A Complexity Measure Based on Cognitive Weights

Cognitive Informatics plays an important role in understanding the fundamental characteristics of software. This paper proposes a model of the fundamental characteristics of software, complexity in terms of cognitive weights of basic control structures. Cognitive weights are degree of difficulty or relative time and effort required for comprehending a given piece of software, which satisfy the definition of complexity. An attempt has also been made to prove the robustness of proposed complexity measure by comparing it with the other measures based on cognitive informatics

Occupational complexity and lifetime cognitive abilities

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between complexity of main lifetime occupation and cognitive performance in later life. METHODS: Occupational complexity ratings for data, people, and things were collected from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles for 1,066 individuals (men = 534, women = 532) in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. IQ data were available from mean age 11 years. Cognitive ability data across the domains of general ability, processing speed, and memory were available at mean age 70 years. RESULTS: General linear model analyses indicated that complexity of work with people and data were associated with better cognitive performance at age 70, after including age 11 IQ, years of education, and social deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings are supportive of the differential preservation hypotheses that more stimulating environments preserve cognitive ability in later life, although the continued effects into old age are still debated. Studies that have early-life cognitive ability measures are rare, and the current study offers interesting prospects for future research that may further the understanding of successful aging

Permutation entropy and irreversibility in gait kinematic time series from patients with mild cognitive decline and early alzheimer’s dementia

Gait is a basic cognitive purposeful action that has been shown to be altered in late stages of neurodegenerative dementias. Nevertheless, alterations are less clear in mild forms of dementia, and the potential use of gait analysis as a biomarker of initial cognitive decline has hitherto mostly been neglected. Herein, we report the results of a study of gait kinematic time series for two groups of patients (mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease) and a group of matched control subjects. Two metrics based on permutation patterns are considered, respectively measuring the complexity and irreversibility of the time series. Results indicate that kinematic disorganisation is present in early phases of cognitive impairment; in addition, they depict a rich scenario, in which some joint movements display an increased complexity and irreversibility, while others a marked decrease. Beyond their potential use as biomarkers, complexity and irreversibility metrics can open a new door to the understanding of the role of the nervous system in gait, as well as its adaptation and compensatory mechanismsThis research was funded through the Premio del Ilustre Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de la Comunidad De Madrid, prize number ICPFM-IX-201

Exploring Cognitive States: Methods for Detecting Physiological Temporal Fingerprints

Cognitive state detection and its relationship to observable physiologically telemetry has been utilized for many human-machine and human-cybernetic applications. This paper aims at understanding and addressing if there are unique psychophysiological patterns over time, a physiological temporal fingerprint, that is associated with specific cognitive states. This preliminary work involves commercial airline pilots completing experimental benchmark task inductions of three cognitive states: 1) Channelized Attention (CA); 2) High Workload (HW); and 3) Low Workload (LW). We approach this objective by modeling these "fingerprints" through the use of Hidden Markov Models and Entropy analysis to evaluate if the transitions over time are complex or rhythmic/predictable by nature. Our results indicate that cognitive states do have unique complexity of physiological sequences that are statistically different from other cognitive states. More specifically, CA has a significantly higher temporal psychophysiological complexity than HW and LW in EEG and ECG telemetry signals. With regards to respiration telemetry, CA has a lower temporal psychophysiological complexity than HW and LW. Through our preliminary work, addressing this unique underpinning can inform whether these underlying dynamics can be utilized to understand how humans transition between cognitive states and for improved detection of cognitive states

Old World, New Experiences: an Investigation of the Cognitive Complexity of Older Adults in an Online Dating Environment

This study seeks to add to the knowledge of cognitive complexity by examining its relationship with online dating amongst older adults in comparison to younger adults. Previous studies have indicated that individuals who score high in cognitive complexity produce better messages than those who don\u27t. The majority of the studies about cognitive complexity and message production has centered around children, adolescents, and young adults. There has been no research addressing the cognitive complexity of elderly individuals in particular in an online dating setting. The present study addresses this gap by investigating the cognitive complexity of older adults involved in online dating in comparison to the cognitive complexity of younger adults. Data were collected from online dating profiles and the results showed that older individuals were more cognitively complex than younger adults. There was no significant difference between the cognitive complexity of older women in comparison to older men. The result of this study could help the understanding of individuals\u27 cognition in a setting that is removed from the face-to-face environment. It could also help one\u27s understanding of their cognitive complexity through utilizing the Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ) which is different from the original intent of the questionnaire - to measure the amount of construct in other people excluding one\u27s self. This study increases our understanding of the display of cognitive complexity in an online dating environment amongst older adults and highlights how significantly different it is from the younger adults. Research and practice can benefit from more cognitive distinctions between age groups. Keywords: cognitive complexity, online dating, older adults dating

Counselor cognitive complexity : instrument development and validation

"Because issues in counseling are often complex, it is difficult for counselors to accurately understand their clients' needs. A counselor's understanding is limited by his or her ability to recognize relevant client variables and comprehend their interactional impact on the client's overall needs (Blocher, 1983). This process is complicated, and requires advanced cognitive complexity. There are two aspects of cognitive complexity: the number of client characteristics a counselor can recognize is the counselor's level of differentiation; understanding how those characteristics fit together is the process of integration. Counselor cognitive complexity has been linked with multiple aspects of counselor effectiveness (e.g., Borders, 1989; Fong, Borders, Ethington, & Pitts, 1997; Holloway & Wolleat, 1980; Ladany, Marotta, & Muse-Burke, 2001). In fact, researchers have found support for the assumption that cognitive complexity increases during supervised counseling practice (e.g., Duys & Hedstrom, 2000; Granello, 2002). To date, however, these results primarily have been based in general measures of a counselor's cognitive complexity, despite evidence that level of complexity is domain specific (Crockett, 1965). Crockett (1965) reported that an individual's level of cognitive complexity can vary from topic to topic. Because of the domain-specific nature of cognitive complexity, a counseling-specific measure of cognitions is needed before researchers can fully understand counselor cognitive development. As such, the Counselor Cognitions Questionnaire was developed to fill the void in available instruments. It measures the complexity of counselors' cognitions about their clients. Development of the instrument and initial validation results will be described. Preliminary findings about the impact of general cognitive complexity on client-specific cognitive complexity and factors in counselor cognitive complexity will be explained."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

The Mental Lives of Sheep and the Quest for a Psychological Taxonomy

In this commentary on Marino and Merskin's "Intelligence, complexity, and individuality in sheep", I argue that their literature review provides further evidence of the fundamental theoretical shift in psychology towards a non-anthropocentric psychological taxonomy, in which cognitive capacities are classified in a structure that provides an overall understanding of the place of mind (including human minds) throughout nature

A Valid and Reliable Instrument for Cognitive Complexity Rating Assignment of Chemistry Exam Items

The design and use of a valid and reliable instrument for the assignment of cognitive complexity ratings to chemistry exam items is described in this paper. Use of such an instrument provides a simple method to quantify the cognitive demands of chemistry exam items. Instrument validity was established in two different ways: statistically significant correlations between expert-based cognitive complexity ratings and student performance (as measured through statistical difficulty of items), and statistically significant correlations between expert-based cognitive complexity ratings and student mental effort ratings. Key benefits associated with instrument use include an enhanced understanding of the cognitive complexity of chemistry assessment tasks and as a means for characterizing exam content for the measurement of cognitive development