Showing papers in "Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences in 2014"

Dynamic patterns in psychotherapy--discontinuous changes and critical instabilities during the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Abstract: In therapy processes of a variety of disorders, discontinuous trajectories of symptom changes have been identified. In this study, we are reporting on such 'sudden gains' that occur in the treatment of clients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) following cognitive-behavioral group therapy. Time series analysis of data taken from 18 OCD clients revealed that a discontinuously shaped symptom reduction took place already before exposure/response prevention (ERP) in a large number of clients. Coincidently with the steepest gradient of symptom change an increased level of dynamic complexity in daily ratings of 47 items of a specific change questionnaire was observed. Our results support hypotheses from the theory of complex self-organizing systems, postulating nonstationarity and critical instabilities during order transitions. Our study underlines the usefulness of real-time monitoring procedures with high-frequency ratings (daily measurements) in therapeutic routine practice.

An adaptive process model of motor learning: insights for the teaching of motor skills.

Abstract: This article presents an outline of a non-equilibrium model, in which motor learning is explained as a continuous process of stabilization and adaptation. The article also shows how propositions derived from this model have been tested, and discusses possible practical implications of some supporting evidence to the teaching of motor skills. The stabilization refers to a process of functional stabilization that is achieved through negative feedback mechanisms. Initially, inconsistent and incorrect responses are gradually reduced, leading to a spatial-temporal patterning of the action. The adaptation is one in which new skills are formed from the reorganization of those already acquired through the flexibility of the system, reorganization of the skill structure, or self-organization. In order to provide learners with competency for adaptation, teachers should (a) guide students to learn motor skills taking into account that the stabilization of performance is just a transitory state that must be dismantled to achieve higher levels of complexity; (b) be clear which parts (micro) compose the skills and how they interact in order to form the whole (macro); (c) manipulate the skills in terms of their temporal, spatial, and/or spatiotemporal dimensions; (d) organize practice initially in a constant way, and then in a varied regimen (random) when the motor skills involve requirements of time and force; and, inversely for motor skills with spatial demands; and (e), provide a moderate frequency of feedback.

A nonlinear dynamical systems approach to real-time teacher behavior : Differences between teachers

Abstract: A positive teacher-student relationship is important for students' motivation, students' academic achievement, and teacher well-being. How the teacher-student relationship develops in real-time has hardly been studied. In the present study we explored real-time interpersonal behavior (micro-level) for teachers with different relatively stable patterns of interpersonal teacher behavior (macro-level), i.e., interpersonal profiles. Interpersonal profiles are considered indicative of the teacher-student relationship. Interpersonal teacher behavior was conceptualized using Interpersonal Theory in terms of (a blend of) Agency and Communion. We used a Nonlinear Dynamic Systems (NDS) approach to explore differences in content (attractors) and structure of changing behavior (variability) in real-time interpersonal teacher behavior using State Space Grid (SSG) analyses. We found the expected differences between teachers and correspondence between the location of the attractors in the SSG and the blend of Agency and Communion characterizing the teachers' interpersonal profiles. Regarding structure, we found the expected higher variability in real-time behavior for teachers with interpersonal profiles characterized by lower levels of Agency and Communion. We concluded there is sufficient potential of NDS to differentiate between teachers in order to use a NDS approach in future research on the connection between teacher-student relationship and real-time teacher interpersonal behavior.

Ought-approach versus ought-avoidance: nonlinear effects on arousal under achievement situations.

Abstract: The present study examines the dimensions of oughts under a nonlinear perspective Ought-approach and ought-avoidance have been proposed as two different dimensions of oughts, which have an opposite effect on subjects' arousal level under achievement situation The change in arousal level measured by heart rates per minute (HRPM) was modeled as cusp catastrophe by implementing the two dimensions of oughts as the control parameters: the ought-approach as the asymmetry and the ought-avoidance as the bifurcation factor The cusp model was proved by far superior from the three alternative linear models and provided the empirical evidence that the two dimensions of oughts are distinct and are associated with different processes The ought-avoidance dimension being the bifurcation factor acts in a destructive manner by introducing nonlinearity and uncertainty in the self-regulation process (with regard to HRPM) The interpretation of the model is provided and implications are discussed

The role of self-injury in behavioral flexibility and resilience.

Abstract: Severe and persistent self-injurious behavior (SIB) is notoriously difficult to understand and to treat. The current study used self-organization theory to investigate the possible relationship between SIB and changing levels of behavioral flexibility. Data consisted of categorical time-series of sequential behaviors from individuals with developmental disabilities and severe SIB. Orbital Decomposition was used to analyze each series for measures of structure and entropy. Overall, results showed evidence for self-organization in behavior patterns. Second, series including SIB were on average more flexible than those without SIB; while, higher numbers of SIB events (perseveration) were associated with higher behavioral rigidity and structural disintegration. Finally, there was evidence that behavioral flexibility almost always shifts reliably after a discrete bout of SIB, either increasing or decreasing in complexity. Altogether, these results may provide a deeper and more theoretically grounded understanding of the function of SIB beyond the traditional behavioral paradigm involving simple stimulus-response or response-consequence relations. Instead, some behaviors, such as SIB, may serve a resilience-making function as more global regulators of behavioral flexibility and coherence. Language: en

Catastrophe model of the accident process, safety climate, and anxiety.

