The roles of associative and executive processes in creative cognition

How does the mind produce creative ideas? Past research has pointed to important roles of both executive and associative processes in creative cognition. But such work has largely focused on the influence of one ability or the other—executive or associative—so the extent to which both abilities may jointly affect creative thought remains unclear. Using multivariate structural equation modeling, we conducted two studies to determine the relative influences of executive and associative processes in domain-general creative cognition (i.e., divergent thinking). Participants completed a series of verbal fluency tasks, and their responses were analyzed by means of latent semantic analysis (LSA) and scored for semantic distance as a measure of associative ability. Participants also completed several measures of executive function—including broad retrieval ability (Gr) and fluid intelligence (Gf). Across both studies, we found substantial effects of both associative and executive abilities: As the average semantic distance between verbal fluency responses and cues increased, so did the creative quality of divergent-thinking responses (Study 1 and Study 2). Moreover, the creative quality of divergent-thinking responses was predicted by the executive variables—Gr (Study 1) and Gf (Study 2). Importantly, the effects of semantic distance and the executive function variables remained robust in the same structural equation model predicting divergent thinking, suggesting unique contributions of both constructs. The present research extends recent applications of LSA in creativity research and provides support for the notion that both associative and executive processes underlie the production of novel ideas.     

Neural reuse: a fundamental organizational principle of the brain

An emerging class of theories concerning the functional structure of the brain takes the reuse of neural circuitry for various cognitive purposes to be a central organizational principle. According to these theories, it is quite common for neural circuits established for one purpose to be exapted (exploited, recycled, redeployed) during evolution or normal development, and be put to different uses, often without losing their original functions. Neural reuse theories thus differ from the usual understanding of the role of neural plasticity (which is, after all, a kind of reuse) in brain organization along the following lines: According to neural reuse, circuits can continue to acquire new uses after an initial or original function is established; the acquisition of new uses need not involve unusual circumstances such as injury or loss of established function; and the acquisition of a new use need not involve (much) local change to circuit structure (e.g., it might involve only the establishment of functional connections to new neural partners). Thus, neural reuse theories offer a distinct perspective on several topics of general interest, such as: the evolution and development of the brain, including (for instance) the evolutionary-developmental pathway supporting primate tool use and human language; the degree of modularity in brain organization; the degree of localization of cognitive function; and the cortical parcellation problem and the prospects (and proper methods to employ) for function to structure mapping. The idea also has some practical implications in the areas of rehabilitative medicine and machine interface design.     

The Body and the Sacred in the Digital Age: Thoughts on Posthuman Sexuality

Abstract

Considerable scholarly discussion has been given to the idea that we are moving toward a state of "posthumanism." In this essay, I examine some possible implications of a posthuman existence, specifically as it relates to that most basic of human needs—sexuality. More specifically, I am interested in exploring the spiritual aspects of sexuality to see what is lost and what is gained in technologically mediated forms of sexuality. To that end, I consider the interplay between sexual behaviour and our conceptions of the sacred, how technologies are changing our views of—and realities concerning—our bodies, and the potential for a sacred posthuman sexuality.     

Exploring associations between self-reported executive functions,impulsive personality traits,driving self-efficacy,and functional abilities in driver behaviour after brain injury

ObjectiveThe assessment of self-awareness and self-efficacy as they relate to driving after stroke and TBI is lacking in the literature where the focus has tended to be on neuropsychological testing of underlying component of cognition in predicting driving outcome. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the associations between self-rating of higher-level functions and post-injury driving behaviour.MethodsThe present one-year follow-up study included twenty-four adults with stroke and ten adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) deemed suitable for driving after a comprehensive driving evaluation according to Norwegian regulations. In addition, but not part of the decision making, baseline measurements included self-rating of executive functions (Behaviour Rating of Executive Function (BRIEF-A)), impulsive personality traits (UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale), driving self-efficacy (Adelaide Driving Self-Efficacy Scale (ADSES)), and functional abilities (Awareness Questionnaire (AQ)). Follow-up measurements twelve months after baseline were collected, the ADSES, AQ, and Swedish Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (Swedish DBQ).ResultsPerceived driving self-efficacy and functional abilities did not change from baseline to follow-up. Baseline perceived executive functions and impulsive personality traits were significantly associated with driving self-efficacy at follow-up. Lower self-efficacy and functional abilities were associated with lower driving mileage and increased use of compensatory driving strategies, whereas lower self-efficacy beliefs were associated with driver mistakes and inattention. Driver violations and inattention were associated with minor accidents.ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that higher-level functions such as executive functions, impulsive personality traits, driving self-efficacy and functional abilities, influence post-injury accident involvement mediated through proximal driving factors such as driver inattention. Further evidence is warranted to explore self-rating measures compared to performance-based methods as predictors of risky driver behaviour, crashes, and near misses.     

