CogniPlus is a training battery which draws on the most up-to-date computer technology available to help you train cognitive functions using a multimedia approach. This system is an ideal partner to the Vienna Test System to help develop areas of development identified in assessment using the VTS.

Most of the CogniPlus trainings available up until now have focused on the field of attention. The developers, Schuhfried, have undertaken to expand the range of assessments to include all the relevant main areas of cognitive training, namely:

• Attention
• Memory
• Executive functions
• Visuoconstructive functions
• Field of view training
• Visuomotor coordination

Deficits in the areas of attention, memory and visuomotor coordination can already be trained with CogniPlus. By the end of 2010 17 CogniPlus training programs will be available, covering all the main areas of cognitive training.

Development of new training programs in the coming year will focus on programs involving memory, executive functions and visuoconstructive functions. According to the latest scientific research, programs for training working memory hold great promise in the therapy of ADHD and incipient age-related deterioration processes.

Training programs involving the executive functions are being successfully used in the final stages of rehabilitation – during the transition to a return to work. Training of the visuoconstructive functions is particularly relevant for neurological patients who have problems with spatial position and orientation in 2D and 3D space.

In addition a “direct training” function will be added to the basic software in the first half of 2010. This function enables the client to train fully independently. Once CogniPlus has been set to direct training mode, entering the client’s ID or scanning a bar code causes the system to deliver the predefined training session.

In expanding the range of training programs in CogniPlus, Schuhfried follows the usual tried and tested procedure:

• CogniPlus training programs will in all cases be developed in the light of the current scientific literature on cognitive functions and the possibilities of training them. This involves working closely with scientific partners who contribute both their theoretical expertise and their practical/clinical experience to the development of the new programs.
• In deciding on the individual training programs, the main areas of cognitive functions are broken down into sub-areas or sub-functions that are clearly defined in theoretical terms. This enables a deficit-oriented intervention approach to be adopted.
• If tests for the corresponding functions are not yet available in the Vienna Test System, development of appropriate tests takes place in parallel. For each CogniPlus training program a corresponding test in the Vienna Test System is made available. This is the basis of one of the unique features of CogniPlus – the fact that function deficits can be assessed and trained by means of coordinated tests and training programs.
• Implementing the programs in an appealing and modern way will continue to ensure that clients experience training with CogniPlus as motivating and enjoyable.
• The availability of coordinated tests and training enables therapy to be demonstrably deficit oriented and precisely evaluated.

In anticipation of these incredible developments, we are offering the following special on the CogniPlus system:

If you order a new CogniPlus system by June 30th, 2010 you will receive the CogniPlus basic software for free (no matter if a 7-year license or global code is chosen)! For more information and prices, please contact info@jvrafrica.co.za.

The table below presents the modules and time frames for the CogniPlus system presented by Schuhfried.

Click to enlarge

For any quotations or questions relating to this product please email <a href=”mailto: Fatima@jvrafrica.co.za”>Fatima@jvrafrica.co.za</a>

Over the last year, there has been a great focus on the quality of our roads and general driver safety. We are all exposed to a number of dangers on the roads every day, especially with the extent of road works being done in and around Gauteng, and other major centres in South Africa. Within the transport industry, truck drivers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers are the most prone to having to deal with obstacles, and often engage in risky driving behaviour that causes accidents.

October was Public Transport Safety month, and focussed on the four values of

• Accountability,
• Honesty,
• Respect and to
• Acknowledge Others.

Research done in Europe shows that more than 90% of road accidents are caused by human error. The only way to reduce the amount of accidents therefore is to decrease the number of risky drivers on the roads. Psychological assessment is a proven tool to determine whether someone is fit for driving and it is widely used in Europe.

From next week (9th – 13th Nov) we have Angela Dus from Scuhfried visiting South Africa. She will be showing us how The Expert System Traffic forms part of the Vienna Test System and how it is used to clarify assessment issues in the field of traffic psychology.

