New research shows that the more people think they know about a topic, the more likely they are to state facts that are completely false — a process called "over-claiming," according to the study, published in Psychological Science. For the study, researchers designed a series of experiments to assess people's claims to knowledge, with the goal of seeing how people perceived their own knowledge. In one set of experiments, for example, researchers tested whether participants who believed they were experts in personal finance would be more likely to claim they knew about "fake" financial terms. One hundred participants were asked to rate their knowledge of personal finance in addition to noting how familiar they were with 15 financial terms. Most of these terms were real, such as inflation and home equity. But there were also made-up terms, such as "pre-rated stocks" and "annualized credit," which were intended to blend in with the rest. As the researchers predicted, those who believed they knew the most about finance were the most likely to claim they knew what the fake terms were. "The more people believed they knew about finances in general, the more likely they were to over-claim knowledge of the fictitious financial terms," said Stav Atir, study author and psychological scientist at Cornell University, in a statement.
0 Comments
Some children recover more slowly from concussion and other types of traumatic brain injury because they have extensive damage to the protective coating around brain nerve fibers, a new study says. Researchers looked at 32 patients, aged 8 to 19, who had suffered a moderate to severe brain injury in the previous five months. The kids underwent tests to assess how fast they could process and recall information. The researchers also recorded electrical activity in the patients' brains to determine how quickly their brain nerve fibers could transmit information. And imaging scans assessed the structural condition of the youngsters' brain wiring. "Just as electricians insulate electrical wires to shield their connections, the brain's nerve fibers are encased in a fatty tissue called myelin that protects signals as they travel across the brain," Dr. Christopher Giza, a professor of pediatrics and neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained in a university news release. "We suspected that trauma was damaging the myelin and slowing the brain's ability to transmit information, interfering with patients' capacity to learn," he explained. Half of the patients had widespread damage to the myelin. They did 14 percent worse on the mental skills tests, and their brain wiring worked three times more slowly than healthy children. The other 16 brain injury patients had nearly intact myelin. Their brains processed information as quickly as healthy children, and they did 9 percent better on the mental skills tests than those with more myelin damage. The study, published in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, offers possible indicators that doctors could use to identify higher-risk brain injury patients who require closer monitoring, the researchers said. Traumatic brain injury is the single most common cause of death and disability in American children and teens, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Researchers at MIT have proven that the brain’s cortex doesn’t process specific tasks in highly specialized modules — showing that the cortex is, in fact, quite dynamic when sharing information. Previous studies of the brain have depicted the cortex as a patchwork of function-specific regions. Parts of the visual cortex at the back of the brain, for instance, encode color and motion, while specific frontal and middle regions control more complex functions, such as decision-making. Neuroscientists have long criticized this view as too compartmentalized. In this new study, the researchers built an array of 108 electrodes that measured neural spikes in 2,694 sites across six cortical regions that are thought to control specific functions. Multiple cortical regions work together simultaneously to process sensorimotor information — sensory input coupled with related actions — despite their predetermined specialized roles. “Some areas may process motion more than color, some may process color more than motion, and sometimes you can see the information rising up in one area before the other,” Miller says. “But generally information is distributed all over the cortex.” Of particular note, Miller adds, was how widely the executive “choice” signals — deciding which direction to move their eyes — were distributed across the cortex. Previously, it was thought that decisions rise solely in specific cortical areas. “But you see the decision percolating up all over many parts of the cortex simultaneously, so even decision-making is more of an emerging property of many cortical areas,” he says. In providing a better understanding of the cortex’s sensorimotor processing, Miller says, the study may open doors for broader use of noninvasive treatments for stroke recovery, which deliver electrical pulses to increase brain waves in damaged cortical areas to restore sensory or motor functions. When when a parent comes home with a brain injury or mental illness like PTSD or depression, it can be much more confusing for children. The injury is invisible, and the ways in which dad or mom has changed are much less predictable. That's why it's important for kids to get help understanding how their parent has been affected, and what to expect.
