Tower Of Hanoi Research Articles

Cognitive performance in high school students after short treatment of zazen meditation technic

Zazen is one of several meditation technics that pretends to reach calmness, reducing interference, and controlling awareness practiced by many people in the world. Zazen practitioners claim that a natural sense of wellbeing, spontaneous joy and self-fulfilling is achieved with its practice. Neuroscientific evidence shows that important modifications in the neuronal electric activity with compromise of several brain structures has been observed, especially those that are involved in modulation of attention. Our laboratory was interested to study the possible behavioural effects of a short time zazen practice to a group of secondary students of public or private high schools, with no previous training in any meditation technics. Two groups, 15-17 years old coursing the 4th or 5th year of their secondary study, one receiving zazen training (n = 31), and the other one recreation activities (n = 45) were selected. All subjects were tested with the Tower of London, Tower of Hanoi, Wisconsin Card Sorting and Stroop test to evaluate the cognitive abilities, at the beginning of the experiment (t0) and at the end of the experiment (t1, about 3 months later). Results showed that in the Tower of London and Tower of Hanoi, zazen group displayed significant less movements to solve the task, compared to Control. No differences were found between both groups in solving the Wisconsin Card Sorting test, but in the Stroop test zazen group was superior to Control in making significant less mistakes during solving the task. Results are compatible with a positive effect of zazen training in behavioural abilities of attention and planning strategies in secondary students.

Prenatal drug exposure and executive function in early adolescence

PurposeStudy of the relationship between prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and executive function (EF) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of the current study is to examine whether PCE, biological sex, environmental risk, and their interaction predicted EF in early adolescence. Methods135 12-year-old adolescents (40.7% with PCE), who were followed prospectively from birth, attempted up to 8 Tower of Hanoi (ToH) puzzle trials of increasing complexity. The number of correctly completed puzzles served as the main outcome measure. Survival analysis was used to examine predictors of the number of successfully completed trials. ResultsAs trial difficulty increased, fewer adolescents were able to solve the TOH puzzle. Adolescents from high risk environments and with either prenatal alcohol or prenatal cannabis exposure completed fewer puzzles (p < .05). In addition, a hypothesized 3-way interaction of PCE x sex x environmental risk was found such that cocaine-exposed males with high environmental risk had the worst performance (p < .01). ConclusionsThe current findings are consistent with prior research indicating that males with PCE may be at particular risk of poorer functioning and highlight the potential importance of examining adolescent's sex and environmental risk as moderators of PCE effects.

Degree-Based Topological Properties of Molecular Polymeric Networks Composed by Sierpinski Networks

Sierpinski graphs are a widely observed family of fractal-type graphs relevant to topology, Hanoi Tower mathematics, computer engineering, and around. Chemical implementations of graph theory establish significant properties, such as chemical activity, physicochemical properties, thermodynamic properties, and pharmacological activities of a molecular graph. Specific graph descriptors alluded to as topological indices are helpful to predict these properties. These graph descriptors have played a key role in quantitative structure-property/structure-activity relationships (QSPR/QSAR) research. The objective of this article is to compute Randic index ( R − 1 / 2 ), Zagreb index M 1 , sum-connectivity index SCI , geometric-arithmetic index GA , and atom-bond connectivity ABC index based on ev-degree and ve-degree for the Sierpinski networks S n , m .

Correction to: Ego-depletion or invigoration in solving the tower of Hanoi? Action orientation helps overcome planning deficits

Correction to: Ego-depletion or invigoration in solving the tower of Hanoi? Action orientation helps overcome planning deficits

Acute Exercise and Cognitive Function in Alzheimer's Disease.

Many studies have shown the impact of acute aerobic exercises (AAE) on cognition in healthy adults or at a pre-dementia stage. Few studies, however, have explored the positive effects of AAE in moderate Alzheimer's disease (ADM) patients. Evaluating the effect of AAE on cognitive functions in ADM patients. Overall, 79 (age: 69.62±0.99) ADM patients were recruited. Participants were divided into three groups according to the task: aerobic exercises done alone or combined with cognitive games presented on a screen, and a control group who performed a reading task. The aerobic exercise protocol consisted of a 20-min cycling exercise of moderate intensity, corresponding to 60%of the individual target maximal heart rate recorded in a 6-minute walking test. The participants' cognition was monitored before and after the intervention using the Tower of Hanoi, Digit Span, and Stroop tasks. After the exercise, the participants' attention in both the physical and combined groups improved for the Stroop, the forward and backward Digit Span tasks, as well as the time taken to solve the Tower of Hanoi, although no significant differences were found in the number of moves taken in the latter. By contrast, the control group did not show any significant improvement for most of the cognitive tasks after the reading session. Current evidence suggests that AAE may help to improve cognitive functions in ADM patients. This improvement is enhanced when the exercise is combined with cognitive games. Safe and progressive types of exercises should be promoted among ADM patients.

