Olfactory sensory and perceptual evaluation in newborn infants: A systematic review.

Fetuses are able to process olfactory stimuli present in the womb and continue to show a preference for these odors for months after birth. Despite the accumulated knowledge about their early ability to perceive odors, there is a lack of validated scales for odor response in newborns. The evaluation of reactions of the olfactory system to environmental stimuli in infants has been defined by methodological theoretical approaches of experimental and clinical assessment tools.

Performance differences between instructions on paper vs digital glasses for a simple assembly task.

Objective: Providing instruction for assembly tasks is essential in modern manufacturing industry, as well as in households for customers that buy products to be assembled at home. Recent technological developments might be able to assist in completing an assembly task faster and more accurately. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether performance and usability differs when instructions for an assembly task are presented on digital glasses versus paper.

Evaluation of a multidisciplinary concept of mental demands at work on cognitive functioning in old age.

Objectives: Previous work has shown that high mental demands are associated with better cognitive functioning in old age. As there is a lack of a general conceptual framework for this association, the aim of the study was to investigate how mental demands and other work-related factors relate to cognitive functioning as a foundation for developing such a framework.

Methods: An expert panel discussion was conducted with the aim of determining relevant work-related factors, which were then tested in a survey with 346 employees aged 50+ years, who were actively working.

Relevance of the assessment mode in the digital assessment of processing speed.

: Many medical facilities and research institutes start using digital assessment methods to assess cognitive abilities, such as processing speed, instead of the traditional pen and paper versions. Even though many of the new digital assessment methods have shown to have a stable internal validity, the comparability of results across assessment modes is unclear. The study investigated whether results for assessing processing speed via (i) the traditional pen and paper version, (ii) a tablet and pen version, and (iii) a tablet and finger version are comparable.

The Development of a Multiple-Item Annoyance Scale (MIAS) for Transportation Noise Annoyance.

In 2001, Team#6 of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN) recommended the use of two single international standardised questions and response scales. This recommendation has been widely accepted in the scientific community. Nevertheless, annoyance can be regarded as a multidimensional construct comprising the three elements: (1) experience of an often repeated noise-related disturbance and the behavioural response to cope with it, (2) an emotional/attitudinal response to the sound and its disturbing impact, and (3) the perceived control or coping capacity with regard to the noise situation.

Development and psychometric properties of the sound preference and hearing habits questionnaire (SP-HHQ).

Objective: The aim of the study was, based on the individualisation of hearing aids (HA) and pre-sets for audio devices, to develop a questionnaire to determine the basis for profiling sound preferences and hearing habits to gather additional information usable for HA fitting and adjustment tools for audio-devices.

Methods: We developed a questionnaire consisting of 46 items. A postal survey was conducted with N = 622 users with a mean age of 66 years (47.