Abstracts - Fall 2006

THEORETICAL AND RESEARCH ARTICLES

4 Experimental Validation of Neuro-psychological Expert System

Julie Grim-Haines, M.A., Rick Parenté, Ph.D., Frederick Hoots, B.A., Jessica McNeely, M.A. , Wes Quattrone, M.A. . & John Wriston, B.A.

10 Interactive Multimedia Training of Names and Faces Following Acquired Brain Injury

Michael Fraas, Ph.D.

17 Support Networks of African-American Elders

Althea Taylor Jones, Ph.D.

23 Using Classification Tasks to Assess and Improve Reading-Specific Cognitive Flexibility.

Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D., Allison Bock, Heather Guiffré, & Michael Montaño

30 Cognitive Concerns Regarding the Use of Prospective Memory Aids.

Brad Brubaker, Ph.D., Elizabeth O'Laughlin, Ph.D., Carol Yoder, Ph.D., Ayako Saguragi, M.S. & Douglas J. Herrmann, Ph.D.

34 Developing an Online Intervention for Memory Improvement: The Sharper Memory Project

Roger W. Morrell, Ph.D., Robert Rager, B.A., J. Preston Harley, Ph.D., Douglas J. Herrmann, Ph.D., George W. Rebok, Ph.D. & Rick Parenté, Ph.D.

Book Reviews

47 Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age. by Bill McKibben .

Reviewed by M. Victoria Berry, Ph. D.

49 In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind. by Eric Kandel

R eviewed by Gary D. Bond, P h.D.

52 Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarte r. bySteven Johnson

Reviewed by Steven J. Hoekstra, Ph.D .

Experimental Validation of a Neuropsychological Expert System

Julie Grim-Haines, M.A., University of Maryland, Rick Parenté, Ph.D., Frederick Hoots, B.A., Jessica McNeely, M.A., Wes Quattrone, M.A., John Wriston, B.A., Towson University .

Clinical neuropsychologists process extensive batteries of test scores, medical information, and personal observations in order to diagnose and treat cognitive disorders secondary to brain injuries, strokes, or developmental delays. The field of Clinical Neuro-psychology would benefit from computer software designed to assist with diagnosis and treatment of cognitive dysfunction. The Trauma Rehabilitation Analytic Utility Manager (TRAUM) is a computerized expert system that was developed to assist with diagnosis and treatment of neurological deficits. However, most knowledge engineers agree that an expert system (ES) should be validated before being put into practical use as a clinical tool. Therefore, the primary purpose of the present study was to outline a system for evaluating newly developed neuropsychological ESs. The results of this validation study indicated that TRAUM can provide accurate, valid, and reliable neuropsychological diagnoses that are comparable to those obtained from clinicians and from statistical prediction formulae.

Key Terms: expert systems, neuropsychology, evaluation, brain injury, cognitive deficits, dementia, TRAUM.

APA Formatted Citation

Grim-Haines, J., Parenté, R., Hoots, F., McNeely, J. Quattrone, W. & Wriston, J. (2006). Experimental validation of a neuropsychological expert system. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 4-9.

Interactive Multimedia Training of Names and Faces Following Acquired Brain Injury

Name-face recall can be a challenging task. However, when a person experiences an acquired brain injury the task can become increasingly difficult. Recently, atte mp ts have targeted the remediation of these skills through software innovations. The intent of this research is to examine the effects of an interactive, multi-media software tool for training name-face recognition and recall skills of people living with acquired brain injury. The effects on memory and memory readiness, as well as i mp lications for future research will be discussed.

Key Terms: brain injury, memory, naming, recall, training

APA Formatted Citation

Fraas, M. (2006). Interactive multimedia training of names and faces following acquired brain injury. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 10-16.

Connections in the Golden Years: Social Support Networks of African American Elders

Althea Taylor-Jones, Ph.D., Winston-Salem State University

Social support networks including online e-mail sessions and chat rooms, and other connections are vital to successful aging. Qualitative investigation of these factors across a broad range of African American and other elders, particularly minority elders may prove helpful in serving this growing community. This article reviews different types of social relationships, including family relationships, friend networks, and organizational friendships, and the role that these relationships serve in the aging population. The article concludes with a summary review of relevant websites.

Key Words: support network, aging, social, relationship, church

APA Formatted Citation

Taylor-Jones, A. (2006). Connections in the golden years: Social support networks of African American elders. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 17-22.

Using Classification Tasks to Assess and Improve Reading-Specific Cognitive Flexibility

Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D., Allison M. Bock, Heather N. Guiffré, Michael J. Montaño Christopher Newport University

Reading is a complex task that requires simultaneous attention to multiple details. Cognitive flexibility, the ability to focus on several aspects of a stimulus simultaneously, contributes to reading skill and can be assessed with multiple classification tasks. Additionally, reading-specific cognitive flexibility can be taught, resulting in improved flexibility and reading comprehension. This article describes the use of the reading-specific multiple classification task for assessment and training; and we review research indicating the effectiveness of these applications. Because beginning and struggling readers typically demonstrate inflexibility in reading, this simple cognitive technology may offer a means for improving reading processes for these individuals.

Key Terms: cognitive flexibility, improvement, reading, children

APA Formatted Citation

Cartwright, K., Bock, A., Guiffré, H., &. Montaño, M. (2006). Using classification tasks to assess and improve reading-specific cognitive flexibility. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 23-29.

