Investigating the impact of emotion on temporal orientation in a deep multitask setting

Temporal orientation is an important aspect of human cognition which shows how an individual emphasizes past, present, and future. Theoretical research in psychology shows that one’s emotional state can influence his/her temporal orientation. We hypothesize that measuring human temporal orientation can benefit from concurrent learning of emotion. To test this hypothesis, we propose a deep learning-based multi-task framework where we concurrently learn a unified model for temporal orientation (our primary task) and emotion analysis (secondary task) using tweets. Our multi-task framework takes users’ tweets as input and produces three temporal orientation labels (past, present or future) and four emotion labels (joy, sadness, anger, or fear) with intensity values as outputs. The classified tweets are then grouped for each user to obtain the user-level temporal orientation and emotion. Finally, we investigate the associations between the users’ temporal orientation and their emotional state. Our analysis reveals that joy and anger are correlated to future orientation while sadness and fear are correlated to the past orientation.

Cognitive predictors of vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors in a population representative sample

With the continued threat of COVID-19, predictors of vaccination hesitancy and mitigation behaviors are critical to identify. Prior studies have found that cognitive factors are associated with some COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, but few studies employ representative samples and to our knowledge no prior studies have examined cognitive predictors of vaccine hesitancy. The purpose of the present study, conducted among a large national sample of Canadian adults, was to examine associations between cognitive variables (executive function, delay discounting, and temporal orientation) and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (vaccination, mask wearing, social distancing, and hand hygiene). Findings revealed that individuals with few executive function deficits, limited delay discounting and who adopted a generally future-orientation mindset were more likely to be double-vaccinated and to report performing COVID-19 mitigation behaviors with high consistency. The most reliable findings were for delay discounting and future orientation, with executive function deficits predicting mask wearing and hand hygiene behaviors but not distancing and vaccination. These findings identify candidate mediators and moderators for health communication messages targeting COVID-19 mitigation behaviors and vaccine hesitancy.

The Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Survey: Study Protocol

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy remains a significant challenge even through the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, even in the most well-supplied countries. In Canada, despite high vaccine uptake of the first wave of vaccinations, there are signs of declining uptake of vaccine boosters. Likewise, recommended COVID-19 mitigation behaviors such as mask wearing, distancing, and hand hygiene have been challenging to sustain over the pandemic. The aim of the Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Survey (CCES) is to use a variety of social-cognitive and neurocognitive variables to predict the uptake and sustaining of vaccinations, boosters, and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors across the Canadian population through the second and third years of the pandemic. Methods and analyses: Vaccine hesitant and fully vaccinated adults (N=1,958) were recruited to the 35-minute CCES web survey, using quota sampling, with sampling weights being applied to ensure representativeness of the Canadian population. In Wave 1, conducted between 28 September and 21 October, 2021, 43.3% (n=848) reported not having received any vaccinations, 50.2% (n=983) reported being fully vaccinated, and 6.5% (n=127) reported having had one vaccination with no intention of having a second dose. Social cognitive variables being measured include intentions, beliefs, reasons, and attitudes. Neurocognitive variables being measured include executive dysfunction, delay discounting, and temporal orientation. Other key variables being measured include trust in science, political orientation, mood, and long-COVID symptoms. Ethics and dissemination: The CCES has received ethical review and approval by the University of Waterloo Office of Research Ethics. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings.

Short-term memory, attention, and temporal orientation as predictors of the cognitive impairment in older adults: A cross-sectional observational study

