Semantic Networks Technique Research Articles

Cognitive Technology to Evaluate the Academic Learning of Computational Cognition in Psychology Students

<p style="text-align:justify">This study illustrated an alternative way to evaluate students’ academic learning. It involved the joint and intertwined application of the natural semantic network technique, computer simulations, and semantic priming experiments to assess the cognitive changes in knowledge structures due to academic learning in two groups of psychology students. The experimental group was enrolled in a course on computational cognition, while the control group was oblivious to this course. The results indicated that the cognitive assessment tools discriminate the cognitive changes produced as a result of general training undertaken in a psychology degree versus the influence of a specific course. After the course, the experimental group increased their technical vocabulary, changed their conceptual valuation of definers related to computational theories of mind, and reorganized the relations among definers according to the computational cognition approach. Also, this group presented a higher connectivity index between the concepts of the semantic network, their conceptual activation level and conceptual co-activation pattern changed, and their access level to the evaluated schema’s concepts improved. In contrast, the control group did not show significant changes in their cognitive patterns after the course. These findings suggest that cognitive tools may be helpful in the diagnosis of academic learning.</p>

Constructive Cognitive Assessment of Learning in a Course on the Computational Cognition in Psychology Students

<p style="text-align: justify;">Learning evaluation is a complex task, and this study illustrates the Constructive Assessment of Learning as a complementary alternative to evaluate the computational cognition schema construction. The authors designed a mental representational task under the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model. Control and experimental groups performed a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Network technique (NSN). They defined ten target concepts related to computational cognition theory, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers. Afterward, the participants rated the conceptual quality of each definer one by one, on a scale of one to ten; the higher the rating, the greater the quality of the definer to define the target concept. The results indicate that the NSN technique was sensitive to measuring and discriminating cognitive changes in knowledge structures produced by the specific learning of computational cognition theory. In contrast, the learning of broad psychology subjects produced general cognitive changes without organization related to the specific learning of the evaluated course. Data showed more sophisticated cognitive change patterns on the evaluated schema in the experimental group than in the control group. The findings of this study suggest that cognitive assessment techniques can be helpful in the formative assessment of learning and provide clear indicators of students' knowledge management skills.</p>

Cognitive Meaning of Inclusive Education of Students with Disability in Regular Education Teachers

Background: Successful inclusive education strongly represents the development of society, promoting better living conditions for students with disabilities.
 Objective: This study explored the mental representation of knowledge of inclusive education and disability held by regular education teachers with experience in this field.
 Methods: First, participants performed a conceptual definition task through the Natural Semantic Networks technique. Teachers defined ten target concepts related to the cognitive schema of inclusive education. They had 60 seconds to define each target, using verbs, adjectives, nouns, and pronouns, after rating the definers’ quality to conceptualize the target. Subsequently, the authors implemented a constraint satisfaction neural network to simulate the school inclusion schema's behavior and carried out a chronometric cognitive analysis using data from the first study.
 Results: Participants organized the educative inclusion meaning on four dimensions (definition, actors' qualities, stakeholders, and inclusion program effects). However, some concepts about school integration and conventional education appeared in the educative inclusion schema. Further, computer simulations showed that participants seem to have an internal locus of control over inclusive actions. Generally, experience with students with disabilities promotes the formation of a favorable educational inclusion schema. However, even though participants in this study have experience in inclusion programs, they are still constructing the inclusive education schema.
 Conclusion: The cognitive evaluation provides useful information to empower teachers to be aware of their knowledge and biases on inclusive education and the importance of their work in the success of school inclusion programs.

Cognitive Assessment of Knowledge Consolidation in a Course on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Learning Disorders in Psychology Students

This study explored the cognitive changes to long-term memory as a result of academic learning in 43 Psychology undergraduate students (91% female and 9% male). The participants carried out a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. They defined ten target concepts related to the diagnostic evaluation of learning disorders using verbs, nouns, or adjectives as definers. After, students weighed the quality of each definer through a ten-point scale. The higher the score, the greater the conceptual relationship between the definer and the target. The data of this study (the schema behavior) was subjected to a computational simulation. Finally, the participants carried out a lexical decision task based on the semantic priming paradigm, they read pairs of words that may or may not be related to the measured knowledge schema. The task was to judge whether the second word in each pair was spelled correctly or incorrectly. The results indicated an increase in the level of conceptual accessibility derived from learning. In addition, the participants accessed their knowledge schema, first through general nodes and then retrieved through the more specific nodes. The neurocomputational activation pattern suggested that learning experiences changed the meaning of concepts for each participant along the course. At the end of the course, the students seemed to reach a schematic consolidation. The diagnosis of these cognitive characteristics through the formation of academic schemas can provide learning opportunities closer to each student’s cognitive profile to increase the effectiveness of instruction.

