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The role of inhibitory control in the ability to solve problems of university students

2020 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Acosta-Rodas P. , Ortiz-Granja D. , Lepe-Martínez N. , Valle M.D. , Ramos V. , Bolaños-Pasquel, Mónica

The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of inhibitory control in the ability to solve problems of university students. The sample consisted of 90 young people with typical development (Mage= 20.58, SD= 1.27), 39 females (43.33%) and 51 males (56.7%). The Stroop and the Anillas' Test tasks were applied as instruments. As results, it was found a directly proportional and predictive relationship between inhibitory control and problem-solving of university students (correlation between: r= .34 and .47, p= <.01; prediction: r2= .14, F(1,88)= 13.88, p= <.01). It concludes by reflecting on the contribution of conscious control to solve problems faced by the university student on a day-to-day basis in an efficient way and invites future research in order to train inhibitory control. © 2020 Fundacion para la difusion neurologica en Ecuador - FUNDINE. All rights reserved.

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Proposal for an evaluation scale of executive functions in university students [Propuesta de una escala de valoración de las funciones ejecutivas en universitarios]

2021 , López-Cárdenas M.J. , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

Introduction. The executive functions constitute a set of cognitive, affective and motivational processes, which allow the conscious control of thought, development of highly complex tasks, that is going to facilitate the adaptation to new situations, it is therefore necessary the contribution of new evaluation methodologies of executive functions centered on the university population, this is going to facilitate the access to check the cognitive processes of the pre-frontal cortex. Objective. Evaluate executive functions in university students between 18 and 25 years of age using a self-report scale. Subjects and method. 752 university students from Quito-Ecuador participated, aged between 18 and 25 years old, of whom 498 (66.2%) were female and 254 (33.8%) were male. As measuring reagent, the scale used to evaluate the executive functions in self-report was proposed in the project: Neuropsychological Systems for Supervision of Cognition and Behavior for the Benefit of Managing the Learning of Higher Education Students. Results. Exploratory factor analysis reported an organization of 8 executive functions that explain 57% of the variance of the construct (p = <.001). An adequate level of reliability was obtained between α =.70 and.86, a factor was eliminated since its level of reliability was very low and did not improve under any statistical procedure. The correlation between the proposed factors was adequate at a median magnitude r =.67 and.39. Conclusion. The results show that the proposed scale is based on situations in the student's daily life, this scale design allows identifying both pathological situations and conditions that affect the quality of life and development in the university environment. Furthermore, psychometric indicators provide evidence in favor of their reliable use in the university context. © 2020 Fundacion para la difusion neurologica en Ecuador - FUNDINE. All rights reserved.

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Bibliometric Analysis of Existing Knowledge on Digital Transformation in Higher Education

2022 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Palacio-Fierro A. , Galarraga Carvajal, Mercedes

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been feeling great pressure to advance in digital transformation. This pressure has been intensified with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. Because the digital transformation of HEIs has been attracting a growing number of publications, the present study sought to carry out a bibliometric analysis of such titles. For this purpose, 643 relevant documents were identified from the Scopus database in January 2022. The descriptive results show an accelerated growth of the relevant literature, with conference papers being the main form of publication, followed by articles, conference reviews, and book chapters. The areas with which the majority of documents were associated were computer science, followed by social science, engineering, and business and management. An analysis of the co-occurrence of terms based on the titles and abstracts enabled the identification of three thematic areas of interest: 1) digital transformation in teaching, particularly under the pressure exerted by COVID-19; 2) environmental influences on the digital transformation of HEIs; and 3) enabling technologies for digital transformation. A longitudinal analysis also based on titles and abstracts allows us to see how the primary focus shifted from the economic issue (in 2019) to the COVID issue (in 2021). This study concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, demonstrating as a particularly interesting area for future research the study of the digital transformation of HEIs in a future post-COVID scenario. © 2022, The Author(s).

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Video Conferencing Platforms for Learning: Which is the Best Platform?

2022 , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Bolaños-Pasquel M. , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the education field was forced to develop virtual learning environments on videoconferencing platforms. The most used videoconferencing platforms are Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and WhatsApp. This article aims to identify the perceptions that teachers have when using these platforms to determine which platform is the most optimal for developing the activities. The study involved 33 male and female teachers working at the high school and university levels. They responded to a survey that evaluated various aspects of four videoconferencing platforms: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and WhatsApp. The aspects evaluated were usability, platform design, benefits of the application for learning, and platform reliability. According to research results, survey participants said that, according to their perceptions, the best videoconferencing platform for the development of online classes is Zoom; WhatsApp, and Zoom are the easiest applications to learn to use; Google Meet is the most difficult to learn to use; and Zoom has the best interface design. The video conference platform that offers the best benefits for the teaching–learning process is Zoom. WhatsApp offers the least benefits in relation to the others. Based on the results, it can be stated that, according to the perceptions of the teachers surveyed, the platform that offers the best benefits in the areas evaluated is Zoom. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Youth and politics: A review of studies from Latin America [Jóvenes y política: Una revisión de estudios desde Latinoamerica]

2018 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Apolo-Buenaño D. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

