Working memory and working attention: What could possibly evolve?

The concept of “working” memory is traceable back to nineteenth century theorists (Baldwin, 1894; James 1890) but the term itself was not used until the mid-twentieth century (Miller, Galanter & Pribram, 1960). A variety of different explanatory constructs have since evolved which all make use of the working memory label (Miyake & Shah, 1999). This history is briefly reviewed and alternative formulations of working memory (as language-processor, executive attention, and global workspace) are considered as potential mechanisms for cognitive change within and between individuals and between species. A means, derived from the literature on human problem-solving (Newell & Simon, 1972), of tracing memory and computational demands across a single task is described and applied to two specific examples of tool-use by chimpanzees and early hominids. The examples show how specific proposals for necessary and/or sufficient computational and memory requirements can be more rigorously assessed on a task by task basis. General difficulties in connecting cognitive theories (arising from the observed capabilities of individuals deprived of material support) with archaeological data (primarily remnants of material culture) are discussed

Can High-Quality Jobs Help Workers Learn New Tricks? A Multi-Disciplinary Review of Work Design For Cognition

Understanding whether and how work design affects human cognition is important because: (1) cognition is necessary for job performance, (2) digital technologies increase the need for cognition, and (3) it is vital to maintain cognitive functioning in the mature workforce. We synthesize research from work design, human factors, learning, occupational health, and lifespan perspectives. Defining cognition in terms of both knowledge and cognitive processes/fluid abilities, we show that five types of work characteristics (job complexity, job autonomy, relational work design, job feedback, and psychosocial demands) affect employees’ cognition via multiple pathways. In the short-to-medium term, we identify three cognitively-enriching pathways (opportunity for use of cognition, accelerated knowledge acquisition, motivated exploratory learning) and two cognitively-harmful pathways (strain-impaired cognition, depleted cognitive capacity). We also identify three longer-term pathways: cognitive preservation, accumulated knowledge, and ill-health impairment). Based on the emerging evidence for the role of work design in promoting cognition, we propose an integrative model suggesting that short-to-medium term processes between work design and cognition accumulate to affect longer-term cognitive outcomes, such as the prevention of cognitive decline as one ages. We also identify further directions for research and methodological improvements

China\u27s Evolving Surface Fleet

The missile fast-attack craft and amphibious fleets of the People\u27s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN) have undergone significant modernization over the past fifteen years. The capabilities of both categories of vessels have improved even if their actual numbers have not increased dramatically. Examined from the perspective of PLA doctrine and training, the missions of these forces represent the PLAN\u27s past, present, and future.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-red-books/1013/thumbnail.jp

Cognitive performance in old-age depression

Study I assessed the influence of depression severity on cognitive performance, while controlling for a range of clinical and demographic factors. Individuals with moderate/severe depression exhibited deficits in multiple cognitive domains, whereas only processing speed was affected in mild depression. Study II examined the influence of combined KIBRA (CC) and CLSTN2 (TT) risk alleles on episodic memory performance. Episodic memory deficits were only observed in individuals with both depression and the disadvantageous CC/TT allelic combination. Study III investigated the role of psychiatric history on cognitive performance in acute and remitted states of depression. Currently depressed individuals with a psychiatric inpatient history and individuals with late-onset depression performed at the lowest levels, whereas cognitive performance in individuals with self-reported recurrent unipolar depression was intermediate. Individuals with remitted unipo lar depression exhibited no cognitive deficits. Physical inactivity, cumulative inpatient days, heart disease burden , and prodromal dementia modulated cognitive p erformance . Study IV assessed cognitive performance in different depression courses (depressed - remitted, remitted-depressed, and nondepressed-late-onset depression ) longitudinally over a maximum period of 6 years. Cognitive decline was observed in all groups for multiple domains, although individuals who changed their status from nondepressed to depressed showed exacerbated cognitive decline. In remitted states, only processing speed and attention were affected. However, these deficits were modulated by benzodiazepine intake. In sum, depression-related cognitive deficits were observed in processing speed, attention, executive function, verbal fluency (Studies I, III, I V), episodic memory (Studies I, II), and semantic memory ( Study I). No depression-related deficits were observed in general knowledge, short-term memory, or spatial ability. As multiple factors were found to modulate cognitive performance in dementia-free unipolar old-age depression, and consistent with the notion that depression is a heterogeneous disorder, this may explain why patterns of cognitive deficits in depression vary between studies. Recurrence rates of depression remain high, and cognitive deficits in depression are associated with a poor prognosis and take a longer time to recover than depressive symptoms. This underscores the importance of early detection of cognitive deterioration in depression. Importantly, cognitive deficits in depression seem largely reversible. Thus, they should be regarded as treatment targets rather than as stable vulnerabilities. Combined profiles of psychiatric history, cognitive performance , and health behaviors may provide important information to individualized treatment

