Model Analysis of Fine Structures of Student Models: An Example with Newton's Third Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bao, Lei; Hogg, Kirsten; Zollman, Dean

2002-01-01

Studies the role of context in students' uses of alternative conceptual models by using Newton's third law. Identifies four contextual features that are frequently used by students in their reasoning. Probes the effects of specific contextual features on student reasoning using a multiple-choice survey. (Contains 39 references.) (Author/YDS)

Undergraduate Students' Quantitative Reasoning in Economic Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mkhatshwa, Thembinkosi Peter; Doerr, Helen M.

2018-01-01

Contributing to a growing body of research on undergraduate students' quantitative reasoning, the study reported in this article used task-based interviews to investigate business calculus students' quantitative reasoning when solving two optimization tasks situated in the context of revenue and profit maximization. Analysis of verbal responses…

Field-based Information Technology in Geology Education: GeoPads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knoop, P. A.; van der Pluijm, B.

2004-12-01

During the past two summers, we have successfully incorporated a field-based information technology component into our senior-level, field geology course (GS-440) at the University of Michigan's Camp Davis Geology Field Station, near Jackson, WY. Using GeoPads -- rugged TabletPCs equipped with electronic notebook software, GIS, GPS, and wireless networking -- we have significantly enhanced our field mapping exercises and field trips. While fully retaining the traditional approaches and advantages of field instruction, GeoPads offer important benefits in the development of students' spatial reasoning skills. GeoPads enable students to record observations and directly create geologic maps in the field, using a combination of an electronic field notebook (Microsoft OneNote) tightly integrated with pen-enabled GIS software (ArcGIS-ArcMap). Specifically, this arrangement permits students to analyze and manipulate their data in multiple contexts and representations -- while still in the field -- using both traditional 2-D map views, as well as richer 3-D contexts. Such enhancements provide students with powerful exploratory tools that aid the development of spatial reasoning skills, allowing more intuitive interactions with 2-D representations of our 3-D world. Additionally, field-based GIS mapping enables better error-detection, through immediate interaction with current observations in the context of both supporting data (e.g., topographic maps, aerial photos, magnetic surveys) and students' ongoing observations. The overall field-based IT approach also provides students with experience using tools that are increasingly relevant to their future academic or professional careers.

The Impact of Cooperative Learning on CHC Students' Achievements and Its Changes over the Past Decade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Qiuxian; Liu, Yuan

2017-01-01

Informed by emergent learning theories and multiple evidenced benefits, cooperative learning has developed into a widely accepted organization mode of class in the Western context. For the same reason, cooperative learning is transferred, during the past decade, into classrooms of Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) contexts. Concerns, however, are…

Understanding place and health: a heuristic for using administrative data.

PubMed

Frohlich, Katherine L; Dunn, James R; McLaren, Lindsay; Shiell, Alan; Potvin, Louise; Hawe, Penelope; Dassa, Clément; Thurston, Wilfreda E

2007-06-01

The increasing availability, use and limitations of administrative data for place-based population health research, and a lack of theory development, created the context for the current paper. We developed a heuristic to interrogate administrative data sets and to help us develop explanatory pathways for linking place and health. Guided by a worked example, we argue that some items in administrative data sets lend themselves to multiple theories, creating problems of inference owing to the implications of using inductive versus deductive reasoning during the research process, and that certain types of theories are privileged when used administrative data bases.

Role of Context in Risk-Based Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, Dave; Ainley, Janet; Kent, Phillip; Levinson, Ralph; Yogui, Cristina; Kapadia, Ramesh

2011-01-01

In this article we report the influence of contextual factors on mathematics and science teachers' reasoning in risk-based decision-making. We examine previous research that presents judgments of risk as being subjectively influenced by contextual factors and other research that explores the role of context in mathematical problem-solving. Our own…

The Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience: building communication skills in the clinical reasoning context.

PubMed

Konopasek, Lyuba; Kelly, Kevin V; Bylund, Carma L; Wenderoth, Suzanne; Storey-Johnson, Carol

2014-07-01

Students are rarely taught communication skills in the context of clinical reasoning training. The purpose of this project was to combine the teaching of communication skills using SPs with clinical reasoning exercises in a Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience (GOSCE) to study feasibility of the approach, the effect on learners' self-efficacy and attitude toward learning communication skills, and the effect of providing multiple sources of immediate, collaborative feedback. GOSCE sessions were piloted in Pediatrics and Medicine clerkships with students assessing their own performance and receiving formative feedback on communication skills from peers, standardized patients (SPs), and faculty. The sessions were evaluated using a retrospective pre/post-training questionnaire rating changes in self-efficacy and attitudes, and the value of the feedback. Results indicate a positive impact on attitudes toward learning communication skills and self-efficacy regarding communication in the clinical setting. Also, learners considered feedback by peers, SPs, and faculty valuable in each GOSCE. The GOSCE is an efficient and learner-centered method to attend to multiple goals of teaching communication skills, clinical reasoning, self-assessment, and giving feedback in a formative setting. The GOSCE is a low-resource, feasible strategy for experiential learning in communication skills and clinical reasoning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relational Reasoning about Numbers and Operations--Foundation for Calculation Strategy Use in Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulz, Andreas

2018-01-01

Theoretical analysis of whole number-based calculation strategies and digit-based algorithms for multi-digit multiplication and division reveals that strategy use includes two kinds of reasoning: reasoning about the relations between numbers and reasoning about the relations between operations. In contrast, algorithms aim to reduce the necessary…

Deterioration of abstract reasoning ability in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: correlation with regional grey matter volume loss revealed by diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra analysis.

PubMed

Yoshiura, Takashi; Hiwatashi, Akio; Yamashita, Koji; Ohyagi, Yasumasa; Monji, Akira; Takayama, Yukihisa; Kamano, Norihiro; Kawashima, Toshiro; Kira, Jun-Ichi; Honda, Hiroshi

2011-02-01

To determine which brain regions are relevant to deterioration in abstract reasoning as measured by Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) in the context of dementia. MR images of 37 consecutive patients including 19 with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 18 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were administered the CPM. Regional grey matter (GM) volume was evaluated according to the regimens of voxel-based morphometry, during which a non-linear registration algorithm called Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie algebra was employed. Multiple regression analyses were used to map the regions where GM volumes were correlated with CPM scores. The strongest correlation with CPM scores was seen in the left middle frontal gyrus while a region with the largest volume was identified in the left superior temporal gyrus. Significant correlations were seen in 14 additional regions in the bilateral cerebral hemispheres and right cerebellum. Deterioration of abstract reasoning ability in AD and aMCI measured by CPM is related to GM loss in multiple regions, which is in close agreement with the results of previous activation studies.

Priority-setting and hospital strategic planning: a qualitative case study.

PubMed

Martin, Douglas; Shulman, Ken; Santiago-Sorrell, Patricia; Singer, Peter

2003-10-01

To describe and evaluate the priority-setting element of a hospital's strategic planning process. Qualitative case study and evaluation against the conditions of 'accountability for reasonableness' of a strategic planning process at a large urban university-affiliated hospital. The hospital's strategic planning process met the conditions of 'accountability for reasonableness' in large part. Specifically: the hospital based its decisions on reasons (both information and criteria) that the participants felt were relevant to the hospital; the number and type of participants were very extensive; the process, decisions and reasons were well communicated throughout the organization, using multiple communication vehicles; and the process included an ethical framework linked to an effort to evaluate and improve the process. However, there were opportunities to improve the process, particularly by giving participants more time to absorb the information relevant to priority-setting decisions, more time to take difficult decisions and some means to appeal or revise decisions. A case study linked to an evaluation using 'accountability for reasonableness' can serve to improve priority-setting in the context of hospital strategic planning.

Coordinating Known and Unknown Quantities in a Multiplicative Context: Problem Conceptualization, Affordances and Constraints

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramful, Ajay

2012-01-01

In line with continuing efforts to explain the demanding nature of multiplicative reasoning among middle-school students, this study explores the fine-grained knowledge elements that two pairs of 7th and 8th graders deployed in their attempt to coordinate the known and unknown quantities in the gear-wheel problem. Failure to conceptualize the…

Modeling Multiplicative Error Variance: An Example Predicting Tree Diameter from Stump Dimensions in Baldcypress

Treesearch

Bernard R. Parresol

1993-01-01

In the context of forest modeling, it is often reasonable to assume a multiplicative heteroscedastic error structure to the data. Under such circumstances ordinary least squares no longer provides minimum variance estimates of the model parameters. Through study of the error structure, a suitable error variance model can be specified and its parameters estimated. This...

To include or not to include: Evaluations and reasoning about the failure to include peers with autism spectrum disorder in elementary students.

PubMed

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Turiel, Elliot; DeWitt, Mila N; Wolfberg, Pamela J

2017-01-01

Given the significant role that typically developing children play in the social lives of children with autism spectrum disorder, it is important to understand how they evaluate and reason about the inclusion/exclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in social situations. The objective of this study is to determine elementary students' evaluations, reasoning patterns, and reasoning complexity regarding the failure to include children with autism spectrum disorder in social activities. Forty-four elementary-aged students participated in interviews, which included vignettes describing four contexts in which a child with autism spectrum disorder is not invited to a social event. Responses were analyzed according to social domain theory, an approach emphasizing that children identify and coordinate different domains of social knowledge, including the moral, personal, societal, and prudential. Results showed that regardless of grade and context, most children judge that failure to include on the basis of disability status is not acceptable. However, the complexity of children's reasoning (i.e. the extent to which they drew upon and coordinated multiple domains) was higher in older children. Mean complexity scores were also higher in a birthday party context as compared to a playdate context. We offer implications for future research and practice regarding the social inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2016.

Pragmatic phenomenological types.

PubMed

Goranson, Ted; Cardier, Beth; Devlin, Keith

2015-12-01

We approach a well-known problem: how to relate component physical processes in biological systems to governing imperatives in multiple system levels. The intent is to further practical tools that can be used in the clinical context. An example proposes a formal type system that would support this kind of reasoning, including in machines. Our example is based on a model of the connection between a quality of mind associated with creativity and neuropsychiatric dynamics: constructing narrative as a form of conscious introspection, which allows the manipulation of one's own driving imperatives. In this context, general creativity is indicated by an ability to manage multiple heterogeneous worldviews simultaneously in a developing narrative. 'Narrative' in this context is framed as the organizing concept behind rational linearization that can be applied to metaphysics as well as modeling perceptive dynamics. Introspection is framed as the phenomenological 'tip' that allows a perceiver to be within experience or outside it, reflecting on and modifying it. What distinguishes the approach is the rooting in well founded but disparate disciplines: phenomenology, ontic virtuality, two-sorted geometric logics, functional reactive programming, multi-level ontologies and narrative cognition. This paper advances the work by proposing a type strategy within a two-sorted reasoning system that supports cross-ontology structure. The paper describes influences on this approach, and presents an example that involves phenotype classes and monitored creativity enhanced by both soft methods and transcranial direct-current stimulation. The proposed solution integrates pragmatic phenomenology, situation theory, narratology and functional programming in one framework. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contextual information influences diagnosis accuracy and decision making in simulated emergency medicine emergencies.

PubMed

McRobert, Allistair Paul; Causer, Joe; Vassiliadis, John; Watterson, Leonie; Kwan, James; Williams, Mark A

2013-06-01

It is well documented that adaptations in cognitive processes with increasing skill levels support decision making in multiple domains. We examined skill-based differences in cognitive processes in emergency medicine physicians, and whether performance was significantly influenced by the removal of contextual information related to a patient's medical history. Skilled (n=9) and less skilled (n=9) emergency medicine physicians responded to high-fidelity simulated scenarios under high- and low-context information conditions. Skilled physicians demonstrated higher diagnostic accuracy irrespective of condition, and were less affected by the removal of context-specific information compared with less skilled physicians. The skilled physicians generated more options, and selected better quality options during diagnostic reasoning compared with less skilled counterparts. These cognitive processes were active irrespective of the level of context-specific information presented, although high-context information enhanced understanding of the patients' symptoms resulting in higher diagnostic accuracy. Our findings have implications for scenario design and the manipulation of contextual information during simulation training.

Identifying the drivers of liking by investigating the reasons for (dis)liking using CATA in cross-cultural context: a case study on barbecue sauce.

PubMed

Choi, Ji-Hye; Gwak, Mi-Jin; Chung, Seo-Jin; Kim, Kwang-Ok; O'Mahony, Michael; Ishii, Rie; Bae, Ye-Won

2015-06-01

The present study cross-culturally investigated the drivers of liking for traditional and ethnic chicken marinades using descriptive analysis and consumer taste tests incorporating the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Seventy-three Koreans and 86 US consumers participated. The tested sauces comprised three tomato-based sauces, a teriyaki-based sauce and a Korean spicy seasoning-based sauce. Chicken breasts were marinated with each of the five barbecue sauces, grilled and served for evaluation. Descriptive analysis and consumer taste tests were conducted. Consumers rated the acceptance on a hedonic scale and checked the reasons for (dis)liking by the CATA method for each sauce. A general linear model, multiple factor analysis and chi-square analysis were conducted using the data. The results showed that the preference orders of the samples between Koreans and US consumers were strikingly similar to each other. However, the reasons for (dis)liking the samples differed cross-culturally. The drivers of liking of two sauces sharing relatively similar sensory profiles but differing significantly in hedonic ratings were effectively delineated by reasons of (dis)liking CATA results. Reasons for (dis)liking CATA proved to be a powerful supporting method to understand the internal drivers of liking which can be overlooked by generic descriptive analysis. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Children's judgements and emotions about social exclusion based on weight.

PubMed

Nguyen, Christine; Malti, Tina

2014-09-01

This study examined children's judgements and emotions associated with weight-based social exclusion using an ethnically diverse sample of one hundred and seventeen 9- and 13-year-old children. Children were interviewed about three scenarios depicting weight-based exclusion in athletic, academic, and social contexts. Children's judgements of exclusion, emotions attributed to the excluder and excluded targets, and justifications for judgements and emotions were examined. Overall, children judged weight-based exclusion to be wrong for moral reasons. However, they viewed weight-based exclusion in athletic contexts as less wrong compared with academic contexts, and they used more social-conventional reasoning to justify judgements and emotions attributed to excluders in athletic contexts compared with academic and social contexts. Children also expected excluded targets to feel negative emotions, whereas a range of positive and negative emotions was attributed to excluders. In addition, older children were more accepting of weight-based exclusion in athletic contexts than in academic and social contexts. We discuss the results in relation to the development of children's understanding of, and emotions associated with, exclusion based on weight. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

mlCAF: Multi-Level Cross-Domain Semantic Context Fusioning for Behavior Identification.

PubMed

Razzaq, Muhammad Asif; Villalonga, Claudia; Lee, Sungyoung; Akhtar, Usman; Ali, Maqbool; Kim, Eun-Soo; Khattak, Asad Masood; Seung, Hyonwoo; Hur, Taeho; Bang, Jaehun; Kim, Dohyeong; Ali Khan, Wajahat

2017-10-24

The emerging research on automatic identification of user's contexts from the cross-domain environment in ubiquitous and pervasive computing systems has proved to be successful. Monitoring the diversified user's contexts and behaviors can help in controlling lifestyle associated to chronic diseases using context-aware applications. However, availability of cross-domain heterogeneous contexts provides a challenging opportunity for their fusion to obtain abstract information for further analysis. This work demonstrates extension of our previous work from a single domain (i.e., physical activity) to multiple domains (physical activity, nutrition and clinical) for context-awareness. We propose multi-level Context-aware Framework (mlCAF), which fuses the multi-level cross-domain contexts in order to arbitrate richer behavioral contexts. This work explicitly focuses on key challenges linked to multi-level context modeling, reasoning and fusioning based on the mlCAF open-source ontology. More specifically, it addresses the interpretation of contexts from three different domains, their fusioning conforming to richer contextual information. This paper contributes in terms of ontology evolution with additional domains, context definitions, rules and inclusion of semantic queries. For the framework evaluation, multi-level cross-domain contexts collected from 20 users were used to ascertain abstract contexts, which served as basis for behavior modeling and lifestyle identification. The experimental results indicate a context recognition average accuracy of around 92.65% for the collected cross-domain contexts.

mlCAF: Multi-Level Cross-Domain Semantic Context Fusioning for Behavior Identification

PubMed Central

Villalonga, Claudia; Lee, Sungyoung; Akhtar, Usman; Ali, Maqbool; Kim, Eun-Soo; Khattak, Asad Masood; Seung, Hyonwoo; Hur, Taeho; Kim, Dohyeong; Ali Khan, Wajahat

2017-01-01

The emerging research on automatic identification of user’s contexts from the cross-domain environment in ubiquitous and pervasive computing systems has proved to be successful. Monitoring the diversified user’s contexts and behaviors can help in controlling lifestyle associated to chronic diseases using context-aware applications. However, availability of cross-domain heterogeneous contexts provides a challenging opportunity for their fusion to obtain abstract information for further analysis. This work demonstrates extension of our previous work from a single domain (i.e., physical activity) to multiple domains (physical activity, nutrition and clinical) for context-awareness. We propose multi-level Context-aware Framework (mlCAF), which fuses the multi-level cross-domain contexts in order to arbitrate richer behavioral contexts. This work explicitly focuses on key challenges linked to multi-level context modeling, reasoning and fusioning based on the mlCAF open-source ontology. More specifically, it addresses the interpretation of contexts from three different domains, their fusioning conforming to richer contextual information. This paper contributes in terms of ontology evolution with additional domains, context definitions, rules and inclusion of semantic queries. For the framework evaluation, multi-level cross-domain contexts collected from 20 users were used to ascertain abstract contexts, which served as basis for behavior modeling and lifestyle identification. The experimental results indicate a context recognition average accuracy of around 92.65% for the collected cross-domain contexts. PMID:29064459

Geometric Reasoning for Automated Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, Bradley J.; Knight, Russell L.; Broderick, Daniel

2012-01-01

An important aspect of mission planning for NASA s operation of the International Space Station is the allocation and management of space for supplies and equipment. The Stowage, Configuration Analysis, and Operations Planning teams collaborate to perform the bulk of that planning. A Geometric Reasoning Engine is developed in a way that can be shared by the teams to optimize item placement in the context of crew planning. The ISS crew spends (at the time of this writing) a third or more of their time moving supplies and equipment around. Better logistical support and optimized packing could make a significant impact on operational efficiency of the ISS. Currently, computational geometry and motion planning do not focus specifically on the optimized orientation and placement of 3D objects based on multiple distance and containment preferences and constraints. The software performs reasoning about the manipulation of 3D solid models in order to maximize an objective function based on distance. It optimizes for 3D orientation and placement. Spatial placement optimization is a general problem and can be applied to object packing or asset relocation.

Effects of the 5E Instructional Model Incorporated with Multiple Levels of Representations on Thai Students with Different Levels of Cognitive Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wichaidit, Patcharee Rompayom; Wichaidit, Sittichai

2016-01-01

Learning chemistry may be difficult for students for several reasons, such as the abstract nature of many chemistry concepts and the fact that students may view chemistry as irrelevant to their everyday lives. Teaching chemistry in familiar contexts and the use of multiple representations are seen as effective approaches for enhancing students'…

Reasoning with alternative explanations in physics: The cognitive accessibility rule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heckler, Andrew F.; Bogdan, Abigail M.

2018-06-01

A critical component of scientific reasoning is the consideration of alternative explanations. Recognizing that decades of cognitive psychology research have demonstrated that relative cognitive accessibility, or "what comes to mind," strongly affects how people reason in a given context, we articulate a simple "cognitive accessibility rule", namely that alternative explanations are considered less frequently when an explanation with relatively high accessibility is offered first. In a series of four experiments, we test the cognitive accessibility rule in the context of consideration of alternative explanations for six physical scenarios commonly found in introductory physics curricula. First, we administer free recall and recognition tasks to operationally establish and distinguish between the relative accessibility and availability of common explanations for the physical scenarios. Then, we offer either high or low accessibility explanations for the physical scenarios and determine the extent to which students consider alternatives to the given explanations. We find two main results consistent across algebra- and calculus-based university level introductory physics students for multiple answer formats. First, we find evidence that, at least for some contexts, most explanatory factors are cognitively available to students but not cognitively accessible. Second, we empirically verify the cognitive accessibility rule and demonstrate that the rule is strongly predictive, accounting for up to 70% of the variance of the average student consideration of alternative explanations across scenarios. Overall, we find that cognitive accessibility can help to explain biases in the consideration of alternatives in reasoning about simple physical scenarios, and these findings lend support to the growing number of science education studies demonstrating that tasks relevant to science education curricula often involve rapid, automatic, and potentially predictable processes and outcomes.

A hypothetical learning trajectory for conceptualizing matrices as linear transformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews-Larson, Christine; Wawro, Megan; Zandieh, Michelle

2017-08-01

In this paper, we present a hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) aimed at supporting students in developing flexible ways of reasoning about matrices as linear transformations in the context of introductory linear algebra. In our HLT, we highlight the integral role of the instructor in this development. Our HLT is based on the 'Italicizing N' task sequence, in which students work to generate, compose, and invert matrices that correspond to geometric transformations specified within the problem context. In particular, we describe the ways in which the students develop local transformation views of matrix multiplication (focused on individual mappings of input vectors to output vectors) and extend these local views to more global views in which matrices are conceptualized in terms of how they transform a space in a coordinated way.

Context-Awareness Based Personalized Recommendation of Anti-Hypertension Drugs.

PubMed

Chen, Dexin; Jin, Dawei; Goh, Tiong-Thye; Li, Na; Wei, Leiru

2016-09-01

The World Health Organization estimates that almost one-third of the world's adult population are suffering from hypertension which has gradually become a "silent killer". Due to the varieties of anti-hypertensive drugs, patients are interested in how these drugs can be selected to match their respective conditions. This study provides a personalized recommendation service system of anti-hypertensive drugs based on context-awareness and designs a context ontology framework of the service. In addition, this paper introduces a Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL)-based rule to provide high-level context reasoning and information recommendation and to overcome the limitation of ontology reasoning. To make the information recommendation of the drugs more personalized, this study also devises three categories of information recommendation rules that match different priority levels and uses a ranking algorithm to optimize the recommendation. The experiment conducted shows that combining the anti-hypertensive drugs personalized recommendation service context ontology (HyRCO) with the optimized rule reasoning can achieve a higher-quality personalized drug recommendation service. Accordingly this exploratory study of the personalized recommendation service for hypertensive drugs and its method can be easily adopted for other diseases.

Regulatory issues with multiplicity in drug approval: Principles and controversies in a changing landscape.

PubMed

Benda, Norbert; Brandt, Andreas

2018-01-01

Recently, new draft guidelines on multiplicity issues in clinical trials have been issued by European Medicine Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), respectively. Multiplicity is an issue in clinical trials, if the probability of a false-positive decision is increased by insufficiently accounting for testing multiple hypotheses. We outline the regulatory principles related to multiplicity issues in confirmatory clinical trials intended to support a marketing authorization application in the EU, describe the reasons for an increasing complexity regarding multiple hypotheses testing and discuss the specific multiplicity issues emerging within the regulatory context and being relevant for drug approval.

Turning Transfer Inside Out: The Affordances of Virtual Worlds and Mobile Devices in Real World Contexts for Teaching about Causality across Time and Distance in Ecosystems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grotzer, Tina A.; Powell, Megan M.; Derbiszewska, Katarzyna M.; Courter, Caroline J.; Kamarainen, Amy M.; Metcalf, Shari J.; Dede, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Reasoning about ecosystems includes consideration of causality over temporal and spatial distances; yet learners typically focus on immediate time frames and local contexts. Teaching students to reason beyond these boundaries has met with some success based upon tests that cue students to the types of reasoning required. Virtual worlds offer an…

Exploring examinee behaviours as validity evidence for multiple-choice question examinations.

PubMed

Surry, Luke T; Torre, Dario; Durning, Steven J

2017-10-01

Clinical-vignette multiple choice question (MCQ) examinations are used widely in medical education. Standardised MCQ examinations are used by licensure and certification bodies to award credentials that are meant to assure stakeholders as to the quality of physicians. Such uses are based on the interpretation of MCQ examination performance as giving meaningful information about the quality of clinical reasoning. There are several assumptions foundational to these interpretations and uses of standardised MCQ examinations. This study explores the implicit assumption that cognitive processes elicited by clinical-vignette MCQ items are like the processes thought to occur with 'real-world' clinical reasoning as theorised by dual-process theory. Fourteen participants (three medical students, five residents and six staff physicians) completed three sets of five timed MCQ items (total 15) from the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP). Upon answering a set of MCQs, each participant completed a retrospective think aloud (TA) protocol. Using constant comparative analysis (CCA) methods sensitised by dual-process theory, we performed a qualitative thematic analysis. Examinee behaviours fell into three categories: clinical reasoning behaviours, test-taking behaviours and reactions to the MCQ. Consistent with dual-process theory, statements about clinical reasoning behaviours were divided into two sub-categories: analytical reasoning and non-analytical reasoning. Each of these categories included several themes. Our study provides some validity evidence that test-takers' descriptions of their cognitive processes during completion of high-quality clinical-vignette MCQs align with processes expected in real-world clinical reasoning. This supports one of the assumptions important for interpretations of MCQ examination scores as meaningful measures of clinical reasoning. Our observations also suggest that MCQs elicit other cognitive processes, including certain test-taking behaviours, that seem 'inauthentic' to real-world clinical reasoning. Further research is needed to explore if similar themes arise in other contexts (e.g. simulated patient encounters) and how observed behaviours relate to performance on MCQ-based assessments. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Contexts, concepts and cognition: principles for the transfer of basic science knowledge.

PubMed

Kulasegaram, Kulamakan M; Chaudhary, Zarah; Woods, Nicole; Dore, Kelly; Neville, Alan; Norman, Geoffrey

2017-02-01

Transfer of basic science aids novices in the development of clinical reasoning. The literature suggests that although transfer is often difficult for novices, it can be optimised by two complementary strategies: (i) focusing learners on conceptual knowledge of basic science or (ii) exposing learners to multiple contexts in which the basic science concepts may apply. The relative efficacy of each strategy as well as the mechanisms that facilitate transfer are unknown. In two sequential experiments, we compared both strategies and explored mechanistic changes in how learners address new transfer problems. Experiment 1 was a 2 × 3 design in which participants were randomised to learn three physiology concepts with or without emphasis on the conceptual structure of basic science via illustrative analogies and by means of one, two or three contexts during practice (operationalised as organ systems). Transfer of these concepts to explain pathologies in familiar organ systems (near transfer) and unfamiliar organ systems (far transfer) was evaluated during immediate and delayed testing. Experiment 2 examined whether exposure to conceptual analogies and multiple contexts changed how learners classified new problems. Experiment 1 showed that increasing context variation significantly improved far transfer performance but there was no difference between two and three contexts during practice. Similarly, the increased conceptual analogies led to higher performance for far transfer. Both interventions had independent but additive effects on overall performance. Experiment 2 showed that such analogies and context variation caused learners to shift to using structural characteristics to classify new problems even when there was superficial similarity to previous examples. Understanding problems based on conceptual structural characteristics is necessary for successful transfer. Transfer of basic science can be optimised by using multiple strategies that collectively emphasise conceptual structure. This means teaching must focus on conserved basic science knowledge and de-emphasise superficial features. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Context Aware Middleware Architectures: Survey and Challenges

PubMed Central

Li, Xin; Eckert, Martina; Martinez, José-Fernán; Rubio, Gregorio

2015-01-01

Context aware applications, which can adapt their behaviors to changing environments, are attracting more and more attention. To simplify the complexity of developing applications, context aware middleware, which introduces context awareness into the traditional middleware, is highlighted to provide a homogeneous interface involving generic context management solutions. This paper provides a survey of state-of-the-art context aware middleware architectures proposed during the period from 2009 through 2015. First, a preliminary background, such as the principles of context, context awareness, context modelling, and context reasoning, is provided for a comprehensive understanding of context aware middleware. On this basis, an overview of eleven carefully selected middleware architectures is presented and their main features explained. Then, thorough comparisons and analysis of the presented middleware architectures are performed based on technical parameters including architectural style, context abstraction, context reasoning, scalability, fault tolerance, interoperability, service discovery, storage, security & privacy, context awareness level, and cloud-based big data analytics. The analysis shows that there is actually no context aware middleware architecture that complies with all requirements. Finally, challenges are pointed out as open issues for future work. PMID:26307988

Teachers' Pedagogical Reasoning and Reframing of Practice in Digital Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmberg, Jörgen; Fransson, Göran; Fors, Uno

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of teachers' reframing of practice in digital contexts by analysing teachers' pedagogical reasoning processes as they explore ways of using information and communication technologies (ICT) to create added pedagogical value. Design/methodology/approach: A design-based research (DBR)…

Integrating semantic information into multiple kernels for protein-protein interaction extraction from biomedical literatures.

PubMed

Li, Lishuang; Zhang, Panpan; Zheng, Tianfu; Zhang, Hongying; Jiang, Zhenchao; Huang, Degen

2014-01-01

Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) extraction is an important task in the biomedical information extraction. Presently, many machine learning methods for PPI extraction have achieved promising results. However, the performance is still not satisfactory. One reason is that the semantic resources were basically ignored. In this paper, we propose a multiple-kernel learning-based approach to extract PPIs, combining the feature-based kernel, tree kernel and semantic kernel. Particularly, we extend the shortest path-enclosed tree kernel (SPT) by a dynamic extended strategy to retrieve the richer syntactic information. Our semantic kernel calculates the protein-protein pair similarity and the context similarity based on two semantic resources: WordNet and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH). We evaluate our method with Support Vector Machine (SVM) and achieve an F-score of 69.40% and an AUC of 92.00%, which show that our method outperforms most of the state-of-the-art systems by integrating semantic information.

Hierarchical structure and importance of patients' reasons for treatment choices in knee and hip osteoarthritis: a concept mapping study.

PubMed

Selten, Ellen M H; Geenen, Rinie; van der Laan, Willemijn H; van der Meulen-Dilling, Roelien G; Schers, Henk J; Nijhof, Marc W; van den Ende, Cornelia H M; Vriezekolk, Johanna E

2017-02-01

To improve patients' use of conservative treatment options of hip and knee OA, in-depth understanding of reasons underlying patients' treatment choices is required. The current study adopted a concept mapping method to thematically structure and prioritize reasons for treatment choice in knee and hip OA from a patients' perspective. Multiple reasons for treatment choices were previously identified using in-depth interviews. In consensus meetings, experts derived 51 representative reasons from the interviews. Thirty-six patients individually sorted the 51 reasons in two card-sorting tasks: one based on content similarity, and one based on importance of reasons. The individual sortings of the first card-sorting task provided input for a hierarchical cluster analysis (squared Euclidian distances, Ward's method). The importance of the reasons and clusters were examined using descriptive statistics. The hierarchical structure of reasons for treatment choices showed a core distinction between two categories of clusters: barriers [subdivided into context (e.g. the healthcare system) and disadvantages] and outcome (subdivided into treatment and personal life). At the lowest level, 15 clusters were identified of which the clusters Physical functioning, Risks and Prosthesis were considered most important when making a treatment decision for hip or knee OA. Patients' treatment choices in knee and hip OA are guided by contextual barriers, disadvantages of the treatment, outcomes of the treatment and consequences for personal life. The structured overview of reasons can be used to support shared decision-making. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Two-Stage Composition Method for Danger-Aware Services Based on Context Similarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junbo; Cheng, Zixue; Jing, Lei; Ota, Kaoru; Kansen, Mizuo

Context-aware systems detect user's physical and social contexts based on sensor networks, and provide services that adapt to the user accordingly. Representing, detecting, and managing the contexts are important issues in context-aware systems. Composition of contexts is a useful method for these works, since it can detect a context by automatically composing small pieces of information to discover service. Danger-aware services are a kind of context-aware services which need description of relations between a user and his/her surrounding objects and between users. However when applying the existing composition methods to danger-aware services, they show the following shortcomings that (1) they have not provided an explicit method for representing composition of multi-user' contexts, (2) there is no flexible reasoning mechanism based on similarity of contexts, so that they can just provide services exactly following the predefined context reasoning rules. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a two-stage composition method based on context similarity to solve the above problems. The first stage is composition of the useful information to represent the context for a single user. The second stage is composition of multi-users' contexts to provide services by considering the relation of users. Finally the danger degree of the detected context is computed by using context similarity between the detected context and the predefined context. Context is dynamically represented based on two-stage composition rules and a Situation theory based Ontology, which combines the advantages of Ontology and Situation theory. We implement the system in an indoor ubiquitous environment, and evaluate the system through two experiments with the support of subjects. The experiment results show the method is effective, and the accuracy of danger detection is acceptable to a danger-aware system.

Integration of multisensor hybrid reasoners to support personal autonomy in the smart home.

PubMed

Valero, Miguel Ángel; Bravo, José; Chamizo, Juan Manuel García; López-de-Ipiña, Diego

2014-09-17

The deployment of the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm requires designing and integrating user-centered smart environments to assist people in their daily life activities. This research paper details an integration and validation of multiple heterogeneous sensors with hybrid reasoners that support decision making in order to monitor personal and environmental data at a smart home in a private way. The results innovate on knowledge-based platforms, distributed sensors, connected objects, accessibility and authentication methods to promote independent living for elderly people. TALISMAN+, the AmI framework deployed, integrates four subsystems in the smart home: (i) a mobile biomedical telemonitoring platform to provide elderly patients with continuous disease management; (ii) an integration middleware that allows context capture from heterogeneous sensors to program environment's reaction; (iii) a vision system for intelligent monitoring of daily activities in the home; and (iv) an ontologies-based integrated reasoning platform to trigger local actions and manage private information in the smart home. The framework was integrated in two real running environments, the UPM Accessible Digital Home and MetalTIC house, and successfully validated by five experts in home care, elderly people and personal autonomy.

