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Selected AbstractsNeural activity related to the processing of increasing monetary reward in smokers and nonsmokersEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2003C. Martin-Soelch Abstract This study investigated the processing of increasing monetary reward in nonsmoking and smoking subjects. The choice of the subject populations has been motivated by the observation of differences between nonsmokers and smokers in response to rewarding stimuli in a previous study. Subjects performed a pattern recognition task with delayed response, while rCBF was measured with [\mathrm{H}^{15}_{2}O] PET. Correct responses to the task were reinforced with three different amounts of monetary reward. The subjects received the sum of the rewards at the end of the experiment. The results show that a cortico-subcortical loop, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, the cingulate gyrus and the thalamus is involved in processing increasing monetary reward. Furthermore, the striatal response differentiates nonsmokers from smokers. Thus, we found significant correlations between rCBF increases in striatum and increasing monetary reward and between striatal rCBF increases and mood in nonsmokers, but not in smokers. Moreover, no significant mood changes among the different monetary rewards could be observed in smokers. We infer that the response of the striatum to reward is related to changes in subjective feelings. The differences between smokers and nonsmokers confirm our previous conclusions that the association between blood flow, performance, mood and amount of reward is more direct in nonsmokers. [source] Brain network dynamics during error commissionHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 1 2009Michael C. Stevens Abstract Previous studies suggest that the anterior cingulate and other prefrontal brain regions might form a functionally-integrated error detection network in the human brain. This study examined whole brain functional connectivity to both correct and incorrect button presses using independent component analysis (ICA) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from 25 adolescent and 25 adult healthy participants (ages 11,37) performing a visual Go/No-Go task. Correct responses engaged a network comprising left lateral prefrontal cortex, left postcentral gyrus/inferior parietal lobule, striatum, and left cerebellum. In contrast, a similar network was uniquely engaged during errors, but this network was not integrated with activity in regions believed to be engaged for higher-order cognitive control over behavior. A medial/dorsolateral prefrontal-parietal neural network responded to all No-Go stimuli, but with significantly greater activity to errors. ICA analyses also identified a third error-related circuit comprised of anterior temporal lobe, limbic, and pregenual cingulate cortices, possibly representing an affective response to errors. There were developmental differences in error-processing activity within many of these neural circuits, typically reflecting greater hemodynamic activation in adults. These findings characterize the spatial structure of neural networks underlying error commission and identify neurobiological differences between adolescents and adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Executive function assessment of patients with schizophrenic disorder residual type in olanzapine treatment: an open studyHUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 6 2005Paolo Stratta Abstract Cognitive deficits are a fundamental feature of the schizophrenic disorder, but the effect of antipsychotic treatment is still debated. The study assesses the effect of olanzapine on neurocognitive functioning and symptomatology of patients with schizophrenic disorder residual type. Executive function evaluation by the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) was performed on 39 patients treated with olanzapine (5,20,mg/day); the efficacy of drug in improving symptomatology, safety and quality of life was also evaluated. After 7 months of treatment, the mean number of WCST categories tended to increase. Correct responses increased with a statistically significant change from the baseline. The total and unique errors decreased significantly. At all post-baseline visits a decrease from baseline in the PANSS total, positive and negative scores was seen. The proportion of patients with less severe illness (CGI), increased over the course of the study with a corresponding decrease of patients with more severe illness. The quality of life scores also tended to improve during treatment. The Simpson Angus scale, Barnes-akathisia and abnormal involuntary movement scale scores decreased consistently. The most common treatment emergent drug related adverse events were weight gain, insomnia, agitation and anxiety. Neurocognitive functioning in terms of executive performance and symptomatology improved in people with schizophrenia residual type. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance and levels of contextualization in a selection of OECD countries in PISA 2006JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 8 2009Peter Nentwig Abstract Correct responses to the unitized items of PISA 2006 rely to differing extents on the contextual stimulus supplied. This difference is referred to in this study as the degree of contextualization. A selection of science items from PISA 2006 has been assigned to two categories, not by competencies as in the framework for the PISA survey, but by the degree to which the item requires the ability to extract and apply information from the contextual stimulus provided. The article explores how students in Germany and in other selected OECD countries perform in solving these two types of items. The results show that German students' performance is satisfactory when solving items which require knowledge to be recalled and applied but that they are also quite capable of extracting and using information from the item stimuli. Somewhat different distributions are observed in other selected OECD countries. