<p>Neuroimaging studies of episodic memory, or memory of events from our personal past, have predominantly focused their attention on medial temporal lobe (MTL). There is growing acknowledgement however, from the cognitive neuroscience of memory literature, that regions outside the MTL can support episodic memory processes. The medial prefrontal cortex is one such region garnering increasing interest from researchers. Using behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging measures, over two studies, this thesis provides evidence of a mnemonic role of the medial PFC. In the first study, participants were scanned while judging the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the sociopolitical views of unfamiliar individuals. Behavioral tests of associative recognition revealed that participants remembered with high confidence viewpoints previously linked with judgments of strong agreement/disagreement. Neurally, the medial PFC mediated the interaction between high-confidence associative recognition memory and beliefs associated with strong agree/disagree judgments. In an effort to generalize this finding to well-established associative information, in the second study, we investigated associative recognition memory for real-world concepts. Object-scene pairs congruent or incongruent with a preexisting schema were presented to participants in a cued-recall paradigm. Behavioral tests of conceptual and perceptual recognition revealed memory enhancements arising from strong resonance between presented pairs and preexisting schemas. Neurally, the medial PFC tracked increases in visual recall of schema-congruent pairs whereas the MTL tracked increases in visual recall of schema-incongruent pairs. Additionally, ventral areas of the medial PFC tracked conceptual components of visual recall specifically for schema-congruent pairs. These findings are consistent with a recent theoretical proposal of medial PFC contributions to memory for schema-related content. Collectively, these studies provide evidence of a role for the medial PFC in associative recognition memory persisting for associative information deployed in our daily social interactions and for those associations formed over multiple learning episodes. Additionally, this set of findings advance our understanding of the cognitive contributions of the medial PFC beyond its canonical role in processes underlying social cognition.</p> / Dissertation

Virtual communities of practice have been used to improve teachers' instructional practice; yet, many of these communities do not take into account the effect of teachers' personal learning and collegial collaboration beliefs on engagement within this model. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine if teaching was enhanced through participation in virtual communities of practice and determine if teachers' personal beliefs prior to entering these communities influenced their engagement. Wenger's social learning theory served as the conceptual framework. The research questions asked how teachers' beliefs on personal learning and their beliefs on collaboration influenced their engagement in virtual communities of practice and how personal learning networks facilitated extended technology-based learning in the classroom. Data were collected through 2 semi structured interviews with 9 teacher participants and analysis of digital records from the Classroom 2.0 and Flat Connections Nings. Manual, open-coding of the data revealed themes which explained the use of personalized learning networks for instructional growth and social networking for collaborative practice. Findings indicated that while teachers' previously held ideas were not significantly altered, the social, supportive environments created through virtual learning communities made a suitable setting for professional development. These findings may effect positive social change as virtual communities of practice for teachers evolve into professional development environments that challenge teacher beliefs, use progressive technologies, and engage teachers in collaborative activities.

The existential dimension has gained importance in health studies in the last decades (Moreira-Almeida &amp; Koenig, 2006; DeMarinis, 2008). Little Swedish research exists in this area. A pilot study was conducted in a suburban Stockholm, Church of Sweden parish. Research question was: “How does the existential dimension of health, understood as the ability to create and maintain a functional meaning-makings system, affect the person’s self-rated health and quality of life?” Theoretical framework included: health research focusing the existential dimension; public health through psychology of religion; and, object-relations theory. The mixed-methods format included semi-structured interviews, and surveys: 1) on meaning-making, and 2) Swedish pilot translation of WHOQOL-SRPB (self-rated health and quality of life including spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs). Central results showed a positive relation between the existential health dimension and: overall ratings of physical, mental, social, and environmental health (p = .008); the overall existential health dimension and mental health (p = .008); and, social health (p = .046) and, the combined health items “How do you feel?” and “How satisfied are you with your health?” (p = .001). These results find support in WHO’s health perspective, and are linked to DeMarinis’ health dimensions and Winnicott’s understanding of potential space. Health dimensions: physical, mental, social, ecological and existential, are closely interlinked. The existential dimension is important through interaction with the others, and through its function as an autonomous health dimension. The study underlines the need for – and offers a culturally-tested method and model to explore existential needs in this secularized context.