Abstract: This study aimed (a) to address the evidence for situational specificity in the connection between safety climate to occupational accidents, (b) to resolve similar issues between anxiety and accidents, (c) to expand and develop the concept of safety climate to include a wider range of organizational constructs, (d) to assess a cusp catastrophe model for occupational accidents where safety climate and anxiety are treated as bifurcation variables, and environmental hazards are asymmetry variables. Bifurcation, or trigger variables can have a positive or negative effect on outcomes, depending on the levels of asymmetry, or background variables. The participants were 1262 production employees of two steel manufacturing facilities who completed a survey that measured safety management, anxiety, subjective danger, dysregulation, stressors and hazards. Nonlinear regression analyses showed, for this industry, that the accident process was explained by a cusp catastrophe model in which safety management and anxiety were bifurcation variables, and hazards, age and experience were asymmetry variables. The accuracy of the cusp model (R2 = .72) exceeded that of the next best log-linear model (R2 = .08) composed from the same survey variables. The results are thought to generalize to any industry where serious injuries could occur, although situationally specific effects should be anticipated as well. Language: en

Fractal dynamics in self-evaluation reveal self-concept clarity.

Abstract: The structural account of self-esteem and self-evaluation maintains that they are distinct constructs. Trait self-esteem is stable and is expressed over macro timescales, whereas state self-evaluation is unstable and experienced on micro timescales. We compared predictions based on the structural account with those derived from a dynamical systems perspective on the self, which maintains that self-esteem and self-evaluation are hierarchically related and share basic dynamic properties. Participants recorded a 3-minute narrative about themselves, then used the mouse paradigm (Vallacher, Nowak, Froehlich, & Rockloff, 2002) to track the momentary self-evaluation in their narrative. Multiple methods converged to reveal fractal patterns in the resultant temporal patterns, indicative of nested timescales that link micro and macro selfevaluation and thus supportive of the dynamical account. The fractal dynamics were associated with participants' self-concept clarity, suggesting that the hierarchical relation between macro self-evaluation (self-esteem) and momentary self-evaluation is predicted by the coherence of self-concept organization.

A mathematical model of 'Pride and Prejudice'.

Abstract: A mathematical model is proposed for interpreting the love story between Elizabeth and Darcy portrayed by Jane Austen in the popular novel Pride and Prejudice. The analysis shows that the story is characterized by a sudden explosion of sentimental involvements, revealed by the existence of a saddle-node bifurcation in the model. The paper is interesting not only because it deals for the first time with catastrophic bifurcations in romantic relation-ships, but also because it enriches the list of examples in which love stories are described through ordinary differential equations.

The performance-variability paradox, financial decision making, and the curious case of negative Hurst exponents.

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between performance variability and actual performance of financial decision makers who were working under experimental conditions of increasing workload and fatigue. The rescaled range statistic, also known as the Hurst exponent (H) was used as an index of variability. Although H is defined as having a range between 0 and 1, 45% of the 172 time series generated by undergraduates were negative. Participants in the study chose the optimum investment out of sets of 3 to 5 options that were presented a series of 350 displays. The sets of options varied in both the complexity of the options and number of options under simultaneous consideration. One experimental condition required participants to make their choices within 15 sec, and the other condition required them to choose within 7.5 sec. Results showed that (a) negative H was possible and not a result of psychometric error; (b) negative H was associated with negative autocorrelations in a time series. (c) H was the best predictor of performance of the variables studied; (d) three other significant predictors were scores on an anagrams test and ratings of physical demands and performance demands; (e) persistence as evidenced by the autocorrelations was associated with ratings of greater time pressure. It was concluded, furthermore, that persistence and overall performance were correlated, that 'healthy' variability only exists within a limited range, and other individual differences related to ability and resistance to stress or fatigue are also involved in the prediction of performance.

Verbal interactional dominance and coordinative structure of speech rhythms of staff and clients with an intellectual disability.

Abstract: Social interactions between staff and clients with an intellectual disability contain synchronized turn-taking patterns. Synchrony can increase rapport and cooperation between individuals. This study investigated whether verbal interactional dominance and balance, an indication of attunement between staff and clients with ID, are associated with synchrony of turn-taking patterns during staff-client interactions and whether the level of dominance and balance is related to the observed quality of the social interactions. Nineteen staff members video-recorded a social interaction with one of their clients in which the client asked for support. The recordings were analyzed using Cross Recurrence Quantification Analysis and Initiative Response Analysis. Fifteen staff observers as well as client observers completed a questionnaire on the quality of the video-recorded interactions. Staff and clients' patterns of verbal interactional dominance and balance were associated with the synchrony of their turn-taking behaviors. Staff's dominance was associated with a higher level of synchrony of turn taking, whereas client's dominance was associated with a lower level of synchrony. The patterns of verbal interactional dominance and balance were associated with staff observer reports about the quality of the interactions. The study suggested that staff and clients have a tendency to be sensitive to different aspects of interactions, which in turn may have different functions.

