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Academic self-efficacy is critical to academic success. Hence those working in higher education need to make deliberate and substantial attempts to foster academic competence, confidence, persistence and resilience in the students they teach, given they are essential components of academic self-efficacy. Addressing an identified gap in the exemplars literature, this article pays particular attention to how exemplars can be used in an embedded and sustained manner with the intent of fostering and supporting these components. Taking into account the three dimensions of self-efficacy – strength, magnitude and generality – and the various sources of information students draw upon to make judgements about their capabilities, four inter-dependent and inter-related practices and associated experiences are identified. We argue that collectively these practices and experiences can accentuate the positive effects and ameliorate the potential negative effects of exemplar use on student academic self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dual defibrillation (DD) is a technique where two external defibrillators are applied with two different pad configurations and discharged to treat refractory ventricular fibrillation (RVF). Although commonly called dual sequential defibrillation (DSD), if the delivered electrical pulses overlap with no pulse interval, the shocks are actually dual simultaneous defibrillation (DSiD). Manual DD technique is not standardized and the effect that the method of activation has on the delivered pulse interval has never been studied. Objectives: This study measured the timing of four methods of DD and the resulting inter-shock intervals, frequency with which they were either DSiD or DSD, and frequency which the true DSDs delivered any previously reported optimum pulse interval. Methods: This was a single-blinded prospective evaluation of a convenience sample of volunteer physicians, nurses, and paramedics each performing DD in our simulation center on two types of defibrillators using four techniques: single operator-simultaneous with 2 hands (SOSI), two operators-simultaneous (TOSI), single operator-sequential with 1 hand (SOSE1), and single operator-sequential with 2 hands (SOSE2). Results: The four DD methods generated a variable set of pulse intervals depending on the technique and defibrillator employed. The pulse intervals ranged from 0 msec (i.e., overlapping waveforms or DSiD) to 1800 msec. Of all DD attempts, 85.9% met the definition of DSD, 14.1% were DSiD, and 49.4% delivered any one of the optimum pulse intervals previously described in the literature. SOSI and TOSI techniques resulted in DSD between 47.2 and 87.6% of the time, depending on the technique and defibrillator. Shocks delivered sequentially on purpose (SOSE2 and SOSE1) were always DSD but with widely variable pulse intervals. SOSI resulted in the shortest pulse intervals, SOSE1 resulted in the longest, and TOSI and SOSE2 were the least skewed. Conclusion: DD using the various methods currently employed produces a highly variable set of pulse intervals even within a single method. It is difficult to reach a conclusion about the efficacy of DD unless the delivered pulse interval is measured or the method of activation reproducibly produces a precise pulse interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a framework to review the research, this article evaluates the effectiveness of adjunct questions and objectives in a prose learning setting. The framework proved useful in identifying processes responsible for the effects of the two adjunct aids, in explaining unusual and/or discrepant results, and generating recommendations for future research. (Author/BS)

The effects of examples used with application adjunct questions on concept learning were evaluated. Results indicated that application adjunct questions did not produce significantly higher performance on criterion questions than no-question treatments. Matched adjunct questions produced higher levels of performance on criterion than unmatched questions. (Author.LMO)

Two experiments, each with 132 undergraduates, evaluated the effects of definition adjunct questions on concept learning. In both experiments, only unmatched application adjunct questions preceded by a definition question produced higher performance on criterion questions than did definition questions only. The effective use of definition questions is discussed. (SLD)

The effects of asking 48 undergraduates to generate personal examples of target concepts on learning of psychological concepts from prose were evaluated. This elaboration activity produced a significant positive effect. Elaboration processes seemed to influence the transfer of concepts to problem-solving, especially for lower ability students. (SLD)

The view that evolutionary psychology, the biology of the human animal will elucidate human beastliness is described. Reductionism and pluralism used by evolutionary psychologists fail to give proper account of human action.

There were three great European artists I was proud to number among my friends. Marcel Broodthaers was the first to go, and he, sadly, did not live long enough to [...]