The purpose of the present investigation was to examine whether across-trials inconsistency in reaction time (RT), in addition to level of cognitive performance, is predictive of older adults’ performance on a measure of everyday problem solving through a series of three investigations. A sample of community dwelling non-demented older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 92, completed the Everyday Problems Test (EPT), a measure of everyday problem solving that indexes instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Performance on the EPT varied according to age, cognitive status, and education, and was significantly predicted by measures of global cognitive status, cognitive decline, and various basic cognitive abilities (i.e., speed of processing, fluid abilities, episodic memory, crystallized abilities). Both inconsistency and mean latencies on measures of RT were found to be significantly associated with concurrent EPT performance, such that slower and more inconsistent RTs were associated with poorer everyday problem solving abilities. Finally, inconsistency in RT made a unique contribution in predicting performance on the EPT two years later, over and above age, education, and various basic cognitive abilities. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the relationship between inconsistency in RT and future EPT performance was mediated by fluid and crystallized abilities. Neither inconsistency nor cognitive functioning were significantly associated with changes in EPT performance across two years. Examination of the relationships between IADL functioning, as assessed through self- and informant-report, and inconsistency and basic cognitive abilities demonstrated that everyday problem solving and measures of IADLs tap into related but distinct constructs. The overall pattern of results obtained lends support to the idea that inconsistency in RT represents a behavioural marker of neurological dysfunction. In addition, the present investigation is the first to suggest a relationship between inconsistency in RT and real-world outcomes, such as everyday problem solving and IADL functioning.

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The current study attempted to show the relationship of paternal sensitivity and maternal sensitivity and their possible influences on child cognitive and behavioral development. This study used data collected as part of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care, which is a longitudinal, multi-site study. Correlation and regression analyses were computed to examine relationships between the variables at child age 6 and 36 months. Results indicated paternal sensitivity was a significant positive predictor of child cognitive abilities and a negative predictor of both fathers' reports of children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Maternal sensitivity was a significant negative predictor of mothers' reports of children's externalizing behaviors. Interpretations of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

Inledning Hjärnan är det organ som påverkas mest av regelbunden träning. Genom att röra på sig ofta påverkar bland annat koncentrationen, minnet, sömnen och kreativiteten. Att ha en passiv livsstil ökar risken att utveckla många av våra vanliga folksjukdomar som fetma, diabetes, benskörhet och hjärt-och kärlsjukdomar. Metod Examensarbetet är baserat på en översiktlig litteraturstudie där tio vetenskapliga artiklar har lästs, granskats och analyserats. Resultatet är byggt på vetenskapliga artiklar som var peer-reviewed. Resultat Samtliga artiklar bekräftar hypotes om ett samband mellan fysisk aktivitet och positiva effekter. Ett stort antal artiklar vittnar även om ett behov av ytterligare forskning på ämnet för att i sinom tid kunna etablera fysisk aktivitet som skyddsfaktor och alternativ behandling av välfärdssjukdomars symtom. Även för fysiskt och psykiskt välmående med förbättrad inlärning i både skola och på fritid. Diskussion En genomgång av tio vetenskapliga artiklar påvisar ett starkt samband mellan fysisk aktivitet och positiva effekter. I ett längre perspektiv finns det potential för fysisk aktivitet att fungera som en erkänd behandlingsmetod för att lindra symtom som fetma, depression, psykisk ohälsa och nå ett bättre skolresultat. Nyckelord: cognitive ability, physical activity, exercise, learning, memory, accomplishment, creativity samt fysisk aktivitet, inlärning, minne, prestation, kreativitet och motion. / Introduction The brain is what is most affected by regular exercise in the human body. Exercise often affects the concentration, memory, sleep, and creativity. Having a passive lifestyle increases the risk of developing many of our common diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Method This thesis is based on an overview of literature, where ten scientific articles have been read, examined, and analysed. The result is based on scientific articles that were peer-reviewed. Result All articles confirm the hypothesis of a connection between physical activity and positive effects. A large number of articles also suggest to the need for further research on the subject in order to eventually establish physical activity as a protective factor and alternative treatment for welfare disease symptoms. Also for physical and mental well-being with improved learning abilities in both school and at leisure. Discussion A review of ten scientific articles shows a strong connection between physical activity and positive effects. In a longer perspective there is potential for physical activity to become a recognized treatment method to alleviate symptoms such as obesity, depression, mental health, and to achieve a better average result in school.

