Emotional responses of college students to filtered fluorescent lighting in a classroom (v3).

Background: Classroom lighting, usually bright fluorescent light, can significantly influence the learning environment and emotions of students. Objective: To assess the emotional impact of classroom lighting on students during an academic year. Methods: This study used an ABAB withdrawal research design in the following manner: in phase A, the baseline condition, classroom lighting was provided by conventional overhead white fluorescent classroom lights; in phase B, the intervention condition, the conventional overhead white fluorescent classroom lights were covered with fabric filters (thin, translucent, creamy-colored plastic sheets) that were attached to the lighting fixture frame with magnetic discs. The filters produced softer light in the classroom than the fluorescent lights. Each phase lasted for at least 2 weeks. During each phase, students rated 18 pairs of words from the Mehrabian and Russell pleasure, arousal, and dominance semantic differential scale at least four times to assess the emotional impact of the lighting conditions. Results: For all three emotional behaviors, the mean score of the filtered fluorescent light phase was significantly greater than the mean score of the baseline unfiltered fluorescent lighting phase, indicating more positive emotional responses. Students also noted they experienced fewer headaches and found it easier to see the whiteboard at the front of the classroom when the light filters were in place. Conclusion: The light filters exerted a positive impact on the students' emotions. Students preferred the filtered lighting to fluorescent lighting. This study supports the installation of filters over fluorescent lights in a college classroom.

A Magic Trick Training Program to Improve Social Skills and Self-Esteem in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

IMPORTANCE: Low social competence is one of the most complex and resistant challenges faced by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occupational therapy practitioners have recognized the potential benefits of using the arts, including training in magic tricks, as a therapeutic medium to improve and enhance clients' psychosocial well-being. OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy of a virtual magic trick training program (MTTP) to enhance social skills and self-esteem in adolescents with ASD. DESIGN: Pragmatic, nonrandomized, wait-list controlled trial with 1-mo follow-up. SETTING: Participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen adolescents (ages 9-15 yr) with ASD participated in the MTTP, 9 in the first cohort and 8 in the second (wait-list control) cohort. INTERVENTION: Participants received magic trick training from occupational therapy students in pairs via videoconferencing in 45-min sessions, 3 days/wk, for 3 wk. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Social Skills Improvement System before and after participating in the program. RESULTS: Between-cohort effect sizes (Cohen's d) were 0.58 for social skills and 0.66 for self-esteem, considered moderate effects. Combining the two cohorts revealed significant improvements in social skills and self-esteem, with gains maintained at 1-mo follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this study support our hypothesis that adolescents with ASD who participate in the 3-wk virtual MTTP can experience enhanced social skills and self-esteem. What This Article Adds: Learning magic tricks through individual coaching from occupational therapy students in a virtual environment can enhance the social skills and self-esteem of adolescents with ASD.

Changes in cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone levels immediately after urban park visits.

The purpose of this study is to explore physiological and psychological changes immediately after a short-term visit to urban parks in an uncontrolled condition. Sixty park visitors completed a short questionnaire evaluating their subjective well-being (SWB) and donated a saliva sample immediately before and after their park visit. In addition, participants wore a pedometer to track their physical activity level during the park visit. Results indicated the levels of all biomarkers (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], and cortisol/DHEA ratio) decreased while SWB scores increased after the park visit. The duration of park visit was identified as a key variable significantly associated with cortisol reduction, and changes in SWB scores after the park visit were significantly associated with changes in cortisol level. A park visit duration of 21.8 min has the predictive ability to discriminate park visitors who exhibit reductions in cortisol levels after the park visit from those who do not.

Transition to wellness: developing a telehealth wellness program to address student fieldwork challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Transition to Wellness Program is an occupational therapy (OT) based program that was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For OT students, fieldwork is a required element of their training. In March 2020, these were being halted due to lockdowns and the risk to students in healthcare settings. Facing significant delays to graduation for 60 students, including some unable to be placed into healthcare settings due to underlying conditions, the development of a telehealth program was conceived to address this, while still meeting the accreditation clinical/health/wellness standards for OT fieldwork. A group of students, with faculty oversight, developed the theoretical basis, tools, policies and procedures for the program. An incremental launch allowed testing and refinement of the program to meet the educational needs of the students and the wellness needs of the clients. At its launch, the program supported 10 of that cohorts' 60 students to continue to meet the required academic standards and progress through their fieldwork towards graduation. Each student got to experience the "telehealth" model in providing OT wellness interventions to individuals in the local community. Future work will focus on continuing to broaden the reach of the program and measure the outcomes.

