1,917 research outputs found
Theoretical frameworks for the learning of geometrical reasoning
No full textWith the growth in interest in geometrical ideas it is important to be clear about the nature of geometrical reasoning and how it develops. This paper provides an overview of three theoretical frameworks for the learning of geometrical reasoning: the van Hiele model of thinking in geometry, Fischbein’s theory of figural concepts, and Duval’s cognitive model of geometrical reasoning. Each of these frameworks provides theoretical resources to support research into the development of geometrical reasoning in students and related aspects of visualisation and construction. This overview concludes that much research about the deep process of the development and the learning of visualisation and reasoning is still needed
Michael Rodriguez interviews historian and author Keith Widder
No full textHistorian and author Keith Widder talks about his move to Michigan from Wisconsin, his career as Curator of History for the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, his research interests, his book "Michigan Agricultural College", and his current projects. Widder is interviewed by Michigan State University Librarian Michael Rodriguez for the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series. Held in the MSU Main Library
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistance in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis and clinical implications
No full textIntroduction: Despite promising results from several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses, the efficacy of r-TMS as a treatment for OCD remains controversial, at least in part owing to inconsistency in the trial methodologies and heterogeneity in the trial outcomes. This meta-analysis attempts to explain some of this heterogeneity by comparing the efficacy of r-TMS in patients with or without resistance to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), defined using standardized criteria.
Methods: We conducted a pre-registered (PROSPERO ID: 241381) systematic review and meta-analysis. English language articles reporting blinded RCTs were retrieved from searches using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases. Studies were subjected to subgroup analysis based on four stages of treatment resistance, defined using an adaptation of published criteria (1 = not treatment resistant, 2 = one SSRI trial failed, 3 = two SSRI trials failed, 4 = two SSRI trials failed plus one or more CBT trial failed). Meta-regression analyses investigated patient and methodological factors (age, duration of OCD, illness severity, stage of treatment-resistance, or researcher allegiance) as possible moderators of effect size.
Results: Twenty-five independent comparisons (23 studies) were included. Overall, r-TMS showed a medium-sized reduction of Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores (Hedge's g: -0.47; 95%CI: - 0.67 to -0.27) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 39.8%). Assessment of publication bias using Trim and Fill analysis suggested a reduced effect size that remained significant (g: -0.29; 95%CI: -0.51 to -0.07). Subgroup analysis found that those studies including patients non-resistant to SSRI (stage 1) (g: -0.65; 95%CI: -1.05 to -0.25, k = 7) or with low SSRI-resistance (stage 2) (g:-0.47; 95%CI: -0.86 to -0.09, k = 6) produced statistically significant results with low heterogeneity, while studies including more highly resistant patients at stage 3 (g: -0.39; 95%CI: -0.90 to 0.11, k = 4) and stage 4 (g: -0.36; 95%CI: -0.75 to 0.03, k = 8) did not. Intriguingly, the only significant moderator of the effect size found by meta-regression was the severity of baseline depressive symptoms. All trials showed evidence of researcher allegiance in favour of the intervention and therefore caution is required in interpreting the reported effect sizes.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis shows that r-TMS is an effective treatment for OCD, but largely for those not resistant to SSRI or failing to respond to only one SSRI trial. As a consequence, r-TMS may be best implemented earlier in the care pathway. These findings would have major implications for clinical service development, but further well-powered RCTs, which eliminate bias from researcher allegiance, are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn
Interview with Keith R. A. DeCandido
No full textTWC interviews Keith R. A. DeCandido, author of Supernatural tie-in novels Nevermore, Bone Key, and Heart of the Dragon
The shaping of student knowledge: learning with dynamic geometry software
No full textThe focus of this paper is a software genre usually referred to as ‘dynamic geometry’ because of the ability of the user to dynamically manipulate geometrical figures created with the software tool. Using data from a longitudinal study of 12-13 students’ use of dynamic geometry software, the focus of the analysis is on the interpretations the students make of geometrical objects and relationships when using this form of software. The analysis suggests that the students’ mathematical reasoning is shaped by their interactions with the software in that their ability to explain geometrical facts and relationships evolves from imprecise, ‘everyday’ expressions, through reasoning that is overtly mediated by the software environment, to mathematical explanations of the geometric situation that transcend the particular tool being used. Such findings suggest that curriculum initiatives that encourage the use of dynamic geometry software are appropriate but that the incorporation of such software into classroom practices is unlikely to be straightforward
Cognitive dysfunction in body dysmorphic disorder: new implications for nosological systems and neurobiological models.