Integration of Multisensor Hybrid Reasoners to Support Personal Autonomy in the Smart Home

PubMed Central

Valero, Miguel Ángel; Bravo, José; Chamizo, Juan Manuel García; López-de-Ipiña, Diego

2014-01-01

The deployment of the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm requires designing and integrating user-centered smart environments to assist people in their daily life activities. This research paper details an integration and validation of multiple heterogeneous sensors with hybrid reasoners that support decision making in order to monitor personal and environmental data at a smart home in a private way. The results innovate on knowledge-based platforms, distributed sensors, connected objects, accessibility and authentication methods to promote independent living for elderly people. TALISMAN+, the AmI framework deployed, integrates four subsystems in the smart home: (i) a mobile biomedical telemonitoring platform to provide elderly patients with continuous disease management; (ii) an integration middleware that allows context capture from heterogeneous sensors to program environment's reaction; (iii) a vision system for intelligent monitoring of daily activities in the home; and (iv) an ontologies-based integrated reasoning platform to trigger local actions and manage private information in the smart home. The framework was integrated in two real running environments, the UPM Accessible Digital Home and MetalTIC house, and successfully validated by five experts in home care, elderly people and personal autonomy. PMID:25232910

Assessment of Scientific Reasoning: the Effects of Task Context, Data, and Design on Student Reasoning in Control of Variables.

PubMed

Zhou, Shaona; Han, Jing; Koenig, Kathleen; Raplinger, Amy; Pi, Yuan; Li, Dan; Xiao, Hua; Fu, Zhao; Bao, Lei

2016-03-01

Scientific reasoning is an important component under the cognitive strand of the 21st century skills and is highly emphasized in the new science education standards. This study focuses on the assessment of student reasoning in control of variables (COV), which is a core sub-skill of scientific reasoning. The main research question is to investigate the extent to which the existence of experimental data in questions impacts student reasoning and performance. This study also explores the effects of task contexts on student reasoning as well as students' abilities to distinguish between testability and causal influences of variables in COV experiments. Data were collected with students from both USA and China. Students received randomly one of two test versions, one with experimental data and one without. The results show that students from both populations (1) perform better when experimental data are not provided, (2) perform better in physics contexts than in real-life contexts, and (3) students have a tendency to equate non-influential variables to non-testable variables. In addition, based on the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, a possible progression of developmental levels of student reasoning in control of variables is proposed, which can be used to inform future development of assessment and instruction.

Assessment of Scientific Reasoning: the Effects of Task Context, Data, and Design on Student Reasoning in Control of Variables

PubMed Central

Zhou, Shaona; Han, Jing; Koenig, Kathleen; Raplinger, Amy; Pi, Yuan; Li, Dan; Xiao, Hua; Fu, Zhao

2015-01-01

Scientific reasoning is an important component under the cognitive strand of the 21st century skills and is highly emphasized in the new science education standards. This study focuses on the assessment of student reasoning in control of variables (COV), which is a core sub-skill of scientific reasoning. The main research question is to investigate the extent to which the existence of experimental data in questions impacts student reasoning and performance. This study also explores the effects of task contexts on student reasoning as well as students’ abilities to distinguish between testability and causal influences of variables in COV experiments. Data were collected with students from both USA and China. Students received randomly one of two test versions, one with experimental data and one without. The results show that students from both populations (1) perform better when experimental data are not provided, (2) perform better in physics contexts than in real-life contexts, and (3) students have a tendency to equate non-influential variables to non-testable variables. In addition, based on the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, a possible progression of developmental levels of student reasoning in control of variables is proposed, which can be used to inform future development of assessment and instruction. PMID:26949425

Creating Epistemological Pathways to a Critical Citizenry: Examination of a Fifth-Grade Discussion of Freedom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damico, James S.; Rosaen, Cheryl L.

2009-01-01

Background/Context: Research has demonstrated that moving from traditional teacher-directed, monologic practices to dialogic discussions remains a daunting challenge. The reasons for this staying power are multiple: Teachers often stick with familiar canonical texts; districts often mandate the literature teachers must use; standardized tests…

A Review of Contemporary Ethical Decision-Making Models for Mental Health Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Perry C.

2015-01-01

Mental health professionals are faced with increasingly complex ethical decisions that are impacted by culture, personal and professional values, and the contexts in which they and their clients inhabit. This article presents the reasons for developing and implementing multiple ethical decision making models and reviews four models that address…

Teaching clinical reasoning: case-based and coached.

PubMed

Kassirer, Jerome P

2010-07-01

Optimal medical care is critically dependent on clinicians' skills to make the right diagnosis and to recommend the most appropriate therapy, and acquiring such reasoning skills is a key requirement at every level of medical education. Teaching clinical reasoning is grounded in several fundamental principles of educational theory. Adult learning theory posits that learning is best accomplished by repeated, deliberate exposure to real cases, that case examples should be selected for their reflection of multiple aspects of clinical reasoning, and that the participation of a coach augments the value of an educational experience. The theory proposes that memory of clinical medicine and clinical reasoning strategies is enhanced when errors in information, judgment, and reasoning are immediately pointed out and discussed. Rather than using cases artificially constructed from memory, real cases are greatly preferred because they often reflect the false leads, the polymorphisms of actual clinical material, and the misleading test results encountered in everyday practice. These concepts foster the teaching and learning of the diagnostic process, the complex trade-offs between the benefits and risks of diagnostic tests and treatments, and cognitive errors in clinical reasoning. The teaching of clinical reasoning need not and should not be delayed until students gain a full understanding of anatomy and pathophysiology. Concepts such as hypothesis generation, pattern recognition, context formulation, diagnostic test interpretation, differential diagnosis, and diagnostic verification provide both the language and the methods of clinical problem solving. Expertise is attainable even though the precise mechanisms of achieving it are not known.

Using a multi-user virtual simulation to promote science content: Mastery, scientific reasoning, and academic self-efficacy in fifth grade science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ronelus, Wednaud J.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of using a role-playing game versus a more traditional text-based instructional method on a cohort of general education fifth grade students' science content mastery, scientific reasoning abilities, and academic self-efficacy. This is an action research study that employs an embedded mixed methods design model, involving both quantitative and qualitative data. The study is guided by the critical design ethnography theoretical lens: an ethnographic process involving participatory design work aimed at transforming a local context while producing an instructional design that can be used in multiple contexts. The impact of an immersive 3D multi-user web-based educational simulation game on a cohort of fifth-grade students was examined on multiple levels of assessments--immediate, close, proximal and distal. A survey instrument was used to assess students' self-efficacy in technology and scientific inquiry. Science content mastery was assessed at the immediate (participation in game play), close (engagement in-game reports) and proximal (understanding of targeted concepts) levels; scientific reasoning was assessed at the distal (domain general critical thinking test) level. This quasi-experimental study used a convenient sampling method. Seven regular fifth-grade classes participated in this study. Three of the classes were the control group and the other four were the intervention group. A cohort of 165 students participated in this study. The treatment group contained 38 boys and 52 girls, and the control group contained 36 boys and 39 girls. Two-tailed t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Pearson Correlation were used to analyze data. The data supported the rejection of the null hypothesis for the three research questions. The correlational analyses showed strong relationship among three of the four variables. There were no correlations between gender and the three dependent variables. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that the intervention group students will obtain dramatically larger gains on the three measures: Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Curriculum-Oriented Test, and the Self-Efficacy in Technology and Science (SETS) survey.

Inductive reasoning about causally transmitted properties.

PubMed

Shafto, Patrick; Kemp, Charles; Bonawitz, Elizabeth Baraff; Coley, John D; Tenenbaum, Joshua B

2008-11-01

Different intuitive theories constrain and guide inferences in different contexts. Formalizing simple intuitive theories as probabilistic processes operating over structured representations, we present a new computational model of category-based induction about causally transmitted properties. A first experiment demonstrates undergraduates' context-sensitive use of taxonomic and food web knowledge to guide reasoning about causal transmission and shows good qualitative agreement between model predictions and human inferences. A second experiment demonstrates strong quantitative and qualitative fits to inferences about a more complex artificial food web. A third experiment investigates human reasoning about complex novel food webs where species have known taxonomic relations. Results demonstrate a double-dissociation between the predictions of our causal model and a related taxonomic model [Kemp, C., & Tenenbaum, J. B. (2003). Learning domain structures. In Proceedings of the 25th annual conference of the cognitive science society]: the causal model predicts human inferences about diseases but not genes, while the taxonomic model predicts human inferences about genes but not diseases. We contrast our framework with previous models of category-based induction and previous formal instantiations of intuitive theories, and outline challenges in developing a complete model of context-sensitive reasoning.

An Analysis of Context-Aware Data Models for Smart Cities: Towards Fiware and Etsi Cim Emerging Data Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jara, A. J.; Bocchi, Y.; Fernandez, D.; Molina, G.; Gomez, A.

2017-09-01

Smart Cities requires the support of context-aware and enriched semantic descriptions to support a scalable and cross-domain development of smart applications. For example, nowadays general purpose sensors such as crowd monitoring (counting people in an area), environmental information (pollution, air quality, temperature, humidity, noise) etc. can be used in multiple solutions with different objectives. For that reason, a data model that offers advanced capabilities for the description of context is required. This paper presents an overview of the available technologies for this purpose and how it is being addressed by the Open and Agile Smart Cities principles and FIWARE platform through the data models defined by the ETSI ISG Context Information Management (ETSI CIM).

Understanding Challenging Behaviors of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jihyun; Haegele, Justin A.

2016-01-01

Challenging behaviors of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may occur for a variety of reasons. These behaviors can contribute to the emotional burnout of teachers and impact the learning and safety of the student with ASD and his or her classmates. Physical education is one educational context where high and multiple risks of…

The intelligent OR: design and validation of a context-aware surgical working environment.

PubMed

Franke, Stefan; Rockstroh, Max; Hofer, Mathias; Neumuth, Thomas

2018-05-24

Interoperability of medical devices based on standards starts to establish in the operating room (OR). Devices share their data and control functionalities. Yet, the OR technology rarely implements cooperative, intelligent behavior, especially in terms of active cooperation with the OR team. Technical context-awareness will be an essential feature of the next generation of medical devices to address the increasing demands to clinicians in information seeking, decision making, and human-machine interaction in complex surgical working environments. The paper describes the technical validation of an intelligent surgical working environment for endoscopic ear-nose-throat surgery. We briefly summarize the design of our framework for context-aware system's behavior in integrated OR and present example realizations of novel assistance functionalities. In a study on patient phantoms, twenty-four procedures were implemented in the proposed intelligent surgical working environment based on recordings of real interventions. Subsequently, the whole processing pipeline for context-awareness from workflow recognition to the final system's behavior is analyzed. Rule-based behavior that considers multiple perspectives on the procedure can partially compensate recognition errors. A considerable robustness could be achieved with a reasonable quality of the recognition. Overall, reliable reactive as well as proactive behavior of the surgical working environment can be implemented in the proposed environment. The obtained validation results indicate the suitability of the overall approach. The setup is a reliable starting point for a subsequent evaluation of the proposed context-aware assistance. The major challenge for future work will be to implement the complex approach in a cross-vendor setting.

Aggressive and prosocial children's emotion attributions and moral reasoning.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Gasser, Luciano; Buchmann, Marlis

2009-01-01

Aggressive and prosocial children's emotion attributions and moral reasoning were investigated. Participants were 235 kindergarten children (M=6.2 years) and 136 elementary-school children (M=7.6 years) who were selected as aggressive or prosocial based on (kindergarten) teacher ratings. The children were asked to evaluate hypothetical rule violations, attribute emotions they would feel in the role of the victimizer, and justify their responses. Compared with younger prosocial children, younger aggressive children attributed fewer negative emotions and were more likely to provide sanction-oriented justifications when evaluating rule violations negatively. Furthermore, age-, gender- and context-effects in moral development occurred. The context-effects included both effects of transgression type (i.e., prosocial morality vs. fairness) on emotion attributions and moral reasoning and the effects of the context of moral evaluation and emotion attribution on moral reasoning. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of emotion attributions and moral reasoning as antecedents of children's aggressive and prosocial behavior. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Exploring the Framing of Animal Farming and Meat Consumption: On the Diversity of Topics Used and Qualitative Patterns in Selected Demographic Contexts.

PubMed

Nijland, Hanneke J; Aarts, Noelle; van Woerkum, Cees M J

2018-01-24

In various contexts, people talk about animal farming and meat consumption using different arguments to construct and justify their (non-)acceptability. This article presents the results of an in-depth qualitative inquiry into the content of and contextual patterns in the everyday-life framing regarding this issue, performed among consumers in various settings in two extremes in the European sphere: the Netherlands and Turkey. We describe the methodological steps of collecting, coding, and organizing the variety of encountered framing topics, as well as our search for symbolic convergence in groups of consumers from different selected demographic contexts (country, urban-rural areas, gender, age, and education level). The framing of animal farming and meat consumption in everyday-life is not a simple one-issue rational display of facts; people referred to a vast range of topics in the categories knowledge, convictions, pronounced behaviour, values, norms, interests, and feelings. Looking at framing in relation to the researched demographic contexts, most patterns were found on the level of topics; symbolic convergence in lines of reasoning and composite framing was less prominent in groups based on single demographic contexts than anticipated. An explanation for this lies in the complexity of frame construction, happening in relation with multiple interdependent contextual features.

A Two-Tier Multiple Choice Questions to Diagnose Thermodynamic Misconception of Thai and Laos Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamcharean, Chanwit; Wattanakasiwich, Pornrat

The objective of this study was to diagnose misconceptions of Thai and Lao students in thermodynamics by using a two-tier multiple-choice test. Two-tier multiple choice questions consist of the first tier, a content-based question and the second tier, a reasoning-based question. Data of student understanding was collected by using 10 two-tier multiple-choice questions. Thai participants were the first-year students (N = 57) taking a fundamental physics course at Chiang Mai University in 2012. Lao participants were high school students in Grade 11 (N = 57) and Grade 12 (N = 83) at Muengnern high school in Xayaboury province, Lao PDR. As results, most students answered content-tier questions correctly but chose incorrect answers for reason-tier questions. When further investigating their incorrect reasons, we found similar misconceptions as reported in previous studies such as incorrectly relating pressure with temperature when presenting with multiple variables.

Metadata behind the Interoperability of Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Ballari, Daniela; Wachowicz, Monica; Callejo, Miguel Angel Manso

2009-01-01

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) produce changes of status that are frequent, dynamic and unpredictable, and cannot be represented using a linear cause-effect approach. Consequently, a new approach is needed to handle these changes in order to support dynamic interoperability. Our approach is to introduce the notion of context as an explicit representation of changes of a WSN status inferred from metadata elements, which in turn, leads towards a decision-making process about how to maintain dynamic interoperability. This paper describes the developed context model to represent and reason over different WSN status based on four types of contexts, which have been identified as sensing, node, network and organisational contexts. The reasoning has been addressed by developing contextualising and bridges rules. As a result, we were able to demonstrate how contextualising rules have been used to reason on changes of WSN status as a first step towards maintaining dynamic interoperability. PMID:22412330

Metadata behind the Interoperability of Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Ballari, Daniela; Wachowicz, Monica; Callejo, Miguel Angel Manso

2009-01-01

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) produce changes of status that are frequent, dynamic and unpredictable, and cannot be represented using a linear cause-effect approach. Consequently, a new approach is needed to handle these changes in order to support dynamic interoperability. Our approach is to introduce the notion of context as an explicit representation of changes of a WSN status inferred from metadata elements, which in turn, leads towards a decision-making process about how to maintain dynamic interoperability. This paper describes the developed context model to represent and reason over different WSN status based on four types of contexts, which have been identified as sensing, node, network and organisational contexts. The reasoning has been addressed by developing contextualising and bridges rules. As a result, we were able to demonstrate how contextualising rules have been used to reason on changes of WSN status as a first step towards maintaining dynamic interoperability.

Hybrid Filtering in Semantic Query Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeong, Hanjo

2011-01-01

This dissertation presents a hybrid filtering method and a case-based reasoning framework for enhancing the effectiveness of Web search. Web search may not reflect user needs, intent, context, and preferences, because today's keyword-based search is lacking semantic information to capture the user's context and intent in posing the search query.…

Force, velocity, and work: The effects of different contexts on students' understanding of vector concepts using isomorphic problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barniol, Pablo; Zavala, Genaro

2014-12-01

In this article we compare students' understanding of vector concepts in problems with no physical context, and with three mechanics contexts: force, velocity, and work. Based on our "Test of Understanding of Vectors," a multiple-choice test presented elsewhere, we designed two isomorphic shorter versions of 12 items each: a test with no physical context, and a test with mechanics contexts. For this study, we administered the items twice to students who were finishing an introductory mechanics course at a large private university in Mexico. The first time, we administered the two 12-item tests to 608 students. In the second, we only tested the items for which we had found differences in students' performances that were difficult to explain, and in this case, we asked them to show their reasoning in written form. In the first administration, we detected no significant difference between the medians obtained in the tests; however, we did identify significant differences in some of the items. For each item we analyze the type of difference found between the tests in the selection of the correct answer, the most common error on each of the tests, and the differences in the selection of incorrect answers. We also investigate the causes of the different context effects. Based on these analyses, we establish specific recommendations for the instruction of vector concepts in an introductory mechanics course. In the Supplemental Material we include both tests for other researchers studying vector learning, and for physics teachers who teach this material.

A critical narrative review of transfer of basic science knowledge in health professions education.

PubMed

Castillo, Jean-Marie; Park, Yoon Soo; Harris, Ilene; Cheung, Jeffrey J H; Sood, Lonika; Clark, Maureen D; Kulasegaram, Kulamakan; Brydges, Ryan; Norman, Geoffrey; Woods, Nicole

2018-06-01

'Transfer' is the application of a previously learned concept to solve a new problem in another context. Transfer is essential for basic science education because, to be valuable, basic science knowledge must be transferred to clinical problem solving. Therefore, better understanding of interventions that enhance the transfer of basic science knowledge to clinical reasoning is essential. This review systematically identifies interventions described in the health professions education (HPE) literature that document the transfer of basic science knowledge to clinical reasoning, and considers teaching and assessment strategies. A systematic search of the literature was conducted. Articles related to basic science teaching at the undergraduate level in HPE were analysed using a 'transfer out'/'transfer in' conceptual framework. 'Transfer out' refers to the application of knowledge developed in one learning situation to the solving of a new problem. 'Transfer in' refers to the use of previously acquired knowledge to learn from new problems or learning situations. Of 9803 articles initially identified, 627 studies were retrieved for full text evaluation; 15 were included in the literature review. A total of 93% explored 'transfer out' to clinical reasoning and 7% (one article) explored 'transfer in'. Measures of 'transfer out' fostered by basic science knowledge included diagnostic accuracy over time and in new clinical cases. Basic science knowledge supported learning - 'transfer in' - of new related content and ultimately the 'transfer out' to diagnostic reasoning. Successful teaching strategies included the making of connections between basic and clinical sciences, the use of commonsense analogies, and the study of multiple clinical problems in multiple contexts. Performance on recall tests did not reflect the transfer of basic science knowledge to clinical reasoning. Transfer of basic science knowledge to clinical reasoning is an essential component of HPE that requires further development for implementation and scholarship. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

The portfolio approach to competency-based assessment at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

PubMed

Dannefer, Elaine F; Henson, Lindsey C

2007-05-01

Despite the rapid expansion of interest in competency-based assessment, few descriptions of assessment systems specifically designed for a competency-based curriculum have been reported. The purpose of this article is to describe the design of a portfolio approach to a comprehensive, competency-based assessment system that is fully integrated with the curriculum to foster an educational environment focused on learning. The educational design goal of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University was to create an integrated educational program-curriculum and instructional methods, student assessment processes, and learning environment-to prepare medical students for success in careers as physician investigators. The first class in the five-year program matriculated in 2004. To graduate, a student must demonstrate mastery of nine competencies: research, medical knowledge, communication, professionalism, clinical skills, clinical reasoning, health care systems, personal development, and reflective practice. The portfolio provides a tool for collecting and managing multiple types of assessment evidence from multiple contexts and sources within the curriculum to document competence and promote reflective practice skills. This article describes how the portfolio was developed to provide both formative and summative assessment of student achievement in relation to the program's nine competencies.

Ontology-Based High-Level Context Inference for Human Behavior Identification

PubMed Central

Villalonga, Claudia; Razzaq, Muhammad Asif; Khan, Wajahat Ali; Pomares, Hector; Rojas, Ignacio; Lee, Sungyoung; Banos, Oresti

2016-01-01

Recent years have witnessed a huge progress in the automatic identification of individual primitives of human behavior, such as activities or locations. However, the complex nature of human behavior demands more abstract contextual information for its analysis. This work presents an ontology-based method that combines low-level primitives of behavior, namely activity, locations and emotions, unprecedented to date, to intelligently derive more meaningful high-level context information. The paper contributes with a new open ontology describing both low-level and high-level context information, as well as their relationships. Furthermore, a framework building on the developed ontology and reasoning models is presented and evaluated. The proposed method proves to be robust while identifying high-level contexts even in the event of erroneously-detected low-level contexts. Despite reasonable inference times being obtained for a relevant set of users and instances, additional work is required to scale to long-term scenarios with a large number of users. PMID:27690050

The Influence of Teacher Motivation in the Context of Performance-Based Compensation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glass, Jason E.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher motivation in the context of performance-based compensation systems. The researcher specifically sought to address four research questions: 1. To what extent are teachers motivated for behavioristic/economic reasons and extrinsic rewards? 2. To what extent are teachers motivated for altruistic/PSM…

A Wireless Sensor Network-Based Approach with Decision Support for Monitoring Lake Water Quality.

PubMed

Huang, Xiaoci; Yi, Jianjun; Chen, Shaoli; Zhu, Xiaomin

2015-11-19

Online monitoring and water quality analysis of lakes are urgently needed. A feasible and effective approach is to use a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Lake water environments, like other real world environments, present many changing and unpredictable situations. To ensure flexibility in such an environment, the WSN node has to be prepared to deal with varying situations. This paper presents a WSN self-configuration approach for lake water quality monitoring. The approach is based on the integration of a semantic framework, where a reasoner can make decisions on the configuration of WSN services. We present a WSN ontology and the relevant water quality monitoring context information, which considers its suitability in a pervasive computing environment. We also propose a rule-based reasoning engine that is used to conduct decision support through reasoning techniques and context-awareness. To evaluate the approach, we conduct usability experiments and performance benchmarks.

Reasoning Words as Linguistic Features of Exploratory Talk: Classroom Use and What It Can Tell Us

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Maureen; Kong, Yiren

2017-01-01

Reasoning words are linguistic features associated with classroom exploratory talk as students talk-to-learn, explore ideas, and probe each other's thinking. This study extends established research on use of reasoning words to a fourth- to fifth-grade literature-based English language learning context. We examined frequency and patterning of…

Multiple Views, Contexts, and Symbol Systems in Learning with Hypertext/Hypermedia: A Critical Review of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tergan, Sigmar-Olaf

1997-01-01

Reviews research on the effectiveness of hypertext/hypermedia-based learning and concludes that presenting subject matter from different perspectives, in multiple contexts, and in multiple codes does not automatically contribute to higher performance but may when instructional scaffolding is provided. The additional cognitive load may actually…

bioWeb3D: an online webGL 3D data visualisation tool.

PubMed

Pettit, Jean-Baptiste; Marioni, John C

2013-06-07

Data visualization is critical for interpreting biological data. However, in practice it can prove to be a bottleneck for non trained researchers; this is especially true for three dimensional (3D) data representation. Whilst existing software can provide all necessary functionalities to represent and manipulate biological 3D datasets, very few are easily accessible (browser based), cross platform and accessible to non-expert users. An online HTML5/WebGL based 3D visualisation tool has been developed to allow biologists to quickly and easily view interactive and customizable three dimensional representations of their data along with multiple layers of information. Using the WebGL library Three.js written in Javascript, bioWeb3D allows the simultaneous visualisation of multiple large datasets inputted via a simple JSON, XML or CSV file, which can be read and analysed locally thanks to HTML5 capabilities. Using basic 3D representation techniques in a technologically innovative context, we provide a program that is not intended to compete with professional 3D representation software, but that instead enables a quick and intuitive representation of reasonably large 3D datasets.

A Sampled Literature Review of Design-Based Learning Approaches: A Search for Key Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gómez Puente, Sonia M.; van Eijck, Michiel; Jochems, Wim

2013-01-01

Design-based learning (DBL) is an educational approach grounded in the processes of inquiry and reasoning towards generating innovative artifacts, systems and solutions. The approach is well characterized in the context of learning natural sciences in secondary education. Less is known, however, of its characteristics in the context of higher…

Dissociable neural systems underwrite logical reasoning in the context of induced emotions with positive and negative valence.

PubMed

Smith, Kathleen W; Vartanian, Oshin; Goel, Vinod

2014-01-01

How emotions influence syllogistic reasoning is not well understood. fMRI was employed to investigate the effects of induced positive or negative emotion on syllogistic reasoning. Specifically, on a trial-by-trial basis participants were exposed to a positive, negative, or neutral picture, immediately prior to engagement in a reasoning task. After viewing and rating the valence and intensity of each picture, participants indicated by keypress whether or not the conclusion of the syllogism followed logically from the premises. The content of all syllogisms was neutral, and the influence of belief-bias was controlled for in the study design. Emotion did not affect reasoning performance, although there was a trend in the expected direction based on accuracy rates for the positive (63%) and negative (64%) versus neutral (70%) condition. Nevertheless, exposure to positive and negative pictures led to dissociable patterns of neural activation during reasoning. Therefore, the neural basis of deductive reasoning differs as a function of the valence of the context.

Dissociable Neural Systems Underwrite Logical Reasoning in the Context of Induced Emotions with Positive and Negative Valence

PubMed Central

Smith, Kathleen W.; Vartanian, Oshin; Goel, Vinod

2014-01-01

How emotions influence syllogistic reasoning is not well understood. fMRI was employed to investigate the effects of induced positive or negative emotion on syllogistic reasoning. Specifically, on a trial-by-trial basis participants were exposed to a positive, negative, or neutral picture, immediately prior to engagement in a reasoning task. After viewing and rating the valence and intensity of each picture, participants indicated by keypress whether or not the conclusion of the syllogism followed logically from the premises. The content of all syllogisms was neutral, and the influence of belief-bias was controlled for in the study design. Emotion did not affect reasoning performance, although there was a trend in the expected direction based on accuracy rates for the positive (63%) and negative (64%) versus neutral (70%) condition. Nevertheless, exposure to positive and negative pictures led to dissociable patterns of neural activation during reasoning. Therefore, the neural basis of deductive reasoning differs as a function of the valence of the context. PMID:25294997

Data-mining to build a knowledge representation store for clinical decision support. Studies on curation and validation based on machine performance in multiple choice medical licensing examinations.

PubMed

Robson, Barry; Boray, Srinidhi

2016-06-01

Extracting medical knowledge by structured data mining of many medical records and from unstructured data mining of natural language source text on the Internet will become increasingly important for clinical decision support. Output from these sources can be transformed into large numbers of elements of knowledge in a Knowledge Representation Store (KRS), here using the notation and to some extent the algebraic principles of the Q-UEL Web-based universal exchange and inference language described previously, rooted in Dirac notation from quantum mechanics and linguistic theory. In a KRS, semantic structures or statements about the world of interest to medicine are analogous to natural language sentences seen as formed from noun phrases separated by verbs, prepositions and other descriptions of relationships. A convenient method of testing and better curating these elements of knowledge is by having the computer use them to take the test of a multiple choice medical licensing examination. It is a venture which perhaps tells us almost as much about the reasoning of students and examiners as it does about the requirements for Artificial Intelligence as employed in clinical decision making. It emphasizes the role of context and of contextual probabilities as opposed to the more familiar intrinsic probabilities, and of a preliminary form of logic that we call presyllogistic reasoning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientific Reasoning across Different Domains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaser, Robert; And Others

This study seeks to establish which scientific reasoning skills are primarily domain-general and which appear to be domain-specific. The subjects, 12 university undergraduates, each participated in self-directed experimentation with three different content domains. The experimentation contexts were computer-based laboratories in d.c. circuits…

Playing spades: The rich resources of African American young men

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schademan, Alfred R.

Research has shown that African American young men as a demographic group occupy the lowest levels of academic performance in both science and mathematics. In spite of this educational problem, little research has been conducted on the knowledge related to these disciplines that these young men learn and develop through everyday cultural practices. Such knowledge is needed in order to: (1) combat the deficit views that many teachers currently hold of African American young men, and (2) inform teachers interested in implementing pedagogies in their classrooms that draw upon the knowledge of African American young men. To add to our knowledge in this field, this study examines the resources that African American young men learn, use, and develop through a card game called Spades. Specifically, the study identifies and analyzes the models and model-based reasoning that the players use in order to win games. The study focuses upon modeling as it is central to both science and mathematics. To imbed player models and reasoning in context, the study employs a syncretic theoretical framework that examines how Spades has changed over time and how it is currently played in a high school setting. The qualitative study uses ethnographic methods combined with play-by-play analyses to reconstruct games and examine player strategies and reasoning that guide their decisions. The study found that the players operate from a number of different models while playing the game. Specifically, the players consider multiple variables and factors, as well as their mathematical relationships, to predict future occurrences and then play cards accordingly. Further, the players use a number of resources to win games including changing the game to maintain a competitive edge, counting cards, selectively memorizing cards played, assessing risk, bluffing, reading partners as well as opponents, reneging, estimating probabilities, and predicting outcomes. The player models and resources bear striking resemblance to what scientists and mathematicians do when modeling. Lastly, the study identifies eight features of Spades that make it a rich context for the learning and development of significant forms of reasoning. Most importantly, Spades is an empowering context through which the players both learn and display their resources and abilities in order to deal with complex situations. Consequently, the study provides evidence that many African American young men routinely employ types of reasoning in everyday practices that are robust and relevant to science and mathematics.

Argumentation and evidence.

PubMed

Upshur, R E G; Colak, Errol

2003-01-01

This essay explores the role of informal logic and its application in the context of current debates regarding evidence-based medicine. This aim is achieved through a discussion of the goals and objectives of evidence-based medicine and a review of the criticisms raised against evidence-based medicine. The contributions to informal logic by Stephen Toulmin and Douglas Walton are explicated and their relevance for evidence-based medicine is discussed in relation to a common clinical scenario: hypertension management. This essay concludes with a discussion on the relationship between clinical reasoning, rationality, and evidence. It is argued that informal logic has the virtue of bringing explicitness to the role of evidence in clinical reasoning, and brings sensitivity to understanding the role of dialogical context in the need for evidence in clinical decision making.

Supporting Concrete Visual Thinking in Multiplicative Reasoning: Difficulties and Opportunities. Technical Report 88-16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaput, James J.

The Educational Technology Center has attempted to develop a series of computer based learning environments to support the learning and application of multiplicative reasoning. The work and software described in this paper, including the teaching experiment that generated the error phenomena examined, is part of a larger ongoing research project.…

Fighting fair: Adaptive Marital Conflict Strategies as Predictors of Future Adolescent Peer and Romantic Relationship Quality.

PubMed

Miga, Erin M; Gdula, Julie Ann; Allen, Joseph P

2012-08-01

This study examined the associations between reasoning during interparental conflict and autonomous adolescent conflict negotiation with peers over time. Participants included 133 adolescents and their parents, peers, and romantic partners in a multi-method, multiple reporter, longitudinal study. Interparental reasoning at adolescent age 13 predicted greater autonomy and relatedness in observed adolescent-peer conflict one year later and lower levels of autonomy undermining during observed romantic partner conflict five years later. Interparental reasoning also predicted greater satisfaction and affection in adolescent romantic relationships seven years later. Findings suggest that autonomy promoting behaviors exhibited in the interparental context may influence adolescents' own more autonomous approaches to subsequent peer and romantic conflict. Possible explanatory models are discussed, including social learning theory and attachment theory.

FleXConf: A Flexible Conference Assistant Using Context-Aware Notification Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armenatzoglou, Nikos; Marketakis, Yannis; Kriara, Lito; Apostolopoulos, Elias; Papavasiliou, Vicky; Kampas, Dimitris; Kapravelos, Alexandros; Kartsonakis, Eythimis; Linardakis, Giorgos; Nikitaki, Sofia; Bikakis, Antonis; Antoniou, Grigoris

Integrating context-aware notification services to ubiquitous computing systems aims at the provision of the right information to the right users, at the right time, in the right place, and on the right device, and constitutes a significant step towards the realization of the Ambient Intelligence vision. In this paper, we present FlexConf, a semantics-based system that supports location-based, personalized notification services for the assistance of conference attendees. Its special features include an ontology-based representation model, rule-based context-aware reasoning, and a novel positioning system for indoor environments.