The Measurement of Knowledge Construction in A Course of Diagnostic Evaluation of Learning Disorders in Psychology Students

This study evaluated the effects of academic learning on the organization and structure of a knowledge schema among psychology students. The authors designed three studies based on the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model. This article describes the first method of evaluation, which included a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. The participants' task was to define ten target concepts using verbs, nouns, or adjectives as definers, and then rate the quality of each definer, taking into account the degree of semantic relationship between it and the target concept. The results suggest that the students' initial knowledge schema underwent modifications due to the restructuration of the cognitive structure of knowledge, the assimilation of new information nodes, and the elimination or establishment of new relationships between the conceptual nodes of the knowledge schema. The measurement of these cognitive expressions of academic learning through mental representation techniques can have relevant implications for cognitive characterization in student learning and the design of new teaching strategies that take account of the cognitive psychology principles of information processing underlying academic learning.

Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model: Measuring the Consolidation of the Human Cognition Schema in Psychology Students’ Memory

This study illustrates the application of the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model to assess learning about human cognition knowledge schema in 48 second-year psychology students (79% females, 21% males). In the first phase, the participants carried out a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Networks technique. They defined ten target concepts related to the course by using verbs, substantives, adjectives, and pronouns (definers). Participants then rated the grade of relatedness between definers and targets concepts. Subsequently, the present authors carried out a computational simulation with data from the first study. In addition, students participated in a semantic priming experiment. They participated in a lexical decision task. Participants read pairs of words; these pairs were sometimes related by cognition scheme or common association, and sometimes were unrelated. The three tasks were applied at the start of the course and the end. The computational simulation analysis and ANOVA indicated that the initial pattern for conceptual activation had changed at the end of the course. Additionally, the initial chronometric behavior of the human cognition schema of the participants also changed at the end of the course. This evidence supports the idea that cognitive evaluation tools can help assess the schematic behavior patterns induced by academic learning.

Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model: Measuring the Construction of the Human Cognition Schema of Psychology Students

This study measured the structural and organizational changes in the knowledge schema of human cognition in response to the learning achieved by 48 students enrolled in the second year of a psychology degree. Two studies were carried out based on the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model. This article deals only with the first one, which consisted of a conceptual definition task designed in line with the Natural Semantic Network technique. Participants defined ten target concepts with verbs, nouns, or adjectives (definers), and then weighed the grade of the semantic relationship between the definers and the target concepts. The data indicate that the initial knowledge structures had been modified towards the end of the course. The participants’ human cognition schema presented changes in terms of content, organization, and structure. This evidence supports the idea that the acquisition and transformation of the schemata learned in academic environments may be observed through cognitive science indicators.

Concepciones sobre la dependencia emocional hacia la pareja en jóvenes.

El objetivo del presente estudio busca comprender los significados psicológicos que los jóvenes otorgan a la dependencia emocional hacia la pareja, a partir de diversos estímulos que se les presentaron acerca de algunas de las características que presentan los dependientes emocionales según Castelló (2005). El análisis fue realizado mediante la Técnica de Redes Semánticas Naturales. En cuanto a los resultados del trabajo, se obtuvo que el discurso de los jóvenes abona a una mayor comprensión de los aspectos de la vida cotidiana de esta población, como el uso de conceptos populares (p.e. Toxicidad, pareja, amor) que son difíciles de ser medidos, o definidos.

Cognitive E-Tools for Diagnosing the State of Medical Knowledge in Students Enrolled for a Second Time in an Anatomy Course

This article illustrates the application of the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model to measure the structural, organizational, and temporal properties of the anatomical knowledge schemata acquired by 52 first-year medical students enrolled for a second time in an anatomy course. The participants took part in a mental representation experiment as a part of which they carried out a conceptual definition task involving anatomy concepts based on the Natural Semantic Networks (NSN) technique. A computational simulation was performed on the NSN data, after which the students took part in a semantic priming experiment involving a lexical decision task which required them to classify words related or unrelated to their anatomy schema as word/non-word. Findings revealed that, although students stored the anatomy information in their memory, they struggled to structure, consolidate, and retrieve this information from their memory. These findings suggest that students who did not get the passing grade in anatomy course may struggle with integrating and consolidating pertinent information. Thus, results showed that the constructive-chronometric cognitive approach is useful to measure the properties of schemes medical students developed on the anatomy topic.

