Higher Mental Activity Research Articles

Alexandre Romanovitch Luria (1902-1977). Partie I. Le psychologue.

Starting with an overview of AR Luria's biography, this article presents his work in general psychology which is key to his conception of neuropsychology (this will be developed in a forthcoming paper). A focus is made on the construction of the historical and cultural theory of psychology he developed with LS Vygotski, according to which human natural mental activities, related to their genetic evolution and shared by all humankind, are transformed into higher cortical functions (i.e., conscious and voluntary activities) through the mediation of language and the products of social activity, and thus differ according to the development of societies. Luria's work is reviewed to support the theory through his expeditions in Central Asia, his studies on twins and children with intellectual disabilities, and the demonstration of the role of speech in child development on higher mental activities and regulation of behaviour.

The Influence of Mental, Physical, and Social Activity on Episodic Memory of Americans Aged 50 and Older

The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between mental, physical, and social activity and episodic memory (EM) and further examine whether the relationship between these activities and EM is moderated by each activity type and demographics such as gender, marital status, and race. Participants were 3,903 cognitively intact persons who completed the 2016 Health and Retirement Study core interview and the 2015 Consumptions and Activities Mail Survey. Preliminary results showed no significant relationship between EM and mental, physical, and social activity. Mental activity significantly moderated the relationship between physical activity and EM, revealing a positive association between physical activity and EM for participants reporting low mental activity levels and a negative but non-significant association for participants with high mental activity scores. Although women demonstrated higher EM scores than men, there was a negative association between mental activity and EM for women. A significant reduction of EM performance was observed in participants who were divorced and widowed, compared to participants who were married. There was a positive relationship between physical activity and EM only for participants who were widowed. Furthermore, race significantly related to EM: African Americans had lower EM scores than Whites/Caucasians, but no significant association was found for the other race groups. Effect sizes were small throughout the analyses. Results emphasize the underlying relationship between different activity types and demographics in terms of EM performance. Further investigation is needed to explore changes over time in this relationship for persons who are cognitively intact or impaired.

Alexander Romanovich Luria (1902-1977). Part I. The psychologist

Starting with an overview of AR Luria's biography, we will present his works in general psychology which are key to his conception of neuropsychology (this will be developed in a forthcoming paper). We will focus on the construction of the historical and cultural theory of psychology developed with LS Vygotski, according to which, in man, the natural mental activities, related to the genetic evolution and shared by all humankind, are transformed into higher cortical functions (that is conscious and voluntary activities) through the mediation of language and the products of social activity, thus differ according to the development of societies. We review the Luria's studies devoted to support the theory in his expeditions in Central Asia, his studies in twins and intellectual disabled children, and the demonstration of the role of speech in the child development of the higher mental activities and regulation of behavior.

The short-term effects of sedentary behaviour on cerebral hemodynamics and cognitive performance in older adults: a cross-over design on the potential impact of mental and/or physical activity

BackgroundSedentary behaviour might be a potential risk factor for cognitive decline. However, the short-term effects of sedentary behaviour on (cerebro) vascular and cognitive performance in older people are unknown.MethodsWe used a cross-over design with 22 older adults (78 years, 9 females) to assess the short-term hemodynamic and cognitive effects of three hours uninterrupted sitting and explored if these effects can be counteracted with regular (every 30 min) two-minute walking breaks. In addition, we investigated if low versus high mental activity during the three hours of sitting modified these effects. Before and after each condition, alertness, executive functioning, and working memory were assessed with the Test of Attentional Performance battery. Additionally, cerebral blood flow velocity (Transcranial Doppler) and blood pressure (Finapres) were measured in rest, and during sit-to-stand and CO2 challenges to assess baroreflex sensitivity, cerebral autoregulation, and cerebral vasomotor reactivity.ResultsNo short-term differences were observed in cognitive performance, cerebral blood flow velocity, baroreflex sensitivity, cerebral autoregulation, or cerebral vasomotor reactivity across time, or between conditions. Blood pressure and cerebrovascular resistance increased over time (8.6 mmHg (5.0;12.1), p < 0.001), and 0.23 in resistance (0.01;0.45), p = 0.04). However, these effects were not mitigated by mental activity or by short walking breaks to interrupt sitting.ConclusionsIn older individuals, three hours of sitting did not influence cognitive performance or cerebral perfusion. However, the sitting period increased blood pressure and cerebrovascular resistance, which are known to negatively impact brain health in the long-term. Importantly, we found that these effects in older individuals cannot be mitigated by higher mental activity and/or regular walking breaks.Trial registrationClinical trial registration URL: https://www.toetsingonline.nl/. Unique identifier: NL64309.091.17. Date of registration: 06–02–2018.