Inom vård av personer med demenssjukdom är vårdarens bekräftelse av personens värdighet och välbefinnande grundläggande. Bekräftelsens effekt avgörs av vad och hur vårdaren väljer att bekräfta. Då den inte är anpassad riskerar personens värdighet och välbefinnande att reduceras, skadas eller gå förlorad. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva vårdpersonals föreställningar om att bekräfta värdighet och välbefinnande hos personer med demenssjukdom. Vårdarens synsätt och antagande om personen med demenssjukdom, om att vårda samt innebörd av värdighet och välbefinnande antogs ha en betydande roll för vårdarens val att bekräfta. Metod: Tio informanter intervjuades kring sina uppfattningar av att bekräfta värdighet och välbefinnande hos personer med demenssjukdom. Analysen genomfördes utifrån fenomenografisk metod i fyra steg där informanternas uppfattningar presenterades i ett utfallsrum av beskrivningskategorier med underkategorier. Resultat: Resultatet visade att bekräftelse uppkommer i ett samspel av faktorer, vilka kan påverka bekräftelsen både positivt och negativt. Vårdarnas bekräftelse skedde med utgångspunkt i vårdarens föreställningar via sekundära värden, mot övergripande värden, i en kontext av omgivningsfaktorer och utifrån ett kommunikativt feedbacksystem. Vårdarna hade såväl underlättande som hindrande förställningar vilka kopplades till tid och organisatoriska förutsättningar, till vårdtagarens förmågor, kommunikation och uttryck. Reflektion och klinisk implikation: Studien ger kunskap om hur vårdpersonal tänker kring värdighet och välbefinnande.  Skillnader i vårdens utförande kan förstås utifrån ett livsvärldsperspektiv och kan användas som underlag för utbildning, handledning och reflektion. / In caring for people with dementia confirmation of dignity and wellbeing is essential. How and in what way the nurse chooses to confirm determines the effect on the confirmation itself. If not individually adjusted to the person with dementia there’s a risk of dignity and wellbeing being reduced, damaged or lost. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe nurses’ personal beliefs and constructs on confirming dignity and wellbeing in people suffering from dementia. The nurses views on the person with dementia, personal beliefs on caring and on the meaning of dignity and wellbeing was predicted to have a significant role on the way he or she confirms the person. Method: Ten informants were interviewed on their personal experiences on confirming dignity and wellbeing. The narrations were analysed using a phenomenographic methodology in four different steps. The informants’ experiences were presented in an outcome space consisting sets of categories and subcategories of description. Result: Confirmation takes place within an interplay of factors with the potentiality to effect in a positively or negatively way. The nurses’ confirmation took place on the basis of their personal beliefs and constructs through secondary values, towards overall values, within a context of external factors and from a communicative system of feedback. The nurses had both enabling and hindering personal beliefs and constructs which were linked to time and organisational factors and to cognitive and physical abilities, communication and expression of the patient. Reflections and clinical implications: The study brings knowledge on nurses’ personal beliefs and constructs on confirming dignity and wellbeing. The differences in nursing among the nurses can be further viewed and understood from a life-world perspective and contribute to nursing education, supervision and reflection.

Religiositet och andlighet tycks ha samband med fysisk och psykisk hälsa. I uppsatsen undersöks sambandet mellan andlighet och utbrändhet, två grupper behandlare jämförs och mätegenskaper hos skalorna Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs Field-Test Instrument (WHOQOL-SRPB), Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS), Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) och Utbrändhet i arbetet (UA) undersöks. Studiedeltagarna var 38 programledare för kriminalvårdens tolvstegsprogram och 39 behandlare i ett psykoterapinätverk inom beroendevården (svarsfrekvens 61,5%). Andlighet korrelerade med personlig prestation (personal accomplishment; r = 0,315, p &lt; 0,05). I beroendevården fanns ett samband mellan hög grad av andlighet/religiositet och högre grad av utbrändhet. Studien visar att andlighet skulle kunna ge ökat självförtroende, och genom detta påverka hälsa och allmänt välbefinnande samt att effekten av andlighet/religiositet verkar vara positiv i andliga/religiösa sammanhang men inte i mer sekulariserade miljöer. Slutligen konstateras att validiteten hos utbrändhetsmåtten kan ifrågasättas och att vidare utveckling av andlighetsmåtten bör ske.

