1,720,999 research outputs found
Visuo-spatial mental imagery and geometry skills in school-aged children
No full textThe relationships between visuo-spatial abilities and geometry performances in school-aged children were examined. A battery of tests assessing non-verbal reasoning, visuo-spatial mental imagery, and academic achievement in geometry (i.e., geometric knowledge and geometric problem-solving competencies) was presented to 162 8-9.5-year-old pupils attending primary school. After controlling for age, significant associations were found between non-verbal reasoning abilities and knowledge in geometry (r =.31, p =.013) and geometric problem-solving skills (r =.35, p =.005), respectively. Similarly, using age as covariate, mental imagery abilities were significantly related to geometric knowledge (r = -.28, p <.001) and geometric problem-solving skills (r = -.24, p =.002), respectively. Furthermore, pupils with high visuo-spatial mental imagery abilities outperformed their peers with low visuo-spatial competences in the geometry tasks and further visuo-spatial abilities measure computed by their teachers. Finally, male participants showed better geometry skills than females
Life satisfaction in late adult span: the contribution of family relationships, health self-perception and physical activity
No full textBackground: Life satisfaction is a crucial facet of subjective well-being, being impacted by different factors, such as cognitive and physical health, and social functioning. Aims: This study intended to investigate the impact of satisfaction with family ties, education, negative mood and health self-perception on life satisfaction in late adulthood. Methods: One hundred fifteen cognitively intact 75–101-year-old participants competed a battery of tools assessing cognitive efficiency and self-referent measures of life satisfaction, perceived physical health, negative mood and satisfaction with family relations. Results: A series of step-wise regression analyses showed that satisfaction with family ties with and without perceived physical health predicted different indexes of life satisfaction. Moreover, more physically active participants reported fewer depressive symptoms and better life satisfaction with their time occupied in leisure activities than more sedentary respondents. Conclusion: Perceived emotional connection with family members and a physically active lifestyle represent the most significant protective factors to boost self-reported life satisfaction in late adulthood
The contribution of motor functions to academic achievement in primary school: State of the art and future directions
No full textThis review is intended to point out the role played by motor skills proficiency in the academic achievement of typically and atypically developing pupils who are attending primary school. First, the interplay between motor and cognitive development will be presented. Next, the cognitive phenotype, not yet deeply investigated, of a neurodevelopmental condition associated with the atypical development of motor functions (known as Developmental Coordination Disorder) will be illustrated. Thus, the contribution of motor functions to academic learning and the impact of motor difficulties for pupils attending primary school will be discussed. In addition, the importance of developing observational tools to be used in educational settings and the need for effective interventions designed to empower motor functioning and academic achievement of atypically developing pupils with motor deficits will be highlighted. Finally, future directions within the educational agencies for the early detection of the atypically developing motor trajectories and their treatment will be traced
Visual and spatial working memory skills implicated in copying and drawing from memory of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure: what relationship in school-aged children?
No full textThe impact of age-related factors on the development of visual and spatial Working Memory (WM) and drawing skills implicated in the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test was examined in school-aged children. Additionally, this study investigated the role of non-verbal WM processes in shaping drawing performance. Ninety-four 7-, 10-, and 13-year-old children completed a battery of tasks assessing the efficiency of passive and active visual and spatial WM, visuo-constructive, visuo-motor, and visuo-spatial long-term memory functions. Results showed that WM, copy and drawing from memory of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure performances were impacted by developmental factors, that is, 7-year-old pupils were outperformed by 10-, and 13-year-old participants in many of the investigated measures. Finally, active visual WM processes predicted the accuracy of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure copying, whereas the copy of that geometric pattern and the efficiency of active simultaneous spatial WM accounted for the accuracy of the drawing from memory performance
Well-being, food habits, and lifestyle for longevity. Preliminary evidence from the sardinian centenarians and long-lived people of the Blue Zone
No full textLifestyle, physical, and mental health impact successful aging. However, at present, extensive literature about the interplay among perceived mental and physical health, lifestyle, and food intake in long-lived people residing in areas of exceptional longevity is lacking. This study was mainly aimed at examining the relationships among self-assessed life satisfaction, physical health, lifestyle, and food intake in the last two decades of life. A further goal was to investigate the impact of age-related factors on the above variables. The recruitment was mainly conducted in the Sardinian Blue Zone, a well-documented area of exceptional longevity in Sardinia, an Italian Island located in the Mediterranean Sea. Twenty-nine octogenarians (Mage = 83.9 years, SD = 2.7) and 28 gender-matched long-lived (Mage = 97.6 years, SD = 7.9) community-dwellers took voluntarily part in the study. Each participant individually completed a battery of tasks assessing their global cognitive efficiency, life satisfaction, lifestyle, food intake, and perceived physical health. The results highlighted that life satisfaction was significantly associated with time spent on outdoor leisure activities (r = .314, p = .026), perceived physical health (r = .459, p = .001), and carbohydrate intake (r = .333, p = .021). Moreover, the octogenarians and long-lived groups reported similar levels of life satisfaction (t(56) = .573, p = .569, Cohen’s d = .164). In conclusion, healthy nutrition habits and a physically active lifestyle boosting mental and physical health are crucial for promoting optimal aging
La valutazione delle abilità visuo-spaziali e di calcolo da parte degli insegnanti: Un'esperienza di screening nella scuola primaria
No full textDo cognitive reserve and executive functions matter to perform the reading the mind in the eyes test in late lifespan?