Methodological issues in pediatric neuroimaging

The emergence of new technologies to study brain function in vivo has resulted in an explosion of interest in cognitive neuroscience within the last ten years. While most research in functional neuroimaging has been geared toward adult normal volunteers, the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has made it possible to study neural development in normal children, as well as those with developmental disorders. This technology provides an unprecedented opportunity to expand our knowledge of brain function throughout childhood. A variety of technological, experimental, and practical difficulties are amplified when imaging children. This paper reviews some of the more challenging theoretical and practical concerns and provides suggestions for their management.     

Social support,physical functioning,and cognitive functioning among older African American adults

ABSTRACT

Social support and functional ability are related to a number of outcomes in later life among African Americans, including cognitive performance. This study examined how providing and receiving social support was related to fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities among aging African American adults after accounting for functional limitations, age, education, sex, income, and self-reported health. Data from 602 African American adults (M?=?69.08, SD?=?9.74; 25% male) were analyzed using latent variable modeling. Fluid ability was a second-order factor indicated by measures that assessed verbal memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and inductive reasoning. Crystallized ability was a first-order factor indicated by three measures that assessed vocabulary (Shipley Verbal Meaning Test and parts A and B of the ETS Vocabulary Test). Results indicated that the receipt of social support was negatively related to both fluid and crystallized abilities, while the provision of support was positively related to fluid and crystallized ability. Follow-up tests found that the receipt of support was more strongly related to fluid ability than crystallized ability. There was no significant difference regarding the relationship of provision of support with fluid ability compared to crystallized ability. Results discuss the importance of considering the social context of older adults when examining cognitive ability.     

Predispositional Engagement,Activity Engagement,and Cognition among Older Adults

ABSTRACT

We investigated interrelationships between the predisposition toward approaching experiences in a mindful and creative way, participation in specific activities, and cognition among older adults. Participants were administered a battery measuring cognition (i.e., working memory, processing speed, divergent thinking, inductive reasoning, visuo-spatial processing), activity level, and the predisposition towards mental engagement (Need for Cognition, Mindfulness, and Openness to Experience). Results indicated that predispositional engagement and activity engagement are distinct constructs that independently contribute to different aspects of fluid ability, highlighting the importance of considering both the predisposition toward mental engagement as well as the habitual tendency to participate in activities when exploring principles of cognitive optimization.     

Public attitudes toward—and identification of—cluttering and stuttering in Norway and Puerto Rico

PurposeThe study sought to compare public attitudes toward cluttering versus stuttering in Norway and Puerto Rico and to compare respondents’ identification of persons known with these fluency disorders.MethodAfter reading lay definitions of cluttering and stuttering, three samples of adults from Norway and three from Puerto Rico rated their attitudes toward cluttering and/or stuttering on modified versions of the POSHA-Cl (for cluttering) and POSHA-S (for stuttering). They also identified children and adults whom they knew who either or both manifested cluttering or stuttering.ResultsAttitudes toward cluttering were essentially unaffected by rating either cluttering only or combined cluttering and stuttering on the same questionnaire in both countries. The same was also true of stuttering. Attitudes were very similar toward both disorders although slightly less positive for cluttering. Norwegian attitudes toward both disorders were generally more positive than Puerto Rican attitudes. The average respondent identified slightly more than one fluency disorder, a higher percentage for stuttering than cluttering and higher for adults than children. Cluttering–stuttering was rarely identified.ConclusionGiven a lay definition, this study confirmed that adults from diverse cultures hold attitudes toward cluttering that are similar to—but somewhat less positive than—their attitudes toward stuttering. It also confirmed that adults can identify cluttering among people they know, although less commonly than stuttering. Design controls in this study assured that consideration of stuttering did not affect either the attitudes or identification results for cluttering.Educational objectives: The reader will be able to: (a) describe the effects—or lack thereof—of considerations of stuttering on attitudes toward cluttering; (b) describe differences in public identification of children and adults who either clutter or stutter; (c) describe differences between attitudes toward cluttering and stuttering in Norway and Puerto Rico.     

