More and more often, we hear that higher education should foment critical thinking. The new skills focus for university teaching grants a central role to critical thinking in new study plans; however, using these skills well requires a certain degree of conscientiousness and its regulation. Metacognition therefore plays a crucial role in developing critical thinking and consists of a person being aware of their own thinking processes in order to improve them for better knowledge acquisition. Critical thinking depends on these metacognitive mechanisms functioning well, being conscious of the processes, actions, and emotions in play, and thereby having the chance to understand what has not been done well and correcting it. Even when there is evidence of the relation between metacognitive processes and critical thinking, there are still few initiatives which seek to clarify which process determines which other one, or whether there is interdependence between both. What we present in this study is therefore an intervention proposal to develop critical thinking and meta knowledge skills. In this context, Problem-Based Learning is a useful tool to develop these skills in higher education. The ARDESOS-DIAPROVE program seeks to foment critical thinking via metacognition and Problem-Based Learning methodology. It is known that learning quality improves when students apply metacognition; it is also known that effective problem-solving depends not only on critical thinking, but also on the skill of realization, and of cognitive and non-cognitive regulation. The study presented hereinafter therefore has the fundamental objective of showing whether instruction in critical thinking (ARDESOS-DIAPROVE) influences students’ metacognitive processes. One consequence of this is that critical thinking improves with the use of metacognition. The sample was comprised of first-year psychology students at Public University of the North of Spain who were undergoing the aforementioned program; PENCRISAL was used to evaluate critical thinking skills and the Metacognitive Activities Inventory (MAI) for evaluating metacognition. We expected an increase in critical thinking scores and metacognition following this intervention. As a conclusion, we indicate actions to incentivize metacognitive work among participants, both individually via reflective questions and decision diagrams, and at the interactional level with dialogues and reflective debates which strengthen critical thinking.

/pdf/metacognitive-strategies-and-development-of-critical-3gfnk3pi.pdf

Metacognitive Strategies and Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education

Traditionally, metacognition & higher mental abilities are thought to be exclusively linked to consciousness. However, a growing number of researchers support the idea that nonconscious processes may hold the keys to higher forms of intelligence. Subliminal messages expose individuals to visual or/and auditory stimuli below the threshold of perception. The current review aims to explore the effectiveness of subliminal cues on fundamental aspects of metacognition such as higher cognitive and emotional meta-abilities, affective and behavioral regulation, and academic achievement. In this context, we search for and classify the existing subliminal training techniques, while evaluating the usability of ICTs such as virtual reality, mobile apps, intelligent tutoring systems, and software in subliminal learning and training. The results of this review revealed that subliminal techniques improve all those aspects that assure metacognitive improvements in terms of self- & emotional regulation, higher mental abilities, and behavioral modification. Subliminal cues lower people's shields and update filtering mechanisms enabling people to focus on positive rather than negative interpretations. Subliminal techniques are under the umbrella of metacognitive strategies, since they can used consciously to increase self-regulation capacity as wells as expand the horizons of consciousness. Subliminal teaching techniques can be used by teachers and parents in general and special education to instill higher-level needs & motives, accelerate students’ performance and unfold students’ existing but underdeveloped abilities. Therapists can also utilize these methods to help patients with phobia, anxiety and depression to overcome fear. Subliminal techniques can be also used as a strategy by leaders, mentors, and employees to build trust, inspire and provide humanity with innovative ideas. ICTs provide the ideal environment for implementing subliminal training. However, more research is needed.

/pdf/subliminal-training-techniques-for-cognitive-emotional-and-3hb46qmg.pdf

Subliminal Training Techniques for Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioural Balance. The role of Emerging Technologies

The ConTraSt database for analysing and comparing empirical studies of consciousness theories

