ABSTRACT
How do people evaluate causal relationships? Do they just consider what actually happened, or do they also consider what could have counterfactually happened? Using eye tracking and Gaussian process modeling, we investigated how people mentally simulated past events to judge what caused the outcomes to occur. Participants played a virtual ball-shooting game and then-while looking at a blank screen-mentally simulated (a) what actually happened, (b) what counterfactually could have happened, or (c) what caused the outcome to happen. Our findings showed that participants moved their eyes in patterns consistent with the actual or counterfactual events that they mentally simulated. When simulating what caused the outcome to occur, participants moved their eyes consistent with simulations of counterfactual possibilities. These results favor counterfactual theories of causal reasoning, demonstrate how eye movements can reflect simulation during this reasoning and provide a novel approach for investigating retrospective causal reasoning and counterfactual thinking.
Subject(s)
Judgment , Thinking , Humans , Eye-Tracking Technology , Retrospective Studies , Problem SolvingABSTRACT
Hand gestures play an integral role in multimodal language and communication. Even though the self-oriented functions of gestures, such as activating a speaker's lexicon and maintaining visuospatial imagery, have been emphasized, gestures' functions in creative thinking are not well-established. In the current study, we investigated the role of iconic gestures in verbal divergent thinking-a creative thinking process related to generating many novel ideas. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that iconic gesture use would facilitate divergent thinking in young adults, especially those with high mental imagery skills. Participants performed Guildford's Alternative Uses Task in a gesture-spontaneous and in a gesture-encouraged condition. We measured fluency (number of ideas), originality (uniqueness of ideas), flexibility (number of idea categories), and elaboration (number of details) in divergent thinking. The results showed that producing iconic gestures in the gesture-encouraged condition positively predicted fluency, originality, and elaboration. In the gesture-spontaneous condition, producing iconic gestures also positively predicted elaboration but negatively predicted flexibility. Mental imagery skills did not interact with the effects of gestures on divergent thinking. These results suggest that iconic gestures are a promising candidate for enhancing almost all aspects of divergent thinking. Overall, the current study adds a new dimension to the self-oriented function of iconic gestures, that is, their contribution to creative thinking.
Subject(s)
Creativity , Gestures , Thinking , Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Thinking/physiology , Adult , Hand/physiology , Imagination/physiology , AdolescentABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Assessment ability lies at the core of midwives' capacity to judge and treat clinical problems effectively. Influenced by the traditional teaching method of "teacher-led and content-based", that teachers involve imparting a large amount of knowledge to students and students lack active thinking and active practice, the clinical assessment ability of midwifery students in China is mostly at a medium or low level. Improving clinical assessment ability of midwifery students, especially critical thinking, is highly important in practical midwifery education. Therefore, we implemented a new teaching program, "typical case discussion and scenario simulation", in the Midwifery Health Assessment course. Guided by typical cases, students were organized to actively participate in typical case discussions and to promote active thinking and were encouraged to practice actively through scenario simulation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of this strategy on the critical thinking ability of midwifery students. METHOD: A total of 104 midwifery students in grades 16-19 at the West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, were included as participants through convenience sampling. All the students completed the Midwifery Health Assessment course in the third year of university. Students in grades 16 and 17 were assigned to the control group, which received routine teaching in the Midwifery Health Assessment, while students in grades 18 and 19 were assigned to the experimental group, for which the "typical case discussion and scenario simulation" teaching mode was employed. The Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version (CTDI-CV) and Midwifery Health Assessment Course Satisfaction Questionnaire were administered after the intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, the critical thinking ability of the experimental group was greater than that of the control group (284.81 ± 27.98 and 300.94 ± 31.67, p = 0.008). Furthermore, the experimental group exhibited higher scores on the four dimensions of Open-Mindedness (40.56 ± 5.60 and 43.59 ± 4.90, p = 0.005), Analyticity (42.83 ± 5.17 and 45.42 ± 5.72, p = 0.020), Systematicity (38.79 ± 4.70 and 41.88 ± 6.11, p = 0.006), and Critical Thinking Self-Confidence (41.35 ± 5.92 and 43.83 ± 5.89, p = 0.039) than did the control group. The course satisfaction exhibited by the experimental group was greater than that exhibited by the control group (84.81 ± 8.49 and 90.19 ± 8.41, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The "typical case discussion and scenario simulation" class mode can improve the critical thinking ability of midwifery students and enhance their curriculum satisfaction. This approach carries a certain degree of promotional significance in medical education.
