Positive Technology Journal

Effects of mental imagery styles on shoulder and hip rotations during preparation of pirouettes.

J Mot Behav. 2008 Jul;40(4):281-90

Authors: Golomer E, Bouillette A, Mertz C, Keller J

To analyze individual behavior in spatial navigation especially for pirouette preparations (complete whole-body rotations), the authors studied horizontal shoulder-hip interactions under 2 constraints: postural (right and left supporting legs [SL]) and spatial (clockwise [CW] and counterclockwise [CCW]). They performed kinematic analysis at the start and end of the shoulder-hip horizontal rotations (run-up) with regard to imagery of motor actions. On the basis of the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, they classified 8 female expert ballet dancers and 7 untrained female participants according to their movement imagery style (kinesthetic and visual). At the run-up's end, the shoulders initiated the turn independently of SL but differently depending on training: CW for dancers and CCW for untrained participants (their commonly used direction). Kinesthetic and mixed imagery styles prevailed in dancers, whereas simply a mixed style appeared among untrained participants. Thus, dance training enhances the imagery of kinesthetic sensation and influences the choice of spatial direction, facilitating the body-space interaction.

Via MobileGames 

The Walt Disney Internet Group has released the "Einstein's Brain Game".


The game proposes 20 brain training exercises covering Einstein’s theories of relativity and ideas about the solar system. It features 4 categories - maths, memory, logic and visual coordination, as well as a bonus Sudoku puzzle game, to give the brain a thorough work-out.

Virtual reality exposure therapy for active duty soldiers.

J Clin Psychol. 2008 Jul 8;

Authors: Reger GM, Gahm GA

Usefulness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for treating insomnia in patients with anxiety disorders: a pilot study.

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2008 Jun;196(6):501-3

Authors: Yook K, Lee SH, Ryu M, Kim KH, Choi TK, Suh SY, Kim YW, Kim B, Kim MY, Kim MJ

The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for treating insomnia symptoms in patients with anxiety disorder. Nineteen patients with anxiety disorder were assigned to an 8-week MBCT clinical trial. Participants showed significant improvement in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Z = -3.46, p = 0.00), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (Z = -3.83, p = 0.00), Ruminative Response Scale (Z = -3.83, p = 0.00), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (Z = -3.73, p = 0.00), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores (Z = -3.06, p = 0.00) at the end of the 8-week program as compared with baseline. Multiple regression analysis showed that baseline Penn State Worry Questionnaire scores were associated with baseline Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. These findings suggest that MBCT can be effective at relieving insomnia symptoms by reducing worry associated sleep disturbances in patients with anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.

Internet giant Google has unveiled its response to Second Life, an online 3D world called Lively. To play with Lively, users need to download and install a client (Windows-only for now, but a Mac OS x client is planned) and then they can use their web browser (Firefox or Internet Explorer) to enter the virtual world.

Once registered, users can set up their own spaces, change the form and clothing of their avatars, and communicate with other players via chat or gestures.  

Lively is less immersive than second life and easier to use (with a drag-and-drop interface), but it is not programmable: users can only select items from the catalog provided by Google. Further, Lively has does not have money for now, though the company is considering the introduction of a currency. 

Using mental practice in stroke rehabilitation: a framework.

Clin Rehabil. 2008 Jul;22(7):579-91

Authors: Braun S, Kleynen M, Schols J, Schack T, Beurskens A, Wade D

Introduction: Motor imagery and mental practice are getting increased attention in neurological rehabilitation. Several different mental practice intervention protocols have been used in studies on its effect on recovery in stroke rehabilitation. The content of the intervention protocols itself is rarely discussed or questioned.Objective: To give a practical framework of how mental practice could be integrated into therapy, drawing on available evidence and theory. The aim of the treatment programme described is to enhance both the patient's physical performance and their empowerment and self-determination.The framework: Based on evidence from sports rehabilitation and our own experiences the framework will eventually be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Five steps are described to teach and upgrade the patient's imagery technique: (1) assess mental capacity to learn imagery technique; (2) establish the nature of mental practice; (3) teach imagery technique; (4) embed and monitor imagery technique; (5) develop self-generated treatments. The description is not, however, a recipe that should be followed precisely. It leaves enough room to tailor the mental practice intervention to the specific individual possibilities, skills and needs of the patient in accordance with evidence-based practice.Discussion: Different aspects of the described protocol are discussed and compared with experiences from sports and evidence available in rehabilitation.

Brain motor system function in a patient with complete spinal cord injury following extensive brain-computer interface training.

Exp Brain Res. 2008 Jul 1;

Authors: Enzinger C, Ropele S, Fazekas F, Loitfelder M, Gorani F, Seifert T, Reiter G, Neuper C, Pfurtscheller G, Müller-Putz G

Virtual reality and persecutory delusions: Safety and feasibility.