Structural geology practice and learning, from the perspective of cognitive science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipley, Thomas F.; Tikoff, Basil; Ormand, Carol; Manduca, Cathy

2013-09-01

Spatial ability is required by practitioners and students of structural geology and so, considering spatial skills in the context of cognitive science has the potential to improve structural geology teaching and practice. Spatial thinking skills may be organized using three dichotomies, which can be linked to structural geology practice. First, a distinction is made between separating (attending to part of a whole) and combining (linking together aspects of the whole). While everyone has a basic ability to separate and combine, experts attend to differences guided by experiences of rock properties in context. Second, a distinction is made between seeing the relations among multiple objects as separate items or the relations within a single object with multiple parts. Experts can flexibly consider relations among or between objects to optimally reason about different types of spatial problems. Third, a distinction is made between reasoning about stationary and moving objects. Experts recognize static configurations that encode a movement history, and create mental models of the processes that led to the static state. The observations and inferences made by a geologist leading a field trip are compared with the corresponding observations and inferences made by a cognitive psychologist interested in spatial learning. The presented framework provides a vocabulary for discussing spatial skills both within and between the fields of structural geology and cognitive psychology.

Reflexive Principlism as an Effective Approach for Developing Ethical Reasoning in Engineering.

PubMed

Beever, Jonathan; Brightman, Andrew O

2016-02-01

An important goal of teaching ethics to engineering students is to enhance their ability to make well-reasoned ethical decisions in their engineering practice: a goal in line with the stated ethical codes of professional engineering organizations. While engineering educators have explored a wide range of methodologies for teaching ethics, a satisfying model for developing ethical reasoning skills has not been adopted broadly. In this paper we argue that a principlist-based approach to ethical reasoning is uniquely suited to engineering ethics education. Reflexive Principlism is an approach to ethical decision-making that focuses on internalizing a reflective and iterative process of specification, balancing, and justification of four core ethical principles in the context of specific cases. In engineering, that approach provides structure to ethical reasoning while allowing the flexibility for adaptation to varying contexts through specification. Reflexive Principlism integrates well with the prevalent and familiar methodologies of reasoning within the engineering disciplines as well as with the goals of engineering ethics education.

Benchmarking Procedures for High-Throughput Context Specific Reconstruction Algorithms

PubMed Central

Pacheco, Maria P.; Pfau, Thomas; Sauter, Thomas

2016-01-01

Recent progress in high-throughput data acquisition has shifted the focus from data generation to processing and understanding of how to integrate collected information. Context specific reconstruction based on generic genome scale models like ReconX or HMR has the potential to become a diagnostic and treatment tool tailored to the analysis of specific individuals. The respective computational algorithms require a high level of predictive power, robustness and sensitivity. Although multiple context specific reconstruction algorithms were published in the last 10 years, only a fraction of them is suitable for model building based on human high-throughput data. Beside other reasons, this might be due to problems arising from the limitation to only one metabolic target function or arbitrary thresholding. This review describes and analyses common validation methods used for testing model building algorithms. Two major methods can be distinguished: consistency testing and comparison based testing. The first is concerned with robustness against noise, e.g., missing data due to the impossibility to distinguish between the signal and the background of non-specific binding of probes in a microarray experiment, and whether distinct sets of input expressed genes corresponding to i.e., different tissues yield distinct models. The latter covers methods comparing sets of functionalities, comparison with existing networks or additional databases. We test those methods on several available algorithms and deduce properties of these algorithms that can be compared with future developments. The set of tests performed, can therefore serve as a benchmarking procedure for future algorithms. PMID:26834640

Context Impact of Clinical Scenario on Knowledge Transfer and Reasoning Capacity in a Medical Problem-Based Learning Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collard, A.; Brédart, S.; Bourguignon, J.-P.

2016-01-01

Since 2000, the faculty of Medicine at the University of Liège has integrated problem-based learning (PBL) seminars from year two to seven in its seven-year curriculum. The PBL approach has been developed to facilitate students' acquisition of reasoning capacity. This contextualized learning raises the question of the de- and re-contextualization…

Why do employees follow their superiors' instructions? Identification of the reasons to comply with superiors' will in a group of Polish employees.

PubMed

Wójcik, Aleksandra; Merecz-Kot, Dorota; Andysz, Aleksandra

2015-01-01

Managers influence the way organization works as well as the functioning of subordinates - in the context of their work life but non-professional functioning as well e.g., attitude towards work-life balance or taking care of health. We focused on the superior-subordinate relation, referring to social power bases theory by Raven. We identified the reasons why subordinates decide to follow their superiors' orders and determined specific styles of compliance with superiors' will. Understanding why employees listen to their superiors may be valuable in the context of supporting healthy organizational climate and atmosphere of co-operation or communicating values - for example, as regards taking care of own health. We discussed the results referring to the issue of influencing employees in the context of their health behavior. The research involved 100 Polish employees, aged 28 years old on average, who filled in the Interpersonal Power Inventory by Raven et al. for subordinates in a Polish adaptation by Zaleski. The questionnaire includes 11 subscales referring to power bases. Based on the cluster analysis results, we recognized people who complied because of: all kinds of power bases (typical for 46% of the respondents); the respect for superiors' professionalism (34%); and formal/objective reasons (20%). Employees differ in terms of their styles of compliance. Their motives to comply with superiors' instructions constitute compilations of power bases. The superiors' awareness of the reasons why their employees decide to follow orders is necessary for successful management. It may motivate employees to work but also to take care of their own health. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Students' Distributive Reasoning with Fractions and Unknowns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackenberg, Amy J.; Lee, Mi Yeon

2016-01-01

To understand relationships between students' quantitative reasoning with fractions and their algebraic reasoning, a clinical interview study was conducted with 18 middle and high school students. The study included six students with each of three different multiplicative concepts, which are based on how students create and coordinate composite…

Global polar geospatial information service retrieval based on search engine and ontology reasoning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Nengcheng; E, Dongcheng; Di, Liping; Gong, Jianya; Chen, Zeqiang

2007-01-01

In order to improve the access precision of polar geospatial information service on web, a new methodology for retrieving global spatial information services based on geospatial service search and ontology reasoning is proposed, the geospatial service search is implemented to find the coarse service from web, the ontology reasoning is designed to find the refined service from the coarse service. The proposed framework includes standardized distributed geospatial web services, a geospatial service search engine, an extended UDDI registry, and a multi-protocol geospatial information service client. Some key technologies addressed include service discovery based on search engine and service ontology modeling and reasoning in the Antarctic geospatial context. Finally, an Antarctica multi protocol OWS portal prototype based on the proposed methodology is introduced.

QR-STEM: Energy and Environment as a Context for Improving QR and STEM Understandings of 6-12 Grade Teachers II. The Quantitative Reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayes, R.; Lyford, M. E.; Myers, J. D.

2009-12-01

The Quantitative Reasoning in STEM (QR STEM) project is a state level Mathematics and Science Partnership Project (MSP) with a focus on the mathematics and statistics that underlies the understanding of complex global scientific issues. This session is a companion session to the QR STEM: The Science presentation. The focus of this session is the quantitative reasoning aspects of the project. As students move from understandings that range from local to global in perspective on issues of energy and environment, there is a significant increase in the need for mathematical and statistical conceptual understanding. These understandings must be accessible to the students within the scientific context, requiring the special understandings that are endemic within quantitative reasoning. The QR STEM project brings together interdisciplinary teams of higher education faculty and middle/high school teachers to explore complex problems in energy and environment. The disciplines include life sciences, physics, chemistry, earth science, statistics, and mathematics. These interdisciplinary teams develop open ended performance tasks to implement in the classroom, based on scientific concepts that underpin energy and environment. Quantitative reasoning is broken down into three components: Quantitative Literacy, Quantitative Interpretation, and Quantitative Modeling. Quantitative Literacy is composed of arithmetic concepts such as proportional reasoning, numeracy, and descriptive statistics. Quantitative Interpretation includes algebraic and geometric concepts that underlie the ability to interpret a model of natural phenomena which is provided for the student. This model may be a table, graph, or equation from which the student is to make predictions or identify trends, or from which they would use statistics to explore correlations or patterns in data. Quantitative modeling is the ability to develop the model from data, including the ability to test hypothesis using statistical procedures. We use the term model very broadly, so it includes visual models such as box models, as well as best fit equation models and hypothesis testing. One of the powerful outcomes of the project is the conversation which takes place between science teachers and mathematics teachers. First they realize that though they are teaching concepts that cross their disciplines, the barrier of scientific language within their subjects restricts students from applying the concepts across subjects. Second the mathematics teachers discover the context of science as a means of providing real world situations that engage students in the utility of mathematics as a tool for solving problems. Third the science teachers discover the barrier to understanding science that is presented by poor quantitative reasoning ability. Finally the students are engaged in exploring energy and environment in a manner which exposes the importance of seeing a problem from multiple interdisciplinary perspectives. The outcome is a democratic citizen capable of making informed decisions, and perhaps a future scientist.

Syllogisms delivered in an angry voice lead to improved performance and engagement of a different neural system compared to neutral voice

PubMed Central

Smith, Kathleen W.; Balkwill, Laura-Lee; Vartanian, Oshin; Goel, Vinod

2015-01-01

Despite the fact that most real-world reasoning occurs in some emotional context, very little is known about the underlying behavioral and neural implications of such context. To further understand the role of emotional context in logical reasoning we scanned 15 participants with fMRI while they engaged in logical reasoning about neutral syllogisms presented through the auditory channel in a sad, angry, or neutral tone of voice. Exposure to angry voice led to improved reasoning performance compared to exposure to sad and neutral voice. A likely explanation for this effect is that exposure to expressions of anger increases selective attention toward the relevant features of target stimuli, in this case the reasoning task. Supporting this interpretation, reasoning in the context of angry voice was accompanied by activation in the superior frontal gyrus—a region known to be associated with selective attention. Our findings contribute to a greater understanding of the neural processes that underlie reasoning in an emotional context by demonstrating that two emotional contexts, despite being of the same (negative) valence, have different effects on reasoning. PMID:26029089

Comparing Two Tests of Formal Reasoning in a College Chemistry Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Bo; Xu, Xiaoying; Garcia, Alicia; Lewis, Jennifer E.

2010-01-01

The Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) and the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) are two of the instruments most widely used by science educators and researchers to measure students' formal reasoning abilities. Based on Piaget's cognitive development theory, formal thinking ability has been shown to be essential for student achievement in…

Evidence for Family Engagement in Scientific Reasoning at Interactive Animal Exhibits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisiel, James; Rowe, Shawn; Vartabedian, Melanie Ani; Kopczak, Charles

2012-01-01

While the opportunity to engage in scientific reasoning has been identified as an important aspect of informal science learning (National Research Council, 2009), most studies have examined this strand of science learning within the context of physics-based science exhibits. Few have examined the presence of such activity in conjunction with live…

Comprehensive Analysis of Semantic Web Reasoners and Tools: A Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khamparia, Aditya; Pandey, Babita

2017-01-01

Ontologies are emerging as best representation techniques for knowledge based context domains. The continuing need for interoperation, collaboration and effective information retrieval has lead to the creation of semantic web with the help of tools and reasoners which manages personalized information. The future of semantic web lies in an ontology…

The hippocampus and inferential reasoning: building memories to navigate future decisions

PubMed Central

Zeithamova, Dagmar; Schlichting, Margaret L.; Preston, Alison R.

2012-01-01

A critical aspect of inferential reasoning is the ability to form relationships between items or events that were not experienced together. This review considers different perspectives on the role of the hippocampus in successful inferential reasoning during both memory encoding and retrieval. Intuitively, inference can be thought of as a logical process by which elements of individual existing memories are retrieved and recombined to answer novel questions. Such flexible retrieval is sub-served by the hippocampus and is thought to require specialized hippocampal encoding mechanisms that discretely code events such that event elements are individually accessible from memory. In addition to retrieval-based inference, recent research has also focused on hippocampal processes that support the combination of information acquired across multiple experiences during encoding. This mechanism suggests that by recalling past events during new experiences, connections can be created between newly formed and existing memories. Such hippocampally mediated memory integration would thus underlie the formation of networks of related memories that extend beyond direct experience to anticipate future judgments about the relationships between items and events. We also discuss integrative encoding in the context of emerging evidence linking the hippocampus to the formation of schemas as well as prospective theories of hippocampal function that suggest memories are actively constructed to anticipate future decisions and actions. PMID:22470333

Longitudinal Assessment of Progress in Reasoning Capacity and Relation with Self-Estimation of Knowledge Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collard, Anne; Mélot, France; Bourguignon, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate progress in reasoning capacity and knowledge base appraisal in a longitudinal analysis of data from summative evaluation throughout a medical problem-based learning curriculum. The scores in multidisciplinary discussion of a clinical case and multiple choice questionnaires (MCQs) were studied longitudinally…

Toward sensor-based context aware systems.

PubMed

Sakurai, Yoshitaka; Takada, Kouhei; Anisetti, Marco; Bellandi, Valerio; Ceravolo, Paolo; Damiani, Ernesto; Tsuruta, Setsuo

2012-01-01

This paper proposes a methodology for sensor data interpretation that can combine sensor outputs with contexts represented as sets of annotated business rules. Sensor readings are interpreted to generate events labeled with the appropriate type and level of uncertainty. Then, the appropriate context is selected. Reconciliation of different uncertainty types is achieved by a simple technique that moves uncertainty from events to business rules by generating combs of standard Boolean predicates. Finally, context rules are evaluated together with the events to take a decision. The feasibility of our idea is demonstrated via a case study where a context-reasoning engine has been connected to simulated heartbeat sensors using prerecorded experimental data. We use sensor outputs to identify the proper context of operation of a system and trigger decision-making based on context information.

EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBLEM BASED LEARNING AS A STRATEGY TO FOSTER PROBLEM SOLVING AND CRITICAL REASONING SKILLS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS.

PubMed

Asad, Munazza; Iqbal, Khadija; Sabir, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Problem based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that utilizes problems or cases as a context for students to acquire problem solving skills. It promotes communication skills, active learning, and critical thinking skills. It encourages peer teaching and active participation in a group. It was a cross-sectional study conducted at Al Nafees Medical College, Isra University, Islamabad, in one month duration. This study was conducted on 193 students of both 1st and 2nd year MBBS. Each PBL consists of three sessions, spaced by 2-3 days. In the first session students were provided a PBL case developed by both basic and clinical science faculty. In Session 2 (group discussion), they share, integrate their knowledge with the group and Wrap up (third session), was concluded at the end. A questionnaire based survey was conducted to find out overall effectiveness of PBL sessions. Teaching through PBLs greatly improved the problem solving and critical reasoning skills with 60% students of first year and 71% of 2nd year agreeing that the acquisition of knowledge and its application in solving multiple choice questions (MCQs) was greatly improved by these sessions. They observed that their self-directed learning, intrinsic motivation and skills to relate basic concepts with clinical reasoning which involves higher order thinking have greatly enhanced. Students found PBLs as an effective strategy to promote teamwork and critical thinking skills. PBL is an effective method to improve critical thinking and problem solving skills among medical students.

bioWeb3D: an online webGL 3D data visualisation tool

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Data visualization is critical for interpreting biological data. However, in practice it can prove to be a bottleneck for non trained researchers; this is especially true for three dimensional (3D) data representation. Whilst existing software can provide all necessary functionalities to represent and manipulate biological 3D datasets, very few are easily accessible (browser based), cross platform and accessible to non-expert users. Results An online HTML5/WebGL based 3D visualisation tool has been developed to allow biologists to quickly and easily view interactive and customizable three dimensional representations of their data along with multiple layers of information. Using the WebGL library Three.js written in Javascript, bioWeb3D allows the simultaneous visualisation of multiple large datasets inputted via a simple JSON, XML or CSV file, which can be read and analysed locally thanks to HTML5 capabilities. Conclusions Using basic 3D representation techniques in a technologically innovative context, we provide a program that is not intended to compete with professional 3D representation software, but that instead enables a quick and intuitive representation of reasonably large 3D datasets. PMID:23758781

Real-World Contexts, Multiple Representations, Student-Invented Terminology, and Y-Intercept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Jon D.

2007-01-01

One classroom using two units from a "Standards"-based curriculum was the focus of a study designed to examine the effects of real-world contexts, delays in the introduction of formal mathematics terminology, and multiple function representations on student understanding. Students developed their own terminology for y-intercept, which was tightly…

A Reasoning Hardware Platform for Real-Time Common-Sense Inference

PubMed Central

Barba, Jesús; Santofimia, Maria J.; Dondo, Julio; Rincón, Fernando; Sánchez, Francisco; López, Juan Carlos

2012-01-01

Enabling Ambient Intelligence systems to understand the activities that are taking place in a supervised context is a rather complicated task. Moreover, this task cannot be successfully addressed while overlooking the mechanisms (common-sense knowledge and reasoning) that entitle us, as humans beings, to successfully undertake it. This work is based on the premise that Ambient Intelligence systems will be able to understand and react to context events if common-sense capabilities are embodied in them. However, there are some difficulties that need to be resolved before common-sense capabilities can be fully deployed to Ambient Intelligence. This work presents a hardware accelerated implementation of a common-sense knowledge-base system intended to improve response time and efficiency. PMID:23012540

Automatic segmentation of male pelvic anatomy on computed tomography images: a comparison with multiple observers in the context of a multicentre clinical trial.

PubMed

Geraghty, John P; Grogan, Garry; Ebert, Martin A

2013-04-30

This study investigates the variation in segmentation of several pelvic anatomical structures on computed tomography (CT) between multiple observers and a commercial automatic segmentation method, in the context of quality assurance and evaluation during a multicentre clinical trial. CT scans of two prostate cancer patients ('benchmarking cases'), one high risk (HR) and one intermediate risk (IR), were sent to multiple radiotherapy centres for segmentation of prostate, rectum and bladder structures according to the TROG 03.04 "RADAR" trial protocol definitions. The same structures were automatically segmented using iPlan software for the same two patients, allowing structures defined by automatic segmentation to be quantitatively compared with those defined by multiple observers. A sample of twenty trial patient datasets were also used to automatically generate anatomical structures for quantitative comparison with structures defined by individual observers for the same datasets. There was considerable agreement amongst all observers and automatic segmentation of the benchmarking cases for bladder (mean spatial variations < 0.4 cm across the majority of image slices). Although there was some variation in interpretation of the superior-inferior (cranio-caudal) extent of rectum, human-observer contours were typically within a mean 0.6 cm of automatically-defined contours. Prostate structures were more consistent for the HR case than the IR case with all human observers segmenting a prostate with considerably more volume (mean +113.3%) than that automatically segmented. Similar results were seen across the twenty sample datasets, with disagreement between iPlan and observers dominant at the prostatic apex and superior part of the rectum, which is consistent with observations made during quality assurance reviews during the trial. This study has demonstrated quantitative analysis for comparison of multi-observer segmentation studies. For automatic segmentation algorithms based on image-registration as in iPlan, it is apparent that agreement between observer and automatic segmentation will be a function of patient-specific image characteristics, particularly for anatomy with poor contrast definition. For this reason, it is suggested that automatic registration based on transformation of a single reference dataset adds a significant systematic bias to the resulting volumes and their use in the context of a multicentre trial should be carefully considered.

Patterns of Informal Reasoning in the Context of Socioscientific Decision-Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Troy D.; Zeidler, Dana L.

The purpose of this article is to contribute to a theoretical knowledge base through research by examining factors salient to science education reform and practice in the context of socioscientific issues. The study explores how individuals negotiate and resolve genetic engineering dilemmas. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine patterns of…

Patterns of Informal Reasoning in the Context of Socioscientific Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Troy D.; Zeidler, Dana L.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a theoretical knowledge base through research by examining factors salient to science education reform and practice in the context of socioscientific issues. The study explores how individuals negotiate and resolve genetic engineering dilemmas. A qualitative approach was used to examine patterns of…

The Role of Context-Related Parameters in Adults' Mental Computational Acts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naresh, Nirmala; Presmeg, Norma

2012-01-01

Researchers who have carried out studies pertaining to mental computation and everyday mathematics point out that adults and children reason intuitively based upon experiences within specific contexts; they use invented strategies of their own to solve real-life problems. We draw upon research areas of mental computation and everyday mathematics…

"Only you can play with me!" Children's inclusive decision making, reasoning, and emotions based on peers' gender and behavior problems.

PubMed

Peplak, Joanna; Song, Ju-Hyun; Colasante, Tyler; Malti, Tina

2017-10-01

This study examined the development of children's decisions, reasoning, and emotions in contexts of peer inclusion/exclusion. We asked an ethnically diverse sample of 117 children aged 4years (n=59; 60% girls) and 8years (n=58; 49% girls) to choose between including hypothetical peers of the same or opposite gender and with or without attention deficit/hyperactivity problems and aggressive behavior. Children also provided justifications for, and emotions associated with, their inclusion decisions. Both 4- and 8-year-olds predominantly chose to include the in-group peer (i.e., the same-gender peer and peers without behavior problems), thereby demonstrating a normative in-group inclusive bias. Nevertheless, children included the out-group peer more in the gender context than in the behavior problem contexts. The majority of children reported group functioning-related, group identity-related, and stereotype-related reasoning after their in-group inclusion decisions, and they associated happy feelings with such decisions. Although most children attributed sadness to the excluded out-group peer, they attributed more anger to the excluded out-group peer in the aggression context compared with other contexts. We discuss the implications of our findings for current theorizing about children's social-cognitive and emotional development in contexts of peer inclusion and exclusion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Excellence in clinical teaching: knowledge transformation and development required.

PubMed

Irby, David M

2014-08-01

Clinical teachers in medicine face the daunting task of mastering the many domains of knowledge needed for practice and teaching. The breadth and complexity of this knowledge continue to increase, as does the difficulty of transforming the knowledge into concepts that are understandable to learners. Properly targeted faculty development has the potential to expedite the knowledge transformation process for clinical teachers. Based on my own research in clinical teaching and faculty development, as well as the work of others, I describe the unique forms of clinical teacher knowledge, the transformation of that knowledge for teaching purposes and implications for faculty development. The following forms of knowledge for clinical teaching in medicine need to be mastered and transformed: (i) knowledge of medicine and patients; (ii) knowledge of context; (iii) knowledge of pedagogy and learners, and (iv) knowledge integrated into teaching scripts. This knowledge is employed and conveyed through the parallel processes of clinical reasoning and clinical instructional reasoning. Faculty development can facilitate this knowledge transformation process by: (i) examining, deconstructing and practising new teaching scripts; (ii) focusing on foundational concepts; (iii) demonstrating knowledge-in-use, and (iv) creating a supportive organisational climate for clinical teaching. To become an excellent clinical teacher in medicine requires the transformation of multiple forms of knowledge for teaching purposes. These domains of knowledge allow clinical teachers to provide tailored instruction to learners at varying levels in the context of fast-paced and demanding clinical practice. Faculty development can facilitate this knowledge transformation process. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

SQL is Dead; Long-live SQL: Relational Database Technology in Science Contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, B.; Halperin, D.

2014-12-01

Relational databases are often perceived as a poor fit in science contexts: Rigid schemas, poor support for complex analytics, unpredictable performance, significant maintenance and tuning requirements --- these idiosyncrasies often make databases unattractive in science contexts characterized by heterogeneous data sources, complex analysis tasks, rapidly changing requirements, and limited IT budgets. In this talk, I'll argue that although the value proposition of typical relational database systems are weak in science, the core ideas that power relational databases have become incredibly prolific in open source science software, and are emerging as a universal abstraction for both big data and small data. In addition, I'll talk about two open source systems we are building to "jailbreak" the core technology of relational databases and adapt them for use in science. The first is SQLShare, a Database-as-a-Service system supporting collaborative data analysis and exchange by reducing database use to an Upload-Query-Share workflow with no installation, schema design, or configuration required. The second is Myria, a service that supports much larger scale data, complex analytics, and supports multiple back end systems. Finally, I'll describe some of the ways our collaborators in oceanography, astronomy, biology, fisheries science, and more are using these systems to replace script-based workflows for reasons of performance, flexibility, and convenience.

A new cognitive rehabilitation programme for patients with multiple sclerosis: the 'MS-line! Project'.

PubMed

Gich, Jordi; Freixenet, Jordi; Garcia, Rafael; Vilanova, Joan Carles; Genís, David; Silva, Yolanda; Montalban, Xavier; Ramió-Torrentà, Lluís

2015-09-01

Cognitive rehabilitation is often delayed in multiple sclerosis (MS). To develop a free and specific cognitive rehabilitation programme for MS patients to be used from early stages that does not interfere with daily living activities. MS-line!, cognitive rehabilitation materials consisting of written, manipulative and computer-based materials with difficulty levels developed by a multidisciplinary team. Mathematical, problem-solving and word-based exercises were designed. Physical materials included spatial, coordination and reasoning games. Computer-based material included logic and reasoning, working memory and processing speed games. Cognitive rehabilitation exercises that are specific for MS patients have been successfully developed. © The Author(s), 2014.

A neural framework for organization and flexible utilization of episodic memory in cumulatively learning baby humanoids.

PubMed

Mohan, Vishwanathan; Sandini, Giulio; Morasso, Pietro

2014-12-01

Cumulatively developing robots offer a unique opportunity to reenact the constant interplay between neural mechanisms related to learning, memory, prospection, and abstraction from the perspective of an integrated system that acts, learns, remembers, reasons, and makes mistakes. Situated within such interplay lie some of the computationally elusive and fundamental aspects of cognitive behavior: the ability to recall and flexibly exploit diverse experiences of one's past in the context of the present to realize goals, simulate the future, and keep learning further. This article is an adventurous exploration in this direction using a simple engaging scenario of how the humanoid iCub learns to construct the tallest possible stack given an arbitrary set of objects to play with. The learning takes place cumulatively, with the robot interacting with different objects (some previously experienced, some novel) in an open-ended fashion. Since the solution itself depends on what objects are available in the "now," multiple episodes of past experiences have to be remembered and creatively integrated in the context of the present to be successful. Starting from zero, where the robot knows nothing, we explore the computational basis of organization episodic memory in a cumulatively learning humanoid and address (1) how relevant past experiences can be reconstructed based on the present context, (2) how multiple stored episodic memories compete to survive in the neural space and not be forgotten, (3) how remembered past experiences can be combined with explorative actions to learn something new, and (4) how multiple remembered experiences can be recombined to generate novel behaviors (without exploration). Through the resulting behaviors of the robot as it builds, breaks, learns, and remembers, we emphasize that mechanisms of episodic memory are fundamental design features necessary to enable the survival of autonomous robots in a real world where neither everything can be known nor can everything be experienced.

Adolescents' emotions and reasoning in contexts of moral conflict and social exclusion.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Ongley, Sophia F; Dys, Sebastian P; Colasante, Tyler

2012-01-01

This article explores how adolescents feel and think about contexts of moral conflict and social exclusion. We asked twelve-year-old adolescents how they would feel about intentionally harming another peer, omitting a prosocial duty, and excluding another peer. We then asked them to explain the reasoning behind their feelings and report on levels of sympathy. In all contexts, adolescents anticipated a variety of negative emotions for reasons of fairness and empathy. However, more feelings of guilt were reported in contexts of intentional harm than in other contexts. Adolescents with high levels of sympathy reported more guilt, for reasons of fairness and empathy, than adolescents with low levels of sympathy. These findings provide a window into adolescents' emotions and reasoning regarding moral and social issues. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Deductive and inductive reasoning in Parkinson's disease patients and normal controls: review and experimental evidence.

PubMed

Natsopoulos, D; Katsarou, Z; Alevriadou, A; Grouios, G; Bostantzopoulou, S; Mentenopoulos, G

1997-09-01

In the present study, fifty-four subjects were tested; twenty-seven with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and twenty-seven normal controls matched in age, education, verbal ability, level of depression, sex and socio-economic status. The subjects were tested on eight tasks. Five of the tasks were the classic deductive reasoning syllogisms, modus ponens, modus tollendo tollens, affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent and three-term series problems phrased in a factual context (brief scripts). Three of the tasks were inductive reasoning, including logical inferences, metaphors and similes. All tasks were presented to subjects in a multiple choice format. The results, overall, have shown nonsignificant differences between the two groups in deductive and inductive reasoning, an ability traditionally associated with frontal lobes involvement. Of the comparisons performed between subgroups of the patients and normal controls concerning disease duration, disease onset and predominant involvement of the left and/or right hemisphere, significant differences were found between patients with earlier disease onset and normal controls and between bilaterally affected patients and normal controls, demonstrating an additive effect of lateralization to reasoning ability.

A Semantic Approach with Decision Support for Safety Service in Smart Home Management

PubMed Central

Huang, Xiaoci; Yi, Jianjun; Zhu, Xiaomin; Chen, Shaoli

2016-01-01

Research on smart homes (SHs) has increased significantly in recent years because of the convenience provided by having an assisted living environment. The functions of SHs as mentioned in previous studies, particularly safety services, are seldom discussed or mentioned. Thus, this study proposes a semantic approach with decision support for safety service in SH management. The focus of this contribution is to explore a context awareness and reasoning approach for risk recognition in SH that enables the proper decision support for flexible safety service provision. The framework of SH based on a wireless sensor network is described from the perspective of neighbourhood management. This approach is based on the integration of semantic knowledge in which a reasoner can make decisions about risk recognition and safety service. We present a management ontology for a SH and relevant monitoring contextual information, which considers its suitability in a pervasive computing environment and is service-oriented. We also propose a rule-based reasoning method to provide decision support through reasoning techniques and context-awareness. A system prototype is developed to evaluate the feasibility, time response and extendibility of the approach. The evaluation of our approach shows that it is more effective in daily risk event recognition. The decisions for service provision are shown to be accurate. PMID:27527170

A Semantic Approach with Decision Support for Safety Service in Smart Home Management.

PubMed

Huang, Xiaoci; Yi, Jianjun; Zhu, Xiaomin; Chen, Shaoli

2016-08-03

Research on smart homes (SHs) has increased significantly in recent years because of the convenience provided by having an assisted living environment. The functions of SHs as mentioned in previous studies, particularly safety services, are seldom discussed or mentioned. Thus, this study proposes a semantic approach with decision support for safety service in SH management. The focus of this contribution is to explore a context awareness and reasoning approach for risk recognition in SH that enables the proper decision support for flexible safety service provision. The framework of SH based on a wireless sensor network is described from the perspective of neighbourhood management. This approach is based on the integration of semantic knowledge in which a reasoner can make decisions about risk recognition and safety service. We present a management ontology for a SH and relevant monitoring contextual information, which considers its suitability in a pervasive computing environment and is service-oriented. We also propose a rule-based reasoning method to provide decision support through reasoning techniques and context-awareness. A system prototype is developed to evaluate the feasibility, time response and extendibility of the approach. The evaluation of our approach shows that it is more effective in daily risk event recognition. The decisions for service provision are shown to be accurate.

Rich in vitamin C or just a convenient snack? Multiple-category reasoning with cross-classified foods.

PubMed

Hayes, Brett K; Kurniawan, Hendy; Newell, Ben R

2011-01-01

Two studies examined multiple category reasoning in property induction with cross-classified foods. Pilot tests identified foods that were more typical of a taxonomic category (e.g., "fruit"; termed 'taxonomic primary') or a script based category (e.g., "snack foods"; termed 'script primary'). They also confirmed that taxonomic categories were perceived as more coherent than script categories. In Experiment 1 participants completed an induction task in which information from multiple categories could be searched and combined to generate a property prediction about a target food. Multiple categories were more often consulted and used in prediction for script primary than for taxonomic primary foods. Experiment 2 replicated this finding across a range of property types but found that multiple category reasoning was reduced in the presence of a concurrent cognitive load. Property type affected which categories were consulted first and how information from multiple categories was weighted. The results show that multiple categories are more likely to be used for property predictions about cross-classified objects when an object is primarily associated with a category that has low coherence.

Abortion, infanticide and moral context.

PubMed

Porter, Lindsey

2013-05-01

In 'After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?', Giubilini and Minerva argue that infanticide should be permitted for the same reasons as abortion. In particular, they argue that infanticide should be permitted even for reasons that do not primarily serve the interests (or would-be best interests) of the newborn. They claim that abortion is permissible for reasons that do not primarily serve the interests (or would-be interests) of the fetus because fetuses lack a right to life. They argue that newborns also lack a right to life, and they conclude that therefore, the same reasons that justify abortion can justify infanticide. This conclusion does not follow. The lack of a right to life is not decisive. Furthermore, the justificatory power of a given reason is a function of moral context. Generalisations about reasons across dissimilar moral contexts are invalid. However, a similar conclusion does follow-that fetus-killing and newborn-killing are morally identical in identical moral contexts-but this conclusion is trivial, since fetuses and newborns are never in identical moral contexts.

Students' Reasons for Preferences of Contexts in Learning Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazima, Mercy

2015-01-01

This paper reports on findings from a study that investigated reasons Malawian students have for preferring particular contexts in mathematics. The study explored students' preferences of contexts using a survey questionnaire that contained 27 contexts and asked students to indicate their level of interest for each context on a 4-point scale and…

The Role of Context in Developing Informal Statistical Inferential Reasoning: A Classroom Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfannkuch, Maxine

2011-01-01

Context is identified as an important factor when considering the learning of informal statistical inferential reasoning, but research in this area is very limited. This small exploratory study in one grade 10 (14 year olds) classroom seeks to learn more about the role context plays in learners' inferential reasoning, where both teacher and…

Complex clinical reasoning in the critical care unit - difficulties, pitfalls and adaptive strategies.

PubMed

Shaw, M; Singh, S

2015-04-01

Diagnostic error has implications for both clinical outcome and resource utilisation, and may often be traced to impaired data gathering, processing or synthesis because of the influence of cognitive bias. Factors inherent to the intensive/acute care environment afford multiple additional opportunities for such errors to occur. This article illustrates many of these with reference to a case encountered on our intensive care unit. Strategies to improve completeness of data gathering, processing and synthesis in the acute care environment are critically appraised in the context of early detection and amelioration of cognitive bias. These include reflection, targeted simulation training and the integration of social media and IT based aids in complex diagnostic processes. A framework which can be quickly and easily employed in a variety of clinical environments is then presented. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Common sense reasoning about petroleum flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenberg, S.