The perception that young people have about politics in Latin America is characterized by a disenchantment and disinterest caused by the praxis of politicians. The dissociation that exists between the democratic discourses proposed in the campaign and the petty action in the execution of these, have created in the young a departure from the formal practice of politics in society. This disappointment is reaffirmed when young people experience political consequences in systems of care for society, as is the case of neglect within the health system, to give an example. Another factor that negatively influences the political construction of youth is the content offered in the mass media. In the present article a review of several factors has been carried out that have influenced the perception of the young Latin American towards politics. The methodology used was based on the review of twenty-three articles indexed in the main databases: Latindex, Redalyc, Scielo, JSTOR, SAGE, SCOPUS and WEB OF SCIENCE. The search terms used were: politics, youth, political perception of Latin American youth. Copyright © 2018 (Carlos Ramos-Galarza et al).

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Neuropsychological functioning in young professionals who use alcohol as a leisure activity [Funcionamiento neuropsicológico en profesionales jóvenes que consumen alcohol como actividad de esparcimiento]

2020 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Serrano-Flores P.

Nowadays it is common for young professionals, after their weekly working hours, to carry out recreational activities that involve the consumption of alcohol. In this sense, the article reports a study that analyzed the impact on the neuropsychological functioning of 30 young professionals who consume alcohol weekly (Mage = 29.07, SD = 5.50), when compared with 32 young professionals who do not consume alcohol (Mage = 29.56, SD = 5.96). Results suggest that adults in the group consuming alcohol have a lower performance in neuropsychological tests assessing cognitive flexibility (t = 2.10, p =. <.05), initiative (t = 2.15, p = <.05), fluency phonological (t = -2.09, p = <.05), reading (t = -2.14, p = <.05), similarities (t = -2.03, p = <.05), visual-spatial memory (t = - 2.14, p = <.05) and recognition (t = -2.48, p = <.01), when compared with the control group. The results suggest that weekly alcohol consumption generates a negative impact on the functioning of professional adults, which can have a counterproductive effect in the contexts where it is developed. The results are discussed around previous research and highlighting the need to identify the effect of alcohol consumption once a week, which would be seen as a leisure activity for young professional adults, not taking into account the negative impact on their cognitive performance. © 2020 Editora Cientifica Nacional Ltda. All rights reserved.

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Drivers of technology readiness and motivations for consumption in explaining the tendency of consumers to use technology-based services

2021 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Palacio-Fierro A.

This study aimed to identify the way in which the optimism and innovativeness of consumers (drivers of technology readiness) affect their tendency to use technology-based services, an area that merits additional research. The study was conducted in two phases in Quito, Ecuador. In the first phase, three services were selected to be studied: online shopping, online banking, and online music streaming. In the second phase, the hypotheses were tested with a random sample of 754 adults. The results were consistent in the three structural equation models (one for each service). Optimism acts indirectly, through the mediation of hedonic and utilitarian motivations. Innovativeness acts through a similar indirect channel, but it also acts directly. One of the marketing implications of this study is that simply concentrating on consumer attitudes towards technology is not enough, since it is necessary to consider their indirect effects on the tendency to use a service. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.

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Technological Innovation to Assess Cognitive Functions in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

2021 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Acosta-Rodas M. , Acosta-Vargas P. , Salvador-Ullauri L.

The development of a neuropsychological assessment procedure through a technological platform for children with ADHD. This platform is based on Python programming language, where stimuli have been inserted and, to which, children evaluated must respond freely (letters P), and others to which must inhibit his/her responses (letters R), using an adapted button box (greater attraction for children with ADHD). Variables of interest to the clinician are (a) number of responses to impulse control stimuli, (b) total time of execution of the task, (c) time in milliseconds from the moment when the stimulus is presented until getting a response from the child, and (d) total answers made. This study was applied in children with ADHD versus children without the disorder, finding that children with ADHD presented a mean error of M = 5.05 while children without ADHD M = 3.42. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Talented soccer players, the big secret is in the brain: The great tragedy of the star player and the fate of magicians with a preserved nervous systems

2017 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Peña-García S. , Pérez-Salas C. , Cadena-Almeida I. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Bolaños-Pasquel M.

In previous work, we have presented case studies from fascinating films for the eye of the neuropsychologist;1,2,3 continuing with this line of research, we describe here for your consideration a critical analysis of the role of brain functions in one of the most fascinating sports, soccer. In this analysis, we will look more closely at the brain damage suffered by the great footballer Salvador Cabañas and the role of the highly complex brain functions that allow the magical players to stand out in this sport. In the next pages, we present the case of Salvador Cabañas, both before and after his cerebral accident, and later we analyze the cerebral functions that are activated in brilliant players like Messi or Ronaldinho. We conclude this article by reflecting on the role of the brain in our normal human activities, and how catastrophic it becomes on a daily basis when our brain tissue is damaged so that as a result of this condition we can lose everything. © 2017 Fundacion para la difusion neurologica en Ecuador - FUNDINE. All Rights Reserved.

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The resurgence of Ecuadorian neuroscience: Revista Ecuatoriana de neurología [El Resurgir de la neurociencia Ecuatoriana: La revista Ecuatoriana de neurología]

2017 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

[No abstract available]