What are the factors associated with neighborhood park visits and health in Alabama? A cross-sectional study using a path model.

This study seeks to examine the effect of the characteristics of park users, park characteristics, and the neighborhood environment on park visits and the resultant perceived health status of residents living in Alabama, US. One hundred and eighty-nine participants, representing residents from 49 counties in Alabama, were recruited via a random-digit dial method to complete a telephone survey related to park visits. Data collection spanned 11 months. Results from the path analysis indicated a few significant direct effects: park location and body mass index (BMI) were the only two factors significantly associated with park visits, with race being marginally significant; and work status was significantly associated with perceived health. Our findings suggest park proximity, and high BMI are related to park visits and work status is related to perceived health among Alabamians. It is recommended that more neighborhood parks are needed for promoting Alabamians to visit them more frequently.

Contribution of a virtual magic camp to enhancing self-esteem in children with ADHD: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to experience low self-esteem. Magic, a performing art, when used therapeutically, has been shown to enhance self-esteem in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there is a paucity of evaluation studies using this intervention applied to children with ADHD. PURPOSE: This single-group study aims to describe the effectiveness of a virtual summer magic camp program to enhance self-esteem in children and adolescents with ADHD. METHOD: Six children with ADHD, age 8.6-14.3 years, who participated in a virtual magic camp program for children with disabilities, were included in this study. The camp met 3 days a week, about 45 min to an hour each session, over four consecutive weeks for a total of 9 to 12 hours. Participants completed the assessments before the beginning of the camp and post-camp. In addition, participants and their parents were individually interviewed to explore their camp experience at the post-camp data point. RESULTS: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at post-magic camp, median=21.5, were significantly higher than the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at baseline, median=19.5, with z=2.23, p=.026. The effect size of the virtual magic camp on self-esteem was .64, which is considered moderate. Findings were validated by the participants describing gains in self-esteem after participation in the magic camp and by the parents' statements regarding the positive impact on their child's psychological well-being. DISCUSSION: This study supported the hypothesis that children with ADHD who participated in a four-week virtual magic camp experienced enhanced self-esteem. Future studies should investigate the holistic impact of magic camps on children and adolescents with ADHD and include measures that tap into other psychosocial attributes such as social functioning, social skills, and self-efficacy.

The 'magic' of magic camp from the perspective of children with hemiparesis.

Previous studies have examined the quantitative results of using an organized approach of teaching and learning magic tricks-a therapeutic magic camp-but set aside the qualitative aspect. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the interpretation of the lived experience of children with hemiparesis after they have participated in a therapeutic magic camp. Six children, aged between 11 and 14 years old, with hemiparesis who completed the magic camp program 3 months prior were invited to participate in an in-person individual semistructured interview. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for content analysis. Results from the initial qualitative analysis yielded categories of enjoyment, positive social and learning experience from participation in the camp, increased confidence, and self-motivation to use the affected upper limb. These categories were grouped into two themes: "having fun with others while learning" and "helping my arm perform." Having fun with others while learning was an amalgamation of fun, and positive social and learning experience. Helping my arm perform reflected a sense of increased competence and self-belief, and a willingness and motivation of the children to attempt challenging daily activities. The lived experiences of children with hemiplegia who participated in an organized delivery of learning to perform magic tricks yield-ed positive outcomes. These themes are consistent with the limited literature that is available suggesting that further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of the therapeutic magic camp intervention.

Learning words in space and time: Contrasting models of the suspicious coincidence effect.

In their 2007b Psychological Review paper, Xu and Tenenbaum found that early word learning follows the classic logic of the "suspicious coincidence effect:" when presented with a novel name ('fep') and three identical exemplars (three Labradors), word learners generalized novel names more narrowly than when presented with a single exemplar (one Labrador). Xu and Tenenbaum predicted the suspicious coincidence effect based on a Bayesian model of word learning and demonstrated that no other theory captured this effect. Recent empirical studies have revealed, however, that the effect is influenced by factors seemingly outside the purview of the Bayesian account. A process-based perspective correctly predicted that when exemplars are shown sequentially, the effect is eliminated or reversed (Spencer, Perone, Smith, & Samuelson, 2011). Here, we present a new, formal account of the suspicious coincidence effect using a generalization of a Dynamic Neural Field (DNF) model of word learning. The DNF model captures both the original finding and its reversal with sequential presentation. We compare the DNF model's performance with that of a more flexible version of the Bayesian model that allows both strong and weak sampling assumptions. Model comparison results show that the dynamic field account provides a better fit to the empirical data. We discuss the implications of the DNF model with respect to broader contrasts between Bayesian and process-level models.

