functioning of these constructions in the Russian language that were not mentioned before. Section 1 discusses the markers of addition or exclusion. Section 2 is devoted to the constituents of the constructions. Section 3 deals with the issue of monosemy and polysemy of krome ‘except; besides’, as well as examples of ambiguous interpretation of krome. Section 4 raises the question what part of speech krome belongs to and the possibility to include krome into the functional class of connectors.

Listen to Us: Perceptions of Animal Voice and Agency.

In many contexts, the interests of nonhuman animals (hereafter "animals") are often overlooked or considered to be a lower priority than those of humans. While strong arguments exist for taking animal moral claims seriously, these largely go unheard due to dominant anthropocentric attitudes and beliefs. This study aimed to explore how animal interests might be best represented in the human world. We conducted interviews to investigate people's perceptions of what it means to speak for other animals and who can reliably represent animal interests. Using Grounded Theory analytical methods, we identified one major theme: "Animal voice", and its subthemes: "Animals do/do not have a voice", "Human language constructs realities and paradigms", and "Let animals speak". Our findings illustrate how human language constructs contribute to shaping the realities of animals by contextually defining them as voiceless. This has serious implications for animals, society, and the environment. Drawing parallels with the relevant literature, our results reflect calls for the social and political recognition of animal voice as fundamental to animal representation. We recommend future research to focus on developing ethical and compassionate approaches to understanding animal subjective experiences to empower and amplify animal voices.

Multipl Sklerozlu Bireylerde Kronik Hastalık Yönetiminde 6 Maddelik Öz-Yeterlilik Ölçeği (MS-KHÖYÖ): Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması

Objective: The research was methodologically planned and applied to adapt the 6-item self-efficacy scale in chronic disease management of individuals with multiple sclerosis to Turkish society. 
 Material and Method: The research was carried out between January 2021 and March 2021 by using the online questionnaire method with individuals with Multiple Sclerosis registered to the Turkish MS Society. To establish the validity and reliability of the self-efficacy for managing chronic disease six item scale (SEMDC- 6S), the study was carried out with a sample consisting of n=104 individuals, which was more than 10 times the number of items on the scale(six items).For test-retest reliability, the scale was administered to 20 patients twice at a two week interval. 
 Results: The validity of the SEMDC-6S was evaluated with language validity, construct validity, and content validity. The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's Alpha) was 0.95, as which was very high.The item-total correlation was examined, and accordingly, no items were excluded from the scale. According to the test-retest results, it was determined that repeated measurements did not differ significantly, and retests had a high correlation. 
 Conclusion: The SEMDC-6S, which was adapted to Turkish society, is a valid and reliable tool. We recommend that it should be applied in different groups and cultures to increase its evidence value.