Orientation Ability Research Articles

Orientation to and processing of social stimuli under normal and competitive conditions in children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopment disorder characterized by early specific impairments in social attention. However, the abnormality of orientation and processing ability in social attention is still unclear in children with ASD. MethodTo address this question, we designed two viewing tasks including a background search task (normal social attention condition) and a paired preference task (competitive social attention condition) to explore the social attention in children with ASD. Eye-tracking technology was applied to measure the ability of ASD children to orient towards and process social stimuli under normal and competitive task conditions. ResultsThe results indicated that the initial orientation ability of social attention in children with ASD was normal, but the subsequent processing ability was impaired under both normal and competitive conditions. Specifically as follows: ASD groups, compared with controls groups, had similar time to first fixation to social stimuli but less fixation duration to social stimuli. More importantly, severity of symptoms in ASD children was negatively correlated with the fixation duration to social stimuli. Furthermore, both ASD and TD children preferred to orient and process stimuli related to circumscribed interests (CI), but ASD children had difficulty distinguishing between social and non-CI stimuli under competitive condition. ConclusionThese findings suggest that the abnormality in subsequent processing of social stimuli could serve as a key role in social attention impairments, which may provide a new perspective for early identification and intervention training.

Virtual Mathematics Kits (VMK): The Value of Spatial Orientation on It

<p style="text-align:justify">The purposes of the current study were to develop students' spatial orientation skills using Virtual Mathematics Kits (VMK) and to evaluate VMK as a form of digital media in terms of spatial orientation. This study involved 42 lower-class and 47 higher-class elementary school students as the intervention group and 36 lower-class and 41 higher-class students as the control group. The intervention group was administered spatial orientation activities for 10 weeks. These activities were performed using a VMK to facilitate solving spatial problems. In the end of activities, spatial orientation instruments administered to compare spatial orientation ability on each group. The findings of this study, spatial orientation activities using a VMK improved students' spatial orientation skills. More specific, VMK provides more significant effect on higher-class students. Finally, VMK allows students to explore many ideas and perspectives to solve various spatial problems. VMK can be used as a digital media that helps students to develop spatial reasoning.</p>

Animal Behavior: A Neural Basis of Individuality

Behavior can vary greatly even between genetically identical animals, but what determines such individuality? New work reveals that inter-individual differences in wiring of visual interneurons in Drosophila, arising from stochastic developmental events, underlie fly-specific object orientation abilities.

Which Effects on Neuroanatomy and Path-Integration Survive? Results of a Randomized Controlled Study on Intensive Balance Training.

Balancing is a complex task requiring the integration of visual, somatosensory and vestibular inputs. The vestibular system is linked to the hippocampus, a brain structure crucial for spatial orientation. Here we tested the immediate and sustained effects of a one-month-long slackline training program on balancing and orientation abilities as well as on brain volumes in young adults without any prior experience in that skill. On the corrected level, we could not find any interaction effects for brain volumes, but the effect sizes were small to medium. A subsequent within-training-group analysis revealed volumetric increments within the somatosensory cortex and decrements within posterior insula, cerebellum and putamen remained stable over time. No significant interaction effects were observed on the clinical balance and the spatial orientation task two months after the training period (follow-up). We interpret these findings as a shift away from processes crucial for automatized motor output towards processes related to voluntarily controlled movements. The decrease in insular volume in the training group we propose to result from multisensory interaction of the vestibular with the visual and somatosensory systems. The discrepancy between sustained effects in the brain of the training group on the one hand and transient benefits in function on the other may indicate that for the latter to be retained a longer-term practice is required.

Analysis of the correlation between spatial cognitive abilities and wayfinding decisions in 3D digital environments

ABSTRACT Although the effects of spatial abilities on behaviour have recently been a hot topic, wayfinding has received little attentions. Here, the reasons for route selection differences during wayfinding were studied from the perspective of individual competence. The mental rotation (A-MR), abstract reasoning (A-AR), visual short-term memory (A-VSTM), spatial perception (A-SP) and spatial orientation (A-SO) abilities of 52 college students were assessed, and their route selection behaviours were tested in homogeneous and heterogeneous three-dimensional virtual scenes. Finally, the relationships between five abilities and the lengths (R-L) and angles (R-A) of the selected routes were analysed and the R meants route here. The path complexity (weighted combination of R-L and R-A) was also fitted using a partial least-squares model with the five abilities. The A-MR and A-AR had obvious relationships with R-L and R-A, whereas A-SP showed little correlation. Moreover, the A-VSTM and A-SO had a significantly higher impact on route selection in the homogeneous spatial environment than in the heterogeneous one. Although the models passed the significance test, the fitting effect was not satisfactory. The routes were affected by many factors, and these five abilities could not fully explain the route selection behaviour of the individuals.

The yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis) can use magnetic field polarity to orient in space and solve a maze

Elasmobranch fishes (sharks, skates, and rays) have been hypothesized to use the geomagnetic field (GMF) to maintain a sense of direction as they navigate throughout their environment. However, it is difficult to test the sensory ecology and spatial orientation ability of large highly migratory fishes in the field. Therefore, we performed behavioral conditioning experiments on a small magnetically sensitive species, the yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis), in the laboratory. We trained individuals to use the polarity, or the north–south direction, of the GMF as a cue to orient in space and navigate a T-maze for a food reward. Subjects were split into two groups that learned to associate the direction of magnetic north or south as the indicator of the reward location. Stingrays reached the learning criterion within a mean (± SE) of 158.6 ± 28.4 trials. Subjects were then reverse trained to use the previously unrewarded magnetic stimulus of the opposite polarity as the new cue for the reward location. Overall, the stingrays reached the reversal criterion in significantly fewer trials (120 ± 13.8) compared to the initial procedure. These data show that the yellow stingray can learn to associate changes in GMF polarity with a reward, relearn a behavioral task when the reward contingency is modified, and learn a reversal procedure faster than the initial association. These data support the idea that the yellow stingray, and perhaps other elasmobranchs, might use GMF polarity as a cue to orient and maintain a heading during navigation.

Navigation Ability Test: a new specific test to asses spatial orientation ability in football players and healthy subjects.

This paper describes a new specific test to asses spatial and orientation abilities: Navigation Ability Test (NAT). The goal of this study was to determine if football players and normal subjects use vestibular information to keep track of their positions while walking through the Navigation Ability Test. This study was conducted on a total of 120 patients undergoing Navigation Ability Test (NAT): 60 football players and 60 normal subjects were recruited on the basis of no history of vertigo/balance disorders and a negative otoneurological instrumental examination and the second group of the football players were recruited from Division B, Division Under-21 and Women's League. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Our results showed differences between sexes during navigation tasks are not related to spatial learning per se, but appear to be the consequence of difference in ability to effectively use specific types of distal information such as room geometry. The NAT showed that the route-times walked with eyes closed are always longer than in normal people and mistakes improve with training. These results show that NAT could suggest to the coach and trainers valuable information about the characteristics of the players and how they should play in the field. Although there are some intrinsic difficulties, for example in creating patient-specific versions of the test, preliminary normative data indicate that this original test is workable and provides important information in therapy rehabilitation for vestibular disorder.

The teachers ability and response concerning Spatial Orientation

This paper examined the profile of secondary school mathematics teachers about spatial orientation. Participants in this study were 20 secondary school teachers who participated in a mathematics learning workshop related to designing a floor plan. Usually, the teacher conducts weekly or monthly meetings through the group of mathematics teachers in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The teachers were given a spatial orientation test before and after the workshop, four of them were interviewed. The data obtained were analysed descriptively. The results showed that there is an increase in the teacher spatial orientation ability score after the workshop. The findings also reported some teachers had difficulty in solving the spatial orientation problems because they were not familiar with determining the direction. In addition, most teachers agreed that spatial test is necessary for the students despite their concern about the time constraint. Thus, we suggest utilizing technology to overcome such an issue.

Development of egocentric and allocentric spatial orientation abilities in children born preterm with very low birth weight

BackgroundVery low birth weight preterm infants show neuropsychological alterations in functions such as memory or visuospatial skills, although certain related functions, such as spatial orientation, have not been studied. ObjectivesTo compare children born preterm and at term between the ages of 5 and 7 years on egocentric and allocentric spatial orientation, and relate their performance to visuospatial skills, behavior, memory in daily environments, and perinatal risk factors. Study designObservational cross-sectional study. Subjects88 very low birth weight children born preterm and 59 controls. Outcome measuresIQ (RIST), visuospatial skills (NEPSY II: Route Finding and Geometric Puzzles), spatial orientation (Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory Test - Children's Version), behavior (BASC questionnaire for parents), memory in everyday environments (ECM-Q questionnaire for parents), and perinatal risk factors (collected from medical records). ResultsChildren born preterm obtain significantly lower scores than controls on the RIST, Route Finding, and Allocentric Spatial Memory Tests. Although spatial orientation is related to other neuropsychological variables in both premature and control children, there is no meaningful association with behavior or daily memory in children born preterm. The perinatal risk factors that are associated the most with visuospatial and orientation problems are surgical procedures and peri- and intraventricular hemorrhages. ConclusionsChildren born preterm with low birth weight present difficulties in their spatial orientation, and for this reason, we propose including these types of tasks in the usual neuropsychological evaluation.