A structural analysis of working memory and related cognitive skills in young children

The aim of this study was to investigate the functional organisation of working memory and related cognitive abilities in young children. A sample of 633 children aged between 4 and 6 years were tested on measures of verbal short-term memory, complex memory span, sentence repetition, phonological awareness, and nonverbal ability. The measurement model that provided the best fit of the data incorporates constructs that correspond to the central executive, phonological loop, and episodic buffer subcomponents of working memory, plus distinct but associated constructs associated with phonological awareness and nonverbal ability.     

Thinking across species—a critical bioethics approach to enhancement

Drawing upon a concept of ‘critical bioethics’ [7] this paper takes a species-broad approach to the social and ethical aspects of enhancement. Critical Bioethics aims to foreground interdisciplinarity, socio-political dimensions, as well as reflexivity to what becomes bioethical subject matter. This paper focuses upon the latter component and uses the example of animal enhancement as a way to think about both enhancement generally, and bioethics. It constructs several arguments for including animal enhancement as a part of enhancement debates, and considers some connections between human and animal enhancement. The paper concludes in a plea for an ‘enhancement’ to our critical abilities to examine some of the underlying social, moral and ethical assumptions bound up in varied anticipated ‘enhanced’ futures.

The relations between specific measures of simulated driving ability and functional ability: New insights for assessment and training programs of older drivers

To gain new insights for driving assessment and training, this study had two objectives: (1) to investigate the relations between specific measures of older drivers’ driving ability and demographic/functional ability measures, and (2) to verify the explained variance of these relations to determine the strength of these relations. A sample of 55 older drivers (mean age 76 years) completed a set of functional ability tests as well as a driving simulator test. Results indicate that (1) each specific driving measure is related to a specific set of functional abilities, and (2) only a small proportion of the variability observed in the specific driving measures is explained by demographic variables (3–15%) and by functional abilities (7–36%). For driving assessment programs, it will be necessary to assess several functional abilities to cover the complexity of the driving task. Furthermore, an assessment program focusing solely on demographic and/or functional ability measures, will not be successful in discriminating safe from unsafe older drivers. For driving training programs, it will be necessary to focus on the right set of functional abilities given that specific driving measures are related to different functional abilities. Moreover, a training targeting functional abilities might only have marginal effects on driving ability, given the relatively low amount of driving ability variance that is explained by functional abilities.     

Turning 60 in paris,city of old men

Abstract

As he turns 60 and, in spite of all assurances from family members and other well wishers convinces himself that this indeed is the beginning of old age, it occurs to a man that he should spend his birthday in the City of Light, Ernest Hemingway's “moveable feast” the city for the young—Paris. He is given that opportunity, and as he wanders the city he finds reflected in its life—even the tourist-dominated life of Paris in the summer—the losses that he believes he now must recognize, the occasional grimness of that recognition, and some consolation for suffering the sense of loss—not only lost youth but lost middle age, with all that it implies.     

Towards modern post-coma care based on neuroscientific evidence

BackgroundUnderstanding the mechanisms underlying human consciousness is pivotal to improve the prognostication and treatment of severely brain-injured patients. Consciousness remains an elusive concept and the identification of its neural correlates is an active subject of research, however recent neuroscientific advances have allowed scientists to better characterize disorders of consciousness. These breakthroughs question the historical nomenclature and our current management of post-comatose patients.MethodThis review examines the contribution of consciousness neurosciences to the current clinical management of severe brain injury. It investigates the major impact of consciousness disorders on healthcare systems, the scientific frameworks employed to identify their neural correlates and how evidence-based data from neuroimaging research have reshaped the landscape of post-coma care in recent years.ResultsOur increased ability to detect behavioral and neurophysiological signatures of consciousness has led to significant changes in taxonomy and clinical practice. We advocate for a multimodal framework for the management of severely brain-injured patients based on precision medicine and evidence-based decisions, integrating epidemiology, health economics and neuroethics.ConclusionsMajor progress in brain imaging and clinical assessment have opened the door to a new era of post-coma care based on standardized neuroscientific evidence. We highlight its implications in clinical applications and call for improved collaborations between researchers and clinicians to better translate findings to the bedside.     