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 897,908, 2009 [source] An Alternate Multiple-Choice Scoring Procedure in a Macroeconomics CourseDECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2004David A. Bradbard ABSTRACT In the standard scoring procedure for multiple-choice exams, students must choose exactly one response as correct. Often students may be unable to identify the correct response, but can determine that some of the options are incorrect. This partial knowledge is not captured in the standard scoring format. The Coombs elimination procedure is an alternate scoring procedure designed to capture partial knowledge. This paper presents the results of a semester-long experiment where both scoring procedures were compared on four exams in an undergraduate macroeconomics course. Statistical analysis suggests that the Coombs procedure is a viable alternative to the standard scoring procedure. Implications for classroom instruction and future research are also presented. [source] Foster mother care but not prenatal morphine exposure enhances cocaine self-administration in young adult male and female ratsDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2007I. Vathy Abstract The present study was designed to investigate cocaine self-administration in adult male and female rats exposed prenatally to morphine. Pregnant dams were injected two times a day with either saline, analgesic doses of morphine or no drug at all (controls) on gestation Days 11,18. One day after birth, litters were cross-fostered such that control dams were paired with one another and their litters were crossed; saline- and morphine-treated dams were paired and half of each saline litter was crossed with half of each morphine litter. Thus, each mother (control, saline, and morphine) raised half of her own and half of the adopted litter. At the age of 60 days, males and females were trained first to lever press for sucrose pellets and then for cocaine. Once the lever-pressing behavior was learned and baseline level of this activity was established, animals received a cocaine (.5 mg/kg per infusion) reward for each correct response on the active lever during the next 9-day session. The data demonstrate that adult control, saline- and morphine-exposed male rats self-administer cocaine at a similar rate independent of their prenatal treatment. Adult female rats self-administer cocaine at a higher rate than male rats. Further, saline- and morphine-exposed females in diestrus self-administer more than females in proestrus phase of the estrous cycle, while control females show no such differences. In addition, fostering induces increase in cocaine self-administration in all groups of male rats regardless of prenatal drug exposure. In females, the only fostering-induced increase is in prenatally saline-exposed female rats raised by morphine-treated foster mother. Thus, our results suggest that the prenatal drug exposure does not induce changes in lever-pressing behavior for cocaine reward in adult male and female rats, but it sensitizes the animals to postnatal stimuli such as gonadal hormones and/or rearing conditions that result in increased drug self-administration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 463-473, 2007. [source] Measurement of development of cognitive and attention functions in children using continuous performance testPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 2 2008Noriko Kanaka ba Aim:, The development of attention function in children is still not sufficiently clear. Although it is difficult to objectively assess attention function, continuous performance tests (CPT) can be used to objectively assess cognitive function along with attention. The development of cognitive and attention functions was examined in children using a CPT. Methods:, A total of 541 healthy girls aged 5,12 years participated. Ten parameters were calculated: numbers of cancellations for either target stimuli (T-cancel) or non-target stimuli (N-cancel), numbers of omission errors (Omission) and commission errors (Commission), hit rate (Hit), false alarm rate (False), mean reaction time for correct response (RT), coefficient of variance for mean reaction time (CVRT), sensitivity index (d,), and ln,. Results:, The parameters were divided into three types based on pattern of change. T-cancel, False, and Commission, which are related to inhibition of response, N-cancel, Hit, and Omission, which are related to inattention to stimuli, and CVRT, which is related to stability of processing time, exhibited significant change until 5 or 6 years of age. d,, which is related to ability to discriminate between target or non-target, exhibited significant change until 8 years of age. RT, which is related to processing time, exhibited significant change until 11 years of age. ln, exhibited no significant differences among age groups. Conclusions:, These findings indicate that inhibition function, inattention to stimuli, and stability of processing time develop first. Discrimination ability subsequently increases based on these developments, and finally processing time is reduced. [source] Visuospatial encoding deficits and compensatory strategies in schizophrenia revealed by eye movement analysis during a working memory taskACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 2 2009Luca Cocchi Objective: To investigate scanpath abnormalities during the encoding of static stimuli in schizophrenia and their interaction with visuospatial working memory (VSWM) dysfunction. Methods: Outpatients with schizophrenia and control subjects were asked to encode a static pattern for subsequent recognition after a short delay. We measured the number of correct and incorrect choices. We also assessed the number and the distribution of fixations, the scanning time in specific regions of interest (ROIs) and the head movements during the encoding of the stimuli. The distributions of fixations and scanning time in definite ROIs during the discrimination of the correct pattern from