Influence of Cognitive Stimulation Group Activity Memory Game Therapy on Elderly Cognitive Function: Quasi-Experimental

Introduction: Older adults experience a change in their nervous system that influences cognitive function, including the abilities of orientation, registration, attention-calculation, memory and language. These changes affect the independence of the elderly when carrying out their daily activities. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of cognitive stimulation group activity memory game therapy on elderly cognitive function.Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental pre-post approach with a control group design. The population in this study was the elderly who were aged >60 in Nursing Home Blitar, totaling 20 older patients. The data retrieval for this research was conducted between April and May 2012. The elderly in the treatment group were given flash card stimulus to practice their perceptual abilities 8 times (1 month). The measurement of elderly cognitive function used the Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank test.Results: The results showed that elderly cognitive function increased from 10,3 (pre test) to 14,65 (post test) with p=0,005 (p<0,05). This result shows that cognitive stimulation group activity memory games have a significance influence on elderly cognitive function.Conclusion: Practical nurses can use this therapy to improve elderly cognitive function not only in Elderly Social Institutions but also in the community or through public health.

Spatial orientation based on multiple visual cues in non-migratory monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are prominent for their annual long-distance migration from North America to their overwintering area in Central Mexico. To find their way on this long journey, they use a sun compass as their main orientation reference but will also adjust their migratory direction with respect to mountain ranges. This indicates that the migratory butterflies also attend to the panorama to guide their travels. Although the compass has been studied in detail in migrating butterflies, little is known about the orientation abilities of non-migrating butterflies. Here, we investigated whether non-migrating butterflies - which stay in a more restricted area to feed and breed - also use a similar compass system to guide their flights. Performing behavioral experiments on tethered flying butterflies in an indoor LED flight simulator, we found that the monarchs fly along straight tracks with respect to a simulated sun. When a panoramic skyline was presented as the only orientation cue, the butterflies maintained their flight direction only during short sequences, suggesting that they potentially use it for flight stabilization. We further found that when we presented the two cues together, the butterflies incorporate both cues in their compass. Taken together, we show here that non-migrating monarch butterflies can combine multiple visual cues for robust orientation, an ability that may also aid them during their migration.

KEMAMPUAN PENALARAN SPASIAL SISWA SMPN 2 PRAYA BARAT DAYA

Having good spatial reasoning skills supports a person's success in the STEM field. Spatial reasoning in mathematics is found in geometry. Students' abilities in geometry at SMPN 2 Praya Barat Daya are very low. The purpose of this study was to determine the process of thinking students on spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning in this study is limited to the constructs of spatial visualization, mental rotation, and spatial orientation. This type of research is descriptive qualitative with a type of eksploratory research. The research subjects were selected 3 students with high, medium, and low mathematical abilities. The main instrument is the researchers himselfs and other instruments are written tests of spatial reasoning and interviews. The results showed: (1) students with high mathematical abilities had better spatial visualization abilities than other students, the three students were not able to use mental rotation skills properly, and the three students were able to use the ability of spatial orientation well, (2) the thinking process of students with high mathematical abilities in spatial visualization was done through reflecting objects, while other students through following the position of the object, in mental rotation the three students did not look too closely at the part of the object being rotated, and spatial orientation was done bystudent through positioning themselves as objects.

A Combination Orientation Compass Based on the Information of Polarized Skylight/Geomagnetic/MIMU

The aim of this present is to design a new kind of compass which can be used during the absence of satellite signals. It is a development trend to enhance the reliability and environmental adaptability of navigation system to enable the vehicle-borne system to have the ability of navigation and orientation without satellite signals. So far, the geomagnetic/micro inertial measurement unit(MIMU) orientation method which has been commonly used in orientation mode is vulnerable to environmental interference and has weak reliabilities. Through the research of bionic navigation at home and abroad, it has been found that some insects such as desert ants, bees, etc. can find orientation by sensing atmospheric polarization information. In this paper, by using array polarization vision sensor to get the polarization information of the local zenith, the heading angle of polarization information can be calculated, and then by using Kalman filter, the heading angle of polarization information can be fused with the results of geomagnetic/MIMU, so as to achieve better optimal heading estimation. The environmental adaptability and effectiveness of the compass have been verified by theoretical analysis and vehicle experiments.

