			Home About us Contact

Cognitive Demands (cognitive + demand)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	28%
Psychology	21%
Education	21%
Humanities and Social Sciences	14%

Selected Abstracts

Using data mining to predict K,12 students' performance on large-scale assessment items related to energy

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2008
Xiufeng Liu
This article reports a study on using data mining to predict K,12 students' competence levels on test items related to energy. Data sources are the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 1999 TIMSS-Repeat, 2003 Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Student population performances, that is, percentages correct, are the object of prediction. Two data mining algorithms, C4.5 and M5, are used to construct a decision tree and a linear function to predict students' performance levels. A combination of factors related to content, context, and cognitive demand of items and to students' grade levels are found to predict student population performances on test items. Cognitive demands have the most significant contribution to the prediction. The decision tree and linear function agree with each other on predictions. We end the article by discussing implications of findings for future science content standard development and energy concept teaching. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 554,573, 2008 [source]

Dissociation between MEG alpha modulation and performance accuracy on visual working memory task in obsessive compulsive disorder

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 12 2007
Kristina T. Ciesielski
Abstract Oscillatory brain activity in the alpha band (8,13 Hz) is modulated by cognitive events. Such modulation is reflected in a decrease of alpha (event-related desynchronization; ERD) with high cognitive load, or an increase (event-related synchronization) with low cognitive demand or with active inhibition of distractors. We used magnetoencephalography to investigate the pattern of prefrontal and parieto-occipital alpha modulation related to two variants of visual working memory task (delayed matching-to-sample) with and without a distractor. We tested nonmedicated, nondepressed patients suffering obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and pair-matched healthy controls. The level of event-related alpha as a function of time was estimated using the temporal-spectral evolution technique. The results in OCD patients indicated: (1) a lower level of prestimulus (reference) alpha when compared to controls, (2) a task-phase specific reduction in event-related alpha ERD in particular for delayed matching-to-sample task with distractor, (3) no significant correlations between the pattern of modulation in prefrontal and parietal-occipital alpha oscillatory activity. Despite showing an abnormally low alpha modulation, the OCD patients' performance accuracy was normal. The results suggest a relationship of alpha oscillations and the underlying thalamocortical network to etiology of OCD and an involvement of a compensatory mechanism related to effortful inhibition of extrinsic and intrinsic interference. Hum Brain Mapp 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Using data mining to predict K,12 students' performance on large-scale assessment items related to energy

Intake of Energy Drinks in Association With Alcoholic Beverages in a Cohort of Students of the School of Medicine of the University of Messina

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2007
Alessandro Oteri
Background:, Energy drinks (ED) are a widely used group of beverages known for their stimulant effects on central nervous system (CNS). The main components of ED are caffeine, taurine, carbohydrates, glucuronolactone, inositol, niacin, pantenol, and , -complex vitamins. The studies evaluating the effects of ED describe improvements in attention and/or reaction times and indices of alertness. It has been also shown that combination of caffeine and glucose, fundamental constituents of ED, can ameliorate deficits in cognitive performance and subjective fatigue during extended periods of cognitive demand. Moreover, the associated ingestion of alcohol and ED has recently been observed to be becoming more and more widespread. Methods:, With the aim to know the habits and uses of students, we administered a questionnaire containing questions regarding ED drinking alone or in association with alcoholic beverages. Five hundred students of the School of Medicine of the University of Messina were interviewed, and 450 filled the questionnaire. Results:, A total of 56.9% of students declared using ED. A great part of users (48.4%) associate frequently ED and alcohol. In particular, 35.8% of ED + alcohol users have used ED + alcohol more than 3 times in the last month. Distinguishing the users into 2 groups (users of ED + alcohol and users of both ED and ED + alcohol), we observed in the second group a major use of cocktail containing a mix of ED and alcoholic beverages. This difference between the 2 groups is less represented about the ingestion of ED + alcohol in the night. Conclusions:, Our data indicate that association of ED + alcohol is very popular among students. This behavior can be dangerous. In fact, the combination of ED + alcoholic drinks can reduce adversive symptoms of alcohol intoxication including the depressant effects. As consequence, users of ED + alcoholic beverages might not feel the signs of alcohol intoxication, thus increasing the probability of accidents and/or favoring the possibility of development of alcohol dependence. [source]

Can We Predict Task Difficulty in an Oral Proficiency Test?

LANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 3 2001
Exploring the Potential of an Information-Processing Approach to Task Design
This study addresses the following question: Are different task characteristics and performance conditions (involving assumed different levels of cognitive demand) associated with different levels of fluency, complexity, or accuracy in test candidate responses? The materials for the were a series of narrative tasks involving a picture stimulus; the participants were 193 pre-university students taking English courses. We varied the conditions for tasks in each dimension and measured the impact of these factors on task performance with both familiar detailed discourse measures and specially constructed rating scales, analyzed using Rasch methods. We found that task performance conditions in each dimension failed to influence task difficulty and task performance as expected. We discuss implications for the design of speaking assessments and broader research. [source]

Motor and nonmotor event-related potentials during a complex processing task

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2000
Charles H. Hillman
Identification of the necessary stimulus properties to elicit the stimulus preceding negativity (SPN) has been the impetus for numerous research studies. The current study was conducted to explore the possibility that the SPN is an index of cognitive resource allocation. An auditory warning stimulus (S1) indicated whether an easy or difficult discrimination would occur at S2. The SPN was collected before a nonmotor discrimination task (S2) that consisted of identifying the higher of two bars. To eliminate the influence of motor processing prior to S2, a button press on the side of the higher bar was held until perception of a response cue (S3). Additionally, P3, contingent negative variation (CNV), and behavioral measures were collected to assist in assessing the SPN. Results indicated that although the SPN exhibited increased negativity, no differences were observed based on task difficulty. However, task difficulty did affect P3 data for both the warning tone and the discrimination task, an effect not observed for the CNV. Overall, the data did not support that hypothesis that the SPN provides an index of cognitive demand. [source]

Susceptibility of spatial and verbal working memory to demands of the central executive1

JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004
HIROHITO KONDO
Abstract:, We used a dual-task paradigm to examine the degree to which domain-specific spatial and verbal subsystems depend on the domain-general central executive. Forty participants were asked to retain spatial or verbal information while performing a concurrent secondary task related to simple arithmetic. The secondary tasks consisted of three cognitive processes: single-digit addition, a digit-carrying operation, and digit reading. The single-digit addition and carry operation include central executive functioning, while digit reading relies solely on the phonological loop. The single-digit addition caused a performance decrement on the spatial working memory task, while the digit reading impaired performance on the verbal working memory task. The carry operation interfered with recall accuracy on both working memory tasks. The spatial working memory task was significantly correlated with the verbal working memory task only when the secondary task was more demanding on the central executive. Our results suggest that spatial working memory rather than verbal working memory is susceptible to failure of central executive functioning and that the central executive plays an important role in regulating the cognitive demands of different domains. [source]

Organizational meta-scripts as a source of high reliability: the case of an army armored brigade

JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 7 2003
Dov Zohar
Many high-reliability organizations must deal with the problem of requisite cognitive variety in operators of interactively complex technological systems. The present study describes an organizational script strategy dealing with this problem, based on development of shared meta-scripts sustained by continuous learning. Analysis of mission briefing and debriefing protocols in an armored brigade indicated that most task-related interactions were based on script language (i.e., verbs and action phrases signifying particular meta-scripts and relevant contingencies). These protocols suggest that script-trained operators construe complex missions as interchangeable combinations of 15 meta-scripts, reducing cognitive demands or requisite variety to manageable proportions. An ongoing learning process, maintained via repeated script-based feedback during debriefings, further reduces cognitive demands by increasing available variety in operators. Implications for performance reliability in ordinary organizations are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

BOLD Response During Spatial Working Memory in Youth With Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 12 2009
Andrea D. Spadoni
Background:, Prenatal alcohol exposure has been consistently linked to neurocognitive deficits and structural brain abnormalities in affected individuals. Structural brain abnormalities observed in regions supporting spatial working memory (SWM) may contribute to observed deficits in visuospatial functioning in youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Methods:, We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response in alcohol-exposed individuals during a SWM task. There were 22 young subjects (aged 10,18 years) with documented histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (ALC, n = 10), and age- and sex-matched controls (CON, n = 12). Subjects performed a SWM task during fMRI that alternated between 2-back location matching (SWM) and simple attention (vigilance) conditions. Results:, Groups did not differ on task accuracy or reaction time to the SWM condition, although CON subjects had faster reaction times during the vigilance condition (617 millisecond vs. 684 millisecond, p = 0.03). Both groups showed similar overall patterns of activation to the SWM condition in expected regions encompassing bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal lobes and parietal areas. However, ALC subjects showed greater BOLD response to the demands of the SWM relative to the vigilance condition in frontal, insular, superior, and middle temporal, occipital, and subcortical regions. CON youth evidenced less increased brain activation to the SWM relative to the vigilance task in these areas (p < 0.05, clusters > 1,664 ,l). These differences remained significant after including Full Scale IQ as a covariate. Similar qualitative results were obtained after subjects taking stimulant medication were excluded from the analysis. Conclusions:, In the context of equivalent performance to a SWM task, the current results suggest that widespread increases in BOLD response in youth with FASDs could either indicate decreased efficiency of relevant brain networks, or serve as a compensatory mechanism for deficiency at neural and/or cognitive levels. In context of existing fMRI evidence of heightened prefrontal activation in response to verbal working memory and inhibition demands, the present findings may indicate that frontal structures are taxed to a greater degree during cognitive demands in individuals with FASDs. [source]

Early reading in Kannada: the pace of acquisition of orthographic knowledge and phonemic awareness

