Working Memory Training for Healthy Older Adults: The Role of Individual Characteristics in Explaining Short- and Long-Term Gains

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore whether individual characteristics such as age, education, vocabulary, and baseline performance in a working memory (WM) task\u2014similar to the one used in the training (criterion task)\u2014predict the short- and long-term specific gains and transfer effects of a verbal WM training for older adults. Method: Four studies that adopted the Borella et al. (2010) verbal WM training procedure were found eligible for our analysis as they included: healthy older adults who attended either the training sessions (WM training group), or alternative activities (active control group); the same measures for assessing specific gains (on the criterion WM task), and transfer effects (nearest on a visuo-spatial WM task, near on short-term memory tasks and far on a measure of fluid intelligence, a measure of processing speed and two inhibitory measures); and a follow-up session. Results: Linear mixed models confirmed the overall efficacy of the training, in the short-term at least, and some maintenance effects. In the trained group, the individual characteristics considered were found to contribute (albeit only modestly in some cases) to explaining the effects of the training. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest the importance of taking individual characteristics and individual differences into account when examining WMtraining gains in older adults

Reading comprehension in deprived social backgrounds: The effect of an intervention program based on the ability to detect errors and inconsistencies in written texts

La comprensión de textos es una de las competencias fundamentales para el desarrollo social y educativo de los seres humanos y constituye un tema esencial en la agenda educativa. Sin embargo, el estudio y la sistematización de los efectos de programas que buscan mejorar la comprensión lectora, sobre todo en el caso de alumnos pertenecientes a entornos sociales desfavorecidos, son todavía escasos. Se presentan los resultados de una intervención realizada en un grupo de alumnos de primero y segundo año de nivel medio y de contexto desfavorecido de una escuela de gestión social de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Dicha intervención estuvo basada en la habilidad metacognitiva de detectar errores e incongruencias, fundamental para el proceso de comprensión de un texto. Inicialmente fueron evaluados 50 adolescentes con un test de eficacia lectora, una prueba estandarizada de comprensión de textos y una prueba específica que evalúa la habilidad de detectar errores e incongruencias. Se conformó un grupo control con 23 participantes y un grupo experimental con los 27 restantes. El entrenamiento se llevó a cabo durante tres meses, con una frecuencia de una hora semanal y una vez finalizado, ambos grupos fueron reevaluados. Los resultados muestran un efecto positivo de la intervención sobre el grupo experimental, que alcanzó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre la cantidad de respuestas correctas de la evaluación inicial y de la evaluación final.Reading comprehension is one of the core competencies for social and educational development of human beings and an essential topic in education agenda. However, the study and systematization of the effects of programs that seek to improve reading comprehension, especially in students from deprived social backgrounds, are still scarce. As a strategic skill that requires a conscious and active reader who can process the text and formulate a plan according to his or her purposes, reading comprehension must be flexible enough to adjust text demands. In this respect, a good reader should be aware of his or her cognitive abilities in order to understand a text successfully. Hence training in metacognitive skills improves significantly whole reading comprehension ability. Metacognitive training allows children to internalize and also anticipate the effective and useful strategies to be applied in each case. This paper aims to promote social inclusion to adolescents from a deprived social environment. To gain this goal, a program was designed considering, measurable, agreed and communicable targets, according to real deadlinesthat fit the raised population needs and realities. It presents the results of an intervention in a group of students of first and second year from secondary school from a deprived context in Gran Buenos Aires (Argentina). This intervention was based on the ability to detect errors and inconsistencies, fundamental to understanding texts. 50 adolescents were initially evaluated with a reading efficiency test, a standardized reading comprehension test and a specific proof to assess the ability to detect errors and inconsistencies. 23 students were part of the control group and 27, were involved in the experimental group. The one hour training was held weekly for three months and once thistraining was completed, both groups were reevaluated. The training involved twelve sessions which kept the same structure. First the ability was orally introduced. A video, a song, a painting, language games, among other resources, were used to include an error (or more) and / or a mismatch (or more). Then, the students altogether discussed, orally, the strategies used to resolve de introduction activity in order to detect these errors and inconsistencies. In third place, an understanding activity that included a situation that supposed an error or inconsistency wasintroduced. A fourth step was to present a written activity to strengthen the target ability, asking the children to produce a similar situation. The session finally ended with a pooling of production. This scheme wasrepeated over the 12 sessions by modifying the content thereof. The last two activities were carried out in pairs to stimulate mutual learning. In every session the information was presented with Powerpoint Program, in differentiates place from, especially assigned for the interventions. The results show a positive effect of the intervention on the experimental group, whose performance achieved a statistically significant difference between the number of correct responsesfrom the initial to the second assessment. One-sample t test was applied to compare the means of performance from the same population before and after the intervention. For the experimental group,statistically significant differences between means were checked before and after the intervention in both variables. time and right answers. For the control group, which received no intervention but had traditional instruction, a t test showed that the difference in performance between the first and second evaluation was not significant.Fil: Cartoceti, Romina Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Abusamra, Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: De Beni, Rossana. Universidad de Pádova; ItaliaFil: Cornoldi, Cesare. Universidad de Pádova; Itali