Measure of Spatial Orientation Ability

The aim of this study was to design a test to measure a person’s ability to orient themselves on a “you are-here” map. The Spatial Orientation Skills Test, a test measuring spatial orientation ability, consists of 30 items, each item contains two maps, one is positioned at 0° (the model), and the other is the same map but amplified and rotated. The task participants were required to perform was to find their way around on the model map to get to a specific point by taking as a reference point the position indicated on the amplified and rotated map. A sample of 281 university undergraduates participated in the study. The test obtained a Cronbach alpha of .83. The test was significantly correlated to the test measuring image rotation. The results are discussed, and new lines of research are proposed.

Der må være en kant. En diskussion af forskellige opfattelser af rum og virkelighed i lyset af Kants teori om rummet

This article discusses to what extent is makes sense to talk about different conceptions of space, and different experiences of space. According to Kant our sense perceptions are organized by a unique set of categories and by the form of our inner and outer sense, time and space respectively. To Kant, this spatial intuition is culturally invariant because it is a condition for the possibility of any experience whatsoever. Without accepting Kant’s terminology the author agrees that certain rudimentary abilities of spatial orientation have to be presupposed as universally shared. However, we do seem to have different ways of conceiving and thinking about space. Within our own culture we can distinguish between subjective/personal, public/official and scientific conceptions of space. It is argued that in other cultures, where these conceptions are different, we should be weary of a quasi-Kantian position which attributes such differences to differences in ‘categorial schemes’, and which further claims that these are conditions for the possibility of experience in this specific culture. Such a culturally speciftc a priori category confuses conditions for any possible experience with possible experiences. Furthermore, it ignores epistemological distinctions we readily employ within our own cultures.

The problem of stage anxiety in training Students of Pedagogical Universities in performing activities

The article is devoted to the problem of stage anxiety of future Music teachers during public performance of their repertoire. The purpose of the article is to analyse the phenomenon of stage anxiety, its destructive and constructive manifestation in the process of mastering students’ performing skills. The objectives of the study are to analyse the factors that lead to excessive stage education and to substantiate methods of overcoming its destructive impact in the educational process. The specific manifestation of excessive excitement in typical activities of future Music teachers and higher school teachers in situations of public performance has been considered. The varieties of stage anxiety – destructive and constructive – have been determined. The destructive anxiety is manifested in increased anxiety, nervousness of performers, which leads to disorder of the developed conditioned reflexes, coordination of performance movements, loss of self-control, and it significantly worsens the results demonstrated by them. It is emphasized that repetition of the designated disruptions leads to a “stage barrier” and can transform into student’s non-compliance with professional requirements. The constructive anxiety has a positive effect on the performer’s psychological state by increasing concentration of his / her attention and achieving an elevated state and inspiration while performing. The factors of subjective and personal, situational and objective nature that influence the performer’s state have been identified. The first include person’s individual-typological properties: type of the nervous system, temperament, communicative orientation, special and general abilities, in particular – the development of musical memory, musical thinking, internal auditory ideas. The factors of the second kind include the effectiveness of the formative methodology aimed at strengthening and automatizing technical and performing skills, stimulating students to achieve communicative-suggestive influence in performing, providing students with favourable psychological climate, strengthening their self-confidence, correlating the complexity of the repertoire with the real (cap)abilities of the performer. The methods of overcoming the destructive stage anxiety have been presented; these methods include: trainings, psychological exercises, role-playing games for improving the skills of emotional-volitional self-regulation, imagining a situation and a process of public performing, acquainting students with psychological and pedagogical literature, creating success situations. Keywords: varieties of stage anxiety; Music Arts teacher; higher school teacher; factors and methods of overcoming stage anxiety.

New hydrogen-bonded comblike polyimides with mesogenic side chains for stable orientation and fast switching of liquid crystals

ABSTRACTNew supramolecular comblike polyimides with mesogenic side chains for stable homeotropic orientation and fast electro-optical switching of liquid crystals (LCs) have been prepared through selective intermolecular hydrogen bonding between 4-(4-heptylphenyl)benzoic acid (4HPB) and host polyimide. A low concentration of 4HPB as the mesogenic guest molecule was hydrogen-bonded to polyimide backbone leading to the self-assembled comblike polyimide with enhanced homeotropic orientation properties. The electro-optical characteristics of the LC device containing hydrogen-bonded comblike polyimide exhibited better performance than those of LC cell with conventional polyimide. Because the conventional covalent approach for preparation of polyimides requires considerable synthetic efforts to achieve new functionality in polyimide materials, the proposed noncovalent method is a simple one and highly cost effective. Our controlled methodology should find wide application for the fabrication of functional alignment materials requiring high orientation ability.

