Ideational Fluency in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms have been well documented in several systemic inflammatory conditions, e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Increased prevalence of cognitive decline and psychiatric issues has been reported in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there is limited evidence for which exact cognitive domains are affected and to what degree. Aim: To test the performance of cognition in the domain of ideational fluency (Thing Categories Test in particular) in patients with RA and compare the results with the general population and to the results with cognitive and depression screening scores in both groups. Methods: Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) assessment, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Thing Categories Test (TCT) were used to evaluate patients with RA, as well as the control group. Results: Twenty patients with RA and 20 controls were tested. 7 and 4 men, and 13 and 16 women in the study and control group, respectively. Average scores in TCT at three minutes were 7.50 (IQR6.0-10.0) and 6.0 (IQR3.0-8.0) for category “blue”; 17.50 (IQR15.0-19.0) and 16.0 (10.0-18.0) for category “round” in the control and study group, respectively. A statistically significant difference was established between the study and the control group in TCT for the category “blue” (p<0.025). The average score for GAD7 was 2.0 (IQR 0.0-5.75) and 3.0 (IQR0.50-6.00) in the control and study group, respectively. The average score for PHQ-9 was 2.0 (IQR0.25-4.75) and 4.0 (IQR2.00-5.50) in the control and study group, respectively. Finally, the average score for the MoCA scale was 27.0 (IQR25.25-28.00) and 26.0 (IQR23.50-28.00) in the control and study group, respectively. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that RA at least partially affects the cognitive domain of ideational fluency. However, further research with larger experimental groups is needed to provide more conclusive evidence.

Designing Interfaces that Stimulate Ideational Super-fluency

Current graphical keyboard and mouse interfaces are better suited for handling mechanical tasks, like email and text editing, than they are at supporting focused problem solving or complex learning tasks. One reason is that graphical interfaces limit users’ ability to fluidly express content involving different representational systems (e.g., symbols, diagrams) as they think through steps during complex problem solutions. We asked: Can interfaces be designed that actively stimulate students’ ability to “think on paper,” including providing better support for both ideation and convergent problem solving? In this talk, we will summarize new research on the affordances of different types of interface (e.g., pen-based, keyboard-based), and how these basic computer input capabilities function to substantially facilitate or impede people’s ideational fluency. We also will show data on the relation between interface support for communicative fluency (i.e., both linguistic and non-linguistic forms) and ideational fluency. In addition, we’ll discuss the relation between interface support for active marking (i.e., both formal structures like diagrams, and informal ones such as “thinking marks”) and successful problem solving. Finally, we’ll present new data on interfaces that improve support for learning and performance in lower-performing populations, and we will discuss how these new directions in interface media could play a role in improving their education and minimizing the persistent achievement gap between low- versus high-performing groups

Creative and Visualization Tools in Context of Design

The chapter in the broader sense will look in the area of creativity, creative process, and creative product. Specifically we shall look at the aspects of a creative product, discuss on thought process of the designers with focus on creative and visualization tools. Creative tools will be looked in context of changing mindset or assumptions, redefining problems, developing ideational fluency and bringing flexibility in thinking. Visualization tools such as sketches, storyboards, rough models, developing scenarios for the usage of proposed concepts etc will be discussed in parallel to creative tools serving as aids to externalize thought processes. Creative and visualization tools complement each other in enhancing the designer’s creativity as well as help them come out of the stuckness feeling that they encounter while addressing design problems. Practicing the tools rather than being aware of them is important and the chapter will demonstrate the application of these tools with examples.