Multimodal coding and strategic approach in young and older adults' visual working memory performance

Visual working memory (WM) was investigated in young (18–35 yrs) and older (63–88 yrs) adults by assessing use of visual and verbal processing, and strategic approach. Experiment 1 comprised a visual interference paradigm, to investigate visual rehearsal during an abstract visual WM task. Results suggested both groups used a visual strategy, but older adults struggled more when visual interference was administered first, perhaps due to difficulty developing non-visual strategies. In Experiment 2, a more meaningful task version was additionally administered, offering greater opportunity for multimodal coding. Despite the marked effect of age, both groups benefited from semantic availability to the same extent. Young adults reported a verbal strategy more than older adults, who reported less verbal labeling and more visual refreshing, and a less efficient approach overall. The results highlight age-related limitations in visual WM capacity and strategy use, but show potential for compensation, and a role for task practice

Consensus-based good practice guidelines for Clinical Psychologists to support care staff in enabling sexual expression in people with intellectual disabilities - a Delphi study

Increasingly, society is acknowledging that people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) have sexual needs. This shift is reflected in international policy, with sexual expression acknowledged a basic human right for PWID. Staff that care for PWID have a responsibility to ensure this right is upheld. Though they generally report accepting views of PWID’s sexual expression, PWID report that their sexual expression is restricted by care staff. A lack of service-level policy regarding PWID’s sexual expression and how to support them in this, leaves care staff confused, and lacking confidence to make decisions about PWID’s care. Clinical Psychologists work with care staff who experience these difficulties. Though pockets of good practice are emerging, there is no guidance on how to best approach this work. This research sought to utilise the good practice already occurring. We used the Delphi Method to develop a set of consensus-based good practice guidelines for Clinical Psychologists working with care staff around supporting PWID’s sexual expression. We conducted the Delphi across three rounds, with a panel of 17 Clinical Psychologists experienced in helping care staff support sexual expression in PWID. In Round One, the primary researcher interviewed panel members about clinical experiences and they each suggested three potential good practice guidelines. We then compiled the Round Two survey, in which all 51 suggested guidelines could be rated in terms of importance and sent it to all panel members. We developed the Round Three survey using the responses to Round Two, personalised to include information on how the 51 guidelines had been rated by the individual panel member and the panel as a whole. The Round Three survey gave panel members the option to amend their responses. Consensus that a guideline was important or essential (set at ≥90% agreement, a priori), meant it was included in the final set. We supplemented endorsed guidelines with vignettes based on the practice described in the Round One interviews. The panel reached consensus that 12 guidelines were important or essential. These guidelines fell under four themes: ‘Addressing staff attitudes’, ‘Addressing uncertainty about rights and responsibilities of PWID’, ‘Locating the problem, being part of the solution’, and ‘Supporting care staff to understand and reflect upon their role’. The limitations of this study include the homogenous sample and that the effectiveness of the practice Clinical Psychologists cited as evidence was not independently corroborated. This research provided insight into the important role Clinical Psychologists play in helping care staff support PWID’s sexual expression. Direct work with care staff to clarify their understanding of PWID’s rights, and to normalise and encourage reflection on the values care staff hold, were both considered central to the role. In addition, the panel suggested that Clinical Psychologists must put to use their unique professional skillset to share understanding about how organisational approaches are maintaining the gap between policy and practice, and what needs to be done about it

Visual working memory in younger and older adults : multi-modal coding and strategic approach

In two experiments, visual working memory capacity was assessed in younger (18-35 years) and older (63-88 years) adults, using the modified Visual Patterns Test (VPT; Brown, McConnell, & Forbes, 2006). In Experiment 1, the more abstract task version was used, along with a visual interference (dynamic visual noise) paradigm. Overall, when the interference condition had been carried out first, there was better performance in the following control condition, indicating a general limitation related to the interference. Furthermore, a marginally significant interaction indicated that, although marked overall, the age effect was largest in those who carried out the interference condition first, suggesting a greater age-related vulnerability to the interference. In Experiment 2, the two age groups performed both the abstract and more meaningful versions of the modified VPT, with the latter incorporating more generalised, central executive resources for multi-modal coding (Brown & Wesley, 2013). The Scaffolding Theory of Aging & Cognition (Park & Reuter-Lorenz, 2009) could predict better performance in older adults when there is less emphasis on specifically visual processing and storage. Again, there was a marked effect of age overall, but both age groups benefited from the more meaningful stimuli to the same degree. Regarding the reported strategies used, however, the younger adults adopted a mixed strategy to a greater extent than older adults, who reported less verbal labelling and more visual refreshing. The results suggest that strategy is important, and that a more flexible approach could be useful for improving visual working memory capacity in older adults

