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Participants' Responses (participant + response)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	45%
Psychology	20%
Humanities and Social Sciences	20%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	10%

Selected Abstracts

Teaching paediatric residents about learning disorders: use of standardised case discussion versus multimedia computer tutorial

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2005
Carolyn Frazer Bridgemohan
Background, We developed a standardised case-based educational exercise on the topic of childhood learning disorders, and a multimedia computerised adaptation of this exercise, as part of a national curriculum project based on the Bright Futures guidelines. Objective, To explore resident perceptions of the facilitated case discussion (FCD) and the computerised tutorial (CT). Design, Quasi-randomised comparison of two educational interventions. Setting, Preclinic teaching conferences at a large urban children's hospital. Participants, A total of 46 paediatric residents years 1,3 assigned to either FCD (n = 21) or CT (n = 25). Interventions, FCD residents met in groups of 8,12 with a trained facilitator for a structured case discussion, while CT residents worked in groups of 2,3 at a computer station linked to an interactive website. Outcome Measures, Participant responses during semistructured focus group interviews. Analysis, Focus group transcripts, field notes and computer logs were analysed simultaneously using qualitative grounded theory methodology. Results, Residents experienced CT as fun, offering flexibility, greater auditory and visual appeal and more opportunities for active learning. FCD allowed greater contact with expert faculty and made the material more relevant to clinical practice. FCD participants emphasised the clinical skills gleaned and stated that the learning experience would change their future patient management. Both groups reported that case discussion was more interactive than computer learning. Median time spent on learning was slightly shorter for the CT group. All groups of learners arrived at the correct final diagnosis. Conclusions, FCD and CT stimulate different types of learning among paediatric residents. Future studies are needed to determine how to integrate these two techniques to meet the learning needs of residents in diverse settings. [source]

Sexual Protective Strategies of Late Adolescent Females: More Than Just Condoms

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 4 2001
M. Katherine Hutchinson RN
Objective: To identify the sexual protective strategies of late adolescent heterosexual women. Design: Open-ended questioning regarding sexual protective strategies was included in a larger cross-sectional survey on sexual risk. Participants' responses were recorded verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Participants: 234 African American, Hispanic/Latina, and non-Hispanic white 19- to 21-year-old females were recruited from the driver's license records of a mid-Atlantic state. Main Outcome Measures: Participants re-1 to the on-ended question, "How or what do you do to reduce your risk for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV?" Results: Seven primary sexual protective strategies were identified from participants' responses: using condoms, abstaining or postponing sexual intercourse, getting tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted diseases (SIDs), selecting safe partners, negotiating condom use, talking about sexual risk histories, and limiting the number of sexual partners. Conclusions: Some of the sexual protective strategies identified by study participants were less than effective and left young women vulnerable to infection with HIV and STDs. In addition, the use of these alternative strategies may leave young women feeling less at risk and thus less likely to use other more effective strategies such as condoms. The implications for nursing practice and the assessment of the sexual protective strategies of young heterosexual women are discussed. [source]

A pilot study of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme evaluated by four adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008
Anna Norweg
Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyse participants' perceptions of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme, which combined occupational therapy with physical therapy. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from four adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who attended an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme in New York City. Features of the occupational therapy programme reported to be valuable were biofeedback and clinician support. Participants reported more control of dyspnoea, improved mental health and confidence in performing daily activities, less fatigue, more physically active lifestyles and hope for the future. Limitations of the study were that participants were interviewed only once and themes were not verified with participants. The study results also cannot be generalized. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy in promoting self-management and coping skills and restoring occupational performance in adults with COPD. Participants' responses provide additional support for developing cognitive-behavioural protocols in occupational therapy and measuring their effectiveness in relieving anxiety symptoms and promoting dyspnoea management. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The knowledge of caring: revisiting the need for knowledge support of carers

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 3 2008
Jennifer Osmond
ABSTRACT Foster carers' knowledge of caring for abused and neglected children is a largely under-researched area. We know very little about the nature of carers' knowledge in relation to caring for children who have been abused or neglected. This paper reports on an exploratory study which examined the knowledge of caring. Qualitative data were analysed based on in-depth interviews with 10 foster carers in Queensland, Australia. A range of knowledge was identified showing an interaction of both personalized and formal understandings in the caring response. Given the breadth of knowledge recognized from the analysis, this paper presents one dimension of their knowing: theory and abuse-indicated understandings. Participants' responses in these areas were at times sound, but many struggled to provide convincing and well-formed explanations of topics, such as attachment, harm and child development which may suggest that their understandings are not what they could be. Although further research is needed on a larger scale, this study does highlight the necessity to re-examine processes and strategies for carer knowledge support, so as to strengthen their understanding of these issues. [source]

