Thesis, PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Theses (Ed.S.)--Marshall University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains15 p. Bibliography: page 15.

Theses (Ed.S.)--Marshall University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains 11 p. Bibliography: page 11.

Thesis (M.S.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-52).

Background Dementia is a national priority for Scotland, and as such, fast and accurate diagnosis plus responsive and well-evidenced interventions post-diagnosis are key. Accurately estimating an individual’s level of premorbid functioning can be a crucial part of establishing that cognitive decline has taken place, enabling clinicians to be more confident and accurate in their diagnosis. Measures that assess premorbid ability should be able to 1) capture current ability in healthy controls and 2) resist the effects of cognitive decline when used in individuals with dementia. At the post-diagnostic stage, there is a growing evidence base for non-pharmacological, tailored interventions for individuals with dementia. However, the evidence base is limited, particularly so for Cognitive Rehabilitation. Objectives An empirical study was conducted in order to assess whether a newly developed measure that aims to capture lifelong cognitive reserve (the brain’s ability to withstand pathological change), the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq), can capture premorbid ability. Three research questions were addressed; 1) does the CRIq capture current ability in healthy controls? 2) is it resistant to cognitive decline when used with a patient group with dementia? and 3) how does the CRIq compare to a traditional measure of premorbid ability, the NART (National Adult Reading Test)? Another focus of development and innovation in dementia research is that of post-diagnostic interventions. A systematic review was therefore conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation for mild-moderate dementia (Alzheimer disease or mixed dementia) in relation to cognitive and functional outcomes. Due to the limited number of RCTs in this field precluding a clear understanding of the evidence base, the additional contribution of non-RCTs was also evaluated. Method For the empirical study N=20 healthy older controls and N=13 patients with dementia were recruited. In order to appropriately address the three research questions both groups were assessed using the NART, the CRIq and the MOCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). In addition, the control group were assessed on a measure of current ability, the WAIS-IV Perceptual Reasoning Index. For the systematic review of Cognitive Rehabilitation the CDCIG Specialised Register, ALOIS, was searched in order to identify relevant studies. In addition, previous reviews were searched to identify studies excluded on the basis that they were not an RCT. Results Results for the empirical study show both CRIq and NART were strongly correlated to current ability (performance on WAIS-IV PRI) in controls, although both significantly overestimated ability. CRIq performance was not affected by the presence of dementia whereas NART predicted premorbid ability was. CRIq and NART showed a different pattern of results between controls and patients, indicating that CRIq may more resistant to the effects of cognitive decline. Ten studies were identified for the systematic review; five RCT and five non-RCT. Study quality was assessed using a well-validated quality assessment tool, and indicated large variability. Eight of the ten studies reported a positive effect of Cognitive Rehabilitation. However, several studies were of poor quality and included aspects of other approaches in their intervention (e.g. Cognitive Training, Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy). Conclusions The empirical study found that CRIq over-estimated current ability in controls, but was resistant to cognitive decline in patients. The over-estimation of current ability may be accounted for by the CRIq being normed on an Italian population, thus not reflecting UK cultural norms (e.g. for length of schooling). When the NART and the CRIq were directly compared, the two measures were found to be related, but yet produced significantly different estimates of premorbid ability. This suggests that they may capture different facets of premorbid functioning, with the NART being primarily a verbal performance-based measure, and the CRIq capturing aspects of global cognitive functioning. Clinical implications include the potential utility of the CRIq for patients with language impairment. However the study conclusions are limited by a low N, and therefore have restricted generalisability. In the systematic review, the literature was exhaustively searched and evidence was found for the effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation for mild-moderate Alzheimer disease and mixed dementia. Methodological limitations of the included studies are discussed, and clinical implications are identified. Both the empirical study and the systematic review highlight the need for greater research and development of methods by which dementia care is supported; through more effective methods of diagnosis, to a better evidence base for post-diagnostic interventions.

