Functional illiteracy and neurocognitive deficits among male prisoners: implications for rehabilitation

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiina Tuominen ◽  
Tapio Korhonen ◽  
Heikki Hämäläinen ◽  
Satu Temonen ◽  
Helena Salo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Male Prisoners ◽  
Reading And Spelling ◽  
Reading And Spelling Difficulties

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature of the academic skills deficits in male offenders and their relation to neurocognitive deficits. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 72 Finnish male prisoners were tested with regard to reading, spelling, and mathematical abilities. Findings – Low academic skills, especially reading, were related to poor neurocognitive performance in verbal memory, visual memory, attention, and motor dexterity. The results showed a high number (29-36 percent) of reading and spelling disorders. In all, 15 percent of those with medium to severe problems in academic skills had marked difficulties in mathematics. In total, 88 percent of the participants with at least one problem area in literacy skills had neurocognitive deficits. In the present study, the pervasive neurocognitive deficits, occurring comorbidly with reading and spelling difficulties, seem to refer to a fundamental set of deficits which are only minimally explained by IQ, educational background or training. Research limitations/implications – Reading and spelling difficulties could be seen as functional illiteracy which, combined with a broad spectrum of neuropsychological function deficits, pose a challenging task for rehabilitation. Only after proper identification of deficits has been achieved is it possible to set goals and select the appropriate means for rehabilitation. One obvious limitation is the moderate number of subjects (n=72). Practical implications – It may not be enough just to train reading or develop literacy activities among prisoners; focussing intervention on comprehensive neurocognitive deficits is also necessary. Originality/value – Correlates and comorbidity between academic difficulties and neurocognitive deficits among offenders, especially in arithmetic difficulties, have been less studied.

scholarly journals Reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children in light of the underlying cognitive factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rózsa Gráf ◽  
Magda Kalmár ◽  
Andrea Harnos ◽  
Gábor Boross ◽  
Anett Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Good Readers ◽  
Complex Figure ◽  
R Program ◽  
Figure Test ◽  
Reading And Spelling

Abstract Prematurity is a serious risk factor for learning difficulties. Within the academic skills reading has the greatest impact on the prospects of the students; therefore, studying the reading skills in the risk populations is very important. The aim of our study was to investigate reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children. Our target group consisted of 8–11-year-old children (n = 23) who were born preterm with very low birthweights (VLBW). For comparison 57 full-term children (27 good readers and 30 dyslexics) were included in the study sample. To assess the reading and spelling abilities the Hungarian version of the 3DM (Dyslexia Differential Diagnosis) was used. Cognitive abilities were tested using the Hungarian adaptation of the WISC-IV and the Rey Complex Figure Test. The data were analyzed with a novel statistical approach using the R program. In the cognitive measures the mean performances of all three groups fell within the normal range. In the WISC-IV Full-scale IQ as well as in some other cognitive measures the good readers significantly outperformed both the dyslexics and the preterms. The findings of the study did not confirm our expectation that VLBW prematurity should lead to developmental disadvantages in the acquisition of reading and spelling skills since in the reading and spelling performances of the good readers and the preterms did not differ, while both the good readers and the preterms scored higher than the dyslexics. The results suggest that the cognitive assets of the preterm children contributing to their reading and spelling performances were their good spatial–visual memory, working memory, and processing speed. The identification of the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading and spelling abilities is of crucial importance for designing intervention for children with deficits in these academic skills.

Posttraumatic migraine characteristics in athletes following sports-related concussion