Oral health & olfactory function : what can they tell us about cognitive ageing?

The objective of this thesis was to advance our understanding of whether oral health and olfactory function may predict accelerated cognitive ageing. Data from two Swedish study populations and one from the United States were applied to investigate the relationship of oral health and olfactory function with cognitive decline and brain ageing in late life. Study I examined the association of self-reported tooth loss with cognitive decline, and brain volume differences in older adults (n= 2715) from the Swedish National study of Aging and Care-Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). A subsample (n= 394) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Tooth loss was associated with a steeper global cognitive decline (β: -0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.24 to -0.11). Participants with complete or partial tooth loss had significantly lower total brain volume (β: -28.89, 95% CI: -49.33 to -8.45) and grey matter volume (β: -22.60, 95% CI: -38.26 to -6.94). Thus, tooth loss may be a risk factor for accelerated cognitive ageing. Study II Investigated the effect of poor masticatory ability on cognitive trajectories and dementia risk in 544 cognitively intact adults aged ≥50 from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) with 22 years of follow-up. Masticatory ability was assessed using the Eichner Index and categorised according to the number of posterior occlusal zones: A (all four), B (3-1), and C (none). After the age of 65, participants in Eichner category B and C showed an accelerated decline in spatial/fluid abilities compared to those in category A (β: -0.16, 95% CI: -0.30 to -0.03 and β: -0.15, 95% CI: -0.28 to -0.02, respectively). Hence, poor masticatory ability is associated with an accelerated cognitive decline in fluid/spatial abilities. Study III examined whether impaired olfaction is associated with cognitive decline and indicators of neurodegeneration in 380 participants (mean age = 78 years) from the Memory and Aging Project (MAP). Participants with hyposmia (β = −0.03, 95% CI: −0.05 to −0.02) or anosmia (β = −0.13, 95% CI −0.16 to −0.09) had a faster global cognitive decline than those with normal olfaction. Impaired olfaction was related to smaller volumes of primarily the medial temporal cortex (β = −0.38, 95% CI −0.72 to −0.01). Olfactory deficits predict faster cognitive decline and indicate neurodegeneration in older adults. Study IV identified age-related trajectories in episodic memory and odour identification, as well as determinants of the trajectories. 1023 MAP participants were followed for up to 8 years with annual assessments. Three joint trajectories were identified; Class 1- stable performance in both functions; Class 2- stable episodic memory and declining odour identification; and Class 3- decline in both functions. Predictors of class membership were age, sex, APOE ε4 carrier status, cognitive activity, and BMI. Episodic memory and olfactory function often show similar trajectories in ageing, reflecting their shared vulnerability to changes in the medial-temporal lobes. Conclusions: Both poor oral health and olfactory deficits may predict cognitive decline and indicate neurodegeneration in the brain. Poor oral health is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and brain ageing, whereas, olfactory deficits may reflect loss of brain integrity in old age

Change blindness: eradication of gestalt strategies

Arrays of eight, texture-defined rectangles were used as stimuli in a one-shot change blindness (CB) task where there was a 50% chance that one rectangle would change orientation between two successive presentations separated by an interval. CB was eliminated by cueing the target rectangle in the first stimulus, reduced by cueing in the interval and unaffected by cueing in the second presentation. This supports the idea that a representation was formed that persisted through the interval before being 'overwritten' by the second presentation (Landman et al, 2003 Vision Research 43149–164]. Another possibility is that participants used some kind of grouping or Gestalt strategy. To test this we changed the spatial position of the rectangles in the second presentation by shifting them along imaginary spokes (by ±1 degree) emanating from the central fixation point. There was no significant difference seen in performance between this and the standard task [F(1,4)=2.565, p=0.185]. This may suggest two things: (i) Gestalt grouping is not used as a strategy in these tasks, and (ii) it gives further weight to the argument that objects may be stored and retrieved from a pre-attentional store during this task

