scholarly journals Contributions of the Right Prefrontal and Parietal Cortices to the Attentional Blink: A tDCS Study

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1208
Author(s):  
Anna Pecchinenda ◽  
Francesca De Luca ◽  
Bianca Monachesi ◽  
Manuel Petrucci ◽  
Mariella Pazzaglia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Frontoparietal Network ◽  
Performance Impairment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

The AB refers to the performance impairment that occurs when visual selective attention is overloaded through the very rapid succession of two targets (T1 and T2) among distractors by using the rapid serial visual presentation task (RSVP). Under these conditions, performance is typically impaired when T2 is presented within 200–500 ms from T1 (AB). Based on neuroimaging studies suggesting a role of top-down attention and working memory brain hubs in the AB, here we potentiated via anodal or sham tDCS the activity of the right DLPFC (F4) and of the right PPC (P4) during an AB task. The findings showed that anodal tDCS over the F4 and over P4 had similar effects on the AB. Importantly, potentiating the activity of the right frontoparietal network via anodal tDCS only benefitted poor performers, reducing the AB, whereas in good performers it accentuated the AB. The contribution of the present findings is twofold: it shows both top-down and bottom-up contributions of the right frontoparietal network in the AB, and it indicates that there is an optimal level of excitability of this network, resulting from the individual level of activation and the intensity of current stimulation.

Does Sophistication Affect Electoral Outcomes?

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauri Rapeli
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Citizen Competence ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Sociodemographic Determinants ◽  
Political Left ◽  
Electoral Behaviour ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

It is widely assumed that a representative democracy requires an enlightened citizenry in order to function properly. The competence of citizens has been studied extensively and the sociodemographic determinants of political sophistication are particularly well known. Much less is known about whether and how citizen competence affects electoral behaviour and outcomes. This article reviews the existing literature on these topics. Despite the widespread consensus that, generally speaking, citizen competence matters for electoral outcomes, the review produced a mixed result: some studies suggest that the political left would benefit from a better-informed electorate, while other studies suggest the opposite. Although the majoritarian electoral context is overrepresented in the evidence, the review shows that at the individual level, political knowledge greatly increases a person’s ability to match personal preferences with the right candidate or party in an election. The article also identifies several gaps in existing knowledge, thereby suggesting future research questions.

scholarly journals Public support for the right to euthanasia: Impact of traditional religiosity and autonomy values across 37 nations

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maksim Rudnev ◽  
Aleksandra Savelkaeva
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Moral Attitudes

This article takes a postmodernization perspective on support for the right to euthanasia by treating it as an expression of a process of value change, as a preference for quality over quantity of life. Using the data from the fifth wave of the World Values Survey, this study attempts to answer the question of whether the mass support for the right to euthanasia is an expression of autonomy values rather than just a function of a low religiosity. Multilevel regressions demonstrate that both traditional religiosity and autonomy values have a high impact at the individual level, while at the country level only the effects of traditional religiosity are significant. Autonomy values have stronger association with attitudes to euthanasia in countries with higher levels of postmaterialism. Multilevel path analysis demonstrates that the effect of religiosity is partially and weakly mediated by the values of autonomy at both levels. Although religiosity was found to have a much stronger impact, the independent effect of autonomy values suggests that mass support for the right to euthanasia is a value-driven preference for quality over quantity of life. We conclude by suggesting that the fall in traditional religiosity might emphasize the role of values in moral attitudes regulation.

scholarly journals Creativity Versus Innovativeness: Exploring the Differences between the Two Constructs May Lead to Greater Innovation in Large Firms

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cocco ◽  
Majdi Quttainah
Keyword(s):  
Motivational Orientation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sustained Competitive Advantage ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Study Support ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