Introduktion: Enligt World Health Organisation (WHO) definieras hälsa som ett tillstånd av fysiskt, mentalt och socialt välbefinnande och inte endast frånvaro av sjukdom. Utifrån denna definition kan en människa uppleva hälsa och livskvalitet hela livet, oavsett ålder, diagnos eller prognos. Förhållningssättet till livet påverkar den självskattade psykiska, fysiska och sociala hälsan. I Sverige används begreppet existentiell medan begreppet andlig oftast används internationellt. Både existentiell och andlig relaterar till en inre dimension som interagerar med den yttre världen; den egna kroppen, andra människor och de sekulär eller religiösa system som en individ kan relatera till. Syfte: Syftet är att bedöma hur WHO:s åtta faktorer för existentiell hälsa definieras och hur de används i vetenskapliga studier. Metod:Studien bygger på en litteraturstudie i vilken tjugo vetenskapliga artiklar granskats och analyserats. Både kvalitativa och kvantitativa studier, som undersöker existentiell hälsa har inkluderats. För att besvara forskningsfrågan och uppfylla studiens syfte har en kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats valts för att söka en slutsats utifrån tidigare forskning. De vetenskapliga artiklarna som valts ut har inhämtats via tillförlitliga databaser som PsychInfo, PubMed, SwePub,Google Scholar, och från Socialmedicinsk tidskrift. Resultat: Vid analys av artiklarnas innehåll har vi använt följande teman: andlig kontakt, mening och syfte med livet, upplevelse av förundran, helhet och integration, andlig styrka, harmoni och inre frid, hoppfullhet och optimism samt tro som resurs. Av dessa kom behovet av optimism, inre frid och hopp först. På andra plats kom behovet av mening och syfte med livet. Resultat visade att det är notoriskt svårt att definiera och mäta andlighet på grund av dess omtvistade definition, förhållandet till religiositet och olika kulturer. De olika definitionerna utmanar tillämpningen av begreppen i olika kontexter och kulturer. Slutsats: Då forskning kring existentiell hälsa är begränsad och relativt outforskat behöver framtida forskning fler kvalitativa och kvantitativa forskningsinsatser för att analysera faktorer som påverkar den existentiella hälsan utifrån ett kulturellt och kontextuellt perspektiv. Teorier och metoder kan på så sätt utvecklas för att skapa en evidensbaserad existentiell hälsointervention. / Introduction: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health is defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Based on this definition, a person can experience health and quality of life throughout their life, regardless of age, diagnosis or prognosis. The approach to life affects the self-assessed mental, physical and social health. In Sweden, the term existential is used, while the term spiritual is most often used internationally. Both existential and spiritual relate to an inner dimension that interacts with the outer world; one's own body, other people and the secular or religious systems to which an individual can relate. Purpose: The purpose is to assess how the WHO's eight factors of existential health are defined and how they are used in scientific studies. Method: The study is based on a literature study in which twenty scientific articles were reviewed and analyzed. Both qualitative and quantitative studies investigating existential health have been included. In order to answer the research question and fulfill the purpose of the study, a qualitative method with an inductive approach has been chosen to seek a conclusion based on previous research. The scientific articles that have been selected have been obtained via reliable databases such as PsychInfo, PubMed, SwePub, Google Scholar, and from the Journal of Social Medicine. Results: When analyzing the content of the articles, the following themes were used to categorise findings: spiritual contact, meaning and purpose in life, experience of wonder, wholeness and integration, spiritual strength, harmony and inner peace, hopefulness and optimism and faith as a resource. Out of theseeight themes, the need for optimism, inner peace and hope came first. In second place came the need for meaning and purpose in life. Results showed that it is notoriously difficult to define and measure spirituality due to its contested definition, relationship to religiosity and different cultures. The different definitions challenge the application of the concepts in different contexts and cultures. Conclusion: As research on existential health is limited and relatively unexplored, future research needs more qualitative and quantitative research efforts to analyze factors that affect existential health from a cultural and contextual perspective. Theories and methods can thus be developed to create an evidence-based existential health intervention.