In aviation safety incident reports, lack of situation awareness (SA) is often attributed as the cause of negative safety outcomes, such as accidents. While the predominant model of SA has identified three components of SA, perception, comprehension, and projection, assumptions of their relationships with each other and external criteria are yet tested empirically. Specifically, SA theory suggests comprehension SA fully mediates the relationship between perception and projection SA. Additionally, research on the relationships between individual differences and SA is lacking. The purpose of the current study is to test a comprehensive model of SA which simultaneously examines the described mediation, relationships with individual differences antecedents of SA, and its utility as a predictor of safety using structural equation modeling (SEM). A sample of 349 employees from a diverse background of occupational areas were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to test the model. While self-report measurement of SA was an excellent predictor of safety, the current study did not find empirical support for the presumed mediation among the SA components, and found the relationships between individual differences and SA which contradict extant SA theory. The results suggest differentiating between typical versus maximal SA. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Vittnesmål spelar en avgörande roll som bevisning vid brottmål och att vittna utgör en viktig del i att kunna klara upp brott. Att ögonvittnen identifierar en person är en vanlig metod för att få bevismaterial i en rättegång eller för att vägleda polisen i utrednings- och spaningssammanhang. Ögonvittnesidentifiering av ansikten är dock inte en helt säker metod då det mänskliga minnet besitter begränsningar och är sårbart för suggestioner vilket gör det nödvändigt att undersöka samband mellan kognitiva faktorer och förmågan att korrekt identifiera ansikten. Detta i syfte att minska antalet felaktiga identifikationer av oskyldiga. Syftet med studien var att besvara frågan om förmågan till ansiktsigenkänning kan prediceras av kognitiva förmågor. Studien har nyttjat insamlad data från den longitudinella studien Betula(Nilsson m.fl., 1997) som startade 1988 i Umeå. Med ett urval om 1 715 personer i åldrarna35–85 år (M = 58.22, SD = 13.79) har resultatet från nio olika kognitiva tester utforskats i förhållande till ett ansiktsigenkänningstest bestående av barnansikten. Genom korrelationsanalyser och stegvisa regressionsanalyser framkom att förmågan till ansiktsigenkänningsförmåga kan prediceras till viss del. Den starkaste prediktorn för ansiktsigenkänning var visuospatial förmåga och flytande intelligens. Förmågan att känna igen ansikten verkar inte försämras vid högre ålder, vilket gäller för andra kognitiva förmågor. / Testimony plays a crucial role in the work of presenting evidence in criminal cases and to solve crimes. Eyewitness to identification is commonly used method to collect evidence for a trial or to aid the police in their investigations. However, identification of faces is not a completely reliable method because the human memory has limitations and is vulnerable to suggestions, which stresses the importance of investigating relationships between cognitive factors and the ability to correctly identify faces. This in order to reduce the number of incorrect identifications of innocent people. Thus, the purpose of this study was to answer the question “whether theability to recognize faces can be predicted by cognitive abilities”. This study has made use of data collected within the longitudinal Betula study (Nilsson et al, 1997) which started in Umeå in 1988. With a sample of 1 715 participants in aged 35-85 years (M = 58.22, SD = 13.79)results from nine different cognitive tests were explored in relation to performance in facerecognition task consisting of children’s faces. Through correlation analyzes and stepwiseregression analyzes, it emerged that the ability to face recognition ability can be predicted tosome extent. The strongest predictor of facial recognition was visuospatial ability and fluid intelligence. The ability to recognize faces does not seem to deteriorate at an older age, required for other cognitive abilities.