Late-life cognitive decline ranges from the mildest cases of normal, age-related change to mild cognitive impairment to severe cases of dementia. Dementia is the largest global burden for the 21st century welfare and healthcare systems. The aim of this study was to analyze the neuropsychological constructs (temporal orientation (TO), spatial orientation (SO), fixation memory (FM), attention (A), calculation (C), short-term memory (STM), language (L), and praxis (P)), semantic fluency, level of functionality, and mood that reveal the greatest deficit in the different stages ranging from normal cognition (NC) to cognitive impairment in older adults in a primary healthcare setting. The study included 337 participants (102 men, 235 women), having a mean age of 74 ± 6 years. According to their scores on the Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MEC-35), subjects were divided into 4 groups: no deterioration (ND) (score 32–35), subtle cognitive impairment (SCI) (score 28–31), level deterioration (LD) (score 24–27) and moderate deterioration (MD) (score 20–23). The ND group revealed significant differences in TO, STM, C, A, L, P, and S-T as compared to the other groups. The MD group (in all the neuropsychological constructs) and the ND and SCI groups showed significant differences on the Yesavage geriatric depression scale (GDS-15). All except the FM neuropsychological construct were part of the MEC-35 prediction model and all of the regression coefficients were significant for these variables in the model. Furthermore, the highest average percentage of relative deterioration occurs between LD and MD and the greatest deterioration is observed in the STM for all groups, including A and TO for the LD and MD groups. Based on our findings, community programs have been implemented that use cognitive stimulation to prevent cognitive decline and to maintain the neuropsychological constructs.

Meter without rhythmic pattern repetitions increases pre-attentive processing

Processing musical meter – the organization of time into regular cycles of strong and weak beats – requires abstraction from the varying rhythmic surface. Several studies investigated whether meter processing requires attention, or if it can be both pre-attentive and attentive. While findings on temporal expectation (processing meter per se) indicated benefits of attention, studies on meter processing in a more complex, dual-task context (meter used for temporal orientation) consistently reported pre-attentive processing. Also, while surface-based approaches to meter (meter aided by pattern repetition) showed some benefits of attention, structural approaches (meter not aided by pattern repetition, increased complexity) found pre-attentive-only processing. Therefore, in the present study we hypothesized that pre-attentive processing increases with cognitive load, and we compared surface with structural meter processing. Supporting our hypothesis, we saw improved behavioral performance for surface meter, as well as EEG evidence that structural meter elicits pre-attentive processing (pre-attentive P1) while surface meter does not (attentive-only P1). Our findings highlight the need for increased awareness in approaches to meter processing and support the idea that increased cognitive demand may recruit pre-attentive processing of temporal structure.

Ethnographic Reflections on Event-Time in Jail

This chapter marshals ethnographic data from county jails in southern California to examine how a penal environment shapes the ways prisoners experience time, track time, and orient themselves to the past, present, or future. Building from research that conceptualizes the ordering of social behavior according to “event” or “clock” time, it is argued that incoming prisoners experience a disorienting incongruity between clock time in free society and event time in jail. Temporal congruity is conceptualized as another kind of social need like identity verification, group inclusivity, and other basic social needs identified by social psychologists. Additionally, and in part because penal time was organized around events, prisoners use somewhat idiosyncratic quality-of-life events to create timetables and thereby break indefinite time into manageable segments. Finally, a relationship between self-efficacy and temporal orientation (past, present, or future) is shown with the argument that as self-efficacy increases, so does the likelihood of prisoners being oriented to the future. On the other hand, the lower the self-efficacy, the greater the likelihood of an orientation to the present. Given the findings, it is recommended that jails operate on more conventional time schedules with regular access to natural light. This work has implications for the sociology of time as well as future studies of punishment.

Translating and Adapting the Modified Mini Mental State (3MS) Test for Multiple Cultural Populations

Within healthcare settings, screening of cognitive abilities in older adults is routinely conducted for the detection, early intervention, and management of cognitive impairments. The Modified Mini Mental State (3MS) test takes approximately 10 minutes to administer and has a score range of 0 - 100. It can provide an estimated MMSE score, and has been used in multiple countries since 1987 with approximately 1,900 publications. The United States has many diverse populations with different languages and cultural backgrounds. How to appropriately translate and adapt the original 3MS test in English for each minority group in order to better serve them is an important issue. Cross-cultural assessment involves much more than accurate translation of test items across languages. One needs to know not only the oral and written languages involved, but also the life experiences and circumstances of the target populations. This presentation first covers some general considerations in test translation and adaptation, including attention to cultural, ecological, and language specifics. We shall then present Chinese, Korean, and Hindi 3MS record forms to illustrate the reasons and ways for modification of some of the test items. To accommodate different writing systems, for example, 3MS test versions with an alphabet are different from ones with logographic character representations. Modifications of the 3MS items include those on temporal orientation, spatial orientation, naming, and repetition. In summary, cultural, ecological, and linguistic differences must be taken into account for cognitive screening in order to enhance cross-population comparability and be more inclusive for aging ethnic minorities.