Locomotor changes in length and EMG activity of feline medial gastrocnemius muscle following paralysis of two synergists

The mechanism of the compensatory increase in electromyographic activity (EMG) of a cat ankle extensor during walking shortly after paralysis of its synergists is not fully understood. It is possible that due to greater ankle flexion in stance in this situation, muscle spindles are stretched to a greater extent and, thus, contribute to the EMG enhancement. However, also changes in force feedback and central drive may play a role. The aim of the present study was to investigate the short-term (1- to 2-week post-op) effects of lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SO) denervation on muscle fascicle and muscle–tendon unit (MTU) length changes, as well as EMG activity of the intact medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle in stance during overground walking on level (0%), downslope (−50%, presumably enhancing stretch of ankle extensors in stance) and upslope (+50%, enhancing load on ankle extensors) surfaces. Fascicle length was measured directly using sonomicrometry, and MTU length was calculated from joint kinematics. For each slope condition, LG-SO denervation resulted in an increase in MTU stretch and peak stretch velocity of the intact MG in early stance. MG muscle fascicle stretch and peak stretch velocity were also higher than before denervation in downslope walking. Denervation significantly decreased the magnitude of MG fascicle shortening and peak shortening velocity during early stance in level and upslope walking. MG EMG magnitude in the swing and stance phases was substantially greater after denervation, with a relatively greater increase during stance of level and upslope walking. These results suggest that the fascicle length patterns of MG muscle are significantly altered when two of its synergists are in a state of paralysis. Further, the compensatory increase in MG EMG is likely mediated by enhanced MG length feedback during downslope walking, enhanced feedback from load-sensitive receptors during upslope walking and enhanced central drive in all walking conditions

A roadmap for research in post-stroke fatigue:Consensus-based core recommendations from the third Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable

Rationale: Fatigue affects almost half of all people living with stroke. Stroke survivors rank understanding fatigue and how to reduce it as one of the highest research priorities. Methods: We convened an interdisciplinary, international group of clinical and pre-clinical researchers and lived experience experts. We identified four priority areas: (1) best measurement tools for research, (2) clinical identification of fatigue and potentially modifiable causes, (3) promising interventions and recommendations for future trials, and (4) possible biological mechanisms of fatigue. Cross-cutting themes were aphasia and the voice of people with lived experience. Working parties were formed and structured consensus building processes were followed. Results: We present 20 recommendations covering outcome measures for research, development, and testing of new interventions and priority areas for future research on the biology of post-stroke fatigue. We developed and recommend the use of the Stroke Fatigue Clinical Assessment Tool. Conclusions: By synthesizing current knowledge in post-stroke fatigue across clinical and pre-clinical fields, our work provides a roadmap for future research into post-stroke fatigue

A roadmap for research in post-stroke fatigue: consensus-based core recommendations from the third Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable

Rationale: Fatigue affects almost half of all people living with stroke. Stroke survivors rank understanding fatigue and how to reduce it as one of the highest research priorities. Methods: We convened an interdisciplinary, international group of clinical and pre-clinical researchers and lived experience experts. We identified four priority areas: (1) best measurement tools for research, (2) clinical identification of fatigue and potentially modifiable causes, (3) promising interventions and recommendations for future trials, and (4) possible biological mechanisms of fatigue. Cross-cutting themes were aphasia and the voice of people with lived experience. Working parties were formed and structured consensus building processes were followed. Results: We present 20 recommendations covering outcome measures for research, development, and testing of new interventions and priority areas for future research on the biology of post-stroke fatigue. We developed and recommend the use of the Stroke Fatigue Clinical Assessment Tool. Conclusions: By synthesizing current knowledge in post-stroke fatigue across clinical and pre-clinical fields, our work provides a roadmap for future research into post-stroke fatigue

