Cognitive Tools Research Articles

CoGames: Development of an adaptive smartphone-based and gamified monitoring tool for cognitive function in Multiple Sclerosis

AimAs part of the development of a smartphone-based app for monitoring MS disease activity and progression (dreaMS, NCT05009160), we developed six gamified tests with multiple difficulty levels as a monitoring tool for cognition. This study quantified the relative difficulty between levels and investigated their reliability, ability to depict practice effects, and user acceptance.MethodsHealthy volunteers played each game, covering five cognitive domains, twice per day for 11 consecutive days. Linear mixed models determined the relative difficulty of the levels. Spearman's correlation of the two daily repetitions measured test–retest reliability. Difficulty increased daily except for days 2, 6, and 11, when the easiest level (“Beginner”) was repeated to estimate practice effects. Participants rated enjoyment and other components of acceptance on a 5-point scale.ResultsWe included 82 participants from April to July 2023 in Basel, Switzerland, of which 76 (51 female, age: 40.3 ± 13.9 years, range 18–69) completed the study according to protocol. Generally, mean performances decreased with higher difficulty levels. Across all levels of all games, the median test–retest correlation was 0.825 (range of medians 0.55–0.9). Mean performance in level “Beginner” improved across all games. The mean enjoyment rating was 3.9 (range: 3.1–4.3).ConclusionOur study showed that the CoGames yield reliable measures across different cognitive domains and difficulty levels and were enjoyable to play. The observed practice effects must be considered, but also indicate sensitivity to change. These results support the hypothesis that adaptive gamified digital tests can serve as a reliable and well-accepted monitoring tool of cognition in PwMS.

Mental Practice, Visualization, and Mental Imagery in Surgery: a Systematic Review.

Physicians face constant pressures to learn and adapt to new knowledge, techniques, and technology. Mental practice-the process of rehearsing a task without the physical action of performing it-is a cognitive tool that is used by many professions to hone abilities and prepare for difficult undertakings. Mental practice can help optimize physician performance but there is minimal research on its application in practice. In this systematic review we assessed the usefulness of mental practice for surgeons to aid in skill acquisition. Using PRISMA guidelines, 12 studies were selected for evaluation. The results of these studies show clear advantages to using mental practice to improve overall surgical performance. Here, we discuss mental practice, the evidence for its use, and how it can be learned and performed.

Piano sight-reading teaching and music education: A systematic literature review

Piano sight-reading competency, which is highly important for an aspiring musician who needs to face diverse musical problems, is an integral part of becoming a smooth performer. The aims of this systematic literature review concerning piano sight-reading pedagogy approaches between 2019 and 2024 are to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the peer-reviewed literature. The article examines cognitive, behavioral, and technological methods and tools of enhancing learning outcomes, based on the concept of cognitive load, constructivism, and behaviorist perspective. The cognitive strategies highlight the role of hand-eye coordination, short-term memory, and visual process; while the behavioral ones emphasize the importance of daily practice and feedback from the teacher. Emerging technologies, like VR and AI-driven platforms, are redefining education and offering unique ways of learning and forgetting. While achievements of the past are notable, challenges such as access and efficacious long-term approaches remain. The next step of research should be to focus on sustainable teaching methods and international perspectives to achieve homogeneous and effective sight-reading teaching worldwide. This essay provides an overview of integrated and adaptable teaching strategies that combine both traditional and modern tools for the development of versatile and confident musicians’ skills.

Shaping sustainable perceptions: The role of metaphors in Olympic news discourse.

The dissemination of sustainable development concepts in large international events like the Olympics has garnered great attention. As a major international sports event, the Beijing Winter Olympics served as an important platform for showcasing China's sustainable development philosophy through its official news coverage. In this context, metaphor, as a powerful cognitive tool, plays a crucial role in shaping public perception and facilitating the dissemination of values by mapping concrete source domains onto abstract target domains. This paper constructs a critical metaphor analysis framework for sustainable development, analyzing the mechanisms by which metaphors map the concepts of social, economic, and ecological sustainability, and their multifaceted roles in conveying policy proposals, ideologies, cultural values, and social group behaviors. The findings indicate that metaphors effectively facilitate public understanding of sustainability by concretizing abstract concepts. In the social dimension, metaphors emphasize fairness, cultural diversity, and social solidarity; in the economic dimension, they highlight resource recycling, technological innovation, and industrial upgrading; while in the ecological dimension, the focus is on environmental protection and the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature. Metaphors play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of policy, reflecting specific values and socio-cultural contexts, facilitating cultural communication and understanding, and enhancing public responsibility and participation awareness.

