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The aim of this study was to find out how the interaction between visually impaired parents and their sighted children has been studied and what differences have been observed between these children and sighted children of sighted parents. Methods. The research method was an integrative review. A qualitative analysis of the content was used to process the material. Results. Interaction between sighted children and their visually impaired parents has been studied by interviewing, observing, calculating child interaction behaviors, following the child's and adult's eyesight, using eye movement tests and standardized tests.

Memory is based on the brain’s ability to save information from the surroundings of the animal. Memory has three main functions: the encoding and consolidation of new memory traces and the retrieval. Oscillations are cyclic variations occurring in time. Neural oscillations are brain’s electric activity that can be viewed in cellular level or in the level of brain areas. The aim of this thesis is to review recent models about the role of neural oscillations in the encoding and consolidation of long term memories. Memory traces form when the connections of the neurons active in the encoding are strenghtened. New memory traces are stabilized to the long term memory in the consolidation processes. Consolidation contains both the strenghtening of local synaptic connections (synaptic consolidation) and the system consolidation, which solidifies the memory traces to the already existing information networks. According to the standard model of system consolidation new memory traces are saved simultaneously to the short term memory storage in the hippocampus and the long term storage in the cortex. The consolidation of the memory traces occurs when the memory traces in hippocampus are repeatedly reactivated which strengthens the analogous memory traces in the cortex. Neural oscillations are part of the memory processes both in awake state and sleep. In the awake state the main process is the encoding of new memories which for declarative memories is thought to occur mainly in hippocampus, mediated by for example gamma and theta oscillations. During the sleep the processes of the system consolidation are presumably in the main role, mediated by neural oscillations characteristic for different sleep stages (for example sharp-wave ripples and sleep spindles in slow wave sleep). Slow wave sleep is thought to be specifically important for the consolidation occurring in the sleep. On the other hand the role of lighter sleep stages may be greater than it has earlier been assumed. There is no complete understanding of the roles of different sleep stages and sleep time neural oscillations, and different partly contradictory, partly complementary models have been proposed.

There is apparent dualism in the internalist philosophy of mind, where a division is made between the mind and the world. In classic Cartesian dualism, the division between the mind and the world is made by separating the mind and the body from each other. Aim of this thesis was to parallelize the results and theories of neuroscience and psychology with externalist philosophy of mind. Externalist philosophy of mind poses a question to the more classical views whether an internalist and brain bound perspective is enough to explain the mind. According to the radical interpretations of externalism the mind builds on the factors of the environment, or even emerges from the relationship between man and the world. According to more moderate interpretations the relationship between mind and the world is only interactive. Externalism has also been used as a research framework for other sciences. For example, linguists Lakoff and Johnson proposed that language evolves from embodiment to abstraction. Example of this sort of development is the word “language” itself which originates from Old Latin word (lingua) meaning the tongue. The 4E –model of externalism as defined by Shaun Gallagher is used in this thesis as a framework of inquiry. The model partitions externalist theories in to four categories. The mind is embodied because mental states are affected not only by the brain, but by the states of the body as well. The mind is embedded because the mind needs an environment to function. The mind is enacted because it’s active and adapts to the environment. The mind is also extended because it’s not bound only to neural processes. The thesis progresses by covering the phenomena of neuroscience and psychology partitioned in classes defined by the 4E –model. Models addressed in the context of enactivism are cyclical by nature. Classical example of cyclical model in the field of psychology is perceptual cycle by Ulrich Neisser. A similar theme is present in Friston’s and Kiebel’s model of predictive coding. Motif’s related to embodiment have been long present in the form of for example James-Lange theory and nowadays in “The Somatic Marker Hypothesis” by Antonio Damasio. Theory of Embodied Cognition is likewise discussed in the part dealing with embodiment. Extended mind refers to the significance which objects outside of the skull can possess in relation to cognition. Another human can also be relevant to cognition, of which a traditional example is Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. Mirror neurons, empathy and social neuroscience will all be covered in the extended mind chapter. Themes present in the embeddedness partition are cultural. Theory of mind, perception of time and existential questions are intertwined with our cultural environment. Applications of externalist paradigm go from mobile mental health services, experience of art, evolutionary psychology and semantic memory to transcultural perspectives, artificial intelligence and existential questions. Wrapped up in to one definition the aim of externalist research of the mind is to probe the interface between man and the world.