Evaluation of a Magic Camp for Children with Hemiparesis: A Pilot Study.

This single-group open trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-week magic camp as a means of hand-arm motor skills training to improve upper limb motor function (unilateral and bilateral) in children with hemiparesis. Seven children with hemiparesis participated in a magic camp program which met 3 days a week, 4 hours each day, for two consecutive weeks for a total of 24 hours. Participants completed three assessments at the beginning of the camp, post-camp, and at a three-month follow-up: the Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT), Children's Hand Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ), and a box opening task that required coordination of both upper limbs. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant improvement in JHFT composite scores of the affected limb at post-camp (p = .04) and three-month follow-up (p = .04). In addition, a significant improvement in the number of activities performed using two hands from baseline to three-month follow-up was observed (p = .03). This pattern of improvement was also observed in the speed of completion for the box opening task. The improvement in motor function seems related to the participants' continuing performing daily activities with the affected hand and two hands after the magic camp.

Factors associated with changes in subjective well-being immediately after urban park visit.

This study aimed to explore the amenable factors contributing to the improvement in subjective well-being (SWB) immediately after a short-term visit to an urban park in an uncontrolled condition. Ninety-four park visitors from three urban parks completed a short questionnaire evaluating SWB (with two components: affect and life satisfaction) immediately before and after their park visit. In addition, their level of physical activity was tracked by wearing an accelerometer during the park visit. Results indicated a significant improvement in SWB, affect, and life satisfaction scores of park visitor participants from before and after their visit. Duration of park visit was bivariately associated with SWB scores, and independently associated with the improvement in life satisfaction scores, controlling for parks and age, after the visit; a 20.5-min park visit predicted the highest overall accuracy (64%) improvement in life satisfaction. It is recommended that design of the park space should attract visitors to stay for at least 20 min in the park.

Development and Validation of the Hocus Focus Magic Performance Evaluation Scale for Health Professions Personnel in the United States.

PUPROSE: This study is to describe the development and validation of the Hocus Focus Magic Performance Evaluation Scale (HFMPES) which is used to evaluate the competency of health professions personnel in delivering magic tricks as a therapeutic modality. METHODS: A two-phase validation process was used. Phase I content validation involved 16 magician judges who independently rated the relevance of each of the five items in the HFMPES and established the veracity of its content. Phase II was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HFMPES. This process involved 2 magicians using the HFMPES to independently evaluate 73 occupational therapy graduate students demonstrating three magic tricks. RESULTS: The HFMPES achieved an excellent scale-content validity index of .99. Exploratory factor analysis of the HFMPES scores revealed one distinct factor with alpha coefficients ≥.8 across the three magic tricks. The construct validity of the HFMPES scores was further supported by the evidence from the known-groups analysis in which Mann-Whitney U test showed significant difference in HFMPES scores between participants with different levels of experience in delivering the three magic tricks. The inter-rater reliability coefficients were ≥.75 across the three magic tricks, which indicated that evaluation of the competency of health professions personnel in delivering the three magic tricks can be evaluated precisely. CONCLUSION: Preliminary evidence supported the content and construct validity of the HFMPES with good internal consistency and inter-rate reliabilities in evaluating health professions personnel's competency in delivering magic tricks.

A Dynamic Neural Gradient Model of Two-Item and Intermediate Transposition.

Transposition is a tendency for organisms to generalize relationships between stimuli in situations where training does not objectively reward relationships over absolute, static associations. Transposition has most commonly been explained as either conceptual understanding of relationships (Köhler, 1938) as nonconceptual effects of neural memory gradients (as in Spence's stimulus discrimination theory, 1937 ). Most behavioral evidence can be explained by the gradient account, but a key finding unexplained by gradients is intermediate transposition, where a central (of three) stimulus, "relationally correct response," is generalized from training to test. Here, we introduce a dynamic neural field (DNF) model that captures intermediate transposition effects while using neural mechanisms closely resembling those of Spence's original proposal. The DNF model operates on dynamic rather than linear neural relationships, but it still functions by way of gradient interactions, and it does not invoke relational conceptual understanding in order to explain transposition behaviors. In addition to intermediate transposition, the DNF model also replicates the predictions of stimulus discrimination theory with respect to basic two-stimulus transposition. Effects of wider test item spacing were additionally captured. Overall, the DNF model captures a wider range of effects in transposition than stimulus discrimination theory, uses more fully specified neural mechanics, and integrates transposition into a wider modeling effort across cognitive tasks and phenomena. At the same time, the model features a similar low-level focus and emphasis on gradient interactions as Spence's, serving as a conceptual continuation and updating of Spence's work in the field of transposition.