КОГНИТИВНЫЙ ИНСТРУМЕНТАРИЙ СЕТЕВОГО ДИСКУРСА (ЭКСПЕРТИЗА ВИДЕОСЮЖЕТА О РОССИЙСКО-УКРАИНСКОМ ВООРУЖЕННОМ КОНФЛИКТЕ)

The article is devoted to the linguistic and psychological examination of a typical video using cognitive tools that form a negative image of Russia, the President, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and the Russian people in the online audience. Keywords: video; information security; cognitive tools; psychological methods of influence; information environment.

Application of the Behaviour Change Wheel to Promote Utilisation of a Cognitive Impairment Screening Tool

Application of the Behaviour Change Wheel to Promote Utilisation of a Cognitive Impairment Screening Tool

Treatment quality with and without an electronic cognitive aid for emergencies in anaesthesia (eGENA) : The DANGER pilot study part 2 in randomized controlled in-situ emergency simulations

The electronic cognitive aid for emergencies in anesthesia (eGENA) is an app that offers digital support in anesthesiological emergency situations as a cognitive aid tool via checklists for memory and making decisions. The eGENA was published by the German Society of Anesthesiology and has been implemented in the emergency management of the anesthesiological team of the clinic in Potsdam, Germany. The primary endpoint was to observe the influence of eGENA on the anesthesiological emergency management on the subjective feeling of assurance as well as on quality of treatment and, therefore, patient safety. All employees in the anesthesia department (nursing staff and physicians) took part in the initial implementation of eGENA. The implementation phase covered crew resource management (CRM) principles and eGENA use as well as 10case studies that were discussed with help from eGENA. Afterwards in arandomized controlled simulation study, realistic case studies were processed and evaluated. In this, 18cases were handled by 9groups with 4persons in each group. Treatment during these simulations was assessed using apredetermined 20-point evaluation form and 10resuscitation-related and 10case-related points were awarded. Significance tests were carried out using the Wilcoxon-test (significance levelp < 0.05) and two evaluations were completed by the attendees at the beginning and the end of the eGENA implementation process. Scenarios1 and2 showed comparable overall scores (14.9vs. 16.3points out of 20, not significant). Higher case-associated scores (7.6 vs.5.6out of 10, p = 0.03) and higher total scores were achieved with the help of eGENA (16.9 vs. 14.3 out of 20, p = 0.02). Resuscitation-associated scores did not differ significantly (9.3vs.8.8 of 10, p = 0.1). During eGENA use for cases the execution of the algorithm-based resuscitation measures was not delayed or accelerated. With eGENA, however, differential diagnoses were discussed significantly more frequently and expanded treatment and diagnostic measures were implemented. During simulation cases eGENA was mainly used by physicians. The initially very positive responses of the evaluations toned down over time. Planned eGENA use for self-study was less frequent (p = 0.006) and there was less approval of the quality of treatment by eGENA than in the first survey (p = 0.002). The cooperation between doctors and nurses in emergency treatment showed an improvement (p < 0.001). The questions about self-assessed safety in emergency treatment on ascale from 0to 10showed higher values in all categories at the second survey (except only circulatory emergencies and 'other' emergencies). The respondents were more likely to be involved in emergency treatment at the second time of the survey (p = 0.03) after a median of 20months. The sense of security and emergency involvement increased significantly over the observation period. The initial need to use eGENA in everyday life has diminished over time; however, these results cannot be causally associated with eGENA. The use of eGENA does not improve resuscitation efforts but does not delay them either. With the use of eGENA better case-associated results are achieved and advanced diagnostics and treatment are implemented more frequently in complex emergency situations. This increases the quality of treatment. Further studies should be carried out with alarger number of cases to confirm the shown effects.

