Search Results (120)

Background/Objectives: Sleep disturbances are increasingly implicated in age-related cognitive decline and may contribute to heterogeneity in cognitive and social–cognitive functioning in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether longitudinal actigraphy-derived sleep parameters predict social cognition, including theory of mind (ToM), across amnestic (aMCI) and non-amnestic (naMCI) MCI subtypes. This study examined longitudinal trajectories of cognitive control and ToM in individuals with aMCI and naMCI and healthy older adults, and investigated whether actigraphy-derived sleep indices prospectively predict subsequent cognitive control and higher-order social cognition across these groups. Methods: A total of 179 participants (46 healthy controls, 75 aMCI, 58 naMCI) were assessed across three waves over approximately 16–20 months. Actigraphy-derived sleep indices were obtained using wrist actigraphy. Cognitive control was assessed with Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System subtests, whereas ToM was evaluated through tasks involving non-literal language comprehension, metaphor and proverb interpretation, higher-order mentalizing, and emotion recognition. Longitudinal trajectories were examined using mixed-design ANOVAs, and prospective sleep effects were tested using longitudinal path models. Results: Both cognitive control and ToM declined over time in the MCI groups, whereas healthy controls showed relative stability. Subtype differences in cognitive control emerged primarily in higher-order planning and rule-monitoring processes, with naMCI showing greater impairment. ToM revealed a clearer and more consistent gradient (healthy controls > aMCI > naMCI), particularly in higher-order inferential tasks. Among the actigraphy-derived sleep indices, only TST prospectively predicted later ToM performance, whereas prospective associations with cognitive control were limited and inconsistent. Conclusions: Reduced sleep duration was prospectively associated with poorer subsequent performance in higher-order social cognition, independently of the executive-control measures examined. These findings highlight phenotypic heterogeneity across MCI subtypes and suggest that objectively measured sleep duration may serve as a clinically relevant longitudinal marker of social–cognitive vulnerability. Future studies are needed to determine whether interventions targeting sleep duration are associated with improved social–cognitive outcomes. Full article

Drawing on positive psychology, this study investigated the relationships among language attitudes, student engagement (including its cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social dimensions), and academic achievement in French. A total of 335 Chinese junior high school learners of French as a foreign language (FFL) completed a French proficiency test and filled out validated scales measuring language attitudes and student engagement. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive associations across all three constructs, with effect sizes ranging from small to large. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further demonstrated that: (1) language attitudes were significantly and positively associated with all four dimensions of student engagement; (2) of the four dimensions, only behavioral engagement showed a significant positive path to French achievement and emerged as the only significant positive mediator of the attitudes–achievement relation, with the direct path from language attitudes to achievement being non-significant; (3) the indirect effects through cognitive, emotional, and social engagement were non-significant. These findings contribute to the further examination and extension of Control-Value Theory (CVT) and offer practical implications for FFL pedagogy. Full article

Background/Objectives: Children with cerebral palsy, a permanent neurodevelopmental condition that primarily affects movement and posture, exhibit higher rates of behavioral problems. This study examined the cross-sectional associations linking child functional independence in motor and cognitive domains and maternal self-blame to family adaptation and child behavioral presentations within an integrated analytical framework. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 79 child–mother dyads in the cerebral palsy group and 62 dyads in a typically developing control group involving children aged 6 to 18 years were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist, Functional Independence Measure for Children, Parental Bonding Instrument, Parent–Child Relationship Scale, Impact on Family Scale, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Path analysis using full-information maximum likelihood examined the relational structures exclusively within the cerebral palsy group. Results: Group comparisons indicated that the cerebral palsy group scored significantly higher on child behavioral total problems and all syndrome subscales than the controls. Sensitivity analyses revealed that while elevated child behavioral difficulties remained robust after adjusting for demographic imbalances, differences in parental overprotection and maternal self-blame attenuated to non-significance. Within the structural model, maternal self-blame was the only exogenous variable significantly associated with adverse family impact. Direct and indirect relational pathways from child cognitive functional independence and motor parameters to child behavioral total problems through family impact did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Child behavioral difficulties and family-level adaptation challenges in cerebral palsy represent cross-sectional patterns organized through distinct parallel systems rather than a single interconnected pathway. These findings suggest the potential utility of routine clinical screening for maternal cognitive emotion regulation patterns and identify maternal self-blame as a hypothesis-generating target for future longitudinal intervention trials. Full article