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 850-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Mihalik ◽  
Jamie E. Stump ◽  
Michael W. Collins ◽  
Mark R. Lovell ◽  
Melvin Field ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Motor Speed ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Neurocognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Symptom Status ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The object of this study was to compare symptom status and neurocognitive functioning in athletes with no headache (non-HA group), athletes complaining of headache (HA group), and athletes with characteristics of posttraumatic migraine (PTM group). Methods. Neurocognitive tests were undertaken by 261 high-school and collegiate athletes with a mean age of 16.36 ± 2.6 years. Athletes were separated into three groups: the PTM group (74 athletes with a mean age of 16.39 ± 3.06 years), the HA group (124 athletes with a mean age of 16.44 ± 2.51 years), and the non-HA group (63 patients with a mean age of 16.14 ± 2.18 years). Neurocognitive summary scores (outcome measures) for verbal and visual memory, visual motor speed, reaction time, and total symptom scores were collected using ImPACT, a computer software program designed to assess sports-related concussion. Significant differences existed among the three groups for all outcome measures. The PTM group demonstrated significantly greater neurocognitive deficits when compared with the HA and non-HA groups. The PTM group also exhibited the greatest amount of departure from baseline scores. Conclusions. The differences among these groups can be used as a basis to argue that PTM characteristics triggered by sports-related concussion are related to increased neurocognitive dysfunction following mild traumatic brain injury. Thus, athletes suffering a concussion accompanied by PTM should be examined in a setting that includes symptom status and neurocognitive testing to address their recovery more fully. Given the increased impairments observed in the PTM group, in this population clinicians should exercise increased caution in decisions about treatment and when the athlete should be allowed to return to play.

Collecting Words: A Clinical Example of a Morphology-Focused Orthographic Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 544-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Murphy ◽  
Emily A. Diehm
Keyword(s):  
Written Language ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
English Orthography ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
The One ◽  
Critical Intervention ◽  
Reading And Spelling ◽  
Reading And Spelling Difficulties

Purpose Morphological interventions promote gains in morphological knowledge and in other oral and written language skills (e.g., phonological awareness, vocabulary, reading, and spelling), yet we have a limited understanding of critical intervention features. In this clinical focus article, we describe a relatively novel approach to teaching morphology that considers its role as the key organizing principle of English orthography. We also present a clinical example of such an intervention delivered during a summer camp at a university speech and hearing clinic. Method Graduate speech-language pathology students provided a 6-week morphology-focused orthographic intervention to children in first through fourth grade ( n = 10) who demonstrated word-level reading and spelling difficulties. The intervention focused children's attention on morphological families, teaching how morphology is interrelated with phonology and etymology in English orthography. Results Comparing pre- and posttest scores, children demonstrated improvement in reading and/or spelling abilities, with the largest gains observed in spelling affixes within polymorphemic words. Children and their caregivers reacted positively to the intervention. Therefore, data from the camp offer preliminary support for teaching morphology within the context of written words, and the intervention appears to be a feasible approach for simultaneously increasing morphological knowledge, reading, and spelling. Conclusion Children with word-level reading and spelling difficulties may benefit from a morphology-focused orthographic intervention, such as the one described here. Research on the approach is warranted, and clinicians are encouraged to explore its possible effectiveness in their practice. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12290687

scholarly journals White matter network damage mediates association between cerebrovascular disease and cognition

2021 ◽  
pp. 0271678X2199098
Author(s):  
Saima Hilal ◽  
Siwei Liu ◽  
Tien Yin Wong ◽  
Henri Vrooman ◽  
Ching-Yu Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Cerebrovascular Disease ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Epidemiology Of Dementia ◽  
Z Scores ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

To determine whether white matter network disruption mediates the association between MRI markers of cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) and cognitive impairment. Participants (n = 253, aged ≥60 years) from the Epidemiology of Dementia in Singapore study underwent neuropsychological assessments and MRI. CeVD markers were defined as lacunes, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), microbleeds, cortical microinfarcts, cortical infarcts and intracranial stenosis (ICS). White matter microstructure damage was measured as fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity by tract based spatial statistics from diffusion tensor imaging. Cognitive function was summarized as domain-specific Z-scores. Lacunar counts, WMH volume and ICS were associated with worse performance in executive function, attention, language, verbal and visual memory. These three CeVD markers were also associated with white matter microstructural damage in the projection, commissural, association, and limbic fibers. Path analyses showed that lacunar counts, higher WMH volume and ICS were associated with executive and verbal memory impairment via white matter disruption in commissural fibers whereas impairment in the attention, visual memory and language were mediated through projection fibers. Our study shows that the abnormalities in white matter connectivity may underlie the relationship between CeVD and cognition. Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand the cause-effect relationship between CeVD, white matter damage and cognition.

