Sustained antipsychotic effect of metacognitive training in psychosis: a randomized-controlled study.

Persistent psychotic symptoms represent a major challenge for psychiatric care. Basic research has shown that psychotic symptoms are associated with cognitive biases. Metacognitive training (MCT) aims at helping patients to become aware of these biases and to improve problem-solving. Fifty-two participants fulfilling diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders and persistent delusions and stabilized antipsychotic medication were enrolled in this study. Following baseline assessment patients were randomized either to treatment as usual (TAU) conditions or TAU+MCT. The intervention consisted of eight weekly 1-hour sessions (maximum: 8 hours). Participants were assessed at 8 weeks and 6-months later by blind assessors. Participants were assessed with the Psychotic Symptoms Rating Scales (PSYRATS) and the positive subscale of the PANSS. Between-group differences in post- and pre-test values were significant at a medium effect size in favor of the MCT for the PSYRATS delusion scale and the positive scale of the PANSS both at post and follow-up. The results of this study indicate that MCT training has a surplus antipsychotic effect for patients suffering from schizophrenia-related disorders who demonstrate only a partial response to antipsychotic treatment and that the effect of the intervention persists for at least 6 months after the intervention.

The rewards of cooperation: The effects of membership in European regulatory networks

Networks famously epitomize the shift from 'government' to 'governance' as governing structures for exercising control and coordination besides hierarchies and markets. Their distinctive features are their horizontality, the interdependence among member actors and an interactive decision-making style. Networks are expected to increase the problem-solving capacity of political systems in a context of growing social complexity, where political authority is increasingly fragmented across territorial and functional levels. However, very little attention has been given so far to another crucial implication of network governance - that is, the effects of networks on their members. To explore this important question, this article examines the effects of membership in European regulatory networks on two crucial attributes of member agencies, which are in charge of regulating finance, energy, telecommunications and competition: organisational growth and their regulatory powers. Panel analysis applied to data on 118 agencies during a ten-year period and semi-structured interviews provide mixed support regarding the expectation of organisational growth while strongly confirming the positive effect of networks on the increase of the regulatory powers attributed to member agencies.

Impact on assertivity of a social skills training with adolescents suffering from psychotic or anxiety/mood disorders: An exploratory study

During adolescence numerous of important social abilities are acquired within interactions with peers. Severe psychiatric disorders interfere with the acquisition of these social skills. For example, due to excessive shyness, adolescents with psychiatric disorders may not experiment positive social interactions. Social skills training (SKT) may help adolescents to remediate to these diffi culties. This exploratory study aims to assess the SKT's effect on assertivity, in a population of adolescents presenting psychiatric disorder and attending a day care unit for adolescents. The SKT, delivered in group, deals with different themes such as contact, conversation, problem solving, confl ict, fail, success, learning, effort, separation, breakdown, and project. In this context, 38 adolescents (19 suffering from anxiety / mood disorder and 19 suffering from psychotic disorder) rate their level of assertivity before and after a SKT with the Rathus assertivity scale. This scale allows to differentiate between inhibited, assertive and assertiveaggressive adolescents. Results showed a general improvement on assertivity after the SKT. More specifi cally, adolescents suffering from anxiety disorder and the 'inhibited' adolescents showed the higher benefi t from the SKT. Thus, two hours per week of SKT seems to enhance social abilities in a population with severe psychiatric disorders. More specifi - cally, adolescents with anxiety / mood disorders reported more benefi ts of the SKT on their assertivity. Nevertheless, adolescents with psychotic disorders did not report strong benefi ts from the SKT despite the improvement observed at a clinical level. This observation raises questions about the usefulness of self-reported questionnaire to measure such benefi t for adolescents with psychosis.

Författningsändring och problemlösning: en studie av kvalificerade majoriteter i 34 stater

Abstract: Constitutional amendment and problem-solving: supermajorities in 34 states.

Remote collaborative multi-user informal learning experiences: design and evaluation

This paper presents a customizable system used to develop a collaborative multi-user problem solving game. It addresses the increasing demand for appealing informal learning experiences in museum-like settings. The system facilitates remote collaboration by allowing groups of learners tocommunicate through a videoconferencing system and by allowing them to simultaneously interact through a shared multi-touch interactive surface. A user study with 20 user groups indicates that the game facilitates collaboration between local and remote groups of learners. The videoconference and multitouch surface acted as communication channels, attracted students’ interest, facilitated engagement, and promoted inter- and intra-group collaboration—favoring intra-group collaboration. Our findings suggest that augmentingvideoconferencing systems with a shared multitouch space offers newpossibilities and scenarios for remote collaborative environments and collaborative learning.

Functional remediation for bipolar disorder

Neurocognitive impairment constitutes a core feature of bipolar illness. The main domains affected are verbal memory, attention, and executive functions. Deficits in these areas as well as difficulties to get functional remission seem to be increased associated with illness progression. Several studies have found a strong relationship between neurocognitive impairment and low functioning in bipolar disorder, as previously reported in other illnesses such as schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation strategies, adapted from work conducted with traumatic brain injury patients and applied to patients with schizophrenia, also need to be adapted to individuals with bipolar disorders. Early intervention using functional remediation, involves neurocognitive techniques and training, but also psychoeducation on cognition-related issues and problem-solving within an ecological framework.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2000, January 3, 2001

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2001, January 3, 2001

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2002, January 3, 2001

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2003, January 5, 2004

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2004, November 29, 2004

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2005, October 21, 2005

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

CIRAS News Annual Report 2006, September 4, 2007

CIRAS professionals, the equipment they use to do their jobs, and the latest in technical support equipment. With these investments, CIRAS continues to meet the needs of Iowa manufacturers, whether in doing routine problem solving, long-range planning, or transferring newer technologies. In all of its services, but most notably in product development projects, one of the strengths of CIRAS lies in bringing ISU students into the picture, both to help reach project goals and as real-job learning experiences for the students.

Gestión de la actividad no presencial y autoevaluación de competencias = Management of student learning outside the classroom and the self-evaluation of competences

La asignatura troncal “Evaluación Psicológica” de los estudios de Psicología y delestudio de grado “Desarrollo humano en la sociedad de la información” de laUniversidad de Girona consta de 12 créditos según la Ley Orgánica de Universidades.Hasta el año académico 2004-05 el trabajo no presencial del alumno consistía en larealización de una evaluación psicológica que se entregaba por escrito a final de curso yde la cual el estudiante obtenía una calificación y revisión si se solicitaba. En el caminohacia el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, esta asignatura consta de 9 créditosque equivalen a un total de 255 horas de trabajo presencial y no presencial delestudiante. En los años académicos 2005-06 y 2006-07 se ha creado una guía de trabajopara la gestión de la actividad no presencial con el objetivo de alcanzar aprendizajes anivel de aplicación y solución de problemas/pensamiento crítico (Bloom, 1975)siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Agencia para la Calidad del Sistema Universitariode Cataluña (2005). La guía incorpora: los objetivos de aprendizaje, los criterios deevaluación, la descripción de las actividades, el cronograma semanal de trabajos paratodo el curso, la especificación de las tutorías programadas para la revisión de losdiversos pasos del proceso de evaluación psicológica y el uso del foro para elconocimiento, análisis y crítica constructiva de las evaluaciones realizadas por loscompañeros