<p>Several individuals from top management seem to be confused about the difference between creativity and innovativeness. Amabile (1997) suggests that while innovation begins with creative ideas, creativity by individuals and teams is only a starting point for innovation. Individual creativity is necessary but not sufficient to yield breakthrough innovation in organizations. This can sometimes cause confusion in employee development efforts and actions taken by management. Companies often look for ways to hire and retain creative employees and at the same time they are also interested in establishing a creative environment for knowledge workers… but should creativity be the primary focus? These firms hope that creativity enhancing steps will eventually lead to greater innovation and therefore help it to achieve sustained competitive advantage. This paper attempts to demonstrate that there are potentially other dimensions beyond creativity related to innovativeness, which should be considered at the individual level in order to foster innovation in firms. Empirical results in this study support the idea that intrinsic motivational orientation, sociability and political astuteness are enhancers to employee innovativeness while perfection seeking behavior detracts employee innovativeness. These findings may serve to extend Amabile’s (1997) componential framework to center on the “innovativeness” construct versus creativity to help explain how firms need to hire, cultivate and retain the right talent.</p>

Definiteness in written Swedish by Finnish-speaking immersion pupils at the end of immersion

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-84
Author(s):  
Eeva-Liisa Nyqvist
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Definite Form ◽  
Spontaneous Writing ◽  
Acquisition Order ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Better Than

Abstract There are two primary goals for this study – first, to analyse definiteness and article use in spontaneous writing in Swedish by 15-year-old Finnish immersion students (n = 162) and secondly, to compare their performance with that of non-immersion students at the same age (n = 67). Analyses at the group level show that immersion students usually perform significantly better than the control group, but they also reveal similar problems to what L2-Swedish non-immersion students have demonstrated in previous studies, such as omission of indefinite articles and difficulty in choosing the right definite form of the noun. Still, these inaccuracies occurred less often in the data from the immersion students. The studied constructions also show at the group level an acquisition order similar to that reported in previous studies, explainable by different aspects of complexity and cross-linguistic influence. Analyses on the individual level, however, show different acquisition orders depending on the criteria being used.

scholarly journals Treatment Response Prediction and Individualized Identification of Short-Term Abstinence Methamphetamine Dependence Using Brain Graph Metrics

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cui Yan ◽  
Xuefei Yang ◽  
Ru Yang ◽  
Wenhan Yang ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Response ◽  
Response Prediction ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Graph Metrics ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Orbital Part

Background: The abuse of methamphetamine (MA) worldwide has gained international attention as the most rapidly growing illicit drug problem. The classification and treatment response prediction of MA addicts are thereby paramount, in order for effective treatments to be more targeted to individuals. However, there has been limited progress.Methods: In the present study, 43 MA-dependent participants and 38 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled, and their resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected. MA-dependent participants who showed 50% reduction in craving were defined as responders to treatment. The present study used the machine learning method, which is a support vector machine (SVM), to detect the most relevant features for discriminating and predicting the treatment response for MA-dependent participants based on the features extracted from the functional graph metrics.Results: A classifier was able to differentiate MA-dependent subjects from normal controls, with a cross-validated prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 73.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 71.23–74.17%), 66.05% (95% CI = 63.06–69.04%), and 80.35% (95% CI = 77.77–82.93%), respectively, at the individual level. The most accurate combination of classifier features included the nodal efficiency in the right middle temporal gyrus and the community index in the left precentral gyrus and cuneus. Between these two, the community index in the left precentral gyrus had the highest importance. In addition, the classification performance of the other classifier used to predict the treatment response of MA-dependent subjects had an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 71.2% (95% CI = 69.28–73.12%), 86.75% (95% CI = 84.48–88.92%), and 55.65% (95% CI = 52.61–58.79%), respectively, at the individual level. Furthermore, the most accurate combination of classifier features included the nodal clustering coefficient in the right orbital part of the superior frontal gyrus, the nodal local efficiency in the right orbital part of the superior frontal gyrus, and the right triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right temporal pole of middle temporal gyrus. Among these, the nodal local efficiency in the right temporal pole of the middle temporal gyrus had the highest feature importance.Conclusion: The present study identified the most relevant features of MA addiction and treatment based on SVMs and the features extracted from the graph metrics and provided possible biomarkers to differentiate and predict the treatment response for MA-dependent patients. The brain regions involved in the best combinations should be given close attention during the treatment of MA.