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 1 2007
Sonali Nag
Acquisition of orthographic knowledge and phonemic sensitivity are processes that are central to early reading development in several languages. The language-specific characteristics of the alphasyllabaries (Bright, 1996), however, challenge the constructs of orthographic knowledge and phonemic sensitivity as discussed in the context of alphabetic scripts. This paper reports a study of 5,10-year-olds in Kannada, an alphasyllabary that represents print in units called akshara. It was hypothesised that in Kannada, when compared with the developmental pace reported in English early reading, (a) akshara knowledge acquisition would take longer and (b) phoneme awareness would be slower to emerge. The study found these hypotheses to hold true across grades and in both low-achieving and effective schools. The paper discusses the nature of the cognitive demands in akshara reading and the akshara -specific characteristics that set a pace of acquisition of orthographic knowledge and phonemic sensitivity that is quite at variance from what has been documented in the alphabetic scripts. [source]

New directions in evaluating social problem solving in childhood: Early precursors and links to adolescent social competence

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 123 2009
Susan H. Landry
A major objective of this chapter is to present a novel, ecologically sensitive social problem-solving task for school-aged children that captures the complexity of social and cognitive demands placed on children in naturalistic situations. Competence on this task correlates with a range of skills including executive functions, verbal reasoning, and attention. Children able to successfully carry out this task in middle school were more competent in early adolescence in collaborating in joint problem-solving tasks with peers and solving conflicts with parents. [source]

Individual and combined impacts of biomechanical and work organization factors in work-related musculoskeletal symptoms,,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2003
Grant D. Huang MPH
Abstract Background Investigations of work-related low back (LB) and upper extremity (UE) disorders have increasingly utilized multivariable models that include biomechanical/physical and work organization factors. However, the nature of any interactive effects is not well understood. Methods Using questionnaires, high and low exposure groups for biomechanical/physical factors, cognitive demands, cognitive processing, interpersonal demands, participatory management, skill discretion, and time pressure for 289 individuals (U.S. Marines) were identified. Musculoskeletal symptom status was also determined by questionnaire. Individual and biomechanical,psychosocial combinations were examined in adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results Time pressure was associated with both LB and UE symptoms (odds ratio(s) (OR) range,=,2.13,3.09), while higher biomechanical exposures were risk factors for LB symptoms (OR,=,2.07; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.00,4.35) and concurrent LB and UE symptoms (OR,=,2.80; CI: 1.35,5.83). Greater risks for concurrent LB and UE symptoms were indicated for combinations involving higher biomechanical exposure and: time pressure (OR,=,2.21; CI: 1.19,4.10); cognitive demands (OR,=,2.25; CI: 1.23,4.09); cognitive processing (OR,=,2.08; CI: 1.16,3.75); interpersonal demands (OR,=,2.44; CI: 1.35,4.41); participatory management (OR,=,2.50; CI: 1.30,4.81). Results did not suggest any interaction between biomechanical and work organization factors. Conclusions While no synergism was indicated, the present findings emphasize the need to consider both biomechanical factors and specific work organization factors, particularly time pressure, in reducing musculoskeletal-related morbidity. Am. J. Ind. Med. 43:495,506, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The n -back as a dual-task: P300 morphology under divided attention

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2001
Scott Watter
The n -back task was hypothesized to be a dual task, permitting the imposition of parametrically increasing attentional and working memory demands, while keeping constant the demands of an embedded matching subtask. Visual targets were presented for 200 ms every 2.2 s at pseudorandomly varying positions on a computer screen. Participants were required to remember the most recent 0, 1, 2, or 3 positions and responded with a choice button push to whether the current target position matched the position presented n items previously. P300 peak latency was constant across n -back tasks, reflecting constant perceptual and cognitive demands of the matching subtask. P300 peak amplitude decreased with increasing memory load, reflecting reallocation of attention and processing capacity away from the matching subtask to working memory activity. These data support a dual-task nature of the n -back, which should be considered when employing this paradigm. [source]

Rey Visual Design Learning Test performance correlates with white matter structure

ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 2 2009
Stefan Begré
Objective:, Studies exploring relation of visual memory to white matter are extensively lacking. The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (RVDLT) is an elementary motion, colour and word independent visual memory test. It avoids a significant contribution from as many additional higher order visual brain functions as possible to visual performance, such as three-dimensional, colour, motion or word-dependent brain operations. Based on previous results, we hypothesised that test performance would be related with white matter of dorsal hippocampal commissure, corpus callosum, posterior cingulate, superior longitudinal fascicle and internal capsule. Methods:, In 14 healthy subjects, we measured intervoxel coherence (IC) by diffusion tensor imaging as an indication of connectivity and visual memory performance measured by the RVDLT. IC considers the orientation of the adjacent voxels and has a better signal-to-noise ratio than the commonly used fractional anisotropy index. Results:, Using voxelwise linear regression analyses of the IC values, we found a significant and direct relationship between 11 clusters and visual memory test performance. The fact that memory performance correlated with white matter structure in left and right dorsal hippocampal commissure, left and right posterior cingulate, right callosal splenium, left and right superior longitudinal fascicle, right medial orbitofrontal region, left anterior cingulate, and left and right anterior limb of internal capsule emphasises our hypothesis. Conclusion:, Our observations in healthy subjects suggest that individual differences in brain function related to the performance of a task of higher cognitive demands might partially be associated with structural variation of white matter regions. [source]