Relational Thinking of College Students in Solving Recurrence Relation Problems Using Hanoi Tower Props

The purpose of this study is to describe how college students with visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic learning style think relationally in solving recurrence relation problems using the tower of Hanoi. This study is an exploratory with a qualitative descriptive approach. It began by the provision of a mathematics ability test and a learning style questionnaire to obtain three subjects, each of which had a different learning style but equivalent mathematics ability. Next, the three subjects were given problem-solving tasks and interviewed twice. Time triangulation is used to check the consistency of the data. After the validity of the data had been confirmed, the analyses were executed. The data analysis stage of this study consists of five stages: data categorisation, data reduction, data presentation, data interpretation, and conclusion. The result shows that all three subjects met the four indicators of relational thinking, were Understand the problem, make a plan completion, carry out the completion plan, and recheck completion but only the kinaesthetic subject managed to find the final answer.

039 Sleep Preferentially Supports Problem-Solving Skills via Greater Functional Connectivity Between the Caudate and Cerebral Cortex

Abstract Introduction Sleep consolidates memory, including newly acquired procedural skills. One putative systems-level mechanism for this function of sleep is via sleep-dependent strengthening of functional connectivity between the putamen and the cortico-hippocampal-striatal-cerebellar network, which supports procedural motor skills. For procedural motor skills that also require problem solving and rule-learning, sleep preferentially benefits the cognitively complex aspects over the motor skills required to execute the solution itself. The caudate is implicated in higher-order cognitive components of skill learning, which include error monitoring and automizing new information. In the current study, we investigated how sleep alters functional connectivity in higher-order learning networks that support problem solving and rule learning-related procedural skills. Methods Participants (n = 38) were trained on a procedural skills task; the Tower of Hanoi (ToH), that requires the acquisition of a novel cognitive strategy (e.g., recursive logic), while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). After either a full night of sleep (n=19) or a full day of wakefulness (n=19), participants were retested on the same task in the fMRI. Resting state activity was acquired before (R1) and after the training session (R2), and before the retest session (R3). Results Behavioral performance on the ToH improved following sleep compared to wake (reduced number of errors: t(38)=2.92, p=0.006, d=1.24). Regions associated with higher-order learning and cognitive complexity (i.e., the caudate) and regions typically implicated in sequence learning (i.e., the putamen, hippocampus, cerebellum) were selected as regions of interest (ROI). Increased functional connectivity across the retention interval (R3-R2) was observed in the sleep vs. wake condition between the caudate and the motor cortex (t(36)=3.32, p=0.042, FWE). By contrast, changes in functional connectivity were not observed between the putamen and other ROIs. Conclusion These results suggest that sleep supports improved consolidation of motor skills that involve the acquisition of a novel cognitive strategy. Sleep enhanced functional connectivity in brain areas associated with higher-order cognitive skills (i.e., the caudate), but not regions typically associated with motor skills (i.e., the putamen) that are required to execute the solution to the cognitive procedural skill. Support (if any) Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada

031 The reduced benefit of sleep for memory trace consolidation with age

Abstract Introduction Sleep is known to enhance the realization of novel solutions to problems. As we age, both the quantity and quality of sleep are reduced. Age-related deficits in sleep-dependent memory consolidation have been recently identified, however, the scope of these deficits is not. Here, we sought to investigate the behavioural and neuronal functional consequences of age-related changes in sleep for gaining insight into novel cognitive strategies (e.g., on the Tower of Hanoi; ToH). Methods 40 healthy young adults (20–25 years), and 30 healthy older adults (60–85 years) participated, and were assigned to either the nap [young-nap (YN), older-nap (ON)] or wake [young-no-nap (YNN), older-no-nap (ONN)] conditions. Participants were trained on the ToH in the AM, followed by either a 90 minute nap opportunity or a period of wake, and were retested afterward. The ToH is a procedural task that requires the acquisition of a novel cognitive strategy (i.e., recursive logic). Alternating blocks of ToH practice and rest were performed while functional MRI scans were obtained at 3T to examine differences (pFDR&amp;lt;0.05) in brain activation from training to retest in young vs. older groups as a function of sleep [(YN-YNN)-(ON-ONN)]. Results Sleep significantly benefitted the young but not the older participants (speed and accuracy) on the ToH. A bilateral difference in activation of the hippocampus was observed from training to retest between young and older subjects. Specifically, YN displayed decreased activation, whereas YNN showed increased activation. The older groups showed the opposite pattern whereby ON displayed increased activation whereas ONN showed decreased activation. The same pattern was observed for the middle temporal gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex. By contrast, the opposite pattern was observed in the premotor area, inferior and superior parietal cortex. Conclusion These results suggest that sleep differentially contributes to the realization of a novel cognitive strategy in young vs. older individuals, consistent with the notion that as the consolidation of a newly formed memory trace progresses, the hippocampus becomes less involved over time; especially so when sleep occurs during that time. Our results suggest that sleep preferentially contributes to this process in the young, but not in older individuals. Support (if any):