The Application of Novel Research Technologies by the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) Consortium

The deep waters of the open ocean represent a major frontier in exploration and scientific understanding. However, modern technological and computational tools are making the deep ocean more accessible than ever before by facilitating increasingly sophisticated studies of deep ocean ecosystems. Here, we describe some of the cutting-edge technologies that have been employed by the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND; www.deependconsortium.org) Consortium to study the biodiverse fauna and dynamic physical-chemical environment of the offshore Gulf of Mexico (GoM) from 0 to 1,500 m

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Investigate Deep-Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico Following Deepwater Horizon

The pelagic Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a complex system of dynamic physical oceanography (western boundary current, mesoscale eddies), high biological diversity, and community integration via diel vertical migration and lateral advection. Humans also heavily utilize this system, including its deep-sea components, for resource extraction, shipping, tourism, and other commercial activity. This utilization has had impacts, some with disastrous consequences. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS) occurred at a depth of ∼1500 m (Macondo wellhead), creating a persistent and toxic mixture of hydrocarbons and dispersant in the deep-pelagic (water column below 200 m depth) habitat. In order to assess the impacts of the DWHOS on this habitat, two large-scale research programs, described herein, were designed and executed. These programs, ONSAP and DEEPEND, aimed to quantitatively characterize the oceanic ecosystem of the northern GoM and to establish a time-series with which natural and anthropogenic changes could be detected. The approach was multi-disciplinary in nature and included in situ sampling, acoustic sensing, water column profiling and sampling, satellite remote sensing, AUV sensing, numerical modeling, genetic sequencing, and biogeochemical analyses. The synergy of these methodologies has provided new and unprecedented perspectives of an oceanic ecosystem with respect to composition, connectivity, drivers, and variability

Views and experiences of people with intellectual disabilities regarding intimate relationships: a qualitative metasynthesis

The aims of this review were to systematically identify, critically appraise and synthesize the results of existing qualitative literature exploring the views and experiences of intimate relationships amongst people with intellectual disabilities. Fourteen peer-reviewed articles were identified through a systematic search of eight databases, reference lists, citations, and relevant journals. The identified articles were appraised for quality, then synthesized using a metaethnography approach. No study met all quality criteria and references to ethical approval were often lacking. Interpretation of the findings suggested three key themes: the meaning of intimate relationships, external constraints and facilitators, and managing external constraints. Though many people with intellectual disabilities desire and benefit from intimate relationships, they experience restrictions that others do not, which can lead to isolation and loneliness. Intimate relationships are not always necessarily linked with sexual behavior; therefore, intimate relationships warrant their own focus in future research, as well as in education and training for people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Within this, a commitment to transparency over research processes is needed, in particular with reference to how ethical approval was obtained, since this has been a shortcoming of research with this focus to date

Many Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Samples and Settings

We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories. Using the conventional criterion of statistical significance (p < .05), we found that 15 (54%) of the replications provided evidence of a statistically significant effect in the same direction as the original finding. With a strict significance criterion (p < .0001), 14 (50%) of the replications still provided such evidence, a reflection of the extremely highpowered design. Seven (25%) of the replications yielded effect sizes larger than the original ones, and 21 (75%) yielded effect sizes smaller than the original ones. The median comparable Cohen’s ds were 0.60 for the original findings and 0.15 for the replications. The effect sizes were small (< 0.20) in 16 of the replications (57%), and 9 effects (32%) were in the direction opposite the direction of the original effect. Across settings, the Q statistic indicated significant heterogeneity in 11 (39%) of the replication effects, and most of those were among the findings with the largest overall effect sizes; only 1 effect that was near zero in the aggregate showed significant heterogeneity according to this measure. Only 1 effect had a tau value greater than .20, an indication of moderate heterogeneity. Eight others had tau values near or slightly above .10, an indication of slight heterogeneity. Moderation tests indicated that very little heterogeneity was attributable to the order in which the tasks were performed or whether the tasks were administered in lab versus online. Exploratory comparisons revealed little heterogeneity between Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) cultures and less WEIRD cultures (i.e., cultures with relatively high and low WEIRDness scores, respectively). Cumulatively, variability in the observed effect sizes was attributable more to the effect being studied than to the sample or setting in which it was studied.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP