Outsourcing memory to external tools: A review of ‘intention offloading’

How do we remember delayed intentions? Three decades of research into prospective memory have provided insight into the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in this form of memory. However, we depend on more than just our brains to remember intentions. We also use external props and tools such as calendars and diaries, strategically-placed objects, and technologies such as smartphone alerts. This is known as ‘intention offloading’. Despite the progress in our understanding of brain-based prospective memory, we know much less about the role of intention offloading in individuals’ ability to fulfil delayed intentions. Here, we review recent research into intention offloading, with a particular focus on how individuals decide between storing intentions in internal memory versus external reminders. We also review studies investigating how intention offloading changes across the lifespan and how it relates to underlying brain mechanisms. We conclude that intention offloading is highly effective, experimentally tractable, and guided by metacognitive processes. Therefore, metacognitive interventions could play an important role in promoting individuals’ adaptive use of cognitive tools.

The Poem of Experience: Term and Foundations: قصيدة التجربة: المصطلح والأسس

This research, with its cognitive tools, seeks to present its understanding of the term "poem of experience", according to a vision based on the approach between thematic poetry that is defined by themes and purposes emanating from an accident, and poetry that revolts against this stereotype, and transcends the occasion and the topic, to be concerned with their impact and effectiveness. The research attempted to draw the boundaries of the term "poem of experience" by examining the lexical significance and the deliberative context of the term. He also noted the confusion of some critical studies between the terms "experiment" and "experimentation" with regard to the sensitivity of experience and the formality of experimentation, and concluded the general foundations of the poem experience, which is reflected in the destruction of topics, transgression of purposes, diversity of significance and openness of interpretation. Hence, the research acquires its legitimacy, based on proposing a critical concept specific to the modernist poem, which is no longer bound by the stereotyped poetic controls and its functions.

Evaluation of Available Cognitive Tools Used to Measure Mild Cognitive Decline: A Scoping Review

Cognitive decline is a broad syndrome ranging from non-pathological/age-associated cognitive decline to pathological dementia. Mild cognitive impairment MCI) is defined as the stage of cognition that falls between normal ageing and dementia. Studies have found that early lifestyle interventions for MCI may delay its pathological progression. Hence, this review aims to determine the most efficient cognitive tools to discriminate mild cognitive decline in its early stages. After a systematic search of five online databases, a total of 52 different cognitive tools were identified. The performance of each tool was assessed by its psychometric properties, administration time and delivery method. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, n = 15), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, n = 14) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT, n = 4) were most frequently cited in the literature. The preferable tools with all-round performance are the Six-item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT), MoCA (with the cut-offs of ≤24/22/19/15.5), MMSE (with the cut-off of ≤26) and the Hong Kong Brief Cognitive Test (HKBC). In addition, SAGE is recommended for a self-completed survey setting whilst a 4-point CDT is quick and easy to be added into other cognitive assessments. However, most tools were affected by age and education levels. Furthermore, optimal cut-off points need to be cautiously chosen while screening for MCI among different populations.

Educating Perfinkers: How Cognitive Tools Support Affective Engagement in Teacher Education

Our intention is to share our lived experiences as educators of educators employing Imaginative Education (IE) pedagogy. We aim to illuminate IE’s influence on our students’, and our own, affective alertness, and to leave readers feeling the possibility of this pedagogy for teaching and learning. Inspired by the literary and research praxis of métissage (Chambers et al., 2012; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2010), we offer this polyphonic text as a weaving together of our discrete and collective voices as imaginative teacher educators. Our writing reflects a relational process, one that invites us as writers and colleagues to better understand each other and our practices as IE educators (Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009). It also allows us to share with other practitioners our struggles, questions, and triumphs as we make sense of our individual and collective praxis: how IE’s theory informs our practice, and how our practice informs our understanding of IE’s theory. This text, like IE’s philosophy, invites heterogeneous possibilities.