Tavoitteet. Arviolta 25 000 henkilöä sairastaa Suomessa vuosittain aivoverenkiertohäiriön, ja heistä noin kolmasosalla ilmenee afasiaa sen seurauksena. Afasian tyypillisin oire on nimeämiseen vaikeus. Valtaosa maailman ihmisistä käyttää arjessaan useampaa kuin yhtä kieltä, mutta tutkimuskirjallisuus on keskittynyt lähinnä yksikielisyyteen, joten tutkimustietoa monikielisyydestä tarvitaan lisää. Kuvasta nimeäminen on yksi eniten käytettyjä sanahaun arviointimenetelmiä. Tässä kandidaatintutkielmassa tarkastellaan monikielisen henkilön, jolla on afasia, kuvasta nimeämistä, ja verrataan sitä yksikielisen henkilön, jolla on afasia, kuvasta nimeämiseen Menetelmät. Kandidaatintutkielman menetelmänä käytettiin integroivaa kirjallisuuskatsausta. Aineistohaku suoritettiin joulukuussa 2016 EBSCO ja SCOPUS Elsevier tietokannoista. Hakulause muodostettiin yhdistämällä afasia ja nimeäminen monikielisyyteen. Poissulkukriteereinä olivat etenevä afasia, aivovamma, yli 65 vuoden ikä, dementia sekä kolme- tai nelikie-lisyys. Lopulliseen aineistoon valittiin tutkimukset, jotka vastasivat tutkimuskysymyksiin ja joista oli kokoteksti saatavilla Helsingin yliopiston tunnuksilla. Lopullinen aineisto koostui seitsemästä artikkelista, jotka analysoitiin sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Monikielisen henkilön, jolla on afasia, kuvasta nimeämisessä ilmenee samoja virheitä kuin yksikielisellä henkilöllä. Ainoa merkittävä näissä tutkimuksissa löytynyt ero on koodinvaihto, josta on vaikeaa tietää, onko kyseessä kiertokeino vai interferenssi. Vaikuttaa siltä, että sanan samankaltaisuus kielissä aiheuttaa interferenssiä.

Tavoitteet. Anomiaa eli sananlöytämisen vaikeutta ilmenee lähestulkoon kaikilla afaattisilla henkilöillä ja se on afasian pysyvin oire. Nimeämisen kuntoutuksen taustalla tiedetään olevan monimutkainen molemmat aivopuoliskot käsittävä hermoverkosto. Kuntoutuksen hermostolliset mekanismit ovat kuitenkin monelta osin vielä epäselviä ja saadut tulokset osin ristiriitaisia. Tämän integroidun kirjallisuuskatsauksen tavoitteena on kartoittaa, miten nimeämisen kuntoutus näkyy aivotasolla kroonisessa afasiassa ja millaiset hermostolliset tekijät ovat yhteydessä kuntoutuksen vaikuttavuuteen. Menetelmä. Kandidaatintutkielman menetelmänä oli integroiva kirjallisuuskatsaus. Artikkelit haettiin Ovid Medline -tietokannasta. Hakusanoina käytettiin englanninkielisiä termejä aphasi* (afasia), treatment (hoito), therap* (terapia), rehabilitation (kuntoutus), anomia, naming (nimeäminen), "word-finding" (sanan löytäminen), neural (hermostollinen), neuroimaging (aivokuvantaminen), plasticity (muovautuvuus), reorganization (uudelleen järjestäytyminen). Rajausten jälkeen tutkimusaineistoon valikoitui seitsemän tutkimusartikkelia. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Tämän kirjallisuuskatsauksen perusteella kroonisessa afasiassa voidaan saavuttaa merkittäviä tuloksia nimeämisen kuntoutuksella. Tulosten perusteella kummankin aivopuoliskon alueilla on keskeinen rooli nimeämisen kuntoutuksessa. Kuntoutuksen seurauksena on havaittavissa paljon yksilöiden välistä vaihtelua aivojen hermostollisissa muutoksissa. Kuntoutuksen seurauksena voidaan havaita vasemman ja oikean aivopuoliskon aktivaation kasvua, joka viittaa aivojen toiminnalliseen uudelleen aktivaatioon ja uudelleen järjestäytymiseen. Toisaalta osalla kuntoutujista on havaittavissa vasemman ja/tai oikean aivopuoliskon aktivaation laskua, joka näyttäisi viittaavan tehostuneeseen tiedonkäsittelyyn. Saatujen tulosten perusteella vasemman ja oikean puolen alin otsalohkopoimu (inferior frontal gyrus, IFG) on keskeinen aivoalue nimeämisen kuntoutuksessa. Kuntoutuksen aikana voidaan havaita aktivaatiomuutoksia kummankin aivopuoliskon IFG-alueella. Lisäksi ennen kuntoutusta havaittu vasemman puolen IFG-alueen aktivaatiotaso ja alueen mahdollinen vaurio näyttävät olevan keskeisiä tekijöitä kuntoutusennusteen kannalta.

