A reverse order interview does not aid deception detection regarding intentions

To test the hypothesis that racial biases in opioid prescribing would be more likely under high levels of cognitive load, defined as the amount of mental activity imposed on working memory, which may come from environmental factors such as stressful conditions, chaotic workplace, staffing insufficiency, and competing demands, one's own psychological or physiological state, as well as from demands inherent in the task at hand. Two (patient race: White vs Black) by two (cognitive load: low vs high) between-subjects factorial design. Ninety-eight primary care physicians from the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Web-based experimental study. Physicians were randomly assigned to read vignettes about either a Black or White patient, under low vs high cognitive load, and to indicate their likelihood of prescribing opioids. High cognitive load was induced by having physicians perform a concurrent task under time pressure. There was a three-way interaction between patient race, cognitive load, and physician gender on prescribing decisions (P = 0.034). Hypotheses were partially confirmed. Male physicians were less likely to prescribe opioids for Black than White patients under high cognitive load (12.5% vs 30.0%) and were more likely to prescribe opioids for Black than White patients under low cognitive load (30.8% vs 10.5%). By contrast, female physicians were more likely to prescribe opioids for Black than White patients in both conditions, with greater racial differences under high (39.1% vs 15.8%) vs low cognitive load (28.6% vs 21.7%). Physician gender affected the way in which patient race and cognitive load influenced decisions to prescribe opioids for chronic pain. Future research is needed to further explore the potential effects of physician gender on racial biases in pain treatment, and the effects of physician cognitive load on pain treatment.

In the present two experiments, we compared lying about intentions and past activities. In Experiment 1, truth tellers and liars left a building to collect a package from a specified location and deliver it somewhere else. They were interviewed about their intentions before leaving the building and about their activities after having completed the mission. Based on the concepts ‘cognitive load’, ‘episodic future thought’ (EFT), ‘avoidance strategies’ and ‘impression management’ we expected the recall of truthful intentions and past activities to be more plausible and detailed than descriptions of deceptive intentions and past activities. Participants in Experiment 2 read transcripts of these interviews. Although Experiment 1 revealed more cues to deceit in the past activities interviews (plausibility and detail) than in the intentions interviews (plausibility), participants in Experiment 2 were best at distinguishing between true and false intent.