Academic Research Training for a Nonacademic Workplace: a Case Study of Graduate Student Alumni Who Work in Conservation

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
MATTHEW J. MUIR
educación en conservación; formación de graduados; habilidades para el trabajo; programas universitarios Abstract:,Graduate education in conservation biology has been assailed as ineffective and inadequate to train the professionals needed to solve conservation problems. To identify how graduate education might better fit the needs of the conservation workplace, we surveyed practitioners and academics about the importance of particular skills on the job and the perceived importance of teaching those same skills in graduate school. All survey participants (n = 189) were alumni from the University of California Davis Graduate Group in Ecology and received thesis-based degrees from 1973 to 2008. Academic and practitioner respondents clearly differed in workplace skills, although there was considerably more agreement in training recommendations. On the basis of participant responses, skill sets particularly at risk of underemphasis in graduate programs are decision making and implementation of policy, whereas research skills may be overemphasized. Practitioners in different job positions, however, require a variety of skill sets, and we suggest that ever-increasing calls to broaden training to fit this multitude of jobs will lead to a trade-off in the teaching of other skills. Some skills, such as program management, may be best developed in on-the-job training or collaborative projects. We argue that the problem of graduate education in conservation will not be solved by restructuring academia alone. Conservation employers need to communicate their specific needs to educators, universities need to be more flexible with their opportunities, and students need to be better consumers of the skills offered by universities and other institutions. Resumen:,La educación en biología de la conservación a nivel licenciatura ha sido calificada como ineficaz e inadecuada para formar a los profesionales que se requieren para resolver problemas de conservación. Para identificar cómo la educación a nivel licenciatura puede satisfacer las necesidades del ámbito laboral en conservación, sondeamos a profesionales y académicos sobre la importancia de habilidades particulares del trabajo y la percepción de la importancia de esas mismas habilidades en la universidad. Todos los participantes en el sondeo (n = 189) fueron alumnos del Grupo de Graduados en Ecología de la Universidad de California en Davis y obtuvieron el grado basado en tesis entre 1973 y 2008. Los académicos y profesionales encuestados difirieron claramente en sus habilidades, aunque hubo considerablemente mayor acuerdo en las recomendaciones de capacitación. Con base en las respuestas de los participantes, los conjuntos de habilidades en riesgo de no ser consideradas en los programas educativos son la toma de decisiones y la implementación de políticas, mientras que las habilidades de investigación tienden a ser sobre enfatizadas. Sin embargo, los profesionales en diferentes puestos de trabajo requieren una variedad de conjuntos de habilidades, y sugerimos que los constantes llamados a ampliar la capacitación para responder a esta multitud de labores conducirán a un desbalance en la enseñanza de otras habilidades. Algunas habilidades, como el manejo de programas, pueden desarrollarse en proyectos colaborativos o de capacitación en el trabajo. Argumentamos que el problema de la educación en biología de la conservación a nivel licenciatura no se resolverá solo con la reestructuración de la academia. Los empleadores deben comunicar sus requerimientos específicos a los educadores, las universidades deben ser más flexibles con sus oportunidades y los estudiantes necesitan ser mejores consumidores de las habilidades ofrecidas por las universidades y otras instituciones. [source]

Relationships among perceptions of parent involvement, time allocation, and demographic characteristics: Implication for policy formation

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2002
Shulamit N. Ritblatt
Variables that facilitate or hinder parent involvement (PI) in education and schools were explored, along with the amounts of time parents spent in various activities. A total of 506 participants from San Diego and Imperial Counties completed the first part of the study (1) designed to assess parents' beliefs about involvement with their child's school and education. Of these same participants, 357 self-selected parents also chose to complete a second part of the study (2) that assessed the amount of time parents spend in education-related activities. Factor analysis of the 506 participant responses revealed four school perception factors related to parent attitudes: (a) communication, (b) familiarity, (c) sensitivity, and (d) support. Factor analysis of the 357 participant responses to the time factors also revealed four involvement areas: (a) general school issues, (b) specific school issues, (c) extracurricular school activities, and (d) specific help. Significant relationships were found among three of the attitudinal factors (sensitivity, familiarity, and support) and various time factors, including total involvement time, general issues, specific problems, and extracurricular issues. Further, significant differences among means were found for both the school perception factors and the time factors based on ethnic background, income, and marital status. Recommendations for increasing parent involvement and formulating public policy are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Executive cognitive functioning and aggression: Is it an issue of impulsivity?