Positive emotion induction improves cardiovascular coping with a cognitive task.

Feeling positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive cardiovascular response (greater heart rate variability, HRV), associated with improved cognitive performance. This study aims to test whether the induction of a positive emotional state produce such cardiovascular response and therefore, enhance coping and performance in Tower of Hanoi (ToH). Forty-two Participants were randomly distributed into two groups (Experimental and Control). Experimental group was subjected to the evocation of a memory of success, while control group was subjected to an attentional task before performing ToH. Heart Rate Variability (HRV), activity of the zygomatic major muscle (ZEMG) and emotions were measured. Emotional induction increased ZEMG activity, feelings of emotional valence and HRV, but the performance in ToH was not different from control. Experiencing positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive psychophysiological response when faced with a complex cognitive task. These results are discussed in relation to clinical practice and health.

IMPLEMENTATION OF DIVIDE AND CONQUER IN THE HANOI TOWER GAME

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology in the field of computer science that simulates human intelligence into computers to solve various problems and jobs as well as humans do. Games / games are an implementation of the field of computer science which also embraces the concept of AI. In the midst of the rampant types of games available, the author chose the Hanoi Tower which is a mathematical game / puzzle that requires logic. Players are challenged to complete in a short time with a certain number of discs. The benefit of this game is that it can train how to think with certain patterns so as to improve the memory of players. To make it easier to solve it, the Divide and Conquer Algorithm can be used which can solve problems in the Tower of Hanoi game by breaking them down into sub-problems which will later be able to help speed up finding solutions. From the results of testing the application of the Divide and Conquer Algorithm in the hanoi tower game application by solving the disk arrangement problem. Players can finish the game in a large number of plates in a short time. Keywords – Artificial Intelligence, Divide and Conquer Algorithm, Games, Tower of Hanoi.

Some topological properties of uniform subdivision of Sierpiński graphs

Abstract Sierpiński graphs are family of fractal nature graphs having applications in mathematics of Tower of Hanoi, topology, computer science, and many more diverse areas of science and technology. This family of graphs can be generated by taking certain number of copies of the same basic graph. A topological index is the number which shows some basic properties of the chemical structures. This article deals with degree based topological indices of uniform subdivision of the generalized Sierpiński graphs S(n,G) and Sierpiński gasket Sn . The closed formulae for the computation of different kinds of Zagreb indices, multiple Zagreb indices, reduced Zagreb indices, augmented Zagreb indices, Narumi-Katayama index, forgotten index, and Zagreb polynomials have been presented for the family of graphs.

Solving the Tower of Hanoi

Solving the Tower of Hanoi

Effect of magnetic stimulation of Shenmen point on cognitive function of chronic insomnia: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background:Chronic insomnia (CI) can lead to cognitive dysfunction and bring great pain to patients’ life. There is no effective intervention for cognitive dysfunction caused by CI. Shenmen (HT7) is the first choice for insomnia treatment. However, the effect and mechanism of this acupoint on cognitive function after insomnia is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore whether magnetic stimulation of HT7 can improve cognitive impairment of CI by regulating prefrontal lobe and its mechanism.Methods/Design:This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Seventy-two subjects aged 18 to 65 years old with primary insomnia and more than 3 months were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the ratio of 1:1, and 36 healthy controls were included. The control group was given sleep hygiene and cognitive therapy in behavioral cognitive therapy technology, while the experimental group was given the behavioral cognitive therapy technology intervention and magnetic stimulation of HT7 acupoint for 30 times (2 times / d, 5 times / wk for 20 days), while the healthy control group had no intervention measures. Before treatment and 20 days after treatment, we evaluated the working memory (1-back test), episodic memory (Complex Figure Test), and problem-solving ability (Hanoi tower test) processed by prefrontal lobe to explore the effect of magnetic stimulation on cognitive function of CI and its possible mechanism. At the same time, insomnia severity index was used to evaluate sleep state, Becker depression scale was used to evaluate depression, and Beck anxiety scale was used to evaluate anxiety. Chi-squared test or rank sum test was used to collect the data of patients. If P value is less than or equal to .05, the difference will be considered statistically significant.Conclusion:This study explored the effect and mechanism of magnetic stimulation of Shenmen (HT7) on cognitive function of CI, and confirmed that magnetic stimulation of HT7 can be used as an alternative therapy to improve cognitive impairment of CI.Trial Registration number:ChiCTR2000034280

