Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Cognitive and psychological improvements following CogSMART in veterans with mental health diagnoses
Katherine E Dorociak1, John P K Bernstein2, Sarah E Baumgartner3
1VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States.
Introduction:
The present study examined the efficacy of a CogSMART-based program in improving cognitive and emotional functioning in a clinic-based sample of Veterans presenting with cognitive concerns and history of mental health diagnoses.
Method:
Forty Veterans (M = 61.2 years, 85% male) completed a weekly CogSMART-based group program as well as a battery of neuropsychological and psychological measures at both pre- and post-group evaluations. Participants met DSM-5 criteria for at least one mental health diagnosis.
Results:
Significant improvements on global cognition as well as measures of learning/memory and attention were observed from pre- to post-group (p < .05, cohen's d range = .48-1.01). As many as 33.3% of participants showed significant improvement, depending on the cognitive domain. Significant overall improvements were observed in depression symptoms and life satisfaction (p < .01, cohen's d = .67 and .59, respectively). Over one-third of the sample demonstrated a reliable improvement in depressive symptoms, 25% in anxiety symptoms, and 18% in life satisfaction.
Conclusions:
Among individuals with mental health diagnosis but without major neurocognitive disorders, CogSMART-based interventions may be an effective treatment for improving aspects of cognition, depression, and life satisfaction.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Cognitive Therapy
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