Development and validation of a questionnaire assessing household work limitations (HOWL-Q) in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has female preponderance and interferes with the ability to perform job roles. Household work has 2 dimensions, paid and unpaid. There is not a validated instrument that assesses the impact of RA on limitations to perform household work. We report the development and validation of a questionnaire that assesses such limitations, the HOWL-Q. The study was performed in 3 steps. Step-1 consisted on HOWL-Q conceptual model construction (literature review and semi-structured interviews to 20 RA outpatients and 20 controls, household workers, who integrated sample (S)-1). Step-2 consisted of instructions selection (by 25 outpatients integrating S-2), items generation and reduction (theory and key informant suggestions, modified natural semantic network technique, and pilot testing in 200 household workers outpatients conforming S-3), items scoring, and questionnaire feasibility (in S-3). Step-3 consisted of construct (exploratory factor analysis) and criterion validity (Spearman correlations), and HOWL-Q reliability (McDonald's Omega and test-retest), in 230 household work outpatients integrating S-4. Patients conforming the 4 samples were representative of typical RA outpatients. The initial conceptual model included 8 dimensions and 76 tasks/activities. The final version included 41 items distributed in 5 dimensions, was found feasible and resulted in 62.46% of the variance explained: McDonald's Omega = 0.959, intraclass-correlation-coefficient = 0.921 (95% CI = 0.851-0.957). Moderate-to-high correlations were found between the HOLW-Q, the HAQ, the Quick-DASH and the Lawton-Brody index. HOWL-Q score ranged from 0 to 10, with increasing scores translate into increase limitations. The HOWL-Q showed adequate psychometric properties to evaluate household work limitations in women with RA.

Representaciones sociales de la docencia universitaria y de las prácticas pedagógicas desde la mirada de estudiantes de ciencias de la salud

Estudiar y reflexionar acerca de las representaciones sociales de la docencia universitaria y de las prácticas pedagógicas desde la mirada de los estudiantes de ciencias de la salud permite realizar un análisis de la realidad que se vive en las instituciones públicas de educación superior en México. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar el núcleo figurativo de las representaciones sociales de la docencia universitaria y de las prácticas pedagógicas de profesores del área de la salud. Metodológicamente, se utilizó la técnica de redes semánticas naturales para determinar las representaciones sociales y las prácticas pedagógicas del docente universitario desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes. El valor de las redes semánticas naturales reside en que las taxonomías obtenidas son generadas de manera directa de la memoria semántica del sujeto, y el orden otorgado va de acuerdo con su escala de valores y percepciones. Como parte de los resultados, se determinó que el núcleo figurativo “Docencia universitaria” recae en el concepto central de estar preparado para impartir la clase, seguido de los conceptos que integran el sistema periférico de la representaciones sociales: confianza, responsable, comprometido y asertivo. Todos estos componentes son básicos para determinar las redes de asociaciones. En tanto que para el núcleo figurativo “Prácticas pedagógicas”, el concepto central es el de aplicación de examen como herramienta principal para evaluar los aprendizajes de los estudiantes del área de la salud, seguido de los conceptos que integran el sistema periférico de las representaciones sociales: exposición, cuadro sinóptico, mapas conceptuales y resumen. Todos estos componentes son básicos para determinar las redes de asociaciones. En conclusión, en cuanto a las redes de asociaciones de las respuestas de los universitarios de ciencias de la salud que se presentan en la configuración del núcleo central de las representaciones sociales de la docencia universitaria, que corresponden a la primera red de asociación, el concepto central alude a la preparación académica de los docentes. La segunda red de asociaciones de las representaciones sociales de las prácticas pedagógicas, por su parte, permite determinar el contenido y organización de la representación social, la cual es determinada por la evaluación de los aprendizajes a través del examen.

