Mental Reinstatement of Context: Do individual differences in mental time travel and eyewitness occupation influence eyewitness performance over different delay intervals?

The Cognitive Interview is a memory-enhancing interview protocol designed to optimize the access and retrieval of eyewitness memories. Its Mental Reinstatement of Context (MRC) component requires interviewees to mentally reconstruct the crime event they witnessed. Individual differences in mental time travel (MTT) relate to the extent to which a person mentally re-experiences personal events from his or her past. Individual differences in MTT have been found to predict correct recall of a simulated crime event under immediate MRC recall conditions. To explore the relationship between MTT and performance under MRC conditions further, the present study presented a simulated crime video to 30 police officers and 26 members of the public. Eyewitness recall was tested under MRC conditions either immediately or one week later. Participants’ general MTT and also MTT relating specifically to the crime video itself was measured via self-report. Less correct information and more confabulations were produced after one week but delay had no effect on the amount of incorrect information reported. No difference in recall was found between police officers and members of the public. Better quality MTT relating to the crime video was found to be a positive predictor of the amount of information correctly recalled under immediate conditions but not after one week. General MTT scores did not predict correct recall under either delay condition. Interviewers need to be aware that, due to individual differences, some witnesses may perform better under the MRC component than others

Automaticity and executive abilities in developmental dyslexia: A theoretical review

Cognitive difficulties are well documented in developmental dyslexia but they present a challenge to dyslexia theory. In this paper, the Model of the Control of Action is proposed as a theoretical explanation of how and why deficits in both automaticity and executive abilities are apparent in the cognitive profiles of dyslexia and how these deficits might relate to literacy difficulties. This theoretical perspective is used to consider evidence from different cognitive domains. The neuroanatomical underpinnings of automaticity and executive abilities are then discussed in relation to the understanding of dyslexia. Links between reading, writing, and executive function are considered. The reviewed evidence suggests dyslexia theory should consider an interaction between procedural learned behaviour (automaticity) and higher-order (executive) abilities. The capacity to handle environmental interference, develop and engage adaptive strategies accordingly, and plan actions all require interactions between the cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Difficulties in these areas might explain both impairments in the cumulative development of literacy skills in childhood and general task management in everyday life in adulthood. It is suggested that improved measures are required to assess this cerebellar-PFC interaction and to allow early identification of future literacy difficulties, allowing implementation of timely interventions and reasonable adjustments

Lived experiences of everyday memory in adults with dyslexia: A thematic analysis

Dyslexia-related difficulties with memory are well documented under laboratory conditions and via self-report questionnaires. However, the voice of the individual with dyslexia regarding the lived experience of memory across different memory systems and different daily settings is currently lacking. To address this gap in the literature, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 adult female university students with dyslexia. Questions probed different memory systems and experiences across different settings, with interviewees also being asked about their use of technology to support their memory. Two overarching themes were identified in the subsequent thematic analysis. The theme of fallibility of memory had two sub-themes of i) a lack of trust and confidence in memory and ii) factors contributing to memory failure. The second theme, facilitators of memory, also consisted of two sub-themes, relating to i) a preference for traditional tools to support memory and ii) the use of digital tools to support memory: benefits and limitations. The current study gives insights into the rich and complex extended and distributed cognitive systems of adults with dyslexia. The implications of the findings for dyslexia theory, support in educational and work settings, and assistive technology development are considered

The off-prescription use of modafinil: an online survey of perceived risks and benefits

Cognitive enhancing drugs are claimed to improve cognitive functions such as learning and attention. However, little is known presently about the characteristics of off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug users or their perceived everyday experience with these drugs. As modafinil is the most commonly used off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug, the current study aimed to provide a detailed profile of modafinil users and their experiences and perceptions of this drug. To this end, an online survey, targeting cognitive enhancing drug users and students, was advertised on forum sites. Information was obtained regarding demographic data, illicit drug use, psychiatric diagnosis and experience of modafinil. Of the 404 respondents, 219 reported taking modafinil. Of these the majority were male, American or British, university educated and currently employed, with a mean age of 27. Overall, modafinil was perceived by users as being safe. Modafinil users reported higher levels of illicit drug use and psychiatric diagnosis than would be expected from population-based data. More frequent reported modafinil use was associated with higher numbers of perceived benefits whilst reported frequency of use was not associated with the number of perceived risks. There was also a tentative link between the reported use of modafinil and the reported presence of psychiatric disorders, largely depression and anxiety. Respondents who had reported a psychiatric diagnosis declared higher subjective benefits of modafinil. This may suggest further beneficial effects of modafinil or it may reflect insufficient medical treatment for psychiatric disorders in some people. Overall, the findings of the current study should be beneficial in informing clinicians and legislative bodies about the modafinil user profile and how modafinil is perceived

