Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007. / Prepared for: Dept. of Psychology. Bibliography: leaves 158-172. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 209-223). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNR11597

Akademisk avhandling--Lund, 1978. / Bibliogr. p. 27-33.

Twenty-one Ss received a matrix training task which made cognitive demands similar to the reclassification test task and 17 Ss received WISC Block Design training which was not cognitively related to the test task. Results supported the hypothesis that cognitively related training significantly improves reclassification performance, and that non-cognitively related training does not. Neither the Matrix training group, nor the Block Design training group generalized to a second reclassification task. The improvement of some Ss and not others is explained as the result of the variance in the competence and performance level of cognitive structures / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The study attempted to evaluate the levels of cognitive skills of kindergarten children attending day care, and the apparent growth of cognitive skills over a period of time, using published tests as instruments of measurement. An informal evaluation of the tests was made. The review of literature presented three points of view regarding approaches to the development of cognitive skills. An analysis of the data, using t-tests, was carried out and conclusions were stated. Implications of the study were made, and questions concerning the growth of cognitive skills of kindergarten children attending day care centres were raised. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) and methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MPD), are psychotic disorders characterized by positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (e.g., social withdrawal, apathy), and impaired cognitive function. Despite the overlap in the clinical presentation of SCZ and MPD, no studies have compared electroencephalography (EEG) and inflammation across these two conditions. This study aimed to investigate key differences in brain electrical activity on EEG between SCZ and MPD by investigating; (1) relative frequency (alpha, theta, beta and delta) at rest; (2) cognitive performance and relative frequency activity during the continuous performance task (CPT) and cued target detection task (CTD); (3) differences in the P300 event-related potential waveform (ERP), a measure of attention, during the CPT and CTD; (4) cognitive performance and relative frequency and ERP (N170, P300) during the STROOP task, a measure of working memory and executive function; (5) the associations of (neuro) inflammatory markers with relative frequency and the P300 ERP waveform. Methods: 104 South African individuals, between the ages of 20 and 45 years, participated in this study: 69 outpatients (38 with SCZ (8 females/30 males), 31 with MPD (7 females/24 males)), and 35 healthy controls (CON: 15 females/20 males). All participants underwent a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic Systematic Manual-IV (SCID-DSM-IV), with modifications to include changes made in DSM-5. EEG band frequency oscillations were recorded during baseline conditions: resting eyes open and resting eyes closed, and cognitive tasks (CPT, CTD and the Stroop task). Blood was drawn via venepuncture and serum was used for the analysis of cytokines (interleukin (IL) -1β IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)) concentrations. Statistical analysis included assessment of normality using the Shapiro- Wilk test, with univariate one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of parametric data, and multiple independent Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA for non-parametric data (p)

The way we perceive complex visual scenes has been an area of much research and debate. Many studies have found that the context of a scene is used to guide attention to important and relevant areas of a scene. Other studies, however, have found that objects that are incongruent with the scene context capture attention. These contradictory findings have been found both within and across tasks. The purpose of the present research was to reconcile these contradictory results. Two processes were identified as underlying complex scene perception: object detection and object identification. Further, the current research demonstrates the relative weighting of these processes differs according to task demands; some tasks weight object detection more heavily, whereas other tasks weight object identification more heavily. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the weighting of these processes can be manipulated within a task in such a way as to produce either congruency benefits or costs. Finally, in circumstances in which processing is weighted in favour of object detection, it was demonstrated that eye gaze, and presumably overt attention, is captured by semantically incongruent objects early into scene perception. The current research helps our understanding of complex scene perception by reconciling contradictory findings reported in previous studies. In particular, two processes were identified: object identification, which relies on a congruent context, and object detection, which relies on an incongruent context. In this way, past experience may promote efficient scene perception by promoting the use of regularities in the environment (e.g., congruent context), but also leaving the attention system sensitive to areas of the scene that contradict the expectations set by the context (e.g., incongruent objects). / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The way that we perceive and create mental representations of our visual world has been an area of debate in cognitive psychology. The research attempting to address these issues has reported contradictory findings. For example, some studies have shown that the context of a scene is important for efficient perception of that scene and its parts. Other studies, however, have shown that the context of a scene can undermine efficient perception of scenes. The current research identifies two distinct processes that underlie complex scene perception. One process appears to benefit from a congruent context, whereas the other appears to benefit from an incongruent context. Further, the weighting of these two processes can produce context congruency benefits in some experimental situations and congruency costs in others. Finally, it appears as though when processing is weighted towards congruency costs, attention is attracted to incongruent objects early into scene processing.

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There are some disagreements surrounding what constitutes a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state. The most widely accepted hypothesis to account for TOT states is the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis, which suggests TOT states are the result of a phonological access failure (Burke, Mackay, Worthley, & Wade, 1991). The TOT state is largely hypothesized to be a general subthreshold state, which suggests that the TOT state does not have a specific underlying mechanism. A relatively new line of inquiry involves that of repeated TOT states. As a theoretical extension to the phonological failure account of TOT states, Warriner and Humphreys (2008) found that TOT states repeat at a rate greater than would be predicted by chance, which has been termed the error repetition effect. They argue that the mechanism underlying the error repetition effect is a Hebbian-like error learning mechanism, suggesting that the TOT state is not a general state, but rather a specific state. D’Angelo & Humphreys (2015) did an extensive study that provided evidence for the validity of the error repetition effect. This dissertation explores additional features of the TOT state that had not been previously tested. The first study explored what is being learned during a TOT state. Specific phonological information was found to repeat along with repeated TOT states, supporting the phonological failure hypothesis. Second, this dissertation includes the first study to determine if older adults experience the error repetition effect using Warriner and Humphreys’ (2008) methodology. The evidence suggests that repeated TOT states are a part of normal aging rather than pathological cognitive dysfunction. Third, metacognition researchers argue that the TOT state is a subjective experience caused by a mechanism that assesses the likelihood of recall from memory. The third study demonstrates evidence contrary to the metacognitive account, which further supports the phonological failure account of TOT states. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / A tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state is the feeling of knowing a word, but being unable to produce the sounds to articulate the word. A TOT state is often accompanied by a feeling of frustration. For example, a TOT state may occur when one encounters a colleague at work. One may remember the first letter of the colleague’s name, and the name may feel like it is figuratively within reach, but the full name cannot escape the speaker’s lips. Perhaps even more frustrating is the occurrence of a TOT state time after time for a specific word. This dissertation explores the tendency for TOT states to recur. The results point towards the hypothesis that repeated TOT states are the result of a specific breakdown in the portion of the word production system that connects syntactic units to phonological units.

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