scholarly journals The Relation between Inflammation and Neuropsychological Test Performance

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie H. Balldin ◽  
James R. Hall ◽  
Robert C. Barber ◽  
Linda Hynan ◽  
Ramon Diaz-Arrastia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Differential Relation ◽  
Markers Of Inflammation ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Background. Considerable research documents an association between pro- and anti-inflammatory markers and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the differential relation between these markers and neuropsychological functioning in AD and nondemented controls has received less attention. The current study sought to evaluate the relationship between peripheral markers of inflammation (both pro- and anti-inflammatory) and neuropsychological functioning through the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) cohort.Methods. There were 320 participants (Probable ADn=124, Controlsn=196) in the TARCC Longitudinal Research Cohort available for analysis. Regression analyses were utilized to examine the relation between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers and neuropsychological functioning. Follow-up analyses were conducted separately by case versus control status.Results. Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers were found to be associated with neuropsychological testing. Third tertile proinflammatory markers were negatively associated with measures of attention and language, and anti-inflammatory markers were positively associated with measures of immediate verbal memory and delayed verbal and visual memory.Conclusions. These findings support the link between peripheral inflammatory markers and neuropsychological functioning and suggest the utility of examining profiles of inflammatory markers in the future.

scholarly journals Flipping the Script: Measuring Both Performance Validity and Cognitive Ability with the Forced Choice Recognition Trial of the RCFT

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110197
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Abeare ◽  
Kristoffer Romero ◽  
Laura Cutler ◽  
Christina D. Sirianni ◽  
Laszlo A. Erdodi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Performance Validity ◽  
Two Samples

In this study we attempted to replicate the classification accuracy of the newly introduced Forced Choice Recognition trial (FCR) of the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) in a clinical sample. We administered the RCFT FCR and the earlier Yes/No Recognition trial from the RCFT to 52 clinically referred patients as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and incentivized a separate control group of 83 university students to perform well on these measures. We then computed the classification accuracies of both measures against criterion performance validity tests (PVTs) and compared results between the two samples. At previously published validity cutoffs (≤16 & ≤17), the RCFT FCR remained specific (.84–1.00) to psychometrically defined non-credible responding. Simultaneously, the RCFT FCR was more sensitive to examinees’ natural variability in visual-perceptual and verbal memory skills than the Yes/No Recognition trial. Even after being reduced to a seven-point scale (18-24) by the validity cutoffs, both RCFT recognition scores continued to provide clinically useful information on visual memory. This is the first study to validate the RCFT FCR as a PVT in a clinical sample. Our data also support its use for measuring cognitive ability. Replication studies with more diverse samples and different criterion measures are still needed before large-scale clinical application of this scale.

Verbal memory deficits associated with fornix atrophy in carbon monoxide poisoning

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 640-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHELLI R. KESLER ◽  
RAMONA O. HOPKINS ◽  
LINDELL K. WEAVER ◽  
DUANE D. BLATTER ◽  
HOLLY EDGE-BOOTH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
And Gender

Magnetic resonance (MR) images and neuropsychological testing data of 69 carbon monoxide (CO) poisoned patients were prospectively obtained within 1 day of CO poisoning, two weeks and six months. CO patients' Day 1 cross-sectional fornix surface area measurements, corrected for head size by using a fornix-to-brain ratio (FBR), were compared to normal age and gender-matched controls. Additionally, a within-subjects analysis was performed comparing the mean areas between CO patients' Day 1, 2 weeks and 6-month FBR. The FBR was correlated with patients' neuropsychological data. There were no significant differences between CO patients' Day 1 fornix measurements compared to normal control subjects. However, significant atrophic changes in the fornix of CO poisoned patients occurred at two weeks with no progressive atrophy at 6 months. By 6 months, CO patients showed significant decline on tests of verbal memory (when practice effects were taken into account), whereas visual memory, processing speed and attention/concentration did not decline. This study indicates that CO results in brain damage and cognitive impairments in the absence of lesions and other neuroanatomic markers. (JINS, 2001, 7, 640–646.)

