Evaluation of the validity of the Psychology Experiment Building Language tests of vigilance, auditory memory, and decision making

Predictive processing of music and language in autism: Evidence from Mandarin and English speakers

Atypical predictive processing has been associated with autism across multiple domains, based mainly on artificial antecedents and consequents. As structured sequences where expectations derive from implicit learning of combinatorial principles, language and music provide naturalistic stimuli for investigating predictive processing. In this study, we matched melodic and sentence stimuli in cloze probabilities and examined musical and linguistic prediction in Mandarin- (Experiment 1) and English-speaking (Experiment 2) autistic and non-autistic individuals using both production and perception tasks. In the production tasks, participants listened to unfinished melodies/sentences and then produced the final notes/words to complete these items. In the perception tasks, participants provided expectedness ratings of the completed melodies/sentences based on the most frequent notes/words in the norms. While Experiment 1 showed intact musical prediction but atypical linguistic prediction in autism in the Mandarin sample that demonstrated imbalanced musical training experience and receptive vocabulary skills between groups, the group difference disappeared in a more closely matched sample of English speakers in Experiment 2. These findings suggest the importance of taking an individual differences approach when investigating predictive processing in music and language in autism, as the difficulty in prediction in autism may not be due to generalized problems with prediction in any type of complex sequence processing.

Preliminary findings on long-term effects of fMRI neurofeedback training on functional networks involved in sustained attention

INTRODUCTION

Neurofeedback based on functional magnetic resonance imaging allows for learning voluntary control over one's own brain activity, aiming to enhance cognition and clinical symptoms. We previously reported improved sustained attention temporarily by training healthy participants to up-regulate the differential activity of the sustained attention network minus the default mode network (DMN). However, the long-term brain and behavioral effects of this training have not yet been studied. In general, despite their relevance, long-term learning effects of neurofeedback training remain under-explored.

METHODS

Here, we complement our previously reported results by evaluating the neurofeedback training effects on functional networks involved in sustained attention and by assessing behavioral and brain measures before, after, and 2 months after training. The behavioral measures include task as well as questionnaire scores, and the brain measures include activity and connectivity during self-regulation runs without feedback (i.e., transfer runs) and during resting-state runs from 15 healthy individuals.

RESULTS

Neurally, we found that participants maintained their ability to control the differential activity during follow-up sessions. Further, exploratory analyses showed that the training increased the functional connectivity between the DMN and the occipital gyrus, which was maintained during follow-up transfer runs but not during follow-up resting-state runs. Behaviorally, we found that enhanced sustained attention right after training returned to baseline level during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The discrepancy between lasting regulation-related brain changes but transient behavioral and resting-state effects raises the question of how neural changes induced by neurofeedback training translate to potential behavioral improvements. Since neurofeedback directly targets brain measures to indirectly improve behavior in the long term, a better understanding of the brain-behavior associations during and after neurofeedback training is needed to develop its full potential as a promising scientific and clinical tool.

Spontaneous Changes in Attentional Capabilities and Reasoning After an Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment: Evidence About the Role of Age and Alcohol Use

Purpose

In this study, we evaluated changes in attentional capabilities and reasoning among early abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals after a 28-day residential rehabilitation program (not including cognitive treatment). Furthermore, we explored the role of individual characteristics and disease-related factors (i.e., length of alcohol use, history of polysubstance dependence, severity of alcohol use) on spontaneous cognitive recovery.

Patients and Methods

Fifty-five patients with a diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) were consecutively recruited from a residential rehabilitation hospital in Northern Italy. The majority were male (67.3%) with a mean age of 47.83 years (SD = 8.21). The computerized Psychology Experiment Building Language Test Battery was used to assess the performance at the Posner Cueing Test, Go/no-go Task, Trail Making Test (TMT), Tower of London (TOL), and Balloon Analog Risk Scale. The evaluation was performed twice: at the beginning (T0) and at its end (T1, before the hospital discharge).