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2003
Peter N.S. Hoaken
Abstract A large body of research has documented a relation between the executive cognitive functions (ECFs) and interpersonal aggressive behavior. A predominant theory proposes that individuals with poor ECFs are more aggressive because they are unable to inhibit impulsive behaviors. However, evidence for this relationship is typically indirect. In this study, 46 healthy men and women completed measures of ECF, the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, and the Go/No-Go discrimination task, a behavioral measure of impulsivity. Also, impulsiveness of participant responses during the aggression task was directly assessed by measuring latency of responses to provocation ("set-time"). It was hypothesized that low-quartile,scoring ECF men and women would perform more aggressively and more impulsively than high-quartile peers. Consistent with expectations, results indicated that ECF was related to aggression and to impulsivity on the Go/No-Go task. However, low-ECF men and women did not have shorter set-times; in fact, on this task, low-ECF participants' behavioral decisions seemed slightly slower than those of high-ECF participants. In light of these results, the authors speculate that a social information-processing problem may mediate the ECF aggression relationship rather than altered impulsivity per se. Aggr. Behav. 29:15,30, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Lay knowledge of eyewitness issues: A Canadian evaluation

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
J. Don Read
Lay opinions concerning eyewitness topics were surveyed in three community samples of juror-eligible participants in Canada. The scientific reliability of these topics had been previously evaluated by eyewitness experts. The first survey assessed participant responses to the identically worded expert items. Participants responded to many statements with greater accuracy than anticipated. Two subsequent surveys assessed the consistency of lay knowledge across variations in the directionality and wording of items and the provision of additional contextual information. Taken together, jury-eligible participants frequently responded to survey items in ways that closely resembled the responses of experts and suggested awareness and understanding of these topics at levels beyond those previously obtained. Further, the provision of contextual information increased response accuracy and reduced the frequencies of ,Don't Know' responses. Deficiencies in knowledge for 50% of the topics were also apparent; however, these topics were frequently those for which the experts themselves had not reached consensus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Emergency Department Sickle Cell Assessment of Needs and Strengths (ED-SCANS), a Focus Group and Decision Support Tool Development Project

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010
Paula Tanabe PhD
ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:848,858 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, A decision support tool may guide emergency clinicians in recognizing assessment, analgesic and overall management, and health service delivery needs for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to identify data and process elements important in making decisions regarding evaluation and management of adult patients in the ED with painful episodes of SCD. Methods:, Qualitative methods using a series of focus groups and grounded theory were used. Eligible participants included adult clients with SCD and emergency physicians and nurses with a minimum of 1 year of experience providing care to patients with SCD in the ED. Patients were recruited in conjunction with annual SCD meetings, and providers included clinicians who were and were not affiliated with sickle cell centers. Groups were conducted until saturation was reached and included a total of two patient groups, three physician groups, and two nurse groups. Focus groups were held in New York, Durham, Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver. Clinician participants were asked the following three questions to guide the discussion: 1) what information would be important to know about patients with SCD in the ED setting to effectively care for them and help you identify patient analgesic, treatment, and referral needs? 2) What treatment decisions would you make with this information? and 3) What characteristics would a decision support tool need to have to make it meaningful and useful? Client participants were asked the same questions with rewording to reflect what they believed providers should know to provide the best care and what they should do with the information. All focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Two coders independently coded participant responses and identified focal themes based on the key questions. An investigator and assistant independently reviewed the transcripts and met until the final coding structure was determined. Results:, Forty-seven individuals participated (14 persons with SCD, 16 physicians, and 17 nurses) in a total of seven different groups. Two major themes emerged: acute management and health care utilization. Major subthemes included the following: physiologic findings, diagnostics, assessment and treatment of acute painful episodes, and disposition. The most common minor subthemes that emerged included past medical history, presence of a medical home (physician or clinic), individualized analgesic treatment plan for treatment of painful episodes, history of present illness, medical home follow-up available, patient-reported analgesic treatment that works, and availability of analgesic prescription at discharge. Additional important elements in treatment of acute pain episodes included the use of a standard analgesic protocol, need for fluids and nonpharmacologic interventions, and the assessment of typicality of pain presentation. The patients' interpretation of the need for hospital admission also ranked high. Conclusions:, Participants identified several areas that are important in the assessment, management, and disposition decisions that may help guide best practices for SCD patients in the ED setting. [source]

