66,016 research outputs found

    The Computational Complexity of the Game of Set and its Theoretical Applications

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    The game of SET is a popular card game in which the objective is to form Sets using cards from a special deck. In this paper we study single- and multi-round variations of this game from the computational complexity point of view and establish interesting connections with other classical computational problems. Specifically, we first show that a natural generalization of the problem of finding a single Set, parameterized by the size of the sought Set is W-hard; our reduction applies also to a natural parameterization of Perfect Multi-Dimensional Matching, a result which may be of independent interest. Second, we observe that a version of the game where one seeks to find the largest possible number of disjoint Sets from a given set of cards is a special case of 3-Set Packing; we establish that this restriction remains NP-complete. Similarly, the version where one seeks to find the smallest number of disjoint Sets that overlap all possible Sets is shown to be NP-complete, through a close connection to the Independent Edge Dominating Set problem. Finally, we study a 2-player version of the game, for which we show a close connection to Arc Kayles, as well as fixed-parameter tractability when parameterized by the number of rounds played

    Social dysfunction in chronic schizophrenia: nature, treatment and generalization

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    The present research explores the impact of neurocognitive status on generalization of social skills training and how these difficulties are further compounded by the difficulty of inadequate matching of problems to treatments. The generalization problem is addressed in two phases. In the first phase, a suggestion that a subgroup of chronic schizophrenia patients may have normal abstract problem solving was investigated by comparing paranoid and non-paranoid chronic schizophrenic in-patients (n= 11 per group) with assessed social dysfunction. Only the paranoid group had profiles comparable to matched normal controls. The non-paranoid group had neuropsychological deficits (executive dysfunction) on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).In the second phase, a longitudinal study compared the differential efficacy of behavioural versus cognitive-behavioural social skills training (SST), and monitored the effects on maintenance and generalization, focusing on social anxiety. Concurrently, the treatment validity of a multidimensional assessment of social problem solving was assessed using an alternating treatments design with a multiple baseline across participants from three groups: skill deficits (n=3), cognitive blocks (n=3) and a control group (n=3) with both problems. All participants received four randomized sessions each of Behavioural SST and Cognitive-Behavioural SST. The group SST used a 'whisper in the ear' game format and included self-instructional training and social problem solving to facilitate generalization. The findings demonstrated the treatment validity of the multidimensional assessment and offered preliminary evidence for the differential efficacy, maintenance and generalization of Behavioural and Cognitive-Behavioural SST which occurred for untrained behaviours and was maintained at the 3- and 9-month follow-ups but only for those not impaired on the WCST.It is concluded that it is more productive for assessmentto focus on social anxiety and the practice of mixing schizophrenia patients in SST, without taking a neurocogitive baseline, may be responsible for confounding generalization efforts. A limitation of the research is that gender differences were not testable as there were insufficient numbers

    Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Children with Autism to Seek Help from Law Enforcement Officers When Lost

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    Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at an elevated risk of becoming lost in situations due to running away or wandering behaviors. When children with ASD become lost it may be difficult for them to effectively and efficiently seek help from community helpers in a safe manner due to communication deficits and poor social skills. This study aims to teach children with ASD how to identify when they are lost and how to seek help from police officers in the community by vocalizing the problem and using a communication card. Generalization probes were conducted with three children diagnosed with ASD before and after behavioral skills training (BST) to determine mastery of help seeking behaviors. Remedial BST and in situ trainings were used to increase generalization. Two of the three participants were able to independently seek help from a confederate law enforcement officer and one participant required a gestural prompt. Keywords: BST, law enforcement, help seeking, lost identificatio
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