the foils were also measured. Results: Patients recognised fewer correct patterns than controls. Correct trials in patients were characterised by a specific exploration of the central part of the stimulus during its presentation, whereas this feature was absent in incorrect trials. However, the scanning time and the numbers of fixations and head movements during encoding were similar in both groups and unrelated to recognition accuracy. In both groups, correct trials were associated with a selective exploration of the correct pattern amongst the six possibilities during recognition. Furthermore, patients gave more attention to incorrect patterns with a leftmost element identical to that of the correct response and also those approximating its global structure. Conclusion: Patients showed a VSWM deficit independent of oculomotor dysfunctions and head movements during encoding. Patients' correct trials were related to specific scanning during encoding and discrimination phases. Analysis of these patterns suggests that patients try to compensate for reduced VSWM ability by using specific encoding strategies. [source] The Role of Explicit Information in Instructed SLA: An On-Line Study with Processing Instruction and German Accusative Case InflectionsDIE UNTERRICHTSPRAXIS/TEACHING GERMAN, Issue 1 2009Hillah Culman The present study reports the findings of an experiment on the effects of explicit information on the learning of German case markings. Fifty-nine learners of first- and second-year German received computer-based processing instruction on German accusative case marking and word order. These learners were divided into two groups: one received explicit information on the nature and form of case marking in German prior to the treatment, and one group did not. We measured the effects of explicit information by tracking correct responses on the computer as participants made their way through the activities. Analyses revealed that explicit information had an effect: those who received explicit information began to correctly respond to stimulus sentences (i.e., began to correctly indicate who did what to whom) sooner than those who did not. These results contradict previous research and suggest a hidden role for explicit information within processing instruction. [source] Language-Related Potentials in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Before and After Surgical TreatmentEPILEPSIA, Issue 2000Toshihiko Ito Purpose: Temporal lobectomy has contributed to treatment for medically intractable epilepsies. However, influence of the surgical treatment on cognitive function is not still clear, especially from the electrophysiological viewpoint. N400, an event related potential (ERP) named for its negative polarity and peak latency of 400 ms, is reported to be an electrophysiological sign of neural activities associated with semantic priming in language perception. In the present study, ERPs are applied to evaluate the cognitive function of temporal lobe epilepsy before and after temporal lobectomy. Methods: Two patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy participated in this study. Fifteen normal subjects served as controls. The incongruous sentence task (Kutas and Hillyard 1980) was used to record N400 components in an auditory modality. Two types of sentences (40 Japanese sentences for each type) were prepared, in which the terminal words were either semantically congruent or incongruent. The scntences were randomly presented at approximately 65 dB SPL peak intensity. ERPs were recorded according to the international 10,20 system, with a balanced non-cephalic electrode reference and 2 1 channels. The band-pass filter was set from 0.5 to 30 Hz, and the ERPs were sampled at 500 Hz from 200 ms before the onset of terminal words to 824 ms post-stimulus. Waves were calculated by subtracting ERPs in the congruent condition from those in the incongruent condition. N400 was scored as the most negative point between 250 and 450 ms in the subtraction waves. Amplitudes were measured from the baseline of 100 ms before the terminal words. Motor responses were also measured with a right index finger, to estimate the accuracy of understanding sentences. Results: Case I was a 22-year-old male who had intractable epilepsy for 7 years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high-intensity signals in the right amygdalo-hippocampal region. The epileptic seizures were confirmed to originate from the region hy electroencephalography/closed-circuit television monitoring, and single-photon-emission computed tomography. ERPs were recorded I month before and after the right anterior temporal lobectomy. Before the surgery, the rate of correct responses showed no difference between the patient (96 %) and the controls (96 %). The amplitudes of N400 for the patient reduced in the right frontal and central areas (F4, C4), comparing to 99 % confidence limit for control subjects. After the surgery, the rate of correct responses was 97 %, and the amplitudes reduced in the right central, parietal, and posterior temporal areas (C4, P4, 0 2, T6). Case 2 (37-year-old female) had intractable epilepsy for 30 years. MRI showed brain atrophy in the right hippocampal region. The epileptic seizures were confirmed to originate from the region. N400 was recorded 3 months after the resection. The rate of correct responses was 95 %. The amplitudes of N400 were lower in the right frontal, parietal, and temporal areas (electrodes Fp2, F4, P4, T6, Pz), comparing to 99 % confidence limit of controls. Conclusions: Before the lpbectomy, the reduction of amplitudes of N400 indicated that the pathogenesis of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy would influence the process of semantic priming in language perception. After the resection, it was suggested that the right temporal lobectomy might affect the cognitive function in the brain from electrophysiological aspects. We could benefit from further study including analysis of the discrepancy between the amplitudes of N400 and behavioral responses. [source] ALS