[Abilitest battery - psychometric properties: a preliminary study]. / Bateria testów abilitest ­ wlasnosci psychometryczne narzedzi: badania wstepne.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive efficiency is crucial for many areas of human activity. It affects the employees' efficiency and safety at the workplace. An important element of the prevention of accidents at work is the appropriate professional selection, which consists in checking the characteristics of candidates needed for a given position, and for this purpose, a psychological diagnosis is carried out. The aim of the study was to develop tools for cognitive diagnosis that are characterized by good psychometric properties. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tools for the diagnosis of simple reaction time (Abili-time), choice reaction time (Abili-select), prolonged attention (Abili-space, Abili-digit), and working memory (Abili-langmem, Abili-mathmem) were developed. Validation studies were conducted with 221 individuals aged 20-60 to assess relevance and reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability), and with the participation of 61 in a retest 3 months after the first measurement. Paper tests (CTT, TUS, Digit Span from WAIS-R(PL)) and tests from the Vienna test system (RT, SIGNAL, CORSI, ALS) were used to assess validity. RESULTS: The analysis showed that the Abili-time and Abili-select tests have satisfactory internal consistency. Analysis of temporal stability showed significant test-retest correlations for Abili-select, Abili-space, Abili-digit and Abili-langmem. Abili-time had slightly lower temporal stability. The temporal stability of Abili-mathmem was not confirmed. Significant correlations were obtained between the results of the developed tools with measures measuring similar constructs. CONCLUSIONS: The conducted research confirms the validity and reliability of Abili-time, Abili-select and Abili-space. Further work is needed on working memory tests, which are noteworthy due to the lack of other tools available on the market to test these functions. Further research should involve more people as well as carrying out standardization work. Med Pr. 2023;74(2):103-18.

[Measurement of stress response in laboratory settings - a review of studies using stress induction protocols]. / Pomiar reakcji stresowej w warunkach laboratoryjnych ­ przeglad badan wykorzystujacych protokoly wzbudzania stresu.

Stress is one of the main reasons for deterioration in mental and physical health, and it leads to a decrease in work efficiency. Providing appropriate methods of diagnosing the level of stress allows for making a reliable verification of the effectiveness of stress reduction interventions and for assessing individual differences in reactivity to stress. The aim of this study was to review the available studies that use the most common stress induction protocols in laboratory settings and measure psychophysiological reactions to stress. The review included research using the following protocols: MIST, MA, TSST, Stroop Test and PASAT, and measuring brain activity, heart activity, cortisol levels and muscle tones. The analyzes included papers available in the PubMed database, published in 2015‒2021, in which studies were conducted on healthy adults. The analysis of the available studies revealed that the protocols induced changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system, the cardiovascular system and brain activity. Moreover, TSST is a protocol that is most often used to assess the level of stress and differences in reactivity to induced stress depending on individual differences in personality traits, and to make the comparison of specific groups of people. Measurements of induced stress are usually done by analyzing the cortisol levels in response to stress and changes in heart activity. The MIST test is a commonly used method in neuroimaging studies. The analysis of the research results has revealed that the protocols, beside inducing a typical physiological response, are associated with blunting the physiological response to stress in some people. Med Pr. 2022;73(3):251-70.

[The impact of physical activity on cognitive functions]. / Wplyw aktywnosci fizycznej na sprawnosc poznawcza.

In recent decades we have observed a progressive aging of the society. A growing number of elderly people is associated with an increase in the percentage of people whose cognitive functions are decreasing. It is important to counteract this process and develop lifestyle recommendations that will allow to delay the process of cognitive decline. Regular physical activity has a beneficial effect on health and cognitive performance, especially on executive functions. Data shows the positive impact of physical exercise, both aerobic and resistance training, and their combination, on cognitive performance. Potential biological mechanisms that may underlie the effectiveness of physical exercise include increased blood flow through the brain, changes in the release of neurotransmitters, and the process of neurogenesis. The aim of the article is to analyze the recent research taking into account the relationship between physical activity and cognitive skills. The research published in 2015-2020 was analyzed. The review concerns the effect of physical activity, not a combination of cognitive training and physical exercise, on cognitive skills in a group of healthy adults and the elderly. Studies that defined physical activity as sports, as well as increasing daily activity to reduce a sedentary lifestyle, were analyzed. The analysis of the available data indicates that researchers report positive effects of increasing physical activity on cognitive performance, mainly executive functions (e.g., working memory), but also attention and memory. Only a few studies have not reported any significant differences. However, the analysis of the research shows the lack of uniform methods of measuring the intensity of physical activity, as well as efficiency of cognitive functions. More research is needed to examine the long-term effects. Another study should be conducted to present the most effective intervention techniques and prepare recommendations for maintaining preserved cognitive functions. Further research should be conducted to control variables that affect the acquisition of cognitive skills and cognitive effectiveness during the intervention. Med Pr. 2021;72(4):437-50.

Cognitive functions of shift workers: paramedics and firefighters - an electroencephalography study.

Introduction. Working shifts has a negative impact on employee health and cognitive efficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of shift work on cognitive functions - attention and working memory - using both behavioural and electrophysiological measures. Methods. The study was carried out on a group of 34 shift employees (18 paramedics, 16 firefighters) and on 17 day workers. Participants performed the attention network test and the N-back task with two conditions (1-back, 2-back) while the electroencephalography signal was recorded. Results. Observations included a higher amplitude of the P200 potential in paramedics (compared to the control group), a higher amplitude of the P300 potential after work than on a day off and the lowest increase in power in the θ band after the night shift. In firefighters, lower α desynchronization and lower synchronization in the α/ß band were observed after a 24-h shift. Paramedics and firefighters had longer reaction times (N-back task). Conclusions. The results suggest that paramedics experience problems with sustained attention. Paramedics process visual stimuli in a different way; after a night shift, performing the tasks required more engagement of cognitive resources. For firefighters, a decrease in visual attention functions and cognitive inhibition was observed.