Of cricket chirps and car horns: The effect of nature sounds on cognitive performance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽  
Howard Nusbaum ◽  
Luke Clohisy ◽  
Susanne M. Jaeggi ◽  
Martin Buschkuehl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Directed Attention ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cognitive Benefits ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Single Experimental Session

The psychological benefits of interacting with nature have been discussed for well over a century. More recently, research has begun to assess how interactions with nature specifically may benefit cognition and cognitive development. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) posits that stimuli found in nature may restore directed attention functioning through reducing demands on the endogenous attention system. In the present experiment, we assessed whether nature-related cognitive benefits extended to auditory presentations of nature. To assess directed attention, we created a composite measure consisting of a backward digit span task and a dual n-back task. Participants completed these cognitive measures and an affective questionnaire before and after listening to and aesthetically judging either nature or urban soundscapes. Relative to participants who were exposed to urban soundscapes, we observed significant improvements in cognitive performance for individuals who listened to nature soundscapes. Urban soundscapes did not systematically affect performance either adversely or beneficially. The improvement in directed attention functioning was not meaningfully related to the aesthetic ratings of the soundscapes. These results provide initial evidence that brief experiences with nature sounds can improve directed attention functioning in a single experimental session.

The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1207-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc G. Berman ◽  
John Jonides ◽  
Stephen Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Directed Attention ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Cognitive Benefits

We compare the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with natural versus urban environments. Attention restoration theory (ART) provides an analysis of the kinds of environments that lead to improvements in directed-attention abilities. Nature, which is filled with intriguing stimuli, modestly grabs attention in a bottom-up fashion, allowing top-down directed-attention abilities a chance to replenish. Unlike natural environments, urban environments are filled with stimulation that captures attention dramatically and additionally requires directed attention (e.g., to avoid being hit by a car), making them less restorative. We present two experiments that show that walking in nature or viewing pictures of nature can improve directed-attention abilities as measured with a backwards digit-span task and the Attention Network Task, thus validating attention restoration theory.

scholarly journals Multisensory perception, verbal, visuo-spatial, and motor working memory modulation after a single open- or closed-skill exercise session in children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica O’Brien ◽  
Giovanni Ottoboni ◽  
Alessia Tessari ◽  
Annalisa Setti
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Multisensory Processing ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Multisensory Perception ◽  
Exercise Session ◽  
Classroom Activity ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Exercise Activity ◽  
Cognitive Benefits

AbstractPhysical activity presents clear benefits for children’s cognition; this study examined the effect of a single exercise session of open- or closed-skill exercise, as opposed to a no-exercise activity on multisensory perception, i.e. the ability to appropriately merge inputs from different sensory modalities, and on working memory (verbal, visuo-spatial, and motor working memory) in 51 preadolescent children (aged 6-8). Using a semi-randomised pre-post design, participants completed a range of cognitive tasks immediately before and after an exercise session or a classroom sedentary activity. Participants were randomised, within each school, to one of the three groups (open-skill, n=16; closed-skill, n=16; classroom activity, n=19). Exercise, but not usual classroom activity, improved children’s multisensory perception, with no difference between exercise types. Results also revealed that a single open-skill session produced verbal working memory (digit span) benefits; a closed-skill exercise session benefitted motor working memory. While the relatively small number of participants should be acknowledged as limitation, these findings contribute to emerging evidence for selective cognitive benefits of exercise, and show, for the first time in children, that multisensory processing sensitivity is improved by exercise.

scholarly journals IntelligenceGym — is an effective tool to improve cognitive functions in the elderly

2021 ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
N. V. Trushkova ◽  
G. Zelano
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Medical Certification ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cognitive Deficiency ◽  
Improved Performance

Aim. The aim of our study was to verify the effectiveness of the innovative IntelligenceGym training in improving cognitive abilities in the elderly.Material and methods. We developed an original training method that requires interaction between motor and cognitive functions. In our study 123 women and 89 men, aged 68–76 were examined. The inclusion criteria were Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of 23 to 25 at inclusion, autonomy in walking, medical certification to participate in light physical activity. We have proposed to the participants to attend IntelligenceGym training one hour twice a week for 24 weeks. Cognitive performance was assessed before and after intervention included MMSE, Forward and Backward Digit Span Test, Rey’s Auditory Verbal Learning test (RAVLT), TMT-A, TMT-B. Moreover, motor performance was tested by using the Time Up and Go (TUG) test.Results.The cognitive assessment after IntelligenceGym training showed statistically significant improvement in all the scores tested (t-test performed). The results showed that participants of the IntelligenceGym training had particularly improved performance in Digit Span, MMSE and TMT-B tests and also improvements in motor TUG test.Conclusion. These findings indicate that the IntelligenceGym training is an efficient tool to improve cognitive performance in older adults with borderline or mild cognitive deficiency.

