Contrasting Views of Complexity and Their Implications For Network-Centric Infrastructures

There exists a widely recognized need to better understand and manage complex “systems of systems,” ranging from biology, ecology, and medicine to network-centric technologies. This is motivating the search for universal laws of highly evolved systems and driving demand for new mathematics and methods that are consistent, integrative, and predictive. However, the theoretical frameworks available today are not merely fragmented but sometimes contradictory and incompatible. We argue that complexity arises in highly evolved biological and technological systems primarily to provide mechanisms to create robustness. However, this complexity itself can be a source of new fragility, leading to “robust yet fragile” tradeoffs in system design. We focus on the role of robustness and architecture in networked infrastructures, and we highlight recent advances in the theory of distributed control driven by network technologies. This view of complexity in highly organized technological and biological systems is fundamentally different from the dominant perspective in the mainstream sciences, which downplays function, constraints, and tradeoffs, and tends to minimize the role of organization and design

THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MASTER’S LEVEL COUNSELING TRAINEES’ TRAINING LEVEL, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF EMOTION REGULATION DURING A SIMULATED COUNSELING INTERACTION

This study explored the relationships among master’s level counseling trainees’ level of training, ability emotional intelligence (EI), and psychophysiological correlates of emotion regulation recorded during a video-simulated client interaction. Agreement exists among counselor educators, researchers, and theorists that counselors’ emotion regulation is foundational to the competent delivery of counseling treatment. The literature further suggests that counselors and trainees experience frequent emotional challenges that overwhelm emotion regulation skills, interfere with competent delivery of service, and affect client outcomes. However, little research in counseling training and supervision has investigated trainees’ emotion regulation or factors that support adaptive emotion regulation while trainees interact with clients who are experiencing emotional distress. Participants were 66 master’s level counseling trainees from counseling programs accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Participants’ EI was operationalized as scores on the Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, & Sitarenios, 2003). Emotion regulation was operationalized as electrodermal activity (EDA), high-frequency heart rate variability, and the standard deviation of normal heartbeat intervals (HRV-SDNN). Correlation and regression analyses indicated that psychophysiological correlates of trainees’ emotion regulation were not significantly correlated with training. However, HRV-SDNN significantly correlated with total EI, and the EI subscale Perceiving Emotions, while EDA significantly correlated with the Managing Emotions subscale

The Compassionate Vagus: effects of transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation on cognition, emotion and heart rate variability during compassionate mind training

This clinical psychology doctoral thesis is structured into three chapters. The first chapter presents a systematic review of the cognitive and emotional domains affected by transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS). It also aims to present an overview of the experimental designs, psychological tasks, outcome measures, participant groups and stimulation parameters used in the field of tVNS. The second chapter is an empirical paper investigating the potential facilitatory effects of tVNS as an adjunct to compassionate mind training (CMT). The study investigates the effect of tVNS and CMT on state affect, self-compassion/criticism, vagally mediated heart rate variability and emotional face processing in healthy participants. The third chapter is a critical appraisal of the research process of chapter 1 and 2

An fMRI investigation of the relationship between future imagination and cognitive flexibility

While future imagination is largely considered to be a cognitive process grounded in default mode network activity, studies have shown that future imagination recruits regions in both default mode and frontoparietal control networks. In addition, it has recently been shown that the ability to imagine the future is associated with cognitive flexibility, and that tasks requiring cognitive flexibility result in increased coupling of the default mode network with frontoparietal control and salience networks. In the current study, we investigated the neural correlates underlying the association between cognitive flexibility and future imagination in two ways. First, we experimentally varied the degree of cognitive flexibility required during future imagination by manipulating the disparateness of episodic details contributing to imagined events. To this end, participants generated episodic details (persons, locations, objects) within three social spheres; during fMRI scanning they were presented with sets of three episodic details all taken from the same social sphere (Congruent condition) or different social spheres (Incongruent condition) and required to imagine a future event involving the three details. We predicted that, relative to the Congruent condition, future simulation in the Incongruent condition would be associated with increased activity in regions of the default mode, frontoparietal and salience networks. Second, we hypothesized that individual differences in cognitive flexibility, as measured by performance on the Alternate Uses Task, would correspond to individual differences in the brain regions recruited during future imagination. A task partial least squares (PLS) analysis showed that the Incongruent condition resulted in an increase in activity in regions in salience networks (e.g. the insula) but, contrary to our prediction, reduced activity in many regions of the default mode network (including the hippocampus). A subsequent functional connectivity (within-subject seed PLS) analysis showed that the insula exhibited increased coupling with default mode regions during the Incongruent condition. Finally, a behavioral PLS analysis showed that individual differences in cognitive flexibility were associated with differences in activity in a number of regions from frontoparietal, salience and default-mode networks during both future imagination conditions, further highlighting that the cognitive flexibility underlying future imagination is grounded in the complex interaction of regions in these networks