patients request more information about cognitive symptomsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2008P. Wicks Background and purpose:, Once thought to impact only voluntary motor function, ALS/Motor neuron disease (MND) is now seen as a multi-system disorder in which a minority of patients experience mild cognitive dysfunction or frontotemporal dementia. Despite clinical guidelines advocating supplying complete information to patients, educational materials on ALS often state that the mind is unaffected. We sought to establish how much patients and caregivers understand about ALS, what they have been told to expect by their physician, and if they would have appreciated more complete information. Methods:, A two-part survey was administered online. An ,ALS quiz' gauged participants' knowledge of physical and psychological aspects of ALS. A second questionnaire assessed which symptoms patients had discussed with their clinician and explored patients' desire to receive information on psychological effects. Results:, A total of 247 ALS patients and 87 caregivers participated. Participants knew less about psychological symptoms than physical ones (72% correct responses versus 82%; paired t(333) = ,5.04, P < 0.001). Patients commonly reported being told by their doctor about physical symptoms such as problems walking (85%) or stiffness/cramps (74%) but not psychological issues like emotional lability (46%) or cognitive change (11%). The majority of patients (62%) and carers (71%) indicated a desire to be informed that cognitive change or dementia might occur. Conclusion:, ALS is a multi-system disorder. However, despite a desire for more information from patients and their carers, healthcare professionals continue to primarily address only the physical consequences of the disease. [source] Independent component analysis of erroneous and correct responses suggests online response controlHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 9 2010Sven Hoffmann Abstract After errors in reaction tasks, a sharp negative wave emerges in the event-related potential (ERP), the error (related) negativity (Ne or ERN). However, also after correct trials, an Ne-like wave is seen, called CRN or Nc, which is much smaller than the Ne. This study tested the hypothesis whether Ne and Nc reflect the same functional process, and whether this process is linked to online response control. For this purpose, independent component analysis (ICA) was utilized with the EEG data of two types of reaction tasks: a flanker task and a mental rotation task. To control for speed-accuracy effects, speed and accuracy instructions were balanced in a between subjects design. For both tasks ICA and dipole analysis revealed one component (Ne-IC) explaining most of the variance for the difference between correct and erroneous trials. The Ne-IC showed virtually the same features as the raw postresponse ERP, being larger for erroneous compared to correct trials and for the flanker than for the rotation task. In addition, it peaked earlier for corrected than for uncorrected errors. The results favor the hypothesis that Ne and Nc reflect the same process, which is modulated by response correctness and type of task. On the basis of the literature and the present results, we assume that this process induces online response control, which is much stronger in error than correct trials and with direct rather than indirect stimulus response mapping. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effects of warm-supplementing kidney yang (WSKY) capsule added on risperidone on cognition in chronic schizophrenic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trialHUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 6 2008Zhen-hua Chen Abstract Objective To evaluate the effects of warm-supplementing kidney yang (WSKY) capsule added on risperidone on cognition in chronic schizophrenic patients. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial was conducted. All 200 patients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with WSKY capsule (n,=,100) or placebo (n,=,100) added on risperidone for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measure was the cognitive function assessment assessed by the classic form of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) at baseline and week 8. The secondary outcome measures were assessed including the positive and negative symptoms scale (PANSS), the social disability screening schedule (SDSS), and the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D-17) at baseline, week 2, week 4, and week 8. The extrapyramidal side effects were assessed each week using the abnormal involuntary movement scale (AIMS) and rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects (RSESE), while adverse events were assessed using treatment emergent symptoms scale (TESS) as additional indicators of tolerability throughout the trial. Results The response rates of the WSKY group for the number of completed categories (CC), errors responses number (ER), perseveringly errors responses number (PER), and conceptual level (CL) of WCST assessment were significantly higher than those of placebo. The reduction in the SDSS score from baseline to endpoint was significantly greater in the WSKY group than those in the placebo. There were no significant differences in the response rates for the correct responses number, perseveringly responses number (PR) of WCST between the treatment groups. The improvements in the WCST indexes, PANSS score, HAM-D-17 score were no significant differences from baseline to endpoint between the two groups at week 8.There were no significant differences in AIMS, RSESE, and TESS compared patients treated with WSKY capsule with those in placebo during treatment. Conclusion WSKY capsule added on risperidone may improve cognitive function, social function of the chronic schizophrenic patients, and the WSKY safely during treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] What do we know about dementia?: a survey on knowledge about dementia in the general public of JapanINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2008Yumiko Arai Abstract Objective The importance of early detection of dementia has been highlighted in recent years by the medical and scientific community; however, delays often occur between the recognition of signs or symptoms and a decision by the patient or family to seek professional help. Such delays may be caused by a lack of knowledge about dementia among patients and family members. The aim of this study was to determine the understanding of dementia among the general public. Methods We conducted a survey in Japan that asked 11 questions regarding knowledge of ,general' information, ,symptoms', and ,biomedical' issues related to dementia. A quota sampling method was used to select 2,500 participants, 2,115 of who were eligible for the analyses. Results The average number of correct responses among females was significantly greater than that among the males. A multiple comparisons test demonstrated that middle-aged women were more knowledgeable than younger and older respondents. It was revealed that there was a lack of knowledge on biomedical aspects of dementia, i.e. cause, treatment, and prognosis along with a misunderstanding of dementia as senescence forgetfulness among the general public. Conclusions There appeared to be gaps in knowledge on dementia among the general public, which may prevent caregivers from planning upcoming social and financial challenges. Correct information needs to be given by health professionals and care staff. Educational initiatives planned for the general public could be useful, and should target those groups, men and non-middle aged women who have lower knowledge. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Older Women and HIV: How Much Do They Know and Where Are They Getting Their Information?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2004Susan J. Henderson MD Objectives: To assess older urban women's knowledge about sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and to evaluate the relationship between their HIV/AIDS knowledge level and sources of information. Design: Cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2001 and July 2002. Trained research assistants administered a questionnaire in a face-to-face interview. Setting: General medicine clinic in a large public hospital in a high HIV/AIDS incidence area. Participants: Five hundred fourteen women aged 50 and older. Measurements: Nine questions assessing knowledge of risk of HIV sexual transmission with potential scores ranging from 0 to 9 correct answers. Participants identified all sources of HIV information. Results: The mean knowledge score was 3.7 out of a possible 9 correct responses (range 0 (3%) to 8 (1%)). Younger age, employment, and higher educational level were associated with higher knowledge scores, whereas marital status was unrelated. No respondent correctly answered all of the nine questions. The most commonly identified sources of HIV/AIDS information were television (85%), friends (54%), and newspapers (51%). Only 38% of respondents identified health professionals as a source of information about HIV/AIDS. Health professionals, newspapers, and family members were each independently associated with higher knowledge scores (P<.05). Conclusion: Older women in a general medicine clinic had limited knowledge of sexual transmission of HIV. HIV/AIDS education specifically targeted to this subpopulation is warranted, and health professionals may have an important role in disseminating such messages. [source] Coherence and correspondence criteria for rationality: experts' estimation of risks of sexually transmitted infectionsJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 3 2005Mary B. Adam Abstract The aim of this study is to examine both coherence and correspondence criteria for rationality in experts' judgments of risk. We investigated biases in risk estimation for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) predicted by fuzzy-trace theory, i.e., that specific errors would occur despite experts' knowledge of correct responses. One hundred twenty professionals with specific knowledge of STI risks in adolescents were administered a survey questionnaire to test predictions concerning: knowledge deficits (producing underestimation of risks); gist-based representation of risk categories (producing overestimation of condom effectiveness); retrieval failure for risk knowledge (producing lower risk estimates); and processing interference in combining risk estimates (producing biases in post-test diagnosis of infection). Retrieval was manipulated by asking estimation questions that "unpacked" the STI category into infection types or did not specify infection types. Other questions differentiated processing biases from knowledge deficits or retrieval failure by directly providing requisite knowledge. Experts' knowledge of STI transmission and infection risks was verified empirically. Nevertheless, under predictable conditions, they misestimated risk, overestimated the effectiveness of condoms, and also suffered from processing biases. When questions provided better retrieval supports (unpacked format), risk estimates improved. Biases were linked to gist representations, retrieval failures, and processing errors, as opposed to knowledge about STIs. Results support fuzzy-trace theory's dual-process assumptions that different types of errors are dissociated from one another, and separate failures of coherence and correspondence among the same sample of experts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Facilitating eyewitness memory in adults and children with context reinstatement and focused meditationJOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND OFFENDER PROFILING, Issue 2 2006Laura Hammond Abstract This study examined the comparative efficacy of two brief techniques for facilitating eyewitness memory in police investigations. Adult and child participants (N = 126; 64 children and 62 adults) who had viewed a videotape of a crime were subsequently tested for their memory