No full textTheory of Mind (ToM) is the capacity to understand the feelings and emotional states (i.e., affective ToM) or intentions, goals, and beliefs (i.e., cognitive ToM) of others. Previous evidence on the effect of executive functions and educational attainment on affective ToM is controversial. This study was conducted to investigate: (1) the nature of the associations between affective ToM and some indexes of cognitive reserve (i.e., years of education, vocabulary) in late adulthood when age was controlled; (2) whether cognitive reserve (e.g., years of education, leisure activities, vocabulary) and age predicted affective ToM in late adulthood; (3) the associations between affective ToM and some executive functions measures in late adulthood, controlling for the effect of age; (4) whether executive functioning predicted affective ToM performance; (5) whether some executive functions (i.e., cognitive flexibility and inhibition) mediated between vocabulary score (i.e., used as an index of cognitive reserve) and affective ToM score. Fifty-six 75–93-year-old community-dwellers completed a battery of tasks to assess some executive functions and affective ToM skills (i.e., through the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test). It was found that vocabulary, age, and participation in outdoor socio-recreational leisure activities predicted 31% of the variance in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes condition. Moreover, significant relationships were found between ToM and some executive functions, that is, cognitive flexibility and inhibition predicted 34% of the ToM score. Finally, cognitive flexibility and inhibition mediate between cognitive reserve (i.e., assessed in terms of vocabulary) and Reading the Mind in the Eyes test score
Screening per l'identificazione dei disturbi visuo-spaziali: un'esperienza nella scuola primaria
No full textEnhancing visuospatial skills in second graders: An exploratory follow-up study
No full textThis study was intended to assess the effect of a psychoeducational computer-assisted and paper-and-pencil training designed to empower visuospatial skills in students attending the second grade of the primary school. At pretest, posttest and at the subsequent 3-months follow-up, 44 Italian second graders were presented with a battery of tests assessing nonverbal problem solving, imagery, speed of processing, visuomotor coordination, and verbal working memory. After pretest, 22 pupils were trained by the psychoeducational intervention for 15 weekly sessions (Fastame & Antonini (2011). RECUPERO IN... abilità visuo-spaziali [Recovery in... visuo-spatial abilities]. Trento, Italy: Edizioni Erickson). Posttest scores and a follow-up assessment conducted after 3 months by the end of the training documented the positive effect of the psychoeducational intervention in enhancing visuospatial functions of the experimental group. These outcomes were also replicated when a questionnaire assessing visuospatial efficacy was proposed to the teachers of the participants
The enhancement of visuospatial abilities through pencil-and-paper or computer-aided training: What is more effective in 7-year-old pupils?
No full textThis investigation examines the impact of two psychoeducational programs (i.e., computer-assisted versus pencil-and-paper) for the empowerment of visuospatial skills of 7-year-old pupils. At pretest, posttest and at a three-month follow-up, 58 children attending the second grade of Italian primary school completed a battery of tests assessing visuospatial problem solving, speed of processing, spatial comprehension, mental imagery, passive and active verbal working memory, respectively. After the pretest, 19 participants were presented the computer-assisted “Recovery in ... visuo-spatial abilities” training, whereas further 20 pupils were trained with the pencil-and-paper “Recovery in ... visuo-spatial abilities” psychoeducational intervention, respectively. At posttest and follow-up, the positive impact of the computer-assisted training has been documented, whereas the efficacy of the pencil-and-paper intervention has been found only at the posttest. Overall, the computer-based program was particularly effective in favoring the development of spatial comprehension, mental imagery, and processing speed in second graders
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