Grammatical comprehension in older adults, both normal and with cognitive impairment: a comparative study based on discriminant and multidimensional scaling techniques

Memory and language tests are usually used to differentiate healthy elderly individuals and individuals with cognitive impairment (CI). In the latter case, there are usually no tests to assess grammatical comprehension. The aim of this paper is to explore the differences in grammatical comprehension between healthy older adults and older adults with CI, identifying the sentences that best discriminate these groups, as well as the underlying dimensions that are most relevant to the individuals. Participants were 71 elderly people, divided into two groups according to their performance on the Spanish version of the Mini Mental State Exam: normal and CI. All were given a comprehension test that included 12 kinds of sentence structures. The CI group performed significantly worse than healthy elderly group. The greatest differences were observed in the sentences adjusted to canonical order in Spanish. The sentences with higher weights in the discriminant function were the ones adjusted to the one-proposition canonical order. Propositional density was the most salient dimension in both groups. Individuals with CI had difficulty assigning thematic roles to constituents, even when it could be done by following a strategy based on the linear order of the roles.     

Late backward effects in the refractory period paradigm: effects of Task 2 execution on Task 1 performance

The central bottleneck model assumes that in the psychological refractory paradigm, Task 1 performance is independent of Task 2 demands. Previous studies, however, have reported backward crosstalk effects of motor demands in Task 2 on Task 1 performance. These effects have been attributed to interference at the central level. The present study aimed to isolate more directly potential backward effects at the motor level. Therefore, in three experiments, movement distance in Task 2 was manipulated using a guided ballistic movement. The results showed that movement distance in Task 2 affected reaction time as well as response duration in Task 1. It is argued that the backward effect observed in this study is due to response coupling at motor rather than central levels.     

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Wisconsin Schizotypy scales across gender and age

The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales are among the most widely used instruments for the assessment of psychosis proneness. The main goal of the present work was to study the dimensional structure underlying the Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPhA), the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) and the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS). It was also explored whether the dimensions underlying these scales were invariant across gender and age. The sample was made up of 710 university students with a mean age of 19.8 years (SD = 1.9). The results showed that the dimensional structure of the Wisconsin scales was similar to that found in previous studies, displaying a Positive dimension and a Negative dimension, the Social Anhedonia Scale being related to both dimensions. Moreover, the factor structure of the schizotypy scales was found to be invariant across participants' gender and age.     

Emerging ICT for Citizens’ Veillance: Theoretical and Practical Insights

In ubiquitous surveillance societies, individuals are subjected to observation and control by authorities, institutions, and corporations. Sometimes, citizens contribute their own knowledge and other resources to their own surveillance. In addition, some of “the watched” observe “the watchers” “through” sous‐veillant activities, and various forms of self-surveillance for different purposes. However, information and communication technologies are also increasingly used for social initiatives with a bottom up structure where citizens themselves define the goals, shape the outcomes and profit from the benefits of watching activities. This model, which we define as citizens’ veillance and explore in this special issue, may present opportunities for individuals and collectives to be more prepared to meet the challenges they face in various domains including environment, health, planning and emergency response.