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Behavioural and neural correlates of visual working memory reveal metacognitive aspects of mental imagery
Get PDFMental imagery (MI) is the ability to generate visual phenomena in the absence of sensory input. MI is often likened to visual working memory (VWM): the ability to maintain and manipulate visual representations. How MI is recruited during VWM is yet to be established. In a modified orientation change-discrimination task, we examined how behavioural (proportion correct) and neural (contralateral delay activity; CDA) correlates of precision and capacity map onto subjective ratings of vividness and number of items in MI within a VWM task. During the maintenance period, seventeen participants estimated the vividness of their MI or the number of items held in MI while they were instructed to focus on either precision or capacity of their representation and to retain stimuli at varying set sizes (1, 2 and 4). Vividness and number ratings varied over set sizes; however, subjective ratings and behavioral performance correlated only for vividness rating at set size 1. While CDA responded to set-size as was expected, CDA did not reflect subjective reports on high and low vividness and on non-divergent (reported the probed number of items in mind) or divergent (reported number of items diverged from probed) rating trials. Participants were more accurate in low set sizes compared to higher set sizes and in fine (15º) orientation changes compared to coarse (35º) orientation changes. We failed to find evidence for a relationship between the subjective sensory experience of precision and capacity of MI and the precision and capacity of VWM
Experiences of cognitive training on primary breast cancer survivor's cognitive impairments at work: a longitudinal qualitative study
Get PDFObjectives: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is associated with adverse work-related outcomes in women living with a history of primary breast cancer. We explored the perceived impact of receiving adaptive cognitive training (dual n-back training) or active control training (dual 1-back training) on CRCI. Furthermore, we explored the perceived transfer effects of cognitive training on work-related self-management methods for cognitive impairment and work-related outcomes such as career development.
Design: Longitudinal qualitative study.
Methods: A 'framework' analysis approach was used to analyse semi-structured telephone interviews completed by women with a history of primary breast cancer before training (N = 40), one month (N = 30) and six months (N = 29) post-training.
Results: Four main themes were identified: (1) impact of cognitive impairment at work, (2) perceived impact of cognitive training on impaired cognitive function, (3) perceived effects of training on work-related self-management methods for cognitive impairment and (4) perceived impact on women's career development and progression. Compared to baseline, women who received adaptive dual n-back training reported sustained improvement in multiple cognitive domains including memory and attention up to six months post-training when the follow-up interviews were conducted. Perceived improvements in cognitive function were associated with greater self-confidence and better emotional well-being in work. These improvements were found to lower dependency on self-management methods for cognitive impairment and enhance effectiveness as well as prompt career development or progression for many women. Although some findings of a similar nature were reported in the active control dual 1-back training group the perceived effects were more pronounced and consistent in the dual n-back group.
Conclusions: Adaptive cognitive training (dual n-back training) improves perceived CRCI experienced by women in the workplace, enhancing their self-confidence and general emotional well-being. These perceived improvements, in turn, can decrease reliance on self-management methods for cognitive impairment and improve work efficiency and contribute to career development and progression
Olivine microstructure and thermometry in olivine‐phyric shergottites Sayh al Uhaymir 005 and Dar al Gani 476
Get PDFOlivine-phyric shergottites are relatively young Martian meteorites that resemble primitive mantle-derived melts, so offer insight into the causes of recent magmatism on Mars. The Al-in-olivine geothermometer offers the potential to examine (near-)liquidus melt temperatures. However, the ubiquitous shock features in most Martian meteorites, caused by high-energy impacts, can change the structure and composition of olivine crystals, making the applicability of mineral geothermometry methods uncertain. This study examines microstructure and mineral chemistry in two shocked primitive, depleted olivine-phyric shergottites, Sayh al Uhaymir (SaU) 005 and Dar al Gani (DaG) 476. DaG 476 is unsuitable for Al-in-olivine thermometry because of the presence of difficult-to-observe but pervasive networks of undulating veins in olivine down to sub-micron sizes, caused by melting and providing pathways for cation diffusion. In contrast, SaU 005 can be used for Al-in-olivine thermometry despite the presence of conjugate shear and fracture sets and micron-scale cpx-spinel exsolution. The average crystallization temperature of Fo>70 olivine in SaU 005, 1380°C, is near-identical to the average temperature of new and published Fo>70 data from all olivine-phyric shergottites. When corrected for equilibrium with mantle olivine (Fo80) this corresponds to a mantle temperature of approximately 1500°C, 130°C hotter than ambient Martian mantle when shergottites formed. Shergottites were generated by melting within a moderately hot mantle plume or thermal anomaly, in support of other evidence that the Martian mantle is actively convecting. However, it does not support the extremely high potential temperatures estimated for the shergottite source by a whole-rock petrological method
Informational masking influences segmental and suprasegmental speech categorization
Get PDFAuditory categorization requires listeners to integrate acoustic information from multiple dimensions. Attentional theories suggest that acoustic dimensions that are informative attract attention and therefore receive greater perceptual weight during categorization. However, the acoustic environment is often noisy, with multiple sound sources competing for listeners’ attention. Amid these adverse conditions, attentional theories predict that listeners will distribute attention more evenly across multiple dimensions. Here we test this prediction using an informational masking paradigm. In two experiments, listeners completed suprasegmental (focus) and segmental (voicing) speech categorization tasks in quiet or in the presence of competing speech. In both experiments, the target speech consisted of short words or phrases that varied in the extent to which fundamental frequency (F0) and durational information signalled category identity. To isolate effects of informational masking, target and competing speech were presented in opposite ears. Across both experiments, there was substantial individual variability in the relative weighting of the two dimensions. These individual differences were consistent across listening conditions, suggesting that they reflect stable perceptual strategies. Consistent with attentional theories of auditory categorization, listeners who relied on a single primary dimension in quiet shifted towards integrating across multiple dimensions in the presence of competing speech. These findings demonstrate that listeners make greater use of the redundancy present in speech when attentional resources are limited