Increasing expertise to a novel script modulates the visual N1 ERP in healthy adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Brem ◽  
Eliane Hunkeler ◽  
Markus Mächler ◽  
Jens Kronschnabel ◽  
Iliana Irini Karipidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Detection Task ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Repeated Exposure ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Repetition Detection ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Single Experimental Session

Neural tuning to print develops when children learn to read and is reflected by a more pronounced left occipito-temporal negativity to orthographic stimuli as compared to non-orthographic false fonts or symbols after around 150–250 ms in their N1, a visual event-related potential (ERP). In adults, initial expertise for a novel script can emerge in less than 2 hours through repeated exposure or training. Here, we aimed to assess changes in the visual N1 related to the process of learning associations between unknown written characters and familiar, spoken syllables or words. Thirty-two healthy literate adults learned to associate a set of foreign characters with either syllables or German words within a single experimental session. EEG was recorded during a visual one-back character repetition detection task in which trained characters, untrained characters and familiar letters were presented before and after the training. A bilateral occipito-temporal increase in the N1 negativity with training was only found for the newly learned characters, but not for the control characters. In conclusion, the present data indicate that expertise to novel characters can be induced by a short character–sound association training and is reflected by a bilateral modulation of the visual N1 amplitude. However, no differentiation was found regarding the comparison of word or syllable training, indicating that the visual N1 most likely reflects gaining expertise driven by phonological associations common to both training types.

scholarly journals Acute hypoxia impairs dynamic cerebral autoregulation: results from two independent techniques

2009 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 1165-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Subudhi ◽  
Ronney B. Panerai ◽  
Robert C. Roach
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Autoregulation ◽  
Acute Hypoxia ◽  
Latin Squares ◽  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Frequency Components ◽  
Autoregulation Index ◽  
Single Experimental Session ◽  
Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation

We investigated the effect of acute hypoxia (AH) on dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) using two independent assessment techniques to clarify previous, conflicting reports. Twelve healthy volunteers (6 men, 6 women) performed six classic leg cuff tests, three breathing normoxic (FiO2 = 0.21) and three breathing hypoxic (FiO2 = 0.12) gas, using a single blinded, Latin squares design with 5-min washout between trials. Continuous measurements of middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (CBFv; DWL MultiDop X2) and radial artery blood pressure (ABP; Colin 7000) were recorded in the supine position during a single experimental session. Autoregulation index (ARI) scores were calculated using the model of Tiecks et al. (Tiecks FP, Lam AM, Aaslid R, Newell DW. Stroke 26: 1014–1019, 1995) from ABP and CBFv changes following rapid cuff deflation (cuff ARI) and from ABP to CBFv transfer function, impulse, and step responses (TFA ARI) obtained during a 4-min period prior to cuff inflation. A new measure of %CBFv recovery 4 s after peak impulse was also derived from TFA. AH reduced cuff ARI (5.65 ± 0.70 to 5.01 ± 0.96, P = 0.04), TFA ARI (4.37 ± 0.76 to 3.73 ± 0.71, P = 0.04), and %Recovery (62.2 ± 10.9% to 50.8 ± 9.9%, P = 0.03). Slight differences between TFA and cuff ARI values may be attributed to heightened sympathetic activity during cuff tests as well as differential sensitivity to low- and high-frequency components of CA. Together, results provide consistent evidence that CA is impaired with AH. In addition, these findings demonstrate the potential utility of TFA ARI and %Recovery scores for future CA investigations.

THE POSSIBILITY OF LINKING SPONTANEOUS AND INDUCED NEUROCOGNITIVE PLASTICITY: CAN COGNITIVE TRAINING INFLUENCE COMPENSATORY BRAIN ACTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS? THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL PREMISES

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-523
Author(s):  
Ludmiła Zając-Lamparska
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Theory Of Aging

One of the most important determinants of successful aging is cognitive ability. Although cognitive decline is a well-documented phenomenon characteristic of aging, it is acknowledged that aging can also be related to cognitive neuroplasticity that allows one to compensate the decline and adapt to it. Cognitive neuroplasticity may be spontaneous or induced by external influences. An example of the former is compensatory brain activity in older adults, and the latter – improvement in cognitive functioning under the influence of cognitive training. Both the compensatory brain activity of older adults and the effectiveness of cognitive training in this age group have already been extensively studied. However, it has not yet been examined whether they can be linked. The article indicates theoretical and empirical premises for the possibility of influencing compensatory brain activity in older adults by cognitive training. In the most comprehensive way the phenomenon of compensatory brain activity in older adults is addressed by the STAC model – the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition, which also provides the theoretical grounds for the possible impact of cognitive training on compensatory brain activity. There are also empirical arguments in favour of such an impact, but they are quite limited in nature. The reason for this is the lack of research directly addressing the problem of the consistency of brain activity changes resulting from cognitive training with the assumptions of compensatory brain activity models, such as STAC. The theoretical grounds for the linkage of compensatory brain activity in older adults with the influence of cognitive training are clear. However, the analysis of the studies discussed in the article suggests that failing to embed the study design within the theoretical framework of compensatory brain activity in older adults may lead to the exclusion of factors important in drawing conclusions about this phenomenon. The following elements of the study design were identified as necessary to include: participation of young adults in the study as a reference group, usage of tasks in different difficulty levels during the measurement of brain activity and consideration of the relation between brain activity and cognitive performance, and comparison of brain activity in relation to cognitive performance before and after training in both, older and young adults.