Questionnaire development: face validity and item impact testing of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile

COMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2007
Hillary L. Broder
Abstract Objective:, The Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) was designed to assess oral-facial well-being in school-age children as reported by the child and via proxy report from a caregiver. This article describes the development of the COHIP using a multi-staged impact approach recommended by Guyatt et al. (Quality of life and pharmacoeconomics in clinical trials. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott-Raven; 1996. p. 41). Methods:, There were multiple phases to the development of the questionnaire: (i) initial pool of items developed from the literature and expert review; (ii) face validity of items; (iii) impact evaluation of the initial item pool; (iv) development of positive items and face validity of new items; (v) impact evaluation of the revised questionnaire and (vi) factor analysis and final revision of the questionnaire. Factor analysis was completed on the final questionnaire using data from the impact evaluation in order to evaluate whether the COHIP measured independent conceptual domains. Results:, Factor analysis identified five domains: oral health, functional well-being, social/emotional well-being, school environment and self-image. Readability was calculated using the Flesch-Kinkaid readability score that was finalized at a 3.5 grade reading level. Finally, two response sets, and a revised format (e.g., including pictures, increasing font size, and shading every other item) were implemented to decrease respondent fatigue and increase accuracy of participant responses. Conclusions:, The final questionnaire consisted of 34 items and five conceptually distinct subscales: oral health, functional well-being, social/emotional well-being, school environment and self-image. Subsequent papers present the validity and reliability of the COHIP. [source]

Experimental Tests of Normative Group Influence and Representation Effects in Computer-Mediated Communication

HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 3 2002
When Interacting Via Computers Differs From Interacting With Computers
Two experiments addressed the questions of if and how normative social influence operates in anonymous computer-mediated communication (CMC) and human-computer interaction (HCI). In Experiment 1, a 2 (public response vs. private response) × 2 (one interactant vs. four interactants) × 3 (textbox vs. stick figure vs. animated character) mixed-design experiment (N = 72), we investigated how conformity pressure operates in a simulated CMC setting. Each participant was asked to make a decision in hypothetical social dilemmas after being presented with a unanimous opinion by other (ostensible) participants. The experiment examined how the visual representation of interaction partners on the screen moderates this social influence process. Group conformity effects were shown to be more salient when the participant's responses were allegedly seen by others, compared to when the responses were given in private. In addition, participants attributed greater competence, social attractiveness, and trustworthiness to partners represented by anthropomorphic characters than those represented by textboxes or stick figures. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1, replacing interaction with a computer(s) rather than (ostensible) people, to create an interaction setting in which no normative pressure was expected to occur. The perception of interaction partner (human vs. computer) moderated the group conformity effect such that people expressed greater public agreement with human partners than with computers. No such difference was found for the private expression of opinion. As expected, the number of computer agents did not affect participants' opinions whether the responses were given in private or in public, while visual representation had a significant impact on both conformity measures and source perception variables. [source]

Recognizing Opportunities for Spiritual Enhancement in Young Adults

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 3 2001
Roberta Cavendish PhD
Purpose. To describe opportunities in the lives of young adults that strengthen or enhance spirituality. Methods. Descriptive, qualitative. Tape-recorded, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 well adults the ages 18 to 24. Interview transcripts, field notes, vignettes, and research committee minutes were analyzed to reduce coded data into conceptual categories and themes. Findings. Seven themes emerged from the participant's responses to probes: Beliefs, Connectedness, Inner Motivating Factors, Life Events, Divine Providence, Understanding the Mystery, and Walking Through. Conclusions. The accurate assessment of spiritual needs of young adults may be contingent on the assessment of their developmental needs. Knowing the opportunities that present in the lives of young adults to foster spiritual growth is important for nurses, who often are present when these opportunities occur. Practice Implications. Standardized language is limited for accurate nursing diagnosis of human responses in the spiritual domain. The findings support a new wellness nursing diagnosis, "Readiness for Enhanced Spirituality," to conceptualize a spirituality continuum and support wellness diagnoses. Search Terms: Nursing diagnosis, psychosocial development, religiosity, spirituality, transitions stage [source]