Ten Questions Concerning Well-Being in the Built Environment

Well-being in the built environment is a topic that features frequently in building standards and certification schemes, in scholarly articles and in the general press. However, despite this surge in attention, there are still many questions on how to effectively design, measure, and nurture well-being in the built environment. Bringing together experts from academia and the building industry, this paper aims to demonstrate that the promotion of well-being requires a departure from conventional agendas. The ten questions and answers have been arranged to offer a range of perspectives on the principles and strategies that can better sustain the consideration of well-being in the design and operation of the built environment. Placing a specific focus on some of the key physical factors (e.g., light, temperature, sound, and air quality) of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that strongly influence occupant perception of built spaces, attention is also given to the value of multi-sensory variability, to how to monitor and communicate well-being outcomes in support of organizational and operational strategies, and to future research needs and their translation into building practice and standards. Seen as a whole, a new framework emerges, accentuating the integration of diverse new competencies required to support the design and operation of built environments that respond to the multifaceted physical, physiological, and psychological needs of their occupants

The Spatial Navigation and Diaschisis Hypothesis: A Premise for Three Feasibility Studies to Screen for Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Background: The core biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau, are not exclusive to AD. They appear secondary to causes such as head injuries, certain foods, and to seal leaky capillaries. While biomarkers are present in cognitively unimpaired (CU) persons who will develop AD dementia (pre-AD), biomarker indicators might contribute to misdiagnosis in persons without the disease (non-AD). Detection may be optimized with measuring potential changes in cognitive domains informing spatial navigation (SN). These studies aim to determine the feasibility of neuropsychiatric tests for executive function (EF), verbal and visual episodic memory as indicators of preclinical AD and proxy for SN changes.Methods: A retrospective secondary analysis was performed on neuropsychiatric test data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set Version 3. Pre-AD participant scores were compared to non-AD participants. Three tests were selected for analysis of episodic memory and EF: Craft-21, Benson Complex Figure Test delayed recall (BCFT-DR), and Trail Making Test part-B (TMT-B), respectively. Longitudinal linear mixed modeling is applied and Cohen’s d for individual timepoints in terms of years remaining as CU (yrs-CU) for pre-AD groups.Results: The TMT-B results show pre-AD mixed group increased in time for completion by an average of 3.498 seconds per year p <.001, [CI 3.097, 4.294], with scores associated with at risk driving at 3 yrs-CU for males and 6 yrs-CU females. The Craft-21 test for episodic memory reveal the pre-AD group average score decreased every year by -.510, p < .001, [CI -.757, -.264] while the non-AD increased by .127, p < .001, [CI .101, .153], Cohen’s d = .482 at 4 yrs-CU. The BCFT-DR results expanded our understanding of visual memory and SN as preclinical indicators of AD. The pre-AD group average score decreased annually by -.219, p <.001, [CI (-.251, -.187)] and non-AD group decreased by -.039, p =.001, [CI (-062, -.015)], Cohen's d = .948 at 5 yrs-CU.Discussion: All tests demonstrated feasibility for preclinical AD detection and proxy for SN. The pre-AD longitudinal cognitive trajectories may allow annual biomarker mapping to establish standardization of biomarker levels for future clinical practice.

Department Of Labor Testing: Seizing an Opportunity to Increase the Competitiveness of American Industry and to Raise the Earnings of American Workers

[Excerpt] The professionalism that the American military recently exhibited in the Persian Gulf is in no small part due to care with which it selects, assigns and trains its soldiers. The military\u27s success in preparing this highly skilled workforce was made possible by decades of research into occupational competency assessment, aptitude test development and validity research. The Department of Labor is also a world leader in the development and validation of employment aptitude tests and there is now an opportunity for this expertise to be implemented in ways that can enhance the nations\u27s competitiveness and improve the standard of living of all of its workers. This paper describes how an Employment Service job referral system can be developed and implemented to achieve these objectives. It is organized into 6 sections