Cortical responses to social stimuli in infants at elevated likelihood of ASD and/or ADHD: a prospective cross-condition fNIRS study
No full textAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions that often co-occur and present both common and distinct neurodevelopmental profiles. Studying the developmental pathways leading to the emergence of ASD and/or ADHD symptomatology is crucial in understanding neurodiversity and discovering the mechanisms that underpin it. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate differences in cortical specialization to social stimuli between 4- to 6-month-old infants at typical and elevated likelihood of ASD and/or ADHD. Results showed that infants at both elevated likelihood of ASD and ADHD had reduced selectivity to vocal sounds in left middle and superior temporal gyrus. Furthermore, infants at elevated likelihood of ASD showed attenuated responses to visual social stimuli in several cortical regions compared to infants at typical likelihood. Individual brain responses to visual social stimuli were associated with later autism traits, but not ADHD traits. These outcomes support our previous observations showing atypical social brain responses in infants at elevated likelihood of ASD and align with later atypical brain responses to social stimuli observed in children and adults with ASD. These findings highlight the importance of characterizing antecedent biomarkers of atypicalities in processing socially relevant information that might contribute to both phenotypic overlap and divergence across ASD and ADHD conditions and their association with the later emergence of behavioural symptoms
Post-1980 remembrances of female wartime experiences as Communist underground operatives during the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949)
No full textThis article investigates a selection of post-1980 life writings—autobiographies, memoirs and remembrances—by and about Chinese women and their experiences as underground operatives for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) between 1945 and 1949. It aims to uncover what women’s wartime stories were, as well as why and how they were constructed, considering the broader context in which these narratives were made. A premise of this article is that these published life writings were used as an ideological tool for the men and women who narrated them and for their acquaintances who were fellow underground operatives. It argues that the success of female underground operatives in both the pre-1949 and post-Mao periods depended to a considerable extent on how effective they were in mobilizing dominant, normative female roles, attributes, and norms. This article adds to our understanding regarding pre-1949 CCP clandestine activities and the nuanced relationship between the CCP and Chinese women
A qualitative study of Autistic adults' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns
Get PDFBackground: Autistic people experience higher rates of most mental health conditions and report more difficulties with change than nonautistic people. As such, the periods of national stay-at-home orders (known in the United Kingdom as a “lockdown”) endured since the beginning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic in March 2020 may have been particularly challenging for autistic people.
Aim: This study explored autistic adults' experience of quality of life and well-being during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (specifically March to August 2020) using open-text responses from an online survey.
Methods: In total, 79 autistic adults from the United Kingdom (aged 21–75 years) took part. Participants completed an online survey, including open-text questions on how various factors influencing quality of life, such as social interactions, general health, well-being, and sensory experiences, were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the first set of national lockdowns that occurred between March and August 2020.
Results: Thematic analysis created four key themes, each illustrated by several subthemes. These four themes explore (1) health, (2) social changes, (3) support provisions, and (4) adopting new routines. Many participants discussed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the first set of national lockdowns had on their health and expressed concerns regarding the transition out of periods of lockdown, including readjusting to new rules, going back to in-person interactions, and reacclimatizing to high-stimulation sensory environments. However, several participants reported positive experiences of the periods of lockdown, such as reduced commuting, more control over sensory environments, and more time to pursue personal interests and self-care.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of giving autistic individuals the support they need to transition back to “normality” as COVID-19 becomes endemic
Action value calculations in social context from infancy
No full textInfants adaptively modulate their social behaviours, such as gaze-following, to social context. We propose that such modulations are based on infants’ social decision-making, to achieve the most valuable outcome. We propose an ‘action value calculator model’, which formulates the cognitive mechanisms underlying, and the development of, the decision-making process during interactions
The Trajectory of English Foreign Learners’ Emotions and Motivation from the Start to the End of their Learning Journey: A Pseudo-Longitudinal Investigation
Get PDFThe current study is based on a pseudo-longitudinal design to investigate the trajectory of Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), Foreign Language Peace of Mind (FLPOM), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA), Foreign Language Boredom (FLB) among a total of 502 Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced English Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Morocco who filled out a single online questionnaire. Statistical results showed that motivation remained unchanged across skill levels but that positive emotions increased significantly and negative emotions dropped significantly, with the transition from Beginner to Intermediate skill levels showing the biggest change. The direction of relationships between the dependent variables remained similar although their strengths varied slightly across skill levels, reflecting the dynamic nature of FL learners’ emotions and motivation
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