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Mental Set (mental + set)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

The Effect of Creating a Mental Set on Cognitive Learning and Affective Behaviors of Nursing Students

NURSING FORUM, Issue 4 2009
Loucine M. D. Huckabay RN
BACKGROUND., A mental set predisposes a person to view and approach a problem in a predetermined manner. Affective behaviors determine whether students value what they learn. PURPOSE., This study investigated the effect of mental set in the form of negative impressions and anxieties about a nursing course (pathophysiology) on cognitive learning and affective behaviors. RESULTS., Results showed that, irrespective of type of mental set, all students learned significantly. Students who entered the course with a negative set scored significantly lower in affective behaviors than students who entered with a positive or neutral mental set. Predispositions stayed stable; significant changes occurred within each group, but not enough to change a negative set into a positive set or vice versa. IMPLICATIONS., Implications for nursing education and creation of affective behaviors conducive for life-long learning are presented. [source]

Visual Quantitative Estimation: Semiquantitative Wall Motion Scoring and Determination of Ejection Fraction

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2003
M.D., Steven J. Lavine
Ejection fraction (EF) is the most commonly used parameter of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and can be assessed by echocardiography. Quantitative echocardiography is time consuming and is as accurate as visual estimation, which has significant variability. We hypothesized that each echocardiographer has developed a mental set of guidelines that relate to how much individual segment shortening constitutes normal function or hypokinesis of varying extents. We determined the accuracy of applying these guidelines to an accepted technique of EF determination using a retrospective analysis of consecutive two-dimensional echocardiographic studies performed on patients who had radioventriculography (RVG) within 48 hours. Using a 12 segment model, we scored each segment at the base and mid-ventricular level based on segmental excursion and thickening. The apex was scored similarly but with 1/3 of the value based on a cylinder-cone model. EF was determined from the sum of segment scores and was estimated visually. We termed this approach visual quantitative estimation (VQE). We correlated the EF derived from VQE and visual estimation with RVG EF. In the training set, VQE demonstrated a strong correlation with RVG(r = 0.969), which was significantly greater than visual estimation(r = 0.896, P < 0.01). The limits of agreement for VQE (+12% to ,7%) were similar to the limits of RVG agreement with contrast ventriculography (+10% to ,11%) with similar intraobserver and interobserver variabilities. Similar correlation was noted in the prediction set between VQE and RVG EF(r = 0.967, P < 0.001). We conclude that VQE provides highly correlated estimates of EF with RVG. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, July 2003) [source]