SCT and Translanguaging-to-learn

This paper arose as a result of dialogue between researchers involved in a research project undertaken across England, Finland, France, and Romania. The research aimed to improve the educational experience for Roma children in school, who face sustained racism, discrimination and poverty, alongside reduced levels of access to and inequitable outcomes in education, by focusing on translanguaging as a transformative pedagogy. A close reading of the translanguaging literature revealed an oft assumed sociocultural understanding of learning. This paper is an exploration of the synergies and tensions between sociocultural theory as a learning theory and translanguaging as a theory of language in use and as a pedagogical approach in order to suggest a conceptual integration useful to both. In particular, we focus on the formation and form of Vygostkian inner speech, given its central role in higher mental activity such as learning. We examine movement between external speech in collaborative activity (and to oneself) to condensed inner speech in reimagining Guerrero's (2005) schema, by fusing translanguaging theory with Vygotskian notions of sense and meaning, and everyday and scientific concepts. We also consider translanguaging in joint activity in terms of neo-Vygotskian notions of cumulative and exploratory talk, arguing the usefulness of microgenetic analysis to reveal learning in action within joint activity. The paper therefore provides both a renewal of sociocultural understandings of language and learning, and conceptual tools for a more refined and robust articulation and analysis of the operation of translanguaging-to-learn.

Hypothetically virtual approaches to the analysis of the mechanisms of neuropsychic activity

The main ideas of the book «the Call and all the rest» [1] and of the separately published «the Unexplored and Unexamined» chapters [2] on non-standard and not always well grounded approaches to the understanding of neuro-mental activity. «Staged» questions are considered and their solution cannot be completed without careful research study. It is proposed to use the following hypothetically formulated postulates: 1. Life processes that provide neuropsychic activity cannot be explained only by traditionally understood reflex mechanisms. 2. Any living structure has the biological ability not only to passively absorb information, but also to actively seek it out. 3. The conductor system uses muscle energy in every reflex action. Higher mental activity is formed by other energetic, both exogenous and endogenous flows. 4. Conscious (and perhaps not conscious) life events and behavioral experiences do not disappear from the functional «memory library». 5. Evolutionary unification, despite situational confrontations, is a vital necessity of the interaction process. Its neblinensis parts fall out of the further development cycle. This pattern determines the general theory of unification and development for biology and sociology.

Association of home blood pressure with sleep and physical and mental activity, assessed via a wristwatch-type pulsimeter with accelerometer in adults

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine the associations between home blood pressure (HBP) and sleep and activity assessed using data obtained via a wristwatch-type pulsimeter with accelerometer (Pulsense®) using original software. We recruited 28 elderlies and 40 employees aged 24–81 years who were not on hypotensive agents and sleeping drugs. Sleep, activity, and HBP were measured consecutively over a 5–7-day period. Body mass index (BMI), base heart rate (HR0), and age showed significant correlation with HBP in a simple and multiple linear regression analysis. HR0 was positively, and log deep sleep duration, negatively correlated with HBP in the adjusted multiple linear regression analysis. Physical and mental activities were negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a simple linear regression, but high physical and mental activities tend to reduce deep sleep duration. Self-recorded sleep duration had no relationship with HBP. In conclusion, HR0, BMI, age, deep sleep duration, and activity showed relationships with HBP. Using this type of wristwatch and observing daily sleep and activity data with HBP measurement may have important clinical implication.

Analysis of Electrodermal Activity Signal Collected During Visual Attention Oriented Tasks

In this paper, we have measured Electrodermal Activity (also known as Galvanic Skin Response or EDA) signal of young adult human subjects, during tasks associated with Visual attention, in order to investigate whether these signals carry any information regarding human visual attentiveness. We find that the phasic component of the EDA signal carries more information about visual attentiveness compared to the tonic component. Specifically, zero crossing rate is a feature that is found to be useful in differentiating between periods of low and high mental activity during visual attention related tasks. This paper proposes two new features namely the number of Gaussian peaks in the histograms of zero crossing rate and the overlapping area between two Gaussians which have been used to predict the visual attentiveness of the subject during tasks associated with visual attentiveness. A total of thirty human subjects have volunteered for the current experiment where they have been asked to complete three tasks (each task twice). These tasks are standard tests for visual attentiveness measurement. The proposed model has been tested on the collected dataset. In 91.3% cases, the result aligned with manual visual attentiveness test results. We have tried to investigate the EDA signal during good, average, and poor stages of visual attentiveness. Furthermore, the method gives better performance compared to the methods carried out using Electroencephalogram signals by other research groups.