Subject(s)
Midwifery , Students, Nursing , Humans , Pregnancy , Female , Midwifery/education , Curriculum , Thinking , ChinaABSTRACT
By means of a historical, classical philological and philosophical approach, this paper attempts to demonstrate that homeopathy is based on three powerful traditions of thinking, which can be traced back to Ancient Greece's pre-Socratic era. Actually, it seems to be constituted by what may be termed lógos-, hómoion- and iásthai-thinking: that is, thinking in terms of rationality, similarity and healing. By contrast, modern medicine tends to be aligned with just one of these traditions, at the expense of the others, this being not without risk and adverse effects. It is mainly determined by the first type of rationality that genealogically derives from, and is therefore compatible with, the logic of economics whose predominance in the health care systems of modern societies is progressively rising. Homeopathy, however, may not be sufficiently and fairly understood without taking into account the complementary forms of thinking on which it also rests, such as the principle of similarity in an all-encompassing sense, and ancient healing knowledge in the tradition of catharsis. As a corollary of being essentially constituted by the three, homeopathy may persistently be in need of a dynamic equilibrium of its three constituent bases. Attempts to approach homeopathy from only one of the indicated modes of thinking fail to grasp its essence and result in figments or caricatures of what homeopathy was originally meant to be.
Subject(s)
Homeopathy , Homeopathy/methods , Homeopathy/history , Humans , History, Ancient , ThinkingABSTRACT
Impaired episodic future thinking (EFT), as reflected in reduced specificity, low levels of detail and less use of mental imagery, has been associated with depressive symptomatology. The beneficial impact of Future Event Specificity Training (FEST) on impaired EFT has recently been demonstrated, as well as on anhedonia, the core symptom of depression reflecting low positive affect. The current study aimed to replicate these previous findings. In addition, this study is the first to examine the potential of FEST to reduce engagement in dampening, a maladaptive response style characterised by reducing the intensity and/or frequency of positive emotional states, which is linked to depressive symptoms and anhedonia. An RCT (FEST vs. waitlist control) was conducted in a large sample of Dutch-speaking undergraduate students (N = 155). In line with prior research, FEST resulted in significant improvements in EFT features. However, likely related to limited room for change detection, no significant changes were found in anhedonia and dampening. In the light of the positive impact of FEST on several EFT features, future studies should address methodological issues to create optimal conditions for potential change detection. Finally, further examination of the proposed theoretical change mechanisms aimed to reduce anhedonia and dampening is warranted.
Subject(s)
Anhedonia , Humans , Anhedonia/physiology , Male , Female , Young Adult , Adult , Emotions/physiology , Depression/psychology , Thinking/physiology , AdolescentABSTRACT
It is a fundamental truth in living that the quality of your decisions shapes the quality of your life. One's cognitive style determines whether one is more likely to be detailed and linear in thinking or more general and impressionistic, obvious influences on the way experiences are interpreted and reactions formed. Global thinking, also referred to as over-general thinking, has been linked to depression for several reasons. These include the lack of detail in making important discriminations that would reduce or eliminate the kind of self-injurious and depressogenic decisions described in the "stress generation" model of depression. The importance of having meaningful strategies for making effective decisions on a situation-by-situation basis cannot be overstated. Cognitive psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists use the term "discrimination" to describe the process of making distinctions between different situations that give rise to one's reactions. In this article, hypnosis is described as a vehicle for teaching global thinkers to be more skilled in making important discriminations. A sample hypnosis script is provided to illustrate the process.