(1) Background. Substance use disorders are frequently associated with difficulties in emotion regulation and the use of ineffective coping strategies. (2) Methods. A total of 201 participants undergoing specialized treatment for substance use disorders in Romania completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Strategic Approach to Coping Scale (SACS). Statistical analyses included independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlations, path analysis, and linear regression. (3) Results. Participants with more severe substance use (history of hospitalization, detoxification treatment, and polysubstance use) exhibited significantly higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties. The latent factor DIFFICULTY was predicted by two correlated SACS predictors: Assertive Action (AA) and Antisocial Action (AS). Substance type differentially influenced DERS dimensions. The strongest correlation with the total DERS score was observed for antisocial action. (4) Conclusions. Emotion regulation and coping optimization are key targets in the treatment of substance use disorders, reflecting persistent difficulties in effectively managing emotions despite cognitive awareness. Social support may function as both an adaptive and maladaptive mechanism in this clinical context. Full article

This study examined whether adaptive humor styles, affiliative and self-enhancing, predict the five dimensions of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of South African undergraduate students who had experienced trauma. A cross-sectional SEM design was used with a criterion sample of 194 South African undergraduate students (72.7% female; M = 21.06 years, SD = 1.84) who had experienced a traumatic event between one and five years before participation. Self-enhancing humor was a significant positive predictor of all five PTG dimensions (Relating to Others, New Possibilities, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life), with standardized path coefficients ranging from β = 0.324 to β = 0.477. The measurement model demonstrated acceptable fit, though CFI (0.870) fell marginally below the conventional 0.90 threshold, likely due to model complexity. Affiliative humor did not independently predict any PTG dimension, with its zero-order correlations accounted for by shared variance with self-enhancing humor. These findings suggest that the emotion regulation and cognitive reappraisal functions of self-enhancing humor may facilitate growth across multiple domains following trauma, and have implications for therapeutic interventions aimed at promoting PTG. Full article

Virtual heritage tourism has become an important way for Generation Z to connect with intangible cultural heritage (ICH). However, current tourism research has predominantly emphasized technology acceptance, with little discussion of how digital experience can be transformed into a deep cultural identity and drive the internal mechanisms of cultural sustainability. This study explores how the emotional–cognitive path of digital tourism experience promotes cultural sustainability, with a special focus on the digital experience space of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Twenty-eight Generation Z travelers were interviewed at the TCM Culture Exhibition Hall, and their narratives were analyzed using a three-stage grounded theory approach in NVivo 15. An emotional–cognitive path model was constructed, including five stages: emotional arousal, emotional immersion, emotional connection, emotional sedimentation, and emotional assessment. Research has found that digital tourism experiences gradually internalize from sensory contact to cultural identity through emotional–cognitive pathways, thereby promoting cultural sustainability and inheritance intentions. This study reveals the mechanism of the emotional evolution in digital heritage tourism, providing a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the sustainable inheritance of ICH. Full article