Schizophr Res. 2008 Jun 20;

Authors: Fornells-Ambrojo M, Barker C, Swapp D, Slater M, Antley A, Freeman D

OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality (VR) has begun to be used to research the key psychotic symptom of paranoia. The initial studies have been with non-clinical individuals and individuals at high risk of psychosis. The next step is to develop the technology for the understanding and treatment of clinical delusions. Therefore the present study investigated the acceptability and safety of using VR with individuals with current persecutory delusions. Further, it set out to determine whether patients feel immersed in a VR social environment and, consequently, experience paranoid thoughts. METHOD: Twenty individuals with persecutory delusions and twenty non-clinical individuals spent 4 min in a VR underground train containing neutral characters. Levels of simulator sickness, distress, sense of presence, and persecutory ideation about the computer characters were measured. A one-week follow-up was conducted to check longer-term side effects. RESULTS: The VR experience did not raise levels of anxiety or symptoms of simulator sickness. No side effects were reported at the follow-up. There was a considerable degree of presence in the VR scenario for all participants. A high proportion of the persecutory delusions group (65%) had persecutory thinking about the computer characters, although this rate was not significantly higher than the non-clinical group. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that brief experiences in VR are safe and acceptable to people with psychosis. Further, patients with paranoia can feel engaged in VR scenes and experience persecutory thoughts. Exposure to social situations using VR has the potential to be incorporated into cognitive behavioural interventions for paranoia.

Emotiv Systems has developed a new brain computer interface headset for video games and other uses. Emotiv’s president Tan Le claims that the headset will be on sale around the end of this year ($299).

From the website

In the last decades Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has radically changed the landscape of human communication. The widespread adoption of ICT-based communication and interaction tools in all types of organisations has brought to the foreground the necessity of new professional profiles. The MSc in Technology for Human Communication is one of the few masters worldwide that aims to satisfy this need, by forming specialists able to

• analyse, design, create, and maintain digital contents for multi-channel business communication (web site, blogs, web applications, mobile communication, digital television)
• evaluate and assess the effectiveness of digital products or communication, for example evaluate the quality and the usability
  
• promote digital products: search engine marketing, interactive advertising, social marketing
  
• contribute to personnel training in the area of ICT.
• design innovative ICT tools to support communication, interaction and collaboration
• plan the technological innovation of communication processes

A specialist of Technologies for Human Communication will find a job in a wide variety of enterprises and public organisations. In particular, small and medium enterprises strongly appreciate the flexibility and versatility guaranteed by a multi-disciplinary curriculum, that effectively combines communicative and technological competence.

Courses will start in September 2008

Contact
Dr. Nicoletta Fornara
Università della Svizzera italiana
Facoltà di scienze della comunicazione
Via G. Buffi 13
CH-6900 Lugano
Tel. +41 58 666 45 13
Fax +41 58 666 46 47
mtec@lu.unisi.ch

Are the effects of Unreal violent video games pronounced when playing with a virtual reality system?

Aggress Behav. 2008 May 27;

Authors: Arriaga P, Esteves F, Carneiro P, Monteiro MB

Tactile acuity in experienced Tai Chi practitioners: evidence for use dependent plasticity as an effect of sensory-attentional training.

Exp Brain Res. 2008 May 30;

Authors: Kerr CE, Shaw JR, Wasserman RH, Chen VW, Kanojia A, Bayer T, Kelley JM

The PERCRO – Perceptual Robotics Laboratory, from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, is presenting a series of lectures by Alan Wallace on June 17th, 18th and 19th, 2008.

Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. With his unique background, Alan Wallace brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world, continually seeking innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind.

The three lectures will deal with the results of the collaboration between psychologists and neuroscientists that took physiological and psychological measurements of people involved in an intensive mediation retreat; the convergences between Buddhism and Physics and the Question of Free Will.

Spatial memories of virtual environments: how egocentric experience, intrinsic structure, and extrinsic structure interact.

Psychon Bull Rev. 2008 Apr;15(2):322-7

Authors: Kelly JW, McNamara TP

Previous research has uncovered three primary cues that influence spatial memory organization:egocentric experience, intrinsic structure (object defined), and extrinsic structure (environment defined). In the present experiments, we assessed the relative importance of these cues when all three were available during learning. Participants learned layouts from two perspectives in immersive virtual reality. In Experiment 1, axes defined by intrinsic and extrinsic structures were in conflict, and learning occurred from two perspectives, each aligned with either the intrinsic or the extrinsic structure. Spatial memories were organized around a reference direction selected from the first perspective, regardless of its alignment with intrinsic or extrinsic structures. In Experiment 2, axes defined by intrinsic and extrinsic structures were congruent, and spatial memories were organized around reference axes defined by those congruent structures, rather than by the initially experienced view. The findings are discussed in the context of spatial memory theory as it relates to real and virtual environments.

