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Ricciardi E, Spano G, Tinella L, Lopez A, Clemente C, Bosco A, Caffò AO. Perceived Social Support Mediates the Relationship between Use of Greenspace and Geriatric Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of South-Italian Older Adults. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:ijerph20085540. [PMID: 37107822 PMCID: PMC10138493 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20085540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence is suggestive for the beneficial role of contact with greenspace (e.g., use of greenspace, visual access to greenspace, etc.) on mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.). In addition, several studies have pointed out the benefits of social support and social interaction on psychological wellbeing. Even if evidence on the association between contact with greenspace and perceived social support were mixed, it was supposed that the use of greenspace could enhance social interactions and perceived social support, especially among older adults. The present study aims to explore the effect of use of greenspace on geriatric depression in a sample of South-Italian older adults and the mediating role of perceived social support in this association. A structural equation model was tested in a sample of 454 older adults (60-90 years old) residing in the Metropolitan Area of Bari, Apulia. The fit indices revealed the goodness of fit of the model (CFI = 0.934; TLI = 0.900; IFI = 0.911; NFI = 0.935; RMSEA = 0.074; SRMR = 0.056). Results showed that the use of greenspace was inversely associated with geriatric depression through perceived social support. These findings underlined the relevance of perceived social support on the pathway linking use of greenspace and geriatric depressive symptoms. This evidence may be useful to policymakers to plan interventions for promoting physical access to greenspace and social participation in an age-friendly city framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Ricciardi
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Giuseppina Spano
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Luigi Tinella
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Antonella Lopez
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
- Faculty of Law, Giustino Fortunato University, 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Carmine Clemente
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Andrea Bosco
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, 70122 Bari, Italy; (E.R.); (G.S.); (L.T.); (A.L.); (C.C.); (A.B.)
- Correspondence:
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A meta-analysis on air traffic controllers selection: cognitive and non-cognitive predictors. JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Distortions in Spatial Mental Representation Affect Sketch Maps in Young Adults. Neurol Int 2022; 14:771-783. [PMID: 36278688 PMCID: PMC9590050 DOI: 10.3390/neurolint14040064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans tend to misrepresent spatial information which leads to systematic errors due to distorted organizational processes regarding metric and positional judgments. This study is aimed at analyzing metric and positional distortions in cognitive maps by using external representations, namely sketch maps, in two experiments with young participants. In the first experiment, we use the sketching area of Northern Europe. In the second experiment, the University campus area was used. The first aim was to test the hypothesis that the presence of the sea between the triplet of landmarks generates an overestimation of the distances between them in the case of Northern Europe; and to test the hypothesis that the number of turns in a route influences the overestimation of the distance between landmarks in the case of the campus area. The second aim was to investigate alignment and rotation errors using the same maps. Concerning metric errors, the results showed the overestimation of distances with a geographical gap between the cities (the sea in the Northern European Area), and those with more turns between landmarks (the campus area). The results concerning rotations and alignments were in line with the previous research about positional errors. The present study extended findings on distortions in spatial mental representation as emerging from verbal judgments, to sketch maps: direct visuospatial external representations eluding the conversion into verbal coding of spatial information. The presence of distortions in cognitive maps could be considered the consequence of the encoding of spatial information.
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Collins A, Saling MM, Wilson SJ, Jackson GD, Tailby C. The Spatial Learning Task of Lhermitte and Signoret (1972): Normative Data in Adults Aged 18-45. Front Psychol 2022; 13:860982. [PMID: 35369142 PMCID: PMC8966229 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The Spatial Learning Task of Lhermitte and Signoret is an object-location arbitrary associative learning task. The task was originally developed to evaluate adults with severe amnesia. It is currently used in populations where the memory system either is not yet fully developed or where it has been compromised (e.g. epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, electroconvulsive therapy, cerebrovascular disease and dementia). Normative data have been published for paediatric cohorts and for older adults, however no data exist for the intervening adult years. Method Here, we address this gap, collecting normative data from 101 adults aged 18–45. Results Our data indicate that performance on the Spatial Learning Task is not influenced by age, gender, level of education or overall IQ. Less than 10% of the variance in learning scores is associated with variability in verbal memory. Ninety percent of participants achieved perfect scores on two successive trials (T2Cr) within five or fewer trials on the Spatial Learning Task. A T2Cr score of 6 is suggestive of impairment and a T2Cr score of 7 or more is statistically abnormal. Conclusion These data expand the clinical utility of the Spatial Learning Task in the adult population. Future work should examine performance in lower IQ cohorts, including intellectual disability, and explore sensitivity to disease factors such as laterality of mesial temporal lobe damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana Collins
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael M Saling
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah J Wilson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Graeme D Jackson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neurology, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Chris Tailby
