The Relationship between Everyday Problem Solving and Inconsistency in Reaction Time in Older Adults

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether inconsistency in reaction time (RT) is predictive of older adults' ability to solve everyday problems. A sample of 304 community dwelling non-demented older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 92, completed a measure of everyday problem solving, the Everyday Problems Test (EPT). Inconsistency in latencies across trials was assessed on four RT tasks. Performance on the EPT was found to vary according to age and cognitive status. Both mean latencies and inconsistency were significantly associated with EPT performance, such that slower and more inconsistent RTs were associated with poorer everyday problem solving abilities. Even after accounting for age, education, and mean level of performance, inconsistency in reaction time continued to account for a significant proportion of the variance in EPT scores. These findings suggest that indicators of inconsistency in RT may be of functional relevance.     

It was intuitive,and it felt good: a daily diary study on how people feel when making decisions

ABSTRACT

In daily life, people make plenty of decisions, either intuitively or based on analysis. So far, research has examined when decision-making leads to correct or biased outcomes. In the present study, we adopted a different perspective and explored how decision-making is associated with how people feel. In an observational study, 134 healthy participants retrospectively reported on six evenings which decisions they had made during that day (total N?=?3,850 decisions). They were also asked to indicate how they had felt before/after each decision. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that (a) people reported having felt better prior to intuitive as compared to analytical decisions, (b) people reported having felt better after as compared to before the decision, and (c) this increase in positive feeling was more pronounced for intuitive decisions. The latter two associations were robust to statistically controlling for the life domain in which the decisions occurred, the decisions’ importance and ease, and daily mood. The retrospective design and the single-item measure of mood are among the limitations of this study. Altogether, the results are in line with the idea that making everyday life decisions intuitively makes people feel good.     

An assessment of antecedent events influencing noncompliance in an outpatient clinic

Several studies have shown that various factors can influence noncompliance, including task novelty, rate of presentation, and task preference. This study examined the impact of selected antecedent variables on noncompliance in an outpatient clinic setting. In two experiments involving 6 typically developing children, the consequences for noncompliance remained constant. During Experiment 1, demands that included noncontingent access to adult attention were contrasted with the same demands that did not include attention within a multielement design. In Experiment 2, demands were altered by decreasing the difficulty or amount of work or providing access to attention. In both experiments, results indicated idiosyncratic responses to the manipulated variables, with decreases in noncompliance observed following introduction of one or more antecedent variables with 5 of the 6 participants. These results suggested that noncompliance can be reduced via changes in antecedent variables, including adding potential positive reinforcers to the task situation, and that it is possible to probe variables that alter noncompliance in an outpatient clinic setting.     

日常情绪体验对自我控制的影响——意识努力的调节作用

沉迷于电子产品所诱发的积极情绪体验严重影响青少年的学习与生活,引起社会各界高度重视。本文通过两项研究考察日常情绪体验与意识努力程度对自我控制的影响,并探讨其背后的内在机制。研究1采用问卷调查随机抽样300名大学生发现,大学生日常情绪体验差异显著,且以积极情绪体验为主,同时低意识努力的情绪刺激源显著多于高意识努力的情绪刺激源;研究2在研究1基础上,进一步通过“意识努力”介入的方式对136名被试进行干预,结果表明大学生日常情绪体验对自我控制无显著预测效应,意识努力显著正向预测其自我控制,且高水平的意识努力在日常情绪体验与自我控制之间的关系中发挥正向调节作用。     

Cross-national applicability of a game-based cognitive assessment

New technology has had a discernable impact on how organizations recruit and select potential employees. Game-based assessment has emerged as a potential technology that can be used to enhance the assessment of individual differences and applicants' views of the selection process. However, studies investigating the psychometric properties and predictive validity of game-based assessments are still lacking. This study investigated the structural equivalence of a game-based assessment of cognitive ability across 228 Australians and 239 South Africans. A smaller sample of 115 South Africans also received work performance ratings to investigate the predictive validity of the cognitive assessment. Results of factor analysis supported a strong general factor of cognitive ability across the entire sample but only partial metric and scalar invariance across the two nations. The general factor of the game-based assessment further revealed promising results in terms of its predictive validity for five broad dimensions of individual work performance.     

Issues associated with repeated neuropsychological assessments

Distinguishing practice effects from other factors in repeated neuropsychological assessments are discussed in the context of research studies and clinical/forensic assessments. Potential methodological procedures for reducing the impact of practice effects in research settings are outlined. In contrast, the potential clinical utility and interpretation of practice effects in clinical assessments and forensic evaluations are highlighted.     

TEACHING DAILY LIVING SKILLS TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM IN UNSUPERVISED SETTINGS THROUGH PICTORIAL SELF-MANAGEMENT

We investigated the efficacy of pictorial self-management to teach daily living skills to 3 low-functioning children with autism. Stimulus and response generalization, stimulus control of self-management materials, and maintenance of behavior change were also assessed. Results showed that children with autism could successfully use pictures to manage their behavior in the absence of a treatment provider, generalize their behavior across settings and tasks, and maintain behaviors at follow-up. In addition, when compared to baseline, all children showed a substantial decrease in stereotypic behaviors. When picture order was manipulated in stimulus control probes, the children followed the new picture sequence, suggesting that the pictures were controlling their behavior. Further, a savings effect was demonstrated, in that 2 subjects reached criterion on second and third behaviors within less than 25% of original training time.     

The use of decomposition in probability assessments of continuous variables

In this study, decomposition is used as a tool for the assessment of continuous probability distributions. The goal of using decomposition is to obtain better calibrated probability distributions by expressing a variable as a known function of several component variables. Three target quantities were used in the study. Each was assessed holistically and using two different decompositions. Thus, each subject provided three distributions for each of the three target quantities. The recomposed assessments were compared to holistic assessments. The distributions obtained using decomposition were found to be much better calibrated than those obtained holistically. Two methods of aggregating distributions from multiple subjects were also examined. One involves aggregating (averaging) distributions before recomposing while the second method involves recomposing and then averaging distributions for the target variable. The second method was found to be slightly better, although both showed better calibration than was found in the individual assessments.     

The trials of childhood: The development,reliability, and validity of the daily life stressors scale

The assessment of daily life stress in youngsters is receiving extensive research attention due to its pertinence to psychological and medical problems. This investigation addressed concerns from previous studies of daily life stress in children and adolescents. These included an integration with ratings of negative affectivity, exploration of developmental changes, and presentation of psychometric data. The Daily Life Stressors Scale (DLSS) is a 30-item measure designed to assess the severity of aversive feelings and everday events for youngsters. Three groups of children and adolescents were evaluated to assess the scale's test-retest reliability and construct and concurrent validity. Developmental changes in a normative group were also examined. Results indicated the DLSS to be moderately reliable and valid for children. Also, male children reported more stress than female children, whereas female adolescents reported more stress than male adolescents. Results were discussed with respect to resilience, gender role stress, therapy implications, and usefulness for determining precursors to physiological problems.