1981-02-01

This paper describes an expert system for understanding and Reasoning in a petroleum resources domain. A basic model is implemented in FRL (Frame Representation Language). Expertise is encoded as rule frames. The model consists of a set of episodic contexts which are sequentially generated over time. Reasoning occurs in separate reasoning contexts consisting of a buffer frame and packets of rules. These function similar to small production systems. reasoning is linked to the model through an interface of Sentinels (instance driven demons) which notice anomalous conditions. Heuristics and metaknowledge are used through the creation of further reasoning contexts which overlaymore » the simpler ones.« less

Prioritizing biological pathways by recognizing context in time-series gene expression data.

PubMed

Lee, Jusang; Jo, Kyuri; Lee, Sunwon; Kang, Jaewoo; Kim, Sun

2016-12-23

The primary goal of pathway analysis using transcriptome data is to find significantly perturbed pathways. However, pathway analysis is not always successful in identifying pathways that are truly relevant to the context under study. A major reason for this difficulty is that a single gene is involved in multiple pathways. In the KEGG pathway database, there are 146 genes, each of which is involved in more than 20 pathways. Thus activation of even a single gene will result in activation of many pathways. This complex relationship often makes the pathway analysis very difficult. While we need much more powerful pathway analysis methods, a readily available alternative way is to incorporate the literature information. In this study, we propose a novel approach for prioritizing pathways by combining results from both pathway analysis tools and literature information. The basic idea is as follows. Whenever there are enough articles that provide evidence on which pathways are relevant to the context, we can be assured that the pathways are indeed related to the context, which is termed as relevance in this paper. However, if there are few or no articles reported, then we should rely on the results from the pathway analysis tools, which is termed as significance in this paper. We realized this concept as an algorithm by introducing Context Score and Impact Score and then combining the two into a single score. Our method ranked truly relevant pathways significantly higher than existing pathway analysis tools in experiments with two data sets. Our novel framework was implemented as ContextTRAP by utilizing two existing tools, TRAP and BEST. ContextTRAP will be a useful tool for the pathway based analysis of gene expression data since the user can specify the context of the biological experiment in a set of keywords. The web version of ContextTRAP is available at http://biohealth.snu.ac.kr/software/contextTRAP .

Reasons why women have induced abortions: a synthesis of findings from 14 countries

PubMed Central

Chae, Sophia; Desai, Sheila; Crowell, Marjorie; Sedgh, Gilda

2018-01-01

Objective Many reasons inform women’s reproductive decision-making. This paper aims to present the reasons women give for obtaining induced abortions in 14 countries. Study design We examined nationally representative data from 14 countries collected in official statistics, population-based surveys, and facility-based surveys of abortion patients. In each country, we calculated the percentage distribution of women who have abortions by main reason given for the abortion. We examined these reasons across countries and within countries by women’s sociodemographic characteristics (age, marital status, educational attainment, and residence). Where data are available, we also studied the multiple reasons women give for having an abortion. Results In most countries, the most frequently cited reasons for having an abortion were socioeconomic concerns or limiting childbearing. With some exceptions, little variation existed in the reasons given by women’s sociodemographic characteristics. Data from three countries where multiple reasons could be reported in the survey showed that women often have more than one reason for having an abortion. Conclusion This study shows that women have abortions for a variety of reasons, and provides a broad picture of the circumstances that inform women’s decisions to have abortions. Implications Future research should examine in greater depth the personal, social, economic, and health factors that inform a woman’s decision to have an abortion as these reasons may shed light on the potential consequences that unintended births can have on women’s lives. PMID:28694165

Towards a Compositional SPIN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasareanu, Corina S.; Giannakopoulou, Dimitra

2006-01-01

This paper discusses our initial experience with introducing automated assume-guarantee verification based on learning in the SPIN tool. We believe that compositional verification techniques such as assume-guarantee reasoning could complement the state-reduction techniques that SPIN already supports, thus increasing the size of systems that SPIN can handle. We present a "light-weight" approach to evaluating the benefits of learning-based assume-guarantee reasoning in the context of SPIN: we turn our previous implementation of learning for the LTSA tool into a main program that externally invokes SPIN to provide the model checking-related answers. Despite its performance overheads (which mandate a future implementation within SPIN itself), this approach provides accurate information about the savings in memory. We have experimented with several versions of learning-based assume guarantee reasoning, including a novel heuristic introduced here for generating component assumptions when their environment is unavailable. We illustrate the benefits of learning-based assume-guarantee reasoning in SPIN through the example of a resource arbiter for a spacecraft. Keywords: assume-guarantee reasoning, model checking, learning.

A Little Logic Goes a Long Way: Basing Experiment on Semantic Theory in the Cognitive Science of Conditional Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stenning, Keith; van Lambalgen, Michiel

2004-01-01

Modern logic provides accounts of both interpretation and derivation which work together to provide abstract frameworks for modelling the sensitivity of human reasoning to task, context and content. Cognitive theories have underplayed the importance of interpretative processes. We illustrate, using Wason's [Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 20 (1968) 273]…

Assessment of Scientific Literacy: Development and Validation of the Quantitative Assessment of Socio-Scientific Reasoning (QuASSR)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romine, William L.; Sadler, Troy D.; Kinslow, Andrew T.

2017-01-01

We describe the development and validation of the Quantitative Assessment of Socio-scientific Reasoning (QuASSR) in a college context. The QuASSR contains 10 polytomous, two-tiered items crossed between two scenarios, and is based on theory suggesting a four-pronged structure for SSR (complexity, perspective taking, inquiry, and skepticism). In…

The Impact of Selected Contextual Factors on Experts' Clinical Reasoning Performance (Does Context Impact Clinical Reasoning Performance in Experts?)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durning, Steven J.; Artino, Anthony R.; Boulet, John R.; Dorrance, Kevin; van der Vleuten, Cees; Schuwirth, Lambert

2012-01-01

Context specificity, or the variation in a participant's performance from one case, or situation, to the next, is a recognized problem in medical education. However, studies have not explored the potential reasons for context specificity in experts using the lens of situated cognition and cognitive load theories (CLT). Using these theories, we…

The use of multiple models in case-based diagnosis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karamouzis, Stamos T.; Feyock, Stefan

1993-01-01

The work described in this paper has as its goal the integration of a number of reasoning techniques into a unified intelligent information system that will aid flight crews with malfunction diagnosis and prognostication. One of these approaches involves using the extensive archive of information contained in aircraft accident reports along with various models of the aircraft as the basis for case-based reasoning about malfunctions. Case-based reasoning draws conclusions on the basis of similarities between the present situation and prior experience. We maintain that the ability of a CBR program to reason about physical systems is significantly enhanced by the addition to the CBR program of various models. This paper describes the diagnostic concepts implemented in a prototypical case based reasoner that operates in the domain of in-flight fault diagnosis, the various models used in conjunction with the reasoner's CBR component, and results from a preliminary evaluation.

Incorporating Problem-Based Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hushman, Glenn; Napper-Owen, Gloria

2011-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational method that identifies a problem as a context for student learning. Critical-thinking skills, deductive reasoning, knowledge, and behaviors are developed as students learn how theory can be applied to practical settings. Problem-based learning encourages self-direction, lifelong learning, and sharing…

Modelling Teaching Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Major, Nigel

1995-01-01

Describes a modelling language for representing teaching strategies, based in the context of the COCA intelligent tutoring system. Examines work on meta-reasoning in knowledge-based systems and describes COCA's architecture, giving details of the language used for representing teaching knowledge. Discusses implications for future work. (AEF)

Young children's inclusion decisions in moral and social-conventional group norm contexts.

PubMed

Rizzo, Michael T; Cooley, Shelby; Elenbaas, Laura; Killen, Melanie

2018-01-01

Being a member of a peer group involves making decisions about whom to include in or exclude from the group. Sometimes these decisions are related to whether members of the group support or challenge the norms of the group. To examine how young children weigh concerns for group norms and group membership in both moral and social-conventional norm contexts, children (3- to 6-year-olds; N=73) were asked to decide between including an ingroup member who challenged the group's norm or an outgroup member who supported the norm. Groups held either moral (equal or unequal resource allocation) or social-conventional (traditional or nontraditional) norms. In the moral contexts, children were more likely to include the peer who advocated for the moral concern for equality regardless of the peer's group membership or their group's specific norm. In the social-conventional contexts, however, children were more likely to include the peer who advocated for the conventional concern for maintaining traditions but only at the group-specific level. Furthermore, with age children increasingly based their inclusion decisions on normative concerns, rather than on group membership concerns, and differed in their inclusion decisions for ingroups and outgroups. Finally, children reasoned about their decisions by referencing concerns for fairness, group norms, and group membership, suggesting that preschool children weigh multiple concerns when deciding whom to include in their groups. Overall, the current study revealed differences in how preschool children weigh moral and social-conventional concerns in intergroup contexts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Credentials in Context: The Meaning and Use of Associate Degrees in the Employment of IT Technicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Noy, Michelle

2011-01-01

Educational credentials are clearly linked to economic success, but the reasons for this link are not clear. Common theoretical approaches provide explanations but lack direct employer perspectives on credentials' meaning and the context in which employers make sense of credentials. In this study, I used an alternative perspective based in Meyer's…

The effect of multiple external representations (MERs) worksheets toward complex system reasoning achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumarno; Ibrahim, M.; Supardi, Z. A. I.

2018-03-01

The application of a systems approach to assessing biological systems provides hope for a coherent understanding of cell dynamics patterns and their relationship to plant life. This action required the reasoning about complex systems. In other sides, there were a lot of researchers who provided the proof about the instructional successions. They involved the multiple external representations which improved the biological learning. The researcher conducted an investigation using one shoot case study design which involved 30 students in proving that the MERs worksheets could affect the student's achievement of reasoning about complex system. The data had been collected based on test of reasoning about complex system and student's identification result who worked through MERs. The result showed that only partially students could achieve reasoning about system complex, but their MERs skill could support their reasoning ability of complex system. This study could bring a new hope to develop the MERs worksheet as a tool to facilitate the reasoning about complex system.

Prediction of Multiple-Trait and Multiple-Environment Genomic Data Using Recommender Systems.

PubMed

Montesinos-López, Osval A; Montesinos-López, Abelardo; Crossa, José; Montesinos-López, José C; Mota-Sanchez, David; Estrada-González, Fermín; Gillberg, Jussi; Singh, Ravi; Mondal, Suchismita; Juliana, Philomin

2018-01-04

In genomic-enabled prediction, the task of improving the accuracy of the prediction of lines in environments is difficult because the available information is generally sparse and usually has low correlations between traits. In current genomic selection, although researchers have a large amount of information and appropriate statistical models to process it, there is still limited computing efficiency to do so. Although some statistical models are usually mathematically elegant, many of them are also computationally inefficient, and they are impractical for many traits, lines, environments, and years because they need to sample from huge normal multivariate distributions. For these reasons, this study explores two recommender systems: item-based collaborative filtering (IBCF) and the matrix factorization algorithm (MF) in the context of multiple traits and multiple environments. The IBCF and MF methods were compared with two conventional methods on simulated and real data. Results of the simulated and real data sets show that the IBCF technique was slightly better in terms of prediction accuracy than the two conventional methods and the MF method when the correlation was moderately high. The IBCF technique is very attractive because it produces good predictions when there is high correlation between items (environment-trait combinations) and its implementation is computationally feasible, which can be useful for plant breeders who deal with very large data sets. Copyright © 2018 Montesinos-Lopez et al.

Prediction of Multiple-Trait and Multiple-Environment Genomic Data Using Recommender Systems

PubMed Central

Montesinos-López, Osval A.; Montesinos-López, Abelardo; Crossa, José; Montesinos-López, José C.; Mota-Sanchez, David; Estrada-González, Fermín; Gillberg, Jussi; Singh, Ravi; Mondal, Suchismita; Juliana, Philomin

2018-01-01

In genomic-enabled prediction, the task of improving the accuracy of the prediction of lines in environments is difficult because the available information is generally sparse and usually has low correlations between traits. In current genomic selection, although researchers have a large amount of information and appropriate statistical models to process it, there is still limited computing efficiency to do so. Although some statistical models are usually mathematically elegant, many of them are also computationally inefficient, and they are impractical for many traits, lines, environments, and years because they need to sample from huge normal multivariate distributions. For these reasons, this study explores two recommender systems: item-based collaborative filtering (IBCF) and the matrix factorization algorithm (MF) in the context of multiple traits and multiple environments. The IBCF and MF methods were compared with two conventional methods on simulated and real data. Results of the simulated and real data sets show that the IBCF technique was slightly better in terms of prediction accuracy than the two conventional methods and the MF method when the correlation was moderately high. The IBCF technique is very attractive because it produces good predictions when there is high correlation between items (environment–trait combinations) and its implementation is computationally feasible, which can be useful for plant breeders who deal with very large data sets. PMID:29097376

Trust index based fault tolerant multiple event localization algorithm for WSNs.

PubMed

Xu, Xianghua; Gao, Xueyong; Wan, Jian; Xiong, Naixue

2011-01-01

This paper investigates the use of wireless sensor networks for multiple event source localization using binary information from the sensor nodes. The events could continually emit signals whose strength is attenuated inversely proportional to the distance from the source. In this context, faults occur due to various reasons and are manifested when a node reports a wrong decision. In order to reduce the impact of node faults on the accuracy of multiple event localization, we introduce a trust index model to evaluate the fidelity of information which the nodes report and use in the event detection process, and propose the Trust Index based Subtract on Negative Add on Positive (TISNAP) localization algorithm, which reduces the impact of faulty nodes on the event localization by decreasing their trust index, to improve the accuracy of event localization and performance of fault tolerance for multiple event source localization. The algorithm includes three phases: first, the sink identifies the cluster nodes to determine the number of events occurred in the entire region by analyzing the binary data reported by all nodes; then, it constructs the likelihood matrix related to the cluster nodes and estimates the location of all events according to the alarmed status and trust index of the nodes around the cluster nodes. Finally, the sink updates the trust index of all nodes according to the fidelity of their information in the previous reporting cycle. The algorithm improves the accuracy of localization and performance of fault tolerance in multiple event source localization. The experiment results show that when the probability of node fault is close to 50%, the algorithm can still accurately determine the number of the events and have better accuracy of localization compared with other algorithms.

Trust Index Based Fault Tolerant Multiple Event Localization Algorithm for WSNs

PubMed Central

Xu, Xianghua; Gao, Xueyong; Wan, Jian; Xiong, Naixue

2011-01-01

This paper investigates the use of wireless sensor networks for multiple event source localization using binary information from the sensor nodes. The events could continually emit signals whose strength is attenuated inversely proportional to the distance from the source. In this context, faults occur due to various reasons and are manifested when a node reports a wrong decision. In order to reduce the impact of node faults on the accuracy of multiple event localization, we introduce a trust index model to evaluate the fidelity of information which the nodes report and use in the event detection process, and propose the Trust Index based Subtract on Negative Add on Positive (TISNAP) localization algorithm, which reduces the impact of faulty nodes on the event localization by decreasing their trust index, to improve the accuracy of event localization and performance of fault tolerance for multiple event source localization. The algorithm includes three phases: first, the sink identifies the cluster nodes to determine the number of events occurred in the entire region by analyzing the binary data reported by all nodes; then, it constructs the likelihood matrix related to the cluster nodes and estimates the location of all events according to the alarmed status and trust index of the nodes around the cluster nodes. Finally, the sink updates the trust index of all nodes according to the fidelity of their information in the previous reporting cycle. The algorithm improves the accuracy of localization and performance of fault tolerance in multiple event source localization. The experiment results show that when the probability of node fault is close to 50%, the algorithm can still accurately determine the number of the events and have better accuracy of localization compared with other algorithms. PMID:22163972

Learning to reason: a journey of professional socialisation.

PubMed

Ajjawi, Rola; Higgs, Joy

2008-05-01

One of the key attributes that health professional students and new graduates develop during professional socialisation is clinical reasoning ability. Clinical reasoning is a complex skill that is essential for professional practice. There is limited research specifically addressing how physiotherapists learn to reason in the workplace. The research reported in this paper addressed this gap by investigating how experienced physiotherapists learned to reason in daily practice. This learning journey was examined in the context of professional socialisation. A hermeneutic phenomenological research study was conducted using multiple methods of data collection including observation, written reflective exercises and repeated, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using phenomenological and hermeneutic strategies involving in-depth, iterative reading and interpretation to identify themes in the data. Twelve physiotherapists with clinical and supervisory experience were recruited from the areas of cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal and neurological physiotherapy to participate in this study. Participants' learning journeys were diverse, although certain episodes of learning were common or similar. Role models, mentors and colleagues were found to be influential in the development of reasoning. An important implication for the professional socialisation of physiotherapists and other health professionals and for those involved in practice development is the need to recognise and enhance the role of practice communities in the explicit learning of clinical reasoning skills.

Didactical Designs for Students' Proportional Reasoning: An "Open Approach" Lesson and a "Fundamental Situation"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyakawa, Takeshi; Winslow, Carl

2009-01-01

In this paper, we analyze and compare two didactical designs for introducing primary school pupils to proportional reasoning in the context of plane polygons. One of them is well-documented in the literature; the other one is based on our own data and is accordingly presented and discussed in more detail in this paper. The two designs come from…

How clinical reasoning is taught and learned: Cultural perspectives from the University of Melbourne and Universitas Indonesia.

PubMed

Findyartini, Ardi; Hawthorne, Lesleyanne; McColl, Geoff; Chiavaroli, Neville

2016-07-21

The majority of schools in the Asia-Pacific region have adopted medical curricula based on western pedagogy. However to date there has been minimal exploration of the influence of the culture of learning on the teaching and learning process. This paper explores this issue in relation to clinical reasoning. A comparative case study was conducted in 2 medical schools in Australia (University of Melbourne) and Asia (Universitas Indonesia). It involved assessment of medical students' attitudes to clinical reasoning through administration of the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI), followed by qualitative interviews which explored related cultural issues. A total of 11 student focus group discussions (45 students) and 24 individual medical teacher interviews were conducted, followed by thematic analysis. Students from Universitas Indonesia were found to score lower on the Flexibility in Thinking subscale of the DTI. Qualitative data analysis based on Hofstede's theoretical constructs concerning the culture of learning also highlighted clear differences in relation to attitudes to authority and uncertainty avoidance, with potential impacts on attitudes to teaching and learning of clinical reasoning in undergraduate medical education. Different attitudes to teaching and learning clinical reasoning reflecting western and Asian cultures of learning were identified in this study. The potential impact of cultural differences should be understood when planning how clinical reasoning can be best taught and learned in the changing global contexts of medical education, especially when the western medical education approach is implemented in Asian contexts.

Case-based medical informatics

PubMed Central

Pantazi, Stefan V; Arocha, José F; Moehr, Jochen R

2004-01-01

Background The "applied" nature distinguishes applied sciences from theoretical sciences. To emphasize this distinction, we begin with a general, meta-level overview of the scientific endeavor. We introduce the knowledge spectrum and four interconnected modalities of knowledge. In addition to the traditional differentiation between implicit and explicit knowledge we outline the concepts of general and individual knowledge. We connect general knowledge with the "frame problem," a fundamental issue of artificial intelligence, and individual knowledge with another important paradigm of artificial intelligence, case-based reasoning, a method of individual knowledge processing that aims at solving new problems based on the solutions to similar past problems. We outline the fundamental differences between Medical Informatics and theoretical sciences and propose that Medical Informatics research should advance individual knowledge processing (case-based reasoning) and that natural language processing research is an important step towards this goal that may have ethical implications for patient-centered health medicine. Discussion We focus on fundamental aspects of decision-making, which connect human expertise with individual knowledge processing. We continue with a knowledge spectrum perspective on biomedical knowledge and conclude that case-based reasoning is the paradigm that can advance towards personalized healthcare and that can enable the education of patients and providers. We center the discussion on formal methods of knowledge representation around the frame problem. We propose a context-dependent view on the notion of "meaning" and advocate the need for case-based reasoning research and natural language processing. In the context of memory based knowledge processing, pattern recognition, comparison and analogy-making, we conclude that while humans seem to naturally support the case-based reasoning paradigm (memory of past experiences of problem-solving and powerful case matching mechanisms), technical solutions are challenging. Finally, we discuss the major challenges for a technical solution: case record comprehensiveness, organization of information on similarity principles, development of pattern recognition and solving ethical issues. Summary Medical Informatics is an applied science that should be committed to advancing patient-centered medicine through individual knowledge processing. Case-based reasoning is the technical solution that enables a continuous individual knowledge processing and could be applied providing that challenges and ethical issues arising are addressed appropriately. PMID:15533257

Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Context in Educational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horne, Matthew R.

2017-01-01

This qualitative, multiple case study investigated how educational leaders used and manifested Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills and abilities in unique organizational contexts. The study was conducted with five principals in a large, urban school district. The principals were selected to participate based on the organizational context of their…

The theory of reasoned action as parallel constraint satisfaction: towards a dynamic computational model of health behavior.

PubMed

Orr, Mark G; Thrush, Roxanne; Plaut, David C

2013-01-01

The reasoned action approach, although ubiquitous in health behavior theory (e.g., Theory of Reasoned Action/Planned Behavior), does not adequately address two key dynamical aspects of health behavior: learning and the effect of immediate social context (i.e., social influence). To remedy this, we put forth a computational implementation of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) using artificial-neural networks. Our model re-conceptualized behavioral intention as arising from a dynamic constraint satisfaction mechanism among a set of beliefs. In two simulations, we show that constraint satisfaction can simultaneously incorporate the effects of past experience (via learning) with the effects of immediate social context to yield behavioral intention, i.e., intention is dynamically constructed from both an individual's pre-existing belief structure and the beliefs of others in the individual's social context. In a third simulation, we illustrate the predictive ability of the model with respect to empirically derived behavioral intention. As the first known computational model of health behavior, it represents a significant advance in theory towards understanding the dynamics of health behavior. Furthermore, our approach may inform the development of population-level agent-based models of health behavior that aim to incorporate psychological theory into models of population dynamics.

The Theory of Reasoned Action as Parallel Constraint Satisfaction: Towards a Dynamic Computational Model of Health Behavior

PubMed Central

Orr, Mark G.; Thrush, Roxanne; Plaut, David C.

2013-01-01

The reasoned action approach, although ubiquitous in health behavior theory (e.g., Theory of Reasoned Action/Planned Behavior), does not adequately address two key dynamical aspects of health behavior: learning and the effect of immediate social context (i.e., social influence). To remedy this, we put forth a computational implementation of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) using artificial-neural networks. Our model re-conceptualized behavioral intention as arising from a dynamic constraint satisfaction mechanism among a set of beliefs. In two simulations, we show that constraint satisfaction can simultaneously incorporate the effects of past experience (via learning) with the effects of immediate social context to yield behavioral intention, i.e., intention is dynamically constructed from both an individual’s pre-existing belief structure and the beliefs of others in the individual’s social context. In a third simulation, we illustrate the predictive ability of the model with respect to empirically derived behavioral intention. As the first known computational model of health behavior, it represents a significant advance in theory towards understanding the dynamics of health behavior. Furthermore, our approach may inform the development of population-level agent-based models of health behavior that aim to incorporate psychological theory into models of population dynamics. PMID:23671603

Systematizing Scaffolding for Problem-Based Learning: A View from Case-Based Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tawfik, Andrew A.; Kolodner, Janet L.

2016-01-01

Current theories and models of education often argue that instruction is best administered when knowledge is situated within a context. Problem-based learning (PBL) provides an approach to education that has particularly powerful affordances for learning disciplinary content and practices by solving authentic problems within a discipline. However,…

Managing Problem-Based Learning in Large Lecture Sections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bledsoe, Karen E.

2011-01-01

Problem-based learning can enhance reasoning and concept development among undergraduate college students by presenting content within authentic contexts. However, large lecture sections present problems and barriers to implementing PBL. This article discusses approaches used by the author to infuse PBL into large biology lecture sections, and…

Session management for web-based healthcare applications.

PubMed Central

Wei, L.; Sengupta, S.

1999-01-01

In health care systems, users may access multiple applications during one session of interaction with the system. However, users must sign on to each application individually, and it is difficult to maintain a common context among these applications. We are developing a session management system for web-based applications using LDAP directory service, which will allow single sign-on to multiple web-based applications, and maintain a common context among those applications for the user. This paper discusses the motivations for building this system, the system architecture, and the challenges of our approach, such as the session objects management for the user, and session security. PMID:10566511

Model-Based Reasoning in the Detection of Satellite Anomalies

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

Conference on Artificial Intellegence . 1363-1368. Detroit, Michigan, August 89. Chu, Wei-Hai. "Generic Expert System Shell for Diagnostic Reasoning... Intellegence . 1324-1330. Detroit, Michigan, August 89. de Kleer, Johan and Brian C. Williams. "Diagnosing Multiple Faults," Artificial Intellegence , 32(1): 97...Benjamin Kuipers. "Model-Based Monitoring of Dynamic Systems," Proceedings of the Eleventh Intematianal Joint Conference on Artificial Intellegence . 1238

Non-parametric combination and related permutation tests for neuroimaging.

PubMed

Winkler, Anderson M; Webster, Matthew A; Brooks, Jonathan C; Tracey, Irene; Smith, Stephen M; Nichols, Thomas E

2016-04-01

In this work, we show how permutation methods can be applied to combination analyses such as those that include multiple imaging modalities, multiple data acquisitions of the same modality, or simply multiple hypotheses on the same data. Using the well-known definition of union-intersection tests and closed testing procedures, we use synchronized permutations to correct for such multiplicity of tests, allowing flexibility to integrate imaging data with different spatial resolutions, surface and/or volume-based representations of the brain, including non-imaging data. For the problem of joint inference, we propose and evaluate a modification of the recently introduced non-parametric combination (NPC) methodology, such that instead of a two-phase algorithm and large data storage requirements, the inference can be performed in a single phase, with reasonable computational demands. The method compares favorably to classical multivariate tests (such as MANCOVA), even when the latter is assessed using permutations. We also evaluate, in the context of permutation tests, various combining methods that have been proposed in the past decades, and identify those that provide the best control over error rate and power across a range of situations. We show that one of these, the method of Tippett, provides a link between correction for the multiplicity of tests and their combination. Finally, we discuss how the correction can solve certain problems of multiple comparisons in one-way ANOVA designs, and how the combination is distinguished from conjunctions, even though both can be assessed using permutation tests. We also provide a common algorithm that accommodates combination and correction. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysing the impact of multiple stressors in aquatic biomonitoring data: A 'cookbook' with applications in R.

PubMed

Feld, Christian K; Segurado, Pedro; Gutiérrez-Cánovas, Cayetano

2016-12-15

Multiple stressors threaten biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, imposing new challenges to ecosystem management and restoration. Ecosystem managers are required to address and mitigate the impact of multiple stressors, yet the knowledge required to disentangle multiple-stressor effects is still incomplete. Experimental studies have advanced the understanding of single and combined stressor effects, but there is a lack of a robust analytical framework, to address the impact of multiple stressors based on monitoring data. Since 2000, the monitoring of Europe's waters has resulted in a vast amount of biological and environmental (stressor) data of about 120,000 water bodies. For many reasons, this data is rarely exploited in the multiple-stressor context, probably because of its rather heterogeneous nature: stressors vary and are mixed with broad-scale proxies of environmental stress (e.g. land cover), missing values and zero-inflated data limit the application of statistical methods and biological indicators are often aggregated (e.g. taxon richness) and do not respond stressor-specific. Here, we present a 'cookbook' to analyse the biological response to multiple stressors using data from biomonitoring schemes. Our 'cookbook' includes guidance for the analytical process and the interpretation of results. The 'cookbook' is accompanied by scripts, which allow the user to run a stepwise analysis based on his/her own data in R, an open-source language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. Using simulated and real data, we show that the recommended procedure is capable of identifying stressor hierarchy (importance) and interaction in large datasets. We recommend a minimum number of 150 independent observations and a minimum stressor gradient length of 75% (of the most relevant stressor's gradient in nature), to be able to reliably rank the stressor's importance, detect relevant interactions and estimate their standardised effect size. We conclude with a brief discussion of the advantages and limitations of this protocol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ontological approach for safe and effective polypharmacy prescription

PubMed Central

Grando, Adela; Farrish, Susan; Boyd, Cynthia; Boxwala, Aziz

2012-01-01

The intake of multiple medications in patients with various medical conditions challenges the delivery of medical care. Initial empirical studies and pilot implementations seem to indicate that generic safe and effective multi-drug prescription principles could be defined and reused to reduce adverse drug events and to support compliance with medical guidelines and drug formularies. Given that ontologies are known to provide well-principled, sharable, setting-independent and machine-interpretable declarative specification frameworks for modeling and reasoning on biomedical problems, we explore here their use in the context of multi-drug prescription. We propose an ontology for modeling drug-related knowledge and a repository of safe and effective generic prescription principles. To test the usability and the level of granularity of the developed ontology-based specification models and heuristic we implemented a tool that computes the complexity of multi-drug treatments, and a decision aid to check the safeness and effectiveness of prescribed multi-drug treatments. PMID:23304299

Role of Sonographic Imaging in Occupational Therapy Practice

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Occupational therapy practice is grounded in the delivery of occupation-centered, patient-driven treatments that engage clients in the process of doing to improve health. As emerging technologies, such as medical imaging, find their way into rehabilitation practice, it is imperative that occupational therapy practitioners assess whether and how these tools can be incorporated into treatment regimens that are dually responsive to the medical model of health care and to the profession’s foundation in occupation. Most medical imaging modalities have a discrete place in occupation-based intervention as outcome measures or for patient education; however, sonographic imaging has the potential to blend multiple occupational therapy practice forms to document treatment outcomes, inform clinical reasoning, and facilitate improved functional performance when used as an accessory tool in direct intervention. Use of medical imaging is discussed as it relates to occupational foundations and the professional role within the context of providing efficient, effective patient-centered rehabilitative care. PMID:25871607

Breaching the security of the Kaiser Permanente Internet patient portal: the organizational foundations of information security.

PubMed

Collmann, Jeff; Cooper, Ted

2007-01-01

This case study describes and analyzes a breach of the confidentiality and integrity of personally identified health information (e.g. appointment details, answers to patients' questions, medical advice) for over 800 Kaiser Permanente (KP) members through KP Online, a web-enabled health care portal. The authors obtained and analyzed multiple types of qualitative data about this incident including interviews with KP staff, incident reports, root cause analyses, and media reports. Reasons at multiple levels account for the breach, including the architecture of the information system, the motivations of individual staff members, and differences among the subcultures of individual groups within as well as technical and social relations across the Kaiser IT program. None of these reasons could be classified, strictly speaking, as "security violations." This case study, thus, suggests that, to protect sensitive patient information, health care organizations should build safe organizational contexts for complex health information systems in addition to complying with good information security practice and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996.

Lightweight Adaptation of Classifiers to Users and Contexts: Trends of the Emerging Domain

PubMed Central

Vildjiounaite, Elena; Gimel'farb, Georgy; Kyllönen, Vesa; Peltola, Johannes

2015-01-01

Intelligent computer applications need to adapt their behaviour to contexts and users, but conventional classifier adaptation methods require long data collection and/or training times. Therefore classifier adaptation is often performed as follows: at design time application developers define typical usage contexts and provide reasoning models for each of these contexts, and then at runtime an appropriate model is selected from available ones. Typically, definition of usage contexts and reasoning models heavily relies on domain knowledge. However, in practice many applications are used in so diverse situations that no developer can predict them all and collect for each situation adequate training and test databases. Such applications have to adapt to a new user or unknown context at runtime just from interaction with the user, preferably in fairly lightweight ways, that is, requiring limited user effort to collect training data and limited time of performing the adaptation. This paper analyses adaptation trends in several emerging domains and outlines promising ideas, proposed for making multimodal classifiers user-specific and context-specific without significant user efforts, detailed domain knowledge, and/or complete retraining of the classifiers. Based on this analysis, this paper identifies important application characteristics and presents guidelines to consider these characteristics in adaptation design. PMID:26473165

Supporting Scientific Experimentation and Reasoning in Young Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varma, Keisha

2014-01-01

Researchers from multiple perspectives have shown that young students can engage in the scientific reasoning involved in science experimentation. However, there is little research on how well these young students learn in inquiry-based learning environments that focus on using scientific experimentation strategies to learn new scientific…

An Evaluation of Curriculum Materials Based Upon the Socio-Scientific Reasoning Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henkin, Gayle; And Others

To address the need to develop a scientifically literate citizenry, the socio-scientific reasoning model was created to guide curriculum development. Goals of this developmental approach include increasing: (1) students' skills in dealing with problems containing multiple interacting variables; (2) students' decision-making skills incorporating a…

Sixth-grade students' reasoning on the order relation of integers as influenced by prior experience: an inferentialist analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schindler, Maike; Hußmann, Stephan; Nilsson, Per; Bakker, Arthur

2017-12-01

Negative numbers are among the first formalizations students encounter in their mathematics learning that clearly differ from out-of-school experiences. What has not sufficiently been addressed in previous research is the question of how students draw on their prior experiences when reasoning on negative numbers and how they infer from these experiences. This article presents results from an empirical study investigating sixth-grade students' reasoning and inferring from school-based and out-of-school experiences. In particular, it addresses the order relation, which deals with students' very first encounters with negative numbers. Here, students can reason in different ways, depending on the experiences they draw on. We study how students reason before a lesson series and how their reasoning is influenced through this lesson series where the number line and the context debts-and-assets are predominant. For grasping the reasoning's inferential and social nature and conducting in-depth analyses of two students' reasoning, we use an epistemological framework that is based on the philosophical theory of inferentialism. The results illustrate how the students infer their reasoning from out-of-school and from school-based experiences both before and after the lesson series. They reveal interesting phenomena not previously analyzed in the research on the order relation for integers.