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in educational practice, how teachers evaluate and respond to AI teaching tools has become an important issue for understanding human–AI interaction and technology application in educational contexts. However, existing research has yet to provide a clear explanation of why teachers form divergent decisions—namely, adoption and resistance—toward the same technology. To address this issue, this study integrates the Artificial Intelligence Device Use Acceptance framework, Behavioral Reasoning Theory, and Diffusion of Innovation Theory to develop a dual-path analytical framework, aiming to uncover the evaluation and decision-making mechanisms underlying vocational teachers’ responses to AI teaching tools. Based on survey data collected from 503 Chinese vocational college teachers and analyzed using structural equation modeling, the results indicate that perceived attractiveness significantly enhances adoption intention through positive emotions, whereas risk barriers increase alternative attractiveness and thereby indirectly strengthen resistance intention. Usage barriers show no significant effect. In addition, trust significantly moderates the relationship between positive emotions and resistance intention. The findings suggest that teachers’ responses to AI teaching tools are not driven by a single behavioral tendency but are instead shaped by a dual-path decision mechanism in which cognitive evaluations and affective processing jointly operate, with a core trade-off between attractiveness and alternative attractiveness. This study deepens the understanding of behavioral divergence in AI teaching tool use by highlighting the role of evaluation and decision-making mechanisms in human–AI interaction contexts. Full article

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into workplace ecosystems is intensifying adaptation pressure for new employees. This study examines how Workplace Fear of Missing Out (WFMO) influences adaptive performance in this context. Methods: Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory and the Emotion Regulation Process Model, a dual-path mediating model was tested using survey data from 442 new employees. Hierarchical regression, the Bootstrap method, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were employed. Results: WFMO is positively associated with adaptive performance. Role stress and cognitive reappraisal function as independent mediators in this relationship. Leader empathy positively moderates both direct relationships and indirect mediating pathways. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis reveals two distinct configurational paths to high adaptive performance. Conclusion: Workplace Fear of Missing Out can be transformed into adaptive behavior through resource mobilization and cognitive reappraisal mechanisms, with leader empathy serving as a critical contextual amplifier. These findings challenge the traditional view of workplace anxiety as uniformly detrimental and provide actionable insights for organizational management in technology-driven environments. Full article

International students in Saudi universities face academic and adaptation challenges shaped by emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and sociocultural factors. This study examined whether emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility predicted academic success and adaptation outcomes among international students in Saudi public universities. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 410 international students using structured measures of emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility, academic success, adaptation outcomes, Arabic proficiency, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Kendall’s tau-b correlations, hierarchical regression, and observed-variable path analysis. Duration of residence was significantly associated with Arabic proficiency, χ²(8) = 82.40, p < .001. Arabic proficiency was positively associated with GPA, τ = 0.62, p < .001, and adaptation outcomes, τ = 0.48, p < .001. In hierarchical regression, sociocultural covariates and psychological predictors explained substantial variance in academic success, R² = 0.53, and adaptation outcomes, R² = 0.53. Emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility remained positive predictors of both outcomes after accounting for Arabic proficiency, duration of residence, region of origin, and language of instruction. Findings suggest that international student success in Saudi universities reflects an interaction of emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and contextual resources. Universities should strengthen integrated support for emotional regulation, adaptive thinking, Arabic-language development, and culturally responsive academic guidance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Children born very preterm (VP) are at increased risk of later emotional and cognitive difficulties, including anxiety symptoms during childhood. Altered early brain development, particularly within subcortical circuits involved in emotional regulation, may contribute to this vulnerability. This study aimed to assess anxiety symptoms in preschool-aged children born VP, examine their relationship with cognitive performance, and determine whether neonatal brain volumes at term-equivalent age (TEA) were associated with later anxiety symptoms. We also explored whether cognition mediated the association between neonatal striatal volumes and anxiety. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of infants born at ≤32 weeks of gestation and/or with a birth weight ≤1500 g admitted to a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit between 2018 and 2021. At 4–6 years of age, anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Anxiety Problems subscale, and cognitive performance was evaluated with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV (WPPSI-IV). Neonatal magnetic resonance imaging performed at TEA was used to obtain regional brain volumetric measures. Associations were analyzed using adjusted linear regression, interaction-based volumetric modeling, path analysis, and receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: Ninety-five children were included, and 24 (25.3%) showed clinically relevant anxiety symptoms according to the CBCL Anxiety Problems subscale. Higher WPPSI-IV scores were associated with lower anxiety scores (β = −0.183; p = 0.042). The best-fitting MRI model included caudate volume, putamen volume, and their interaction, with a significant association between the putamen–caudate interaction and anxiety symptoms (β = −17.807; p < 0.001). In the path model, both cognition and the putamen–caudate interaction were directly associated with anxiety, whereas the indirect effect through cognition was not significant. The final MRI model showed acceptable discrimination for clinically relevant anxiety (AUC = 0.796). Conclusions: Anxiety symptoms were frequent in preschool-aged children born VP and were associated with lower cognitive performance. Neonatal striatal volumetric organization, particularly the interaction between the putamen and caudate volumes, was independently associated with later anxiety symptoms, suggesting that cognitive and early neural factors may contribute to anxiety risk through parallel rather than mediated pathways. Full article

