Clinical and Therapeutic Factors Affecting the Social Adaptation of Patients with Schizophrenia

Background: сurrently, the question remains open about the factors that affect the social functioning of patients with schizophrenia, including the role of negative symptoms and neurocognitive deficits. The aim: to study factors that affect the social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Patients and methods: 64 in-patient with schizophrenia (mean age 35.9 ± 10.9 years) were examined at the stage of remission. The disease duration was 9.71 ± 6.0 years. The majority of patients suffered from paranoid and hallucinatory-paranoid attacs (43 and 23%, respectively). The study used follow-up, clinical and psychopathological methods as well as psychometric scales: PANSS, SANS, ВАСS, Calgary scales and UKU scales. An integrative indicator was introduced to assess the social adaptation of patients. Results: it is shown that as the duration of the disease increases, the indicator of social adaptation decreases. The presence of side effects of antipsychotic therapy is associated with restrictions on the social functioning of patients, but the use of second-generation antipsychotics contributes to an increase in the level of social functioning of patients. Patients with more pronounced apathetic-abulic disorders, flattened affect, anhedonia-asociality and social isolation are characterized by a lower level of social functioning. Adapted patients differ from maladapted patients by better indicators of auditory-speech memory, motor skills, information processing speed, ability to plan and problem solving behavior. Conclusion: the integrative indicator of social adaptation of patients with schizophrenia is associated with a number of cognitive and negative symptoms, features of antipsychotic therapy and the duration of the disease.

Cognitive Diagnosis Modelling Incorporating Response Times and Fixation Counts: Providing A More Comprehensive and Accurate Diagnosis of Problem-Solving

Problem-solving behavior consists of activities carried out by respondents, which reflect complex cognitive processes that are often systematically related to one another. To measure this variety in problem-solving behavior, biometric data including visual fixation counts (FCs), an essential eye-tracking indicator, can jointly be modeled with other types of variables reflecting different facets of problem-solving. To improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy in using such multimodal data for diagnosis of problem-solving, the present study proposes a multimodal joint cognitive diagnosis model, accounting for latent attributes, processing speed, and visual engagement by including three types of data simultaneously: response accuracy, response times, and FCs. The feasibility of the proposed model is examined by using a set of simulated data. Results indicate that utilizing FCs could improve diagnostic inferences regarding concentration, along with improving the accuracy of diagnostic classification. An empirical example is conducted to illustrate an application of the proposed model.

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

PurposeThe current study aims to empirically examine the impact of formal salesforce control systems on salespeople and customer behavior.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 704 salespeople and their respective visiting customers (704) in Ghana. The suggested hypotheses are tested through the structural equation (SEM) modeling technique.FindingsThe study results show that all three formal control mechanisms have positive and significant effects on customer-directed problem-solving and adaptive selling behaviors. Similarly, the study finds that salespeople's customer-directed problem-solving behavior increases, respectively, customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity. Adaptive selling behavior also has significant positive effects on both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity, respectively.Practical implicationsThe study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding salesforce control dynamics, customer-directed opportunism, adaptive selling behavior, customer-directed problem-solving behavior and continuity of relationships. The results also have significant consequences for sales organizations as they can help sales managers decide on the best form of salesforce control systems to deploy.Originality/valueThe current research demonstrates how control mechanisms can influence both adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviors and how these could generate both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity.

Using Sequence Mining Techniques for Understanding Incorrect Behavioral Patterns on Interactive Tasks

Interactive tasks designed to elicit real-life problem-solving behavior are rapidly becoming more widely used in educational assessment. Incorrect responses to such tasks can occur for a variety of different reasons such as low proficiency levels, low metacognitive strategies, or motivational issues. We demonstrate how behavioral patterns associated with incorrect responses can, in part, be understood, supporting insights into the different sources of failure on a task. To this end, we make use of sequence mining techniques that leverage the information contained in time-stamped action sequences commonly logged in assessments with interactive tasks for (a) investigating what distinguishes incorrect behavioral patterns from correct ones and (b) identifying subgroups of examinees with similar incorrect behavioral patterns. Analyzing a task from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012 assessment, we find incorrect behavioral patterns to be more heterogeneous than correct ones. We identify multiple subgroups of incorrect behavioral patterns, which point toward different levels of effort and lack of different subskills needed for solving the task. Albeit focusing on a single task, meaningful patterns of major differences in how examinees approach a given task that generalize across multiple tasks are uncovered. Implications for the construction and analysis of interactive tasks as well as the design of interventions for complex problem-solving skills are derived.