The quest for a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity–ecosystem services relationships

PubMed Central

Duncan, Clare; Thompson, Julian R.; Pettorelli, Nathalie

2015-01-01

Ecosystem services (ES) approaches to biodiversity conservation are currently high on the ecological research and policy agendas. However, despite a wealth of studies into biodiversity's role in maintaining ES (B–ES relationships) across landscapes, we still lack generalities in the nature and strengths of these linkages. Reasons for this are manifold, but can largely be attributed to (i) a lack of adherence to definitions and thus a confusion between final ES and the ecosystem functions (EFs) underpinning them, (ii) a focus on uninformative biodiversity indices and singular hypotheses and (iii) top-down analyses across large spatial scales and overlooking of context-dependency. The biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (B–EF) field provides an alternate context for examining biodiversity's mechanistic role in shaping ES, focusing on species' characteristics that may drive EFs via multiple mechanisms across contexts. Despite acknowledgements of a need for B–ES research to look towards underlying B–EF linkages, the connections between these areas of research remains weak. With this review, we pull together recent B–EF findings to identify key areas for future developments in B–ES research. We highlight a means by which B–ES research may begin to identify how and when multiple underlying B–EF relationships may scale to final ES delivery and trade-offs. PMID:26468240

The quest for a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem services relationships.

PubMed

Duncan, Clare; Thompson, Julian R; Pettorelli, Nathalie

2015-10-22

Ecosystem services (ES) approaches to biodiversity conservation are currently high on the ecological research and policy agendas. However, despite a wealth of studies into biodiversity's role in maintaining ES (B-ES relationships) across landscapes, we still lack generalities in the nature and strengths of these linkages. Reasons for this are manifold, but can largely be attributed to (i) a lack of adherence to definitions and thus a confusion between final ES and the ecosystem functions (EFs) underpinning them, (ii) a focus on uninformative biodiversity indices and singular hypotheses and (iii) top-down analyses across large spatial scales and overlooking of context-dependency. The biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (B-EF) field provides an alternate context for examining biodiversity's mechanistic role in shaping ES, focusing on species' characteristics that may drive EFs via multiple mechanisms across contexts. Despite acknowledgements of a need for B-ES research to look towards underlying B-EF linkages, the connections between these areas of research remains weak. With this review, we pull together recent B-EF findings to identify key areas for future developments in B-ES research. We highlight a means by which B-ES research may begin to identify how and when multiple underlying B-EF relationships may scale to final ES delivery and trade-offs. © 2015 The Author(s).

Defaults, context, and knowledge: alternatives for OWL-indexed knowledge bases.

PubMed

Rector, A

2004-01-01

The new Web Ontology Language (OWL) and its Description Logic compatible sublanguage (OWL-DL) explicitly exclude defaults and exceptions, as do all logic based formalisms for ontologies. However, many biomedical applications appear to require default reasoning, at least if they are to be engineered in a maintainable way. Default reasoning has always been one of the great strengths of Frame systems such as Protégé. Resolving this conflict requires analysis of the different uses for defaults and exceptions. In some cases, alternatives can be provided within the OWL framework; in others, it appears that hybrid reasoning about a knowledge base of contingent facts built around the core ontology is necessary. Trade-offs include both human factors and the scaling of computational performance. The analysis presented here is based on the OpenGALEN experience with large scale ontologies using a formalism, GRAIL, which explicitly incorporates constructs for hybrid reasoning, numerous experiments with OWL, and initial work on combining OWL and Protégé.

Multiobjective optimization in bioinformatics and computational biology.

PubMed

Handl, Julia; Kell, Douglas B; Knowles, Joshua

2007-01-01

This paper reviews the application of multiobjective optimization in the fields of bioinformatics and computational biology. A survey of existing work, organized by application area, forms the main body of the review, following an introduction to the key concepts in multiobjective optimization. An original contribution of the review is the identification of five distinct "contexts," giving rise to multiple objectives: These are used to explain the reasons behind the use of multiobjective optimization in each application area and also to point the way to potential future uses of the technique.

Why do women seek ultrasound scans from commercial providers during pregnancy?

PubMed

Roberts, Julie; Griffiths, Frances E; Verran, Alice; Ayre, Catherine

2015-05-01

The commercial availability of ultrasound scans for pregnant women has been controversial yet little is known about why women make use of such services. This article reports on semi-structured interviews with women in the UK who have booked a commercial scan, focusing on the reasons women gave for booking commercially provided ultrasound during a low-risk pregnancy. Participants' reasons for booking a scan are presented in five categories: finding out the sex of the foetus; reassurance; seeing the baby; acquiring keepsakes and facilitating bonding. Our analysis demonstrates that women's reasons for booking commercial scans are often multiple and are shaped by experiences of antenatal care as well as powerful cultural discourses related to 'good' parenting and the use of technology in pregnancy. Sociological and public debate about the availability of commercial ultrasound and its social and personal impacts should consider the wider sociocultural context that structures women's choices to make use of such services. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

On problematic aspects in learning trigonometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamber, Dina; Takaci, Djurdjica

2018-02-01

In this paper, research on some problematic aspects high school students have in learning trigonometry is presented. It is based on making sense of mathematics through perception, operation and reason in the case of trigonometry. We analyzed students' understanding of trigonometric concepts in the frame of triangle and circle trigonometry contexts, as well as the transition between these two contexts. In the conclusion, we present some new problematic aspects we noticed.

Markov logic network based complex event detection under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jingyang; Jia, Bin; Chen, Genshe; Chen, Hua-mei; Sullivan, Nichole; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik

2018-05-01

In a cognitive reasoning system, the four-stage Observe-Orient-Decision-Act (OODA) reasoning loop is of interest. The OODA loop is essential for the situational awareness especially in heterogeneous data fusion. Cognitive reasoning for making decisions can take advantage of different formats of information such as symbolic observations, various real-world sensor readings, or the relationship between intelligent modalities. Markov Logic Network (MLN) provides mathematically sound technique in presenting and fusing data at multiple levels of abstraction, and across multiple intelligent sensors to conduct complex decision-making tasks. In this paper, a scenario about vehicle interaction is investigated, in which uncertainty is taken into consideration as no systematic approaches can perfectly characterize the complex event scenario. MLNs are applied to the terrestrial domain where the dynamic features and relationships among vehicles are captured through multiple sensors and information sources regarding the data uncertainty.

Context-aware system for pre-triggering irreversible vehicle safety actuators.

PubMed

Böhmländer, Dennis; Dirndorfer, Tobias; Al-Bayatti, Ali H; Brandmeier, Thomas

2017-06-01

New vehicle safety systems have led to a steady improvement of road safety and a reduction in the risk of suffering a major injury in vehicle accidents. A huge leap forward in the development of new vehicle safety systems are actuators that have to be activated irreversibly shortly before a collision in order to mitigate accident consequences. The triggering decision has to be based on measurements of exteroceptive sensors currently used in driver assistance systems. This paper focuses on developing a novel context-aware system designed to detect potential collisions and to trigger safety actuators even before an accident occurs. In this context, the analysis examines the information that can be collected from exteroceptive sensors (pre-crash data) to predict a certain collision and its severity to decide whether a triggering is entitled or not. A five-layer context-aware architecture is presented, that is able to collect contextual information about the vehicle environment and the actual driving state using different sensors, to perform reasoning about potential collisions, and to trigger safety functions upon that information. Accident analysis is used in a data model to represent uncertain knowledge and to perform reasoning. A simulation concept based on real accident data is introduced to evaluate the presented system concept. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Meta-Reasoning: Monitoring and Control of Thinking and Reasoning.

PubMed

Ackerman, Rakefet; Thompson, Valerie A

2017-08-01

Meta-Reasoning refers to the processes that monitor the progress of our reasoning and problem-solving activities and regulate the time and effort devoted to them. Monitoring processes are usually experienced as feelings of certainty or uncertainty about how well a process has, or will, unfold. These feelings are based on heuristic cues, which are not necessarily reliable. Nevertheless, we rely on these feelings of (un)certainty to regulate our mental effort. Most metacognitive research has focused on memorization and knowledge retrieval, with little attention paid to more complex processes, such as reasoning and problem solving. In that context, we recently developed a Meta-Reasoning framework, used here to review existing findings, consider their consequences, and frame questions for future research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

“I can, therefore I must”: Fragility in the upper-middle classes

PubMed Central

LUTHAR, SUNIYA S.; BARKIN, SAMUEL H.; CROSSMAN, ELIZABETH J.

2014-01-01

We review evidence on a group recently identified as “at risk,” that is, youth in upwardly mobile, upper-middle class community contexts. These youngsters are statistically more likely than normative samples to show serious disturbance across several domains including drug and alcohol use, as well as internalizing and externalizing problems. Extant data on these problems are reviewed with attention to gender-specific patterns, presenting quantitative developmental research findings along with relevant evidence across other disciplines. In considering possible reasons for elevated maladjustment, we appraise multiple pathways, including aspects of family dynamics, peer norms, pressures at schools, and policies in higher education. All of these pathways are considered within the context of broad, exosystemic mores: the pervasive emphasis, in contemporary American culture, on maximizing personal status, and how this can threaten the well-being of individuals and of communities. We then discuss issues that warrant attention in future research. The paper concludes with suggestions for interventions at multiple levels, targeting youth, parents, educators, as well as policymakers, toward reducing pressures and maximizing positive adaptation among “privileged but pressured” youth and their families. PMID:24342854

The role of culture in the context of school-based BMI screening.

PubMed

Fitzgibbon, Marian L; Beech, Bettina M

2009-09-01

The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is a significant public health concern in the United States. Minority populations are disproportionately affected, and the impact of obesity on minority children is especially alarming. In this article we discuss school-based BMI reporting, which is intended to increase parental awareness of their children's weight status. This information could potentially lead parents of overweight and obese children to carefully examine and possibly change their children's diet and activity patterns. However, any program related to child weight status must consider culturally defined aspects of body size and shape. In other words, the cultural context in which information on child BMI is presented to and received by parents must be considered. In this article we review parental perceptions of child weight. Multiple studies have shown that parents of overweight or obese children often fail to correctly perceive their children as overweight. Possible reasons for, and implications of, this misperception of child weight status among minority parents are then explored within a cultural framework. The PEN-3 model is used to examine influences on health behaviors and could help inform the development of a culturally sensitive BMI-notification program for minority parents. Reporting materials congruent with the social and cultural values and practices of the target audience are likely to maximize program effectiveness. A culturally based BMI-notification program should be conceptualized as a small step in a comprehensive plan to reduce childhood obesity and improve the current and future health of minority children.

A distributed reasoning engine ecosystem for semantic context-management in smart environments.

PubMed

Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego

2012-01-01

To be able to react adequately a smart environment must be aware of the context and its changes. Modeling the context allows applications to better understand it and to adapt to its changes. In order to do this an appropriate formal representation method is needed. Ontologies have proven themselves to be one of the best tools to do it. Semantic inference provides a powerful framework to reason over the context data. But there are some problems with this approach. The inference over semantic context information can be cumbersome when working with a large amount of data. This situation has become more common in modern smart environments where there are a lot sensors and devices available. In order to tackle this problem we have developed a mechanism to distribute the context reasoning problem into smaller parts in order to reduce the inference time. In this paper we describe a distributed peer-to-peer agent architecture of context consumers and context providers. We explain how this inference sharing process works, partitioning the context information according to the interests of the agents, location and a certainty factor. We also discuss the system architecture, analyzing the negotiation process between the agents. Finally we compare the distributed reasoning with the centralized one, analyzing in which situations is more suitable each approach.

Understanding Rejection between First-and-Second-Grade Elementary Students through Reasons Expressed by Rejecters.

PubMed

García Bacete, Francisco J; Carrero Planes, Virginia E; Marande Perrin, Ghislaine; Musitu Ochoa, Gonzalo

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this research was to obtain the views of young children regarding their reasons for rejecting a peer. Method: To achieve this goal, we conducted a qualitative study in the context of theory building research using an analysis methodology based on Grounded Theory. The collected information was extracted through semi-structured individual interviews from a sample of 853 children aged 6 from 13 urban public schools in Spain. Results: The children provided 3,009 rejection nominations and 2,934 reasons for disliking the rejected peers. Seven reason categories emerged from the analysis. Four categories refer to behaviors of the rejected children that have a cost for individual peers or peer group such as: direct aggression, disturbance of wellbeing, problematic social and school behaviors and dominance behaviors. A further two categories refer to the identities arising from the preferences and choices of rejected and rejecter children and their peers: personal identity expressed through preferences and disliking, and social identity expressed through outgroup prejudices. The "no-behavior or no-choice" reasons were covered by one category, unfamiliarity. In addition, three context categories were found indicating the participants (interpersonal-group), the impact (low-high), and the subjectivity (subjective-objective) of the reason. Conclusion: This study provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive taxonomy of reasons for rejection that contributes to enrich the theoretical knowledge and improve interventions for preventing and reducing peer rejection.

Student Reasoning from Data Tables: Data Interpretation in Light of Student Ability and Prior Belief

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdan, Abigail Marie

Here I present my work studying introductory physics students proficiency with the control of variables strategy to evaluate simple data tables. In this research, a primary goal was to identify and to describe the reasoning strategies that students use preferentially when evaluating simple data tables where the control of variables strategy is the normative evaluation strategy. In addition, I aimed to identify and describe the factors that affect students reasoning strategies when analyzing these simple data tables. In a series of experiments, I tested 1,360 introductory physics students, giving them simple tables of experimental data to analyze. Generally, each of the experiments that I conducted had two conditions. In both of these conditions, the data filling the tables was identical; however, in the first condition, the data table was presented in a physical context and students were given a short pre-test to measure their beliefs about the context. In the second condition, the table was given in a more generic context. This was repeated with multiple data tables and physical contexts. In addition to the data table task, students were given several measures of cognitive ability. By using students answers on the pretest about physical context, I was able to measure whether or not each students prior beliefs were consistent with the relationships shown in the data tables. Across all the experiments conducted here, I found that those students whose prior beliefs were consistent with the data were over three times more likely to draw a valid inference from the table than students whose prior beliefs were inconsistent with the data. By further analyzing students responses, I found evidence that this difference in performance could be accounted for by the presence of a belief bias. Students tended to cite data in suboptimal ways, frequently treating their own theories as a source of evidence to be supplemented by or illustrated with examples from the data. Because of this tendency to hunt piecemeal through the tables for supporting examples, contradictory data was often simply overlooked. However, even when noticed, data that contradicted their theories was often ignored, misinterpreted to conform, or discounted in some way.

Two Modalities of the Contextualized Courseware in Three Modalities of Classroom Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akpinar, Yavuz; Sengül, Özlem

2018-01-01

This study investigated the effect of various combinations of contextualization and teacher support on achievement and critical thinking. Two specially-designed sets of courseware were used to teach a unit on logic, one based on a single context and one based on multiple contexts. The participants were 151 9th graders in two vocational high…

Assessment-Based Intervention for Severe Behavior Problems in a Natural Family Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Bobbie J.; Clarke, Shelley; Dunlap, Glen

1997-01-01

Functional assessments and assessment-based interventions were conducted with an 8-year-old boy with disabilities and severe problem behavior in the context of two family routines: using the home bathroom and dining in a fast-food restaurant. A multiple baseline design demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention package as implemented by…

Paths through interpretive territory: Two teachers' enactment of a technology-rich, inquiry-fostering science curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Scott Powell

New understandings about how people learn and constructivist pedagogy pose challenges for teachers. Science teachers face an additional challenge of developing inquiry-based pedagogy to foster complex reasoning skills. Theory provides only fuzzy guidance as to how constructivist or inquiry pedagogy can be accomplished in a wide variety of contexts and local constraints. This study contributes to the understanding of the development of constructivist, inquiry-based pedagogy by addressing the question: How do teachers interpret and enact a technology-rich, inquiry fostering science curricula for fifth grade students' biodiversity learning? This research is a case study of two teachers chosen as critical contrasting cases and represent differences across multiple criteria including: urban I suburban, teaching philosophy, and content preparation. The two fifth grade teachers each enacted BioKIDS: Kids' Inquiry in Diverse Species, an eight week curriculum focused on biodiversity. BioKIDS incorporates multiple learning technologies to support student learning including handheld computer software designed to help students collect field data, and a web-based resource for data on local animal species. The results of this study indicate there are tensions teachers must struggle with when setting goals during enactment of inquiry science curricula. They must find a balance between an emphasis on authentic learning and authentic science, and between natural history and natural science. Authentic learning focuses on students' interests and lives; Authentic science focuses on students working with the tools and processes of science. Natural history focuses on the foundational skills in science of observation and classification. Natural science focuses on analytical science drawing on data to develop claims about the world. These two key tensions in teachers' goal setting were critical in defining and understanding differences in how teachers interpreted a curriculum to meet local context and constraints. This study also examined how teachers used technology and scientific inscriptions to support their goals. Implications for research in science education as well as design of curricula and technology are discussed.

Context-sensitive trace inlining for Java.

PubMed

Häubl, Christian; Wimmer, Christian; Mössenböck, Hanspeter

2013-12-01

Method inlining is one of the most important optimizations in method-based just-in-time (JIT) compilers. It widens the compilation scope and therefore allows optimizing multiple methods as a whole, which increases the performance. However, if method inlining is used too frequently, the compilation time increases and too much machine code is generated. This has negative effects on the performance. Trace-based JIT compilers only compile frequently executed paths, so-called traces, instead of whole methods. This may result in faster compilation, less generated machine code, and better optimized machine code. In the previous work, we implemented a trace recording infrastructure and a trace-based compiler for [Formula: see text], by modifying the Java HotSpot VM. Based on this work, we evaluate the effect of trace inlining on the performance and the amount of generated machine code. Trace inlining has several major advantages when compared to method inlining. First, trace inlining is more selective than method inlining, because only frequently executed paths are inlined. Second, the recorded traces may capture information about virtual calls, which simplify inlining. A third advantage is that trace information is context sensitive so that different method parts can be inlined depending on the specific call site. These advantages allow more aggressive inlining while the amount of generated machine code is still reasonable. We evaluate several inlining heuristics on the benchmark suites DaCapo 9.12 Bach, SPECjbb2005, and SPECjvm2008 and show that our trace-based compiler achieves an up to 51% higher peak performance than the method-based Java HotSpot client compiler. Furthermore, we show that the large compilation scope of our trace-based compiler has a positive effect on other compiler optimizations such as constant folding or null check elimination.

Understanding and managing compliance in the nature conservation context.

PubMed

Arias, Adrian

2015-04-15

Nature conservation relies largely on peoples' rule adherence. However, noncompliance in the conservation context is common: it is one of the largest illegal activities in the world, degrading societies, economies and the environment. Understanding and managing compliance is key for ensuring effective conservation, nevertheless crucial concepts and tools are scattered in a wide array of literature. Here I review and integrate these concepts and tools in an effort to guide compliance management in the conservation context. First, I address the understanding of compliance by breaking it down into five key questions: who?, what?, when?, where? and why?. A special focus is given to 'why?' because the answer to this question explains the reasons for compliance and noncompliance, providing critical information for management interventions. Second, I review compliance management strategies, from voluntary compliance to coerced compliance. Finally, I suggest a system, initially proposed for tax compliance, to balance these multiple compliance management strategies. This paper differs from others by providing a broad yet practical scope on theory and tools for understanding and managing compliance in the nature conservation context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attitudes to sex and sexual behaviour in rural Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Vos, T

1994-01-01

Though HIV prevention campaigns in Zimbabwe have increased public awareness of HIV, they have not meaningfully changed sexual behaviour. Possibly these campaigns are based on wrong assumptions about sexual behaviour. By means of 111 structured interviews with hospital patients, secondary school students and teachers, and 11 focus group discussions with traditional healers, midwives, village community workers, secondary school students and teachers, and commercial sex workers in a rural district of Matabeleland in Zimbabwe, this low-budget study explores attitudes towards sex and sexual behaviour in order to define more appropriate health education messages. Results indicate that traditional sex education no longer takes place and that communication between sexual partners is limited. The almost ubiquitous expectation of women to get rewards for sex outside marriage motivates mostly single women out of economic necessity to meet the male demand for sexual partners, which is created by large scale migrant labour and men's professed 'biological' need for multiple partners. Types of sexual behaviour other than penetrative vaginal sex are uncommon and considered deviant. Safe sex messages from the West therefore are inappropriate in the Zimbabwean context. Recommendations are given to restore traditional communication about sexual matters across generations and to urge sexual partners to discuss sex. Women who, for economic reasons, engage in casual sex should at least learn to negotiate the use of condoms. Men seriously need to reconsider their attitudes to sex and sexual practices in view of the high HIV sero-prevalence. Faithfulness, rather than multiple sexual contacts, should become a reason to boast.

What physicians reason about during admission case review.

PubMed

Juma, Salina; Goldszmidt, Mark

2017-08-01

Research suggests that physicians perform multiple reasoning tasks beyond diagnosis during patient review. However, these remain largely theoretical. The purpose of this study was to explore reasoning tasks in clinical practice during patient admission review. The authors used a constant comparative approach-an iterative and inductive process of coding and recoding-to analyze transcripts from 38 audio-recorded case reviews between junior trainees and their senior residents or attendings. Using a previous list of reasoning tasks, analysis focused on what tasks were performed, when they occurred, and how they related to the other tasks. All 24 tasks were observed in at least one review with a mean of 17.9 (Min = 15, Max = 22) distinct tasks per review. Two new tasks-assess illness severity and patient decision-making capacity-were identified, thus 26 tasks were examined. Three overarching tasks were identified-assess priorities, determine and refine the most likely diagnosis and establish and refine management plans-that occurred throughout all stages of the case review starting from patient identification and continuing through to assessment and plan. A fourth possible overarching task-reflection-was also identified but only observed in four instances across three cases. The other 22 tasks appeared to be context dependent serving to support, expand, and refine one or more overarching tasks. Tasks were non-sequential and the same supporting task could serve more than one overarching task. The authors conclude that these findings provide insight into the 'what' and 'when' of physician reasoning during case review that can be used to support professional development, clinical training and patient care. In particular, they draw attention to the iterative way in which each task is addressed during a case review and how this finding may challenge conventional ways of teaching and assessing clinical communication and reasoning. They also suggest that further research is needed to explore how physicians decide why a supporting task is required in a particular context.

Causal knowledge and the development of inductive reasoning.

PubMed

Bright, Aimée K; Feeney, Aidan

2014-06-01

We explored the development of sensitivity to causal relations in children's inductive reasoning. Children (5-, 8-, and 12-year-olds) and adults were given trials in which they decided whether a property known to be possessed by members of one category was also possessed by members of (a) a taxonomically related category or (b) a causally related category. The direction of the causal link was either predictive (prey→predator) or diagnostic (predator→prey), and the property that participants reasoned about established either a taxonomic or causal context. There was a causal asymmetry effect across all age groups, with more causal choices when the causal link was predictive than when it was diagnostic. Furthermore, context-sensitive causal reasoning showed a curvilinear development, with causal choices being most frequent for 8-year-olds regardless of context. Causal inductions decreased thereafter because 12-year-olds and adults made more taxonomic choices when reasoning in the taxonomic context. These findings suggest that simple causal relations may often be the default knowledge structure in young children's inductive reasoning, that sensitivity to causal direction is present early on, and that children over-generalize their causal knowledge when reasoning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Children's reasoning with peers in cooperative and competitive contexts.

PubMed

Domberg, Andreas; Köymen, Bahar; Tomasello, Michael

2018-03-01

We report two studies that demonstrate how five- and seven-year-olds adapt their production of arguments to either a cooperative or a competitive context. Two games elicited agreements from peer dyads about placing animals on either of two halves of a playing field owned by either child. Children had to produce arguments to justify these decisions. Played in a competitive context that encouraged placing animals on one's own half, children's arguments showed a bias that was the result of withholding known arguments. In a cooperative context, children produced not only more arguments, but also more 'two-sided' arguments. Also, seven-year-olds demonstrated a more frequent and strategic use of arguments that specifically refuted decisions that would favour their peers. The results suggest that cooperative contexts provide a more motivating context for children to produce arguments. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Reasoning is a social skill that allows people to reach joint decisions. Preschoolers give reasons for their proposals in their peer conversations. By adolescence, children use sophisticated arguments (e.g., refutations and rebuttals). What the present study adds? Cooperation offers a more motivating context for children's argument production. Seven-year-olds are more strategic than five-year-olds in their reasoning with peers. Children's reasoning with others becomes more sophisticated after preschool years. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Inductive Reasoning about Causally Transmitted Properties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafto, Patrick; Kemp, Charles; Bonawitz, Elizabeth Baraff; Coley, John D.; Tenenbaum, Joshua B.

2008-01-01

Different intuitive theories constrain and guide inferences in different contexts. Formalizing simple intuitive theories as probabilistic processes operating over structured representations, we present a new computational model of category-based induction about causally transmitted properties. A first experiment demonstrates undergraduates'…

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Howard

1987-01-01

The multiple intelligence theory is based on cultural contexts, biological analysis, developmental theories, and a vertical theory of faculties. Seven intelligences are identified: linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The theory's educational implications are described,…

Analogical Reasoning in the Classroom: Insights from Cognitive Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vendetti, Michael S.; Matlen, Bryan J.; Richland, Lindsey E.; Bunge, Silvia A.

2015-01-01

Applying knowledge from one context to another is a notoriously difficult problem, both for children and adults, but lies at the heart of educational endeavors. Analogical reasoning is a cognitive underpinning of the ability to notice and draw similarities across contexts. Reasoning by analogy is especially challenging for students, who must…

Reasoning in explanation-based decision making.

PubMed

Pennington, N; Hastie, R

1993-01-01

A general theory of explanation-based decision making is outlined and the multiple roles of inference processes in the theory are indicated. A typology of formal and informal inference forms, originally proposed by Collins (1978a, 1978b), is introduced as an appropriate framework to represent inferences that occur in the overarching explanation-based process. Results from the analysis of verbal reports of decision processes are presented to demonstrate the centrality and systematic character of reasoning in a representative legal decision-making task.

Theory Presentation and Assessment in a Problem-Based Learning Group.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Phillip J.; Koschmann, Timothy; Conlee, Melinda

A study used conversational analysis to examine the reasoning students use in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) environment as they formulate a theory (in medical contexts, a diagnosis) which accounts for evidence (medical history and symptoms). A videotaped group interaction was analyzed and transcribed. In the segment of interaction examined, the…

Students' Socio-Scientific Reasoning in an Astrobiological Context during Work with a Digital Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansson, Lena; Redfors, Andreas; Rosberg, Maria

2011-01-01

In a European project--CoReflect--researchers in seven countries are developing, implementing and evaluating teaching sequences using a web-based platform (STOCHASMOS). The interactive web-based inquiry materials support collaborative and reflective work. The learning environments will be iteratively tested and refined, during different phases of…

Relational Priming Based on a Multiplicative Schema for Whole Numbers and Fractions.

PubMed

DeWolf, Melissa; Son, Ji Y; Bassok, Miriam; Holyoak, Keith J

2017-11-01

Why might it be (at least sometimes) beneficial for adults to process fractions componentially? Recent research has shown that college-educated adults can capitalize on the bipartite structure of the fraction notation, performing more successfully with fractions than with decimals in relational tasks, notably analogical reasoning. This study examined patterns of relational priming for problems with fractions in a task that required arithmetic computations. College students were asked to judge whether or not multiplication equations involving fractions were correct. Some equations served as structurally inverse primes for the equation that immediately followed it (e.g., 4 × 3/4 = 3 followed by 3 × 8/6 = 4). Students with relatively high math ability showed relational priming (speeded solution times to the second of two successive relationally related fraction equations) both with and without high perceptual similarity (Experiment 2). Students with relatively low math ability also showed priming, but only when the structurally inverse equation pairs were supported by high perceptual similarity between numbers (e.g., 4 × 3/4 = 3 followed by 3 × 4/3 = 4). Several additional experiments established boundary conditions on relational priming with fractions. These findings are interpreted in terms of componential processing of fractions in a relational multiplication context that takes advantage of their inherent connections to a multiplicative schema for whole numbers. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Children's Reasoning about Lie-Telling and Truth-Telling in Politeness Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyman, Gail D.; Sweet, Monica A.; Lee, Kang

2009-01-01

Children's reasoning about lying and truth-telling was examined among participants ages 7-11 (total N = 181) with reference to conflicts between being honest and protecting the feelings of others. In Study 1, participants showed different patterns of evaluation and motivational inference in politeness contexts vs. transgression contexts: in…

Clinical reasoning of Filipino physical therapists: Experiences in a developing nation.

PubMed

Rotor, Esmerita R; Capio, Catherine M

2018-03-01

Clinical reasoning is essential for physical therapists to engage in the process of client care, and has been known to contribute to professional development. The literature on clinical reasoning and experiences have been based on studies from Western and developed nations, from which multiple influencing factors have been found. A developing nation, the Philippines, has distinct social, economic, political, and cultural circumstances. Using a phenomenological approach, this study explored experiences of Filipino physical therapists on clinical reasoning. Ten therapists working in three settings: 1) hospital; 2) outpatient clinic; and 3) home health were interviewed. Major findings were: a prescription-based referral system limited clinical reasoning; procedural reasoning was a commonly experienced strategy while diagnostic and predictive reasoning were limited; factors that influenced clinical reasoning included practice setting and the professional relationship with the referring physician. Physical therapists' responses suggested a lack of autonomy in practice that appeared to stifle clinical reasoning. Based on our findings, we recommend that the current regulations governing PT practice in the Philippines may be updated, and encourage educators to strengthen teaching approaches and strategies that support clinical reasoning. These recommendations are consistent with the global trend toward autonomous practice.

Toward Webscale, Rule-Based Inference on the Semantic Web Via Data Parallelism

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

Another work distinct from its peers is the work on approximate reasoning by Rudolph et al. [34] in which multiple inference sys- tems were combined not...Workshop Scalable Semantic Web Knowledge Base Systems, 2010, pp. 17–31. [34] S. Rudolph , T. Tserendorj, and P. Hitzler, “What is approximate reasoning...2013] [55] M. Duerst and M. Suignard. (2005, Jan .). RFC 3987 – internationalized resource identifiers (IRIs). IETF. [Online]. Available: http

Identifying Relevant Acid-Base Topics in the Context of a Prenursing Chemistry Course to Better Align Health-Related Instruction and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Corina E.; Henry, Melissa L. M.; Hyslop, Richard M.

2018-01-01

This study explores the acid-base topic in the context of a chemistry course taken as a prerequisite for a baccalaureate nursing program. Core findings were derived from semistructured interviews with experts in the areas of chemistry and nursing, and a multiple university survey of experts' opinions. The acid-base topic was reviewed and evaluated…

Learning to Explain Astronomy across Moving Frames of Reference: Exploring the Role of Classroom and Planetarium-Based Instructional Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plummer, Julia Diane; Kocareli, Alicia; Slagle, Cynthia

2014-01-01

Learning astronomy involves significant spatial reasoning, such as learning to describe Earth-based phenomena and understanding space-based explanations for those phenomena as well as using the relevant size and scale information to interpret these frames of reference. This study examines daily celestial motion (DCM) as one case of how children…

PDA: A coupling of knowledge and memory for case-based reasoning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bharwani, S.; Walls, J.; Blevins, E.

1988-01-01

Problem solving in most domains requires reference to past knowledge and experience whether such knowledge is represented as rules, decision trees, networks or any variant of attributed graphs. Regardless of the representational form employed, designers of expert systems rarely make a distinction between the static and dynamic aspects of the system's knowledge base. The current paper clearly distinguishes between knowledge-based and memory-based reasoning where the former in its most pure sense is characterized by a static knowledge based resulting in a relatively brittle expert system while the latter is dynamic and analogous to the functions of human memory which learns from experience. The paper discusses the design of an advisory system which combines a knowledge base consisting of domain vocabulary and default dependencies between concepts with a dynamic conceptual memory which stores experimental knowledge in the form of cases. The case memory organizes past experience in the form of MOPs (memory organization packets) and sub-MOPs. Each MOP consists of a context frame and a set of indices. The context frame contains information about the features (norms) common to all the events and sub-MOPs indexed under it.

Influence of perceived difficulty of cases on student osteopaths' diagnostic reasoning: a cross sectional study.