This study investigates the impact of organic agriculture on farmers’ conservation behaviors, focusing on a sample of 816 households in the Chinese Crested Ibis habitats of Yang County, Shaanxi Province, China. Employing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we analyzed the ecological feedback mechanisms bridging agricultural practices and species protection outcomes. The results identify two primary pathways through which organic agriculture fosters conservation: (1) Enhanced perceived benefits directly drive conservation behaviors, with significant path coefficients for ecological benefits (0.105, p < 0.05) and overall benefits (0.290, p < 0.001). (2) Government regulations fortify ecological cognition and conservation efforts (0.123, p < 0.001). Notably, while ecological cognition alone exhibited no direct behavioral impact, ecological emotions emerged as a critical mediator (0.153, p < 0.001). These mechanisms align with the remarkable recovery of the Crested Ibis population—from near extinction to over 7000 individuals—since the reserve’s establishment in 1981. Ultimately, this study highlights organic agriculture’s capacity to generate a positive ecological feedback loop, wherein economic viability and emotional connections to conservation mutually reinforce sustainable behaviors. The findings underscore that personal emotional investment in environmental stewardship is a stronger behavioral catalyst than cognitive understanding alone. This research offers robust empirical evidence to inform policy designs that harmonize agricultural livelihoods with biodiversity goals through targeted organic agriculture incentives and emotionally engaging ecological education programs. Full article

The fundamental purpose of education—preparing new generations to be contributing members of society—remains constant, yet achieving this has become increasingly complex amid multifaceted technological, cultural, economic, and social transformations. Educational leaders worldwide continuously seek innovative pedagogical models addressing diverse learner needs and rapid societal changes. However, this article challenges the assumption that educational quality requires constant novelty, arguing that solutions lie in the innovative integration of established pedagogical theories developed over the past 150 years by scholars such as Dewey, Vygotsky, Piaget, Feuerstein, Gardner, Freire, and others. The article’s primary objective is to encourage education leaders and teacher educators to reconceptualize innovation by prioritizing pedagogical integration over continuous adaptation to rapidly expanding domain-specific knowledge and emerging technologies. Accordingly, this article employs a conceptual synthesis of major pedagogical approaches to equip educators with theoretical foundations and practical tools to foster learner independence, critical thinking, and holistic development across cognitive, emotional, and social domains. It will also promote inclusion through a practical framework integrating pedagogical theories, addressing diversity from a dual perspective, recognizing that both teachers and learners bring unique characteristics, strengths, and needs. Moreover, developing independent learners requires empowering teachers to cultivate unique professional methodologies grounded in integrated pedagogical understanding, so that a shift from innovation-centered to integration-centered teacher education may serve as a sustainable path toward educational quality and academic excellence. Full article