But being clear about these challenges is part of being the best parent you can be. Kids are going to notice changes in their mom or dad whether or not they know what's going on. Therefore, it's a good idea to try to talk to them about what's going on. Otherwise, they're left to fill in the blanks themselves, and may come up with other ways of explaining the changes in the parent, like "Mommy must be mad at me because I didn't write her" or "Daddy is happier without me around." To help children understand a brain injury or psychiatric disorder, it may be helpful with younger children to talk about "invisible injuries." Even though you can't see the hurt, it's there, like a stomachache. Give examples of some of the changes the child may notice, like anger and frustration, forgetfulness, or sleepiness. Gear your conversation about Mom or Dad's injuries to each child's developmental level. For instance:
With a traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurring every 18.5 seconds in this country - concussions the most common - chances are you have been touched in some way by this experience. TBIs occur due to accidents and sports, and are also common in returning soldiers.
The personal stories in this book, by TBI survivors and those who love and support them, will help and encourage you and your family on your road to recovery. Whether you are recovering from a traumatic brain injury or supporting someone with a TBI, this collection of 101 inspiring and encouraging stories by others like you will uplift and encourage you on your healing journey. http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Recovering-Traumatic/dp/1611599385 For the study, Dr. Munro Cullum, a neuropsychologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and his colleagues collected data on 28 former NFL players, aged 63 and older. Eight suffered from memory and attention problems and had a history of concussion. Seventeen had a history of concussion with loss of consciousness. Researchers found that former players with a history of concussion but who showed no problems with memory and learning had normal but lower scores on a test of verbal memory compared with a control group of people who had no history of concussion or football. Former players with memory problems and a history of concussion did worse on the memory tests than people without a history of concussion or athletes without memory problems, the researchers found. However, retired football players who had at least one concussion with loss of consciousness had a smaller hippocampus compared with retired players who never had a concussion or people who never suffered a concussion or played football. Dr. Cullum noted that a concussion with loss of consciousness may increase the risk for memory problems beyond the normal risk associated with an aging brain. Dr. Robert Glatter, director of sports medicine and traumatic brain injury at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, "We are now beginning to understand that repetitive hits to the brain over time -- without concussion or loss of consciousness -- can be an important marker for mental impairment and memory loss and potentially other neurodegenerative disease such as dementia or Alzheimer's," he said. Dr. Robert Duarte, a neurologist and concussion expert at North Shore-LIJ's Cushing Neuroscience Institute in Manhasset, N.Y., agreed that losing consciousness isn't necessary to cause brain damage that can lead to memory problems. "We see that people who have several mild concussions over time also have a decrease in hippocampal volume," he said. SOURCES: C. Munro Cullum, Ph.D., neuropsychologist, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Robert Glatter, M.D., director, sports medicine and traumatic brain injury, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Robert Duarte, M.D., neurologist and concussion expert, North Shore-LIJ's Cushing Neuroscience Institute, Manhasset, N.Y.; May 18, 2015, JAMA Neurology. The mental health of today’s college students continues to be a top-level concern for institutions of higher education, whether it is viewed from the perspective of staffing mental health services on campus, responding to after-hours crises in residence halls, providing accessible treatment with limited budgets, managing behavioral threats, or maintaining student safety during personal crises.
With the backing of more than 280 counseling centers, multiple national organizations, and the addition a full-time project manager in 2014, the Center for College Mental Health CCMH is striving to infuse the national dialogue about college student mental health with high quality data that is capable of informing policy. The National Autism Indicators Report is a publication series produced by the AJ Drexel Autism Institute's Life Course Outcomes Research Program. The inaugural volume of this report focuses on the transition into young adulthood. We present evidence about a wide range of experiences and outcomes of young adults on the autism spectrum between high school and their early 20s. This report describes the prevalence of a wide variety of indicators related to transition planning, services access, unmet needs, employment, postsecondary education, living arrangements, social participation, and safety and risk.
|
Disclaimer: This website is for informational and educational purposes.
Any and all blog content represents a synthesis of empirical information found on the internet, of my own personal opinions, and my professional experiences. Nothing posted reflects or should be considered professional advice. Interaction with me via the blog does not constitute a professional or therapeutic relationship. For professional and customized advice, you should seek the services of a licensed mental healthcare professional. I do not assume liability for any portion or content of material on the blog and accept no liability for damage or injury resulting from your decision to interact with the website. Archives
October 2023
Categories
All
|