AR Luria and the role of frontal lobes in the regulation of higher mental activities and behavior

Aleksandr Romanovich Luria (1902–1977), doctor of psychology and of medicine was one of the prominent scientists in neuropsychology in the XXth century, and gave the first systematic description of the frontal lobe functions. His very personal approach was based on: – the historical and cultural theory of psychology developed in close collaboration with LS Vygotski (1896–1934) from 1924 to 1934, emphasizing the crucial role of speech in the development of the higher (i.d. conscious and voluntary) mental activities [1] , [2] and, in the 1950s, the regulation of behavior by inner speech [1] ; – his experimental work inspired by the physiology of IP Pavlov (1849–1936), but also by the theory of functional systems of PK Anokhin (1898–1974), and the intentional character of human activities outlined by NA Bernstein (1896–1966) [3] , [4] ; – his research in patients with brain lesions at the Neurosurgical Institute in Moscow from 1936 to his death and as director of the Rehabilitation hospital of neurosurgery in Urals during the war [5] . According to Luria, human mental processes are complex functional systems requiring the participation of three main units working in close association: a unit for regulating tone and waking and mental states, a unit for receiving, analyzing and storing information, and a unit for programming, regulation and verification of activity [6] . Frontal lobes play a crucial role in the first and the third unit, specifically for the conscious and voluntary activity. In the 1960s, Luria gave an extensive description of the frontal lobe syndromes with original methods for their clinical assessment [7] .

PENERAPAN PENDEKATAN SAINTIFIK TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN PEMECAHAN MASALAH MATEMATIKA DI SMAN 1 DARUL IMARAH ACEH BESAR

Problem solving, as the high mental activity in tackling mathematical problem should be a main concern to all respected parties. Facts and data in the field show students face a hard situation in solving math problems. Therefore, it requires an alternative solution to optimize student’s problem-solving capacity, one of them through scientific approach. Moreover, this approach builds student’s competencies in solving math problem through knowledge empowerment of critical thinking skills and creative thinking skills of students to solve the problems with a systematic and measurable way. In addition, the objectives of this research are (1) higher problem-solving skills, taught by scientific approach than those taught by realistic mathematical approach to trigonometric material, and (2) student’s response to problem solving ability through scientific approach on trigonometric material. The research population is all students of grade X SMAN 1 and the sample is the student who is in the grade X MIPA3 and grade IV MIPA by using cluster random sampling technique. This experimental study created by Posttest-only Control Design. This study also uses questionnaire and math problem solving test as the data collection. The result of research shows that (1) Statistical test of t-test on right side was obtained tcount 2,76 and ttable=1,65, and tcount &gt; ttable then accept H1 reject H0 (2) Student response to approach 3,21. Thus, it is conclude that (1) the higher mathematical problem solving skills are taught through a scientific approach rather than the problem-solving skills taught by realistic mathematical approaches. (2) student’s response to the scientific approach of this category is very positive.

Effect of abacus training on maths anxiety

Background: Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the “manipulation of mathematical problems” in varied situations of our daily life. Beyond a certain degree, anxiety hinders performance, particularly in the case of higher mental activities and conceptual process. Studies suggest that maths anxiety affects math abilities and some aspects of memory and abacus trained experts performed significantly better on tests of calculation speed and accuracy. Aims and Objectives: To study the effect of abacus training on maths anxiety. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 60 primary school students (30 abacus trained and 30 untrained) using maths anxiety rating scale- India. Results: The mean values of maths anxiety scores among abacus-trained students were 107.06 and those without abacus training were 116.21 which are statistically significant. Conclusion: Since maths anxiety is known to affect maths performance, there is a need to recognize the positive effects of abacus training on school mathematics learning as well as broader aspects of children’s development.