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
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Tinella L, Lopez A, Caffò AO, Nardulli F, Grattagliano I, Bosco A. Cognitive Efficiency and Fitness-to-Drive along the Lifespan: The Mediation Effect of Visuospatial Transformations. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1028. [PMID: 34439647 PMCID: PMC8392112 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11081028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The way people represent and transform visuospatial information affects everyday activities including driving behavior. Mental rotation and perspective taking have recently been found to predict cognitive prerequisites for fitness-to-drive (FtD). We argue that the relationship between general cognitive status and FtD is mediated by spatial transformation skills. Here, we investigated the performance in the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and the Perspective-Taking Test (PT) of 175 male active drivers (aged from 18 to 91 years), by administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to measure their global cognitive functioning. All participants were submitted to a computerized driving assessment measuring resilience of attention (DT), reaction speed (RS), motor speed (MS), and perceptual speed (ATAVT). Significant results were found for the effect of global cognitive functioning on perceptual speed through the full mediation of both mental rotation and perspective-taking skills. The indirect effect of global cognitive functioning through mental rotation was only found to significantly predict resilience of attention whereas the indirect effect mediated by perspective taking only was found to significantly predict perceptual speed. Finally, the negative effect of age was found on each driving measure. Results presented here, which are limited to male drivers, suggest that general cognitive efficiency is linked to spatial mental transformation skills and, in turn, to driving-related cognitive tasks, contributing to fitness-to-drive in the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Tinella
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (A.L.); (A.O.C.); (I.G.); (A.B.)
| | - Antonella Lopez
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (A.L.); (A.O.C.); (I.G.); (A.B.)
| | - Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (A.L.); (A.O.C.); (I.G.); (A.B.)
| | - Francesco Nardulli
- Commissione Medica Locale Patenti Speciali, Azienda Sanitaria Locale-Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy;
| | - Ignazio Grattagliano
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (A.L.); (A.O.C.); (I.G.); (A.B.)
| | - Andrea Bosco
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (A.L.); (A.O.C.); (I.G.); (A.B.)
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Nori R, Boccia M, Palmiero M, Piccardi L. The contribution of field independence in virtual spatial updating. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01788-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AbstractField independence (FI) is the extent to which a person perceives part of a field as discrete from the surrounding field rather than embedded in the field. Several studies proposed that it represents a cognitive style that is a relatively stable individuals’ predisposition towards information processing. This study investigated the effects of Field Independence/Field Dependence (FI/FD) cognitive style on topographic memory in a virtual environment. Seventy-nine college students completed the Embedded Figure Test as a measure of FI/FD cognitive style and learned two paths in the VR-Walking Corsi Test apparatus. After the learning phase, participants had to reproduce the paths from a familiar perspective or unfamiliar perspectives. Data showed that FI cognitive style predicted the ability to reproduce a path from unfamiliar perspectives, suggesting a different impact of the angle degree. Results are discussed considering the facilitation of body axes references and the increasing difficulty due to maintaining online perspectives with higher angle degrees that increase the visuo-spatial working memory cognitive load. These results support the idea that FI predicts human navigation.
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Lopez A, Germani A, Tinella L, Caffò AO, Postma A, Bosco A. The Road More Travelled: The Differential Effects of Spatial Experience in Young and Elderly Participants. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:E709. [PMID: 33467572 PMCID: PMC7830856 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18020709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Our spatial mental representations allow us to give refined descriptions of the environment in terms of the relative locations and distances between objects and landmarks. In this study, we investigated the effects of familiarity with the everyday environment, in terms of frequency of exploration and mode of transportation, on categorical and coordinate spatial relations, on young and elderly participants, controlling for socio-demographic factors. Participants were tested with a general anamnesis, a neuropsychological assessment, measures of explorations and the Landmark Positioning on a Map task. The results showed: (a) a modest difference in performance with categorical spatial relations; (b) a larger difference in coordinate spatial relations; (c) a significant moderating effect of age on the relationship between familiarity and spatial relations, with a stronger relation among the elderly than the young. Ceteris paribus, the role of direct experience with exploring their hometown on spatial mental representations appeared to be more important in the elderly than in the young. This advantage appears to make the elderly wiser and likely protects them from the detrimental effects of aging on spatial mental representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Lopez
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (L.T.); (A.O.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Alessandro Germani
- Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy;
| | - Luigi Tinella
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (L.T.); (A.O.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (L.T.); (A.O.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Albert Postma
- Helmholtz Institute, Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Andrea Bosco
- Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy; (L.T.); (A.O.C.); (A.B.)
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