Composite photographic portrait as a tool for visualizing local anthropological variants (using the example of Bashkir men photographic materials)

Based on individual images of Bashkir men from literary sources (early 20th century) and on the basis of our own photographs of the end of the 20th century, composite photographic portraits (full-face, in profile) were compiled using the "FaceOnFace" computer program. Based on the high similarity of composite photographic portraits, two samples (from the beginning and the end of the 20th century) of initial photographs of Bashkir men were combined into a single corpus (N = 85). Individual photographs corresponding to the descriptions of the South Siberian (N = 40) and Ural (N = 20) minor races were selected from the combined sample of photographs of Bashkir men of the 20th century. Results and discussion. Based on these two subsamples, using digital technologies, 2 pairs of high-precision male composite photographic portraits (full-face and in profile) of Bashkir men were created. They represent the two racial variants prevailing in the region. One pair of photo-generalizations characterizes the softened South Siberian (N = 40), and the other, the sub-Ural (N = 20) anthropological variants. All profile composite photographic portraits of the Bashkirs were obtained for the first time. The phantom image obtained by the method is mentally compared with a certain generalized idea of a particular anthropological version of the known racial classifications. Due to the authorial nature of the various racial classifications, the subjective choice of the «typical», «most characteristic» person (or a short series of faces), presented as an illustration, is also inevitable. Conclusion. The resulting photographic portraits are no less recognizable than the illustrations given in anthropology textbooks: two clearly distinguishable anthropologically variants are visualized that occur in Bashkir populations. This result confirms the deeply entrenched opinion of anthropologists about the heterogeneity and population polytypes of the Bashkir ethno-national community. Both population-typological composite photographic portraits of an ethnic group and a typological digital high precision quality composite portrait, which achieves the effect of "personalization" of a phantom image, are cognitive tools that allow one to assess the biological reality of the existence of human populations with biologically meaningful (adequate) visual means. It is necessary to seek visual means that are isomorphic to the nature of a living, lasting composite.

Criminalistic protection of the rights of minor victims and witnesses. Problem statement

The paper points out the role of criminalistics in providing criminal proceedings with cognitive tools that allow solving one of the key tasks of justice – protecting the rights and legitimate interests of persons and organizations who have been victims of crimes, and above all, minors who have become victims of crimes and the possibility of conducting investigations taking into account the mental and physical characteristics of participants in criminal proceedings. The purpose of the paper is to identify and substantiate the topicality of the problem of criminalistic support for the participation of a minor victim in criminal proceedings. The following methods are used: empirical comparison and description methods, theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic. Results: a number of problems are identified regarding the participation of minor victims in criminal proceedings. In that connection, a theoretical justification is provided for the need for further research of the problem and for the establishment of a special criminalistic doctrine on that basis.

VALUE OF P300 AS A SCREENING TOOL OF COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN EPILEPSY: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY FROM INDIA

Objective. Preservation of cognition is essential for good quality life. Epileptic pathological processes and pharmacotherapy are thought to be responsible for the cognitive dysfunction (CDF) in persons with epilepsy (PWE). Regular monitoring of persons on antiepileptic drugs (AED) for CDF is recommended. P300, an attention dependent event related potential (ERP), is known to be abnormal in PWE. The value of P300 in monitoring cognitive functions has not been tested prospectively. Material and methods. PWE not exposed to AED in preceding 6 months were recruited and prescribed one of the three common AEDs i.e. carbamazepine, phenytoin and valproate. Subjective tests of cognition-MoCA, Trail making test, Paragraph memory tests, Stroop test in addition to P300 ERP were administered before initiating AED and repeated after three months on the prescribed AED. The significance of the change in the scores of cognitive tools and P300 latency was ascertained by paired t-test. Outcome. Thirty eight PWE (females 18, mean age mean = 22.89±9.39 yr) qualified the inclusion criterion. The values of P300 latency and deployed subjective tests of cognition at two data collection points were compared with the clinical profile of the patients. Performance of the patients deteriorated on all the cognitive batteries after exposure to AED (mean 107.84±19.2 days). The deterioration was independent of education level, type of AED and seizures. Prolongation of P300 latency from baseline was seen in 30 of 38 patients (78.94%). The sensitivity of P300 for picking cognitive dysfunction was 80.64% taking MoCA scores as a reference. Conclusions. Attention along with several other domains of cognition is affected adversely with AED exposure. The P300 could be useful for monitoring cognitive adverse effects of AED in PWE.