ALF is an memory impairment in which the temporal lobe epilepsy patient has problems with memory retention during an interval of days or weeks, while performing normally in standardised memory tests. ALF has been found for verbal, visual and autobiographical material, but it seems not to be material specific. ALF is associated with older age and higher intelligence, but its causes are unknown. It seems that hippocampal abnormalities contribute to poor memory retention only 24 hours after initial learning. After this point epileptic discharges seem to be more important contributors. The results are contradictory, however, and it is possible that ALF is associated with abnormalities outside the hippocampal region. Treatment possibilities for ALF are unclear. Seizure control with antiepilectic medication and rehearsal of learned material seem to be the best suggestions in the light of current knowledge.

Objectives. Over the last few decades, the usage of various digital devices has increased significantly. As people spend time on digital media especially in the evenings before bedtime, there has been a growing interest in researching the potential effects of digital media usage on sleep. The association between digital media usage and negative sleep outcomes can be explained by three different mechanisms: circadian effects of exposure to light from screens, stimulation from media content, and displacement of time spent sleeping by time spent using devices. The objective of this thesis was to review recent randomized controlled experiments regarding the effects of pre-sleep digital media usage on sleep and compare their study designs and results. Methods. Experimental studies were searched on PubMed and Ovid Mediline databases using the terms digital media, electronic media, screen light, blue light and sleep. Seven randomized controlled experiments published within the last five years were selected. All the studies had controlled the use of digital media and used both subjective and objective sleep measures. Results and conclusions. Most of the studies indicated that the pre-sleep usage of digital media has a negative effect on sleep. There were associations between the usage of digital media and sleep architecture, sleep onset latency, suppression of melatonin secretion and subjective sleepiness. In addition, each of the three mechanisms were supported by the studies. However, there were notable differences in the study designs between the studies, which made it difficult to assess the significance of the individual factors. There is a need for laboratory experiments with larger sample sizes as well as real-life studies to increase ecological validity. This would help specify recommendations regarding the use of digital media in order to improve human health and wellbeing.

Objective. Cyberbullying affects children and adolescents around the world since today almost everyone has access to the internet. Cyberbullying can be defined as intentional, harmful and repetitive activity via electronic devices or internet, for example bullying via text messages and sharing or sending pictures or videos without permission. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and it affects the functional ability of people worldwide. Based on current research literature, there seems to be a bidirectional association between traditional bullying and depressive symptoms, meaning that being bullied increases the risk for depressive symptoms and being depressed increases the risk for being bullied. Previous studies have also shown that there are sex differences in this association. Additionally, it is known that depression is more common amongst girls compared to boys. The association between cyberbullying and depressive symptoms has been researched considerably less. This thesis reviews studies on the association between cyberbullying victimisation and depressive symptoms and possible sex differences of this association, in that is the association bidirectional and are there differences between boys and girls. Methods. Studies were included in this thesis, if they assessed the association between cyberbullying victimisation and depressive symptoms and the sex difference of this association. Both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies were included. Results and conclusions. Adolescence cyberbullying victimisation was associated with depressive symptoms. Reviewed studies showed that cyberbullying victims reported significantly more depressive symptoms compared to non-victims and there were tentative results that the more cyberbullying is experienced, the more depressive symptoms there are. There were also tentative results on the bidirectionality of the association, but so far there are few longitudinal studies. Sex differences have also been researched in only a couple of studies so definitive conclusions cannot be drawn on whether the association differs between girls and boys. If cyberbullying victimisation really increases the risk for depressive symptoms, it is ever more important to develop actions against cyberbullying for example as a part of schools’ mental health programmes and further courage parents to supervise adolescents’ internet usage since it is known to reduce the risk for cyberbullying victimisation.

