Neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Are we making mountains out of molehills?

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (15) ◽  
pp. 2602-2612 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Moritz ◽  
J. P. Klein ◽  
T. Desler ◽  
H. Lill ◽  
J. Gallinat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Performance Scale ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analyses

BackgroundMost original studies and all meta-analyses conducted to date converge on the conclusion that patients with schizophrenia display rather generalized neurocognitive deficits. For the present study, we reopen this seemingly closed chapter and examine whether important influences, such as lack of motivation and negative attitudes towards cognitive assessment, result in poorer secondary neuropsychological performance.MethodA sample of 50 patients with an established diagnosis of schizophrenia were tested for routine neurocognitive assessment and compared to 60 nonclinical volunteers. Before and after the assessment, subjective momentary influences were examined (e.g. motivation, concerns about assessment, fear about poor outcome) for their impact on performance using a new questionnaire called the Momentary Influences, Attitudes and Motivation Impact (MIAMI) on Cognitive Performance Scale.ResultsAs expected, patients performed significantly worse than controls on all neurocognitive domains tested (large effect size, on average). However, patients also displayed more subjective momentary impairment, as well as more fears about the outcome and less motivation than controls. Mediation analyses indicated that these influences contributed to (secondary) poorer neurocognitive performance. Differences in neurocognitive scores shrank to a medium effect size, on average, when MIAMI scores were accounted for.ConclusionsThe data argue that performance on measures of neurocognition in schizophrenia are to a considerable extent due to secondary factors. Poor motivation, fears and momentary impairments distinguished patients from controls and these variables heavily impacted performance. Before concluding that neurocognitive deficits in psychiatric patients are present, clinicians should take these confounding influences into account. Although patients with schizophrenia achieved, on average, worse test scores than controls, a large subgroup displayed spared performance.

Emotional Expression

2019 ◽  
pp. 421-460
Author(s):  
Paul R. Peluso ◽  
Robert R. Freund
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Psychotherapy Outcome ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Process ◽  
Expression Of Emotion ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Significant Moderator

Although emotion has long been considered important to psychotherapeutic process, empirical assessment of its impact has emerged only recently. This chapter reports two meta-analyses on the association between therapist expression of emotion and psychotherapy outcome and client expression of emotion and psychotherapy outcome. A significant medium effect size was found between impact of therapist emotional expression and outcomes (d = 0.56, 13 studies) and a significant medium-to-large effect size client emotional expression and outcomes (d = 0.85, 43 studies). Third-party rating of emotional expression emerged as a significant moderator of outcomes. Limitations of the research, diversity considerations, and therapeutic practices conclude the chapter.

scholarly journals Effects of Physical Activity Programs on the Improvement of Dementia Symptom: A Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Suk Lee ◽  
Sun Wook Park ◽  
Yoo Jung Park
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Physical Capacity ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
High Effect Size ◽  
High Effect ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analyses

Objective. To confirm that physical activity program improves the symptoms of dementia and the most effective physical activity was selected to help establish exercise programs.Methods. Three databases, PubMed, Science Direct, and Willey online, were used to collect articles. The databases were published between January 2005 and December 2015. Keywords such as “dementia,” and “physical activity” were used in searching for papers. As a result, nine studies were selected in the second screening of the meta-analyses.Results. The improvement in the dementia symptom of physical capacity was 1.05 (high effect size, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.73), ability of activity of daily living was 0.73 (slightly high effect size, 95% CI: 0.23 to 1.23), cognitive function was 0.46 (medium effect size, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.66), and psychological state was 0.39 (lower than the medium effect size, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.77).Conclusion. The physical activity for patients with dementia had an effect on the improvement of physical capacity and combined exercise was the most effective physical activity.

A Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Exposure-Based Treatment in Anxiety Disorders: Implications for Disgust

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-49
Author(s):  
Simona A. PASCAL ◽  
Ioana R. PODINA ◽  
Cătălin NEDELCEA
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Small Effect Size ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Exposure Sessions ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Meta Analyses

Despite of several meta-analyses indicating that exposure-based treatments (EBT) are successful in addressing anxiety and fear symptoms, less is known whether this is also the case for disgust, which also accompanies anxiety disorders. Therefore, the aim of the current meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of EBT on disgust and anxiety (emotional distress), against control condition. This meta-analysis included a total of eight studies. Overall, there was a medium effect size (g = .57, 95% CI: .26 to .88, p < .001) for emotional distress; a medium effect size for anxiety (g = .79, 95% CI: .24 to 1.34, p = .005), yet a small effect size for disgust (g = .36, 95% CI: .05 to .68, p = .024). These findings prompt that current EBT are not tailored to address disgust symptoms accompanying many forms of anxiety disorders, although literature points more and more to a need in this respect. We also examined potential moderator variables (the year of publication, the number of exposure sessions, age of the sample, and gender composition). Additionally, we discussed several strengths and limitations, one of the most important being the small number of studies regarding the subject and their heterogeneity.

scholarly journals Comparisons of summer break effect on anthropometric profile, body composition and somatotype between adolescent swimmers and less active adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-139
Author(s):  
Cesare Altavilla ◽  
Sergio Sellés-Pérez ◽  
Iris Comino-Comino ◽  
Jose Miguel Comeche-Guijarro ◽  
Pablo Caballero-Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Great Increase ◽  
Swimming Activity ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Central Fat ◽  
Anthropometric Profile

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare changes in anthropometric profile, body composition, and somatotype of adolescent swimmers and less active adolescents. Method: We selected 16 swimmers and 8 less active adolescents. The swimmers were divided based on the amount of swimming activity performed per week. A longitudinal study with repeated measures was carried out. The anthropometric profile, body composition, and somatotype were assessed before and after the summer break from swimming activity. Results: Both groups of swimmers showed more changes in anthropometric profile, body composition, and somatotype than the less active adolescents. The very active swimmers showed a higher increase in the sum of the two central skinfolds than peripheral ones (p = 0.018). Both groups of swimmers had a great increase of the percent change in the sum of the two central skinfolds (medium active swimmers: p = 0.006, medium effect size = 0.72; very active swimmers: p = 0.001, medium effect size = 0.64). Conclusions: The fat component seems to be more variable than the muscular and bone component during 55 – 65 days of summer break from swimming activity. The two groups of swimmers showed a preferential accumulation of central fat after the summer break compared to the less active adolescents. The suprailiac and abdominal skinfolds could be used as early predictive measurements to assess changes in body fat.

scholarly journals An Egocentric Network Contact Tracing Experiment: Testing Different Procedures to Elicit Contacts and Places

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1466
Author(s):  
Andrew Pilny ◽  
C. Joseph Huber
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Egocentric Network ◽  
Survey Instruments

Contact tracing is one of the oldest social network health interventions used to reduce the diffusion of various infectious diseases. However, some infectious diseases like COVID-19 amass at such a great scope that traditional methods of conducting contact tracing (e.g., face-to-face interviews) remain difficult to implement, pointing to the need to develop reliable and valid survey approaches. The purpose of this research is to test the effectiveness of three different egocentric survey methods for extracting contact tracing data: (1) a baseline approach, (2) a retrieval cue approach, and (3) a context-based approach. A sample of 397 college students were randomized into one condition each. They were prompted to anonymously provide contacts and populated places visited from the past four days depending on what condition they were given. After controlling for various demographic, social identity, psychological, and physiological variables, participants in the context-based condition were significantly more likely to recall more contacts (medium effect size) and places (large effect size) than the other two conditions. Theoretically, the research supports suggestions by field theory that assume network recall can be significantly improved by activating relevant activity foci. Practically, the research contributes to the development of innovative social network data collection methods for contract tracing survey instruments.

