Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão: 30 anos registrando o avanço da Psicologia Brasileira

Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão (PCP), publicada pelo Conselho Federal de Psicologia ao longo de 30 anos, registra o avanço da Psicologia, como ciência e profissão. O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar alguns aspectos que merecem destaque, a partir de 2005, quando PCP se consolida como uma revista científica, ganha a versão digital e se insere no movimento do acesso aberto. É feita também uma breve análise dos indicadores de citações da revista. As análises foram efetuadas a partir da leitura dos editoriais dos fascículos publicados do ano 2005 até o momento. Com base nos módulos de bibliometria do PePSIC e SciELO, além dos dados das referências da revista, foram levantados indicadores de citações recebidas e fornecidas por PCP. Os dados permitem afirmar que PCP vem aumentando o número de citações recebidas. A rede de revistas que mais citam PCP está publicada no PePSIC, demonstrando que publicações eletrônicas ganham maior visibilidade na comunidade científica. Ao completar 30 anos, a proposta da revista é o comprometimento com a Psicologia voltada para aliviar o sofrimento humano, mas também dedicada ao avanço da ciência psicológica. O conhecimento documentado em revistas científicas e o impacto que tais publicações representam para o saber universal é algo que deve ser abordado, discutido e entendido, assim, estudos dessa natureza devem ser incentivados.

High Prevalence of Dementia in a Community-Based Survey of Older People from Brazil: Association with Intellectual Activity Rather than Education

Although several surveys have been conducted around the world, few surveys have investigated the prevalence of dementia in Latin America. The aim of this study was to estimate dementia prevalence in a community sample in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, and to evaluate its distribution across several socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and habits. The population was aged 60 years and older and a representative sample from three different social regions. The screening instruments used in the first phase were the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Fuld Object-Memory Evaluation, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, and the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale. In the second phase, the Cambridge Examination was employed to diagnose dementia according to the DSM-IV criteria. The estimate of dementia prevalence was adjusted for screening instrument performance, using the positive and negative predictive values. The data were weighted to compare frequencies, considering the sampling and the non-response effect, and subjected to multivariate analysis. In all, 1.145 elderly subjects were evaluated (mean age: 70.9 years), of whom 63.4% were female and 52.8% had up to 4 years of schooling (participation rates at the first and the second phases were 62.6 and 60%, respectively). The observed and estimated prevalences of dementia were 5.9% and 12.5%, respectively (n = 68). Alzheimer's disease was the main cause (60.3%). Dementia was associated with old age, low education, stroke, absence of arthritis, and not reading books. The estimated prevalence of dementia was higher than the prevalence previously found. Associated factors confirmed the importance of intellectual activities in prevention.

Fidelity and game-based technology in management education

This study explores educational technology and management education by analyzing fidelity in game-based management education interventions. A sample of 31 MBA students was selected to help answer the research question: To what extent do MBA students tend to recognize specific game-based academic experiences, in terms of fidelity, as relevant to their managerial performance? Two distinct game-based interventions (BG1 and BG2) with key differences in fidelity levels were explored: BG1 presented higher physical and functional fidelity levels and lower psychological fidelity levels. Hypotheses were tested with data from the participants, collected shortly after their experiences, related to the overall perceived quality of game-based interventions. The findings reveal a higher overall perception of quality towards BG1: (a) better for testing strategies, (b) offering better business and market models, (c) based on a pace that better stimulates learning, and (d) presenting a fidelity level that better supports real world performance. This study fosters the conclusion that MBA students tend to recognize, to a large extent, that specific game-based academic experiences are relevant and meaningful to their managerial development, mostly with heightened fidelity levels of adopted artifacts. Agents must be ready and motivated to explore the new, to try and err, and to learn collaboratively in order to perform.