Reading Goals and Executive Function in Autism: An Eye-Tracking Study.

The sources of reading comprehension difficulties in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still open to discussion. We explored their ability to adapt reading strategies to different reading goals using eye-tracking technology. A group of participants with ASD, and intelligence-, receptive oral language- and reading skills-matched control peers, read three stories under three different reading goals conditions: read for entertainment; read for study; and read fast and search information for a previously presented question. Each text required participants to answer comprehension questions. The ASD group was less accurate in question answering. The control group was faster in reading questions, displayed more fixations on the text, and reported to be more confident in question answering during reading for study compared to reading for entertainment. These differences between reading goals were not observed in the ASD group. The control group adopted and was aware of using different reading strategies according to different reading goals. In contrast, the ASD group did not change their reading behavior and strategies between entertainment and study reading goal condition, showing less of a tendency to adopt deep-level processing strategies when necessary. Planning, as measured by Tower of Hanoi, was the only executive task that predicted individual differences in text reading time across conditions. Participants with better planning ability were also able to adapt their reading behavior to different reading instructions. Difficulties in adjusting the reading behavior according to the task, evaluating own performance and planning may be partly involved in reading comprehension problems in ASD. LAY ABSTRACT: The control group read questions faster, reported to be more confident in question answering during reading for study compared to reading for entertainment, and were aware of using different reading strategies according to different reading goals. In contrast, the autistic group did not change their reading behavior and strategies according to the reading goal. Difficulties in adjusting the reading behavior according to the task, in evaluating own performance and in planning may be partly involved in reading comprehension problems in autism. Autism Res 2021, 14: 1007-1024. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, LLC.

The investigation of planning on neuropsychology: from the Tower of Hanoi and Tower of London paradigms to Virtual Reality

THE ABSTRACT IS AVAILABLE IN THE PDF

A Frontal Neuropsychological Profile in Fitness to Drive

Traffic accidents are a global concern due to the elevated mortality rates of both drivers and pedestrians. The World Health Organization declared 2011-2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, endorsing initiatives to reduce traffic-related deaths. Yet, despite these incentives, fatal accidents still occur. Different studies have linked deficits in executive functions to risky driving attitudes and crashes. The present study focuses on demographic, cognitive and personality factors, related to the prefrontal cortex, that are characteristic of drivers prone to risky behavior behind the wheel. The penalty Points System was used to classify drivers as “safe”, with no point loss over a two-year period, or “risky”, with full point loss during the same interval. A neuropsychological assessment of prefrontal cognitive functions was carried out on each group to identify variables associated with safe and risky behavior. Neuropsychological indexes were obtained from a continuous performance task without cue (Simple Attention), a continuous performance task with cue (Conditioned Attention), the Tower of Hanoi test and the Neurologically-related Changes in Personality Inventory (NECHAPI). A Discriminant Analysis (DA) found that education level, reaction times in Simple and Conditioned Attention, learning errors in the Tower of Hanoi and vulnerability in the personality test, best predicted whether drivers were likely to be in the safe or risky group. Finally, a cross-validation analysis performed on the same sample correctly classified 87.5% of the drivers. These data suggest that prefrontal dysfunction contributes to risky behavior behind the wheel. The inclusion of cognitive programs to identify and train drivers with this propensity could reduce risky driving, and consequently, save lives on the road.

Salivary Cortisol Levels Are Associated with Craving and Cognitive Performance in Cocaine-Abstinent Subjects: A Pilot Study.