In the environment in which competition in the aviation industry is intensifying and services are becoming increasingly homogeneous, a deep understanding of the key factors influencing passenger loyalty is beneficial for airlines to adopt more differentiated policies, thereby enabling long-term development. Exploring these dynamics within the framework of social and economic sustainability in the aviation sector, this study conducted a questionnaire survey of 375 Air China passengers. The collected data were analyzed using SEM (structural equation modeling) to investigate the relationships among service experience, corporate social responsibility (CSR), brand love, customer satisfaction, and reuse intention. The empirical results show that service experience has a significant and positive impact on both brand love and customer satisfaction. Also, CSR is key to boosting passengers’ emotional attachment and overall satisfaction. The findings also show that passengers with higher brand love and satisfaction are more likely to reuse the airline’s services. The results highlight how integrating CSR and service experience into an emotional–cognitive path serves as a strategic roadmap for securing a sustainable competitive advantage in a homogeneous market. Based on these insights, the research proposes practical managerial implications to help Air China develop sustainably and stay competitive in the long run. Full article

Unlike conventional virtual idols like Hatsune Miku, which rely on pre-set voice libraries and stage scripts, AI-customized virtual idols achieve real-time interaction through generative artificial intelligence, continuously iterating their personality traits, language style, and even value expression along with fan and user interactions. AI-customized virtual idols, as pre-defined cultural commodities in the digital age, tend to focus on static, functional interpretations and have not yet fully entered the dynamic construction process as “subjects in the process of generation.” This study, based on a deep mediation perspective, employs a research method combining app roaming and semi-structured interviews to focus on the sociological examination of young fan groups’ use of AI tools to customize virtual idol companionship. It explores the reciprocal relationship between fan groups and customized virtual idols. The study finds that the AI-customized idols fan group constitutes a typical “actor group,” and its interaction practices are essentially a “fluid interaction” of human–machine intimacy. Young fan groups mainly interact with AI-customized virtual idols based on materiality, cognition, visibility, and emotional frames, thereby generating rich meaning production and symbolic imagination during the usage process. Fan groups and AI-customized virtual idols have developed different relationship paths, including mutual attachment, returning to normalcy, seeking substitutes, or direct withdrawal, revealing the inherent contradictions and tensions in digital intimacy, as well as the self-adjustment strategies of individuals under the mediation of technology. This process presents a “human-machine-idol” triadic relationship framework, becoming a new paradigm for intimacy in the digital age. Full article

The analysis of brain data through electroencephalography (EEG) has become essential in neuroscience, affective computing, and brain–computer interfaces. Recent work associates EEG features with artificial neurotransmitter models, simulating emotions and rational–emotional decision-making using complexity theory. However, current methods face limitations: (1) linear temporal representations lacking memory and anticipation, (2) limited contextual adaptation, (3) difficulty with paradoxical affective states, and (4) absence of ethical reasoning in decision-making. We present a framework based on Sophimatics, using complex time ($t=t_{real}+i\cdot t_{imag}\in \mathbb{C}$) where $t_{real}$ represents chronology and $t_{imag}$ encodes experiential dimensions including memory depth and anticipatory imagination. The Super Time Cognitive Neural Network (STCNN) architecture enables the parallel processing of objective time sequences and subjective cognitive experiences. Our Sophimatics-assisted EEG analysis achieves: (1) two-dimensional temporal coherence integrating past experiences and future projections, (2) context-sensitive adaptation via ontological knowledge graphs, (3) interpretable symbolic reasoning compatible with clinical psychology, (4) mechanisms for resolving affective paradoxes, and (5) ethical constraints ensuring value-based decision-making. Across three case studies (emotion recognition, meditation-induced transitions, and brain–computer interface decision support), integrated Sophimatics models outperform traditional machine learning (15–22% accuracy improvement) and complexity theory models (8–14% improvement), while offering greater cognitive richness and immunity to incomplete data. Results establish a post-generative AI framework with computational wisdom: relationally interactive, ethically informed, and temporally consistent with human cognitive and affective life. The framework outlines paths toward next-generation neuromorphic systems achieving genuine understanding beyond pattern recognition. Full article