scholarly journals Effect sizes and test-retest reliability of the fMRI-based Neurologic Pain Signature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochun Han ◽  
Yoni K. Ashar ◽  
Philip Kragel ◽  
Bogdan Petre ◽  
Victoria Schelkun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Pain Reports ◽  
Nociceptive Input ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Identifying biomarkers that predict mental states with large effect sizes and high test-retest reliability is a growing priority for fMRI research. We examined a well-established multivariate brain measure that tracks pain induced by nociceptive input, the Neurologic Pain Signature (NPS). In N = 295 participants across eight studies, NPS responses showed a very large effect size in predicting within-person single-trial pain reports (d = 1.45) and medium effect size in predicting individual differences in pain reports (d = 0.49, average r = 0.20). The NPS showed excellent short-term (within-day) test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84, with average 69.5 trials/person). Reliability scaled with the number of trials within-person, with ≥60 trials required for excellent test-retest reliability. Reliability was comparable in two additional studies across 5-day (N = 29, ICC = 0.74, 30 trials/person) and 1-month (N = 40, ICC = 0.46, 5 trials/person) test-retest intervals. The combination of strong within-person correlations and only modest between-person correlations between the NPS and pain reports indicates that the two measures have different sources of between-person variance. The NPS is not a surrogate for individual differences in pain reports, but can serve as a reliable measure of pain-related physiology and mechanistic target for interventions.

The magnitude of neurocognitive impairment is overestimated in depression: the role of motivation, debilitating momentary influences, and the overreliance on mean differences

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Steffen Moritz ◽  
Jingyuan Xie ◽  
Danielle Penney ◽  
Lisa Bihl ◽  
Niklas Hlubek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Neurocognitive Impairment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Performance Deficits ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Performance Scale

Abstract Background Meta-analyses agree that depression is characterized by neurocognitive dysfunctions relative to nonclinical controls. These deficits allegedly stem from impairments in functionally corresponding brain areas. Increasingly, studies suggest that some performance deficits are in part caused by negative task-taking attitudes such as poor motivation or the presence of distracting symptoms. A pilot study confirmed that these factors mediate neurocognitive deficits in depression. The validity of these results is however questionable given they were based solely on self-report measures. The present study addresses this caveat by having examiners assess influences during a neurocognitive examination, which were concurrently tested for their predictive value on performance. Methods Thirty-three patients with depression and 36 healthy controls were assessed on a battery of neurocognitive tests. The examiner completed the Impact on Performance Scale, a questionnaire evaluating mediating influences that may impact performance. Results On average, patients performed worse than controls at a large effect size. When the total score of the Impact on Performance Scale was accounted for by mediation analysis and analyses of covariance, group differences were reduced to a medium effect size. A total of 30% of patients showed impairments of at least one standard deviation below the mean. Conclusions This study confirms that neurocognitive impairment in depression is likely overestimated; future studies should consider fair test-taking conditions. We advise researchers to report percentages of patients showing performance deficits rather than relying solely on overall group differences. This prevents fostering the impression that the majority of patients exert deficits, when in fact deficits are only true for a subgroup.

L2 writing development through two types of writing task repetition

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsushi Fukunaga
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Task Types ◽  
Writing Task ◽  
Measurement Period

Abstract This study investigated whether any remarkable effects emerge in terms of overall complexity, complexity by subordination, accuracy, and fluency in two types of writing task repetition during a single academic semester (16 weeks). The Cognition Hypothesis states that tasks involving different cognitive demands will lead to different L2 output. Thus, this study explored whether any significant differences existed between two task types: descriptive and argumentative essays. The results revealed different patterns in the two types of writing tasks. For the descriptive essays, despite the improvements in overall complexity, complexity by subordination, and fluency with a large effect size, no significant findings were confirmed for accuracy. In contrast, in the argumentative essays, the learners improved all the linguistic aspects, but with a medium effect size. This study also unraveled developmental trajectories to demonstrate how different variables interacted in the two different types of writing tasks throughout the measurement period.