PubMed

Noyer, Aurelien L; Esteves, Jorge E; Thomson, Oliver P

2017-01-01

Diagnostic reasoning refers to the cognitive processes by which clinicians formulate diagnoses. Despite the implications for patient safety and professional identity, research on diagnostic reasoning in osteopathy remains largely theoretical. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived task difficulty on the diagnostic reasoning of students osteopaths. Using a single-blinded, cross sectional study design, sixteen final year pre-registration osteopathy students diagnosed two standardized cases under two context conditions (complex versus control). Context difficulty was manipulated via verbal manipulation and case order was randomized and counterbalanced across subjects to ensure that each case was diagnosed evenly under both conditions (i.e. half of the subjects performed either case A or B first). After diagnosis, participants were presented with items (literal, inferred and filler) designed to represent analytical and non-analytical reasoning. Response time and error rate for each item were measured. A repeated measures analysis of variance (concept type x context) was performed to identify differences across conditions and make inferences on diagnostic reasoning. Participants made significantly more errors when judging literal concepts and took significantly less time to recognize filler concepts in the complex context. No significant difference in ability to judge inferred concepts across contexts was found. Although speculative and preliminary, our findings suggest the perception of complexity led to an increased reliance on analytical reasoning at the detriment of non-analytical reasoning. To reduce the associated cognitive load, osteopathic educational institutions could consider developing the intuitive diagnostic capabilities of pre-registration students. Postgraduate mentorship opportunities could be considered to enhance the diagnostic reasoning of professional osteopaths, particularly recent graduates. Further research exploring the influence of expertise is required to enhance the validity of this study.

MULTIPLE PROJECTIONS SYSTEM (MPS): USER'S MANUAL VERSION 2.0

EPA Science Inventory

The document is a user's manual for Multiple Projections System (MPS) Version 2.0, based on the 3% reasonable further progress (RFP) tracking system that was developed in FY92/FY93. The 3% RFP tracking system is a Windows application, and enhancements to convert the 3% RFP track...

Integral Methodological Pluralism in Science Education Research: Valuing Multiple Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Nancy T.; Callihan, Laurie P.

2013-01-01

This article examines the multiple methodologies used in educational research and proposes a model that includes all of them as contributing to understanding educational contexts and research from multiple perspectives. The model, based on integral theory (Wilber in a theory of everything. Shambhala, Boston, 2000) values all forms of research as…

Teaching and Evaluation Materials Utilizing Multiple Representations in Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savinainen, A.; Nieminen, P.; Makynen, A.; Viiri, J.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present materials and teaching ideas utilizing multiple representations in the contexts of kinematics and the force concept. These ideas and materials are substantiated by evidence and can be readily used in teaching with no special training. In addition, we briefly discuss two multiple-choice tests based on physics education…

Screening of pollution control and clean-up materials for river chemical spills using the multiple case-based reasoning method with a difference-driven revision strategy.

PubMed

Liu, Rentao; Jiang, Jiping; Guo, Liang; Shi, Bin; Liu, Jie; Du, Zhaolin; Wang, Peng

2016-06-01

In-depth filtering of emergency disposal technology (EDT) and materials has been required in the process of environmental pollution emergency disposal. However, an urgent problem that must be solved is how to quickly and accurately select the most appropriate materials for treating a pollution event from the existing spill control and clean-up materials (SCCM). To meet this need, the following objectives were addressed in this study. First, the material base and a case base for environment pollution emergency disposal were established to build a foundation and provide material for SCCM screening. Second, the multiple case-based reasoning model method with a difference-driven revision strategy (DDRS-MCBR) was applied to improve the original dual case-based reasoning model method system, and screening and decision-making was performed for SCCM using this model. Third, an actual environmental pollution accident from 2012 was used as a case study to verify the material base, case base, and screening model. The results demonstrated that the DDRS-MCBR method was fast, efficient, and practical. The DDRS-MCBR method changes the passive situation in which the choice of SCCM screening depends only on the subjective experience of the decision maker and offers a new approach to screening SCCM.

Force, Velocity, and Work: The Effects of Different Contexts on Students' Understanding of Vector Concepts Using Isomorphic Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barniol, Pablo; Zavala, Genaro

2014-01-01

In this article we compare students' understanding of vector concepts in problems with no physical context, and with three mechanics contexts: force, velocity, and work. Based on our "Test of Understanding of Vectors," a multiple-choice test presented elsewhere, we designed two isomorphic shorter versions of 12 items each: a test with no…

Legitimacy and Reason: A Primer for Reduction of Tension between the Western and Arab-Islamic Worlds

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

epistemology , which will begin to indirectly justify the current applicability of Hobbes’ and Locke’s theories based on common logic and reason. This is...Hobbes’ and Locke’s theories . Additionally, references to current literary works and statements made by various key players on both sides of the...the context for formulation and testing of the logical political theories presented in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and John Locke’s Second Treatise

The impact of design-based modeling instruction on seventh graders' spatial abilities and model-based argumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConnell, William J.

Due to the call of current science education reform for the integration of engineering practices within science classrooms, design-based instruction is receiving much attention in science education literature. Although some aspect of modeling is often included in well-known design-based instructional methods, it is not always a primary focus. The purpose of this study was to better understand how design-based instruction with an emphasis on scientific modeling might impact students' spatial abilities and their model-based argumentation abilities. In the following mixed-method multiple case study, seven seventh grade students attending a secular private school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States underwent an instructional intervention involving design-based instruction, modeling and argumentation. Through the course of a lesson involving students in exploring the interrelatedness of the environment and an animal's form and function, students created and used multiple forms of expressed models to assist them in model-based scientific argument. Pre/post data were collected through the use of The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotation, the Mental Rotation Test and interviews. Other data included a spatial activities survey, student artifacts in the form of models, notes, exit tickets, and video recordings of students throughout the intervention. Spatial abilities tests were analyzed using descriptive statistics while students' arguments were analyzed using the Instrument for the Analysis of Scientific Curricular Arguments and a behavior protocol. Models were analyzed using content analysis and interviews and all other data were coded and analyzed for emergent themes. Findings in the area of spatial abilities included increases in spatial reasoning for six out of seven participants, and an immense difference in the spatial challenges encountered by students when using CAD software instead of paper drawings to create models. Students perceived 3D printed models to better assist them in scientific argumentation over paper drawing models. In fact, when given a choice, students rarely used paper drawing to assist in argument. There was also a difference in model utility between the two different model types. Participants explicitly used 3D printed models to complete gestural modeling, while participants rarely looked at 2D models when involved in gestural modeling. This study's findings added to current theory dealing with the varied spatial challenges involved in different modes of expressed models. This study found that depth, symmetry and the manipulation of perspectives are typically spatial challenges students will attend to using CAD while they will typically ignore them when drawing using paper and pencil. This study also revealed a major difference in model-based argument in a design-based instruction context as opposed to model-based argument in a typical science classroom context. In the context of design-based instruction, data revealed that design process is an important part of model-based argument. Due to the importance of design process in model-based argumentation in this context, trusted methods of argument analysis, like the coding system of the IASCA, was found lacking in many respects. Limitations and recommendations for further research were also presented.

Non‐parametric combination and related permutation tests for neuroimaging

PubMed Central

Webster, Matthew A.; Brooks, Jonathan C.; Tracey, Irene; Smith, Stephen M.; Nichols, Thomas E.

2016-01-01

Abstract In this work, we show how permutation methods can be applied to combination analyses such as those that include multiple imaging modalities, multiple data acquisitions of the same modality, or simply multiple hypotheses on the same data. Using the well‐known definition of union‐intersection tests and closed testing procedures, we use synchronized permutations to correct for such multiplicity of tests, allowing flexibility to integrate imaging data with different spatial resolutions, surface and/or volume‐based representations of the brain, including non‐imaging data. For the problem of joint inference, we propose and evaluate a modification of the recently introduced non‐parametric combination (NPC) methodology, such that instead of a two‐phase algorithm and large data storage requirements, the inference can be performed in a single phase, with reasonable computational demands. The method compares favorably to classical multivariate tests (such as MANCOVA), even when the latter is assessed using permutations. We also evaluate, in the context of permutation tests, various combining methods that have been proposed in the past decades, and identify those that provide the best control over error rate and power across a range of situations. We show that one of these, the method of Tippett, provides a link between correction for the multiplicity of tests and their combination. Finally, we discuss how the correction can solve certain problems of multiple comparisons in one‐way ANOVA designs, and how the combination is distinguished from conjunctions, even though both can be assessed using permutation tests. We also provide a common algorithm that accommodates combination and correction. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1486‐1511, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26848101

E-Beam Capture Aid Drawing Based Modelling on Cell Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayat, T.; Rahmat, A.; Redjeki, S.; Rahman, T.

2017-09-01

The objectives of this research are to find out how far Drawing-based Modeling assisted with E-Beam Capture could support student’s scientific reasoning skill using Drawing - based Modeling approach assisted with E-Beam Capture. The research design that is used for this research is the Pre-test and Post-test Design. The data collection of scientific reasoning skills is collected by giving multiple choice questions before and after the lesson. The data analysis of scientific reasoning skills is using scientific reasoning assessment rubric. The results show an improvement of student’s scientific reasoning in every indicator; an improvement in generativity which shows 2 students achieving high scores, 3 students in elaboration reasoning, 4 students in justification, 3 students in explanation, 3 students in logic coherency, 2 students in synthesis. The research result in student’s explanation reasoning has the highest number of students with high scores, which shows 20 students with high scores in the pre-test and 23 students in post-test and synthesis reasoning shows the lowest number, which shows 1 student in the pretest and 3 students in posttest. The research result gives the conclusion that Drawing-based Modeling approach assisted with E-Beam Capture could not yet support student’s scientific reasoning skills comprehensively.

Experiencing teaching and learning quantitative reasoning in a project-based context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muir, Tracey; Beswick, Kim; Callingham, Rosemary; Jade, Katara

2016-12-01

This paper presents the findings of a small-scale study that investigated the issues and challenges of teaching and learning about quantitative reasoning (QR) within a project-based learning (PjBL) context. Students and teachers were surveyed and interviewed about their experiences of learning and teaching QR in that context in contrast to teaching and learning mathematics in more traditional settings. The grade 9-12 student participants were characterised by a history of disengagement with mathematics and school in general, and the teacher participants were non-mathematics specialist teachers. Both students and teachers were new to the PjBL situation, which resulted in the teaching/learning relationship being a reciprocal one. The findings indicated that students and teachers viewed QR positively, particularly when compared with traditional mathematics teaching, yet tensions were identified for aspects such as implementation of curriculum and integration of relevant mathematics into projects. Both sets of participants identified situations where learning QR was particularly successful, along with concerns or difficulties about integrating QR into project work. The findings have implications for educators, who may need to examine their own approaches to mathematics teaching, particularly in terms of facilitating student engagement with the subject.

Picture this: The value of multiple visual representations for student learning of quantum concepts in general chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Emily Christine

Mental models for scientific learning are often defined as, "cognitive tools situated between experiments and theories" (Duschl & Grandy, 2012). In learning, these cognitive tools are used to not only take in new information, but to help problem solve in new contexts. Nancy Nersessian (2008) describes a mental model as being "[loosely] characterized as a representation of a system with interactive parts with representations of those interactions. Models can be qualitative, quantitative, and/or simulative (mental, physical, computational)" (p. 63). If conceptual parts used by the students in science education are inaccurate, then the resulting model will not be useful. Students in college general chemistry courses are presented with multiple abstract topics and often struggle to fit these parts into complete models. This is especially true for topics that are founded on quantum concepts, such as atomic structure and molecular bonding taught in college general chemistry. The objectives of this study were focused on how students use visual tools introduced during instruction to reason with atomic and molecular structure, what misconceptions may be associated with these visual tools, and how visual modeling skills may be taught to support students' use of visual tools for reasoning. The research questions for this study follow from Gilbert's (2008) theory that experts use multiple representations when reasoning and modeling a system, and Kozma and Russell's (2005) theory of representational competence levels. This study finds that as students developed greater command of their understanding of abstract quantum concepts, they spontaneously provided additional representations to describe their more sophisticated models of atomic and molecular structure during interviews. This suggests that when visual modeling with multiple representations is taught, along with the limitations of the representations, it can assist students in the development of models for reasoning about abstract topics such as atomic and molecular structure. There is further gain if students' difficulties with these representations are targeted through the use additional instruction such as a workbook that requires the students to exercise their visual modeling skills.

Proportional Reasoning Word Problem Performance for Middle School Students with High-Incidence Disabilities (HID)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brawand, Anne Eichorn

2013-01-01

Schema-based instruction (SBI) was used to examine the solving of proportional reasoning word problems for middle school students with high-incidence disabilities (HID). Seventh- and eighth-grade students with HID participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to one of three groups. A multiple-baseline-across-groups design was…

When is deliberate killing of young children justified? Indigenous interpretations of infanticide in Bolivia.

PubMed

de Hilari, Caroline; Condori, Irma; Dearden, Kirk A

2009-01-01

In the Andes, as elsewhere, infanticide is a difficult challenge that remains largely undocumented and misunderstood. From January to March 2004 we used community-based vital event surveillance systems, discussions with health staff, ethnographic interviews, and focus group discussions among Aymara men and women from two geographically distinct sites in the Andes of Bolivia to provide insights into the practice of infanticide. We noted elevated mortality at both sites. In one location, suspected causes of infanticide were especially high for girls. We also observed that community members maintain beliefs that justify infanticide under certain circumstances. Among the Aymara, justification for infanticide was both biological (deformities and twinship) and social (illegitimate birth, family size and poverty). Communities generally did not condemn killing when reasons for doing so were biological, but the taking of life for social reasons was rarely justified. In this cultural context, strategies to address the challenge of infanticide should include education of community members about alternatives to infanticide. At a program level, planners and implementers should target ethnic groups with high levels of infanticide and train health care workers to detect and address multiple warning signs for infanticide (for example, domestic violence and child maltreatment) as well as proxies for infant neglect and abuse such as mother/infant separation and bottle use.

Differentiating between precursor and control variables when analyzing reasoned action theories.

PubMed

Hennessy, Michael; Bleakley, Amy; Fishbein, Martin; Brown, Larry; Diclemente, Ralph; Romer, Daniel; Valois, Robert; Vanable, Peter A; Carey, Michael P; Salazar, Laura

2010-02-01

This paper highlights the distinction between precursor and control variables in the context of reasoned action theory. Here the theory is combined with structural equation modeling to demonstrate how age and past sexual behavior should be situated in a reasoned action analysis. A two wave longitudinal survey sample of African-American adolescents is analyzed where the target behavior is having vaginal sex. Results differ when age and past behavior are used as control variables and when they are correctly used as precursors. Because control variables do not appear in any form of reasoned action theory, this approach to including background variables is not correct when analyzing data sets based on the theoretical axioms of the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Theory of Planned Behavior, or the Integrative Model.

Differentiating Between Precursor and Control Variables When Analyzing Reasoned Action Theories

PubMed Central

Hennessy, Michael; Bleakley, Amy; Fishbein, Martin; Brown, Larry; DiClemente, Ralph; Romer, Daniel; Valois, Robert; Vanable, Peter A.; Carey, Michael P.; Salazar, Laura

2010-01-01

This paper highlights the distinction between precursor and control variables in the context of reasoned action theory. Here the theory is combined with structural equation modeling to demonstrate how age and past sexual behavior should be situated in a reasoned action analysis. A two wave longitudinal survey sample of African-American adolescents is analyzed where the target behavior is having vaginal sex. Results differ when age and past behavior are used as control variables and when they are correctly used as precursors. Because control variables do not appear in any form of reasoned action theory, this approach to including background variables is not correct when analyzing data sets based on the theoretical axioms of the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Theory of Planned Behavior, or the Integrative Model PMID:19370408

Have they done what they should? Moral reasoning in the context of translating older persons' everyday problems into eligible needs for home modification services.

PubMed

Johansson, Karin

2013-09-01

This study explores how moral reasoning is expressed in matching health care with the problems older persons experience in their everyday life. Narrative data were collected from older persons who had applied for home modification services and from professionals involved in these services in Sweden. A theoretical framework, based on theories on the anthropology of morals, was applied to explore how the participants made conclusions about "what should be done." Moral reasoning was found to be guided by ideologies related to the historical and cultural context of the Swedish welfare state. Different interpretations of how these values should be expressed in specific situations led to different conclusions about what should be done. The study highlights the importance of understanding how values are enacted rather than what values different social agents have in order to understand how health care services can be designed and provided to support older persons' everyday life. © 2013 by the American Anthropological Association.

Extinction in multiple contexts: Effects on the rate of extinction and the strength of response recovery.

PubMed

Bustamante, Javier; Uengoer, Metin; Thorwart, Anna; Lachnit, Harald

2016-09-01

In two human predictive-learning experiments, we investigated the effects of extinction in multiple contexts on the rate of extinction and the strength of response recovery. In each experiment, participants initially received acquisition training with a target cue in one context, followed by extinction either in a different context (extinction in a single context) or in three different contexts (extinction in multiple contexts). The results of both experiments showed that conducting extinction in multiple contexts led to higher levels of responding during extinction than did extinction in a single context. Additionally, Experiment 2 showed that extinction in multiple contexts prevented ABC renewal but had no detectable impact on ABA renewal. Our results are discussed within the framework of contemporary learning theories of contextual control and extinction.

Construction of Context-Based Module: How OLED can be used as a Context in High School Chemistry Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anugrah, I. R.; Mudzakir, A.; Sumarna, O.

2017-09-01

Teaching materials used in Indonesia generally just emphasize remembering skill so that the students’ science literacy is low. Innovation is needed to transform traditional teaching materials so that it can stimulate students’ science literacy, one of which is by context-based approach. This study focused on the construction of context-based module for high school using Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) topics. OLED was chosen because it is an up-to-date topic and relevant to real life. This study used Model of Educational Reconstruction (MER) to reconstruct science content structure about OLED through combining scientist’s perspectives with student’s preconceptions and national curriculum. Literature review of OLED includes its definition, components, characteristics and working principle. Student’s preconceptions about OLED are obtained through interviews. The result shows that student’s preconceptions have not been fully similar with the scientist’s perspective. One of the reasons is that some of the related Chemistry concepts are too complicated. Through curriculum analysis, Chemistry about OLED that are appropriate for high school are Bohr’s atomic theory, redox and organic chemistry including polymers and aromatics. The OLED context and its Chemistry concept were developed into context-based module by adapting science literacy-based learning. This module is expected to increase students’ science literacy performance.

Development of Mechanistic Reasoning and Multilevel Explanations of Ecology in Third Grade Using Agent-Based Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickes, Amanda Catherine; Sengupta, Pratim; Farris, Amy Voss; Satabdi, Basu

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a third-grade ecology learning environment that integrates two forms of modeling--embodied modeling and agent-based modeling (ABMs)--through the generation of mathematical representations that are common to both forms of modeling. The term "agent" in the context of ABMs indicates individual computational objects…

Analytical reasoning task reveals limits of social learning in networks.

PubMed

Rahwan, Iyad; Krasnoshtan, Dmytro; Shariff, Azim; Bonnefon, Jean-François

2014-04-06

Social learning-by observing and copying others-is a highly successful cultural mechanism for adaptation, outperforming individual information acquisition and experience. Here, we investigate social learning in the context of the uniquely human capacity for reflective, analytical reasoning. A hallmark of the human mind is its ability to engage analytical reasoning, and suppress false associative intuitions. Through a set of laboratory-based network experiments, we find that social learning fails to propagate this cognitive strategy. When people make false intuitive conclusions and are exposed to the analytic output of their peers, they recognize and adopt this correct output. But they fail to engage analytical reasoning in similar subsequent tasks. Thus, humans exhibit an 'unreflective copying bias', which limits their social learning to the output, rather than the process, of their peers' reasoning-even when doing so requires minimal effort and no technical skill. In contrast to much recent work on observation-based social learning, which emphasizes the propagation of successful behaviour through copying, our findings identify a limit on the power of social networks in situations that require analytical reasoning.

Understanding Rejection between First-and-Second-Grade Elementary Students through Reasons Expressed by Rejecters

PubMed Central

García Bacete, Francisco J.; Carrero Planes, Virginia E.; Marande Perrin, Ghislaine; Musitu Ochoa, Gonzalo

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this research was to obtain the views of young children regarding their reasons for rejecting a peer. Method: To achieve this goal, we conducted a qualitative study in the context of theory building research using an analysis methodology based on Grounded Theory. The collected information was extracted through semi-structured individual interviews from a sample of 853 children aged 6 from 13 urban public schools in Spain. Results: The children provided 3,009 rejection nominations and 2,934 reasons for disliking the rejected peers. Seven reason categories emerged from the analysis. Four categories refer to behaviors of the rejected children that have a cost for individual peers or peer group such as: direct aggression, disturbance of wellbeing, problematic social and school behaviors and dominance behaviors. A further two categories refer to the identities arising from the preferences and choices of rejected and rejecter children and their peers: personal identity expressed through preferences and disliking, and social identity expressed through outgroup prejudices. The “no-behavior or no-choice” reasons were covered by one category, unfamiliarity. In addition, three context categories were found indicating the participants (interpersonal–group), the impact (low–high), and the subjectivity (subjective–objective) of the reason. Conclusion: This study provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive taxonomy of reasons for rejection that contributes to enrich the theoretical knowledge and improve interventions for preventing and reducing peer rejection. PMID:28421008

INCORPORATING NONCHEMICAL STRESSORS INTO CUMMULATIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The risk assessment paradigm has begun to shift from assessing single chemicals using "reasonable worst case" assumptions for individuals to considering multiple chemicals and community-based models. Inherent in community-based risk assessment is examination of all stressors a...

Assessment of acculturation in minority health research

PubMed Central

Fox, Molly; Thayer, Zaneta; Wadhwa, Pathik D.

2017-01-01

Acculturation represents an important construct in the context of health disparities. Although several studies have reported relationships between various aspects of acculturation and health in minority populations, crucial inconsistencies remain. One likely reason for these inconsistencies may relate to limitations in the conceptualization and operationalization of acculturation, particularly in the context of health research. The acculturation construct underwent major conceptual and operational change when it was adapted from anthropology to psychology, and we argue another major shift is now required for use of this construct in health research. Issues include determining whether acculturation measures should focus on an individual’s internal attitudes or overt behaviors; whether they should characterize cultural orientation status at a given point in time or change over time; whether measures should be culture-specific or more global in nature; how the issue of multiculturalism should be addressed; how measures can optimally incorporate multiple dimensions of acculturation; and whether proxy measures should be used. These issues are important in the context of health research because of their implications for determining the direct and indirect effects of cultural change on health-related biological and behavioral processes. We elaborate on and address each of these issues from a perspective that spans multiple disciplines across the biological and social sciences, and offer concrete recommendations with the ultimate goal of achieving a better understanding of the role of acculturation in minority health and health disparities. PMID:28135691

Development of a Biological Science Quantitative Reasoning Exam (BioSQuaRE)

PubMed Central

Stanhope, Liz; Ziegler, Laura; Haque, Tabassum; Le, Laura; Vinces, Marcelo; Davis, Gregory K.; Zieffler, Andrew; Brodfuehrer, Peter; Preest, Marion; M. Belitsky, Jason; Umbanhowar, Charles; Overvoorde, Paul J.

2017-01-01

Multiple reports highlight the increasingly quantitative nature of biological research and the need to innovate means to ensure that students acquire quantitative skills. We present a tool to support such innovation. The Biological Science Quantitative Reasoning Exam (BioSQuaRE) is an assessment instrument designed to measure the quantitative skills of undergraduate students within a biological context. The instrument was developed by an interdisciplinary team of educators and aligns with skills included in national reports such as BIO2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, and Vision and Change. Undergraduate biology educators also confirmed the importance of items included in the instrument. The current version of the BioSQuaRE was developed through an iterative process using data from students at 12 postsecondary institutions. A psychometric analysis of these data provides multiple lines of evidence for the validity of inferences made using the instrument. Our results suggest that the BioSQuaRE will prove useful to faculty and departments interested in helping students acquire the quantitative competencies they need to successfully pursue biology, and useful to biology students by communicating the importance of quantitative skills. We invite educators to use the BioSQuaRE at their own institutions. PMID:29196427

Multiple Intelligences in Practice: Teacher Research Reports from the Adult Multiple Intelligences Study. NCSALL Occasional Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kallenbach, Silja, Ed.; Viens, Julie, Ed.

This document contains nine papers from a systematic, classroom-based study of multiple intelligences (MI) theory in different adult learning contexts during which adult educators from rural and urban areas throughout the United States conducted independent inquiries into the question of how MI theory can support instruction and assessment in…

Innovation in health service management: Adoption of project management offices to support major health care transformation.

PubMed

Lavoie-Tremblay, Mélanie; Aubry, Monique; Cyr, Guylaine; Richer, Marie-Claire; Fortin-Verreault, Jean-François; Fortin, Claude; Marchionni, Caroline

2017-11-01

To explore the characteristics that influence project management offices acceptance and adoption in healthcare sector. The creation of project management offices has been suggested as a promising avenue to promote successful organisational change and facilitate evidence-based practice. However, little is known about the characteristics that promote their initial adoption and acceptance in health care sector. This knowledge is important in the context where many organisations are considering implementing project management offices with nurse managers as leaders. A descriptive multiple case study design was used. The unit of analysis was the project management offices. The study was conducted in three university-affiliated teaching hospitals in 2013-14 (Canada). Individual interviews (n = 34) were conducted with senior managers. Results reveal that project management offices dedicated to project and change management constitute an innovation and an added value that addresses tangible needs in the field. Project management offices are an innovation highly compatible with health care managers and their approach has parallels to the process of clinical problem solving and reasoning well-known to adopters. This knowledge is important in a context where many nurses hold various roles in project management offices, such as Director, project manager, clinical expert and knowledge broker. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Coupled Multiple-Response versus Free-Response Conceptual Assessment: An Example from Upper-Division Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Bethany R.; Pollock, Steven J.

2014-01-01

Free-response research-based assessments, like the Colorado Upper-division Electrostatics Diagnostic (CUE), provide rich, fine-grained information about students' reasoning. However, because of the difficulties inherent in scoring these assessments, the majority of the large-scale conceptual assessments in physics are multiple choice. To increase…

Identification of Multiple Nonreturner Profiles to Inform the Development of Targeted College Retention Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattern, Krista D.; Marini, Jessica P.; Shaw, Emily J.

2015-01-01

Throughout the college retention literature, there is a recurring theme that students leave college for a variety of reasons making retention a difficult phenomenon to model. In the current study, cluster analysis techniques were employed to investigate whether multiple empirically based profiles of nonreturning students existed to more fully…

Application of Psychological Theories in Agent-Based Modeling: The Case of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

PubMed

Scalco, Andrea; Ceschi, Andrea; Sartori, Riccardo

2018-01-01

It is likely that computer simulations will assume a greater role in the next future to investigate and understand reality (Rand & Rust, 2011). Particularly, agent-based models (ABMs) represent a method of investigation of social phenomena that blend the knowledge of social sciences with the advantages of virtual simulations. Within this context, the development of algorithms able to recreate the reasoning engine of autonomous virtual agents represents one of the most fragile aspects and it is indeed crucial to establish such models on well-supported psychological theoretical frameworks. For this reason, the present work discusses the application case of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) in the context of agent-based modeling: It is argued that this framework might be helpful more than others to develop a valid representation of human behavior in computer simulations. Accordingly, the current contribution considers issues related with the application of the model proposed by the TPB inside computer simulations and suggests potential solutions with the hope to contribute to shorten the distance between the fields of psychology and computer science.

Equations with Parameters: A Locus Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abramovich, Sergei; Norton, Anderson

2006-01-01

This paper introduces technology-based teaching ideas that facilitate the development of qualitative reasoning techniques in the context of quadratic equations with parameters. It reflects on activities designed for and used with prospective secondary mathematics teachers in accord with standards for teaching and recommendations for teachers in…

Script-theory virtual case: A novel tool for education and research.

PubMed

Hayward, Jake; Cheung, Amandy; Velji, Alkarim; Altarejos, Jenny; Gill, Peter; Scarfe, Andrew; Lewis, Melanie

2016-11-01

Context/Setting: The script theory of diagnostic reasoning proposes that clinicians evaluate cases in the context of an "illness script," iteratively testing internal hypotheses against new information eventually reaching a diagnosis. We present a novel tool for teaching diagnostic reasoning to undergraduate medical students based on an adaptation of script theory. We developed a virtual patient case that used clinically authentic audio and video, interactive three-dimensional (3D) body images, and a simulated electronic medical record. Next, we used interactive slide bars to record respondents' likelihood estimates of diagnostic possibilities at various stages of the case. Responses were dynamically compared to data from expert clinicians and peers. Comparative frequency distributions were presented to the learner and final diagnostic likelihood estimates were analyzed. Detailed student feedback was collected. Over two academic years, 322 students participated. Student diagnostic likelihood estimates were similar year to year, but were consistently different from expert clinician estimates. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive: students found the case was novel, innovative, clinically authentic, and a valuable learning experience. We demonstrate the successful implementation of a novel approach to teaching diagnostic reasoning. Future study may delineate reasoning processes associated with differences between novice and expert responses.

Reasons People Give for Using (or Not Using) Condoms.

PubMed

Farrington, Elizabeth M; Bell, David C; DiBacco, Aron E

2016-12-01

Study participants (N = 348) were asked about 46 reasons that have been suggested for why people use or do not use condoms. Participants were asked which of these reasons motivated them when they were deciding whether to use condoms in 503 sexual relationships. Participants were classified into one of three roles based on their HIV status and the status of each sexual partner: HIV+ people with HIV- partners; HIV- people with HIV+ partners; and HIV- people with HIV- partners. Motivations were looked at in the context of each of these roles. Of the 46 reasons, only 15 were selected by at least 1/3 of the participants, and only seven were selected by at least half. Frequently reported reasons primarily concern protecting self and partner from STDs including HIV. Less frequently reported reasons involved social norms, effects of condoms on sex, and concern for the relationship. These findings have implications for clinical interventions.

Examining the Influence of Context and Professional Culture on Clinical Reasoning Through Rhetorical-Narrative Analysis.

PubMed

Peters, Amanda; Vanstone, Meredith; Monteiro, Sandra; Norman, Geoff; Sherbino, Jonathan; Sibbald, Matthew

2017-05-01

According to the dual process model of reasoning, physicians make diagnostic decisions using two mental systems: System 1, which is rapid, unconscious, and intuitive, and System 2, which is slow, rational, and analytical. Currently, little is known about physicians' use of System 1 or intuitive reasoning in practice. In a qualitative study of clinical reasoning, physicians were asked to tell stories about times when they used intuitive reasoning while working up an acutely unwell patient, and we combine socio-narratology and rhetorical theory to analyze physicians' stories. Our analysis reveals that in describing their work, physicians draw on two competing narrative structures: one that is aligned with an evidence-based medicine approach valuing System 2 and one that is aligned with cooperative decision making involving others in the clinical environment valuing System 1. Our findings support an understanding of clinical reasoning as distributed, contextual, and influenced by professional culture.

Community-based medical education: is success a result of meaningful personal learning experiences?

PubMed

Kelly, Len; Walters, Lucie; Rosenthal, David

2014-01-01

Community-based medical education (CBME) is the delivery of medical education in a specific social context. Learners become a part of social and medical communities where their learning occurs. Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) are year-long community-based placements where the curriculum and clinical experience is typically delivered by primary care physicians. These programs have proven to be robust learning environments, where learners develop strong communication skills and excellent clinical reasoning. To date, no learning model has been offered to describe CBME. The characteristics of CBME are explored by the authors who suggest that the social and professional context provided in small communities enhances medical education. The authors postulate that meaningfulness is engendered by the authentic context, which develops over time. These relationships with preceptors, patients and the community provide meaningfulness, which in turn enhances learning. The authors develop a novel learning model. They propose that the context-rich environment of CBME allows for meaningful relationships and experiences for students and that such meaningfulness enhances learning.

Eye-tracking reveals a slowdown of social context processing during intention attribution in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Roux, Paul; Brunet-Gouet, Eric; Passerieux, Christine; Ramus, Franck

2016-03-01

Schizophrenia is associated with poor theory of mind (ToM), particularly in the attribution of intentions to others. It is also associated with abnormal gaze behaviours and contextual processing. This study investigated to what extent impaired ToM in patients with schizophrenia is related to abnormal processing of social context. We evaluated ToM using a nonverbal intention attribution task based on comic strips depicting social/nonsocial and contextual/noncontextual events while eye movements were recorded. Eye-tracking was used to assess processing time dedicated to visual cues contained in regions of interest identified in a pilot study. We measured cognitive contextual control on a separate task. We tested 29 patients with schizophrenia and 29 controls. Compared with controls, patients were slower in intention attribution but not in physical reasoning. They looked longer than controls at contextual cues displayed in the first 2 context pictures of the comic strips, and this difference was greater for intention attribution than for physical reasoning. We found no group difference in time spent looking at noncontextual cues. Patients' impairment in contextual control did not explain their increased reaction time and gaze duration on contextual cues during intention attribution. Difficulty may not have been equivalent between intention attribution and physical reasoning conditions. Overall, schizophrenia was characterized by a delay in intention attribution related to a slowdown of social context processing that was not explained by worse executive contextual control.