The design of modern convolutional artificial neural networks (ANNs) composed of formal neurons copies the architecture of the visual cortex. Signals proceed through a hierarchy, where receptive fields become increasingly more complex and coding sparse. Nowadays, ANNs outperform humans in controlled pattern recognition tasks yet remain far behind in cognition. In part, it happens due to limited knowledge about the higher echelons of the brain hierarchy, where neurons actively generate predictions about what will happen next, i.e., the information processing jumps from reflex to reflection. In this study, we forecast that spiking neural networks (SNNs) can achieve the next qualitative leap. Reflective SNNs may take advantage of their intrinsic dynamics and mimic complex, not reflex-based, brain actions. They also enable a significant reduction in energy consumption. However, the training of SNNs is a challenging problem, strongly limiting their deployment. We then briefly overview new insights provided by the concept of a high-dimensional brain, which has been put forward to explain the potential power of single neurons in higher brain stations and deep SNN layers. Finally, we discuss the prospect of implementing neural networks in memristive systems. Such systems can densely pack on a chip 2D or 3D arrays of plastic synaptic contacts directly processing analog information. Thus, memristive devices are a good candidate for implementing in-memory and in-sensor computing. Then, memristive SNNs can diverge from the development of ANNs and build their niche, cognitive, or reflective computations.

/pdf/toward-reflective-spiking-neural-networks-exploiting-3e6bphr1.pdf

Toward Reflective Spiking Neural Networks Exploiting Memristive Devices

Given the widespread debate on the definition of the terms “Body Schema” and “Body Image”, this article presents a broad overview of the studies that have investigated the nature of these types of body representations, especially focusing on the innovative information about these two representations that could be useful for the rehabilitation of patients with different neurological disorders with motor deficits (especially those affecting the upper limbs). In particular, we analyzed (i) the different definitions and explicative models proposed, (ii) the empirical settings used to test them and (iii) the clinical and rehabilitative implications derived from the application of interventions on specific case reports. The growing number of neurological diseases with motor impairment in the general population has required the development of new rehabilitation techniques and a new phenomenological paradigm placing body schema as fundamental and intrinsic parts for action in space. In this narrative review, the focus was placed on evidence from the application of innovative rehabilitation techniques and case reports involving the upper limbs, as body parts particularly involved in finalistic voluntary actions in everyday life, discussing body representations and their functional role.

An Overview of the Body Schema and Body Image: Theoretical Models, Methodological Settings and Pitfalls for Rehabilitation of Persons with Neurological Disorders

The amount of knowledge on human consciousness has created a multitude of viewpoints and it is difficult to compare and synthesize all the recent scientific perspectives. Indeed, there are many definitions of consciousness and multiple approaches to study the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC). Therefore, the main aim of this article is to collect data on the various theories of consciousness published between 2007–2017 and to synthesize them to provide a general overview of this topic. To describe each theory, we developed a thematic grid called the dimensional model, which qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes how each article, related to one specific theory, debates/analyzes a specific issue. Among the 1130 articles assessed, 85 full texts were included in the prefinal step. Finally, this scoping review analyzed 68 articles that described 29 theories of consciousness. We found heterogeneous perspectives in the theories analyzed. Those with the highest grade of variability are as follows: subjectivity, NCC, and the consciousness/cognitive function. Among sub-cortical structures, thalamus, basal ganglia, and the hippocampus were the most indicated, whereas the cingulate, prefrontal, and temporal areas were the most reported for cortical ones also including the thalamo-cortical system. Moreover, we found several definitions of consciousness and 21 new sub-classifications.

Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review

The epidemiological data of Indian patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC), specifically vegetative state and minimally conscious state, have not been investigated. The present study sought to explore the current state of the art in India for patients with DOC promoting a pilot survey. An ad hoc questionnaire was sent to a total of 400 Indian professionals who are affiliated to various centers; 59 professionals completed the questionnaire and 52 of them declared that their centers hospitalized patients with DOC in the last year for rehabilitation/medical treatments. The majority of the professionals were from Maharashtra region. The main preliminary findings showed that the prevalence rates of traumatic and nontraumatic etiologies were equally distributed, that the rate of use of the coma recovery scale-revised was low, and that the rehospitalization was always or frequently possible in neurological and rehabilitation units. The extrapolated estimated rate of patients with DOC hospitalized in the centers involved in 2017 was equal to 4 per million of population in Maharashtra region. More than 50% of the professionals declared that there were neither sufficient nor adequate services for caregivers' support. Even if the present pilot survey has some limitations, the present article offers the first preliminary data on patients with DOC in Indian country.

Patients with Disorders of Consciousness in India: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Survey.

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Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review

Patients with Disorders of Consciousness in India: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Survey.