Combining Mindfulness Meditation with Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Insomnia: A Treatment-Development Study.

Behav Ther. 2008 Jun;39(2):171-182

Authors: Ong JC, Shapiro SL, Manber R

This treatment-development study is a Stage I evaluation of an intervention that combines mindfulness meditation with cognitive-behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Thirty adults who met research diagnostic criteria for Psychophysiological Insomnia (Edinger et al., 2004) participated in a 6-week, multi-component group intervention using mindfulness meditation, sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep education, and sleep hygiene. Sleep diaries and self-reported pre-sleep arousal were assessed weekly while secondary measures of insomnia severity, arousal, mindfulness skills, and daytime functioning were assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Data collected on recruitment, retention, compliance, and satisfaction indicate that the treatment protocol is feasible to deliver and is acceptable for individuals seeking treatment for insomnia. The overall patterns of change with treatment demonstrated statistically and clinically significant improvements in several nighttime symptoms of insomnia as well as statistically significant reductions in pre-sleep arousal, sleep effort, and dysfunctional sleep-related cognitions. In addition, a significant correlation was found between the number of meditation sessions and changes on a trait measure of arousal. Together, the findings indicate that mindfulness meditation can be combined with CBT-I and this integrated intervention is associated with reductions in both sleep and sleep-related arousal. Further testing of this intervention using randomized controlled trials is warranted to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention for this population and the specific effects of each component on sleep and both psychological and physiological arousal.

'Fusion Man', aka Yves Rossy, flies with a jet-powered single wing over the Alps in Bex, Switzerland, Wednesday, May 14, 2008.

An ancient dream comes true...

(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

http://wtop.com/?nid=218&sid=634384&pid=0

HCI researchers, students and practitioners are invited to HCI 2008 to be hosted by Liverpool John Moores University, UK, next September (1st - 5th). Submissions are now open for the remaining categories . HCI 2008 is the 22nd running of the British HCI conference; one of Europe's largest and longest running HCI conferences. Accepted papers will be archived in the ACM Digital Library and the BCS eWiCS Library.

The tag line for 2008 is “Culture, Creativity, Interaction” reflecting the fact that in 2008 Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture. Throughout the year there will be cultural events ranging from community arts to headline events such as the Turner Prize. In the week before the conference there will be the Annual Beatles Week and immediately afterwards Liverpool will host the British Academy Festival of Science. The Biennial Festival of Contemporary Art also takes place, starting September. Our cultural theme reflects not just events in Liverpool but also recent developments in HCI where the arts and humanities offer us both new insights and new challenges. Though “culture” is not the only theme for the conference we hope to reflect the cultural events happening in the rest of the city and on Merseyside. Our hope is that culture will be a unifying theme for the various strands that form the HCI family of disciplines.

Liverpool itself has undergone a renaissance in recent decades and many of the city's projects will have reached their culmination in 2008. So as Liverpool is being re-made it may also be time to reflect on how HCI might be re-made. What new challenges do we face?  How many of our current approaches and methods meet these challenges? What has to change in HCI if we are to continue making progress? We look forward to submissions addressing new challenges and overturning accepted convention, or confirming past practice.

Via Technology Review 

Players of a new online game called Foldit will help design three-dimensional protein structures for HIV vaccines, and enzymes for repairing DNA in diseased tissues. David Baker, a leading protein scientist at the University of Washington, teamed up with computer scientists to create the game.

Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial.

J Clin Psychol. 2008 May 5;

Authors: Butler LD, Waelde LC, Hastings TA, Chen XH, Symons B, Marshall J, Kaufman A, Nagy TF, Blasey CM, Seibert EO, Spiegel D

This randomized pilot study investigated the effects of meditation with yoga (and psychoeducation) versus group therapy with hypnosis (and psychoeducation) versus psychoeducation alone on diagnostic status and symptom levels among 46 individuals with long-term depressive disorders. Results indicate that significantly more meditation group participants experienced a remission than did controls at 9-month follow-up. Eight hypnosis group participants also experienced a remission, but the difference from controls was not statistically significant. Three control participants, but no meditation or hypnosis participants, developed a new depressive episode during the study, though this difference did not reach statistical significance in any case. Although all groups reported some reduction in symptom levels, they did not differ significantly in that outcome. Overall, these results suggest that these two interventions show promise for treating low- to moderate-level depression. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64(7): 1-15, 2008.

Via KurzweilAI.net

Three music professors have developed a method called "geometrical music theory" that translates the language of musical theory into that of contemporary geometry. (Dmitri Tymoczko, Princeton University) They categorize sequences of notes, like chords, rhythms and scales into "families" that can be represented by points in complex geometrical spaces.