VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY OF AUGMENTED REALITY OBJECTS, DEPENDING ON GEOINFORMATIONAL DATA

Отображение навигационной информации в виде проекции на лобовое стекло автомобиля или стекло мотошлема обеспечивает ее восприятие водителем без переключения внимания с дороги на приборную панель, тем самым повышая безопасность дорожного движения. Используемые в настоящее время технологии визуализации информации для навигационного оснащения автомобиля или мотоцикла достаточно дороги и мало распространены, поэтому создание простого и недорогого в разработке программного обеспечения с открытым кодом, повышающего эффективность обработки и отображения информации, представляется актуальным. Предложена архитектура построения подобной системы навигации с применением технологии подсказок водителю в виде объектов дополненной реальности и использованием открытых геоинформационных сервисов. Рассмотрены применяемые в технологии структуры и типы данных, а также возможный набор аппаратных средств визуализации навигационной информации. Алгоритмы визуализации динамических объектов дополненной реальности и обработки геоданных реализованы в программном коде на языке Python. Разработан интерактивный интерфейс, обладающий интегрированным эффектом от совмещения преимуществ навигационных систем и сервисов геоинформационных данных. Приведены результаты тестирования работы кода при визуализации направления движения по заданному маршруту в режиме реального времени Displaying navigation information in the form of a projection onto the windshield of a car or the glass of a motorcycle helmet ensures its perception by the driver without switching attention from the road to the dashboard, thereby increasing road safety. The currently used information visualization technologies for the navigation equipment of a car or motorcycle are quite expensive and not widely used, therefore, the creation of simple and inexpensive open-source software that increases the efficiency of information processing and display seems to be relevant. The article proposes an architecture for building such a navigation system using the technology of prompting the driver in the form of augmented reality objects and using open geoinformation services. We considered the structures and types of data used in technology, as well as a possible set of hardware for visualization of navigation information. We implemented algorithms for visualization of dynamic objects of augmented reality and processing of geodata in the program code in the Python language. We developed an interactive interface that has an integrated effect of combining the advantages of navigation systems and geoinformation data services. We give the results of testing the code when visualizing the direction of movement along a given route in real time

Switching Between Attentional Demands – A Brief Report Comparing Findings from Younger and Older Adults

The increasing relevance to adapt quickly to changes in the environment is contrasted by an inverted U-shaped curve of task-switching abilities over the lifespan. While previous studies most commonly focused on switching between rules, modalities, and attributes, the process of switching between different attentional demands is somehow neglected. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this gap by applying a recently introduced paradigm on switching between attentional demands to younger and older adults. Within the present study, 116 younger adults (age: minmax: 18-30, M=22.31 years, SD=3.17; 85 women) and 93 older adults (age: minmax: 60-89, M=68.29 years, SD=6.18; 15 women) completed the Switching Attentional Demands-task (SwAD-task). The task enables to quantify single-task performance of selective and divided attention, but more important the ability of switching between these demands. Findings indicate faster response times in selective attention than divided attention for both groups. Furthermore, older adults showed longer response times in selective attention, divided attention, as well as switching attention, compared to their younger counterparts. Age-related changes are discussed by considering the frontal ageing hypothesis, processing-speed theory, as well as common factor theories of cognitive ageing. Furthermore, previous neurophysiological findings are taken into account to explain findings at hand.