Rola i znaczenie aktywności społecznej seniorów

&lt;p&gt;Celem artykułu jest ukazanie zorganizowanej formy aktywności społecznej seniorów w środowisku lokalnym na przykładzie lubelskiego Oddziału PCK w ramach realizacji projektu „CZAS na 5”. Współczesne społeczeństwo staje się społeczeństwem „starzejącym się”. Obecnie ten proces mocno dynamizuje się, a wskaźniki demograficzne wskazują, że ten trend w najbliższym czasie będzie się nasilał. Dlatego konieczne jest aktywizowanie zasobów ludzkich, w tym senioralnych. Podstawowym zadaniem człowieka starszego jest przystosowanie się do zmieniających się warunków życia i modyfikowanie ich do własnych, zmieniających się z wiekiem, potrzeb. Aktywność społeczna jest niekwestionowanym czynnikiem wpływającym na zdrowie i kondycję psychofizyczną człowieka. Zachowanie wysokiej aktywności fizycznej, umysłowej i społecznej stanowi jeden z czynników prognozujących dłuższe trwanie życia, umożliwia starszym ludziom zachowanie autonomii i niezależności, a tym samym przyczynia się do poprawy jakości ich życia.&lt;/p&gt;

Development of task analysis method for operator tasks in main control room of an advanced nuclear power plant

Task analysis methods provide an insight for quantitative and qualitative predictions of how people will use a proposed system, though the different versions have different emphases. Most of the methods can attest to the coverage of the functionality of a system and all provide estimates of task performance time. However, most of the tasks that operators deal with in a digital work environment in the main control room of an advanced nuclear power plant require high mental activity. Such mental tasks overlap and must be dealt with at the same time; most of them can be assumed to be highly parallel in nature. Therefore, the primary aim to be addressed in this paper was to develop a method that adopts CPM-GOMS (cognitive perceptual motor-goals operators methods selection rules) as the basic pattern of mental task analysis for the advanced main control room. A within-subjects experiment design was used to examine the validity of the modified CPM-GOMS. Thirty participants participated in two task types, which included high- and low-compatibility types. The results indicated that the performance was significantly higher on the high-compatibility task type than on the low-compatibility task type; that is, the modified CPM-GOMS could distinguish the difference between high- and low-compatibility mental tasks.

Perceiving a story outside of conscious awareness: When we infer narrative attributes from subliminal sequential stimuli.

Perceiving a story behind successive movements plays an important role in our lives. From a general perspective, such higher mental activity would seem to depend on conscious processes. Using a subliminal priming paradigm, we demonstrated that such story perception occurs without conscious awareness. In the experiments, participants were subliminally presented with sequential pictures that represented a story in which one geometrical figure was chased by the other figure, and in which one fictitious character defeated the other character in a tug-of-war. Although the participants could not report having seen the pictures, their automatic mental associations (i.e., associations that are activated unintentionally, difficult to control, and not necessarily endorsed at a conscious level) were shifted to line up with the story. The results suggest that story perception operates outside of conscious awareness. Implications for research on the unconscious were also briefly discussed.

Acquiring Tastes through Online Activity: Neuroplasticity and the Flow Experiences of Web Users

Acquiring Tastes through Online Activity: Neuroplasticity and the Flow Experiences of Web Users

The Effects of Test Formats on the Performances of Iranian EFL Students

This study was an attempt to investigate whether different test formats had any significant effect on the performances of Iranian language students. To fulfill the purpose of this study, 160 male and female language students within the age range of 20 to 34 years studying at three branches of Islamic Azad university-Ahvaz, Dezful, Andimeshk at three different levels of upper-intermediate, intermediate and low were selected based on their performance on Nelson Test (Fowler & Coe, 1976) and assigned to three groups in terms of their proficiency level. Each group of each level of language abilities was given a test consisting of four different formats-MC, T/F, Cloze-Test and C-Test. The results were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and deductive statistics of ANOVA and Scheffe Test. The results proved that the testees of upper-intermediate level had a poorer performance in MC items than they had in other test formats, while the testees of intermediate and low level performed much better in MC items; of course they had a poor performance in Cloze-Test. Due to their limited knowledge of language and limited mental abilities and strategies, testees of intermediate and low level performed very poorly in integrative tests as these test formats take high mental activities. The results proved the use of multi-method theory in testing language abilities, as it will is assumed a suitable measure in order to make judgments about the test construct validity and the testees’ performance.

Conceptual Cognitive Organs: Toward an Historical-Materialist Theory of Scientific Knowledge

Scientific concepts and conceptual systems (theories) are particular forms of higher mental activity. They are cognitive organs that provide the ability of systematic cognition of phenomena, which are not available to the grasp of ordinary sense organs. They are tools of scientific “groping” of phenomena. Scientific concepts free perceptual and cognitive activity from determination of ordinary sense organs by providing a high degree of cognitive abstraction and generalization. Scientific cognition, like perceptual activity, is actualized by consciousness but outside the consciousness.