<div>The persistent issues that have been identified in the cyber defense domain, such as information-overload, burn-out and high turn-over rates among cyber analysts leads us to question what the cognitive ability contribution is to a more successful cyber performance. Cyber defense researchers theorize that individual differences are determinants of cyber performance success but have yet to establish empirically the role of individual differences. Therefore, the study uses an individual differences approach under a work performance framework to study the contributions of cognitive ability (i.e., attention control) on cyber performance success in a specific cyber work-role (i.e., the Incident Reponder), and through its well-defined primary task (i.e., incident detection system performance). The sample included actual network analysts with a wide range of incident detection expertise, age, and education levels for more reliable and valid scores. The results of the correlational analysis showed that individual differences in attention control (i.e., flexibility and spatial attention) contribute most to the differences in Incident Responder work-performance. A linear regression model then demonstrated that spatial attention and flexibility predict 53 to 60 percent of the variance in cyber performance scores. It is suggested that the KSA's from the NICE framework be updated with the cognitive abilities that contribute to and/or predict cyber performance success, for superior recruitment efforts towards a more efficient cyber defense work-force. </div><div><br></div>

Due to the increased use of Internet among children, developers have realized that digital environments need better usability, especially to give children the opportunity to handle digital interfaces on their own. This paper investigates how children handle and navigate the online streaming service TV4 Play. The aim of this study was to understand the children’s moves and actions for further development of a more child-centered site that should make it easier for them to handle. The study was based upon a Usability Evaluation Method (UEM) called Peer-Tutoring, where pairs of children cooperated and taught each other, one by one, to solve tasks based on navigation through the interface. This method was also combined with a method called Active Intervention, where questions were added to the Peer-Tutoring in order to invite the children to talk and reflect on their actions. The participants were 4-6 year old children from a preschool in Danderyd, Stockholm. The results show difficulties of navigating and understanding the structure of the site, which is closely related to children’s limited cognitive ability, for instance, adults have superior capacity to handle drag and drop compared to children. These results led to recommendations that the TV4 Play team can take into account when they optimize usability for children. For example, they should implement one-click buttons instead of drag-and-drop functions, and list the available TV shows in a horizontal overview. / På grund av den ökade användningen av Internet bland barn, har utvecklarna insett att digitala miljöer behöver bättre användbarhet, särskilt för att ge barnen möjlighet att hantera digitala gränssnitt på egen hand. Denna uppsats undersöker hur barn hanterar och navigerar på streaming tjänsten TV4 Play. Syftet med denna studie var att förstå barnens rörelser och åtgärder för vidareutveckling av en mer barncentrerade webbplats, som ska göra det lättare för dem att hantera. Studien baserades på en användbarhets utvärderingsmetod, som kallas Peer-Tutoring, där barnen i par samarbetar och lär varandra, en efter en, för att lösa uppgifter baserade på navigering via gränssnittet. Denna metod kombinerades med en metod som kallas aktivt ingripande (Active Intervention), där frågor ställdes för att bjuda in barnen till att prata och reflektera över sina handlingar. Barnen var 4-6 år gamla från en förskola i Danderyd, Stockholm. Resultaten visar svårigheterna att navigera och förstå strukturen på webbplatsen, vilket är nära relaterat till barnens begränsade kognitiva förmåga, t ex har vuxna överlägsen kapacitet att hantera dra-och-släpp jämfört med barn. Dessa resultat har lett till rekommendationer som TV4 Play teamet kan ta hänsyn till när de optimerar användbarheten för barn. Till exempel bör de implementera klickknappar istället för dra-och-släpp-funktioner och lista tillgängliga TV-program i en horisontell översikt.

Empirical research has supported the use of general cognitive ability to predict employee performance; however, studies have accounted for only a fraction of the variance. The current study addressed whether intellectual styles, which describe how individuals habitually acquire and use information, account for a significant portion of the variance in job performance not covered by general cognitive ability. The study followed a quantitative, nonexperimental design with a convenience sample of 77 intelligence analysts from 6 U.S. government agencies and 2 online professional groups. MindTime provided the primary theoretical framework. The International Cognitive Ability Resource, MindTime Profile InventoryTM, and Self-Rated Analytic Job Performance Assessment were used to measure general cognitive ability and analytic job performance. Results of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that thinking perspectives profiles are valid predictors of job performance and contribute to the incremental validity of general cognitive ability as a predictor of analytic job performance. However, because of the high degree of collinearity, results were inconclusive. The findings add to the understanding of the relationship between intellectual styles and job performance of knowledge workers, and they reinforce links between industrial-organizational psychology and cognitive psychology.