Effect of a Dichotic Interaural Time Difference Program on Dichotic Listening Deficit of Children with Learning Difficulty

Background Dichotic listening deficit (DLD) is a common sign in children showing learning problem and is identified during auditory processing assessment. A dichotic listening training program was developed in which the weak ear lags behind the strong ear in time and has certain practices for switching attention between the ears and auditory memory. Purpose The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment program on dichotic performance of primary school children showing DLD. Research Design A pre/post clinical trial without control study. Study Sample Twenty-five primary school children, aged 7 to 12 years (mean = 9.3 years), showing DLD. Data Collection and Analysis Several primary schools referred the children with learning difficulty to us. We defined learning difficulty as a score of 2 and lower on a five-point scale in at least two primary school courses in the current semester. The children with DLD participated in listening practices three times a week for 10 weeks, each session lasting for 30 minutes. The practices started with one pair of dichotic digits and ended in practice with sentences. The weak ear lag varied from 100 to 1,000 milliseconds. In the last stage of the practices, the precued and postcued directed response aimed at strengthening auditory memory and switching attention between the ears. The results obtained by the tests of dichotic digits, competing words, and competing sentences before and after the intervention were compared using paired t-test. Hedges's g was calculated as the effect size. Results Comparison of the results of pretraining and those of posttraining revealed that the average dominant ear (DE) and nondominant ear (NDE) scores in dichotic listening tests improved significantly with medium-to-large effect sizes. It was also found that the mean change in the NDE score of the children was significantly greater than that of the DE score for all the tests. Conclusions Dichotic interaural time difference training that employed dichotic lag phenomenon followed by directed response practices significantly improved the DE and the NDE scores of the schoolchildren with DLD.

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDYING FLIGHT STAFF FATIGUE IN THE PROCESS OF SIMULATOR TRAINING

The article describes a methodology for studying fatigue of civil aviation flight personnel when performing labor operations on integrated Airbus-320 simulators using a graphical test carried out before and after simulator training. a decrease in stability indicators and switching attention of pilots after simulator training, which indicates the development of pronounced fatigue, is shown.

MORPHO-FUNCTIONAL AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG MEN OF NOVOSIBIRSK DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF CONSTITUTION

Цель - анализ морфофункциональных и психофизиологических показателей у юношей г. Новосибирска в зависимости от типа конституции. Материал и методы. Приводятся данные исследования морфофункциональных и психофизиологических показателей у юношей 18-20 лет разных типов конституции (119 юношей, распределенных по типам: астенический, нормостенический и гиперстенический). Изучали следующие морфофункциональные показатели: длину и массу тела, обхват грудной клетки, жизненную ёмкость лёгких. Осуществляли расчёт индексов: кистевого, жизненного; Кетле, Пинье, стении, двойное произведение. Изучали психофизиологические параметры: простая зрительно-моторная реакция, переключение внимания, умственная работоспособность, объём механической, смысловой и образной памяти. Результаты. По результатам исследования сформирован морфофункциональный и психофизиологический индивидуальнотипологический «портрет» каждого типа конституции. Характеристика астеников: высокие показатели длины тела и индекса стении, низкие показатели массы тела, обхвата грудной клетки и индекса Кетле; низкий уровень кистевого индекса, максимальный уровень жизненного индекса; высокий уровень реактивности организма, механической памяти и переключения внимания; максимальная подвижность нервных процессов. Характеристика нормостеников: низкий показатель длины тела, средние показатели индекса Кетле и индекса стении; высокий уровень кистевого индекса, средний уровень жизненного индекса, низкая экономичность деятельности сердечно-сосудистой системы; высокий уровень реактивности организма и переключения внимания; средняя подвижность нервных процессов. Характеристика гиперстеников: высокие показатели массы тела, обхвата грудной клетки, индекса Кетле, низкий показатель индекса стении; низкий уровень кистевого и жизненного индексов; низкий уровень реактивности организма и переключения внимания, высокий уровень смысловой памяти; минимальная подвижность нервных процессов, высокая продуктивность умственной работоспособности. Выводы. Каждый тип конституции в юношеском периоде онтогенеза имеет индивидуально-типологические особенности морфофункционального и психофизиологического развития организма. Objective - to study morpho-functional and psychophysiological characteristics of young men of Novosibirsk depending on the type of constitution. Material and methods. The research data on morpho-functional and psychophysiological parameters in 18 to 20-years old young men of different constitution types (119 young men, divided into asthenic, normosthenic, and hypersthenic types) are given. The following morpho-functional parameters were studied: height and body weight, chest girth, lung capacity. The following indices were calculated: hand grip strength index, life index; Quetelet index, Pignet index, index of sthenia, double product. The following psychophysiological parameters were studied: a simple visual-motor reaction, switching of attention, mental performance, the amount of mechanical, semantic and figurative memory. Results. According to the results of the study, an individually typological morpho-functional and psychophysiological «portrait» of each type of constitution was formed. The characteristic of asthenic type of constitution: high indices of body length and index of sthenia, low body mass index, chest girth and Quetelet index; low hand grip strength index, the maximum level of the life index; high level of body reactivity, mechanical memory and switching attention; maximum mobility of nervous processes. Characteristics of normosthenic type of constitution: low body length, average values of the Quetelet index and the sthenia index; high level of hand grip strength index, average level of life index, low efficiency of cardiovascular system activity; a high level of body reactivity and switching attention; average mobility of nervous processes. Characteristics of hypersthenic type of constitution: high rates of body weight, chest girth, Quetelet index, low index of sthenia; low levels of hand grip strength and life indices; low level of body reactivity and switching of attention, high level of semantic memory; minimal mobility of nervous processes, high productivity of mental efficiency. Conclusions. Each type of constitution in the adolescent period of ontogenesis has individual typological characteristics of the morpho-functional and psychophysiological development of the organism.