Uncertainty in Cost Performance as a Function of the Cusp Catastrophe in the NASA Program Performance Management System.

Abstract: Cost performance by NASA programs can generate two stable states within the organization system used for program performance management. These states could be stable individually or show multistability with cusp-like behavior. To test this, we constructed a cusp catastrophe model in a multilevel modeling (HLM) procedure on the cost components of an eleven-month period of one NASA program. HLM was used for its ability to estimate random effects as replacements for unknown control parameters. The cusp catastrophe model was a good description of the data and there was some evidence that the overall budget size functioned as a control parameter. Results are presented in terms of three different forms of uncertainty: attractor strength, unistability or multistability, and control parameters. Recommendations and future directions are focused towards understanding the cause of uncertainty in complex management systems.

Collaborative play in young children as a complex dynamic system: revealing gender related differences

Abstract: This study was focused on the role of gender-related differences in collaborative play, by examining properties of play as a complex system, and by using micro-genetic analysis techniques. A complex dynamic systems model of dyadic play was used to make predictions with regard to duration and number of contact-episodes during play of same-sex dyads, both on the micro- (i.e., per individual session), meso- (i.e., in smoothed data), and macro time scale (i.e., the change over six consecutive play sessions). The empirical data came from a study that examined the collaborative play skills of children who experienced six twenty minute play sessions within a three week period of time. Monte Carlo permutation analyses were used to compare model predictions and empirical data. The findings point to strongly asymmetric distributions in the duration and number of contact episodes in all dyads over the six sessions, as a direct consequence of the underlying dynamics of the play system. The model prediction that girls-dyads would show longer contact episodes than boys-dyads was confirmed, but the prediction regarding the difference in number of peaks was not confirmed. In addition, the majority of the model predictions regarding changes over the course of six sessions were consistent with the data. That is, the average duration and the maximum duration of contact-episodes increases both in boys-dyads and girls-dyads, but differences occur in the strength of the increase. Contrary to expectation, the number of contact-episodes decreases both in boys-dyads and in girls-dyads.

Simulating Self-organization and Interference between Certain Hierarchical Structures.

Abstract: A model of the dynamics and interactions between organizations with self-organizing hierarchical structures is presented. This is an abstract, discrete event model. The active objects of the model are entities (people, organization members). The entity parameters, like ability, corruption level, resources, and lust for power, are taken into account, among others. Three organizations are generated and interact with each other, attempting to gain more members and power. The model entities appear, due to a simple “birth-and-death” process. If an entity disappears from the model, the corresponding reconfiguration in the hierarchical structure is being done. The organization macro-patterns are results of the entity activities. Organization itself is not an active process of the model. The aim of the simulation is to visualize the evolution of the organizations and the stability of the whole system. It is pointed out that the “steady state” of the model is hardly reached. Instead, in most parameter configurations, the model enters in oscillations. The results should be treated as qualitative only.

Invoking the muse: Dada's chaos.

Abstract: Dada, a self-proclaimed (anti)art (non)movement, took shape in 1916 among a group of writers and artists who rejected the traditions of a stagnating bourgeoisie. Instead, they adopted means of creative expression that embraced chaos, stoked instability and undermined logic, an outburst that overturned centuries of classical and Romantic aesthetics. Paradoxically, this insistence on disorder foreshadowed a new order in understanding creativity. Nearly one hundred years later, Nonlinear Dynamical Systems theory (NDS) gives renewed currency to Dada's visionary perspective on chance, chaos and creative cognition. This paper explores commonalities between NDS-theory and this early precursor of the nonlinear paradigm, suggesting that their conceptual synergy illuminates what it means to 'be creative' beyond the disciplinary boundaries of either. Key features are discussed within a 5P model of creativity based on Rhodes' 4P framework (Person, Process, Press, Product), to which I add Participant-Viewer for the interactivity of observer-observed. Grounded in my own art practice, several techniques are then put forward as non-methodical methods that invoke creative border zones, those regions where Dada's chance and design are wedded in a dialectical tension of opposites.

Nonlinear dynamics of runaways among children and adolescents: disruptive disorder or step toward a suicide attempt?

Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyze the decision-making process whereby susceptible adolescents end up choosing the option to run away or attempt suicide. Our basic hypothesis is that this transition is largely based on cooperative mechanisms. The runaway state is regarded as a potential precursor of the suicidal one. A mathematical model incorporating these processes is developed from which the time evolution and the values of the susceptible, runaway and suicidal populations are evaluated in terms of a number of key parameters. It is shown that for appropriate ranges of parameter values the interactions present in the system eventually end up counteracting both runaway and suicidal attempts. Quantitatively this is shown by the existence of stable solutions of the model equations in which the populations of both suicidal and runaway individuals end up being zero, although in some cases a significant temporary enhancement can take place. But as the parameters are varied beyond these ranges the system starts sustaining non-trivial stable states, in which the populations of suicidals or runaways are maintained at non-zero levels. This hints at prevention strategies and crisis management such as separation from the environment and specific treatment different from those dispending traditional adolescent psychiatric units. Language: en