Fantastic four! Problem-solving processes of a professional string quartet

The purpose of this study was to provide a rich multi-dimensional view of expert musical collaborative problem-solving processes. I analyzed the collaborative problem-solving process during three subsequent rehearsals by a professional string quartet, applying Roesler’s (2016) model of musical problem-solving components. As Roesler observed with shared problem solving during one-to-one instruction, problem-solving components were enacted by and distributed among members of the quartet in any combination. In addition, quartet members prompted problem-solving behavior from one another in a similar way that teachers prompted problem-solving behavior from students (Roesler, 2017). Leadership roles shifted fluidly among quartet members from moment to moment. Domain knowledge and musical context were a critical component of their decision-making process. Additional observed rehearsal strategies are outlined. Suggestions for future research and applications of these findings are discussed, including the learning of collaborative problem-solving skill through participation in small musical ensembles.

External Locus of Control and Demographic Data as Determinant Factors of Trauma Resilience: A Study among Young Women Who Were Exposed to Violence

The number of violent incidents on women is increasing every year in Indonesia. Some women can survive through traumatic experiences, and it is related to their resilience. Locus of control (LoC) is known to contribute to resilience by enhancing individuals’ self- control and problem-solving behavior. This study aims to determine the role of LoC in trauma resilience among 134 young women (20 – 40 years old) who were exposed to violence (domestic, physical, and sexual) and a minimum of high school education. This study used a quantitative approach with the Locus of Control Scale (α = 0.732, 18 items) and the Trauma Resilience Scale (α = 0.961, 48 items). Two hypotheses are proved in this study: (1) external LoC significantly contributes to trauma resilience (p = .000, R2 = .139), (2) there is a significant difference between violence exposure (<.001), perpetrators (.005), and disclosure to others about their experience of violence (.009). We also found that no participants reported a dominant internal LoC, so future studies are advised to focus on women who were exposed to violence with a more dominant internal LoC.

PERILAKU PEMECAHAN MASALAH SISWA DALAM MENYELESAIKAN MASALAH MATEMATIKA KONTEKSTUAL DITINJAU DARI KECEMASAN MATEMATIKA

Problem solving behavior make further information about behavior of students to understand contextual mathematical problems and their solutions. The different behaviors shown by students to each other shows how to steps, abilities, and understanding of students in solving contextual mathematical problems. It is important for students and teachers to know the problem solving behaviors in order to improve understanding and ability to solve contextual mathematical problems. Mathematics anxiety can influence students in soling mathematical problems. Given the importance of students problem solving behavior in learning mathematics, teachers need to know students problem solving behavior in solving contextual mathematical problems based on mathematics anxiety. This study investigate problem solving behavior of students with low and high mathematical anxiety in solving contextual mathematical problems. Subjects in this study were four students of Junior High School, consists each of the two students from each mathematics anxiety group, low and high. Four students were given contextual mathematical problem solving test to investigate about problem solving behavior. Classification of students mathematics anxiety levels is determined through the mathematics anxiety questionnaire score of each student. The results of this research showed that students problem solving behavior with high mathematics anxiety were categorized in Direct Translation Approach-proficient (DTA-p) dan Direct Translation Approach-not proficient (DTA-np) category. Students behavior with low mathematics anxiety were categorized in the category of Meaning Based Approach-justification (MBA-j). The difference in problem solving behavior from two categories of mathematics anxiety is in re-reading the problem, linking concepts, deciding strategies, using context in calculations and final answer, and providing an explanation at each step of the solution. Students problem solving behavior with low mathematics anxiety was better than students problem solving behavior with high mathematics anxiety.