The "id" knows more than the "ego" admits: neuropsychoanalytic and primal consciousness perspectives on the interface between affective and cognitive neuroscience.

It is commonly believed that consciousness is a higher brain function. Here we consider the likelihood, based on abundant neuroevolutionary data that lower brain affective phenomenal experiences provide the “energy” for the developmental construction of higher forms of cognitive consciousness. This view is concordant with many of the theoretical formulations of Sigmund Freud. In this reconceptualization, all of consciousness may be dependent on the original evolution of affective phenomenal experiences that coded survival values. These subcortical energies provided a foundation that could be used for the epigenetic construction of perceptual and other higher forms of consciousness. From this perspective, perceptual experiences were initially affective at the primary-process brainstem level, but capable of being elaborated by secondary learning and memory processes into tertiary-cognitive forms of consciousness. Within this view, although all individual neural activities are unconscious, perhaps along with secondary-process learning and memory mechanisms, the primal sub-neocortical networks of emotions and other primal affects may have served as the sentient scaffolding for the construction of resolved perceptual and higher mental activities within the neocortex. The data supporting this neuro-psycho-evolutionary vision of the emergence of mind is discussed in relation to classical psychoanalytical models.

P4‐313: Age of dementia onset delayed by bilingualism, but advanced by stroke

High educational status and complex mental activities are thought to delay onset of dementia, while vascular risk factors increase dementia risk. It is still unclear how these different biological and lifestyle factors interact to impact dementia risk. India is characterised by heterogeneity in educational status, widespread bilingualism and high cardiovascular risk burden, providing a unique opportunity to study lifestyle and biological factors that protect or increase risk of dementia. We aimed to investigate the association between educational status, bilingualism and cardiovascular risk factors on age of dementia onset, subtypes and severity. 347 consecutive dementia patients in a hospital based registry (Alzheimer's disease (AD)-133, Vascular dementia (VaD)-88, Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-65, Lewy Body Dementia (DLB)-31, Mixed Dementia-30) were evaluated for presence of vascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, smoking, alcoholism, cardiac disease and stroke), bilingualism and years of education. 59% of subjects were bilingual and 16% were illiterate. Effect of these factors on age of dementia onset, subtype, and severity were studied. Independent effects of education, vascular risk factors and bilingualism on age of onset of dementia were analysed by linear regression analysis. Bilingualism was associated with a 3.9 year delay in onset of dementia compared with monolingualism. Bilingualism was related to a later age of onset of AD and FTD, but not VaD, mixed dementia and DLB. Higher educational status was found to relate to a later onset. Among cardiovascular risk factors, stroke was strongly associated with younger age of onset of dementia. Effect of other vascular risk factors on age of onset was not significant. Severity of dementia was associated with low educational status and monolingualism. Linear regression analysis revealed that bilingualism (p = 0.002) and stroke (p = 0.008) and not educational status had an independent effect on age of onset. In this large series of dementia patients, bilingualism more than educational status was found to independently delay age of onset of dementia, especially AD and FTD. Stroke was strongly associated with earlier age of onset. The study provides insights into interaction between biological and lifestyle protective and risk factors in impacting dementia burden.

LESIONAL REFLEX EPILEPSY ASSOCIATED WITH THE THOUGHT OF FOOD

El Bouzidi et al.1 report a patient with symptomatic epilepsy featuring reflex focal seizures triggered by food-related stimuli and, in particular, triggered by the thought of food. The authors claim that reflex seizures triggered by the thought of a specific stimulus are extremely rare.1 Reflex activation of seizures by thinking has been well-established in idiopathic generalized epilepsies in response to nonverbal higher mental activities such as calculation, card and board games, or spatial tasks.2,3 Functional neuroimaging studies have recently shown that seizures arise from regions of cortical hyperexcitability overlapping with areas physiologically activated during specific sensory, cognitive, or motor stimulations. This stimulation may subsequently involve the cortico-reticular or cortico-cortical pathways, thus resulting in a generalized epileptic event.4 However, thinking as an effective trigger in focal reflex seizures is exceptional.1 Eating-induced epilepsy is very rare, accounting for possibly 0.5–1 per 1,000 patients with epilepsy. However, an unusually high incidence has been reported in specific geographic areas of India.5 Previous attempts to find a specific stimulus during all aspects of eating have been unsuccessful. …