Perceived cognitive performance in off-prescription users of modafinil and methylphenidate: an online survey

Introduction Modafinil and methylphenidate are used off-prescription for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals. Such use is often reported in online surveys, but it is unclear whether drug use for cognitive enhancement is motivated by perceived poor cognitive performance or a desire to improve good cognitive performance. The current study investigated whether off-prescription users of modafinil and methylphenidate differed in their self-perceived cognitive performance from people who do not take these drugs. Method An online survey targeting forum sites assessed self-perceived cognitive function via the Adult Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, and the General Procrastination Scale. Results There were 249 respondents, of whom 43% reported no use of modafinil and methylphenidate (the control group) and 58% reported use of one or both drugs without a prescription for cognitive enhancement. This created an independent samples design with three groups. On both the Adult Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale and General Procrastination Scale, modafinil and methylphenidate users reported higher scores than the control group, indicating higher levels of perceived inattention and procrastination. Scores on the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire indicated that modafinil and methylphenidate users rated themselves as having fewer cognitive failures than controls. Conclusion These findings suggest that at least some reported off-prescription users of modafinil and methylphenidate may be seeking to reduce the impact of self-perceived poorer performance, particularly in forms of cognition that are likely to impact on self-directed or self-motivated work

Gyrotron experiments employing a field emission array cathode

The design and operation of a field emission array (FEA) cathode and the subsequent demonstration of the first FEA gyrotron are presented. Up to 10 mA from 30 000 tips was achieved reproducibly from each of ten chips in a gyrotron environment, namely, a vacuum 1 x 10(-8) mbar, -50 kV potential with multiple chip operation, The design parameters of the FEA gun were similar to those of a magnetron injection gun with an achievable electron beam current of 50-100 mA and measured power 720 W cw. Coherent microwave radiation was detected in both TE(02) at 30.1 GHz and TE(03) at 43.6 GHz, with a starting current of 1 mA

Mental time travel ability and the mental reinstatement of context for crime witnesses.

Mental time travel ability marks how well the phenomenological aspects of events are mentally re-experienced during recall. The Cognitive Interview (CI) elicits eyewitness information. One of its techniques, Mental Reinstatement of Context (MRC), asks eyewitnesses to reinstate the incident's context mentally before recall. Fifty-six participants watched a simulated crime video. Self-report measures were then taken to estimate general mental time travel ability. Participants were questioned subsequently about the video. Eyewitness performance under MRC was compared with the CI's Report Everything (RE) technique, wherein eyewitnesses recall everything they can but with no invitation to mentally reinstate the context. There was no effect of interview condition on accuracy of recall; however, general mental time travel ability was positively associated with the amount of correct and incorrect information produced under MRC, but not RE, conditions. This is the first empirical demonstration that MRC instructions engage the mental time travel capacities they purport to

What are the attributes of good pharmacy faculty (lecturers)? An international comparison of the views of pharmacy undergraduate students from universities in Australia and Wales, UK

This study aimed to investigate what La Trobe pharmacy students (Australia) considered to be the attributes of a good lecturer (faculty member) and to compare the findings to pharmacy undergraduates at Cardiff University, Wales, UK. A 22 item questionnaire, developed at Cardiff, was administered to students at La Trobe University. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and Mann-Whitney U Test or Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to compare groups. Ethics approval was obtained. Pharmacy students believed good lecturers (faculty) provided clear instruction and assessment criteria, were enthusiastic, inspired students to do their best, motivated students to learn, were accessible for support and started the teaching sessions on time. They also provided timely feedback and illustrated the relevance of material to pharmacy. Australian and UK pharmacy undergraduates in this study shared the same opinions on most aspects of the positive attributes of faculty (lecturers)