Results

We observed statistically improvements over time in the performance at the: 1) TOL in the time amount required to solve the task (p < 0.001); and 2) TMT in the indexes relative to the number of errors (p = 0.003) and the total time required to solve the task (p < 0.001). Age played a significant role on the changes observed in the score relative to the time amount used by participants to solve the task in TMT (test (p = 0.03) and in TOL (p = 0.02). Moreover, the length of alcohol dependence had an effect on the change observed for the time amount to solve the TMT (time) (p = 0.01).

Conclusion

We found spontaneous recovery after alcohol detoxification on some, but not all, cognitive functions assessed in our study. The neuropsychological assessment and the identification of patients with cognitive impairment and specific risk factors (e.g., older age and longer history of alcohol use) is important to orient cognitive rehabilitation and increase the efficacy of AUD treatments.

Potential Biomarkers of Impulsivity in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study

Very few studies have investigated cognition and impulsivity following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in the general population. Furthermore, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying post-TBI neurobehavioral syndromes are complex and remain to be fully clarified. Herein, we took advantage of machine learning based-modeling to investigate potential biomarkers of mTBI-associated impulsivity. Twenty-one mTBI patients were assessed within one-month post-TBI and their data were compared to 19 healthy controls on measures of impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale - BIS), executive functioning, episodic memory, self-report cognitive failures and blood biomarkers of inflammation, vascular and neuronal damage. mTBI patients were significantly more impulsive than controls in BIS total and subscales. Serum levels of sCD40L, Cathepsin D, IL-4, Neuropilin-1, IFN-α2, and Copeptin were associated with impulsivity in mTBI patients. Besides showing that mTBI are associated with impulsivity in non-military people, we unveiled different pathophysiological pathways potentially implicated in mTBI-related impulsivity.

Salmon CE, Piper BJ, Pamplona GSP. Evaluation of the reliability and validity of computerized tests of attention

Different aspects of attention can be assessed through psychological tests to identify stable individual or group differences as well as alterations after interventions. Aiming for a wide applicability of attentional assessments, Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) is an open-source software system for designing and running computerized tasks that tax various attentional functions. Here, we evaluated the reliability and validity of computerized attention tasks as provided with the PEBL package: Continuous Performance Task (CPT), Switcher task, Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Mental Rotation task, and Attentional Network Test. For all tasks, we evaluated test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), as well as internal consistency through within-test correlations and split-half ICC. Across tasks, response time scores showed adequate reliability, whereas scores of performance accuracy, variability, and deterioration over time did not. Stability across application sites was observed for the CPT and Switcher task, but practice effects were observed for all tasks except the PVT. We substantiate convergent and discriminant validity for several task scores using between-task correlations and provide further evidence for construct validity via associations of task scores with attentional and motivational assessments. Taken together, our results provide necessary information to help design and interpret studies involving attention assessments.

Determinants of elementary-school academic achievement: Component cognitive abilities and memory integration

Children are on a quest for knowledge. To achieve it, children must integrate separate but related episodes of learning. The theoretical model of memory integration posits that the process is supported by component cognitive abilities. In turn, memory integration predicts accumulation of a knowledge base. We tested this model in two studies (data collected in 2016-2018) with second (8-year-olds; n = 391; 196 female; 36% Black, 27% Hispanic/Latinx, 29% White, and 8% multiracial) and third (9-year-olds; n = 282; 148 female; 36% Black, 31% Hispanic/Latinx, 27% White, and 5% multiracial) graders. The results support the theoretical model and the role of verbal comprehension in learning new information, and also indicate that verbal comprehension alone is not sufficient to build knowledge.

Using Traditional Typologies to Understand Posture Movement and Cognitive Performance - A cross sectional study

CONTEXT

We employed two classification methods that characterize psycho-somatotype categorization to understand motor and cognitive performance. The Trunk Index produces three somatotypes/body type categories: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs, and Prakriti classifications categorizes people into three categories: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Comparing these two categorization methods offers insights into anthropometric measures that combine psychological and physical characteristics to account for motor and cognitive behavior.