Contrasting hierarchical and multiple-demand accounts of frontal lobe functional organisation during task-switching

There is an unresolved discrepancy between popular hierarchical and multiple-demand perspectives on the functional organisation of the human frontal lobes. Here, we tested alternative predictions of these perspectives with a novel fMRI switching paradigm. Each trial involved switching attention between stimuli, but at different levels of difficulty and abstraction. As expected, increasing response times were evident when comparing low-level perceptual switching to more abstract dimension, rule and task-switching. However, there was no evidence of an abstraction hierarchy within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Nor was there recruitment of additional anterior PFC regions under increased switching demand. Instead, switching activated a widespread network of frontoparietal and cerebellar regions. Critically, the activity within PFC sub-regions uniformly increased with behavioural switch costs. We propose that both perspectives have some validity, but neither is complete. Too many studies have reported dissociations within MD for this volume to be functionally uniform, and the recruitment of more anterior regions with increased general difficulty cannot explain those results. Conversely, whilst reproducible evidence for a hierarchical functional organisation has been reported, this cannot be explained in terms of abstraction of representation or reconfiguration per se, because those interpretations generalise poorly to other task contexts.

S60. A PRELIMINARY COMPARISON OF COGNITIVE CHANGE: MINDFULNESS MEDITATION V. COGNITIVE REMEDIATION

Background Schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) typically presents with a diverse range of cognitive impairments, with the effective treatment of which is advocated as an important future focus for the field. Currently, cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is the most widely administered form of cognition enhancing treatment, however individual responses to CRT are highly variable in SSD, warranting examination of whether alternative approaches can also enhance cognition. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have shown potential in alleviating the negative impact of clinical SSD symptoms and show promising pro-cognitive treatment effects. The aim of the current study was to retrospectively compare cognitive improvements following two different CRT programs (multi-domain drill and strategy; visually intensive drill and practice) an MBI targeting persistent auditory verbal hallucinations, and a video game-based active control. Methods Data was retrospectively pooled for participants who completed measures of perceptual processing speed, sustained and switching attention, and inhibitory control. Twelve SSD participants completed four weekly one-hour individual sessions of the Individual Mindfulness Program for Voices, 22 completed a minimum of ten one-hour group-/computed-based sessions of the multi-domain drill and strategy intervention COGPACK, 22 completed a minimum of 24 one-hour group-/computer-based sessions of BrainHQ’s (Posit Science) VISUAL Intensive drill and practice intervention, and 17 participants completed a minimum of 10 one-hour group-/computed-based sessions of games putatively similar to exercises common to CRT (active control). Baseline/Post-treatment change effects were calculated for each intervention across specified cognitive variables and converted to standardised Z-scores based on the performance of the active control group. Results Unique and overlapping pro-cognitive effects were identified for each of the three intervention types compared to the active control. MBI produced moderate standardized pro-cognitive effects above the active control in perceptual processing speed (z-score□: 0.62) and switching attention (z-score: 0.45). This somewhat overlapped with the change effects calculated for the visually intensive drill and practice (z-score□: 0.57) CRT program. Both the visually intensive drill and practice (z-score: 0.47) and the