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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Does A 15-Minute Brief Mindfulness Breathing Exercise Temporarily Enhance Inhibitory Control And Cognitive Flexibility? A Within-Subject Experimental Approach, Andree Hartanto, K Tennakoon Appuhamillage Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Yi Jing Chua, Judy Abigail Ngo, Shi Ying Jolene Ong, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Xun Ci Soh, Nadyanna M. Majeed Nov 2023

Does A 15-Minute Brief Mindfulness Breathing Exercise Temporarily Enhance Inhibitory Control And Cognitive Flexibility? A Within-Subject Experimental Approach, Andree Hartanto, K Tennakoon Appuhamillage Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Yi Jing Chua, Judy Abigail Ngo, Shi Ying Jolene Ong, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Xun Ci Soh, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Intensive mindfulness practices have been shown to improve cognitive abilities such as executive functions. However, most of these mindfulness-based practices require the participants to be involved either an extended immersive experience or repeated daily practice that may span over multiple weeks or months. Extending from the promising effect of intensive mindfulness training, recent studies have also suggested that a single session of brief mindfulness training is sufficient to temporarily enhance cognitive functions. However, the positive effect of brief mindfulness was not always consistent. In view of the inconsistent findings, the current study aims to critically examine the effectiveness of a …


Relationship Between Contentment And Working Memory Capacity: Experimental And Naturalistic Evidence, Khai Qing Chua, Rachel Ng, Clarissa L. Q. Sung, Andree Hartanto, Vincent Y. S. Oh, Eddie M. W. Tong Oct 2023

Relationship Between Contentment And Working Memory Capacity: Experimental And Naturalistic Evidence, Khai Qing Chua, Rachel Ng, Clarissa L. Q. Sung, Andree Hartanto, Vincent Y. S. Oh, Eddie M. W. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Contentment is a positive emotion characterized by perceived goal attainment, a sense of having or being enough, and a focus on the present. Research on this new construct is thin, and no studies have examined its cognitive properties, particularly whether it facilitates or impairs controlled cognitive processes. We hypothesize that contentment positively predicts working memory. We found support for this hypothesis in two experimental studies (Studies 1 and 2) which showed that induced contentment improved working memory in the operation span task, and in one non-experimental study (Study 3) which showed that measured contentment positively correlated with working memory on …


Problematic Smartphone Usage, Objective Smartphone Engagement, And Executive Functions: A Latent Variable Analysis, Andree Hartanto, Yi Jing Chua, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Joax Wong, Wei Ming Ooi May 2023

Problematic Smartphone Usage, Objective Smartphone Engagement, And Executive Functions: A Latent Variable Analysis, Andree Hartanto, Yi Jing Chua, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Joax Wong, Wei Ming Ooi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The negative consequences of smartphone usage have seen frequent discourse in popular media. While existing studies seek to resolve these debates in relation to executive functions, findings are still limited and mixed. This is partly due to the lack of conceptual clarity about smartphone usage, the use of self-reported measures, and problems related to task impurity. Addressing these limitations, the current study utilizes a latent variable approach to examine various types of smartphone usage, including objectively measured data-logged screen time and screen-checking, and nine executive function tasks in 260 young adults through a multi-session study. Our structural equation models showed …


Do Executive Functions Buffer Against Covid-19 Fear And Stress? A Latent Variable Approach, Tina Li Yi Ng, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Andree Hartanto May 2023

Do Executive Functions Buffer Against Covid-19 Fear And Stress? A Latent Variable Approach, Tina Li Yi Ng, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Levels of COVID-19 stress have soared worldwide as a result of the pandemic. Given the pernicious psychological and physiological effects of stress, there is an urgent need for us to protect populations against the pandemic’s psychological impact. While there exists literature documenting the prevalence of COVID-19 stress among various populations, insufficient research has investigated psychological factors that might mitigate this worrying trend. To address this gap in the literature, the current study seeks to examine executive functions as a potential cognitive buffer against COVID-19 stress. To do so, the study adopted a latent variable approach to examine three latent factors …


Anxiety Disorders And Executive Functions: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis Of Reaction Time And Accuracy, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Yi Jing Chua, Meenakshi Kothari, Manmeet Kaur, Frosch Y. X. Quek, Matthew H. S. Ng, Wee Qin Ng, Andree Hartanto Feb 2023

Anxiety Disorders And Executive Functions: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis Of Reaction Time And Accuracy, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Yi Jing Chua, Meenakshi Kothari, Manmeet Kaur, Frosch Y. X. Quek, Matthew H. S. Ng, Wee Qin Ng, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Anxiety disorders, one of the most common classes of psychological disorders, have been shown to result in a decreased quality of life. Although some research suggests that anxiety disorders are linked to impairments in executive functioning, the inconsistency in the current literature yields an unclear conclusion on the relationship between the two. The current meta-analysis systematically investigated 55 records (N = 4601; kReactionTime = 44, kAccuracy = 79) that compared various groups with anxiety disorders to healthy controls on executive function tasks. Overall, our meta-analysis showed that individuals with anxiety disorders exhibited significant deficits in performance efficiency (reaction times) on …


Executive Function Deficits And Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomatology In A Nonclinical Adult Sample: A Latent Variable Analysis, Keisha Divya Veerapandian, Gabriel X. D. Tan, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Andree Hartanto Jan 2023

Executive Function Deficits And Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomatology In A Nonclinical Adult Sample: A Latent Variable Analysis, Keisha Divya Veerapandian, Gabriel X. D. Tan, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

While borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology has been studied extensively in clinical populations, the mechanisms underlying its manifestation in nonclinical populations remain largely understudied. One aspect of BPD symptomatology in nonclinical populations that has not been well studied is cognitive mechanisms, especially in relation to executive functions. To explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying BPD symptomatology in nonclinical populations, we analysed a large-scale dataset of 233 young adults that were administered with nine executive function tasks and BPD symptomatology assessments. Our structural equation modelling did not find any significant relations between latent factors of executive functions and the severity of BPD …


Executive Functions Predict The Trajectories Of Rumination In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis, Gilaine Rui Ng, Wee Qin Ng, Hwajin Yang Jan 2023

Executive Functions Predict The Trajectories Of Rumination In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis, Gilaine Rui Ng, Wee Qin Ng, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Previous studies suggest that executive functions (EF)—a set of domain-general cognitive control processes that contribute to the regulation of emotion—are generally associated with ruminative tendencies. However, there is a dearth of research that examines how EF influences changes in rumination over time, especially in middle-aged and older adults who typically experience a decline in EF. To fill this gap in the literature, we analyzed a large-scale combined dataset from the MIDUS Refresher, Daily Diary, and Cognitive Projects. We examined the impact of EF on the trajectory of rumination across 8 days using latent growth curve analysis. We also examined age …