Formación profesional. Significados psicológicos desde la perspectiva de género

Psychological representations, as a reflection of beliefs, norms and values, are spiced up by individual perspectives as a result of their experiences and expectations, which are the result of the constant interaction of students with their sociocultural context, which allows studying, based on the palabra estímulo vocational training, the reflection of culture in the cognitive configurations of students. The objective of the research is to analyze the differences in psychological meanings of professional training in women and men from the studied career; the research design is qualitative, cross-sectional and sampling by availability; The results are based on the perspective of 57 students who show the interactions through the psychological meanings that women and men express with the Natural Semantic Networks (RSN) technique. The contribution of the present study is the use of the RSN technique to identify the shared codes of the students that reflect the psychological meanings about their own professional training.

Perception and Desired Brand Personality in Organizations that Internationalize Services: The Case of the Colombian Business Environment

Purpose: The main aim of this research is to study the desired brand perception and how are the dimensions and features of the brand personality model associated in companies that internationalize services in the city of Bogota, Colombia. Design/Methodology/Approach: We explored the desired brand perception from the semantic networks technique and associated the features in the brand personality model proposed by Aaker with size and time on the market for the organizations that internationalize services through Pearson’s correlation coefficients and Spearman’s Rho. Findings: Results allowed to acknowledge how the experience, service, reliability, quality and innovation are the most relevant distinct aspects that the entrepreneurs want their customers to relate to their brand. Practical Implications: No associations were found between the size or the time in the market of these studied companies with the dimensions of brand personality proposed by Aaker. Originality/Value: Original research.

Desarrollo y Validación de la Escala de Restauración Psicológica Percibida en Población Mexicana

El ambiente físico juega un papel importante en el manejo del estrés; la investigación ha probado la relación entre la exposición a ambientes naturales y la recuperación del estrés fisiológico y la fatiga mental. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue desarrollar una escala confiable y válida que evalúe la percepción de restauración psicológica ante el estrés en escenarios naturales. El desarrollo de la escala se realizó en dos fases, en la primera fase, se utilizó la técnica de redes semánticas, a partir de los resultados se redactaron los reactivos que se probaron en la segunda etapa, la validación del instrumento se hizo a través del análisis factorial confirmatorio, en esta etapa participaron 273 personas, hombres y mujeres, con edad promedio de 30 años. A través del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio se conformó la versión final de la escala que con 23 ítems que evalúan tres factores, valoración estética y afectiva, restauración y prospectiva, con valores de ajuste X2=550.51, p=0.00, CFI=0.94, RMSEA=0.07 y confiabilidad total de 0.96 considerándose que la escala es un instrumento válido y confiable, por lo que su uso puede contribuir en la evaluación y diseño de ambientes restauradores.

Smallholder Crop Area Mapped with a Semantic Segmentation Deep Learning Method

The growing population in China has led to an increasing importance of crop area (CA) protection. A powerful tool for acquiring accurate and up-to-date CA maps is automatic mapping using information extracted from high spatial resolution remote sensing (RS) images. RS image information extraction includes feature classification, which is a long-standing research issue in the RS community. Emerging deep learning techniques, such as the deep semantic segmentation network technique, are effective methods to automatically discover relevant contextual features and get better image classification results. In this study, we exploited deep semantic segmentation networks to classify and extract CA from high-resolution RS images. WorldView-2 (WV-2) images with only Red-Green-Blue (RGB) bands were used to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed semantic classification framework for information extraction and the CA mapping task. Specifically, we used the deep learning framework TensorFlow to construct a platform for sampling, training, testing, and classifying to extract and map CA on the basis of DeepLabv3+. By leveraging per-pixel and random sample point accuracy evaluation methods, we conclude that the proposed approach can efficiently obtain acceptable accuracy (Overall Accuracy = 95%, Kappa = 0.90) of CA classification in the study area, and the approach performs better than other deep semantic segmentation networks (U-Net/PspNet/SegNet/DeepLabv2) and traditional machine learning methods, such as Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and RF (Random Forest). Furthermore, the proposed approach is highly scalable for the variety of crop types in a crop area. Overall, the proposed approach can train a precise and effective model that is capable of adequately describing the small, irregular fields of smallholder agriculture and handling the great level of details in RGB high spatial resolution images.

Las expresiones de los estudiantes de instituciones de nivel superior en torno a las personas con discapacidad

La investigación es una aproximación al problema de la exclusión hacia las personas con discapacidad por parte de estudiantes de Instituciones de Educación Superior del país. Se elaboró un instrumento basado en la asociación de palabras para luego utilizar la técnica de redes semánticas naturales a una muestra de 519 estudiantes de nueve Instituciones de Educación Superior en México para conocer las expresiones sobre el tema de la discapacidad empleando una palabra generadora de uso cotidiano. Aunque los hallazgos evidencian aceptación aún prevalecen los estigmas y la desinformación que pueden llevar a la discriminación.