The Precalculus Concept Assessment: A Tool for Assessing Students’ Reasoning Abilities and Understandings

This article describes the development of the Precalculus Concept Assessment (PCA) instrument, a 25-item multiple-choice exam. The reasoning abilities and understandings central to precalculus and foundational for beginning calculus were identified and characterized in a series of research studies and are articulated in the PCA Taxonomy. These include a strong understanding of ideas of rate of change and function, a process view of function, and the ability to use covariational reasoning to examine and represent how two covarying quantities change together. This taxonomy guided the PCA development and now provides the theoretical basis for interpreting and reporting PCA results. A critical element of PCA's design was to identify the constructs essential for learning calculus and to employ methods to assure that PCA items are effective in assessing these constructs. We illustrate the role that cognitive research played during both the design and validation phases of the PCA instrument. We also describe our Four-Phase Instrument Development Framework that articulates the methods used to create and validate PCA. This framework should also be useful for others interested in developing similar instruments in other content areas. The uses of PCA are described and include (a) assessing student learning in college algebra and precalculus, (b) comparing the effectiveness of various curricular treatments, and (c) determining student readiness for calculus.     

Blurring the Dichotomy of Good and Evil: The Idiosyncratic Helping Strategies Associated with Unmitigated‐Agentic and Unmitigated‐Communal Personalities

We theorized that unmitigated‐agentic personality constructs (UAPs)—prioritizing 'getting ahead’ over 'getting along’—and unmitigated‐communal personality constructs (UCPs)—prioritizing getting along over getting ahead—are associated with distinct affect‐regulatory helping strategies. In Study 1 (N = 179), UAPs, on average, related to greater negative‐affect versus positive‐affect induction helping tactics. In two experiments, UAPs, on average, related to a greater likelihood of selecting anger‐inducing versus love‐inducing or sadness‐inducing songs to help a target overcome a breakup (Study 2; N = 313) and greater selection of anger‐inducing and hubris‐inducing messages versus authentic‐pride‐inducing and love‐inducing messages to help a teammate struggling in a game (Study 3; N = 246). UCPs manifested the opposite patterns. Generally, these associations corresponded with helping‐strategy utility beliefs and were robust to moderators of helping target (self or other; Study 2) or altruistic versus selfish motives (Study 3). Study 4 (N = 205) provided some evidence of ecological validity in contexts of recalled everyday helping. Associations between personality constructs and relative helping strategies were about moderate in size (rs ~ .20) across these four studies. Findings suggest that UAPs are associated with helping strategies believed to promote ‘contemptuous’ self‐enhancement relative to ‘innocuous’ self‐enhancement and self‐transcendence, and vice versa for UCPs. © 2019 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Brain Networks in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia—a severe psychiatric condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions, loss of initiative and cognitive function—is hypothesized to result from abnormal anatomical neural connectivity and a consequent decoupling of the brain’s integrative thought processes. The rise of in vivo neuroimaging techniques has refueled the formulation of dysconnectivity hypotheses, linking schizophrenia to abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the brain at both microscopic and macroscopic levels. Over the past few years, advances in high-field structural and functional neuroimaging techniques have made it increasingly feasible to reconstruct comprehensive maps of the macroscopic neural wiring system of the human brain, know as the connectome. In parallel, advances in network science and graph theory have improved our ability to study the spatial and topological organizational layout of such neural connectivity maps in detail. Combined, the field of neural connectomics has created a novel platform that provides a deeper understanding of the overall organization of brain wiring, its relation to healthy brain function and human cognition, and conversely, how brain disorders such as schizophrenia arise from abnormal brain network wiring and dynamics. In this review we discuss recent findings of connectomic studies in schizophrenia that examine how the disorder relates to disruptions of brain connectivity.     