Cross-cultural effects on graphical password memorability and design

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Mohamed ◽  
Tobin Porterfield ◽  
Joyram Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Visual Memory ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Graphical Password ◽  
Cultural Images ◽  
Cultural Considerations ◽  
Cultural Effects ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of cultural familiarity with images on the memorability of recognition-based graphical password (RBG-P). Design/methodology/approach The researchers used a between-group design with two groups of 50 participants from China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using a webtool and two questionnaires to test two hypotheses in a four-week long study. Findings The results showed that culture has significant effects on RBG-P memorability, including both recognition and recall of images. It was also found that the login success rate depreciated quickly as time progressed, which indicates the memory decay and its effects on the visual memory. Research limitations/implications Collectively, these results can be used to design universal RBG-Ps with maximal password deflection points. For better cross-cultural designs, designers must allow users from different cultures to personalize their image selections based on their own cultures. Practical implications The RBG-P interfaces developed without consideration for users’ cultures may lead to the construction of passwords that are difficult to memorize and easy to attack. Thus, the incorporation of cultural images is indispensable for improving the authentication posture. Social implications The development of RBG-P with cultural considerations will make it easy for the user population to remember the password and make it more expensive for the intruder to attack. Originality/value This study provides an insight for RBG-P developers to produce a graphical password platform that increases the memorability factor.

Identifying the gaps between customer expectations and perceptions on service quality dimensions of Islamic banks in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafikul Islam ◽  
Selim Ahmed ◽  
Dzuljastri Abdul Razak
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Expectations ◽  
Banking Service ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the gaps and differences between customer expectations and perceptions on service quality of Islamic banks in Malaysia based on six dimensions of service quality, namely, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibles and Islamic Shari’ah compliance. Design/methodology/approach – This study surveyed 179 customers who have first-hand experience with Islamic banking services in Malaysia. The research data were analysed using reliability analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Findings – The results indicated that customers’ perceptions failed to meet their expectations on the service quality of Islamic banks in Malaysia. The results also indicated that those customers (respondents) aged below 30 years have higher expectations on empathy from the Islamic banking service compared to other age groups. However, there is no significant difference between customer expectations and perceptions of Islamic banking service quality based on educational background and occupation. Research limitations/implications – This research focused solely on Islamic banks in Malaysia and thus the results might not be applicable for other conventional banks. Originality/value – The findings are expected to provide guidelines for enhancing the satisfaction level of clients of the Islamic banking system in Malaysia and other countries.

scholarly journals Hippocampus volume and episodic memory in schizophrenia

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT J. THOMA ◽  
MOLLIE MONNIG ◽  
FAITH M. HANLON ◽  
GREGORY A. MILLER ◽  
HELEN PETROPOULOS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Schizophrenia Group ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Hippocampus Volume ◽  
Volumetric Measures

AbstractPrevious studies of schizophrenia have suggested a linkage between neuropsychological (NP) deficits and hippocampus abnormality. The relationship between hippocampus volume and NP functioning was investigated in 24 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 24 matched healthy controls. Overall intracranial, white and gray matter, and anterior (AH) and posterior (PH) hippocampus volumes were assessed from magnetic resonance images (MRI). NP domains of IQ, attention, and executive function were also evaluated with respect to volumetric measures. It was hypothesized that AH and PH volumes and episodic memory scores would be positively associated in controls and that the schizophrenia group would depart from this normative pattern. NP functioning was impaired overall and AH volume was smaller in the schizophrenia group. In the controls, the hippocampus–memory relationships involved AH and PH, and correlations were significant for verbal memory measures. In the schizophrenia group, positive correlations were constrained to PH. Negative correlations emerged between AH and verbal and visual memory measures. For both groups, cortical volume negatively correlated with age, but a negative correlation between age and hippocampus volume was found only in the schizophrenia group. In this sample of adults with schizophrenia, atypical relationships between regional hippocampus volumes and episodic memory ability were found, as was an atypical negative association between hippocampus volume and age. (JINS, 2009, 15, 182–195.)

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