Banca de DEFESA: RÚBIA MARA ESQUARANTE BARBOSA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : RÚBIA MARA ESQUARANTE BARBOSA
DATE: 22/03/2023
TIME: 13:30
LOCAL: Remoto
TITLE:

Construction and validity evidence for a digital game program for cognitive intervention with children 

KEY WORDS:

Cognitive intervention; cognitive training; computerized games; children.

PAGES: 130
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUBÁREA: Psicologia Cognitiva
SUMMARY:

Learning is a continuous, evolving, and multidetermined process. Children with learning difficulties may present deficits in cognitive functions. Non-drug interventions such as stimulation, training, and cognitive rehabilitation have gained prominence in improving cognition. With children audiences, cognitive training has been most prevalent. In addition, using technologies such as computers, smartphones, and virtual and augmented reality, has proven more attractive for children. There are computerized interventions available in Brazil, but most were developed in the international context and/or have yet to present psychometric studies of the tasks. Based on these considerations, this study aimed to build a program in computer game format entitled "Tobias around the World" for multimodal cognitive training with children. In addition, evidence of content validity of the program was evaluated. To this end, two studies were conducted. The first refers to a systematic review that served as the basis of the theoretical foundation for the program's construction. The review sought to identify the main characteristics of intervention programs with children up to 12 years old and the association of these characteristics with the effects found. Sixty-one studies meeting the criteria were included. We found 45 studies of training, nine of rehabilitation, and five of cognitive stimulation, and among these, some articles used the terms as synonyms. The studies were divided into children up to six years old (n=16) and between seven and twelve years old (n=45). The use of technological resources, the focus on cognitive functions related to learning, and the application of the intervention in schools were predominant in the studies. Forty-four articles showed significant improvements in the cognitive functions worked on or others, showing positive evidence of using cognitive interventions in children. The results also showed that training with children is aimed at typical and atypical development and that the period between 8 and 14 hours may indicate better effects. Finally, it was also evidenced that there are still gaps in cognitive intervention studies with children. The selected articles ranged from high, medium, and low risk of bias, with the majority remaining at medium (n=41). The second study dealt with presenting the process of constructing and searching for evidence of content validity of the Tobias for the World program. It is developmental research of quantitative and qualitative approaches, with cross-sectional data collection. The study was divided into four stages: theoretical foundation, software construction and programming, judges' analysis, and pilot study. The academic background served to understand the current field of interventions with children in Brazil and for an adequate representation of the components of the models of cognitive functions covered in the program, including attention, executive functions, and memory. The scenarios and tasks comprising the games were planned, covering the scores, difficulty levels, and Brazilian-style aspects with characters, texts, and sounds. The software was programmed with the support of this work's co-supervisor, a professor in the Computer Science course. The judges' analysis counted on five specialists in the area who evaluated Tobias for the World through a form and who made it possible to improve the tasks. The pilot study was conducted with three typically developing children, a 7-year-old girl and two boys, ages 7 and 8. They were selected by convenience, with the permission of their guardians. This step was performed in a one-on-one meeting (applicator and child) and brought good results. The Ethics Committee of UFSJ approved this study. The results of the present dissertation showed a compilation of the characteristics of the interventions made with children and the usability of Tobias for the World as a program for intervention in cognitive functions. Future studies should evaluate, more specifically, the evidence of the program's effectiveness.

BANKING MEMBERS:
Presidente - 3031506 - Mônia Aparecida da Silva
Interna - 1759778 - LARISSA MEDEIROS MARINHO DOS SANTOS
Externo ao Programa - 2325597 - DIEGO ROBERTO COLOMBO DIAS
Externa à Instituição - MARCELA MANSUR ALVES - UFMG