Presence Equation: An Investigation into Cognitive Factors Underlying Presence

The relationship between presence and cognitive factors such as absorption, creative imagination, empathy, and will ingness to experience presence was investigated. Presence was defined, operationalized, and measured using a ques tionnaire that we devised. Absorption and creative imagina tion were measured using questionnaires developed in the area of hypnosis, and empathy was assessed through an interpersonal reactivity index. Results indicated significant correlations between presence and each cognitive factor. They showed that persons who are highly fantasy prone, more empathic, more absorbed, more creative, or more willing to be transported to the virtual world experienced a greater sense of presence. Regression analysis led to a pres ence equation, which could be used to predict presence based on the investigated cognitive factors. Findings are congruent with user characteristics presented by the pres ence literature and support the position that individual dif ferences are important for the study of presence.

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A survey into the influence of dopaminergic drug exposure on ‘sense of presence’ symptoms in patients with parkinson's disease

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.744 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (S1) ◽

pp. S279-S280

Author(s):

Emma Padfield ◽

Hannah Potticary ◽

Tim Segal

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Drug Dosage ◽

Equivalent Dose ◽

Dopaminergic Medication ◽

Dopaminergic Drug ◽

Sense Of Presence ◽

The Relationship

AimsThe first objective was to estimate prevalence of sense of presence (SoP) experiences in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), including whether onset was prior to or after commencing dopaminergic medication. The second objective was to explore the relationship between frequency of SoP experiences and dopaminergic drug, drug dosage and length of drug exposure. The experimental hypothesis was that SoP symptoms in PD would present more frequently in patients treated longer and with higher dopaminergic drug doses.BackgroundPD is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Psychiatric symptoms are common and associated with impaired quality of life and higher treatment costs. PD psychosis often starts with ‘minor hallucinations’, the most common being a false ‘sense of presence’ (SoP), the vivid sensation that someone else is nearby when nobody is there. SoP symptoms typically do not cause significant distress but may act as a prognostic marker for future severe psychosis and may prompt alteration of treatment or reduction in dopaminergic drug dosage. This study aimed to extend prior research by characterizing SoP further and investigating the link with dopaminergic medication.MethodThis was a retrospective, cross-sectional study. Twenty-one patients diagnosed with PD completed a questionnaire to identify presence of SoP symptoms, duration of symptoms, timing of onset related to dopaminergic treatment and the frequency of symptoms in relation to current levodopa equivalent dose (LED). Descriptive frequencies were compared using a two-tailed t-test. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between frequency of SP experiences, levodopa equivalent dose and length of drug exposure.ResultSixteen of twenty-one patients reported experiencing SoP symptoms. Patients who had not experienced SoP symptoms had a significantly lower LED than those who had experienced these symptoms. There were no other significant differences between the groups. No statistical significance was shown on regression analysis; however our study was not adequately powered for the regression analysis as the number of participants was too low.ConclusionThis study confirms that SoP symptoms are common among patients with PD and supports a correlation between the total daily equivalent dose of levodopa and SoP symptoms. It does not provide evidence for a temporal relationship between onset of SoP symptoms and duration of dopaminergic treatment. The study was insufficiently powered and a larger study is required to investigate further.

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Religiosity and Psychotic Ideation in Stable Schizophrenia: A Role for Empathic Perspective-Taking

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs10020053 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 53

Author(s):

Rosó Duñó ◽

Joan Carles Oliva ◽

Adolf Tobeña ◽

Diego Palao ◽

Javier Labad

Keyword(s):

Perspective Taking ◽

Empathic Concern ◽

Reactivity Index ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Personal Distress ◽

Interpersonal Reactivity Index ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between religiosity and different components of empathy was explored in schizophrenia patients. A total of 81 stable schizophrenia patients and 95 controls from the nearby community completed self-reported questionnaires assessing religiosity and empathy (through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, IRI). Patients with schizophrenia showed higher religiousness than controls and they presented less perspective-taking and empathic concern but increased personal distress in IRI scores. Regression analyses unveiled an association between religiosity and perspective-taking in schizophrenics after adjusting for age, gender, and psychotic symptoms. In conclusion, religiosity in patients with schizophrenia may be linked to variations in perspective- taking as a component of empathy.

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The relationship of non-cognitive factors to academic and clinical performance in graduate rehabilitation science students in the United States: a systematic review

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions ◽

10.3352/jeehp.2021.18.31 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 ◽

pp. 31

Author(s):

Kelly Reynolds ◽

Caroline Bazemore ◽

Cannon Hanebuth ◽

Steph Hendren ◽

Maggie Horn

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Clinical Performance ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Cognitive Factor ◽

Science Students ◽

Rehabilitation Science ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Purpose: Rehabilitation science programs utilize cognitive and non-cognitive factors to select students who can complete the didactic and clinical portions of the program and pass the licensure exam. Cognitive factors such a prior grade point average and standardized test scores are known to be predictive of academic performance, but the relationship of non-cognitive factors and performance is less clear. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the relationship of non-cognitive factors to academic and clinical performance in rehabilitation science programs.Methods: A search of 7 databases was conducted using the following eligibility criteria: graduate programs in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, United States-based programs, measurement of at least 1 non-cognitive factor, measurement of academic and/or clinical performance, and quantitative reporting of results. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and full text, and data were extracted.Results: After the comprehensive screening, 21 articles were included in the review. Seventy-six percent of studies occurred in PT students. Grit, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and stress were the most commonly studied factors. Only self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and personality traits were examined in clinical and academic contexts. The results were mixed for all non-cognitive factors. Higher grit and self-efficacy tended to be associated with better performance, while stress was generally associated with worse outcomes.Conclusion: No single non-cognitive factor was consistently related to clinical or academic performance in rehabilitation science students. There is insufficient evidence currently to recommend the evaluation of a specific non-cognitive factor for admissions decisions.