The Validity of a Smartphone-Based Application for Assessing Cognitive Function in the Elderly.

Background/Objectives: The early detection of individuals at risk of cognitive impairment is a clinical imperative. With the recent advancement of digital devices, smartphone application-based cognitive assessment is considered a promising tool for cognitive screening and monitoring inside and outside the clinic. This study examined whether a smartphone-based cognitive assessment, Brain OK, was valid for evaluating cognitive performance and identifying people at risk of cognitive impairment. Methods: We recruited 88 study participants aged over 60. They completed two cognitive tests with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a validated paper-and-pencil cognitive screening tool, and Brain OK, a smartphone-based cognitive testing application. To examine convergent validity, we conducted analyses of Spearman correlations between MoCA and BrainOK, a Bland-Atman plot with regression analysis, and the area under the curve (AUC). Results: There was a significant positive association between Brain OK and the MoCA total score, with a coefficient of 0.9044 (SE = 0.057, t = 15.750, p < 0.001). The Bland-Altman plot represented a reasonable level of agreement between the two tests. We conducted the AUC analysis of Brain OK to compare the cognitively normal and impaired groups. The AUC value for the Brain OK score of 13.5 was the highest at 0.941. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.958 and 0.925, respectively. Conclusions: The smartphone app-based Brain OK test was feasible for assessing cognitive function and acceptable for identifying subjects with cognitive impairment. The results suggest Brain OK complements traditional in-person cognitive assessments and may help enhance cognitive health dialogue between doctors and patients.

Risk Factors Influencing Cognitive Function in Elderly Patients With Late-Life Depression: A Scoping Review.

In recent years, cognitive impairment has emerged as a pivotal symptom in elderly patients with depression, exerting a substantial impact on the course and prognosis of diseases. Moreover, it persists even following remission from depression during the rehabilitation period. However, there remains an incomplete understanding of the relevant influencing factors for cognitive impairment in elderly depressed patients, which seriously impedes the development of risk prediction models and the subsequent research on precision intervention programs. The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of negative influencing factors and assessment tools for cognitive impairment in patients with late-life depression (LLD), thereby providing a theoretical framework for the construction of subsequent targeted intervention programs. The search strategy employed in this study followed an evidence-based approach, utilizing a systematic scoping review to thoroughly explore six English and four Chinese databases up until November 2023. Two researchers independently conducted article screening and employed thematic analysis to categorize the results into themes. Following two rounds of rigorous screening conducted by the evidence-based research team, data were meticulously extracted and succinctly summarized from five distinct themes encompassing socio-demographic, physiological, psychological, genetic, and other related factors. In addition, a comprehensive compilation of 19 diverse assessment tools was undertaken. Ultimately, a total of 22 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in this study. These comprised five longitudinal studies, nine pathological controlled studies, five cross-sectional studies, two cohort studies, and one randomized controlled study. Cognitive dysfunction is an important symptom of LLD, which seriously affects the survival of patients. At present, the research on its influencing factors mainly includes socio-demographic, physiological, psychological, genetic, and other related factors. There have been existing cognitive function assessment tools specifically for those 18- to 65-year-old patients of major depressive disorder, but there is still a lack of reliability and validity tests in LLD.

Inquiry-Based Learning in Phonetics and Phonology: Promotion of Critical Thinking Skills in an EFL Higher Education Context

This study investigates the effectiveness of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) strategies in enhancing Critical Thinking (CT) skills and academic performance in the study of English Phonetics and Phonology among students at a Spanish Higher Education Institution. A total of 54 students from a Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education were divided into control and experimental groups to compare traditional teaching methods with IBL methodologies. Results indicated that students in the IBL group showed significant improvements in academic performance, critical thinking skills, and long-term retention of complex subject matter compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, the study highlights that the IBL approach not only facilitates the immediate educational outcomes but also equips students with essential cognitive tools for real-world problem-solving. This research underscores the pedagogical value of learner-centered models in the study of English Phonetics and Phonology, promoting active engagement and systematic thinking. The findings contribute to the growing body of literature advocating for the integration of active learning strategies across various disciplines and educational contexts.