AIMS

The present study examined variations in cognitive and motor performances using the two typologies - prakriti and somato body types using cross-sectional study design.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study employed fifty-eight healthy young adults, classified into prakriti (vata, pitta, kapha) and ecto-, meso-, endo-morph body types, to examine their cognitive performance (reaction time [RT] and accuracy), and motor performance (posture stability and posture accuracy) in standing yoga postures.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Analysis of covariance was performed to compare the cognitive and postural performance across the three somato and prakriti types after adjusting for age and gender as covariates. Post-hoc analysis of Bonferroni was performed with the consideration of Levene's test. Partial correlations were employed to investigate the correlation between postural stability and cognitive performance measures for each of the prakriti- and somato-body types as well as between the prakriti typology (scores) and trunk index values (adjusting the effects of age and gender as control variables). A P < 0.05 was selected at the statistical significance level. SPSS 26.0 version was used for the analysis.

RESULTS

Cognitive performance was observed to vary in terms of RT across somato- and prakriti body types (P < 0.05). Postural stability and cognitive performance are positively connected only for ectomorph body types (P < 0.05). Variations in motor performance were not significant. Barring ectomorph type, no other somato- and prakriti body types showed significant relationships between postural stability and cognitive performance. Likewise, the association between the features used for prakriti classification, and the trunk index scores showed marginal significance, only for a small subset of physical features of prakriti assessment (P = 0.055) (P1).

CONCLUSIONS

Comparing classifications that use psychophysical attributes might offer insights into understanding variations in measures of motor and cognitive performance in a sample of healthy individuals.

Sustained attention is related to heartbeat counting task performance but not to self-reported aspects of interoception and mindfulness

Although association between sustained attention and various aspects of interoception (i.e. the perception of the body state) seems plausible, research on this subject is scarce. In the present study, 74 undergraduate students (41 females; age: 22.3 ± 4.04 yrs) filled out the Body Awareness Questionnaire, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale and completed the Heartbeat Counting Task (HCT), a sensory-perceptual measure of cardiac interoception and the PEBL Continuous Performance Test (CPT) assessing sustained attention. The HCT score showed a weak to moderate negative correlation with the number of commission errors shown in CPT, indicating a lack of response inhibition (frequentist analysis: r_s = -0.313, p = 0.008; Bayesian analysis: τ_b = -0.216, BF₁₀ = 5.865). Questionnaire measures did not show any connection with CPT-performance. These findings suggest that the subjective representation of attentiveness to bodily processes is unrelated to the objectively measured sustained attention. Response inhibition, however, is moderately related to HCT performance.

Recollecting Cross-Cultural Evidences: Are Decision Makers Really Foresighted in Iowa Gambling Task?

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) has become a remarkable experimental paradigm of dynamic emotion decision making. In recent years, research has emphasized the "prominent deck B (PDB) phenomenon" among normal (control group) participants, in which they favor "bad" deck B with its high-frequency gain structure-a finding that is incongruent with the original IGT hypothesis concerning foresightedness. Some studies have attributed such performance inconsistencies to cultural differences. In the present review, 86 studies featuring data on individual deck selections were drawn from an initial sample of 958 IGT-related studies published from 1994 to 2017 for further investigation. The PDB phenomenon was found in 67.44% of the studies (58 of 86), and most participants were recorded as having adopted the "gain-stay loss-randomize" strategy to cope with uncertainty. Notably, participants in our sample of studies originated from 16 areas across North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia, and the findings suggest that the PDB phenomenon may be cross-cultural.

Association between adult ADHD, self-report, and behavioral measures of impulsivity and treatment outcome in cocaine use disorder

A large and growing body of literature supports the association between cocaine addiction and impulsivity. The aim of the study was to test whether pretreatment screening for adult ADHD, and self-report and behavioral measures of impulsivity have prognostic utility in clinical practice with cocaine users. We enrolled a cohort of N = 86 treatment-seeking cocaine users, assisted by a public addiction service, in a 24 week study. At baseline, we performed screening for adult ADHD, assessed the presence of co-occurring mental disorders, and applied measures of drug use severity, trait-like impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; BIS-11), decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task; IGT), risk-taking (Balloon Analogue Risk Task; BART), and ability to inhibit cognitive interference (Stroop Color Word Test; SCWT). Patients positive to the screening for ADHD showed a higher level of self-reported impulsivity and a longer history of drug use, but did not differ from those without ADHD in adherence to psychosocial treatments and number of negative urines for cocaine during the 24 weeks. Among all of the self-report and behavioral measures used, only IGT BIS-11 was associated with cocaine abstention. The small effect size and the problematic direction of the associations found do not give strong support to the routine use of self-regulation measures to guide clinical decisions in public addiction treatment settings.