scholarly journals The relationship between memory complaints and age in normal aging

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaís Bento Lima-Silva ◽  
Mônica Sanches Yassuda
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Memory Complaint ◽  
Memory Complaints ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Normal aging can be characterized by a gradual decline in some cognitive functions, such as memory. Memory complaints are common among older adults, and may indicate depression, anxiety, or cognitive decline. Objectives: To investigate the association between memory complaints and age in cognitively unimpaired older adults, and the relationship between memory complaints and memory performance. Methods: Cognitive screening tests as well as memory complaint questionnaires validated for the Brazilian population were used: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q), Memory test of 18 pictures, Forward and Backward Digit Span (WAIS-III). Fifty seven regular members of the SESC social club participated (50 women), having a mean age of 71.4 years, and 4 to 8 years of education - 34 from 4 to 7 years and 23 with 8 years of education. Results: Results revealed no significant association between cognitive complaints and age or cognitive performance. Older participants in this sample did not show worse performance or a higher level of complaints. There was no significant association between age and GDS scores. Conclusions: The studied sample constitutes a particular group of older adults whose participation in activities may be protecting them from cognitive decline, thus highlighting the impact of lifestyle on cognitive performance during the aging process.

scholarly journals Temporal Sequence of Hearing Impairment and Cognition in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 574-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M Armstrong ◽  
Yang An ◽  
Luigi Ferrucci ◽  
Jennifer A Deal ◽  
Frank R Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Temporal Sequence ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
California Verbal Learning Test ◽  
Baltimore Longitudinal Study ◽  
Learning Test

Abstract Background Hearing impairment (HI) could be a risk factor for cognitive decline, but cognition could plausibly also affect psychoacoustic assessment of hearing with audiometry. We examined the temporal sequence of hearing and cognitive function among nondemented, community-dwelling older adults. Methods Hearing and cognition were assessed between 2012 and 2015 and 2 years thereafter in 313 nondemented participants aged ≥60 years in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Poorer hearing was defined by pure-tone average of 0.5–4 kHz tones in the better-hearing ear. Cognitive measures with either visual or auditory inputs were Trail-making Test Part B; Digit Symbol Substitution Test; California Verbal Learning Test immediate recall, short delay, and long delay; Digit Span Forward/Backward; Benton Visual Retention Test; and Mini-Mental State Examination. We used linear regression models for cross-sectional associations at each timepoint and autoregressive, cross-lagged models to evaluate whether baseline hearing impairment (Time 1) predicted cognitive performance 2 years after baseline (Time 2) and vice versa. Results Cross-sectionally, there were no associations between poorer hearing and cognitive performance. Longitudinally, poorer hearing was associated with declines in California Verbal Learning Test immediate (β = −0.073, SE = 0.032, p = .024), short-delayed (β = −0.134, SE = 0.043, p = .002), long-delayed (β = −0.080, SE = 0.032, p = .012) recall, and Digit Span Forward (β = −0.074, SE = 0.029, p = .011).) from Time 1 to Time 2. Cognitive performance at Time 1 did not predict change in hearing status at Time 2. Conclusions Audiometric hearing impairment predicted short-term cognitive declines in both California Verbal Learning Test and auditory stimuli for attention.

scholarly journals Cognitive Restoration from Nature Across Multiple Exposure Types - A Meta-Analysis Delineating the Effects of Test Order and Affect

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Stenfors ◽  
Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽  
Kathryn E Schertz ◽  
Francisco Calvache Meyer ◽  
Karen Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digit Span ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Directed Attention ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Unpublished Studies ◽  
Test Order

Interactions with natural environments and nature-related stimuli have been found to be beneficial to cognitive performance, in particular on executive cognitive tasks with high demands on directed attention processes. However, results vary across different studies.The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of all our published and unpublished studies testing the effect of different interactions with nature versus urban/built control environments, on an executive test with high demands on directed attention: the backwards digit span (BDS) task. Specific aims were to evaluate the effect of nature versus urban environment interactions on BDS across different exposure types (e.g. being in real environments, or viewing videos, images, or listening to sounds) and disentangle the effects of testing order (i.e. practice with repeated testing) and the role of affective changes on BDS performance. We also reviewed the literature and compared and contrasted our meta-analysis with results from other studies. Results from our meta-analysis comprising 12 studies (N=567 participants) showed significant environment-by-time interactions with beneficial effects of nature compared to urban environments on BDS performance. This effect was magnified after parceling out initial practice effects on the BDS. Changes in positive or negative affect did not mediate the beneficial effects of nature on BDS performance. These results mirrored effects that we reviewed from outside of our laboratories. Uncontrolled and confounding order effects may explain some of the inconsistent findings in the literature. In all, these results highlight the robustness of the effects of natural environments on cognition when confounding order effects have been considered, and also provide a more nuanced account of when a nature intervention will be most effective.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document