of the event following either a focused meditation procedure (FM, derived from hypnotic interviewing techniques), a context reinstatement procedure (CR, a component of the cognitive interview), or a control procedure (no memory facilitation instructions). For both adults and children, the FM and CR procedures enhanced performance on both open-ended and closed questions to levels above those achieved by controls, although those in the CR condition produced significantly more correct responses than those in the FM condition. However, only those in the CR group displayed elevated levels of confidence in relation to incorrect responses on closed questions. Implications for the possible use of such procedures are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessing oral cancer early detection: clarifying dentists' practicesJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 2 2010Charles W. LeHew PhD Abstract Objective: This study explores new methods for assessing in greater detail what dentists do when they perform oral cancer early detection examinations. It clarifies practice behaviors and opens opportunities to identify factors that facilitate thorough early detection examinations by clinicians and to assess the relative effectiveness of different examination procedures. Methods: A 38-item survey instrument was e-mailed to dentists in a western US, multistate dental practice group. Questionnaires were received by 241 dentists, and 102 responded. An Oral Cancer Knowledge scale (0 to 14) was generated from correct responses on oral cancer general knowledge. An Oral Cancer Examination Thoroughness scale was calculated from the two dimensions of reported usage and frequency of procedures in oral cancer examinations. Results: Nearly all responding dentists were in general practice (90%), with a median year of graduation from dental school of 1994. The Oral Cancer Knowledge scores ranged from 5 to 14 with a mean of 10.4. The mean Thoroughness of Examination score was 11.34 (range 0 to 20). The two scales were not statistically correlated (r = ,0.015, P = 0.883). Statistically, recency of continuing education was significantly associated with knowledge (P = 0.0284) and appears to be marginally associated with thoroughness (P = 0.075). Conclusions: This study documents considerable variability in dentists' knowledge and thoroughness of examinations. The scales provide tools for future studies for improving understanding of early detection of oral cancer in clinical practice. [source] A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR MONITORING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES IN TASTE SELECTION TESTSJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 4 2005AMALIA CALVIÑO ABSTRACT The evaluation of panel performance was made by three methods: average of correct responses (A), comparison of distances of individual standardized judgments to the average standardized responses (D) and a principal components analysis (PCA). Thirty assessors identified water and basic tastes and discriminated different sweet stimuli in neutral or acidified vehicles using R-index rating and ranking tests. By A and D methods 22 assessors were qualified as proficient. Composition of both panels was identical except for one judge. The output from PCA provided a graphical representation of the performance of the assessors and retained different subsets of 24,26 panelists for different proposals as discrimination of sweetness in acidified beverages, recognition of bitterness, sourness and discrimination of slight sweetness or evaluation of saltiness. [source] Bimanual coordination in Parkinson's disease: Deficits in movement frequency, amplitude, and pattern switchingMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 1 2002Winston D. Byblow BHK Abstract Six patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and six age-matched controls participated in a variety of rhythmic bimanual coordination tasks. The main goal of the task was to perform inphase or antiphase patterns of pronation and supination of the forearms at a specified tempo, and to switch from one pattern to the other upon presentation of a visual cue. The availability of advance information was varied to examine whether deficits would emerge under choice versus pre-cue constraints. In pre-cue conditions, the subjects knew in advance which hand would be cued to initiate pattern change. In choice conditions, the cued hand was not known until the imperative stimulus was presented. Overall, the PD patients made movements with significantly lower frequencies and smaller amplitudes relative to controls. Patients exhibited spontaneous pattern switching from antiphase to inphase at significantly lower movement frequencies than controls. During intentional switching trials, the control group was significantly faster at initiating pattern change. PD and control groups differed in the time to initiate pattern switching to a greater extent under choice conditions, suggesting that patients used advance information to increase the speed of their response. The control group exhibited a preference for spontaneous switching and intentional switching through the subdominant hand. Patients exhibited a switching preference using the impaired limb (whether or not it was subdominant). The control group made more correct responses when the subdominant side was either pre-cued or presented in choice conditions. The patients maintained the subdominant/impaired side advantage under pre-cue conditions but not choice. In the maintenance of rhythmic movement, individuals with PD were able to use advance information in terms of both speed and accuracy. © 2001 Movement Disorder Society. [source] Knowledge of results and learning to tell the time in an adult male with an intellectual disability: a single-subject research designOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2008Samantha L Applegate Abstract The present study investigated whether knowledge of results, in the form of visual and audible feedback, would increase the accuracy of time-telling