Work satisfaction and burnout risk of gastroenterologists in Germany: results of a nationwide survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 960-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Christian Adarkwah ◽  
Joachim Labenz ◽  
Berndt Birkner ◽  
UIrike Beilenhoff ◽  
Oliver Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Work Satisfaction ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Federal Organization ◽  
Burnout Risk

Abstract Background More and more gastroenterologists are not satisfied with their working conditions and run the risk of developing burnout symptoms. Little is known about the job satisfaction and burnout risk among physicians working in endoscopy units in Germany. This study examines the risk of burnout and job satisfaction among gastroenterologists in Germany. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to gastroenterologists organized mainly in the Federal Organization of Gastroenterology in Germany (BVGD, Berufsverband Gastroenterologie Deutschland e. V.). In addition to general demographic variables, job satisfaction was determined using the Work Satisfaction Questionnaires (WSQ), and burnout risk was determined using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results A representative sample of gastroenterologists organized in the BVGD (Berufsverband Gastroenterologie Deutschland e. V.) took part in the study (n = 683, 22 %). Above all, we could demonstrate relevant differences with regard to burnout risk and job satisfaction depending on the place of work, clinic structure, position in the clinic, and age. Younger physicians had significantly higher depersonalization (p < 0.001) and exhaustion scores (p < 0.001) with almost medium and small effect sizes (δt = 0.45 and −0.31). The higher the position in the clinic, the higher the accomplishment scores (medium effect size 0.27). Older physicians were especially more satisfied in the areas of patient care (p < 0.001, medium effect size δt = −0.53). Employed doctors show a higher level of satisfaction in terms of “burden” compared to practice owners (p < 0.001, δt = −0.69). Compared to norms used in the EGPRN study which were adapted to physicians, almost one-third of our sample had high depersonalization scores, about 17 % had high exhaustion scores, and about half had low personal accomplishment scores showing a higher general burden among German gastroenterologists. Conclusion Decreased work satisfaction and risk of burnout are important issues among German gastroenterologists. Specific actions should address this problem in order to avoid negative consequences, respectively.

scholarly journals Impact of training in Autism on inclusive practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Dympna Nolan ◽  
Elizabeth Fraser Selkirk Hannah
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medium Effect Size ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Sector Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of training on educational staff attitudes, sentiments, concerns and efficacy in providing support for children with Autism in mainstream settings. Design/methodology/approach The investigation adopted a pre-test/post-test, quasi-experimental, within-subject research design. In total, 35 early years educators, teachers and pupil support assistants from one Scottish Local Authority (LA) undertook training delivered by the LA’s Communication and Language Outreach Service. Measures included the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised (SACIE-R) scale and the teacher efficacy for inclusive practices (TEIP) scale pre and post-training. Post-training participants completed a questionnaire employing open and closed questions to assess perceived usefulness of training, application of knowledge and effectiveness of the teaching strategies. Findings Combining data from the three sectors there was a significant change in staff efficacy for inclusive practices (z=−3.406, p=0.001, p<0.05, with a medium effect size r=0.41) although there were differences between the sectors. There was a significant change in SACIE-R total scores (z=−3.945, p=0.000, p<0.05; with a medium effect size r=0.47), sentiments (z=−2.763, p=0.006, p<0.05; with a medium effect size r=0.33) and concerns (z=−3.685, p=0.000, p<0.05; with a medium effect size of r=0.44) subscale scores for the combined sector data. There was no significant change in the attitudes subscale scores for the combined sector data (z=−1.106, p=2.69, p>0.05; with a small effect size r=0.13) although there were differences between the sectors. Research limitations/implications Limitations include: small sample size, minor differences in the training in different sectors, purposeful sampling, use of questionnaire post-training, variability of completion of SCAIE-R and TEIP post-training. Originality/value There appears to be limited research into inclusive practices for children with Autism in the UK context, which this study aims to address.

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