Fase cualitativa del desarrollo de una Escala de Motivos a favor y en contra de la Reconstrucción Mamaria (EMRM)

Objetivo: Aunque en la clínica e investigación del cáncer de mama se considera las razones para hacerse la reconstrucción mamaria, no existe una escala validada para su evaluación. El objetivo del estudio fue crear una escala para medir los motivos a favor y en contra de la reconstrucción mamaria. Método: A través de la técnica de las redes semánticas naturales, se obtuvieron los ítems de la escala, y a través de un juicio de expertos estos fueron modificados. La técnica de las redes semánticas se aplicó a 65 mujeres mexicanas con cáncer de mama. El grupo de expertos quedó formado por 12 especialistas en cáncer de mama. Resultados: El núcleo central de los motivos para hacerse la reconstrucción mamaria se compuso de 16 motivos, los cuales se pueden agrupar en estéticos/imagen corporal, funcionales, emocionales/psicológicos y de relación con los hijos y la pareja. El núcleo central de los motivos en contra de hacerse la reconstrucción mamaria se compuso de 11 motivos, los cuales se pueden agrupar en miedos, aceptación/comodidad con la situación presente, costos y salud. Desde estos contenidos se redactaron 16 ítems sobre motivos para hacerse la reconstrucción y 11 en contra. Esta escala de 27 ítems fue evaluada en adecuación y comprensibilidad por el grupo de 12 expertos. Se conservaron los 27 ítems, pero siete ítems fueron modificados. Finalmente, se añadieron dos ítems sobre la falta de información señalada en estudios en México. Conclusiones: Se sugiere estudiar la confiabilidad, validez y distribución de la escala de 29 ítems.

Biology Schemata Knowledge Organization and Meaning Formation Due to Learning: A Constructive-Chronometric Approach to Concept Mapping Usability

This study investigated how using concept maps affects meaning formation and schemata organization of a biology course content. Here, high school students taking an introductory course on biology were required to provide conceptual definitions for ten course-relevant target concepts by using a natural semantic network technique. This allowed us to computer-simulate schemata behavior and select schemata-related concepts that were used to compare these word pairs against other semantic related concepts in a semantic priming study before and after the course. An experimental group used concept maps as a learning tool whereas the control did not. Results showed that semantic priming effects to schemata related concepts are obtained only for students who used concept maps as a learning tool. Implications of the study findings are discussed in the context of a formative learning approach.

Cognitive Analysis of Meaning and Acquired Mental Representations as an Alternative Measurement Method Technique to Innovate E-Assessment

<p style="text-align:justify">Empirical directions to innovate e-assessments and to support the theoretical development of e-learning are discussed by presenting a new learning assessment system based on cognitive technology. Specifically, this system encompassing trained neural nets that can discriminate between students who successfully integrated new knowledge course content from students who did not successfully integrate this new knowledge (either because they tried short-term retention or did not acquire new knowledge). This neural network discrimination capacity is based on the idea that once a student has integrated new knowledge into long-term memory, this knowledge will be detected by computer-implemented semantic priming studies (before and after a course) containing schemata-related words from course content (which are obtained using a natural semantic network technique). The research results demonstrate the possibility of innovating e-assessments by implementing mutually constrained responsive and constructive cognitive techniques to evaluate online knowledge acquisition.</p>

Representaciones sociales sobre el significado de emprendimiento en mujeres y hombres rurales

La generación de nuevos emprendimientos se ha convertido en uno de los objetivos de la política de desarrollo a nivel mundial, estos objetivos están orientados al desarrollo de las pequeñas y medianas empresas y otorgan especial importancia al emprendimiento en las zonas rurales. Hay muchos estudios sobre este tema, sin embargo, pocos examinan el significado del espíritu empresarial para las personas que lo llevan a cabo. Este artículo pretende describir las representaciones sociales sobre el significado del emprendimiento y la motivación empresarial rural de hombres y mujeres, al mismo tiempo, pretende comparar los resultados según género. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 21 mujeres y 21 hombres de una comuna rural de la Región de Araucanía en Chile. Se utilizó la técnica de redes semánticas naturales y los resultados muestran contenidos comunes de las representaciones sociales, por lo que se sostiene que no existen diferencias según género.