Eye-tracking reveals a slowdown of social context processing during intention attribution in patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Roux, Paul; Brunet-Gouet, Eric; Passerieux, Christine; Ramus, Franck

2016-01-01

Background Schizophrenia is associated with poor theory of mind (ToM), particularly in the attribution of intentions to others. It is also associated with abnormal gaze behaviours and contextual processing. This study investigated to what extent impaired ToM in patients with schizophrenia is related to abnormal processing of social context. Methods We evaluated ToM using a nonverbal intention attribution task based on comic strips depicting social/nonsocial and contextual/noncontextual events while eye movements were recorded. Eye-tracking was used to assess processing time dedicated to visual cues contained in regions of interest identified in a pilot study. We measured cognitive contextual control on a separate task. Results We tested 29 patients with schizophrenia and 29 controls. Compared with controls, patients were slower in intention attribution but not in physical reasoning. They looked longer than controls at contextual cues displayed in the first 2 context pictures of the comic strips, and this difference was greater for intention attribution than for physical reasoning. We found no group difference in time spent looking at noncontextual cues. Patients’ impairment in contextual control did not explain their increased reaction time and gaze duration on contextual cues during intention attribution. Limitations Difficulty may not have been equivalent between intention attribution and physical reasoning conditions. Conclusion Overall, schizophrenia was characterized by a delay in intention attribution related to a slowdown of social context processing that was not explained by worse executive contextual control. PMID:26836621

Case-Based Instruction in Different Delivery Contexts: The Impact of Time in Cases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koury, Kevin; Hollingsead, Candice; Fitzgerald, Gail; Miller, Kevin; Mitchem, Katherine; Tsai, Hui-Hsien; Zha, Shenghua

2009-01-01

The focus of this article is a mixed methods naturalistic research project investigating the relationship between learners' time working within multimedia cases and learners' outcomes. Research was conducted across multiple delivery contexts in four universities. Participants were undergraduate and graduate teacher education students completing…

Negotiating Contexts to Construct an Identity as a Mathematics Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Thomas E.; Cady, Jo Ann

2012-01-01

The authors focused on 1 middle-grades mathematics teacher's identity and her efforts to implement standards-based instructional practices. As professionals, teachers participate in multiple professional communities and must negotiate and manage conflicting agendas. The authors analyze how the contexts of these communities influence the teacher's…

Documentary Evidence and the Construction of Narratives in Legal and Historical Contexts.

PubMed

Jones, Gwynneth C D

2015-02-01

Based on her experiences as an expert witness in Canadian litigation related to Aboriginal peoples, the author shares some personal reflections on the use of the written record as "evidence" in a legal context. As end users in a litigation context will be constructing their own narratives, a historian can add value in the courtroom by sharing skills in analyzing and providing context for written materials as well as providing a narrative based on their content. This process of simultaneously constructing and deconstructing a narrative can support the legitimacy of multiple narratives and provide space for evidence of other types, particularly oral evidence.

Students' preferences for different contexts for learning science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jung-Suk; Song, Jinwoong

1996-09-01

The reasons for students' preferences for different contexts were investigated by surveying 379 high school students (Year 11) in Taegu, Korea. Students were asked to select the most preferred and the least preferred context out of six presented contexts and to write reasons for their selections. The method of systemic network analysis was used to analyse students' written responses. It was shown that students' preferences were largely influenced by their perceptions of the relevance and the psychological effects which such contexts would have. In particular, the similarity to textbooks, the relevance to real life and the novelty of the contexts were shown to be the most important factors affecting students' preferences.

Indicators of Multiplicative Reasoning among Fourth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, James A.

2010-01-01

Many students encounter difficulty in their transition to advanced mathematical thinking. Such difficulty may be explained by a lack of understanding of many concepts taught in early school years, especially multiplicative reasoning. Advanced mathematical thinking depends on the development of multiplicative reasoning. The purpose of this study…

Integration of domain and resource-based reasoning for real-time control in dynamic environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, Keith; Whitebread, Kenneth R.; Kendus, Michael; Cromarty, Andrew S.

1993-01-01

A real-time software controller that successfully integrates domain-based and resource-based control reasoning to perform task execution in a dynamically changing environment is described. The design of the controller is based on the concept of partitioning the process to be controlled into a set of tasks, each of which achieves some process goal. It is assumed that, in general, there are multiple ways (tasks) to achieve a goal. The controller dynamically determines current goals and their current criticality, choosing and scheduling tasks to achieve those goals in the time available. It incorporates rule-based goal reasoning, a TMS-based criticality propagation mechanism, and a real-time scheduler. The controller has been used to build a knowledge-based situation assessment system that formed a major component of a real-time, distributed, cooperative problem solving system built under DARPA contract. It is also being employed in other applications now in progress.

A methodology for adaptable and robust ecosystem services assessment.

PubMed

Villa, Ferdinando; Bagstad, Kenneth J; Voigt, Brian; Johnson, Gary W; Portela, Rosimeiry; Honzák, Miroslav; Batker, David

2014-01-01

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant "one model fits all" paradigm is often ill-suited to address the diversity of real-world management situations that exist across the broad spectrum of coupled human-natural systems. This article introduces an integrated ES modeling methodology, named ARIES (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services), which aims to introduce improvements on these fronts. To improve conceptual detail and representation of ES dynamics, it adopts a uniform conceptualization of ES that gives equal emphasis to their production, flow and use by society, while keeping model complexity low enough to enable rapid and inexpensive assessment in many contexts and for multiple services. To improve fit to diverse application contexts, the methodology is assisted by model integration technologies that allow assembly of customized models from a growing model base. By using computer learning and reasoning, model structure may be specialized for each application context without requiring costly expertise. In this article we discuss the founding principles of ARIES--both its innovative aspects for ES science and as an example of a new strategy to support more accurate decision making in diverse application contexts.

Immunization, urbanization and slums - a systematic review of factors and interventions.

PubMed

Crocker-Buque, Tim; Mindra, Godwin; Duncan, Richard; Mounier-Jack, Sandra

2017-06-08

In 2014, over half (54%) of the world's population lived in urban areas and this proportion will increase to 66% by 2050. This urbanizing trend has been accompanied by an increasing number of people living in urban poor communities and slums. Lower immunization coverage is found in poorer urban dwellers in many contexts. This study aims to identify factors associated with immunization coverage in poor urban areas and slums, and to identify interventions to improve coverage. We conducted a systematic review, searching Medline, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL, Web of Science and The Cochrane Database with broad search terms for studies published between 2000 and 2016. Of 4872 unique articles, 327 abstracts were screened, leading to 63 included studies: 44 considering factors and 20 evaluating interventions (one in both categories) in 16 low or middle-income countries. A wide range of socio-economic characteristics were associated with coverage in different contexts. Recent rural-urban migration had a universally negative effect. Parents commonly reported lack of awareness of immunization importance and difficulty accessing services as reasons for under-immunization of their children. Physical distance to clinics and aspects of service quality also impacted uptake. We found evidence of effectiveness for interventions involving multiple components, especially if they have been designed with community involvement. Outreach programmes were effective where physical distance was identified as a barrier. Some evidence was found for the effective use of SMS (text) messaging services, community-based education programmes and financial incentives, which warrant further evaluation. No interventions were identified that provided services to migrants from rural areas. Different factors affect immunization coverage in different urban poor and slum contexts. Immunization services should be designed in collaboration with slum-dwelling communities, considering the local context. Interventions should be designed and tested to increase immunization in migrants from rural areas.

A methodology for adaptable and robust ecosystem services assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Villa, Ferdinando; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Voigt, Brian; Johnson, Gary W.; Portela, Rosimeiry; Honzák, Miroslav; Batker, David

2014-01-01

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant “one model fits all” paradigm is often ill-suited to address the diversity of real-world management situations that exist across the broad spectrum of coupled human-natural systems. This article introduces an integrated ES modeling methodology, named ARIES (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services), which aims to introduce improvements on these fronts. To improve conceptual detail and representation of ES dynamics, it adopts a uniform conceptualization of ES that gives equal emphasis to their production, flow and use by society, while keeping model complexity low enough to enable rapid and inexpensive assessment in many contexts and for multiple services. To improve fit to diverse application contexts, the methodology is assisted by model integration technologies that allow assembly of customized models from a growing model base. By using computer learning and reasoning, model structure may be specialized for each application context without requiring costly expertise. In this article we discuss the founding principles of ARIES - both its innovative aspects for ES science and as an example of a new strategy to support more accurate decision making in diverse application contexts.

A Methodology for Adaptable and Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment

PubMed Central

Villa, Ferdinando; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Voigt, Brian; Johnson, Gary W.; Portela, Rosimeiry; Honzák, Miroslav; Batker, David

2014-01-01

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant “one model fits all” paradigm is often ill-suited to address the diversity of real-world management situations that exist across the broad spectrum of coupled human-natural systems. This article introduces an integrated ES modeling methodology, named ARIES (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services), which aims to introduce improvements on these fronts. To improve conceptual detail and representation of ES dynamics, it adopts a uniform conceptualization of ES that gives equal emphasis to their production, flow and use by society, while keeping model complexity low enough to enable rapid and inexpensive assessment in many contexts and for multiple services. To improve fit to diverse application contexts, the methodology is assisted by model integration technologies that allow assembly of customized models from a growing model base. By using computer learning and reasoning, model structure may be specialized for each application context without requiring costly expertise. In this article we discuss the founding principles of ARIES - both its innovative aspects for ES science and as an example of a new strategy to support more accurate decision making in diverse application contexts. PMID:24625496

Process evaluation in a multisite, primary obesity-prevention trial in American Indian schoolchildren.

PubMed

Helitzer, D L; Davis, S M; Gittelsohn, J; Going, S B; Murray, D M; Snyder, P; Steckler, A B

1999-04-01

We describe the development, implementation, and use of the process evaluation component of a multisite, primary obesity prevention trial for American Indian schoolchildren. We describe the development and pilot testing of the instruments, provide some examples of the criteria for instrument selection, and provide examples of how process evaluation results were used to document and refine intervention components. The theoretical and applied framework of the process evaluation was based on diffusion theory, social learning theory, and the desire for triangulation of multiple modes of data collection. The primary objectives of the process evaluation were to systematically document the training process, content, and implementation of 4 components of the intervention. The process evaluation was developed and implemented collaboratively so that it met the needs of both the evaluators and those who would be implementing the intervention components. Process evaluation results revealed that observation and structured interviews provided the most informative data; however, these methods were the most expensive and time consuming and required the highest level of skill to undertake. Although the literature is full of idealism regarding the uses of process evaluation for formative and summative purposes, in reality, many persons are sensitive to having their work evaluated in such an in-depth, context-based manner as is described. For this reason, use of structured, quantitative, highly objective tools may be more effective than qualitative methods, which appear to be more dependent on the skills and biases of the researcher and the context in which they are used.

Assessment as Evidential Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorin, Joanna S.

2014-01-01

Background/Context: Principles of evidential reasoning have often been discussed in the context of educational and psychological measurement with respect to construct validity and validity arguments. More recently, Mislevy proposed the metaphor of assessment as an evidentiary argument about students' learning and abilities given their…

Genetically Modified Food in Perspective: An Inquiry-Based Curriculum to Help Middle School Students Make Sense of Tradeoffs. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seethaler, Sherry; Linn, Marcia

2004-01-01

To understand how students learn about science controversy, this study examines students' reasoning about tradeoffs in the context of a technology-enhanced curriculum about genetically modified food. The curriculum was designed and refined based on the Scaffolded Knowledge Integration Framework to help students sort and integrate their initial…

Evaluations of Interracial Peer Encounters by Majority and Minority US Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killen, Melanie; Henning, Alexandra; Kelly, Megan Clark; Crystal, David; Ruck, Martin

2007-01-01

US majority (European-American) and minority (African-American, Latin-American, Asian-American) children were interviewed regarding race-based and non-race based reasons for exclusion in interracial peer contexts (N = 685), evenly divided by gender at 9, 12, and 15 years of age (4th, 7th, and 10th grades) attending 13 US public schools. All…

Thinking like a nurse: a research-based model of clinical judgment in nursing.

PubMed

Tanner, Christine A

2006-06-01

This article reviews the growing body of research on clinical judgment in nursing and presents an alternative model of clinical judgment based on these studies. Based on a review of nearly 200 studies, five conclusions can be drawn: (1) Clinical judgments are more influenced by what nurses bring to the situation than the objective data about the situation at hand; (2) Sound clinical judgment rests to some degree on knowing the patient and his or her typical pattern of responses, as well as an engagement with the patient and his or her concerns; (3) Clinical judgments are influenced by the context in which the situation occurs and the culture of the nursing care unit; (4) Nurses use a variety of reasoning patterns alone or in combination; and (5) Reflection on practice is often triggered by a breakdown in clinical judgment and is critical for the development of clinical knowledge and improvement in clinical reasoning. A model based on these general conclusions emphasizes the role of nurses' background, the context of the situation, and nurses' relationship with their patients as central to what nurses notice and how they interpret findings, respond, and reflect on their response.

Improving data sharing in research with context-free encoded missing data.

PubMed

Hoevenaar-Blom, Marieke P; Guillemont, Juliette; Ngandu, Tiia; Beishuizen, Cathrien R L; Coley, Nicola; Moll van Charante, Eric P; Andrieu, Sandrine; Kivipelto, Miia; Soininen, Hilkka; Brayne, Carol; Meiller, Yannick; Richard, Edo

2017-01-01

Lack of attention to missing data in research may result in biased results, loss of power and reduced generalizability. Registering reasons for missing values at the time of data collection, or-in the case of sharing existing data-before making data available to other teams, can save time and efforts, improve scientific value and help to prevent erroneous assumptions and biased results. To ensure that encoding of missing data is sufficient to understand the reason why data are missing, it should ideally be context-free. Therefore, 11 context-free codes of missing data were carefully designed based on three completed randomized controlled clinical trials and tested in a new randomized controlled clinical trial by an international team consisting of clinical researchers and epidemiologists with extended experience in designing and conducting trials and an Information System expert. These codes can be divided into missing due to participant and/or participation characteristics (n = 6), missing by design (n = 4), and due to a procedural error (n = 1). Broad implementation of context-free missing data encoding may enhance the possibilities of data sharing and pooling, thus allowing more powerful analyses using existing data.

towards a theory-based multi-dimensional framework for assessment in mathematics: The "SEA" framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anku, Sitsofe E.

1997-09-01

Using the reform documents of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (NCTM, 1989, 1991, 1995), a theory-based multi-dimensional assessment framework (the "SEA" framework) which should help expand the scope of assessment in mathematics is proposed. This framework uses a context based on mathematical reasoning and has components that comprise mathematical concepts, mathematical procedures, mathematical communication, mathematical problem solving, and mathematical disposition.

Response to Nicholas Allix.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Howard; Connell, Michael

2000-01-01

Replies to "The Theory of Multiple Intelligences: A Case of Missing Cognitive Matter," also in this issue. Disagrees about the role theory of knowledge plays in the context of justification of multiple intelligences. Specifically, asserts that the article's criticisms based on philosophy of science claims and work with artificial neural…

Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Sexual Risk Behavior among Female Sex Workers in two South Indian Communities

PubMed Central

Heravian, Anisa; Solomon, Raja; Krishnan, Gopal; Vasudevan, CK; Krishnan, AK; Osmand, Thomas; Ekstrand, Maria L.

2012-01-01

Background HIV transmission in India is primarily heterosexual and there is a concentrated HIV epidemic among female sex workers (FSWs). Earlier reports demonstrate that many FSWs consume alcohol regularly before sexual encounters. This qualitative study is part of a larger quantitative study designed to assess alcohol consumption patterns among female sex workers and their association with sexual risk taking. Here we investigate the environmental influence, reasons for and consequences of consuming alcohol in the FSW population. Methods Trained staff from two Non-Governmental Organizations in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala conducted semi-structured interviews with 63 FSWs in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh (n=35) and Calicut, Kerala (n=28) following extensive formative research, including social mapping and key informant interviews, to assess drinking patterns and sexual risk behaviors. Results FSWs reported consuming alcohol in multiple contexts: sexual, social, mental health and self-medication. Alcohol consumption during sexual encounters with clients was usually forced, but some women drank voluntarily. Social drinking took place in public locations such as bars and in private locations including deserted buildings, roads and inside autorickshaws (motorcycle taxis). Consequences of alcohol consumption included failure to use condoms and to collect payments from clients, violence, legal problems, gastrointestinal side effects, economic loss and interference with family responsibilities. Conclusion FSWs consume alcohol in multilevel contexts. Alcohol consumption during transactional sex is often forced and can lead to failure to use condoms. Social drinkers consume alcohol with other trusted FSWs for entertainment and to help cope with psychosocial stressors. There are multiple reasons for and consequences of alcohol consumption in this population and future interventions should target each specific aspect of alcohol use. PMID:22608567

Alcohol consumption patterns and sexual risk behavior among female sex workers in two South Indian communities.

PubMed

Heravian, Anisa; Solomon, Raja; Krishnan, Gopal; Vasudevan, C K; Krishnan, A K; Osmand, Thomas; Ekstrand, Maria L

2012-11-01

HIV transmission in India is primarily heterosexual and there is a concentrated HIV epidemic among female sex workers (FSWs). Earlier reports demonstrate that many FSWs consume alcohol regularly before sexual encounters. This qualitative study is part of a larger quantitative study designed to assess alcohol consumption patterns among female sex workers and their association with sexual risk taking. Here we investigate the environmental influence, reasons for and consequences of consuming alcohol in the FSW population. Trained staff from two Non-Governmental Organizations in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala conducted semi-structured interviews with 63 FSWs in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh (n = 35) and Calicut, Kerala (n = 28) following extensive formative research, including social mapping and key informant interviews, to assess drinking patterns and sexual risk behaviors. FSWs reported consuming alcohol in multiple contexts: sexual, social, mental health and self-medication. Alcohol consumption during sexual encounters with clients was usually forced, but some women drank voluntarily. Social drinking took place in public locations such as bars and in private locations including deserted buildings, roads and inside autorickshaws (motorcycle taxis). Consequences of alcohol consumption included failure to use condoms and to collect payments from clients, violence, legal problems, gastrointestinal side effects, economic loss and interference with family responsibilities. FSWs consume alcohol in multilevel contexts. Alcohol consumption during transactional sex is often forced and can lead to failure to use condoms. Social drinkers consume alcohol with other trusted FSWs for entertainment and to help cope with psychosocial stressors. There are multiple reasons for and consequences of alcohol consumption in this population and future interventions should target each specific aspect of alcohol use. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrating Field-Centered, Project Based Activities with Academic Year Coursework: A Curriculum Wide Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelso, P. R.; Brown, L. M.

2015-12-01

Based upon constructivist principles and the recognition that many students are motivated by hands-on activities and field experiences, we designed a new undergraduate curriculum at Lake Superior State University. One of our major goals was to develop stand-alone field projects in most of the academic year courses. Examples of courses impacted include structural geology, geophysics, and geotectonics, Students learn geophysical concepts in the context of near surface field-based geophysical studies while students in structural geology learn about structural processes through outcrop study of fractures, folds and faults. In geotectonics students learn about collisional and rifting processes through on-site field studies of specific geologic provinces. Another goal was to integrate data and samples collected by students in our sophomore level introductory field course along with stand-alone field projects in our clastic systems and sequence stratigraphy courses. Our emphasis on active learning helps students develop a meaningful geoscience knowledge base and complex reasoning skills in authentic contexts. We simulate the activities of practicing geoscientists by engaging students in all aspects of a project, for example: field-oriented project planning and design; acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting data; incorporating supplemental material and background data; and preparing oral and written project reports. We find through anecdotal evidence including student comments and personal observation that the projects stimulate interest, provide motivation for learning new concepts, integrate skill and concept acquisition vertically through the curriculum, apply concepts from multiple geoscience subdisiplines, and develop soft skills such as team work, problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills. Through this projected-centered Lake Superior State University geology curriculum students practice our motto of "learn geology by doing geology."

Therapeutic Interventions in the Netherlands and Belgium in Support of People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlaskamp, Carla; Nakken, Han

2008-01-01

For several reasons, people with profound and multiple disabilities may be offered a variety of therapeutic interventions. Thus far, researchers have shown a limited interest in providing an empirical base for these interventions. Research is needed on the theoretical rationale (if any), the supposed "modus operandi" and the claimed…

An Examination of Alternate Assessment Durations when Assessing Multiple-Skill Computational Fluency: The Generalizability and Dependability of Curriculum-Based Outcomes within the Context of Educational Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christ, Theodore J.; Johnson-Gros, Kristin H.

2005-01-01

The current study extended previous research on curriculum-based measurement in mathematics (M-CBM) assessments. The purpose was to examine the generalizability and dependability of multiple-skill M-CBM computation assessments across various assessment durations (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes). Results of generalizability and dependability studies…

Social interaction recruits mentalizing and reward systems in middle childhood.

PubMed

Alkire, Diana; Levitas, Daniel; Warnell, Katherine Rice; Redcay, Elizabeth

2018-06-08

Social cognition develops in the context of reciprocal social interaction. However, most neuroimaging studies of mentalizing have used noninteractive tasks that may fail to capture important aspects of real-world mentalizing. In adults, social-interactive context modulates activity in regions linked to social cognition and reward, but few interactive studies have been done with children. The current fMRI study examines children aged 8-12 using a novel paradigm in which children believed they were interacting online with a peer. We compared mental and non-mental state reasoning about a live partner (Peer) versus a story character (Character), testing the effects of mentalizing and social interaction in a 2 × 2 design. Mental versus Non-Mental reasoning engaged regions identified in prior mentalizing studies, including the temporoparietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, peer interaction, even in conditions without explicit mentalizing demands, activated many of the same mentalizing regions. Peer interaction also activated areas outside the traditional mentalizing network, including the reward system. Our results demonstrate that social interaction engages multiple neural systems during middle childhood and contribute further evidence that social-interactive paradigms are needed to fully capture how the brain supports social processing in the real world. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The use of ethical frameworks by students following a new science course for 16 18 year-olds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiss, Michael

2008-09-01

There has been a move in recent years towards the greater inclusion of social and ethical issues within science courses. This paper examines a new context-based course for 16 18 year-olds (Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology) who are studying biology in England and Wales. The course is taught through contexts and has an emphasis on social issues and the development of ethical reasoning. Examination of a sample of reports written by students in 2005 as part of the course’s summative assessment shows that utilitarian ethical reasoning is used widely and that the other ethical frameworks to which students are introduced in the course—rights and duties, autonomy and virtue ethics—are used substantially less often. In addition, students mostly argue anthropocentrically though many of them argue ecocentrically and/or biocentrically too.

Age Identity in Context: Stress and the Subjective Side of Aging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schafer, Markus H.; Shippee, Tetyana Pylypiv

2010-01-01

The passage of time is fundamentally experienced through people's interaction with their social worlds. Life-course scholars acknowledge the multiple aspects of time-based experience but have given little attention to age identity in a dynamic context. Drawing from a stress-process model, we expected that turbulence within people's family…

"Spiritual Friends": An Investigation of Children's Spirituality in the Context of British Urban Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birkinshaw, Steve

2015-01-01

This article argues relational consciousness of Self and Other is influenced by multiple significant relationships--what are termed "Spiritual Friends". The research on which this article is based explores the spirituality of children within the context of British urban secondary education, and identifies significant relationships in…

Analytical reasoning task reveals limits of social learning in networks

PubMed Central

Rahwan, Iyad; Krasnoshtan, Dmytro; Shariff, Azim; Bonnefon, Jean-François

2014-01-01

Social learning—by observing and copying others—is a highly successful cultural mechanism for adaptation, outperforming individual information acquisition and experience. Here, we investigate social learning in the context of the uniquely human capacity for reflective, analytical reasoning. A hallmark of the human mind is its ability to engage analytical reasoning, and suppress false associative intuitions. Through a set of laboratory-based network experiments, we find that social learning fails to propagate this cognitive strategy. When people make false intuitive conclusions and are exposed to the analytic output of their peers, they recognize and adopt this correct output. But they fail to engage analytical reasoning in similar subsequent tasks. Thus, humans exhibit an ‘unreflective copying bias’, which limits their social learning to the output, rather than the process, of their peers’ reasoning—even when doing so requires minimal effort and no technical skill. In contrast to much recent work on observation-based social learning, which emphasizes the propagation of successful behaviour through copying, our findings identify a limit on the power of social networks in situations that require analytical reasoning. PMID:24501275

Promoting Task-Based Pragmatics Instruction in EFL Classroom Contexts: The Role of Task Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Youjin; Taguchi, Naoko

2015-01-01

Robinson's (2001) Cognition Hypothesis claims that more complex tasks promote interaction and language development. This study examined the effect of task complexity in the learning of request-making expressions. Task complexity was operationalized as [+/- reasoning] following Robinson's framework. The study employed a pretest-posttest research…

Role of Interaction in Enhancing the Epistemic Utility of 3D Mathematical Visualizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Hai-Ning; Sedig, Kamran

2010-01-01

Many epistemic activities, such as spatial reasoning, sense-making, problem solving, and learning, are information-based. In the context of epistemic activities involving mathematical information, learners often use interactive 3D mathematical visualizations (MVs). However, performing such activities is not always easy. Although it is generally…

Exploring Flipped Classroom Effects on Second Language Learners' Cognitive Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jeong-eun; Park, Hyunjin; Jang, Mijung; Nam, Hosung

2017-01-01

This study investigated the cognitive effects of the flipped classroom approach in a content-based instructional context by comparing second language learners' discourse in flipped vs. traditional classrooms in terms of (1) participation rate, (2) content of comments, (3) reasoning skills, and (4) interactional patterns. Learners in two intact…

Disciplinary Foundations for Solving Interdisciplinary Scientific Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dongmei; Shen, Ji

2015-01-01

Problem-solving has been one of the major strands in science education research. But much of the problem-solving research has been conducted on discipline-based contexts; little research has been done on how students, especially individuals, solve interdisciplinary problems. To understand how individuals reason about interdisciplinary problems, we…

Reviewing the College Disciplinary Procedure. Mendip Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kedney, R. J.; Saunders, R.

This paper provides practical advice on reviewing and designing disciplinary procedures and is set in the context of incorporation of further education and sixth form colleges in England. Reasons are provided for having disciplinary rules, based on the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service's (ACAS) Code of Practice. Relevant English…

Modeling the Round Earth through Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padalkar, Shamin; Ramadas, Jayashree

2008-01-01

Earlier studies have found that students, including adults, have problems understanding the scientifically accepted model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system and explaining day-to-day astronomical phenomena based on it. We have been examining such problems in the context of recent research on visual-spatial reasoning. Working with middle school students…

Authentic Practices as Contexts for Learning to Draw Inferences beyond Correlated Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dierdorp, Adri; Bakker, Arthur; Eijkelhof, Harrie; van Maanen, Jan

2011-01-01

To support 11th-grade students' informal inferential reasoning, a teaching and learning strategy was designed based on authentic practices in which professionals use correlation or linear regression. These practices included identifying suitable physical training programmes, dyke monitoring, and the calibration of measurement instruments. The…

A prior-based integrative framework for functional transcriptional regulatory network inference

PubMed Central

Siahpirani, Alireza F.

2017-01-01

Abstract Transcriptional regulatory networks specify regulatory proteins controlling the context-specific expression levels of genes. Inference of genome-wide regulatory networks is central to understanding gene regulation, but remains an open challenge. Expression-based network inference is among the most popular methods to infer regulatory networks, however, networks inferred from such methods have low overlap with experimentally derived (e.g. ChIP-chip and transcription factor (TF) knockouts) networks. Currently we have a limited understanding of this discrepancy. To address this gap, we first develop a regulatory network inference algorithm, based on probabilistic graphical models, to integrate expression with auxiliary datasets supporting a regulatory edge. Second, we comprehensively analyze our and other state-of-the-art methods on different expression perturbation datasets. Networks inferred by integrating sequence-specific motifs with expression have substantially greater agreement with experimentally derived networks, while remaining more predictive of expression than motif-based networks. Our analysis suggests natural genetic variation as the most informative perturbation for network inference, and, identifies core TFs whose targets are predictable from expression. Multiple reasons make the identification of targets of other TFs difficult, including network architecture and insufficient variation of TF mRNA level. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of our inference algorithm to infer stress-specific regulatory networks and for regulator prioritization. PMID:27794550

Informally Multiplying the World of Jillian Jiggs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, Paul; Crampton, Amanda

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors describe a reform-based activity concerning multiplication, developed within the context of the children's story "The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs" by Phoebe Gilman. They also provide vignettes of informal multiplicative thinking by Grade 2/3 children that occur during these activities. The informal multiplicative…

Automated Assume-Guarantee Reasoning for Omega-Regular Systems and Specifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaki, Sagar; Gurfinkel, Arie

2010-01-01

We develop a learning-based automated Assume-Guarantee (AG) reasoning framework for verifying omega-regular properties of concurrent systems. We study the applicability of non-circular (AGNC) and circular (AG-C) AG proof rules in the context of systems with infinite behaviors. In particular, we show that AG-NC is incomplete when assumptions are restricted to strictly infinite behaviors, while AG-C remains complete. We present a general formalization, called LAG, of the learning based automated AG paradigm. We show how existing approaches for automated AG reasoning are special instances of LAG.We develop two learning algorithms for a class of systems, called infinite regular systems, that combine finite and infinite behaviors. We show that for infinity-regular systems, both AG-NC and AG-C are sound and complete. Finally, we show how to instantiate LAG to do automated AG reasoning for infinite regular, and omega-regular, systems using both AG-NC and AG-C as proof rules

An Analysis of Categorical and Quantitative Methods for Planning Under Uncertainty

PubMed Central

Langlotz, Curtis P.; Shortliffe, Edward H.

1988-01-01

Decision theory and logical reasoning are both methods for representing and solving medical decision problems. We analyze the usefulness of these two approaches to medical therapy planning by establishing a simple correspondence between decision theory and non-monotonic logic, a formalization of categorical logical reasoning. The analysis indicates that categorical approaches to planning can be viewed as comprising two decision-theoretic concepts: probabilities (degrees of belief in planning hypotheses) and utilities (degrees of desirability of planning outcomes). We present and discuss examples of the following lessons from this decision-theoretic view of categorical (nonmonotonic) reasoning: (1) Decision theory and artificial intelligence techniques are intended to solve different components of the planning problem. (2) When considered in the context of planning under uncertainty, nonmonotonic logics do not retain the domain-independent characteristics of classical logical reasoning for planning under certainty. (3) Because certain nonmonotonic programming paradigms (e.g., frame-based inheritance, rule-based planning, protocol-based reminders) are inherently problem-specific, they may be inappropriate to employ in the solution of certain types of planning problems. We discuss how these conclusions affect several current medical informatics research issues, including the construction of “very large” medical knowledge bases.

Informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues: The influence of morality and content knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadler, Troy Dow

This study focused on informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. It explored how morality and content knowledge influenced the negotiation and resolution of contentious and complex scenarios based on genetic engineering. Two hundred and sixty-nine undergraduate students completed a quantitative test of genetics concepts. A sub-set of the students (n = 30) who completed this instrument and represented divergent levels of content knowledge participated in two individual interviews, during which they discussed their ideas, reactions, and solutions to three gene therapy scenarios and three cloning scenarios. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine patterns of informal reasoning and the influence of morality, the effects of content knowledge on the use of informal reasoning patterns, and the effects of content knowledge on the quality of informal reasoning. Students demonstrated evidence of rationalistic, emotive, and intuitive forms of informal reasoning. Rationalistic informal reasoning described reason-based considerations; emotive informal reasoning described care-based considerations; and intuitive reasoning described considerations based on immediate reactions to the context of a scenario. Participants frequently relied on combinations of these reasoning patterns as they worked to resolve individual socioscientific scenarios. Most of the participants appreciated at least some of the moral implications of their decisions, and these considerations were typically interwoven within an overall pattern of informal reasoning. Although differences in content knowledge were not found to be related to modes of informal reasoning (rationalistic, emotive, and informal), data did indicate that differences in content knowledge were related to variations in informal reasoning quality. Participants, with more advanced understandings of genetics, demonstrated fewer instances of reasoning flaws, as defined by a priori criteria (intra-scenario coherence, inter-scenario non-contradiction, counter position construction, and rebuttal construction) and were more likely to incorporate content knowledge in their reasoning patterns than participants with more naive understandings of genetics. These results highlight the need to ensure that science classrooms are environments in which intuition and emotion in addition to reason are valued. In addition, the findings underscore the need for teachers to consider students' content knowledge when determining the appropriateness of socioscientific curricula. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Neurobiological and memory models of risky decision making in adolescents versus young adults.

PubMed

Reyna, Valerie F; Estrada, Steven M; DeMarinis, Jessica A; Myers, Regina M; Stanisz, Janine M; Mills, Britain A

2011-09-01

Predictions of fuzzy-trace theory and neurobiological approaches are examined regarding risk taking in a classic decision-making task--the framing task--as well as in the context of real-life risk taking. We report the 1st study of framing effects in adolescents versus adults, varying risk and reward, and relate choices to individual differences, sexual behavior, and behavioral intentions. As predicted by fuzzy-trace theory, adolescents modulated risk taking according to risk and reward. Adults showed standard framing, reflecting greater emphasis on gist-based (qualitative) reasoning, but adolescents displayed reverse framing when potential gains for risk taking were high, reflecting greater emphasis on verbatim-based (quantitative) reasoning. Reverse framing signals a different way of thinking compared with standard framing (reverse framing also differs from simply choosing the risky option). Measures of verbatim- and gist-based reasoning about risk, sensation seeking, behavioral activation, and inhibition were used to extract dimensions of risk proneness: Sensation seeking increased and then decreased, whereas inhibition increased from early adolescence to young adulthood, predicted by neurobiological theories. Two additional dimensions, verbatim- and gist-based reasoning about risk, loaded separately and predicted unique variance in risk taking. Importantly, framing responses predicted real-life risk taking. Reasoning was the most consistent predictor of real-life risk taking: (a) Intentions to have sex, sexual behavior, and number of partners decreased when gist-based reasoning was triggered by retrieval cues in questions about perceived risk, whereas (b) intentions to have sex and number of partners increased when verbatim-based reasoning was triggered by different retrieval cues in questions about perceived risk. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

How smart do you need to be to get it wrong? The role of cognitive capacity in the development of heuristic-based judgment.