Emotional Appeal as a Determinant of Effectiveness in English Advertising Texts: A Linguistic and Cognitive Analysis

This study examines the role of emotional appeal in determining the effectiveness of English advertising texts, focusing on its impact on consumer engagement and decision-making. A multidisciplinary framework incorporating linguistic, cognitive, and socio-cultural perspectives, the research seeks to uncover the mechanisms through which emotional appeals influence the perception of brand messages. A diverse corpus of advertising texts from the fashion, technology, and healthcare industries were analyzed using content analysis and discourse analysis techniques. The study focuses on linguistic devices, including metaphor, hyperbole, rhetorical questions, and emotional triggers like joy, fear, nostalgia, and aspiration. The findings reveal that emotional appeal functions as a stylistic element and a cognitive and cultural tool that enhances brand recall, loyalty, and consumer engagement. Specifically, advertisements utilizing positive emotional triggers, such as humor and joy, resonate more deeply with audiences. In contrast, negative appeals, such as fear and guilt, are more effective in prompting immediate consumer action. The study highlights the importance of aligning emotional content with linguistic precision to optimize the persuasive impact of advertising texts. These results offer valuable insights for advertisers and contribute to the fields of advertising linguistics, consumer psychology, and persuasive communication, providing practical recommendations for developing more effective, targeted advertising strategies.

SOCIAL INTERACTION AND EMPOWERMENT FOR OLDER ADULTS: BETWEEN “NO NEED” AND “NO TIME”?

Having control over one’s life and an active role in society, or seeing oneself as a valuable community member, are examples of what it means to be empowered. Social interaction is, thus, both an antecedent and a consequence of empowerment. In Western societies, an emerging awareness that aging has become associated with a loss of empowerment has motivated efforts to better address this necessity in older adults. In this context, we created an innovative cognitive stimulation tool, where exercises are created by the users themselves as an alternative form of stimulation. After a period of intense dissemination in geriatric institutions, we encountered lower-than-expected levels of engagement. To understand whether this could be due to lack of material and human resources and/or lack of awareness regarding empowerment needs, we carried out semi-structured interviews with older adults and coordinating technicians in institutions. We found evidence that supported both a scenario of scarce institutional resources (“no time”) and a lack of awareness of empowerment needs, especially among older adults (“no need”). We discuss potential ways to help change this scenario.

English language as a cognitive tool for learning philosophy: A comparative analysis from Moroccan higher education

This study explores the intricate relationship between language and cognition, concentrating on how linguistic competence affects philosophical knowledge acquisition. The study, which was carried out at Cadi Ayyad University, examines the learning results of two different groups of college students who are all fluent in English as a second language: final-year English Studies students and Philosophy Studies students. Determining if a linguistic foundation facilitates a quicker and more profound comprehension of philosophical notions in comparison to a philosophical background devoid of advanced language instruction is the main goal. The results show that students who had a strong background in English Studies were more accurate and efficient at understanding abstract philosophical concepts than their Philosophy Studies counterparts. This result emphasizes how important language is as a tool for communication as well as a possible container of thinking that shapes and facilitates cognitive processes. The work also tackles the age-old philosophical query of whether knowledge can be conceptualized and comprehended apart from language structures. These observations have important ramifications for multidisciplinary education, especially in higher education in Morocco. The research promotes creative instructional approaches that cross disciplines, foster critical thinking, and aid in students' holistic development by highlighting the advantages of combining language and philosophical training.

Distance-Based Integration of ERP Correlation Analysis

Interpretation of cognitive performance is a paramount pursuit in learning achievements. Cognitive abilities, encompassing attention, memory, decision-making, and language comprehension, are recognized on individual's capacity to navigate in diverse cognitive tasks. In the academic domain, optimal cognitive functioning is essential for effective learning, information retention, and problem-solving. Proficiency in cognitive skills is directly linked to academic success and intellectual development, providing the necessary cognitive tools for processing, and synthesizing complex information. Therefore, this study explores the correlation between event-related potential (ERP) sub-components (P300, N170, N400) to assess the intricacies of cognitive performance. A regularized approach utilizing Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient and Euclidean Distance is employed. Positive correlations reveal consistent relationships among P300, N170, and N400 ranks across EEG channels, indicating similar response patterns. Negative correla-tions denote inverse relationships. Moreover, the theoretical framework focuses on the digital filtering, ensemble averaging, and baseline correction from data con-trast discrimination tasks. Findings indicate positive correlations, suggesting higher ERP amplitudes correspond to superior cognitive performance. This tailored and integrated methodology, indicating the correlation between ERP sub-components, contributes to the broader field of neuroscience and informatics, potentially informing cognitive enhancement strategies in education and biomedical analysis.

DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS ON BUFFER SOLUTION MATERIAL BASED ON HOTS (HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS)

The goal of this study is to construct a valid and reliable HOTS-based cognitive assessment tool. The HOTS-based assessment instrument was used to measure students' higher order thinking skills on the buffer solution material. The stages of this research were the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation phases of the ADDIE model. The research subjects were students of class XI MIPA 4 at Senior High School 5 Bengkulu City during the 2021–2022 academic year. The research data came from expert validation sheets, needs analysis questionnaires, empirical test analysis, and examination of students' HOTS skills. The 20 multiple-choice questions and 10 essay questions made up the instrumen's features. The following are the outcomes: (1) The expert's assessment of the practicality of the material led to the creation of 26 valid questions, including 18 multiple-choice questions and 8 essays. (2) The empirical validity study produced 23 valid items, including 6 essay questions and 17 multiple-choice questions. (3) The reliability analysis results for both essays and multiple choice questions fell into the very good category, with scores of 0.94 and 0.98. (4) The findings of the examination of students' higher-order thinking skills revealed that 1 student was in the very good category, 5 students were in the good category, 5 students were in the fairly good category, 22 students were in the poor category, and 1 student was in the very poor category.

R4Alz-R: a cutting-edge tool for spotting the very first and subtle signs of aging-related cognitive impairment with high accuracy.

The accurate diagnosis of aging-related neurocognitive disorders as early as possible, even in a phase that is characterized by the absence of clinical symptoms, is nowadays the holy grail of the neurosciences. R4Alz-R is a novel cognitive tool designed to objectively detect the subtle cognitive changes that emerge as the very first result of the aging processes and could be developed and broadened in a continuum from healthy aging to subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), before reaching some type of dementia. The goal of the present study was to examine whether the R4Alz-R battery has the potential to detect these subtle changes. The study sample comprised 184 people divided into (a) cognitively healthy young adults (HCya), (b) cognitively healthy older adults (HCoa), (c) people diagnosed with SCI, and (d) people diagnosed with MCI. The R4Alz-R comprises tests examining short-term memory storage, information processing, and updating of working memory, attention in different types of it, and main dimensions of executive functioning such as set-shifting, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, as well as episodic memory. The flexibility and attention score showed an excellent potential to discriminate HCya from SCI (AUC 0.936, sensitivity 89.7%, specificity 88.4%). The executive functioning score almost excellently discriminated HCoa from SCI (AUC 0.898, sensitivity 87%, specificity 76.5%), while the fluid intelligence score had also an excellent potential to discriminate HCoa from MCI (AUC 0.953, sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 94.1%). The findings show that cognitive impairment in aging may start from the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex, areas more closely related to cognitive control rather than memory. The lack of significant differences between HCya and HCoa proves that healthy older adults can keep their cognition at almost the same level as younger adults, a finding consistent with the new theoretical models regarding aging. The R4Alz-R battery is an innovative, free-of-demographic effect, valid, and reliable tool that can provide a highly accurate diagnosis of aging-related cognitive decline in its beginnings when it could still be possible to be reversed.

О роли доктрины в уголовно-процессуальном регулировании

Introduction. The The author researches the role of legal doctrine in the regulation of relations in the sphere of criminal proceedings.It is noted that the differences in the positions of scientists regarding the recognition of legal doctrine as a source of Russian law are derived from the differentiation of views on the concepts of “doctrine” and “source of law”. There are two types of legal doctrine: doctrine as a set of provisions of legal science (scientific legal doctrine) and doctrine as official documents of doctrinal nature (official doctrine). The term “source of law” is used in two meanings - as a law-forming factor, the beginning, the origin of law (material source of law) and as a form of law, a way of establishing legal norms (formal-legal source of law). The possibility of relating the designated types of legal doctrine to substantive and formal-legal sources of criminal procedural law is analysed. Methods. Methods of analysis, synthesis, formal-legal, logical, sociological and other methods of scientific cognition formed the methodological basis of the research. Results. The author has concluded that legal doctrine is a material source and the most important tool of cognition of criminal procedural law. The author argues that legal doctrine cannot be recognised as a formal-legal source of criminal procedural law.