The potential interruptive effect of tinnitus-related distress on attention

The mechanism through which tinnitus affects attention is unclear. This study examines whether distress mediates the relationship(s) between tinnitus and sustained, selective and executive attentions as well as response inhibition. Eighteen participants with tinnitus and fifteen controls completed the Counting Stroop, Vigilance and Stop Signal tasks. Tinnitus distress was assessed using the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), severity of depressive mood states examined using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and general distress assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Tinnitus participants had significantly slower reactions during the Vigilance task (F = 4.86, p = .035), and incongruent trials of the Cognitive Counting task (F = 3.45, p = .045) compared to controls. Tinnitus-related distress significantly mediated the effect of tinnitus in incongruent trials (TQ: Sobel test t = 1.73, p = .042) of the Cognitive Counting Task. Complaints of distress and concentration difficulties are common amongst tinnitus patients in clinical settings and these afflictions have been shown to negatively impact an individual’s quality of life. If confirmed in future studies, results suggest that distress may be an important factor in the causal mechanism between tinnitus and attention.

Investigating Visual-Spatial Abilities in Students and Expert Physical Therapists

Purpose: Visual-spatial abilities (VSAs) - the aptitude for mentally processing, retaining, and manipulating visual input - are used by physical therapists in movement analysis. Superior VSAs have been demonstrated in experts compared with novices in other fields, including surgery, anatomy, and aviation, but no literature has investigated VSAs in physical therapy. The purpose of this study was to quantify VSAs in expert and student physical therapists and investigate the differences between the two groups. Our results could assist future researchers in identifying areas for skill development and improved clinical competency in students and novice therapists. Method: Expert physical therapists and first-year PT students completed four computerized VSA tests in the Psychology Experiment Building Language programme: Four-Choice Response, Sequential Pattern Comparison, Mental Rotation, and Situation Awareness. Results: A total of 16 participants were recruited for each group. Expert physical therapists responded more accurately to the Four-Choice Response test, but not significantly so (p = 0.06), and with a significantly slower response time than student physical therapists (p = 0.03). No other differences were found. Conclusions: These findings suggest that expert physical therapists use selective attention more effectively and may value accuracy over speed. No differences were found in other measures of VSAs. Further studies are required to confirm and expand our findings.

Enhancing Executive Control: Attention to Balance, Breath, and the Speed Versus Accuracy Tradeoff

Malleability of executive control and its enhancement through yoga training is unclear. In Study 1, participants (yoga group; n = 27, mean = 23.27 years) were tested on executive control tasks pre- and post-8 weeks of yoga training. The training focused on attention to postural control during yoga asanas and respiratory control during pranayama-breathing (30 min each of postural and breath control training, biweekly). Yoga training was assessed via performance ratings as to how well a posture was executed and by examining errors that reflected inattention/failures in postural and breath control. We also explored whether attentional demands on motor and respiratory control were associated with three components of executive control (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) during nine executive control tasks. Partial correlation results revealed that the three components of executive control might be differentially impacted by postural and breath control and selectively associated with either speed or accuracy (except for cognitive flexibility). Attentional demands influenced the link between postural, breath, and cognitive control. In Study 2, comparisons between a yoga group and a gender-matched control group (control group; n = 27, mean = 23.33 years) pointed toward higher working memory accuracy and a better speed-accuracy tradeoff in inhibitory control in the yoga group. A ceiling-practice effect was addressed by examining yoga practice learning (i.e., practice-induced change in postural and breath control reflected in ratings and errors) on executive control performance across two sets of tasks: repeatedly tested (pre- and post-8 weeks) and non-repeatedly tested (post-8 weeks). Attention to motor and respiratory control during yoga might be considered as a potential mechanism through which specific components of executive control in young adults might be enhanced potentially via altering of speed-accuracy tradeoff.