Preparing Physical and Occupational Therapists to Be Health Promotion Practitioners: A Call for Action.

Experts around the world support the integration of health promotion and wellness (HPW) services into traditional health care services. If successfully executed, the addition of HPW services would reduce rates of death and disability and significantly reduce health care costs. While all health care providers should be engaged in providing HPW services, many believe that physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) are uniquely positioned to provide these services. However, research suggests that clinicians in both fields may fall short in doing so. Likewise, research indicates that entry-level educational programs inadequately prepare PT and OT students to be HPW practitioners. The overall purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations to educators for preparing PT and OT students and clinicians to better meet the HPW needs of the clients and patients they serve.

Investigation of the relationship between anthropometric measurements and maximal handgrip strength in young adults.

BACKGROUND: To identify physical measures that predict maximal handgrip strength (MHGS) and provide evidence for identifying lack of sincerity of effort when assessing upper extremity weakness. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated anthropometric measurements associated with MHGS of healthy young adults. METHODS: A convenience sample of 150 healthy adults ages 19 to 34 years old completed the MHGS assessment, which was measured using a Jamar dynamometer according to the protocol of the American Society of Hand Therapists, for both dominant and non-dominant hands. Several anthropometric data were collected, which included height, body weight, forearm length, forearm circumference, hand length, and hand width. RESULTS: Multivariable linear regression analysis indicated gender and hand width were uniquely and significantly associated with participants' MHGS for dominant and non-dominant hand and accounted for more than 60% of the variance, with R2 = 0.60, P < 0.001 for the dominant hand model and R2 = 0.64, P < 0.001 for the non-dominant hand model. CONCLUSIONS: Among the forearm and hand anthropometric measures, hand width is the best predictor of MHGS in both the non-dominant and dominant hands for healthy young adults.

Factors Associated With the Use of Standardized Power Mobility Skills Assessments Among Assistive Technology Practitioners.

This study investigated self-reported prevalence of and factors affecting clinicians' use of standardized assessments when evaluating clients for power mobility devices (PMDs), and explored assessments clinicians typically use when carrying out PMD evaluation. An e-mail survey was sent to assistive technology professionals listed in the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America directory. Three hundred fifty-four respondents, qualified to conduct formal power mobility skills assessments, completed the online survey. Of those, 122 (34.5%) respondents reported that they were aware of the presence of standardized performance-based power mobility skills assessments, but only 28 (7.9%) used these assessments in their practice. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of the respondents who use the standardized assessments were 18 times higher for those who were aware of the presence of these assessments than those who were not (adjusted odds ratio [OR] OR = 17.85, P < 0.0001). The odds of using the standardized assessment for respondents who did not identify themselves as occupational or physical therapists were five times higher than those who were therapists (adjusted OR = 0.20, P < 0.0001). This survey revealed that the assistive technology practitioners who recommend PMDs mainly use non-standardized mobility skills assessments.

Experience of Multisensory Environments in Public Space among People with Visual Impairment.

This qualitative study explored the role of sensory characteristics embedded in the built environment and whether they support or hinder people with visual impairment in their use of public spaces. An online survey link was e-mailed to the presidents and committee members of each state's chapters and associations of the National Federation of the Blind in the United States, resulting in 451 direct invitations to participate. Written responses of the survey questions from 48 respondents with visual impairment were analyzed. Three main themes: Barriers, Supporters, and Context-Dependence emerged from the respondents' experience of multisensory characteristics within the built environment. The four subthemes subsumed in Barriers were: (1) Population specific design, (2) Extreme sensory backgrounds, (3) Uneven ground surfaces and objects, and (4) Inconsistent lighting. For Supporters, respondents provided specific examples of various sensory characteristics in built environments, including audible cues and echoes, smells, tactile quality of the ground surface, and temperature. Context-Dependence referred to the effects of sensory characteristics embedded in public spaces depending on one's vision condition, the proximity to the sensory cues and the purpose of the activities one was performing at that moment. Findings provide occupational therapy practitioners an in-depth understanding of the transactional relationship between embedded sensory characteristics in the built environment, occupations, and people with visual impairment in order to make appropriate modifications or removal of barriers that affect occupational performance and engagement. Suggestions for occupational therapists as well as architects, designers, planners, policy makers/legislators related to functional sensory cues in the design of built environments were provided to increase accessibility in the use of public spaces by people with visual impairment.