Subject(s)
Hypnosis , Humans , Cognition , ThinkingABSTRACT
Philosophy adds humanness to nursing and facilitates holistic care. Philosophies like Ubuntu which purports that a person is only a person through other people and emphasises community cohesion and caring for each other can add humanness to nursing. Because Ubuntu validates subjective experience and its meaning in the lifeworld, it exemplifies the basis of holistic and individualised caring in nursing. Although nurses can make their own philosophy through critical reflexivity, the convergent point is the goal of meaningful caring that is, sustaining health and the well-being of patients and significant others. Philosophy transcends job description, it encompasses visceral experience, personal beliefs and goals, resulting in purpose and deeper meaning to the nursing profession of caring as emulated by Florence Nightingale. While contemporary philosophy has been met with criticism as being detached from human concern, narrowly focussed and technical, it evokes critical thinking and promotes sociality in nursing practice. The Covid-19 pandemic vividly brought philosophy to the fore as nurses sacrificially and vulnerably rose to the challenge of caring not only for the sick, but also for families who through infection control measures were deprived of sociality. This paper argues that philosophy adds humanness and substance to nursing in the context of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Pandemics , Philosophy, Nursing , Humans , Philosophy , ThinkingABSTRACT
Medical education is undergoing various transformations to promote a more personalized and contextual way of learning. In light of this, the innovative "Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise" (SPLICE) modules were designed, implemented, and evaluated for medical students in the first professional year as a strategy for early clinical exposure in a collaborative and self-directed way of learning. This is a mixed methods study involving first-year medical students. Students were divided randomly into the control and the intervention groups. Six SPLICE modules were administered to the intervention while the control group followed the traditional curricula. The educational outcome was compared using an end-of-module assessment. In addition, 13-item and 8-item questionnaires were administered to students to evaluate the SPLICE and plenary sessions on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, students' feedback was obtained on a 10-point rating scale and in in-depth small-group interviews. The majority of students perceived that the SPLICE module improved their communication and encouraged meaningful, active learning. Students found the plenary sessions to be well organized, with sufficient interaction with professionals. Students also gave excellent scores for feedback on SPLICE modules, demonstrating the effectiveness of the innovation. In terms of test scores used in assessing learning outcomes, the intervention group outperformed the control group (P < 0.0001). The innovative SPLICE curriculum facilitated early clinical exposure and active self-directed learning. Students perceived SPLICE modules to be highly helpful in terms of promoting meaningful learning and the future application of knowledge.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The very essence of this innovative "Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise" (SPLICE) curriculum is the team-based learning of integrated pre-, para-, and clinical learning objectives right from the first professional year of study serving as an early clinical exposure. This unique way of learning creates a holistic educational environment by combining both academic and professional development thereby empowering the next generation of physician leaders to take autonomy of their own learning strategies and emerge as competent lifelong learners.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical, Undergraduate , Students, Medical , Humans , Curriculum , Problem-Based Learning , Thinking , Education, Continuing , Education, Medical, Undergraduate/methodsABSTRACT
Context: Clinical thinking encompasses the critical analysis, judgment, and decision-making pertaining to the existing or potential nursing problems of patients. It plays a pivotal role in effectively executing clinical nursing work in alignment with the prescribed nursing procedures. Proficient clinical thinking empowers nurses with the capability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems. Objective: The study intended to investigate the current situation of clinical thinking ability of nursing students and its influencing factors, so as to improve their clinical thinking ability. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and the research took place at Taizhou University in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, China in the Faculty of Nursing. 143 full-time undergraduate nursing students at the University were selected for the cross-sectional survey, including a general questionnaire and a clinical thinking ability questionnaire for undergraduate nursing students. The respondents included nursing students in their sophomore, junior and senior years. Results: The survey results obtained between the first and the third year of study were included. Age of the participants ranged from 18 to 24 years, with an average age of 21.58 ± 2.45 years. The professional knowledge score of undergraduate nursing students in this survey was found to be 52.59 ± 13.93; âthe score of professional emotion was 14.21 ± 2.40; âthe score of professional will was 19.51 ± 2.15; âthe score of professional values was 14.40 ± 2.31; âthe professional skill score was 18.52 ± 2.06; the professional expectation was found to be 12.73 ± 1.30; and âthe total score was (99.26 ± 7.96). All dimensions and total scores of clinical ability of thinking among undergraduate nursing students in this survey were found to be average. Conclusions: Clinical thinking of undergraduate nursing students is found to be of a medium level, and the main influencing factors are grade and the satisfaction of teachers. Nursing colleges and practice hospitals should unite to adopt various ways to help nursing undergraduates cultivate and improve their clinical thinking ability.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate , Students, Nursing , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Adolescent , Thinking , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/methods , Cross-Sectional Studies , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Findings relating to the impact of mindfulness interventions on creative performance remain inconsistent, perhaps because of discrepancies between study designs, including variability in the length of mindfulness interventions, the absence of control groups or the tendencies to explore creativity as one unitary construct. To derive a clearer understanding of the impact that mindfulness interventions may exert on creative performance, two meta-analytical reviews were conducted, drawing respectively on studies using a control group design (n = 20) and studies using a pretest-posttest design (n = 17). A positive effect was identified between mindfulness and creativity, both for control group designs (d = 0.42, 95% CIs [0.29, 0.54]) and pretest-posttest designs (d = 0.59, 95% CIs [0.38, 0.81]). Subgroup analysis revealed that intervention length, creativity task (i.e., divergent vs. convergent thinking tasks) and control group type, were significant moderators for control group studies, whereas only intervention length was a significant moderator for pretest-posttest studies. Overall, the findings support the use of mindfulness as a tool to enhance creative performance, with more advantageous outcomes for convergent as opposed to divergent thinking tasks. We discuss the implications of study design and intervention length as key factors of relevance to future research aimed at advancing theoretical accounts of the relationship between mindfulness and creativity.