in an individual with an intellectual disability. A 19-year-old male with mild intellectual disability participated in this A1,B1,A2,B2 single-subject study design. The task involved correctly identifying the time given on a computer. Data, based on the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, showed that the participant demonstrated a greater number of correct responses during the intervention phases. Incorporating knowledge of results into a learning strategy for this individual with intellectual disability resulted in an increased ability to accurately identify the correct time on an analogue clock. There is a need to replicate the study design to increase the external validity and generalization of results. The strategies described in the present study may also be useful for occupational therapists who teach individuals with intellectual disability to gain skills in their everyday activities of daily living (ADLs). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Accuracy, confidence and consistency in diagnosing Class III malocclusion with diagnostic records: a two-center studyORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000Peter Ngan The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy, confidence and consistency in diagnosing the Class III malocclusion in children by diagnostic records. Ten orthodontists from the state of West Virginia and 20 from the state of Ohio were asked to classify the dental and skeletal occlusion of eight patients. Six of the cases were patients with Class III malocclusion. Two cases, one with a Class II division 1 malocclusion and one with a Class I malocclusion, were used as distractors. Diagnosis of these cases was established by four published cephalometric analyses, which served as the ,gold standard', to determine the number of correct responses from the participants. Four faculty members were employed to confirm the cephalometric and clinical diagnosis of these cases with a full set of records. Participants were asked to diagnose the cases using only study casts and facial profile photographs for the first time. After an interval of 30 days, the procedure was repeated with the addition of lateral cephalograms and tracings. The accuracy in diagnosing malocclusion was determined by the percentage of correct responses. The level of confidence was determined by calculating the median of a 5-point graded response utilizing the following confidence values: 1=not at all, 2=slightly, 3=moderately, 4=very, 5=absolutely. Differences between ,with' and ,without' lateral cephalograms were analyzed non-parametrically using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test. The results from both centers show the accuracy in dental classification of Class III malocclusion was quite good (83%±17.1% in the West Virginia group and 93%±14.1% in the Ohio group). The accuracy in skeletal classification was poor (72%±16.3 in the West Virginia group and 53%±7.03 in the Ohio group). The addition of lateral cephalograms and tracings did not improve the accuracy of dental or skeletal classification. However, clinicians felt more confident in their diagnoses with the information provided by lateral cephalograms and tracings. The consistency in dental and skeletal classification was fair and poor, respectively. These results suggest that clinicians are not consistent in diagnosing the Class III malocclusion and that skeletal classification of Class III malocclusion in children could be difficult. The addition of lateral cephalograms and tracings do not contribute to the accuracy of diagnosis. [source] Alpha power is influenced by performance errorsPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Joshua Carp Abstract Error commission evokes changes in event-related potentials, autonomic nervous system activity, and behavior, presumably reflecting the operation of a cognitive control network. Here we test the hypothesis that errors lead to increased cortical arousal, measurable as changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha band power. Participants performed a Stroop task while EEG was recorded. Following correct responses, alpha power increased and then decreased in a quadratic pattern, implying transient mental disengagement during the intertrial interval. This trend was absent following errors, which elicited significantly less alpha power than correct trials. Moreover, post-error alpha power was a better predictor of individual differences in post-error slowing than the error-related negativity (ERN), whereas the ERN was a better predictor of post-error accuracy than alpha power. These findings imply that changes in cortical arousal play a unique role in modulating post-error behavior. [source] Effects of monetary reward and punishment on stimulus-preceding negativityPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Yoshimi Ohgami Abstract This study examined the effects of emotional valence on stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) using reward and fine. A time estimation task under reward, punishment, combined, and control conditions was performed. Participants were rewarded for accurate responses in the reward condition, and were fined for incorrect estimations in the punishment condition. in the combined condition, correct responses were rewarded and incorrect responses were fined. In the control condition, neither a reward nor fine was used. Results showed a significant interaction of condition × hemisphere. The SPN at the left hemisphere was increased in the reward condition. For the punishment effect, although it evoked right hemisphere dominance, no conditional difference was apparent at the right hemisphere. These results suggest that the SPN is affected by positive emotion: The left hemisphere activation might represent a pleasant emotion accompanying monetary gain. [source] Developmental progression in the confidence-accuracy relationship in event recall: insights provided by a calibration perspectiveAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2007Pauline Howie The development of discrimination