Evaluation of a Mental Skills Training Program for Musicians

This study explored the effects of a 9-week music-specific mental skills training program delivered to students at a music conservatoire in England (n = 14). Pre- and post-testing involved a battery of questionnaires, public performances, and participant feedback. In comparison with a control group (n = 9), the experimental group demonstrated significant changes in their views toward practice activities and specific practicing behaviors, a significant increase in self-efficacy for performing, and an increase in imagery vividness. Comments from participants in the experimental group revealed greater levels of self-awareness, confidence, facilitative views toward and heightened control over anxiety, and healthier perspectives toward music-making.     

Apraxia and Alzheimer’s Disease: Review and Perspectives

Apraxia is one of the cognitive deficits that characterizes Alzheimer’s disease. Despite its prevalence and relevance to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, this topic has received little attention and is without comprehensive review. The review herein is aimed to fill this gap by first presenting an overview of the impairment caused in different clinical situations: pantomime of tool use, single tool use, real tool use, mechanical problem solving, function and manipulation knowledge tasks, and symbolic/meaningless gestures. On the basis of these results, we then propose alternative interpretations regarding the nature of the underlying mechanisms impaired by the disease. Also presented are principal methodological issues precluding firm conclusions from being drawn.     

The effect of a five-step cognitive learning strategy on the acquisition of a complex motor task

Abstract

Investigated was the effectiveness of the Five-Step Learning Strategy in facilitating the learning of a complex self-paced motor task. Thirty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, after being stratified as to number and sex: (1) a strategy group, that was administered the Strategy, (2) a preview group, that previewed the location of the targets, and (3) a control group. All subjects performed 48 trials in an attempt to learn a task that required speed and accuracy in mastering a sequence of responses. ANOVA analyses indicated that the Strategy group performed significantly faster than the other two groups, and not at the expense of a greater number of errors. These findings indicate that cognitive processes involved in learning a complex skill are likely to benefit from the utilization of the Five-Step Strategy.     

From Emergency to Emergence: The Deep Structure of Play in Psychotherapy

Games emerge within the deep structure of psychotherapy at implicit rather than explicit levels as relational bids that establish rules of engagement and disengagement. A clinical case demonstrates how the implicit play of psychotherapy stretches regulatory boundaries and allows for the emergence of new structure and higher complexity in a dissociated patient.     

Field and Experience Influences on Ethical Decision Making in the Sciences

Differences across fields and experience levels are frequently considered in discussions of ethical decision making and ethical behavior. In the present study, doctoral students in the health, biological, and social sciences completed measures of ethical decision making. The effects of field and level of experience with respect to ethical decision making, metacognitive reasoning strategies, social-behavioral responses, and exposure to unethical events were examined. Social and biological scientists performed better than health scientists with respect to ethical decision making. Furthermore, the ethical decision making of health science students decreased as experience increased. Moreover, these effects appeared to be linked to the specific strategies underlying participants' ethical decision making. The implications of these findings for ethical decision making are discussed.     

Depressive and Anxious Symptomatology Moderate the Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse Severity and Attentional Bias on the Modified Stroop Task

Research has demonstrated that the impact of childhood abuse often outlasts the initial abuse experiences, paving the way for a myriad of psychological difficulties in adulthood. Attentional bias might serve as a pathway from childhood abuse to negative outcomes associated with such experiences. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the impact of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) experiences on the presence of attentional bias in a sample of college women by comparing performance on a modified Stroop task between CEA survivors (n = 28) and a nonabused control group (n = 31). Results suggest that for CEA survivors, psychological symptoms moderated the relationship between CEA severity and attentional bias to specific word types. Results underscore the importance in continued exploration of the relationship among childhood emotional abuse, attentional bias, and concurrent psychopathology. Results also suggest that modification of attentional biases, via cognitive bias modification procedures, could help mitigate the impact of childhood abuse experiences on psychological well-being in adult survivors.     

Effects of Alternative Outcome Scenarios and Structured Outcome Evaluation on Case-Based Ethics Instruction

Case-based instruction has been regarded by many as a viable alternative to traditional lecture-based education and training. However, little is known about how case-based training techniques impact training effectiveness. This study examined the effects of two such techniques: (a) presentation of alternative outcome scenarios to a case, and (b) conducting a structured outcome evaluation. Consistent with the hypotheses, results indicate that presentation of alternative outcome scenarios reduced knowledge acquisition, reduced sensemaking and ethical decision-making strategy use, and reduced decision ethicality. Conducting a structured outcome evaluation had no impact on these outcomes. Results indicate that those who use case-based instruction should take care to use clear, less complex cases with only a singular outcome if they are seeking these types of outcomes.     

Creatine Supplementation and Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of creatine supplementation on the cognitive performance of elderly people. Participants were divided into two groups, which were tested on random number generation, forward and backward number and spatial recall, and long-term memory tasks to establish a baseline level. Group 1 (n?=?15) were given 5 g four times a day of placebo for 1 week, followed by the same dosage of creatine for the second week. Group 2 (n?=?17) were given placebo both weeks. Participants were retested at the end of each week. Results showed a significant effect of creatine supplementation on all tasks except backward number recall. It was concluded that creatine supplementation aids cognition in the elderly.