Subject(s)
Mindfulness , Thinking , Humans , Creativity , Research DesignABSTRACT
Magical thinking is a cognitive process characterized by beliefs in supernatural causality and the power of rituals. Grounded in personal convictions rather than objective reality, it involves subjective beliefs rather than magic tricks. Magical thinking's effects range from potentially positive, such as bringing hope and comfort, to negative consequences, including delays in seeking appropriate medical care and refusing evidence-based treatments. This article provides an overview of magical thinking, including its prevalence, diverse forms, and influence on patients, families, and emergency physicians (EPs). This article offers guidelines for recognizing signs of magical thinking and emphasizes the importance of respectful and empathetic interactions with patients and their families. Highlighting both the benefits and detriments of magical thinking in Emergency Medical (EM) care, the article discusses the knowledge and tools needed to optimize patient outcomes. It acknowledges the varying belief systems and cultural practices that contribute to the prevalence of magical thinking. For physicians and other EM professionals, addressing magical thinking requires cultural competence and empathetic engagement. Active listening and shared decision-making are essential to promote positive patient outcomes. By recognizing and understanding magical thinking and fostering effective communication, EPs can navigate the delicate balance of addressing patients' beliefs while delivering evidence-based care.
Subject(s)
Emergency Medical Services , Physicians , Humans , Thinking , Magic/psychology , Emergency TreatmentABSTRACT
A creative idea is always appreciated. However, it is still unclear as to what helps people in coming up with creative ideas. The current chapter explores how mind wandering, mindfulness and meditation influence creative ideation. Most specifically, we explore the cognition behind each of these faculties and how they interact to enable us in navigating across our internal and external environments constantly. In this chapter, we also discuss an empirical study that examines mind-wandering tendencies in two types of creativity tasks-convergent and divergent, by manipulating task difficulty. The findings of our study provide evidence in support of the process theories that indicate mind wandering is based on the nature of creative tasks being performed and mind wandering tendencies are higher in the divergent compared to the convergent task. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion on how understanding the cognition of meditators provides insights to creative thought process and explores avenues of study for such complex and subjective cognitive faculties.
Subject(s)
Mindfulness , Thinking , Humans , Attention , Creativity , CognitionABSTRACT
Solving clinical problems requires an individual to apply not only domain-specific medical knowledge and cognitive skills for reasoning, but also to be consciously aware of, monitor, and evaluate their thinking processes (i.e., metacognition). The purpose of this study was to map critical metacognitive dimensions of clinical problem solving and to explore the structural relationships among them, which may help frame a conceptual framework and better pedagogy for effective intervention. A context-specific inventory was adapted and modified from a domain-general instrument to capture essential metacognitive skills for learning and solving clinical problems. This inventory was administered to 72 undergraduate medical students to survey their capabilities in five dimensions: knowledge of cognition, objectives, problem representation, monitoring, and evaluation. The interplay among these dimensions was further examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling.Our findings revealed that the medical students fell short of some expert-like, metacognitive, and regulatory competence, even after receiving years of medical education and on-site training. In particular, they did not know when a holistic understanding of a problem had been reached. Many of them often do not have a set of clear diagnostic procedures in mind, nor do they concurrently monitor their thinking during diagnostic reasoning. Moreover, their lack of self-improving approaches seemed to worsen their learning. Finally, the structural equation model indicated that knowledge of cognition and objectives significantly predicted problem representation, suggesting that medical learners' knowledge of and goals for learning are influential in framing the clinical problems at hand. A significant linear prediction path was observed from problem representation, monitoring, to evaluation, signifying a possible sequenced process of clinical problem solving. Metacognitive-based instruction can help improve clinical problem-solving skills and awareness of potential biases or errors.
