scholarly journals Role of Executive Function in Response to a Problem Solving Based Psychoeducational Intervention in Adolescents with Psychosis: The PIENSA Trial Revisited

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2108
Author(s):  
Marta Rapado-Castro ◽  
Carmen Moreno ◽  
Ana Ruíz-Sancho ◽  
Francisco Camino ◽  
Celso Arango ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Number Of Visits

An improvement in negative symptoms and a reduction in the number of visits to the emergency department have been reported in a problem solving based psychoeducational group intervention (PE) for adolescents with psychosis relative to a nonstructured group (NS). One of the factors that may play a role on the response to PE treatment is executive function (EF), a crucial cognitive domain for problem-solving performance. We aimed to examine the role of EF in response to PE treatment versus an NS group. We examined the associations between changes in cognition and in clinical/functional variables within each treatment group using Spearman-ranked and partial correlation analyses. A total of 22 individuals (mean age: 16.3) were randomized to PE (N = 10) and NS (N = 12). We found an association between improvements in EF performance and a reduction in positive symptoms (rs = –0.756, p = 0.030 for semantic fluency), reduction in negative symptoms (r = 0.758, p = 0.029 for semantic; rs = –0,733, p = 0.025 for verbal fluency), and reduction in the number of visits to the emergency department (r = –0,743, p = 0.035 for semantic fluency) in the PE group. No associations were found in the NS group. Our results suggest that EF may play a role in the specific improvements observed in the PE group. This may have implications in the development of new areas of clinical intervention focusing on the role of cognitive functioning in response to psychosocial treatments in psychosis.

scholarly journals Effects of cognitive remediation on negative symptoms dimensions: exploring the role of working memory

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (15) ◽  
pp. 2593-2601 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cella ◽  
D. Stahl ◽  
S. Morris ◽  
R. S. E. Keefe ◽  
M. D. Bell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Cognitive Remediation ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Syndrome Scale ◽  
Before And After

BackgroundRecent theories suggest that poor working memory (WM) may be the cognitive underpinning of negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. In this study, we first explore the effect of cognitive remediation (CR) on two clusters of negative symptoms (i.e. expressive and social amotivation), and then assess the relevance of WM gains as a possible mediator of symptom improvement.MethodData were accessed for 309 people with schizophrenia from the NIMH Database of Cognitive Training and Remediation Studies and a separate study. Approximately half the participants received CR and the rest were allocated to a control condition. All participants were assessed before and after therapy and at follow-up. Expressive negative symptoms and social amotivation symptoms scores were calculated from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. WM was assessed with digit span and letter-number span tests.ResultsParticipants who received CR had a significant improvement in WM scores (d = 0.27) compared with those in the control condition. Improvements in social amotivation levels approached statistical significance (d = −0.19), but change in expressive negative symptoms did not differ between groups. WM change did not mediate the effect of CR on social amotivation.ConclusionsThe results suggest that a course of CR may benefit behavioural negative symptoms. Despite hypotheses linking memory problems with negative symptoms, the current findings do not support the role of this cognitive domain as a significant mediator. The results indicate that WM improves independently from negative symptoms reduction.

scholarly journals The Role of Expertise Judgments in Children's Social Learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Baugh;Baugh ◽  
Rebekah Richert
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Concept Formation ◽  
Character Theory ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Preschool Classrooms ◽  
Visual Matching ◽  
Over Time

Previous research has examined how children judge sources of information (Corriveau & Harris, 2009; Corriveau, Pickard, & Harris, 2010; Koenig & Harris, 2005), but no studies have attempted to increase or decrease a children’s trust in informants, measure learning from that informant, and analyze how that learning persists over time. The current study examined if children’s trust in informants can be manipulated, and how this trust relates to learning STEM concepts from a video of the character in question. Fifty-seven 3- to 6-year-olds were visited in their preschool classrooms at 3 different time points. Children watched a video of Sid from Sid the Science Kid solving a problem. After the video, children were tasked with solving an analogically-similar problem. Children were tested for verbal reasoning, concept formation, visual matching, executive function, character realism, identification with the character, theory of mind, and character trust (belief in Sid’s expertise in problem-solving). Presenting Sid to the participants as either clever or clumsy did not affect character trust or learning. Children’s belief in Sid’s expertise also did not affect learning; however, levels of learning remained stable over time. Identification with Sid may play a role in how children viewed Sid and learned from him.

Improving the questions we ask, with Psychology and Cognitive Conflict.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Buttliere
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Science In Society

Over the last decade, there have been many suggestions to improve how scientists answer their questions, but far fewer attempt to improve the questions scientists are asking in the first place. The goal of the paper is then to examine and summarize synthesize the evidence on how to ask the best questions possible. First is a brief review of the philosophical and empirical literature on how the best science is done, which implicitly but not explicitly mentions the role of psychology and especially cognitive conflict. Then we more closely focus on the psychology of the scientist, finding that they are humans, engaged in a meaning making process, and that cognitive conflict is a necessary input for any learning or change in the system. The scientific method is, of course, a specialized meaning making process. We present evidence for this central role of cognitive conflict in science by examining the most discussed scientific papers between 2013 and 2017, which are, in general, controversial and about big problems (e.g., whether vaccines cause autism, how often doctors kill us with their mistakes). Toward the end we discuss the role of science in society, suggesting science itself is an uncertainty reducing and problem solving enterprise. From this basis we encourage scientists to take riskier stances on bigger topics, for the good of themselves and society generally.

The Science of Wisdom in a Polarized World: Knowns and Unknowns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Grossmann ◽  
Nic M. Weststrate ◽  
Monika Ardelt ◽  
Justin Peter Brienza ◽  
Mengxi Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
Methodological Challenges ◽  
The Common ◽  
Empirical Approaches ◽  
And Training ◽  
Contextual Differences

Interest in wisdom in the cognitive sciences, psychology, and education has been paralleled by conceptual confusions about its nature and assessment. To clarify these issues and promote consensus in the field, wisdom researchers met in Toronto in July of 2019, resolving disputes through discussion. Guided by a survey of scientists who study wisdom-related constructs, we established a common wisdom model, observing that empirical approaches to wisdom converge on the morally-grounded application of metacognition to reasoning and problem-solving. After outlining the function of relevant metacognitive and moral processes, we critically evaluate existing empirical approaches to measurement and offer recommendations for best practices. In the subsequent sections, we use the common wisdom model to selectively review evidence about the role of individual differences for development and manifestation of wisdom, approaches to wisdom development and training, as well as cultural, subcultural, and social-contextual differences. We conclude by discussing wisdom’s conceptual overlap with a host of other constructs and outline unresolved conceptual and methodological challenges.

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