BackgroundEmergency medicine (EM) physicians sometimes respond to critical events outside the emergency department. To prepare for these complex cases—typically called “rapid responses” (RRs)—EM residents receive simulation‐based training involving four practice tasks and three exam tasks during a 1‐day session. Cognitive load (CL) theory describes how humans function with limited working memories to perform complex tasks. RRs are expected to generate high levels of CL, but the profile of CL across providers and RR cases is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed resident’s CL during RR training. We hypothesized variations in CL across individual and case and that exam cases would cause higher CLs than practice cases.MethodsResidents anonymously self‐reported CL levels after each case using the Paas scale, a single‐item, 9‐point scale from “very, very low CL” to “very, very high CL.” To examine case‐based differences in CL, data were rescaled by individual residents. “High CL” was defined as a score of 9/9.ResultsAmong 18 residents participating, CLs ranged from 4 to 9, with median of 7 and interquartile range of 7–8. While many cases showed bell curve–like distributions of CLs, one case—a bleeding tracheostomy—showed a rightward skew reflecting higher levels of CL. No significant difference was found in CL between practice and exam cases. There were 20 reports (16.5%) of “high” CL with variation across residents (0/7 [0%] to 5/6 [83.3%] cases) and across cases (1/18 [5.6%) to 8/18 [44.4%]).ConclusionsThe CL that EM residents experienced did show considerable interpersonal and intercase variation, but there was no significant difference between practice and exam cases. These results highlight several questions about how to optimally design future training, including how best to balance low and high CL training cases and which cases may require further training.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the neural signature of dual-tasking deficits in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder using a validated gait paradigm. Fifty-eight participants (28 controls; 30 idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients) were recruited; 52 participants had functional MRI scans as they performed a validated dual-task virtual reality gait paradigm using foot pedals. Forty-one participants completed single- and dual-task "overground walking" on a pressure sensor carpet. Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients showed deficits in dual-tasking (i.e., greater mean step time) compared to controls during "overground walking." Functional MRI revealed that idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients had reduced blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal change in the dorsal caudate nucleus, and significantly different corticostriatal functional connectivity patterns from controls, when dual-tasking in high versus low cognitive load. While controls showed greater connectivity between frontoparietal and motor networks, idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients exhibited less change in this connectivity as a function of cognitive load. These findings demonstrate evidence of dual-task gait deficits in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients, underpinned by disrupted corticostriatal connectivity. Minimal differences in the level of functional connectivity between dual-tasking conditions of high and low cognitive load suggest that idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients recruit cognitive networks to control gait even when the cognitive demands are low. This may indicate a compensatory strategy for early cognitive decline in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Acute alcohol ingestion increases attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli; however, the underlying cognitive and brain mechanisms remain unknown. We combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with performance of a dual task that probed attentional distraction by alcohol-related stimuli during ‘conflict' processing: the Concurrent Flanker/Alcohol-Attentional bias task (CFAAT). In this task, an Eriksen Flanker task is superimposed on task-unrelated background pictures with alcohol-associated or neutral content. Participants respond to the direction of a central ‘target' arrow and ignore adjacent congruent (low cognitive load) or incongruent (high cognitive load) ‘flanking' arrows. Using a between-subject design, 40 healthy moderate-to-heavy social drinkers received either no alcohol (placebo), 0.4 g/kg (low dose), or 0.8 g/kg (high dose) of alcohol, and underwent fMRI while performing the CFAAT. The low alcohol dose, relative to placebo, increased response latencies on trials with alcohol-associated backgrounds and, under low cognitive load, increased the activity evoked by these pictures within a medial hypothalamic region. Under high cognitive load, the low alcohol dose, relative to placebo, elicited greater activity within a more lateral hypothalamic region, and reduced activity within frontal motor areas. The high alcohol dose, relative to placebo, did not reliably affect response latencies or neural responses to background images, but reduced overall accuracy under high cognitive load. This effect correlated with changes in reactivity within medial and dorsal prefrontal cortices. These data suggest that alcohol at a low dose primes attentional bias to alcohol-associated stimuli, an effect mediated by activation of subcortical hypothalamic areas implicated in arousal and salience attribution.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of cognitive load level on students’ attitude towards the gamified course. It was also found out the students’ views regarding the 14-week gamified course. Participants consisted of 66 undergraduate students. 40 of them had low cognitive load level and 26 of them had high cognitive load level. According to the results, gamification enabled students to have a positive attitude towards the course, even though they had different cognitive load levels. Furthermore, it was determined a negative and medium significant correlation between the cognitive load and attitude of students with low cognitive load. The gamified course had a positive effect on the “Valuing” and “Positive Effects” sub-dimensions of the attitude in favor of students with low cognitive load. The positive views of many students in qualitative findings strengthened these results. While the gamified course had a negative effect on the "Resisting" sub-dimension in favor of students with high cognitive load, it did not have any significant effect on the "Cost Belief" sub-dimension. A few negative views of students in qualitative findings supported the items in these dimensions of attitude scale. Consequently, this study will strengthen the few studies examining both cognitive and affective effects of a gamified course on students. However, further studies need to confirm these results. For this reason, it is recommended to carry out such studies that reveal all the situations which can affect the attitude in the gamified course in order to achieve positive outcomes of students with different cognitive load levels.

It is well-known that laboratory subjects often do not play mixed strategy equilibrium games according to the equilibrium predictions. In particular, subjects often mix with the incorrect proportions and their actions often exhibit serial correlation. However, little is known about the role of cognition in these observations. We conduct an experiment where subjects play a repeated hide and seek game against a computer opponent programmed to play either a strategy that can be exploited by the subject (a naive strategy) or designed to exploit suboptimal play of the subject (an exploitative strategy). The subjects play with either fewer available cognitive resources (under a high cognitive load) or with more available cognitive resources (under a low cognitive load). While we observe that subjects do not mix in the predicted proportions and their actions exhibit serial correlation, we do not find strong evidence these are related to their available cognitive resources. This suggests that the standard laboratory results on mixed strategies are not associated with the availability of cognitive resources. Surprisingly, we find evidence that subjects under a high load earn more than subjects under a low load. However, we also find that subjects under a low cognitive load exhibit a greater rate of increase in earnings across rounds than subjects under a high load.

