Search

Abstract. Research has consistently demonstrated the importance of providing an appropriate level of challenge, called the instructional level, within curricular material. Although the instructional level is a generally well-defined and [...]

The instructional level, a measure of optimal instructional challenge, addresses the amount of review material interspersed with new. The current study further attempted to identify the instructional level for drill [...]

Abstract. The inclusion of processing components in definitions and assessment procedures for learning disabilities (LD) has waxed and waned since the 1960s, but interest has grown recently as dissatisfaction with [...]

Two experiments with self-punitive behavior in rats examined the effects of stimulus change on fear conditioned to cues in different segments of the apparatus. In the first experiment, when the stimulus change was in the startbox, fear was decreased, but changing the stimulus in the first runway segment did not affect fear. In the second experiment, changed startbox cues were less feared than unchanged first-segment cues; fear was the same for changed cues in the first segment and unchanged cues.

According to the learning theory interpretation of self-punitive behavior, conditioned fear is critical to the maintenance of self-punitive running. In this study, fear conditioned to startbox and third runway segment cues was measured before and after punished-extinction (PE) trials. After shock-escape training, 120 male rats were given 0, 5, 10, or 20 PE trials. Fear of segment cues then was measured in either the startbox or third runway segment using hurdle-jump performance as the index of fear. The results support the conditioned-fear explanation. As predicted, immediately following shock-escape training, no difference was found between the amount of fear elicited by startbox and third segment cues, but after five or more PE trials more fear was elicited by startbox cues than by third segment cues. Additional PE trials maintained, but did not increase, the level of conditioned fear of startbox cues.

Objectives: Few studies of point‐of‐care ultrasound training and use in low resource settings have reported the impact of examinations on clinical management or the longer‐term quality of trainee‐performed studies. We characterized the long‐term effect of a point‐of‐care ultrasound program on clinical decision making, and evaluated the quality of clinician‐performed ultrasound studies. Methods: We conducted point‐of‐care ultrasound training for physicians from Rwandan hospitals. Physicians then used point‐of‐care ultrasound and recorded their findings, interpretation, and effects on patient management. Data were collected for 6 months. Trainee studies were reviewed for image quality and accuracy. Results: Fifteen participants documented 1158 ultrasounds; 590 studies (50.9%) had matched images and interpretations for review. Abdominal ultrasound for free fluid was the most frequently performed application. The mean image quality score was 2.36 (95% confidence interval, 2.28–2.44). Overall sensitivity and specificity for trainee‐performed examinations was 94 and 98%. Point‐of‐care ultrasound use most commonly changed medications administered (42.4%) and disposition (30%). Conclusions: A point‐of‐care ultrasound training intervention in a low‐resource setting resulted in high numbers of diagnostic‐quality studies over long‐term follow‐up. Ultrasound use routinely changed clinical decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Mowrer-Brown hypothesis (Brown, 1969, Punishment and Aversive Behavior), conditioned fear is critical to the maintenance of self-punitive behavior. This study investigated the effects of midsegment shock on fear of different alley segments. Sixty male rats were given shock-escape training followed by 15 trials of regular or punished extinction. Animals were then blocked in one of the alley segments and allowed to escape by jumping over a hurdle into a safebox. Hurdle-jump performance indexed the level of fear of each segment. Fear of preshock segment cues was greater than fear of shock segment and postshock segment cues, and fear of first segment cues was greater for punished-extinction subjects than for regular-extinction subjects. The results support a conditioned-fear interpretation of self-punitive behavior.

Copyright of Tropical Medicine & International Health is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: The objective was to evaluate a training protocol for pediatric emergency physicians (EPs) learning emergency ultrasound (EUS) for the evaluation of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) by assessing technical ability and interrater reliability. Methods: Pediatric emergency medicine (EM) fellows and attending physicians completed a 1-day training course taught by an expert emergency sonologist. After the course, EPs performed proctored examinations on patients with SSTIs until they reached predefined performance criteria, after which they performed independent EUS examinations. All EUS examinations were recorded using still images and video clips that were reviewed and rated by the expert sonologist on four technical measures and combined into a composite score. The expert's opinion regarding the presence or absence of an abscess was also compared to the study sonologist's opinion and analyzed for interrater reliability. Results: Seven EPs performed 107 EUS examinations. The mean (±SD) composite score for the evaluation of technical ability for the first EUS was 3.3 ± 0.14 (on a 4-point scale), indicating a high level of quality following the training course. There was a small amount of improvement in the quality score (0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0003 to 0.03) with each consecutive EUS examination. The interrater reliability between the sonologist and the expert for the presence of an abscess as measured by the kappa statistic was 0.80 (95% CI = 0.63 to 0.97), indicating substantial agreement. Conclusions: After a brief training program, pediatric EPs can perform technically successful emergency EUS examination of SSTIs, with excellent agreement with an expert sonologist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoralWatch, launched in 2002, is a citizen-science program that seeks to integrate education and global reef monitoring by examining coral bleaching and uses a monitoring network to educate the public about reef biology, climate change, and environmental stewardship. The organization's development from research and monitoring to education and ecotourism has presented a number of challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author argues that the independent review of the postgraduate medical training dubbed the Shape of Training, sponsored and supported by the British General Medical Council (GMC), lacked transparency. Topics he covered include the members of the review's steering group and the recommendations made by the review's independent chair, David Greenaway, professor of economics at the University of Nottingham in England.

Encourages readers to submit reviews and research papers to the resource editors of the periodical 'Adult Learning.' Number of words required for reviews; Provision of a selection of materials pertinent to assisting adult learning; Inclusion of reviews and notices in the periodical issues.