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex upon the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Assessment of cortisol in saliva has emerged as a reliable way of evaluating HPA function. We examined the relationships between salivary cortisol levels with both craving and cognitive performance, as a possible biomarker of cocaine addiction. Cognitive performance (attention, declarative and working memory, executive functions and recognition of emotions) was assessed in 14 abstinent cocaine-dependent subjects in outpatient treatment and 13 control participants. Three salivary samples were collected at home by all the participants in the morning, afternoon and at bedtime. Patients showed higher levels of cortisol in the morning, as well as higher area under the curve with respect to the ground (AUCg). Regarding cognitive performance, cocaine-abstinent subjects showed worse performance in attention (d2 test), verbal memory (Spanish Complementary Verbal Learning Test, TAVEC) and executive tests (Tower of Hanoi and phonological fluency test) with respect to the control group. Morning cortisol levels and the AUCg index were negatively associated with the age of onset of drug consumption and the AUCg index was also positively associated with craving in our patients’ group. Moreover, morning cortisol levels, as well as the AUCg index, were negatively associated with verbal memory performance. Therefore, our pilot study suggests that salivary cortisol measurements could be a good avenue to predict craving level, as well as cognitive status, especially the declarative memory domain.

THE EFFECT OF THE HANOI TOWER ON LEARNING THE FINITE INDUCTION PRINCIPLE FROM THE BLOOM TAXONOMY PERSPECTIVE

This article is the result of a research on teaching the Principle of Finite Induction (PIF) using the Tower of Hanoi (TH) as a learning object, under the perspective of Bloom's Taxonomy (TB) developed with students from the Integrated Technical courses to Ifes High School - Campus Cariacica carried out by the Research Group Active Practices in the Teaching of Mathematics (GPPAEM). The application of this research had the participation of a high school student in the form of a monitor, helping researchers in their activities. Although there are research works that address the use of the Tower of Hanoi applied in the teaching of mathematics, there is a lack of studies on this theme supported by a learning theory. Motivated by the interest to fill this gap, the research was based on TB to identify the evolution of skills related to the learning of PIF using TH. The research was carried out through the collection and analysis of experimental data results of the students' game experience with HT through the application of a pre-test where the students had only the instruction of the PIF in a theoretical way in an ex-positive class and a post-test where the PIF instruction was mediated with the use of TH. The results showed that the difference between the results of the lecture and the classes using the Hanoi tower was 4.49% for the “remember” level, 7.82% for the “understand” level, and 9.52% to the “apply” level.

THE EFFECT OF THE HANOI TOWER ON LEARNING THE FINITE INDUCTION PRINCIPLE FROM THE BLOOM TAXONOMY PERSPECTIVE

This article is the result of a research on teaching the Principle of Finite Induction (PIF) using the Tower of Hanoi (TH) as a learning object, under the perspective of Bloom's Taxonomy (TB) developed with students from the Integrated Technical courses to Ifes High School - Campus Cariacica carried out by the Research Group Active Practices in the Teaching of Mathematics (GPPAEM). The application of this research had the participation of a high school student in the form of a monitor, helping researchers in their activities. Although there are research works that address the use of the Tower of Hanoi applied in the teaching of mathematics, there is a lack of studies on this theme supported by a learning theory. Motivated by the interest to fill this gap, the research was based on TB to identify the evolution of skills related to the learning of PIF using TH. The research was carried out through the collection and analysis of experimental data results of the students' game experience with HT through the application of a pre-test where the students had only the instruction of the PIF in a theoretical way in an ex-positive class and a post-test where the PIF instruction was mediated with the use of TH. The results showed that the difference between the results of the lecture and the classes using the Hanoi tower was 4.49% for the “remember” level, 7.82% for the “understand” level, and 9.52% to the “apply” level.

Learning and/or Cure? The notion of learning context in the health ambit

Mental health is not the object of study of only one discipline, but of different fields of knowledge including anthropology. If it is considered that (1) mental illness is related to learning and (2) learning happens in a relational context between the subject and his/her environment, it is possible to assume that a change in the context could mean changes in the subject’s health. Therefore, an approximation to the concept of “cure” may include the idea of building and reforming a habit of thought. By modifying a habit of thought, the individual can change their situation and improve their relationships with the environment, which tends to re-equilibration and health. In this work, this hypothesis is developed and empirical evidence was shown with five Wernicke Korsakoff’s Syndrome inpatients learning to solve the Tower of Hanoi that supports the assumptions. Conversely to what is expected to amnesic people, empirical results showed that the participants not only learned the task (proto-learning) but also improved their execution with practise and training (deutero-learning) and reached some level of flexibility. It is suggested that this behavioural change depends, at least in part, on the context created in the examiner-participant relationship. People are not ill per se but they are ill only in relation to an environment which surrounds and conditions them. Key words: Learning, environment, health, cure.