Motivation and function of play in early childhood

It is argued that a classification of play which can be systematically related to motivation and function is a prerequisite for empirical studies. 'Arousal' theories have come closest to providing a framework for understanding motivation and function, but the term 'arousal' itself requires careful definition. Definitions of the terms 'play' and 'arousal' are made after review of relevant literature in Chapters 1 and 2. The behavioural sequences which distinguish different kinds of play axe shown to be amenable to quantitative analysis which confirms qualitative behavioural distinctions (Chapters 3 and 4), and to have different functions: ludic play is innovative, whereas exploratory play is more akin to a learning experience (Chapter 5). Chapters 6,7 and 8 draw attention to analogies between manipulative and symbolic play, and experimental investigations explore the relationship between symbolic play and cognitive abilities. No evidence is found for a unique role of symbolic play in cognitive development. The validity of arousal theories is specifically tested in three studies reported in Chapter 9. Theoretical predictions suggest that the motivational antecedents of play and day-dreaming will be similar: the physiological correlates of play and daydreaming are shown to be similar, and to reflect lower states of arousal than are found during exploration and problem-solving. Finally, a model of play is proposed which attempts to integrate the experimental findings within the terms of motivational systems theory. This permits a classification of play which can be directly related to functional outcomes

The role of sleep in creative task performance

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-91).Anecdotal evidence suggests that sleep can aid in creative performance, but few studies have systematically investigated this association. Prior research suggests that creative thinking, particularly divergent cognition, is similar to mental states found in sleep and dreaming, especially during REM sleep. Studies have found that sleep benefits general learning and problem-solving, and facilitates insight that promotes enhanced performance on cognitive tasks. This study investigated the effects of sleep on performance with verbal and visual tasks that explicitly require creative ability. I hypothesised that participants with a period of sleep between task preparation and execution would perform better than participants with an equal period of REM-deprived sleep, daytime wakefulness, or no interval between preparation and execution, but there would be no difference in performance between the participants in terms of convergent cognition. The study was a 4-level, single-factor design, with state of consciousness as the manipulated variable. Participants (n = 87) were recruited from the university undergraduate population. Participants memorised a wordlist for task preparation and then, after an interval of either normal sleep, REM-deprived sleep, waking activity, or no interval, used the same wordlist to write a creative short story for task execution. The stories were assessed for creativity-related constructs by the researcher and independent raters. Participants also completed a visual design fluency task at both stages of the study, following a 4-level, single-factor, repeated-measures design. Participants' scores on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) Verbal Edition and the Shipley Institute of Living Scale (SILS) were used to control for general creative ability and IQ respectively. ANCOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and Fisher's r to z transformation statistics were used to analyse the data. Although generally the hypotheses were not directly supported by the data obtained, trends suggest that there was a connection between sleep and creativity, especially an apparent interaction between baseline creativity and the type of interval. Based on the indirect evidence obtained, directions for future research for investigating sleep and creativity are discussed

Perspectives on the Neuroscience of Cognition and Consciousness

The origin and current use of the concepts of computation, representation and information in Neuroscience are examined and conceptual flaws are identified which vitiate their usefulness for addressing problems of the neural basis of Cognition and Consciousness. In contrast, a convergence of views is presented to support the characterization of the Nervous System as a complex dynamical system operating in the metastable regime, and capable of evolving to configurations and transitions in phase space with potential relevance for Cognition and Consciousness