Effect of nocturnal lighting on an ant’s ethological and physiological traits

Artificial nocturnal lighting affects the nature, an impact best studied on vertebrates that are directly depending on the presence or absence of light. Here, we examined on an ant species taken as a model the effects of artificial nocturnal lighting on eleven physiological and ethological traits. Ant workers maintained under nocturnal lighting showed a decrease or a change in their level of activity, food consumption, locomotion, orientation ability, audacity, tactile perception, social relationship, learning and memory. This was largely observed during the night but the effects persisted, at a lower extend, during the day.

Employment Suggestions for Executives in Special Warfare Units Based on Job Competency

본 연구의 목적은 특수전부대 간부의 취업역량 분석을 통해 그들이 지니고 있는 우수한 역량과 이에 적합한 직업(군)을 도출하고자 하였다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 특수전부대 간부의 취업역량 분석결과 업무수행능력 보유수준은 신체적 강인성 능력이 가장 높게 나타났으며 행동조정능력, 공간 지각능력, 서비스 지향능력 등으로 나타났고 조작 및 통제능력과 고장의 발견ㆍ수리능력이 가장 낮게 나타났다. 둘째, 특수전부대 간부가 일반인 재직자에 비해 상대적 우위를 가지는 역량으로 업무능력은 논리적 분석, 창의력, 추리력, 선택적 집중력, 공간지각력, 학습전략, 선택적 집중력, 사람파악, 행동조정, 모니터링, 가르치기, 설득, 협상, 서비스지향, 파단과 의사결정, 문제해결, 인적자원관리, 작동분석 등 21개 항목으로 나타났다. 셋째, 특수전부대 간부가 상대적 우위를 가지는 역량을 통한 적합직업(군) 도출 결과 총822개의 적합 직업이 도출되었으며, 적합 직업(군)별로는 사회복지, 문화, 예술, 방송 분야의 문화예술 디자인 방송 관련 직업과 관리, 경영, 보험 등의 순으로 나타났다. 연구의 한계는 특수전부대로 한정하여 그들의 보유역량과 직업(군)을 도출 하였으므로 제대군인 전반으로 일반화하기에는 한계가 있다. 따라서 향후 연구로는 특수임무를 수행하고 있는 부대들을 대상으로 범위를 확대하여 상호 비교와 평가를 통해 보다 구체화된 전직지원 정책이 발전이 필요하다.This research aims to analyze the job competency of executives in special warfare units and then suggest the appropriate job categories for them based on their specific capabilities. The results of this study are as follows. First, it is found that the highest level of their job competency was physical possessive ability, followed by behavior coordination ability, spatial perception ability, and service orientation ability. Second, compared to the general incumbents, the executives in special warfare units had a relative strength in job competency on 21 items including logical analysis, creativity, behavioral coordination, monitoring, teaching, persuasion, and so on. Third, based on their job competency, a total of 822 job categories were suggested as suitable occupations for executives in special warfare units. However, the findings cannot be generalized to all veterans, and there is a need of further studies to expand the scope to comparative evaluation across the units performing special missions so that they can be used as guidance in developing a policy supporting job transfer.

Neurorehabilitation of Spatial Memory Using Virtual Environments: A Systematic Review.

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) technologies have become widely used in clinical settings because they offer impressive opportunities for neurorehabilitation of different cognitive deficits. Specifically, virtual environments (VEs) have ideal characteristics for navigational training aimed at rehabilitating spatial memory. A systematic search, following PRISMA guidelines, was carried out to explore the current scenario in neurorehabilitation of spatial memory using virtual reality. The literature on this topic was queried, 5048 papers were screened, and 16 studies were included, covering patients presenting different neuropsychological diseases. Our findings highlight the potential of the navigational task in virtual environments (VEs) for enhancing navigation and orientation abilities in patients with spatial memory disorders. The results are promising and suggest that VR training can facilitate neurorehabilitation, promoting brain plasticity processes. An overview of how VR-based training has been implemented is crucial for using these tools in clinical settings. Hence, in the current manuscript, we have critically debated the structure and the length of training protocols, as well as a different type of exploration through VR devices with different degrees of immersion. Furthermore, we analyzed and highlighted the crucial role played by the selection of the assessment tools.