EL MEJORAMIENTO DE LA COMPRENSIÓN DEL TEXTO DESDE UNA PERSPECTIVA COMPONENCIAL: EL CASO DE LA CAPACIDAD DE INDIVIDUALIZAR PERSONAJES, LUGAR Y TIEMPO

The aim of the present study was to verify the effectiveness of a training program based on the ability to identify “Characters, places and times” (CPT) using an initial evaluation test, a final evaluation test, and the treatment program proposed in Nuova Guida alla Comprensione del Testo (De Beni et al., 2003a), later adapted into Spanish (Abusamra et al., in press).119 students of third (43), fourth (30) and fifth grade (46) of primary schools participated in the reasearch. 59 of them were assigned to the control group and 60 to the experimental group. All of them were evaluated with standardized text comprehension tests as well as with the specific CPT test before and after training took place. The training was implemented in approximately four month’s time and was implemented on a weekly basis. Results demonstrated beneficial effects of the intervention in all the experimental groups. This intervention was particularly effective in the experimental group composed by school children of 5th grade, which exhibited not only specific improvement in the CPT test, but also general improvement in the comprehension test administered subsequently.El objetivo del presente trabajo fue verificar la eficacia de un entrenamiento sobre la habilidad de base de identificar “personajes, lugares y tiempos” (PLT) utilizando una prueba de evaluación inicial, una de evaluación final y el programa de tratamiento propuesto en la Nuova Guida alla Comrpensione del Testo (De Beni et al., 2003a), posteriormente adaptada al español por Abusamra y colaboradores (en prensa). Participaron de esta investigación 119 estudiantes de tercero (43), cuarto (30) y quinto grado (46) de escuelas primarias de los cuales 59 fueron incluidos en el grupo control y 60 en el grupo expe- rimental. Todos fueron evaluados con pruebas estandarizadas de comprensión de textos y con la prueba específica de PLT antes y después del entrenamiento. El entrenamiento tuvo una duración aproximada de cuatro meses y fue implementado con una frecuencia semanal tomando como base la ficha de PLT. Los resultados evidenciaron un efecto beneficioso de la intervención en todos los grupos experimentales. Dicha intervención resultó particularmente eficaz en el grupo experimental de 5° grado que mostró no solo una mejoría específica en la prueba PLT sino además una generalizada en la prueba final que medía la comprensión (prueba MT)

LA COMPRENSIÓN DE TEXTOS DESDE UN ENFOQUE MULTICOMPONENCIAL. EL TEST “LEER PARA COMPRENDER”

Text comprehension is a complex task that requires and involves multiple cognitive abilities. Deficits in one or several abilities can cause difficulties in understanding the textual level. Evaluating these impairments therefore requires a multicomponential perspective. The incipient development of the textual dimension of the learning difficulties in   education as well as in clinic, elicits the need for an instrument of this nature for Spanish-speaking populations. With this objective, a Spanish version of a test (/Nuova guida alla comprensione del testo/, De Beni et al., 2003) was designed for evaluating text comprehension. Normative data for children of 9 to 12 years of age were obtained. The Leer para Comprender Test (Abu- samra et al., in press) is based on a global model composed by eleven factors: basic text scheme, facts and sequences, lexical semantics, syntactic structure, textual cohesion, inferences, text sensibility, text hierarchy, mental models, flexibility, and errors and inconsistencies. This instrument is sensitive to the specificity of the processes implied in text comprehension. An approach from a multicomponential perspective not only allows   operating specifically with the different aspects of comprehension, but it is also advantageous to intervene in a focused manner in the implied processes and abilities.La comprensión de textos es una tarea compleja que requiere de la participación de múltiples habilidades cognitivas. Fallas en una o varias de estas habilidades pueden originar dificultades en la comprensión del nivel textual. La evaluación de dichas dificultades requiere, por lo tanto, una perspectiva multicomponencial. El incipiente desarrollo de la dimensión textual en la educación y en la clínica de las dificultades del aprendizaje plantea la necesidad de contar con un instrumento de esta naturaleza en la población hispanohablante. Con este objetivo se realizó la adaptación al español de un test (Nuova guida alla comprensione del testo, De Beni et al., 2003) para evaluar la comprensión de textos y se obtuvieron datos normativos para niños de 9 a 12 años. El test Leer para Comprender (Abusamra et al., en prensa) toma como base un modelo global de once componentes: esquema básico del texto, hechos y secuencias, semántica léxica, estructura sintáctica, cohesión textual, inferencias, intuición del texto, jerarquía del texto, modelos mentales, flexibilidad y errores e incongruencias. Este instrumento resulta sensible a la especificidad de los procesos implicados en la comprensión de texto. Un acercamiento desde una perspectiva multicomponencial permite no sólo operar de modo específico sobre los distintos aspectos de la comprensión sino que resulta, además, de gran utilidad para intervenir de manera focal sobre los procesos o habilidades implicados

Fermented Brewers’ Spent Grain Containing Dextran and Oligosaccharides as Ingredient for Composite Wheat Bread and Its Impact on Gut Metabolome In Vitro