Vortrag auf der ICPS-Convention 2019 in Paris zu internationalen Unterschieden in Studien zu kognitiven Fähigkeiten, ihren Ursachen, Folgen sowie ihre Bedeutung im Kontext komplexer bildungssystemischer Zusammenhänge. Ein zusätzlicher Fokus wird auf methodische Ansätze zur Untersuchung des Forschungsgegenstandes gerichtet. / Presentation at the ICPS Convention 2019 in Paris on international differences in studies on cognitive ability, their causes, consequences and their importance in the context of complex causalities in educational systems. An additional focus lies on methodological approaches to investigate the research subject.

Cognitive ability has a strong and important relationship with academic performance. Numerous factors, however, affect a student’s performance, including among others; learning style, or the way in which students typically receive and process information, and learning strategies, or the level at which students approach learning and studying. Current studies are, however, divided in their findings regarding the relationship between learning styles and strategies and academic performance as well as the mediatory role they may play. The study sought to investigate the role of students’ learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance, in order to advance an understanding of the role that they play in this relationship. The study was conducted using a correlational research design within a cognitive psychology framework. Using convenience sampling, a total of 172 university students completed cognitive tests (Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Letter-N-Back) and a learning style and strategy survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM), specifically path analysis in combination with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), was then used to test relationships between constructs. Results from the first model suggest that higher cognitive abilities and the use of rehearsal (the surface learning strategy) each play a unique role in predicting academic performance (÷2 (67, N = 172) = 145.31, p < .001). It, in additio, seems as if various components of learning style and strategy do not predict academic performance at all. A refined model of the relationship between constructs confirmed this (÷2 (64, N = 172) = 70.51, p < .05). Learning styles along with the deep and metacognitive learning strategies were found to have no meaningful relation with academic performance. Cognitive abilities and rehearsal however were key predictors of performance. Mediation analysis further identified rehearsal as a mediator in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance (÷2 (65, N = 172) = 74.10, p >.05). Results show that cognitive ability indirectly affects academic performance through the surface learning strategy rehearsal). Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Många personer med demenssjukdom riskerar att bli undernärda när de kognitiva förmågorna minskar. Förmågan att äta påverkas av minne, förmågan att utföra viljemässiga rörelser, koncentrationssvårigheter och tugg- och sväljsvårigheter. Allt detta tillsammans med svårigheter att kommunicera gör att måltidssituationen blir en utmaning. Detta har stor påverkan på både hälsa och välbefinnande. Syfte: Syftet var att skapa en översikt över måltidsmiljöns betydelse för att främja hälsan hos personer med demenssjukdom på äldreboende. Metod: En allmän litteraturöversikt, där elva kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar har analyserats. Resultat: I resultatet framkom tre teman. Under atmosfärens betydelse hade hemkänsla och traditioner en betydande roll. Avslappnad atmosfär utan störande moment såsom ljud från diskning och hög ljudvolym bidrog till en bättre måltidssituation.Måltidpresentationens betydelse visade att utseende, konsistens och doft på maten är viktiga aspekter att ta hänsyn till för att öka matintaget. Social betydelse ökade förmågan att äta självständigt hos personer med demenssjukdom då gemenskapen vid matborden gjorde att de speglade varandra, dock kunde sociala interaktioner även bidra till oro och förvirring. Slutsats: Individuell anpassning vid måltidssituationen genom hemlik atmosfär och individuella hjälpmedel ökar självständigheten och hälsan hos personer med demenssjukdom. Vårdpersonalens medvetenhet kring måltidsmiljöns betydelse för hälsan hos personer med demenssjukdom är betydelsefull. / Background: Many people with dementia have a risk becoming malnourished when their cognitive abilities decrease. The ability to eat is affected by memory, the ability to perform voluntary movements, concentrationdifficulties and chewing- and swallowingdifficulties. All this, together with difficulties in communicating, makes the mealsituation a challenge. This has a major impact on both health and well-being. Aim: The aim was to create an overview of the importance of the mealenvironment in promoting the health of people with dementia in nursing homes. Method: A general literature review, in which eleven qualitative and quantitative articles have been analyzed. Results: The results revealed three themes. Under the importance of the atmosphere, feeling at home and traditions played a significant role. Relaxed atmosphere without disturbing elements such as noise from washing dishes and high soundvolume contributed to a better mealsituation. The importance of the mealpresentation showed that the appearance, texture and aroma of the food are important aspects to take into account in order to increase foodintake. Social significance increased the ability to eat independently among people with dementia as the fellowship at the dining tables made them reflect each other, but social interactions could also contribute to anxiety and confusion. Conclusion: Individual adaptation to the mealsituation through a homely atmosphere and individual aids increases the independence and health of people with dementia. The carestaff's awareness of the importance of the mealenvironment for the health of people with dementia is significant.