Tavoitteet. Aiempi tutkimustieto osoittaa, että autismikirjon häiriöön ja kehitykselliseen kielihäiriöön liittyy molempiin vaikeuksia kielellisissä taidoissa, mistä voi seurata haasteita ohjeiden ymmärtämisessä ja seuraamisessa. Häiriöiden oirekuvassa on paljon samankaltaisuutta, vaikka ne luokitellaankin erillisiksi. Molempia häiriöitä on tutkittu laajasti, mutta ohjausmenetelmien merkitystä autismikirjon häiriön tai kehityksellisen kielihäiriön lasten puheterapiassa on tutkittu tähän mennessä vasta vähän. Puheterapiassa käytettyjen ohjausmenetelmien tutkiminen on tärkeää kliinisen työn sujuvuuden ja tuloksellisuuden kannalta. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on tarkastella minkälaisten ohjausmenetelmien käyttö edistää puheterapiassa opittujen taitojen yleistymistä arkeen ja minkälainen ohjaus on näiden häiriöiden kohdalla hyödyllisintä. Menetelmät. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin integroivaa kirjallisuuskatsausta, jonka lopulliset aineistohaut tehtiin helmikuun 2024 aikana. Tiedonhaku tehtiin Scopus- ja Ovid Medline- tietokannoista, sekä kaksi tutkimusta valittiin aineistoksi käsipoiminnalla. Hakulausekkeita oli kaksi: autism* AND "speech therapy" AND (instruction* OR guidance*) / "developmental language disorder" AND (instruction* OR guidance*). Lopulliseen aineistoon valittiin mukaan kuusi tutkimuskysymysten kannalta relevanteinta tutkimusta saadun aineiston analyysin jälkeen. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Tutkimusartikkeleista saatujen tulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että annetulla ohjaustavalla on vaikutusta puheterapiassa opittujen taitojen yleistymisessä arkeen. Yleistettävimpänä ohjausmenetelmänä voidaan pitää suoran ohjauksen (Direct Instruction) menetelmää. Autismikirjon kohdalla hyödyllisimpiä ohjausmenetelmiä olivat eksplisiittisiä ja implisiittisiä, eli suoria ja epäsuoria ohjausmenetelmiä hyödyntävät menetelmät. Kehityksellisen kielihäiriön kohdalla taas parhaita tuloksia saatiin ainoastaan eksplisiittisillä menetelmillä. Tulokset painottuivat hyödyllisten ohjausmenetelmien käsittelyyn, sillä hakulausekkeeseen ei ollut sisällytetty ”yleistettävyys”-termiä. Jatkotutkimusta kaivataankin erityisesti ohjausmenetelmien yhteydestä puheterapiassa opittujen taitojen yleistymiseen arkeen.

Goals: Symptom networks as a concept came to the research field only less than 10 years ago. Symptom network is a new statistical approach, where disorder’s symptoms are seen as separate mutually interacting elements, compared to predominant way of seeing symptoms as indicators of common background latent variable. There is only limited amount of reviews available on the topic. Goal of this thesis to review state of symptom network research, i.e. what and with which methodologies is researched with emphasis on the theoretical developments of the concept. At the same time possible and necessary future research avenues discussed. Methods: Thesis is literature review. Google Scholar was used as a search engine and search was done using expression ‘ “symptom network” psychology ’. Only research published after 2008 is included. Due to length limitations of the review, only results from two first result pages were used. After this, based on the found articles references some extra inquiries were performed. Results and conclusions: Main result is that there are very promising results within existing research and statistical methods and measures start to settle. However, there is need for more versatile research, as well as for reproduction of results. Slightly worrying observation is that lion share of symptom network research is done by one research group. This thesis provided quite good overview of the research field, though it is left on slightly non-specific level.