Reciprocal relations between autonomous motivation from self-determination theory and social cognition constructs from the theory of planned behavior: A cross-lagged panel design in sport injury prevention

ObjectivesThe present study examined reciprocal relations between autonomous motivation from self-determination theory (SDT) and constructs from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in a sport injury context.MethodsThe study adopted a three-wave longitudinal cross-lagged panel design. Physical education students in China (N = 4414; M_age = 14.42, SD = 1.75) completed self-report measures of autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control with respect to sport injury prevention at baseline (T1) and at two follow-up occasions one (T2) and three (T3) months later. Proposed reciprocal relations between autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs controlling for construct stability over time were tested using structural equation modeling.ResultsThree cross-lagged SEMs for effects of constructs measured at T1 on constructs measured at T2 and T3, and effects of constructs measured at T2 on constructs measured at T3 met goodness-of-fit criteria (CFI > 0.95, TLI > 0.94, RMSEA = 0.03, SRMR = 0.05) with consistent patterns of effects. Across the three models, autonomous motivation predicted the prospectively-measured TPB constructs with small-to-medium effect sizes (β range = 0.17 to 0.32, ps < .001), but associations between the TPB variables and prospectively-measured autonomous motivation were markedly smaller in size (β range = 0.01 to 0.18, ps range = .001 to .892).ConclusionsFindings provide initial support for the temporal ordering of the constructs in the integrated model of SDT and TPB in a sport injury context. Autonomous motivation from SDT is likely to be an antecedent of the constructs from the TPB.     

Multipotential Abilities and Vocational Interests in Gifted Adolescents: Fact or Fiction?

The widely held view that highly intellectually gifted adolescents are multipotential in their abilities and career interests was investigated in two samples (N = 322 and N = 217) of gifted high school seniors. Three measures of intellectual abilities—verbal, mathematical, and mechanical—and a measure of vocational interest based upon nonacademic talented activities and accomplishments that yielded scores for vocational interest in three areas—Science, Social, and Artistic—were administered. Contrary to the widely held view, a very large proportion of intellectually gifted adolescents reported a differentiated pattern of both abilities and interests, and a very small proportion reported the expected high-flat ability and interest profiles. The findings suggest that the working assumptions of career education and counselling of intellectually gifted adolescents should perhaps be reconsidered.     

Short‐term and working memory: Past,progress, and prospects

Abstract

The role of current personal experience in understanding of word meaning was investigated in a patient, WM, who suffers from semantic dementia. The study was prompted by the observation that WM, despite being severely impaired on formal tests of word comprehension and naming, retained a range of vocabulary pertaining to her daily life. If autobiographical experience has a general facilitatory effect, then this should affect which concepts are retained and which lost, but not influence the quality of that conceptual knowledge. Conversely, if personal autobiography has a direct role in investing concepts with meaning, then WM's understanding of nominal terms that she uses spontaneously in conversation ought not to be normal, but should be constrained by the autobiographical context in which she uses those terms. WM could define nouns and noun phrases drawn from her conversational vocabulary, but her definitions had a markedly autobiographical quality. Moreover, WM was extremely impaired in her ability to define new noun phrases, constructed by combining words from her conversational vocabulary (e.g. “dog licence”, constructed from “driving licence” and “dog” “oil field” constructed from “oil” and “field”). It was concluded that WM does not have normal conceptual understanding of nouns and noun phrases that she uses appropriately in conversation. Her understanding is narrow and autobiographically constrained. The findings, which suggest an interactive relationship between autobiographical and semantic memory, have implications for understanding of the progressive breakdown of semantic knowledge.     

Constructivism and the Role of Skills in Mathematics Instruction for Academically At-Risk Secondary Students

Summary

Instructional uses of technology in special education have evolved considerably over the last two decades. Many researchers have moved away from stand alone uses (e.g., computer assisted instruction) toward an array of different technologies that serve as tools in complex learning environments. A change in thinking about teaching and learning has also occurred, as researchers have moved away from didactic instructional methods to constructivist approaches. Yet constructivism remains problematic for many in the field, in part because of the traditional emphasis on skills in day-to-day instruction. This article describes how skills instruction can be an important feature of constructivism for teaching special education students.