This event will be held at our Jhb offices on the 11th November and is open to all! We would love for you to join us in learning about this method for selection of drivers. It will be a good opportunity to learn and discuss how psychological assessment can add value through new applications.

Agenda

• Welcome and introduction
• Road safety in general, some facts and figures
• How traffic psychological assessment is used
• Case studies from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, France
• TEA
• The Schuhfried Expert System Traffic – a validated test battery, incl. explanation of the neuronal net
• Demo of the XPSV Standard
• Questions and close

This means I can make a U-turn here right?

Event Details

Date: 11 November 2009

Time: tbc

Venue: JvR Johannesburg Office

Cost: None

RSVP: with Shadi@jvrafrica.co.za or call 011-781 3705 by 4 November to book your place.

If you wish to attend, but are unable to make the date, Angela has offered to visit you at your premises, free of charge.

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JvR is pleased to offer a new range of products to South Africans, from Schuhfried in Austria, namely the Vienna Test System, CogniPlus, RehaCom, and an excellent Biofeedback system. These systems are internationally recognised and respected for their quality, and we are excited about their potential in the South African context. The four systems are suitable in a variety of application areas, such as clinics, personnel, aviation, sport, military, and traffic psychology, and research. Read more about the Vienna Test System in this week’s article:

** A Demo of the VTS will be on display at SIOPSA 09 **

Vienna Test System

The Vienna Test System (VTS) is a computerised psychological assessment that consists of various personality, intelligence, and special ability assessments. The VTS was developed by the SCHUHFRIED Company in the early 1980s and has years of research backing the test system. The company was founded in 1947 in Austria and is now available in 65 countries, on all 5 continents.

Areas of Application

The Vienna Test System and associated products can be used in a number of applied fields in psychology, namely: Clinical and Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, Personnel Psychology, Traffic Psychology, Aviation Psychology, Sport Psychology as well as Educational Psychology.

What makes the VTS a unique system is that besides the personality and intelligence tests that it offers, it provides one the opportunity to capture abilities such as: …

• Senso-motor coordination
• Reactive stress tolerance
• Reaction time and motor speed
• Visual perception speed
• Field of vision and peripheral perception
• Time, motion, distance, speed estimation and anticipation
• All forms of attention
• Ability to deal with stress
• Fine motor abilities
• Activation and arousal as well as audiometer.

Administration

The test system consists of administration software, tests and special input or peripheral devices (hardware) which some of the tests require. The VTS consists of more than 80 tests which consist of electronic versions of paper-and-pencil tests, objective personality tests, multimedia tests, adaptive tests, and interactive tests. Once the system has been installed and set up on the computer, one is able to select the tests that one wants to use or, alternatively, can select from special standard test batteries.

Each test begins with an instruction phase and then allows the candidate to complete some practice items before the test begins.

Reporting

Once the candidate has completed the test, the results are immediately available in a short report which provides the percentile ranks of the raw scores for each test variable. The report also includes other important information such as the test protocol, which gives details about the candidate’s responses and the time taken to work each item. A longer diagnostic report is also available. There is also a “ranking function” that allows the test user to rank the candidates’ test results, once the weightings have been entered by the test user. The evaluation system then determines the fit between the candidate and position based on the weightings supplied.

Expert Systems

The Expert Systems consist of standardised validated test batteries that take all the test results into account when providing a report. The VTS presently contains two expert systems, namely the Expert System Aviation and the Expert System Traffic. The Expert System Aviation provides an overall assessment of the candidate’s cognitive ability and safety-related personality traits, related specifically to that field. The Expert System Traffic on the other hand, can be used to assess driving-specific abilities. There is also a Neuropsychological Test Battery for neuropsychological screening.

For more information on or a demonstration on the Vienna Test System; and how it can improve your selection/development and retention of employees, please contact us on info@jvrafrica.co.za or capeinfo@jvafrica.co.za

You can also find more info on some of the other Schuhfried Assessments in our website’s catalogue section.