611 Mild cognitive impairment is associated with subclinical left ventricular dysfunction as assessed by global longitudinal strain in hypertensive patients

Aims Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) detects subtle systolic abnormalities in various cardiovascular conditions, which represent significant risk factors for cognitive impairment and stroke. Specifically, GLS has emerged as a more precise myocardial function measure than left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study investigated the relationship of GLS with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in hypertensive patients. Methods and results From February 2020 to October 2021 were enrolled hypertensive patients without atrial fibrillation and/or cerebrovascular and/or neurodegenerative diseases. Complete demographic, clinical characteristics, laboratory analyses, conventional echocardiographic parameters were collected. Finally, MCI was defined by accurate the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (QMCI) Screen corrected for age and education. This score explores spatial and temporal orientation, registration, delayed recall, clock design, logical memory, and verbal fluency in a brief time (5 min—score 0–100); a compliance questionnaire (Morisky medication adherence scale); a questionnaire on nutritional status (MNA). 81 hypertensive patients [66 ± 7.27 years; 9 (11%) female] were included in the study. Concerning echocardiographic evaluation, LVEF was 50.47 ± 9.95% and mean GLS was −16.00 ± 3.66. Mean QMCI corrected for age and education was 56.45 ± 9.37, and MCI was detected in 21 patients (26%). When comparing the patients with MCI (QMCItot <49.4) and without MCI (QMCItot >49.4), a statistically significant difference of GLS values was detected (no MCI: −16.52 ± 3.66 vs. MCI: −14.18 ± 3.23; P = 0.032); on the other hand, the two groups did not differ in LVEF (no MCI: 50.58 ± 9.70 vs. MCI: 48.86 ± 11.93; P = 0.864). Furthermore, excluding patients with FE ≥ 45% from the analysis, a statistically significant linear regression was observed between QMCI (corrected for age and education) and the GLS (P = 0.014) (Figure 1). Conclusions Compromised GLS, but not LV EF, is related to MCI in hypertensive patients who are free of clinical dementia, stroke, and neurodegenerative disease. Moreover, our study demonstrates for the first time the existence of a significant association between the QMCI and GLS; consequently, GLS could be an additional parameter in clinical practice for early recognition of MCI. However, studies on a larger population will be needed to confirm this association.

Low Cognitive Performance Increases The Risk Of Hospital-Associated Complications In Older Adults

Considering the limited evidence regarding the factors that contribute to long-term consequences after hospitalization of older people, we analysed the relationship between cognitive performance and hospital-associated complications (HAC). One thousand, three hundred Individuals aged 60 and older (mean age 82.3, 53.3% female), not assigned to palliative care and admitted in medical and surgical wards from a private hospital, were followed up from admission to 30 days after discharge. HAS was evaluated using a multicomponent measure that combines 12 hospital-associated complications (delirium, functional decline, falls, pressure injuries, bronchoaspiration, non-planned ICU transfer, physical restraints, hospital stay > 30 days, death, long-term care transfer, and readmission). Cognitive performance was assessed using the "10-point cognitive screener (10-CS)", which combines temporal orientation, category fluency, and word recall evaluation. Results Overall, 464 (35.7%) participants had one or more HAC during their admission. Patients with HAC showed lower 10-CS scores than those with in HAC (p <0.001). Adjusting for sociodemographic data, medication, chronic diseases, delirium screening, functional performance, each 10-CS point decreased the HAC changes by 19.2% (odds ratio = 0.808; 95% CI = 0.660 – 0.990). Conclusion These findings show that low cognitive performance was significantly associated with the risk of developing HAC during hospitalization and within 30 days after discharge. That evidence forms the critical foundation for the next steps towards validating the accuracy of these models in predicting vulnerability to HAC and developing screening tools to be used at the point of care.