Background: The use of virtual patients (VPs), due to their high complexity and/or inappropriate sequencing with other instructional methods, might cause a high cognitive load, which hampers learning.Aim: To investigate the efficiency of instructional methods that involved three different applications of VPs combined with lectures.Method: From two consecutive batches, 171 out of 183 students have participated in lecture and VPs sessions. One group received a lecture session followed by a collaborative VPs learning activity (collaborative deductive). The other two groups received a lecture session and an independent VP learning activity, which either followed the lecture session (independent deductive) or preceded it (independent inductive). All groups were administrated written knowledge acquisition and retention tests as well as transfer tests using two new VPs. All participants completed a cognitive load questionnaire, which measured intrinsic, extraneous and germane load. Mixed effect analysis of cognitive load and efficiency using the R statistical program was performed.Results: The highest intrinsic and extraneous load was found in the independent inductive group, while the lowest intrinsic and extraneous load was seen in the collaborative deductive group. Furthermore, comparisons showed a significantly higher efficiency, that is, higher performance in combination with lower cognitive load, for the collaborative deductive group than for the other two groups.Conclusion: Collaborative use of VPs after a lecture is the most efficient instructional method, of those tested, as it leads to better learning and transfer combined with lower cognitive load, when compared with independent use of VPs, either before or after the lecture.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify the impact of age-related working memory capacity and cognitive load to word recognition using an eye tracker.Methods: A total of 48 participants (24 young, 24 elderly adults) who were divided according to working memory capacity (high, low) participated in the study. This study consisted of a digit load and word recognition task.Results: First, the elderly group had lower accuracy and slower response times than the young group. There was a significant difference between working memory capacity and cognitive load in response time. In the group with low working memory capacity, the response time increased under lower cognitive load, which was different from the group with a high working memory capacity. Next, the elderly group had a lower proportion of fixation than the young group by time interval. In addition, there was a significant interaction between group and cognitive load by time interval. In particular, the proportion of fixation decreased over time under a high cognitive load while the proportion of fixation increased under a low cognitive load in the elders, because the inhibition and switching abilities were weakened which made the elders unable to process information efficiently.Conclusion: The study results showed significant effects between working memory capacity and cognitive load in response time and proportion of fixation. This implies that complex factors influence language processing, which makes measuring accuracy insufficient. Thus, this research confirms the correlation among aging, working memory, and cognitive load through both online and offline measurement.

The functional connectivity status of DMN and its anti-correlated networks across cognitive loads in clinical high risk for psychosis.

Cognitive load, stress, and disinhibited eating

Research on learning engagement and cognitive load theory have proceeded in parallel with little cross-over of ideas. The aim of this research was to test an integrative model that examines how prior knowledge influences learning engagement via cognitive load and help-seeking strategies. A sample of 356 students from two middle schools in the north of China participated in the study. Analyses using structural equation modeling revealed that prior knowledge was positively associated with learning engagement, and that this relationship was mediated by cognitive load and instrumental help-seeking. Cognitive load also mediated the impact of prior knowledge on instrumental help-seeking, executive help-seeking and avoidance of help-seeking. The study shows that students with more prior knowledge and lower cognitive load are able to exercise higher levels of instrumental help-seeking, leading to good quality learning engagement. On the other hand, students with less prior knowledge and higher cognitive load are less able to engage in instrumental help-seeking, leading to lower engagement. Based on the research findings, recommendations for how teachers can improve learning engagement through decreasing cognitive load are discussed.

Cognitive demand and blood glucose

The association between physiological and eye-tracking metrics and cognitive load in drivers: A meta-analysis

Stroke patients often exhibit difficulties performing a cognitive task while walking, defined as a dual task (DT). Their prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity is higher in DT than in single task (ST). The effects of an increasing load on PFC activity during DT in subacute stroke patients remains unexplored. Our objective was to assess the effects of N-back tasks (low/high load) on cerebral activity, gait parameters, and cognitive performances. Eleven subacute stroke patients (days post-stroke 45.8 ± 31.6) participated in this pilot study (71.4 ± 10 years, BMI 26.7 ± 4.8 kg.m−2, Barthel index 81.8 ± 11.0). Patients completed a STwalk, and 4 conditions with 1-back (low load) and 2-back (high load): STlow, SThigh, DTlow, and DThigh. Overground walking was performed at a comfortable pace and -N-back conditions were carried out verbally. Both gait (speed, stride variability) and cognitive (rate of correct answers) performances were recorded. Changes in PFC oxyhemoglobin (ΔO2Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (ΔHHb) were measured by functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results showed an increase of ΔO2Hb while walking, which was not augmented by cognitive loads in DT. Walking speed was reduced by low and high cognitive loads in DT compared to STwalk (P < 0.05), but was not different between DTlow and DThigh. Cognitive performances were negatively impacted by both walking (P < 0.05) and cognitive load (between “low” and “high,” P < 0.001). These data highlight a “ceiling” effect in ΔO2Hb levels while walking, leaving no available resources for simultaneous cognitive tasks, during the early recovery period following stroke. In these patients, cognitive, but not motor, performances declined with a higher cognitive load.