The Development of Face Morphing Task to Assess Self Other Differentiation

Self-Other Differentiation (SOD) refers to a developmental process of acquiring a consolidated, integrated, and individuated sense of self. SOD develops at a) perceptual (e.g., facial perception) and b) representational (e.g., traits, mental states, and beliefs) levels. Impairments in representational SOD (R-SOD) are associated with many forms of psychopathology, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Few studies to date have examined the perceptual aspects of SOD (P-SOD), which are hypothesized to develop from infancy onwards in tandem and in interaction with R-SOD. Given that the human face is one of the key characteristics that humans use to identify themselves and others, we developed a novel method using facial stimuli of self and other to assess SOD by way of a facial-morphing task (FM-SOD). Our study aim was to validate the FM-SOD task by assessing criterion, convergent and divergent validity, and to examine whether subjects with SOD impairments (e.g., participants with pathological narcissism and BPD features) differ in terms of their SOD on their perceptual and cognitive responses (i.e., sensitivity, discriminability, and response range). Undergraduates (N=87, 38% female) appraised a series of facial images, which comprised features of the self and other in varying degrees (from 0% to 100%, with 0% being “no morphing of self”) on the FM-SOD task. They made self/other appraisals on randomly ordered presentations of these morphs on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (100% other) to 5 (100% self). The task measures sensitivity (i.e. a propensity to see the self in the other), discriminability (i.e. the ability to make finer distinctions between self relative to other), and response range. Our results did not provide support for criterion validity of FM-SOD by utilizing the Differentiation and Relatedness Scale (DR-S). However, we showed that individuals with lower developmental quality with respect to self-other differentiation—based on their descriptions of their mothers on the Object Relations Inventory (ORI)—provided a constricted response range in the FM-SOD task. This suggests impairments in R-SOD manifest as a lack of cognitive flexibility and black and white response patterns in perceptual tasks. In terms of construct validity, we found that participants characterized by lower levels of personality organization and higher levels of identity diffusion and who employ lower level defenses (all three as assessed by the IPO) showed poorer sensitivity (i.e. a greater propensity to “see” themselves on facial morphs. These participants’ response range while rating facial morphs was also constricted. Similarly, there was a higher likelihood that participants whose self-esteem was inordinately affected by others’ opinion and who reported poorly differentiated sense of self [assessed by Self Other Differentiation scale (SOD)] see their features more than others in the facial morphs. Our participants did not show any perceptual deficits in discriminating between morphs of self and other. However, our findings lend some support to convergent validity of FM-SOD particularly in terms of sensitivity, suggesting a link between R-SOD and P-SOD on self and other facial recognition. Our results demonstrated divergent validity of the FM-SOD task showing that discriminability, sensitivity and response range on the FM-SOD task measure constructs other than self-esteem or mood states. However, sensitivity on the FM-SOD task was found to be correlated with depression scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). This might be due to the fact that in a nonclinical population, it is hard to differentiate between depression and specific pathology that would impact sensitivity parameters of the FM-SOD task. Lastly, in terms of psychopathology, BPD features were found to be significantly correlated with constricted response range and impaired sensitivity. Specifically, we found that participants with higher BPD features on the Zanarini – BPD scale (ZAN-BPD) showed a more constricted response range in differentiating themselves from others and further showed a higher likelihood of seeing themselves compared to others in facial morphs.Our results showed that perceptual sensitivity, but not perceptual discriminability or constricted response range, was associated with greater pathological narcissistic features. Lastly, individuals with high scores on narcissism, particularly vulnerable narcissism, assessed by the PNI-52 were more likely to rate the facial morphs similar to themselves. This study allowed us to validate a measure which assesses perceptual (as compared to representational) aspects of SOD in an adult population. With this study, we developed a methodology to investigate R-SOD and P-SOD impairments in a nonclinical population, as well as their relationship

Gender convergence in human survival and the postponement of death

It has been a long accepted demographic maxim that females outlive males. Using data for England and Wales, we show that life expectancy at age 30 is converging and continuation of this long-term trend suggests it could reach parity in 2030. Key among the reasons identified for the narrowing of the gap are differences in smoking prevalence between males and females which have narrowed considerably. Using data from 30 comparator countries gender differences in smoking prevalence are found to explain over 75% of the variance in the life expectancy gap, but other factors such as female emancipation and better health care are also considered. The paper presents a model which considers differences in male and female longevity in greater detail using novel methods for analysing life tables. It considers the ages from which death is being postponed to the ages at which people now die; the relative speed at which these changes are taking place between genders; how the changes observed are affecting survival prospects at different ages up to 2030. It finds that as life expectancy continues to rise there is evidence for convergence in the oldest ages to which either gender will live