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Adaptive Performance (AP) von Individuen. AP wird definiert als ein Verhalten, mit dem auf eine veränderte Arbeitssituation reagiert wird und das funktional für die Erreichung der Unternehmensziele ist. Nach einer Auseinandersetzung mit der Definition und Dimensionalität von AP erfolgt eine Abgrenzung zu verwandten Forschungsgebieten (z.B. Flexibilität, Kreativität, Routinen). Weiter wird ein Überblick über bisherige Paradigmen und Erkenntnisse der AP-Forschung gegeben. Da bislang kein Instrument mit guter psychometrischer Qualität zur Messung von AP verfügbar ist, beschäftigt sich die erste Studie (N=216 Leistungsbeurteilungen durch Vorgesetzte) mit der Konstruktion und Validierung eines solchen Instrumentes. Hypothesenkonform lässt sich die zweidimensionale Unterteilung von sozialer und aufgabenorientierter AP bestätigen. In der zweiten Studie (N=225 Selbsteinschätzungen durch Mitarbeiter) werden Außenzusammenhänge von AP thematisiert. Dabei zeigt sich, dass sich AP sowohl von geforderter Arbeitleistung als auch von Persönlicher Initiative als proaktiv-innovativer Arbeitsleistung abgrenzen lässt. Weiter ergeben sich positive Zusammenhänge mit Arbeitszufriedenheit und Lernzielorientierung sowie negative Zusammenhänge mit Veränderungsresistenz und Vermeidungs-Leistungszielorientierung. In der dritten Studie (N=70 Studierende) kommt mit dem Task-Change Paradigma ein experimentelles Design zur Untersuchung der AP zum Einsatz. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen Haupteffekt kognitiver Fähigkeiten auf AP sowie eine Interaktion von Zielorientierung und kognitiven Fähigkeiten: Bei hohen kognitiven Fähigkeiten ist Lernzielorientierung leistungsförderlich, bei geringen kognitiven Fähigkeiten ist Lernzielorientierung hingegen hinderlich. Abschließend werden die Ergebnisse sowie die verwendeten Methoden der Arbeit kritisch diskutiert. Dabei werden zukünftige Forschungsfelder sowie praktische Implikationen angesprochen.

Passwords are widely used as a primary method of authentication and access control, making them a critical component in safeguarding digital assets. However, individuals’ password-related behaviors, such as password selection, memorization, and management, significantly impact the security of their accounts. Cognitive abilities, one of which is memory capacity, have also been shown in past research to affect cybersecurity awareness and therefore password behavior, as an extension of this. This thesis aimed to explore how individuals’ short-term memory capacity influenced their password behavior and its implications for cybersecurity. The research methodology used a questionnaire as a quantitative approach towards this issue. The study examined participants’ password creation strategies and their ability to remember different aspects using cued recall. Furthermore, the relationship between password behavior and short-term memory capacity was also explored in terms of four different demographic subgroups, namely gender, age, level of education, and IT competence. The evaluation has been performed using statistical analysis on 315 complete questionnaire responses. The results of this thesis work corroborate most of the previous research on the aforementioned topics, such that females and older age were the strongest predictors of correlation between password behavior and short-term memory capacity. This thesis work can be used as guidance when conducting further research on the effects of various cognitive abilities on cybersecurity awareness.

Assortative Mating, the tendency for mate selection to occur on the basis of similar traits, plays an essential role in understanding the genetic variation on academic achievements and intelligence (IQ). It is an important mechanism explaining spousal concordance. We used principal component analysis (PCA) for spousal correlation. There is a significant positive correlation between spouses by the new variable PC1 (correlation coefficient=0.515, p<0.0001). We further research the genetic factor that affects IQ by using the same data. We performed a low density genome-wide association (GWA) analysis with a family-based association test to identify genetic variants that associated with intelligence as measured by WAIS full-score IQ (FSIQ). NTM at 11q25 (rs411280, p=0.000764) and NR3C2 at 4q31.23 (rs3846329, p=0.000675) were 2 novel genes that haven't been associated with IQ from other studies. This study may serve as a resource for replication in other populations and a foundation for future investigations.