and realism was investigated in the event recall of 156 8-year-olds, 133 10-year-olds and 146 adults, using categorical confidence judgements. Target questions were either a mixture of misleading and unbiased (,non-bombardment'), or restricted to one question format (,bombardment'). The confidence judgements of all age groups discriminated between incorrect and correct responses to unbiased questions, but with misleading questions, this ability was undermined in the children, particularly when ,bombarded'. Calibration-style analyses of unbiased questions revealed a systematic confidence,accuracy association across age and question mix for unbiased questions. For misleading questions, however, the absence of a drop in performance from intermediate to low confidence at all ages suggested relative underconfidence at the lowest confidence level. At high confidence levels, there was evidence of realistic congruence between confidence and performance in adults, but this was not the case in the 10-year-olds when bombarded with misleading questions, or in the 8-year-olds, regardless of bombardment. Exploratory analyses of question difficulty revealed poor calibration across ages for difficult unbiased questions, and in the 8-year-olds, even for easy unbiased questions when intermixed with misleading questions. Bombardment with difficult misleading questions further undermined children's calibration. Implications for the role of social and cognitive factors in the development of metacognitive monitoring are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The negative effect of cross-examination style questioning on children's accuracy: older children are not immuneAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Rachel Zajac We present data suggesting that the negative effect of cross-examination style questioning on children's accuracy is not limited to young children. Using an identical paradigm to that used with 5- and 6-year-olds by Zajac and Hayne in 2003, we examined the effect of cross-examination style questioning on 9- and 10-year-olds' accounts of a prior staged event. Like younger children, 9- and 10-year-old children made frequent changes to their original responses during cross-examination style questioning. Although 9- and 10-year-old children were more likely to change incorrect responses than correct ones, they nonetheless changed over 40% of their correct responses, and cross-examination still exerted a significant negative effect on their overall accuracy levels. The present findings suggest that although older children appear to be somewhat less vulnerable to cross-examination style questioning, they are still not immune to the negative effects of this process on the accuracy of their reports. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Inhibiting children's memory of an interactive event: the effectiveness of a cover-upAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Sara-Jayne Williams Children are generally more susceptible than adults to suggestive interview techniques. Children's memories of an event can be altered and added to by presenting post-event information (PEI). What is not known is whether embedding silence about a particular scene within the PEI makes that scene less likely to be reported. Children aged 5,6 years made cakes with an agent ,Mrs Flour'. The following day they received PEI in which a target scene from the original event was omitted, resulting in children reporting the target scene significantly less often than did controls (control= 57% and omit=,23% correct responses). There was direct evidence from the children's language that the omission led to a detriment in memory for the original scene itself. Allowing children to draw during the interview did not reduce the effect. Implications are discussed in terms of child victims and witnesses particularly regarding child sexual abuse. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The effect of postevent information on adults' eyewitness reportsAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Rachel Sutherland The present experiment examined the conditions under which adults' reports of an event are influenced by information encountered after the event occurred. Adults were exposed to neutral, leading, and misleading postevent information about a target event 24 hours after that event. Twenty-four hours after exposure to postevent information, participants were first asked a general, open-ended question (free recall test procedure) and were then asked a series of specific questions. Some participants were asked to select their response from two possible alternatives (recognition test procedure) and some participants were required to generate their own answers to the same questions (directed recall test procedure). The nature of the original information, the nature of the postevent information, and the specificity of the questioning procedure influenced the number of correct responses and the number of misleading errors that participants made. These findings have important implications for interviewing adult witnesses. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The effects of general-case training and behavioral skills training on the generalization of parents' use of discrete-trial teaching, child correct responses, and child maladaptive behaviorBEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 4 2008John Ward-Horner One concern with training discrete-trial teaching (DTT) is the generalization of teaching skills. This study employed behavioral skills and general-case training to train three parents to conduct DTT. A multiple-baseline-across-participants-experimental design assessed the effects of parent training on the generalization of parents' DTT to non-trained programs and on child behavior. Following training, generalization of parent DTT skills occurred, but the effects on child behavior were variable. Implications of programming for generalization and the effects of parent training on child performance are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||