No full textUNLABELLED: Introduction Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating disorder, characterized by obsessions and compulsions relating specifically to perceived appearance, and which has been newly classified within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders grouping. Until now, little research has been conducted into the cognitive profile of this disorder. METHODS: Participants with BDD (n=12) and participants without BDD (n=16) were tested using a computerized neurocognitive battery investigating attentional set-shifting (Intra/Extra Dimensional Set Shift Task), decision-making (Cambridge Gamble Task), motor response-inhibition (Stop-Signal Reaction Time Task), and affective processing (Affective Go-No Go Task). The groups were matched for age, IQ, and education. RESULTS: In comparison to controls, patients with BDD showed significantly impaired attentional set-shifting, abnormal decision-making, impaired response inhibition, and greater omission and commission errors on the emotional processing task. CONCLUSION: Despite the modest sample size, our results showed that individuals with BDD performed poorly compared to healthy controls on tests of cognitive flexibility, reward and motor impulsivity, and affective processing. Results from separate studies in OCD patients suggest similar cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, these findings are consistent with the reclassification of BDD alongside OCD. These data also hint at additional areas of decision-making abnormalities that might contribute specifically to the psychopathology of BDD
From lockdown to Liberation: How inflexible thinking, obsessive-compulsive and affective symptoms shape pandemic adjustment
No full textBackground The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily life, and the transition to post-pandemic living presented additional psychological challenges. Previous research shows that individuals with obsessive-compulsive traits and pre-existing mental health histories were vulnerable to adjustment difficulties, which appear to be mediated by depression, anxiety, and stress. Aims This study examined the relationship between post-pandemic adjustment and mental health variables in a population-based cohort during the final lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, tracking outcomes over six months to assess causality. The study was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/v4c28). Method A cohort of 343 UK adults was assessed online at baseline, three, and six months. Self-report measures included the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), Compulsive Personality Assessment Scale (CPAS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Post-Pandemic Adjustment Scale (PPAS) and COVID-19 Safety Behaviour Scale. Cognitive flexibility was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (CST: at baseline) and the Intradimensional-Extradimensional Set-Shifting Task (IDED: at 3 months). Results Approximately 28 % of participants were identified as poor adjusters. Mediation analysis revealed that obsessive-compulsive symptoms, compulsive personality traits, and a history of mental health disorders predicted post-pandemic adjustment difficulties indirectly via depression, anxiety, and COVID-19 safety behaviours. While we found no evidence that adjustment was linked to cognitive flexibility on the WCST, exploratory analyses showed that poorer adjustment was linked to reversal learning issues on the IDED task. Conclusion This study replicated our prior findings, identifying obsessive-compulsive symptoms and traits, mental health histories, and cognitive inflexibility as key risk factors for poor post-pandemic adjustment. Moreover, depression, anxiety, and stress mediated these difficulties, suggesting potential markers for identifying at-risk individuals and guiding interventions for future public health crises
Author Keith Widder reads from his book "Michigan Agricultural College : the evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925" at the Michigan Writers Series
No full textAuthor and historian Keith Widder reads from his book "Michigan Agricultural College : the evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925," and explains how he developed the idea of writing about the history of an agricultural college. Widder answers questions from the audience. The event is convened by Peter Berg, head of the Michigan State University Libraries' Special Collections. Part of the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series. Held in the MSU Main Library
Lack of semantic parafoveal preview benefit in reading revisited
No full textIn contrast to earlier research, evidence for semantic preview benefit in reading has been reported by Hohenstein and Kliegl (Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40, 166–190, 2013) in an alphabetic writing system; they also implied that prior demonstrations of lack of a semantic preview benefit needed to be reexamined. In the present article, we report a rather direct replication of an experiment reported by Rayner, Balota, and Pollatsek (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986). Using the gaze-contingent boundary paradigm, subjects read sentences that contained a target word (razor), but different preview words were initially presented in the sentence. The preview was identical to the target word (i.e., razor), semantically related to the target word (i.e., blade), semantically unrelated to the target word (i.e., sweet), or a visually similar nonword (i.e., razar). When the reader’s eyes crossed an invisible boundary location just to the left of the target word location, the preview changed to the target word. Like Rayner et al. (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986), we found that fixations on the target word were significantly shorter in the identical condition than in the unrelated condition, which did not differ from the semantically related condition; when an orthographically similar preview had been initially present in the sentence, fixations were shorter than when a semantically unrelated preview had been present. Thus, the present experiment replicates the earlier data reported by Rayner et al. (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986), indicating evidence for an orthographic preview benefit but a lack of semantic preview benefit in reading English
Meta-analysis of cognitive behaviour therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of hypochondriasis: Implications for trial design
No full textClassification of hypochondriasis as an obsessive-compulsive and related disorder in the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) has generated new heuristics for treatment of this common, chronic and disabling disorder. Standard treatment involves cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), but no meta-analysis has so far considered hypochondriasis as a structured diagnosis or assessed the role of medication. A clearer understanding of the relative effectiveness of these interventions and identification of clinically relevant factors moderating the treatment response is needed for clinical guideline development
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