multi-domain drill and strategy (z-score: 0.52) CRT programs resulted in moderate-to-large improvements v. control in sustained attention, whilst the MBI had no such effect (z-score: 0.10). The video-gamed based active control produced moderate improvements in inhibitory control in comparison to all three interventions (z-score□: -0.37). Discussion Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that a brief MBI can produce similar performance enhancing effects to that of the lengthier CRT programs in a discrete subset of cognitive tests. More extensive examinations of the cognitive benefits and their translation to real world functional improvements in SSD are needed.

Is mere exposure enough? The effects of bilingual environments on infant cognitive development

Bilinguals purportedly outperform monolinguals in non-verbal tasks of cognitive control (the ‘bilingual advantage'). The most common explanation is that managing two languages during language production constantly draws upon, and thus strengthens, domain-general inhibitory mechanisms (Green 1998 Biling. Lang. Cogn. 1 , 67–81. ( doi:10.1017/S1366728998000133 )). However, this theory cannot explain why a bilingual advantage has been found in preverbal infants (Kovacs & Mehler 2009 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106 , 6556–6560. ( doi:10.1073/pnas.0811323106 )). An alternative explanation is needed. We propose that exposure to more varied, less predictable (language) environments drive infants to sample more by placing less weight on consolidating familiar information in order to orient sooner to (and explore) new stimuli. To confirm the bilingual advantage in infants and test our proposal, we administered four gaze-contingent eye-tracking tasks to seven- to nine-month-old infants who were being raised in either bilingual ( n = 51) or monolingual ( n = 51) homes. We could not replicate the finding by Kovacs and Mehler that bilingual but not monolingual infants inhibit learned behaviour (experiment 1). However, we found that infants exposed to bilingual environments do indeed explore more than those exposed to monolingual environments, by potentially disengaging attention faster from one stimulus in order to shift attention to another (experiment 3) and by switching attention more frequently between stimuli (experiment 4). These data suggest that experience-driven adaptations may indeed result in infants exposed to bilingual environments switching attention more frequently than infants exposed to a monolingual environment.

More Efficient Shielding for Internal than External Attention? Evidence from Asymmetrical Switch Costs

At present, the process of switching attention between external stimuli and internal representations is not well understood. To address this, Verschooren and colleagues (2019) recently designed a novel paradigm where participants were cued to switch attention between external and internal information on a trial-by-trial basis. The authors observed an asymmetrical switch cost, which was larger when switching towards internal than external material, even though participants performed internal trials faster. In the current study, we sought to establish the cause of this asymmetry by adjudicating between predictions from three theoretical accounts: associative interference, priming, and memory retrieval. After replicating the original asymmetry (Experiment 1), we demonstrate that trial-by-trial carryover of attentional settings is not a necessary precondition (Experiment 2). The results from Experiment 3 indicate that the cost asymmetry can be best explained by an associative interference account, against a memory retrieval one. Together, these results therefor provide evidence in favor of an associative interference account and document that shielding attention for internal representations from external intrusions is more efficient than the other way around. This finding advances our understanding of a core aspect of cognitive flexibility and the relationship between external and internal attention. More research on this question and novel ones raised by it is necessary, however.