Study protocol for a self-controlled cluster randomised trial of the Alert Program to improve self-regulation and executive function in Australian Aboriginal children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

INTRODUCTION

While research highlights the benefits of early diagnosis and intervention for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), there are limited data documenting effective interventions for Australian children living in remote communities.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This self-controlled cluster randomised trial is evaluating the effectiveness of an 8-week Alert Program school curriculum for improving self-regulation and executive function in children living in remote Australian Aboriginal communities. Children in grades 1-6 attending any of the eight participating schools across the Fitzroy Valley in remote North-West Australia (N ≈ 363) were invited to participate. Each school was assigned to one of four clusters with clusters randomly assigned to receive the intervention at one of four time points. Clusters two, three and four had extended control conditions where students received regular schooling before later receiving the intervention. Trained classroom teachers delivered the Alert Program to students in discrete, weekly, 1-hour lessons. Student outcomes were assessed at three time points. For the intervention condition, data collection occurred 2 weeks immediately before and after the intervention, with a follow-up 8 weeks later. For control conditions in clusters two to four, the control data collection matched that of the data collection for the intervention condition in the preceding cluster. The primary outcome is change in self-regulation. FASD diagnoses will be determined via medical record review after the completion of data collection. The results will be analysed using generalised linear mixed modelling and reported in accordance with Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Western Australia (WA) (RA/4/1/7234), WA Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee (601) and WA Country Health Service (2015:04). The Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum Research Sub-Committee and WA Department of Education also provided approval. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, the media and at forums.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12615000733572; Pre-results.

Evaluación neuropsicológica y rendimiento académico: Estudiantes de Psicología

Las evaluaciones neuropsicológicas permiten caracterizar la presencia de cambios cognoscitivos y conductuales. Las dificultades en la ejecución de pruebas neuropsicológicas pueden repercutir en el rendimiento académico de estudiantes universitarios. El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la relación entre los resultados en una evaluación neuropsicológica y el rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios de la carrera de Psicología. Se aplicó la Evaluación Neuropsicológica Breve en Español (NEUROPSI) a 80 estudiantes de Psicología (50 mujeres y 30 hombres) y se compararon los resultados con el rendimiento académico en una asignatura. Se observó que 99% de los alumnos tuvieron una ejecución neuropsicológica esperada para su edad y escolaridad. Los estudiantes con rendimiento académico bueno obtuvieron mejores puntajes totales en la evaluación neuropsicológica y en el área cognoscitiva memoria-evocación. Se observaron dificultades en las áreas de ‘Lectura’ y ‘articulación’. La evaluación neuropsicológica no aportó todos los elementos necesarios para explicar el rendimiento académico, por lo que será necesario considerar variables psicosociales e implementar pruebas más detalladas.

Reliability and validity of neurobehavioral function on the Psychology Experimental Building Language test battery in young adults

Background. The Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) software consists of over one-hundred computerized tests based on classic and novel cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral neurology measures. Although the PEBL tests are becoming more widely utilized, there is currently very limited information about the psychometric properties of these measures.

Methods. Study I examined inter-relationships among nine PEBL tests including indices of motor-function (Pursuit Rotor and Dexterity), attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance and Time-Wall), working memory (Digit Span Forward), and executive-function (PEBL Trail Making Test, Berg/Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Test, and Mental Rotation) in a normative sample (N = 189, ages 18–22). Study II evaluated test–retest reliability with a two-week interest interval between administrations in a separate sample (N = 79, ages 18–22).

Results. Moderate intra-test, but low inter-test, correlations were observed and ceiling/floor effects were uncommon. Sex differences were identified on the Pursuit Rotor (Cohen’s d = 0.89) and Mental Rotation (d = 0.31) tests. The correlation between the test and retest was high for tests of motor learning (Pursuit Rotor time on target r = .86) and attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance response time r = .79), intermediate for memory (digit span r = .63) but lower for the executive function indices (Wisconsin/Berg Card Sorting Test perseverative errors = .45, Tower of London moves = .15). Significant practice effects were identified on several indices of executive function.

Conclusions. These results are broadly supportive of the reliability and validity of individual PEBL tests in this sample. These findings indicate that the freely downloadable, open-source PEBL battery (http://pebl.sourceforge.net) is a versatile research tool to study individual differences in neurocognitive performance.