THE UNEASY CASE FOR CAPITAL TAXATION

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-184
Author(s):  
Edward J. McCaffery
Keyword(s):  
Income Taxes ◽  
Capital Gains ◽  
Capital Taxation ◽  
Consumption Tax ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Labor Earnings ◽  
Wage Tax ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Consumption Taxes

The traditional view of tax holds that consumption taxes fail tax the yield to capital, whereas income taxes do, leading to John Stuart Mill's criticism of the income tax as a "double tax" on wealth that is saved. A better analytic understanding illustrates that there are two types of consumption taxes. A prepaid consumption or (equivalently) wage tax indeed ignores the yield to capital. But a consistent progressive postpaid consumption tax gets at such yield, at the individual level, when but only when the returns to capital are used to elevate lifestyles in material terms. Such a tax allows "ordinary" savings that move around labor earnings, in constant dollar terms, to different periods of an individual's life, such as times of retirement or heightened medical or educational needs. Because a progressive postpaid consumption tax falls on the yield to capital at the right time-when its use at the individual level becomes manifest-all other taxes on capital, such as capital gains, gift and estate, and corporate income taxes, can and should be repealed, in the name of fairness.

The impact of ICT on learning on-the-job

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilla Hortovanyi ◽  
Adrienn Ferincz
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between on-the-job learning and information and communication technology (ICT). Design/methodology/approach – Action research methodology was applied to study 62 small- and medium-sized corporations, and to interview over 200 knowledge workers and managers. The qualitative, textual data collected were transformed into 16 variables and analysed by multidimensional scaling. Findings – The paper provides insights into the optimal use of ICT in intra-organizational knowledge transfer and learning. We found that it is essential to use the right combination and number of technologies, aligned with the organization’s internal processes. Four different types of organizations with sub-optimal usage of ICT and possible strategies for them to reach the optimal zone were identified. For successful organizational learning, however, more is needed: the individual must also understand the value of learning and must be motivated to take part in it. Research limitations/implications – On-the-job-learning can be facilitated with ICT tools but only if the organization invests in the right levels of ICT. Too much technology can be as destructive to on-the-job learning as too little. Future research should look at other contexts (size, age, industry, etc.) to validate these findings. Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the effective use of ICT in knowledge transfer and on-the-job learning. Originality/value – The paper extends our understanding of human–computer collaboration. It highlights that finding the optimal level of ICT is essential for successful knowledge transfer and on-the-job learning.

scholarly journals Odor-driven face-like categorization in the human infant brain

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. e2014979118
Author(s):  
Diane Rekow ◽  
Jean-Yves Baudouin ◽  
Fanny Poncet ◽  
Fabrice Damon ◽  
Karine Durand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Young Infant ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Perceptual Development ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Face Categorization ◽  
Infant Brain ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Human Faces

Understanding how the young infant brain starts to categorize the flurry of ambiguous sensory inputs coming in from its complex environment is of primary scientific interest. Here, we test the hypothesis that senses other than vision play a key role in initiating complex visual categorizations in 20 4-mo-old infants exposed either to a baseline odor or to their mother’s odor while their electroencephalogram (EEG) is recorded. Various natural images of objects are presented at a 6-Hz rate (six images/second), with face-like object configurations of the same object categories (i.e., eliciting face pareidolia in adults) interleaved every sixth stimulus (i.e., 1 Hz). In the baseline odor context, a weak neural categorization response to face-like stimuli appears at 1 Hz in the EEG frequency spectrum over bilateral occipitotemporal regions. Critically, this face-like–selective response is magnified and becomes right lateralized in the presence of maternal body odor. This reveals that nonvisual cues systematically associated with human faces in the infant’s experience shape the interpretation of face-like configurations as faces in the right hemisphere, dominant for face categorization. At the individual level, this intersensory influence is particularly effective when there is no trace of face-like categorization in the baseline odor context. These observations provide evidence for the early tuning of face-(like)–selective activity from multisensory inputs in the developing brain, suggesting that perceptual development integrates information across the senses for efficient category acquisition, with early maturing systems such as olfaction driving the acquisition of categories in later-developing systems such as vision.