Re-inscribing Gender in New Modes of Medical Expertise: The Investigator,Coordinator Relationship in the Clinical Trials Industry

GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 2 2010
Jill A. Fisher
This article analyses the ways in which research coordinators forge professional identities in the highly gendered organizational context of the clinic. Drawing upon qualitative research on the organization of the clinical trials industry (that is, the private sector, for profit auxiliary companies that support pharmaceutical drug studies), this article explores the relationships between predominantly male physician-investigators and female research coordinators and the constitution of medical expertise in pharmaceutical drug development. One finding is that coordinators actively seek to establish relationships with investigators that mirror traditional doctor,nurse relationships, in which the feminized role is subordinated and devalued. Another finding is that the coordinators do, in fact, have profound research expertise that is frequently greater than that of the investigators. The coordinators develop expertise on pharmaceutical products and diseases through their observations of the patterns that occur in patient,participants' responses to investigational drugs. The article argues, however, that the nature of the relationships between coordinators and investigators renders invisible the coordinators' expertise. In this context, gender acts as a persistent social structure shaping both coordinators' and investigators' perceptions of who can be recognized as having authority and power in the workplace. [source]

Women's responses to fashion media images: a study of female consumers aged 30,59

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 3 2010
Joy M. Kozar
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine whether female consumers ranging in age from 30 to 59 prefer fashion advertising models more closely resembling their age. The sample for this study consisted of 182 women. Stimuli included full-colored photographs of current fashion models. A questionnaire designed to explore participants' responses to the stimuli included scales measuring participants' beliefs about the stimulus models' appearances and attractiveness, participants' purchase intentions and perceived similarity with the models and participants' perceived fashionability of the model's clothing. Participants rated models appearing older in age significantly higher than younger models on the characteristics related to appearance and attractiveness. Advertisements with older models also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions as compared to younger-age models. Participants who perceived more similarity to the models were found to have more positive beliefs about the model's appearance and attractiveness and the fashionability of the model's clothing. Perceived similarity also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions. As a result of this study, findings suggest that marketers and retailers should consider the age of the model used in their promotional materials. Specifically, it is possible that female consumers either transitioning into, or currently in, the middle adulthood life stages may have a preference for fashion models more closely resembling their age group. [source]

Identifying the Activities Affected by Chronic Nonmalignant Pain in Older Veterans Receiving Primary Care

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 4 2005
Bao D. Duong MD
Objectives: To identify the specific types of activities affected by chronic pain in older persons and the extent to which older individuals modify, perform less frequently, or terminate activities because of pain. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Primary care practice at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New England. Participants: Two hundred forty-four patients (aged 65,90) with chronic nonmalignant pain. Measurements: Open-ended questions were used to identify the activities affected by pain; participants' responses were subsequently organized into distinct categories (e.g., climbing stairs under higher-order physical activities and going out to dinner under social/recreational activities). Participants were also asked to indicate whether they had modified, performed less frequently, or terminated these activities because of pain. Results: Participants had a mean age±standard deviation of 75.4±5.2, were mostly male (84%), and had an average pain intensity score of 6.2±1.9 on a 0- to 10-scale. Two hundred three participants (83%) reported that pain affected one or more higher-order physical activities, and the corresponding percentages for the categories of social/recreational activities, instrumental activities of daily living, and basic activities of daily living were 74%, 57%, and 3%, respectively. The proportions of participants who modified, performed less frequently, or terminated one or more activities because of pain were 71%, 69%, and 22%, respectively. Conclusion: Assessing the effects of chronic pain across multiple functional domains is indicated in older primary care patients, particularly higher-order physical and social/recreational activities. Inquiring about whether the activities are modified, reduced, or terminated may also help to expand understanding of pain-related disability in older persons. [source]

The anatomy of interprofessional leadership: An investigation of leadership behaviors in team-based health care

JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP STUDIES, Issue 3 2009
June M. S. Anonson
Increasing specialization among health care professions has heightened the need for proficient interprofessional teamwork. Within the team context for practice, leadership becomes a competency expected of all practitioners who must recognize the necessity of situational leadership dependent on patient needs and the professional competencies to meet those needs. Although this need for leadership within interprofessional practice is recognized, the behavioral components of that leadership competency have not been delineated. In this article, the authors report on a study to identify the behavioral components of interprofessional practice and highlight the indicators of leadership competency in interprofessional patient-centered care. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 24 participants from nine professions engaged in collaborative team care of clients or patients in a variety of community and acute-based health care facilities. Interprofessional competencies were explored using grounded theory, with coding of participants' responses. In this article, the authors have highlighted leadership in interprofessional practice, and discussed the behavioral indicators of leadership that could be used in preparation of students, faculty, and practitioners for interprofessional practice, as well as in evaluation of that practice for purposes of professional growth. [source]

Sexual Protective Strategies of Late Adolescent Females: More Than Just Condoms

The quality of a simulation examination using a high-fidelity child manikin

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 2003
T-C Tsai
Purpose, Developing quality examinations that measure physicians' clinical performance in simulations is difficult. The goal of this study was to develop a quality simulation examination using a high-fidelity child manikin in evaluating paediatric residents' competence about managing critical cases in a simulated emergency room. Quality was determined by evidence of the reliability, validity and feasibility of the examination. In addition, the participants' responses regarding its realism, effectiveness and value are presented. Method, Scenario scripts and rating instruments were carefully developed in this study. Experts were used to validate the case scenarios and provide evidence of construct validity. Eighteen paediatric residents, ,working' as pairs, participated in a manikin-based simulation pre-test, a training session and a post-test. Three independent raters rated the participants' performance on task-specific technical skills, medications used and behaviours displayed. At the end of the simulation, the participants completed an evaluation questionnaire. Results, The manikin-based simulation examination was found to be a realistic, valid and reliable tool. Validity (i.e. face, content and construct) of the test instrument was evident. The level of inter-rater concordance of participants' clinical performance was good to excellent. The item analysis showed good to excellent internal consistency on all the performance scores except the post-test technical score. Conclusions, With a carefully designed rating instrument and simulation operation, the manikin-based simulation examination was shown to be reliable and valid. However, a further refinement of the test instrument will be required for higher stake examinations. [source]

Medical diagnostic consultation concerning mental retardation: An analogue study of school psychologists' attitudes

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 3 2010
David L. Wodrich
Recent research of relevance to school psychologists suggests that the cause, or etiology, of mental retardation can be established by medical diagnosticians in approximately one-half of cases. In the current study, 109 practicing school psychologists considered a hypothetical case of an elementary student with mental retardation and indicated their attitudes toward the use of medical consultation. School psychologists were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions defined by the amount of information about medical diagnostic consultations they received: (a) no information, (b) guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) calling for medical consultation in cases of developmental delay, or (c) AAN guidelines plus a concise summary of research on etiology, prevention, and mental retardation. School psychologists with more than 10 years of experience evidenced a more favorable attitude toward medical diagnostic consultation when provided more information, whereas their less experienced colleagues demonstrated no such pattern. This finding, together with others derived from participants' responses, is discussed regarding school psychologists' practice and training. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Flashbulb and factual memories: the case of Rabin's assassination

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2003
Israel Nachson
Similarities and differences between factual memories (FTM) and flashbulb memories (FBM) of the assassination of Israel's Prime Minister, Itzhak Rabin, were explored. About two weeks after the assassination 61 Israeli students filled out a questionnaire which focused on the event and the circumstances in which they had first learned about it. About 11 months later they filled out again the same questionnaire, and self-assessed their emotional and cognitive reactions to the assassination, as well as specific properties of their memory; such as confidence in its accuracy, and the amounts of rehearsals and visual representations. Comparative analysis of the participants' responses on the two questionnaires uncovered decrements of about 25% in FTM accuracy, and about 36% in FBM consistency. Rehearsals and visual representations were more common in FTM than in FBM, but the levels of confidence in memory accuracy were similar for both. FTM which were presumably based on information provided by television broadcasts, appeared to have episodic properties. The data seem to support the hypothesis that FTM and FBM of traumatic public events are encoded together; perhaps by the same memory mechanism. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]