Brewers’ spent grain or BSG is a fiber and protein rich food-grade side stream that has remained underutilized due to its poor technological and sensory characteristics. In this study, BSG was fermented with Weissella confusa A16 in presence of sucrose to induce the synthesis of dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides. Fermented BSG with or without the above polysaccharides was used as ingredient in wheat bread. Digestion of BSG breads was simulated in vitro with Simulator of Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem, and levels of fecal metabolites were analyzed. Enrichment of BSG breads with in situ dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides improved the baking quality compared to native BSG. Metabolism of free amino acids and synthesis of short chain fatty acids varied at different stages and parts of colon. The increase in butyric acid was similar in both the proximal and distal colon. In situ dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides, and higher content of proteins and fiber in BSG breads had a positive influence towards gut microbiota functionality. Along with several essential amino acids, an increase in amount of γ-aminobutyric acid was also observed after simulated digestion. BSG breads had a significant effect on the gut metabolome during in vitro digestion, showing increased production of microbial metabolites with potential health benefits

Fermented Brewers’ Spent Grain Containing Dextran and Oligosaccharides as Ingredient for Composite Wheat Bread and Its Impact on Gut Metabolome In Vitro

Brewers’ spent grain or BSG is a fiber and protein rich food-grade side stream that has remained underutilized due to its poor technological and sensory characteristics. In this study, BSG was fermented with Weissella confusa A16 in presence of sucrose to induce the synthesis of dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides. Fermented BSG with or without the above polysaccharides was used as ingredient in wheat bread. Digestion of BSG breads was simulated in vitro with Simulator of Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem, and levels of fecal metabolites were analyzed. Enrichment of BSG breads with in situ dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides improved the baking quality compared to native BSG. Metabolism of free amino acids and synthesis of short chain fatty acids varied at different stages and parts of colon. The increase in butyric acid was similar in both the proximal and distal colon. In situ dextran and maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides, and higher content of proteins and fiber in BSG breads had a positive influence towards gut microbiota functionality. Along with several essential amino acids, an increase in amount of γ-aminobutyric acid was also observed after simulated digestion. BSG breads had a significant effect on the gut metabolome during in vitro digestion, showing increased production of microbial metabolites with potential health benefits

Potenziale di apprendimento e strategie di memoria nel ritardo mentale. Caratteristiche e peculiarità dei bambini con Sindrome di Down.

Attraverso un'ampia ricerca sperimentale sono state studiate le capacità di acquisizione e di mantenimento di una strategia esterna di memoria in bambini con Ritardo Mentale Down e Non Down. Preliminarmente è stata individuata la zona di sviluppo prossimale più adeguata per l'insegnamento della strategia. In seguito bambini normodotati sono stati confrontati con bambini Down e ritardi mentali (RM) Non Down

Questionario di Attribuzione: L'attribuzione del successo e dell'insuccesso

La valutazione del sistema attributivo di uno studente \ue8 fondamentale per quanto riguarda la motivazione e l'apprendimento scolastico, perch\ue9 evidenzia sia difficolt\ue0 di apprendimento che eventuali problemi motivazionali. Il test risulta particolarmente indicativo rispetto ad altri strumenti, quali il colloquio e le interviste, che inducono il soggetto a mascherarsi per cercare di presentarsi come crede ci si aspetti da lui. \uc8 composto da 24 item che presentano delle situazioni ipotetiche in cui lo studente potrebbe essersi trovato, seguite da 5 possibili cause attribuibili all'evento. Le cause selezionate sono quelle che, secondo la letteratura, sono le attribuzioni pi\uf9 frequenti: impegno personale, abilit\ue0 propria, facilit\ue0 o difficolt\ue0 del compito, fortuna e aiuto altrui. 12 item riguardano situazioni di successo e 12 quelle d'insuccesso; per ogni serie, 4 riguardano situazioni di memoria, 4 di apprendimento e 4 di vita quotidiana. Il questionario si basa sulla scelta di 3 cause: il ragazzo deve indicare quella pi\uf9 importante relativamente all'evento proposto

PSICOLOGIA DELL'INVECCHIAMENTO

L'invecchiamento della popolazione \ue8 un fenomeno che nella nostra societ\ue0 sta acquisendo sempre maggiore rilevanza. Per capire i processi legati all'allungamento della vita \ue8 necessario affrontare l'argomento attraverso una prospettiva multidimensionale. Si tratta, infatti, da un lato di dare conto dei cambiamenti che avvengono con l'et\ue0 a livello cerebrale, cognitivo, di personalit\ue0, emotivo-affettivo e socioambientale, dall'altro di identificare i tipi di intervento attuabili per migliorare la qualit\ue0 di vita della persona anziana e delle persone che se ne prendono cura. E' quanto fa questo volume, che offre una panoramica completa e aggiornata della psicologia dell'invecchiamento illustrando con chiarezza caratteristiche e dinamiche salienti di un fenomeno che le differenze individuali e di gruppo rendono assai complesso

Progetto TutorJunior

Analisi condotte in diversi contesti hanno evidenziato una pruralit\ue0 delle difficolt\ue0 che gli studenti incontrano nel portare a termine gli studi universitari nei tempi previsti