Subject(s)
Metacognition , Problem Solving , Students, Medical , Humans , Cognition , Students, Medical/psychology , ThinkingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The text-assisted problem-based, methods traditionally used to teach nursing students cannot adequately simulate holistic clinical situations and patient symptoms. Although video-assisted, problem-based learning methods combined with text have shown positive results in terms of improving comprehension and cognitive abilities, some studies have shown these methods to be inferior to text-assisted methods in terms of promoting deep critical thinking in medical students. PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the benefits in nursing education of video-assisted, problem-based learning using online multimedia technologies compared with text-assisted, problem-based learning using traditional face-to-face classes. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group, preintervention-and-postintervention design was used. The experimental group ( n = 31) received video-assisted, problem-based learning materials with multimedia technologies (video scenarios, Google Docs worksheets, Google slides, Zoom cloud meetings, and e-learning management system) and weekly online lectures (100 minutes) for 4 weeks. The control group ( n = 35) received text-assisted, problem-based learning materials with traditional face-to-face classes and weekly lectures (100 minutes) for 4 weeks. The study data were analyzed using chi-square, Fisher's exact, and independent t tests as well as analysis of variance. RESULTS: At posttest, learning motivation ( t = 3.25, p = .002), academic self-efficacy ( t = 2.41, p = .019), and self-directed learning ( t = 3.08, p = .003) were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Video-assisted, problem-based learning using multimedia technologies was shown to be effective in increasing learning motivation, academic self-efficacy, and self-directed learning in nursing students. These findings have implications for the development and planning of contactless classes in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Notably, no intergroup differences were found in terms of problem-solving skills. Future studies should include in-depth reviews and assessments of the difficulties faced in producing problem scenarios as well as the methods of instruction.
Subject(s)
Problem-Based Learning , Students, Nursing , Humans , Child , Problem-Based Learning/methods , Students, Nursing/psychology , Learning , Thinking , Pediatric NursingABSTRACT
Using hand gestures benefits children's divergent thinking and enhances verbal improvisation in adults. In the present study, we asked whether gestures were also associated with convergent thinking by activating individuals' verbal lexicon and maintaining their visuospatial imagery. We tested young adults on verbal and visual convergent thinking, controlling for their mental imagery skills. Results showed that gestures and mental imagery skills play a role in verbal but not visual convergent thinking. Regardless of whether gestures were spontaneous or encouraged, we found a negative association between overall gesture frequency and verbal convergent thinking or individuals with low mental imagery, and a positive association for individuals with high mental imagery. Representational gestures benefited verbal convergent thinking for everyone except those who had low mental imagery and no experience with the task. Performing beat gestures hampered verbal convergent thinking in people with lower mental imagery capacity and helped those who had high mental imagery and previous experience with the task. We also found that gesturing can benefit people with lower verbal abilities on verbal convergent thinking, however, high spatial imagery abilities were required for gestures to boost verbal convergent thinking. The current study adds a new dimension to both the embodied creativity literature and the kaleidoscope of individual differences in gesture research.
Subject(s)
Gestures , Thinking , Child , Young Adult , Humans , Cognition , CreativityABSTRACT
Mental simulations of positive future events increase their detail/vividness and plausibility, with effects on cognitive-affective processes such as anticipated and anticipatory pleasure. More recently, spatial details have been distinguished as important in increasing detail and elaborating mental scene construction. Building on this research, this study (N = 54; M age = 26.9) compared simulations of positive, self-relevant future events spatial details (i.e. people, objects, sequences of actions) with simulations focused on content details. Cross-sectionally at baseline, spatial details uniquely predicted phenomenological characteristics of future events, including anticipatory pleasure. The guided simulations increased detail and vividness, mental imagery, and pre-experiencing in both conditions. The content simulation condition did not increase content details relative to the spatial simulation condition, however, the inverse was true. Relatedly, overall detail and vividness were higher in the spatial condition, as was perceived control. The findings are discussed in relation to future thinking and mental health.
Subject(s)
Imagination , Memory, Episodic , Humans , Adult , Thinking , Mental Recall , PleasureABSTRACT
Across four experiments (N = 1,923), this research provides converging evidence of a talisman effect of insurance-consumers who have an insurance policy feel that the covered mishap is less likely to occur. Although such an effect has previously been proposed, empirical evidence for it is limited, in part because the talisman effect has often been conflated with a related but distinct magical-thinking phenomenon, the tempting-fate effect. By disentangling these two effects, we are better able to isolate the talisman effect and show that it is a robust phenomenon in its own right. We also provide support for a mechanism underlying the talisman effect: Insurance reduces anxiety and repetitious thoughts related to the mishap; with fewer thoughts about the mishap, its cognitive availability is lower and so it seems less likely to occur.
Subject(s)
Anxiety , Insurance , Humans , Anxiety/psychology , Magic , Thinking , CognitionABSTRACT
The compound nature of creativity entails the interplay of multiple cognitive processes, making it difficult to attribute creativity to a single neural signature. Divergent thinking paradigms, widely adopted to investigate creative production, have highlighted the key role of specific mental operations subserving creativity, such as inhibition of external stimuli, loose semantic associations, and mental imagery. Neurophysiological studies have typically shown a high alpha rhythm synchronization when individuals are engaged in creative ideation. Also, oculomotor activity and pupil diameter have been proposed as useful indicators of mental operations involved in such a thinking process. The goal of this study was to investigate whether beyond alpha-band activity other higher frequency bands, such as beta and gamma, may subserve divergent and convergent thinking and whether those could be associated with a different gaze bias and pupil response during ideas generation. Implementing a within-subjects design we collected behavioral measures, neural activity, gaze patterns, and pupil dilation while participants performed a revised version of the Alternative Uses Task, in which divergent thinking is contrasted to convergent thinking. As expected, participants took longer to generate creative ideas as compared to common ones. Interestingly, during divergent thinking participants displayed alpha synchronization along with beta and gamma desynchronization, more pronounced leftward gaze shift, and greater pupil dilation. During convergent thinking, an opposite pattern was observed: desynchronization in alpha and an increase in beta and gamma rhythm, along with a reduction of leftward gaze shift and greater pupil constriction. The present study uncovered specific neural dynamics and physiological patterns during idea generation, providing novel insight into the complex physiological signature of creative production.
Subject(s)
Creativity , Thinking , Humans , Thinking/physiology , Electroencephalography , Cognition , Alpha Rhythm/physiologyABSTRACT
Episodic future thinking (EFT) refers to the critical ability that enables people to construct and pre-experience the vivid mental imagery about future events, which impacts on the decision-making for individuals and group. Although EFT is generally believed to have a visual nature by theorists, little neuroscience evidence has been provided to verify this assumption. Here, by employing the approach of connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) and graph-theoretical analysis, we analyzed resting-state functional brain image from 191 participants to predict their variability of EFT ability (leave-one-out cross-validation), and validated the results by applying different parcellation schemas and feature selection thresholds. At the connectome strength level, CPM-based analysis revealed that EFT ability could be predicted by the connectome strength of visual network. Besides, at the network level, graph-theoretical analysis showed that EFT ability could be predicted by the network efficiency of visual network. Moreover, these findings were replicated using different parcellation schemas and feature selection thresholds. These results robustly and collectively supported that the visual network might be one of the neural substrates underlying EFT ability from a comprehensive perspective of resting-state functional connectivity strength and the neural network. This study provides indications on how the function of visual network supports EFT ability, and enhances our understanding of the EFT ability from a neural basis perspective.