Disparities in Quality of Park Play Spaces between Two Cities with Diverse Income and Race/Ethnicity Composition: A Pilot Study.

This study investigated the differences in the quality of park play spaces between an affluent and a non-affluent community in a large US Southeastern metropolitan area. Two cities were purposefully selected to reflect differences in household income and race/ethnicity characteristics. Using the Playable Space Quality Assessment Tool (PSQAT), all parks (n = 11, with six in the affluent city, and five in the non-affluent city) in these two cities were evaluated. The data were analyzed across three aspects of environmental features of the PSQAT: Location, Play Value and Care and Maintenance between parks in the two cities. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test the study hypotheses. Results indicated significant differences between parks in the two cities in all three aspects of the PSQAT with p-values ≤ 0.03 and effect sizes of > 0.65, suggesting that the affluent city had parks of a higher quality than the non-affluent city. Significant disparity in Play Value (p = 0.009) in parks between these two communities suggests that children and young people are likely to have different experiences of the play spaces in their locality and therefore may experience different physical and psychological health benefits.

Grounding cognitive-level processes in behavior: the view from dynamic systems theory.

Marr's seminal work laid out a program of research by specifying key questions for cognitive science at different levels of analysis. Because dynamic systems theory (DST) focuses on time and interdependence of components, DST research programs come to very different conclusions regarding the nature of cognitive change. We review a specific DST approach to cognitive-level processes: dynamic field theory (DFT). We review research applying DFT to several cognitive-level processes: object permanence, naming hierarchical categories, and inferring intent, that demonstrate the difference in understanding of behavior and cognition that results from a DST perspective. These point to a central challenge for cognitive science research as defined by Marr-emergence. We argue that appreciating emergence raises questions about the utility of computational-level analyses and opens the door to insights concerning the origin of novel forms of behavior and thought (e.g., a new chess strategy). We contend this is one of the most fundamental questions about cognition and behavior.

Non-Bayesian noun generalization in 3- to 5-year-old children: probing the role of prior knowledge in the suspicious coincidence effect.

It is unclear how children learn labels for multiple overlapping categories such as "Labrador," "dog," and "animal." Xu and Tenenbaum (2007a) suggested that learners infer correct meanings with the help of Bayesian inference. They instantiated these claims in a Bayesian model, which they tested with preschoolers and adults. Here, we report data testing a developmental prediction of the Bayesian model-that more knowledge should lead to narrower category inferences when presented with multiple subordinate exemplars. Two experiments did not support this prediction. Children with more category knowledge showed broader generalization when presented with multiple subordinate exemplars, compared to less knowledgeable children and adults. This implies a U-shaped developmental trend. The Bayesian model was not able to account for these data, even with inputs that reflected the similarity judgments of children. We discuss implications for the Bayesian model, including a combined Bayesian/morphological knowledge account that could explain the demonstrated U-shaped trend.

Plasma copper and zinc concentration in individuals with autism correlate with selected symptom severity.

AIM: To assess plasma zinc and copper concentration in individuals with autism and correlate these levels with symptom severity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Plasma from 102 autistic individuals, and 18 neurotypical controls, were tested for plasma zinc and copper using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Copper and zinc levels and Cu/Zn were analyzed for possible correlation with severity of 19 symptoms. RESULTS: Autistic individuals had elevated plasma levels of copper and Cu/Zn and lower, but not significantly lower, plasma Zn compared to neurotypical controls. There was a correlation between Cu/Zn and expressive language, receptive language, focus attention, hyperactivity, fine motor skills, gross motor skills and Tip Toeing. There was a negative correlation between plasma zinc concentration and hyperactivity, and fine motor skills severity. DISCUSSION: These results suggest an association between plasma Cu/Zn and severity of symptoms associated with autism.