The Mapping of Sensemaking Territories Through Physical and Social Media: A Case of the Historical Bazaar of Kemeraltı, Izmir

The paper aims to analyze and make visible the intertwined layers of a palimpsest territory, such as the historical bazaar of Kemeraltı in Izmir, Turkey, through the lens of architecture students concerning their perceptions of producing Instagrammable visual data to influence and attract the prospective visitors and to compensate the lack of interest in the bazaar as mentioned by local institutions. Through this analysis, we also aim to conduct a methodological experiment that recognizes social media as a cognitive tool by combining digital and physical representations. The study encompasses a one-month workshop for students of the visualization in an elective architecture course. The technique of theme-based cognitive mapping both in the space of places and the space of flows in Manuel Castells’ sense was utilized to investigate how the students perceive the historical and socio-cultural qualities of the region through different realms. The workshop briefs were accompanied by Instagram hashtag research and the design of visual journals, consisting of the photographs and videos taken by the students to share their influencer/sensemaker routes specific to the selected themes. The students tailored various influencer/sensemaker roles and generated place-based scenarios in combination with the themes. Ultimately, Kemeraltı’s multifaceted genius could be reflected on cognitive and sensory grounds through digital and physical cognitive maps, social media journals, and analyses. It was observed that the students could integrate the intersubjective character of the readily presented data on social media into the subjective and authentic character of the data produced mindfully on the site.

Results of a Codesign Process: A Cognition Screening Pathway for Inpatient and Outpatient Settings for Patients Who Are Facing or Have Undergone Lower Limb Amputation.

Background/Objectives: Cognition plays a major role in prosthetic rehabilitation success. The ability to identify patients who may have difficulty understanding and adapting to the rehabilitation process is beneficial for clinicians and patients to allow for targeted and appropriate therapy. The research aim was to codesign a process that facilitates routine cognitive screening into the amputee inpatient journey. Methods: A convenience sample of sixteen medical and allied health practitioners from one local health district undertook a codesign process over 10 months from March to November 2023. A combination of virtual and face-to-face data collection occurred. Each of the codesign meetings was audio recorded, following which transcription occurred. Transcripts were reviewed using thematic analysis-based techniques to capture themes and consensus within the group. Results: Two pathways were established for use within one local health district, allowing clinicians to measure the cognition of patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings either before or after they underwent amputation. The newly established pathways provide step-by-step guidance for clinicians, such as how to address contraindicators for testing and providing guidance for subsequent neuropsychological testing. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), both paper based and electronic based, was selected as the cognitive screening tool for implementation. Conclusions: Utilizing codesign as a method for generating a cognitive screening pathway for amputees was successful. The pathways generated should be reviewed for suitability for application in other health settings.

A Tailor-Made Web Lab for Older Adults: User-Centered Redesign of a Cognitive Stimulation Platform Based on User Experience

The increasing availability of technology-mediated cognitive stimulation tools is evident in the contemporary landscape. However, the acceptance of these tools by older adults is not always satisfactory. One of the reasons is that some were not designed with the perspective of older adult users. In light of this, user-centered design assumes paramount importance in enhancing technology adherence. This paper aims to elucidate the redesign process of a cognitive stimulation web lab (LABPSI) from the perspective of user experience and based on user-centered design, intending to improve accessibility and appeal for older adults, the targeted end users. Objective and subjective measures were recorded both before and after the web lab redesign to assess changes in participant performance and acceptance. The study included both healthy and mild cognitive impairment participants. Both groups demonstrated improved performance following the lab redesign. These findings suggest that the redesign process, guided by a user-centered perspective, results in a technologically satisfactory product tailored for the intended end users, in this case, older adults.