Subject(s)
Connectome , Memory, Episodic , Humans , Thinking , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Brain/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
Funções executivas (FE) referem-se ao conjunto de habilidades que, de forma integrada, coordenam o comportamento e a cognição. Assim, o comprometimento no desenvolvimento das FE está ligado a vários desfechos negativos ao longo da vida. Portanto, a avaliação dessas habilidades na infância é essencial para identificar e prevenir prejuízos na vida adulta. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar evidências de validade do Teste Informatizado para Avaliação das Funções Executivas (Tafe) pelo critério de idade e pelo padrão de correlação entre medidas do TAFE e outras medidas de FE. Para isso, foi utilizada uma amostra de 51 crianças, entre 4 e 10 anos de idade, matriculadas em uma escola privada na cidade de Goiânia (GO), da pré-escola ao 4º ano do ensino fundamental. Como instrumentos, foram utilizados, além do Tafe, as tarefas de Bloco de Corsi, Teste de Trilhas A e B, Teste de Trilhas Pré-Escolares, Teste de Stroop Pré-Escolares e Subteste Dígitos da Escala Wechsler de Inteligência. Foram conduzidas análises estatísticas Kruskal Wallis para verificar a evidência de validade por relação com idade e análises de correlação não paramétrica de Spearman para avaliar as evidências de validade convergente. O instrumento investigado mostrou-se efetivo para discriminar entre as diferentes faixas etárias, assim, sensível ao desenvolvimento das FE. Os resultados obtidos no Tafe correlacionaram-se aos obtidos em outros testes que também avaliaram FE, mostrando claros padrões de convergência. Logo, as análises dos resultados fornecem evidências de validade ao Tafe, derivadas a partir de diferentes estratégias de investigação.(AU)
Executive functions (EF) refer to the set of skills that, in an integrated way, coordinate behavior and cognition. Thus, the commitment in developing EF is linked to several negative outcomes throughout life. Therefore, the assessment of these abilities in childhood is essential to identify and prevent possible harm in adult life. This study aimed to investigate evidences of validity of the Computerized Test for Evaluation of Executive Functions (TAFE) by the age criterion and by the pattern of correlation between TAFE measures and other EF measures. To this end, a sample of 51 children, between 4 and 10 years old, enrolled in a private school in the municipality of Goiânia (GO), from preschool to the 4th year of elementary school, was used. As instruments, in addition to TAFE, the tasks of Corsi Block, Trails Test A and B, Preschool Trails Test, Preschool Stroop Test and the Digits Subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale were used. Kruskal Wallis statistical analyzes were conducted to verify the evidence of validity by age criteria and Spearman's nonparametric correlation analysis to assess evidence of convergent validation. The instrument investigated was effective to discriminate between different age groups, thus being sensitive to the development of EF. The results obtained in TAFE were correlated with those obtained in other tests that also assess FE, showing patterns of convergence. Therefore, the analysis of the results provides validation evidence to TAFE, derived from different investigation methods.(AU)
Las funciones ejecutivas (FE) se refieren al conjunto de habilidades que coordinan la conducta y la cognición. Así, el deterioro en el desarrollo de FE está relacionado con varios resultados negativos durante la vida. Por tanto, la valoración de estas habilidades en la infancia es fundamental para identificar y prevenir posibles daños en la vida adulta. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar la evidencia de validez de la Prueba Computarizada para Evaluación de Funciones Ejecutivas (Tafe) por el criterio de edad y convergencia entre las medidas Tafe y otras medidas de FE. Para ello, se utilizó una muestra de 51 niños, de entre 4 y 10 años de edad, matriculados en un colegio privado de Goiânia (Goiás, Brasil) desde la preescolar hasta 4.º de primaria. Como instrumentos, además del Tafe, se utilizaron las tareas de Bloque de Corsi, el Test de los senderos A y B, el Test de los Senderos Preescolares, el Test de Stroop Preescolar y la Subprueba de Dígitos de la Escala Wechsler de Inteligencia. Se realizaron análisis estadísticos de Kruskal Wallis para verificar la validez por criterios de edad y análisis de correlación no-paramétrica de Spearman para evaluar la evidencia de validez convergente. Tafe demostró ser efectivo para discriminar entre diferentes grupos de edad, así es sensible al desarrollo de FE. Los resultados en Tafe se correlacionaron con los obtenidos en otras pruebas de FE, lo que muestra claros patrones de convergencia. Por tanto, el análisis aporta evidencias de validez para Tafe, derivadas de diferentes estrategias de investigación.(AU)