Cognitive Concerns Regarding the Use of Prospective Memory Aids

Brad Brubaker, Ph.D.Elizabeth O'Laughlin, Ph.D.Indiana State University, Carol Yoder, Ph.D. Texas Tech University, Ayako Sakuragi, M.S. Indiana State University, Douglas Herrmann, Ph.D. Practical Memory Institute

Successful completion of activities at work, as well as in personal life, depend on prospective memory performance. Since many tasks and activities comprise a typical day it is not surprising to anyone that sometimes tasks get forgotten. In many cases the consequences of a forgotten task are not serious, however for some tasks (i.e. doctor’s appointments, meetings, and time critical events) the consequences of the forgotten task can be serious. History is rich with our attempts to remind ourselves to complete tasks and the current technology in computers and cell phones has included ways to improve our ability to remember to do things when they need to be done. Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and laptops allow us to schedule and organize our time and many have the ability to remind us with an auditory or tactile cue (alarm function) when it is time for a new task. One of the difficulties of this technology is that users of these devices do not take advantage of their reminding capabilities. Why users of this technology fail to utilize the reminding abilities and how to design welcome reminders that are intuitive to program, are some of the central questions for designs of future prospective memory aids.

APA Formatted Citation

Brubaker, B., O'Laughlin, E., Yoder, C., Sakuragi, A., & Herrmann, D. (2006). Cognitive concerns regarding the use of prospective memory aids. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 30-33.

Developing an Online Intervention for Memory Improvement: The Sharper Memory Project

Roger W. Morrell, Ph.D, Robert Rager, M.A., J. Preston Harley, Ph.D., Douglas J. Herrmann, Ph.D., George W. Rebok, Ph.D., Rick Parente, Ph.D., Practical Memory Institute

This article outlines the research conducted in the development of the Sharper Memory Monitor which will be included within the Sharper Memory™ eNews Magazine (SMeNM), at the Sharper Memory (SM) web site. The Sharper Memory Monitor (SMMonitor), is being designed for use by adults as an online source of memory improvement. Results from focus groups revealed that participants wanted personalized interactive online tools such as SMeNM and the SMMonitor that they could use anonymously. Results from testing indicated that the SMMonitor was an effective educational tool and that instructions for memory improvement outlined in the SMMonitor would gain the attention of users and motivate their interest in factors the affect memory. The present research serves as a model for the development of online cognitive interventions for adults in general and especially for adults over the age of 50 .

Key terms: memory monitor, training, memory improvement, online intervention

APA Formatted Citation

Morrell, R., Rager, R., Harley, J.P., Herrmann, D., Rebok, G., & Parente, R. (2006). Developing an online intervention for memory improvement: The Sharper Memory project. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 34-46.

Book Review

Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age By Bill McKibben. (2003).

Reviewed by Victoria Berry, Winston Salem State University

Environmentalist, graduate of Harvard, and current scholar in residence at Middlebury College , Bill McKibben published his seventh book, Enough: Staying human in an engineered age, in 2003. Classified as “Current Affairs” by the publisher, Owl Books, and despite the intervening three years since its publication, the core issues remains current: should the public permit the development of human genetic engineering, particularly germline genetic engineering (cloning)? And if so, what if any restraints should be established and by whom?

APA Formatted Citation

Berry, V. (2006). [Review of the book Enough: Staying human in an engineered age ]. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 47-48.

Book Review

In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind . By Eric Kandel.

Reviewed by Gary D. Bond, Winston Salem State University

Mapping and understanding the biological structure and process of mind is an intricate, delicate exploration undertaken only in the past few decades, and is based in large part on creative advances in understanding the biology of primarily non-human samples. Breakthroughs in understanding the cognitive area of learning and memory (Kandel & Hawkins, 1992; review in Squire, 2004) inform recent cognitive studies in perception (e. g., Britten, Shadlen, Newsome, & Movshon, 1992; Phan & Recanzone, 2006), for example. Researchers in the past have contributed much to the understanding of how cognitive functions operate or are localized in structures of the brain. Broca (1861a, b, c, d) and Wernicke (reported in Eggert, 1977) pioneered studies of brain function in language.

APA Formatted Citation

Bond, G. (2006). [Review of the book In search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind ]. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 49-51.

Book Review:

Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter . By Steven Johnson.

Reviewed by Steven J. Hoekstra, Kansas Wesleyan University

For many years, media psychologists such as myself have been teaching students about the effects of media, and a lion’s share of research efforts on media effects has targeted media’s potential dangers, sex, and violence. Media critics have bemoaned the banality of modern programming trends of reality TV and similar genres (Rubin & Robinson, 2003). Steven Johnson, however, in his book, Everything Bad Is Good For You, makes a circumstantial but rather compelling and entertaining case that the reverse might in fact be true – that modern media have become increasingly complex, and that media consumption requires increasingly more sophisticated cognitive mechanisms. He calls this the Sleeper Effect, after the Woody Allen movie. The trade paperback edition of his book includes an interesting afterward in which Johnson reflects on initial reactions to the opening edition.

APA Formatted Citation

Hoekstra, S. (2006). [Review of the book Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter]. Cognitive Technology, 11(2), 52-54.