scholarly journals The Ecology of Plant Interactions: A Giant with Feet of Clay

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciro Cabal ◽  
Ricardo Martínez-García ◽  
Fernando Valladares
Keyword(s):  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Biophysical Processes ◽  
Individual Scale ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

Ecologists use the net biotic interactions among plants as a major factor to predict other ecosystem features, such as species diversity, community structure, or plant atmospheric carbon uptake. By adopting this approach, ecologists have built a giant body of theory founded on observational evidence. However, growing evidence points out that this may not be the right approach. The literature addressing the biophysical mechanisms underlying the plant interactions is much scarcer. A rising number of scientists claim the need for a mechanistic understanding of plant interactions due to the limitations that a phenomenological approach raises both in empirical and theoretical studies. Scattered studies have recently taken such a mechanistic approach, but we still lack a general theoretical framework to study mechanistically plant interactions. In this review, we first recapitulate the elementary units of plant interactions, i.e., all the known biophysical processes affected by the presence of an influencing plant and the possible phenotypic responses of plants influenced by those processes. Second, we discuss how a net interaction between two plants emerges from the simultaneous effect of these elementary units. Third, we touch upon the spatial and temporal variability of the net interaction and discuss the links between this variability and the underlying biophysical processes. We conclude by discussing how to integrate these processes into a mechanistic framework for plant interactions that must necessarily focus on the individual scale and explicitly incorporate the spatial structure of the community and environmental factors: the plant interaction models (PIM). A PIM incorporates a pair or few plants interacting with their physical environment so that the biotic interaction is not imposed but emerges from the model. This type of model can provide concise, mechanistic hypotheses to be tested empirically. This review calls for a paradigm shift in the ecology of plant interactions, from the classic species interaction study towards a more mechanistic individual-level approach. It also presents a comprehensive foundation for studying the mechanisms underpinning the net interaction between two plants.

scholarly journals Development of Frontal EEG Differences Between Eyes-Closed and Eyes-Open Resting Conditions in Children: Data From a Single-Channel Dry-Sensor Portable Device

2020 ◽  
pp. 155005942094664
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Johnstone ◽  
Han Jiang ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Jeffrey M. Rogers ◽  
Joaquin Valderrama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Developmental Change ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
The Individual

Changes in EEG when moving from an eyes-closed to an eyes-open resting condition result from bottom-up sensory processing and have been referred to as activation. In children, activation is characterized by a global reduction in alpha, frontally present reductions for delta and theta, and a frontal increase for beta. The present study aimed to replicate frontal EEG activation effects using single-channel, dry-sensor EEG, and to extend current understanding by examining developmental change in children. Frontal EEG was recorded using a single-channel, dry-sensor EEG device while 182 children aged 7 to 12 years completed eyes-closed resting (EC), eyes-open resting (EO), and focus (FO) tasks. Results indicated that frontal delta, theta, and alpha power were reduced, and frontal beta power was increased, in the EO compared with the EC condition. Exploratory analysis of a form of top-down activation showed that frontal beta power was increased in the FO compared with to the EO condition, with no differences for other bands. The activation effects were robust at the individual level. The bottom-up activation effects reduced with age for frontal delta and theta, increased for frontal alpha, with no developmental change for top-down or bottom-up frontal beta activation. These findings contribute further to validation of the single-channel, dry-sensor, frontal EEG and provide support for use in a range of medical, therapeutic, and clinical domains.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document