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Relationship between emotional intelligence and empathy towards humans and animals

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11274 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11274

Author(s):

Raquel Gómez-Leal ◽

Ana Costa ◽

Alberto Megías-Robles ◽

Pablo Fernández-Berrocal ◽

Luísa Faria

Keyword(s):

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Multiple Regression Analysis ◽

Multiple Regression ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Empathic Concern ◽

Reactivity Index ◽

Empathy Scale ◽

Mood Scale ◽

The Relationship

Previous research has highlighted that Emotional Intelligence (EI) is related to an array of positive interpersonal behaviours, including greater human empathy. Nonetheless, although animals are an integral part of our lives, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the way in which EI relates to empathy towards animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between EI and empathy towards humans and animals. We used the Trait-Meta Mood Scale to assess EI, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index to assess empathy for humans, and the Animal Empathy Scale to assess empathy for animals. Our findings revealed a positive relationship between empathy for humans and animals. The results also supported the idea that EI is positively related to empathy for humans, while the relationship between EI and empathy for animals was dependent on whether or not the participants had experience with pets. In addition, multiple regression analysis showed that the variables that best predicted empathy for animals were having a pet (or not), age, gender and human empathic concern. Finally, the relationship between human empathic concern and empathy for animals was stronger in participants who had pets. These findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying empathic behaviour and suggest that empathy for humans and animals can be influenced by different factors. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

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Impact of User's Internal Flexibility and Expectations on Information Systems Usage

Journal of Information & Knowledge Management ◽

10.1142/s0219649204000663 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 03 (01) ◽

pp. 67-80

Author(s):

Ramaraj Palanisamy

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Information Systems ◽

User Characteristics ◽

Moderation Effect ◽

Is Implementation ◽

Proposed Model ◽

Study Results ◽

User Expectations ◽

Primary Focus ◽

The Relationship

Information Systems (IS) usage has been a primary focus in the IS implementation research. The focus of this study is to examine the influence of user characteristics on IS usage. User characteristics were considered in terms of a user's internal flexibility, user expectations from information systems, and perceived personal usefulness. IS maturity was considered as the intervening variable moderating the effect of perceived personal usefulness on IS usage. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect empirical data about research variables to examine the relationship. 296 users from forty-two organizations participated in the survey. Moderated regression analysis was used to examine the proposed model. The study results validate the relationship between user characteristics and IS usage. But, it does not support the moderation effect of IS maturity on the relationship with perceived personal usefulness on IS usage.

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Language and Thought in the Speech Product—A Necessary Relationship?

Australian Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/000494417602000111 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 97-99

Author(s):

V. Jean Russell

Keyword(s):

Language Intervention ◽

Intervention Programs ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Cognitive Factor ◽

Factor Scores ◽

Language And Thought ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Verbal Output ◽

Cognitive Dimensions

The speech products of 104 young adult Melbourne males were analysed in order to determine whether the linguistic dimensions of the speech product bear a necessary relationship to the cognitive dimensions. Factor analysis of the 67 variables derived resulted in eight cognitive factors and ten linguistic factors. To test whether a necessary relationship exists between any single linguistic factor and any single cognitive factor, scores on each linguistic factor were cross-tabulated against scores on each cognitive factor. With one exception (the relation of the factors, Linguistic Productivity and Cognitive Productivity), no necessary relationships were found, although some factors were shown to be significantly associated. The relationship of the two productivity factors indicates the importance of adopting a method of testing which does not constrain a subject's verbal output. The general failure to reveal necessary relationships between linguistic and cognitive dimensions raises doubts about language intervention programs which aim to augment cognitive ability through increasing a subject's linguistic skill.

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Poor Acceptance of the Past is Related to Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000227 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 246-251

Author(s):

Gozde Cetinkol ◽

Gulbahar Bastug ◽

E. Tugba Ozel Kizil

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Death Anxiety ◽

Geriatric Depression ◽

Ego Integrity ◽

The Past ◽

Depressed Group ◽

Total Death ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. Depression in older adults can be explained by Erikson’s theory on the conflict of ego integrity versus hopelessness. The study investigated the relationship between past acceptance, hopelessness, death anxiety, and depressive symptoms in 100 older (≥50 years) adults. The total Beck Hopelessness (BHS), Geriatric Depression (GDS), and Accepting the Past (ACPAST) subscale scores of the depressed group were higher, while the total Death Anxiety (DAS) and Reminiscing the Past (REM) subscale scores of both groups were similar. A regression analysis revealed that the BHS, DAS, and ACPAST predicted the GDS. Past acceptance seems to be important for ego integrity in older adults.

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Cognitive Factors Mediate the Relation Between Age and Flight Path Maintenance in General Aviation

Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors ◽

10.1027/2192-0923/a000102 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 81-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kathleen Van Benthem ◽

Chris M. Herdman

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Flight Path ◽

General Aviation ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Pilot Performance ◽

Pilot Error ◽

Age Related ◽

And Performance ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. Identifying pilot attributes associated with risk is important, especially in general aviation where pilot error is implicated in most accidents. This research examined the relationship of pilot age, expertise, and cognitive functioning to deviations from an ideal circuit trajectory. In all, 54 pilots, of varying age, flew a Cessna 172 simulator. Cognitive measures were obtained using the CogScreen-AE ( Kay, 1995 ). Older age and lower levels of expertise and cognitive functioning were associated with significantly greater flight path deviations. The relationship between age and performance was fully mediated by a cluster of cognitive factors: speed and working memory, visual attention, and cognitive flexibility. These findings add to the literature showing that age-related changes in cognition may impact pilot performance.

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