PubMed

Morsanyi, Kinga; Handley, Simon J

2008-01-01

We examined the relationship between cognitive capacity and heuristic responding on four types of reasoning and decision-making tasks. A total of 84 children, between 5 years 2 months and 11 years 7 months of age, participated in the study. There was a marked increase in heuristic responding with age that was related to increases in cognitive capacity. These findings are inconsistent with the predominant dual-process accounts of reasoning and decision making as applied to development. We offer an alternative explanation of the findings, considering them in the context of recent claims concerning the role of working memory in contextualized reasoning.

Community Partners' Perspectives of Community-University Partnerships that Support Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witchger Hansen, Anne Marie

2010-01-01

Community partner voices are important to understand because they provide the contexts in which occupational therapy students meet course objectives by applying clinical reasoning theory and developing clinical reasoning skills in a natural context (Witchger-Hansen et al., 2007; Provident, et al., 2011). To sustain these community-university…

Obstacles to Reasoning about Inertia in Different Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerdelen-Damar, Sevda

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the underlying reasons for difficulties faced by students when they applied the concept of inertia across varying contexts. The participants of the study included five high school students. Data obtained from interviews were interpreted from the perspectives of the coordination class and epistemological framing…

Reasoning in Young Children: Fantasy and Information Retrieval.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markovits, Henry; And Others

1996-01-01

A model of conditional reasoning predicted that children under 12 would respond correctly to questions of uncertain logical form if premises and context enabled them to access counterexamples from memory, and that children's performance with uncertain logical forms would decrease when empirically true premises are presented in a fantasy context.…

The Array Representation and Primary Children's Understanding and Reasoning in Multiplication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barmby, Patrick; Harries, Tony; Higgins, Steve; Suggate, Jennifer

2009-01-01

We examine whether the array representation can support children's understanding and reasoning in multiplication. To begin, we define what we mean by understanding and reasoning. We adopt a "representational-reasoning" model of understanding, where understanding is seen as connections being made between mental representations of concepts, with…

THREAT ANTICIPATION AND DECEPTIVE REASONING USING BAYESIAN BELIEF NETWORKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allgood, Glenn O; Olama, Mohammed M; Lake, Joe E

Recent events highlight the need for tools to anticipate threats posed by terrorists. Assessing these threats requires combining information from disparate data sources such as analytic models, simulations, historical data, sensor networks, and user judgments. These disparate data can be combined in a coherent, analytically defensible, and understandable manner using a Bayesian belief network (BBN). In this paper, we develop a BBN threat anticipatory model based on a deceptive reasoning algorithm using a network engineering process that treats the probability distributions of the BBN nodes within the broader context of the system development process.

Physical activity and exercise priorities in community dwelling people with multiple sclerosis: a Delphi study.

PubMed

Stennett, Andrea; De Souza, Lorraine; Norris, Meriel

2018-07-01

Exercise and physical activity have been found to be beneficial in managing disabilities caused by multiple sclerosis. Despite the known benefits, many people with multiple sclerosis are inactive. This study aimed to identify the prioritised exercise and physical activity practices of people with multiple sclerosis living in the community and the reasons why they are engaged in these activities. A four Round Delphi questionnaire scoped and determined consensus of priorities for the top 10 exercise and physical activities and the reasons why people with multiple sclerosis (n = 101) are engaged in these activities. Data were analysed using content analysis, descriptive statistics, and non-parametric tests. The top 10 exercise and physical activity practices and the top 10 reasons why people with multiple sclerosis (n = 70) engaged in these activities were identified and prioritised. Consensus was achieved for the exercise and physical activities (W = 0.744, p < .0001) and for the reasons they engaged in exercise and physical activity (W = 0.723, p < .0001). The exercise and physical activity practices and the reasons people with multiple sclerosis engaged in exercise and physical activity were diverse. These self-selected activities and reasons highlighted that people with multiple sclerosis might conceptualise exercise and physical activity in ways that may not be fully appreciated or understood by health professionals. Considerations of the views of people with multiple sclerosis may be essential if the goal of increasing physical activity in this population is to be achieved. Implications for Rehabilitation Health professionals should work collaboratively with people with multiple sclerosis to understand how they prioritise activities, the underlying reasons for their prioritisations and embed these into rehabilitation programmes. Health professionals should utilise activities prioritised by people with multiple sclerosis in the community as a way to support, promote, and sustain exercise and physical activity in this population. Rehabilitation interventions should include both the activities people with multiple sclerosis prioritise and the reasons why they engage in exercise and physical activity as another option for increasing physical activity levels and reducing sedentary behaviours.

Viscosity of a multichannel one-dimensional Fermi gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeGottardi, Wade; Matveev, K. A.

Many one-dimensional systems of experimental interest possess multiple bands arising from shallow confining potentials. In this paper, we study a gas of weakly interacting fermions and show that the bulk viscosity is dramatically altered by the occupation of more than one band. The reasons for this are twofold: a multichannel system is more easily displaced from equilibrium and the associated relaxation processes lead to more rapid equilibration than in the single channel case. We estimate the bulk viscosity in terms of the underlying microscopic interactions. The experimental relevance of this physics is discussed in the context of quantum wires andmore » trapped cold atomic gases.« less

Assessment of acculturation in minority health research.

PubMed

Fox, Molly; Thayer, Zaneta; Wadhwa, Pathik D

2017-03-01

Acculturation represents an important construct in the context of health disparities. Although several studies have reported relationships between various aspects of acculturation and health in minority populations, crucial inconsistencies remain. One likely reason for these inconsistencies may relate to limitations in the conceptualization and operationalization of acculturation, particularly in the context of health research. The acculturation construct underwent major conceptual and operational change when it was adapted from anthropology to psychology, and we argue another major shift is now required for use of this construct in health research. Issues include determining whether acculturation measures should focus on an individual's internal attitudes or overt behaviors; whether they should characterize cultural orientation status at a given point in time or change over time; whether measures should be culture-specific or more global in nature; how the issue of multiculturalism should be addressed; how measures can optimally incorporate multiple dimensions of acculturation; and whether proxy measures should be used. These issues are important in the context of health research because of their implications for determining the direct and indirect effects of cultural change on health-related biological and behavioral processes. We elaborate on and address each of these issues from a perspective that spans multiple disciplines across the biological and social sciences, and offer concrete recommendations with the ultimate goal of achieving a better understanding of the role of acculturation in minority health and health disparities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Science and Sentiment: Grinnell's Fact-Based Philosophy of Biodiversity Conservation.

PubMed

Shavit, Ayelet; Griesemer, James R

2018-06-01

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the biologist Joseph Grinnell made a distinction between science and sentiment for producing fact-based generalizations on how to conserve biodiversity. We are inspired by Grinnellian science, which successfully produced a century-long impact on studying and conserving biodiversity that runs orthogonal to some familiar philosophical distinctions such as fact versus value, emotion versus reason and basic versus applied science. According to Grinnell, unlike sentiment-based generalizations, a fact-based generalization traces its diverse commitments and thus becomes tractable for its audience. We argue that foregrounding tractability better explains Grinnell's practice in the context of his time as well as in the context of current discourse among scientists over the political "biases" of biodiversity research and its problem of "reproducibility."

Content-related interactions and methods of reasoning within self-initiated organic chemistry study groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, Karen Jeanne

2011-12-01

Students often use study groups to prepare for class or exams; yet to date, we know very little about how these groups actually function. This study looked at the ways in which undergraduate organic chemistry students prepared for exams through self-initiated study groups. We sought to characterize the methods of social regulation, levels of content processing, and types of reasoning processes used by students within their groups. Our analysis showed that groups engaged in predominantly three types of interactions when discussing chemistry content: co-construction, teaching, and tutoring. Although each group engaged in each of these types of interactions at some point, their prevalence varied between groups and group members. Our analysis suggests that the types of interactions that were most common depended on the relative content knowledge of the group members as well as on the difficulty of the tasks in which they were engaged. Additionally, we were interested in characterizing the reasoning methods used by students within their study groups. We found that students used a combination of three content-relevant methods of reasoning: model-based reasoning, case-based reasoning, or rule-based reasoning, in conjunction with one chemically-irrelevant method of reasoning: symbol-based reasoning. The most common way for groups to reason was to use rules, whereas the least common way was for students to work from a model. In general, student reasoning correlated strongly to the subject matter to which students were paying attention, and was only weakly related to student interactions. Overall, results from this study may help instructors to construct appropriate tasks to guide what and how students study outside of the classroom. We found that students had a decidedly strategic approach in their study groups, relying heavily on material provided by their instructors, and using the reasoning strategies that resulted in the lowest levels of content processing. We suggest that instructors create more opportunities for students to explore model-based reasoning, and to create opportunities for students to be able to co-construct in a collaborative manner within the context of their organic chemistry course.

Capacity for visual features in mental rotation

PubMed Central

Xu, Yangqing; Franconeri, Steven L.

2015-01-01

Although mental rotation is a core component of scientific reasoning, we still know little about its underlying mechanism. For instance - how much visual information can we rotate at once? Participants rotated a simple multi-part shape, requiring them to maintain attachments between features and moving parts. The capacity of this aspect of mental rotation was strikingly low – only one feature could remain attached to one part. Behavioral and eyetracking data showed that this single feature remained ‘glued’ via a singular focus of attention, typically on the object’s top. We argue that the architecture of the human visual system is not suited for keeping multiple features attached to multiple parts during mental rotation. Such measurement of the capacity limits may prove to be a critical step in dissecting the suite of visuospatial tools involved in mental rotation, leading to insights for improvement of pedagogy in science education contexts. PMID:26174781

Capacity for Visual Features in Mental Rotation.

PubMed

Xu, Yangqing; Franconeri, Steven L

2015-08-01

Although mental rotation is a core component of scientific reasoning, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. For instance, how much visual information can someone rotate at once? We asked participants to rotate a simple multipart shape, requiring them to maintain attachments between features and moving parts. The capacity of this aspect of mental rotation was strikingly low: Only one feature could remain attached to one part. Behavioral and eye-tracking data showed that this single feature remained "glued" via a singular focus of attention, typically on the object's top. We argue that the architecture of the human visual system is not suited for keeping multiple features attached to multiple parts during mental rotation. Such measurement of capacity limits may prove to be a critical step in dissecting the suite of visuospatial tools involved in mental rotation, leading to insights for improvement of pedagogy in science-education contexts. © The Author(s) 2015.

An Innovative Context-Based Crystal-Growth Activity Space Method for Environmental Exposure Assessment: A Study Using GIS and GPS Trajectory Data Collected in Chicago.

PubMed

Wang, Jue; Kwan, Mei-Po; Chai, Yanwei

2018-04-09

Scholars in the fields of health geography, urban planning, and transportation studies have long attempted to understand the relationships among human movement, environmental context, and accessibility. One fundamental question for this research area is how to measure individual activity space, which is an indicator of where and how people have contact with their social and physical environments. Conventionally, standard deviational ellipses, road network buffers, minimum convex polygons, and kernel density surfaces have been used to represent people's activity space, but they all have shortcomings. Inconsistent findings of the effects of environmental exposures on health behaviors/outcomes suggest that the reliability of existing studies may be affected by the uncertain geographic context problem (UGCoP). This paper proposes the context-based crystal-growth activity space as an innovative method for generating individual activity space based on both GPS trajectories and the environmental context. This method not only considers people's actual daily activity patterns based on GPS tracks but also takes into account the environmental context which either constrains or encourages people's daily activity. Using GPS trajectory data collected in Chicago, the results indicate that the proposed new method generates more reasonable activity space when compared to other existing methods. This can help mitigate the UGCoP in environmental health studies.

An Innovative Context-Based Crystal-Growth Activity Space Method for Environmental Exposure Assessment: A Study Using GIS and GPS Trajectory Data Collected in Chicago

PubMed Central

Chai, Yanwei

2018-01-01

Scholars in the fields of health geography, urban planning, and transportation studies have long attempted to understand the relationships among human movement, environmental context, and accessibility. One fundamental question for this research area is how to measure individual activity space, which is an indicator of where and how people have contact with their social and physical environments. Conventionally, standard deviational ellipses, road network buffers, minimum convex polygons, and kernel density surfaces have been used to represent people’s activity space, but they all have shortcomings. Inconsistent findings of the effects of environmental exposures on health behaviors/outcomes suggest that the reliability of existing studies may be affected by the uncertain geographic context problem (UGCoP). This paper proposes the context-based crystal-growth activity space as an innovative method for generating individual activity space based on both GPS trajectories and the environmental context. This method not only considers people’s actual daily activity patterns based on GPS tracks but also takes into account the environmental context which either constrains or encourages people’s daily activity. Using GPS trajectory data collected in Chicago, the results indicate that the proposed new method generates more reasonable activity space when compared to other existing methods. This can help mitigate the UGCoP in environmental health studies. PMID:29642530

Force Concept Inventory-Based Multiple-Choice Test for Investigating Students' Representational Consistency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nieminen, Pasi; Savinainen, Antti; Viiri, Jouni

2010-01-01

This study investigates students' ability to interpret multiple representations consistently (i.e., representational consistency) in the context of the force concept. For this purpose we developed the Representational Variant of the Force Concept Inventory (R-FCI), which makes use of nine items from the 1995 version of the Force Concept Inventory…

Diagnostic Opportunities Using Rasch Measurement in the Context of a Misconceptions-Based Physical Science Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wind, Stefanie A.; Gale, Jessica D.

2015-01-01

Multiple-choice (MC) items that are constructed such that distractors target known misconceptions for a particular domain provide useful diagnostic information about student misconceptions (Herrmann-Abell & DeBoer, 2011, 2014; Sadler, 1998). Item response theory models can be used to examine misconceptions distractor-driven multiple-choice…

Knowledge repositories for multiple uses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williamson, Keith; Riddle, Patricia

1991-01-01

In the life cycle of a complex physical device or part, for example, the docking bay door of the Space Station, there are many uses for knowledge about the device or part. The same piece of knowledge might serve several uses. Given the quantity and complexity of the knowledge that must be stored, it is critical to maintain the knowledge in one repository, in one form. At the same time, because of quantity and complexity of knowledge that must be used in life cycle applications such as cost estimation, re-design, and diagnosis, it is critical to automate such knowledge uses. For each specific use, a knowledge base must be available and must be in a from that promotes the efficient performance of that knowledge base. However, without a single source knowledge repository, the cost of maintaining consistent knowledge between multiple knowledge bases increases dramatically; as facts and descriptions change, they must be updated in each individual knowledge base. A use-neutral representation of a hydraulic system for the F-111 aircraft was developed. The ability to derive portions of four different knowledge bases is demonstrated from this use-neutral representation: one knowledge base is for re-design of the device using a model-based reasoning problem solver; two knowledge bases, at different levels of abstraction, are for diagnosis using a model-based reasoning solver; and one knowledge base is for diagnosis using an associational reasoning problem solver. It was shown how updates issued against the single source use-neutral knowledge repository can be propagated to the underlying knowledge bases.

A comprehensive test of clinical reasoning for medical students: An olympiad experience in Iran.

PubMed

Monajemi, Alireza; Arabshahi, Kamran Soltani; Soltani, Akbar; Arbabi, Farshid; Akbari, Roghieh; Custers, Eugene; Hadadgar, Arash; Hadizadeh, Fatemeh; Changiz, Tahereh; Adibi, Peyman

2012-01-01

Although some tests for clinical reasoning assessment are now available, the theories of medical expertise have not played a major role in this filed. In this paper, illness script theory was chose as a theoretical framework and contemporary clinical reasoning tests were put together based on this theoretical model. This paper is a qualitative study performed with an action research approach. This style of research is performed in a context where authorities focus on promoting their organizations' performance and is carried out in the form of teamwork called participatory research. Results are presented in four parts as basic concepts, clinical reasoning assessment, test framework, and scoring. we concluded that no single test could thoroughly assess clinical reasoning competency, and therefore a battery of clinical reasoning tests is needed. This battery should cover all three parts of clinical reasoning process: script activation, selection and verification. In addition, not only both analytical and non-analytical reasoning, but also both diagnostic and management reasoning should evenly take into consideration in this battery. This paper explains the process of designing and implementing the battery of clinical reasoning in the Olympiad for medical sciences students through an action research.

Physiotherapy as bricolage: theorizing expert practice.

PubMed

Shaw, James A; DeForge, Ryan T

2012-08-01

Theories about how knowledge is sought and applied in clinical practice are often referred to as practice epistemologies, and have not been extensively explored in the physiotherapy profession. Tacit assumptions about what counts as physiotherapy knowledge thus form the basis for many approaches to gaining and using information in practice. The purpose of this paper is to propose a physiotherapy practice epistemology, through the notion of the bricoleur, which takes an alternative approach to understanding how knowledge might best be viewed in relation to physiotherapy. The term bricoleur refers to a handyman or handywoman who uses all tools and types of knowledge available. The notion of physiotherapists as bricoleurs recognizes that all practice knowledge is situated within social, cultural, and historical contexts that shape our beliefs about what counts as physiotherapy knowledge. This recognition leads physiotherapists who act as bricoleurs to embrace multiple epistemologies, discovering new ways of knowing and clinical reasoning strategies to provide a more holistic approach to physiotherapy practice. The relationships between expertise in clinical reasoning and the epistemology of the bricoleur are then addressed, explicating the utility of multiple epistemologies in achieving excellent physiotherapy care. A bricoleur's epistemology is then applied to the concept of expertise in physiotherapy, de-stabilizing the notion that a single authoritative approach to the practice of physiotherapy ought to be idealized.

Proportional Reasoning: An Essential Component of Scientific Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Annette; Hilton, Geoff

2016-01-01

In many scientific contexts, students need to be able to use mathematical knowledge in order to engage in scientific reasoning and problem-solving, and their understanding of scientific concepts relies heavily on their ability to understand and use mathematics in often new or unfamiliar contexts. Not only do science students need high levels of…

Effects of Minute Contextual Experience on Realistic Assessment of Proportional Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matney, Gabriel; Jackson, Jack L., II; Bostic, Jonathan

2013-01-01

This mixed methods study describes the effects of a "minute contextual experience" on students' ability to solve a realistic assessment problem involving scale drawings and proportional reasoning. Minute contextual experience (MCE) is defined to be a brief encounter with a context in which aspects of the context are explored openly. The…

Influence of Temporal Context on Value in the Multiple-Chains and Successive-Encounters Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Daly, Matthew; Angulo, Samuel; Gipson, Cassandra; Fantino, Edmund

2006-01-01

This set of studies explored the influence of temporal context across multiple-chain and multiple-successive-encounters procedures. Following training with different temporal contexts, the value of stimuli sharing similar reinforcement schedules was assessed by presenting these stimuli in concurrent probes. The results for the multiple-chain…

Reasoning versus text processing in the Wason selection task: a nondeontic perspective on perspective effects.

PubMed

Almor, A; Sloman, S A

2000-09-01

We argue that perspective effects in the Wason four-card selection task are a product of the linguistic interpretation of the rule in the context of the problem text and not of the reasoning process underlying card selection. In three experiments, participants recalled the rule they used in either a selection or a plausibility rating task. The results showed that (1) participants tended to recall rules compatible with their card selection and not with the rule as stated in the problem and (2) recall was not affected by whether or not participants performed card selection. We conclude that perspective effects in the Wason selection task do not concern how card selection is reasoned about but instead reflect the inferential text processing involved in the comprehension of the problem text. Together with earlier research that showed selection performance in nondeontic contexts to be indistinguishable from selection performance in deontic contexts (Almor & Sloman, 1996; Sperber, Cara, & Girotto, 1995), the present results undermine the claim that reasoning in a deontic context elicits specialized cognitive processes.

Optimal Multiple Surface Segmentation With Shape and Context Priors

PubMed Central

Bai, Junjie; Garvin, Mona K.; Sonka, Milan; Buatti, John M.; Wu, Xiaodong

2014-01-01

Segmentation of multiple surfaces in medical images is a challenging problem, further complicated by the frequent presence of weak boundary evidence, large object deformations, and mutual influence between adjacent objects. This paper reports a novel approach to multi-object segmentation that incorporates both shape and context prior knowledge in a 3-D graph-theoretic framework to help overcome the stated challenges. We employ an arc-based graph representation to incorporate a wide spectrum of prior information through pair-wise energy terms. In particular, a shape-prior term is used to penalize local shape changes and a context-prior term is used to penalize local surface-distance changes from a model of the expected shape and surface distances, respectively. The globally optimal solution for multiple surfaces is obtained by computing a maximum flow in a low-order polynomial time. The proposed method was validated on intraretinal layer segmentation of optical coherence tomography images and demonstrated statistically significant improvement of segmentation accuracy compared to our earlier graph-search method that was not utilizing shape and context priors. The mean unsigned surface positioning errors obtained by the conventional graph-search approach (6.30 ± 1.58 μm) was improved to 5.14 ± 0.99 μm when employing our new method with shape and context priors. PMID:23193309

Similarities and differences in affective and cognitive origins of food likings and dislikes.

PubMed

Letarte, A; Dubé, L; Troche, V

1997-04-01

In a field study, 355 French-Canadian adults (Caucasians; 119 men, 236 women; average age of 40) freely stated the food item they liked and disliked the most, the reasons for their attitude and the context of their last consumption of these two food items. Content analysis revealed that the origins of food likes and dislikes are at the same time very similar and very different. They are similar in terms of the overwhelming influence of affective factors, in particular sensory experience, in the formation of both positive and negative attitudes toward food. Similarity between origins of food likes and dislikes in the same subjects is higher when they are from affective sources than when they are from cognitive sources. Food likes and dislikes are also similar in terms of the high salience of the social dimension in subjects' memories of consumption contexts. Results also show that food likes and dislikes also differ in many ways. Subjects can more easily elicit attitude bases and consumption contexts for food likes than they do for food dislikes. Beside taste as their common and most frequent base, results show that dislikes originate from more specific (e.g. texture, smell, appearance) and more intense sensory experiences than likes. Further, physiological consequences that contribute to food likes and dislikes are not the same: likes originate from positive nutritional value whereas dislikes follow from negative physiological responses, in particular nausea. Also, specific factors contribute uniquely to likes and dislikes. Functional aspects (e.g. flexibility, preparation) were the second most important reasons for food likes while having almost no influence on dislikes. In contrast, food symbolism was the third most important reason for food dislikes with almost no effect on food likes.

"Playing the Game" of Story Problems: Coordinating Situation-Based Reasoning with Algebraic Representation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walkington, Candace; Sherman, Milan; Petrosino, Anthony

2012-01-01

This study critically examines a key justification used by educational stakeholders for placing mathematics in context--the idea that contextualization provides students with access to mathematical ideas. We present interviews of 24 ninth grade students from a low-performing urban school solving algebra story problems, some of which were…

ULg Spectra: An Interactive Software Tool to Improve Undergraduate Students' Structural Analysis Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnello, Armelinda; Carre, Cyril; Billen, Roland; Leyh, Bernard; De Pauw, Edwin; Damblon, Christian

2018-01-01

The analysis of spectroscopic data to solve chemical structures requires practical skills and drills. In this context, we have developed ULg Spectra, a computer-based tool designed to improve the ability of learners to perform complex reasoning. The identification of organic chemical compounds involves gathering and interpreting complementary…

Exploring the Visuospatial Challenge of Learning about Day and Night and the Sun's Path

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heywood, David; Parker, Joan; Rowlands, Mark

2013-01-01

The role of visualization and model-based reasoning has become increasingly significant in science education across a range of contexts. It is generally recognized that supporting learning in developing causal explanations for observed astronomical events presents considerable pedagogic challenge. Understanding the Sun's apparent movement…

Grade Expectations: Mapping Stakeholder Views of Online Plagiarism Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashe, Diana; Manning, Michelle

2007-01-01

Based upon a pilot study of the leading online plagiarism detection service, this article examines the views of faculty and students as the main stakeholders in the controversy over online plagiarism detection. Rather than give advice outside of a specific institutional context, this study offers an understanding of the reasoning that informs the…

A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory for Conceptualizing Matrices as Linear Transformations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews-Larson, Christine; Wawro, Megan; Zandieh, Michelle

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) aimed at supporting students in developing flexible ways of reasoning about matrices as linear transformations in the context of introductory linear algebra. In our HLT, we highlight the integral role of the instructor in this development. Our HLT is based on the "Italicizing…

Effects of extinction in multiple contexts on renewal of instrumental responses.

PubMed

Bernal-Gamboa, Rodolfo; Nieto, Javier; Uengoer, Metin

2017-09-01

In two experiments with rats, we investigated the effects of using multiple contexts during extinction on renewal of lever-pressing behavior. During the first phase of both experiments, rats were reinforced to press a lever for food in Context A. Then, responses underwent extinction. For half of the animals, extinction sessions were conducted in a single context, whereas the other half received extinction in three different contexts. In Experiment 1, we observed that extinction in multiple contexts eliminated ABC renewal, but had no detectable impact on ABA renewal. Experiment 2 revealed that conducting extended extinction training in multiple contexts attenuated ABA renewal. Theoretical and clinical implications of the present findings are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gender differences in prospective teachers’ mathematical literacy: problem solving of occupational context on shipping company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, N. D. S.; Juniati, D.; Suwarsono, St.

2018-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe to what extent the prospective teachers can be considered as mathematically literate and how they communicate their reasoning in solving the problem based on the sex differences. Data were collected through mathematics literacy test on occupational context by 157 of prospective teachers from three universities in East Java, Indonesia. Their written responses were collected, organized based on the sex differences, analyzed and categorized to one of three levels of mathematical literacy. The examples of interesting students’ response altogether with the scoring are discussed to describe their characteristic on mathematical literacy and their communication. The result showed that in general the mathematical literacy of female prospective teachers tend to be better than male prospective math teachers. Female prospective teachers are more capable of logical reasoning, using concepts, facts and procedures and algebraic operations to draw conclusions; make an interpretations and evaluations. This study has an implication that gender differences in mathematical literacy of prospective math teachers do exist, therefore this issue should be given a serious concern from the development programs of the faculty.

Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students’ Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills †

PubMed Central

Olimpo, Jeffrey T.; Pevey, Ryan S.; McCabe, Thomas M.

2018-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an avenue for student participation in authentic scientific opportunities. Within the context of such coursework, students are often expected to collect, analyze, and evaluate data obtained from their own investigations. Yet, limited research has been conducted that examines mechanisms for supporting students in these endeavors. In this article, we discuss the development and evaluation of an interactive statistics workshop that was expressly designed to provide students with an open platform for graduate teaching assistant (GTA)-mentored data processing, statistical testing, and synthesis of their own research findings. Mixed methods analyses of pre/post-intervention survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in students’ reasoning and quantitative literacy abilities in the domain, as well as enhancement of student self-reported confidence in and knowledge of the application of various statistical metrics to real-world contexts. Collectively, these data reify an important role for scaffolded instruction in statistics in preparing emergent scientists to be data-savvy researchers in a globally expansive STEM workforce. PMID:29904549

Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students' Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills.

PubMed

Olimpo, Jeffrey T; Pevey, Ryan S; McCabe, Thomas M

2018-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an avenue for student participation in authentic scientific opportunities. Within the context of such coursework, students are often expected to collect, analyze, and evaluate data obtained from their own investigations. Yet, limited research has been conducted that examines mechanisms for supporting students in these endeavors. In this article, we discuss the development and evaluation of an interactive statistics workshop that was expressly designed to provide students with an open platform for graduate teaching assistant (GTA)-mentored data processing, statistical testing, and synthesis of their own research findings. Mixed methods analyses of pre/post-intervention survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in students' reasoning and quantitative literacy abilities in the domain, as well as enhancement of student self-reported confidence in and knowledge of the application of various statistical metrics to real-world contexts. Collectively, these data reify an important role for scaffolded instruction in statistics in preparing emergent scientists to be data-savvy researchers in a globally expansive STEM workforce.

Multiplex, quantitative cellular analysis in large tissue volumes with clearing-enhanced 3D microscopy (Ce3D)

PubMed Central

Li, Weizhe; Germain, Ronald N.

2017-01-01

Organ homeostasis, cellular differentiation, signal relay, and in situ function all depend on the spatial organization of cells in complex tissues. For this reason, comprehensive, high-resolution mapping of cell positioning, phenotypic identity, and functional state in the context of macroscale tissue structure is critical to a deeper understanding of diverse biological processes. Here we report an easy to use method, clearing-enhanced 3D (Ce3D), which generates excellent tissue transparency for most organs, preserves cellular morphology and protein fluorescence, and is robustly compatible with antibody-based immunolabeling. This enhanced signal quality and capacity for extensive probe multiplexing permits quantitative analysis of distinct, highly intermixed cell populations in intact Ce3D-treated tissues via 3D histo-cytometry. We use this technology to demonstrate large-volume, high-resolution microscopy of diverse cell types in lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs, as well as to perform quantitative analysis of the composition and tissue distribution of multiple cell populations in lymphoid tissues. Combined with histo-cytometry, Ce3D provides a comprehensive strategy for volumetric quantitative imaging and analysis that bridges the gap between conventional section imaging and disassociation-based techniques. PMID:28808033

GUIDON-WATCH: A Graphic Interface for Viewing a Knowledge-Based System. Technical Report #14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richer, Mark H.; Clancey, William J.

This paper describes GUIDON-WATCH, a graphic interface that uses multiple windows and a mouse to allow a student to browse a knowledge base and view reasoning processes during diagnostic problem solving. The GUIDON project at Stanford University is investigating how knowledge-based systems can provide the basis for teaching programs, and this…

The dynamics of variability in introductory physics students' thinking: Examples from kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Brian W.

Physics education research has long emphasized the need for physics instruction to address students' existing intuitions about the physical world as an integral part of learning physics. Researchers, however, have not reached a consensus-view concerning the nature of this intuitive knowledge or the specific role that it does (or might) play in physics learning. While many early characterizations of student misconceptions cast students' intuitive thinking as largely static, unitary in structure, and counter-productive for the purpose of learning correct physics, much of contemporary research supports a conceptualization of intuitive thought as dynamic, manifold in structure, and generative in the development of expertise. This dissertation contributes to ongoing inquiry into the nature of students' intuitive thought and its role in learning physics through the pursuit of dynamic systems characterizations of student reasoning, with a particular focus on how students settle into and shift among multiple patterns of reasoning about motion. In one thread of this research, simple experimental designs are used to demonstrate how individual students can be predictably biased toward and away from different ways of thinking about the same physical situation when specific parameters of questions posed to students are varied. I qualitatively model students' thinking in terms of the activations and interactions among fine-grained intuitive knowledge and static features of the context. In a second thread of this research, case studies of more dynamic shifts in students' conceptual reasoning are developed from videos of student discussions during collaborative classroom activities. These show multiple local stabilities of students' thinking as well, with evidence of group-level dynamics shifting on the time scale of minutes. This work contributes to existing research paradigms that aim to characterize student thinking in physics education in two important ways: (1) through the use of methods that allow for forms of empirical accountability that connect descriptive models of student thinking to experimental data, and (2) through the theoretical development of explanatory mechanisms that account for patterns in students' reasoning at multiple levels of analysis.

Effects of Mathematics Computer Games on Special Education Students' Multiplicative Reasoning Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakker, Marjoke; van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Marja; Robitzsch, Alexander

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of a teacher-delivered intervention with online mathematics mini-games on special education students' multiplicative reasoning ability (multiplication and division). The games involved declarative, procedural, as well as conceptual knowledge of multiplicative relations, and were accompanied with teacher-led lessons…

Higher-level fusion for military operations based on abductive inference: proof of principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantaleev, Aleksandar V.; Josephson, John

2006-04-01

The ability of contemporary military commanders to estimate and understand complicated situations already suffers from information overload, and the situation can only grow worse. We describe a prototype application that uses abductive inferencing to fuse information from multiple sensors to evaluate the evidence for higher-level hypotheses that are close to the levels of abstraction needed for decision making (approximately JDL levels 2 and 3). Abductive inference (abduction, inference to the best explanation) is a pattern of reasoning that occurs naturally in diverse settings such as medical diagnosis, criminal investigations, scientific theory formation, and military intelligence analysis. Because abduction is part of common-sense reasoning, implementations of it can produce reasoning traces that are very human understandable. Automated abductive inferencing can be deployed to augment human reasoning, taking advantage of computation to process large amounts of information, and to bypass limits to human attention and short-term memory. We illustrate the workings of the prototype system by describing an example of its use for small-unit military operations in an urban setting. Knowledge was encoded as it might be captured prior to engagement from a standard military decision making process (MDMP) and analysis of commander's priority intelligence requirements (PIR). The system is able to reasonably estimate the evidence for higher-level hypotheses based on information from multiple sensors. Its inference processes can be examined closely to verify correctness. Decision makers can override conclusions at any level and changes will propagate appropriately.

Expertise for Teaching Biology Situated in the Context of Genetic Testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van der Zande, Paul; Akkerman, Sanne F.; Brekelmans, Mieke; Waarlo, Arend Jan; Vermunt, Jan D.

2012-07-01

Contemporary genomics research will impact the daily practice of biology teachers who want to teach up-to-date genetics in secondary education. This article reports on a research project aimed at enhancing biology teachers' expertise for teaching genetics situated in the context of genetic testing. The increasing body of scientific knowledge concerning genetic testing and the related consequences for decision-making indicate the societal relevance of an educational approach based on situated learning. What expertise do biology teachers need for teaching genetics in the personal health context of genetic testing? This article describes the required expertise by exploring the educational practice. Nine experienced teachers were interviewed about the pedagogical content, moral and interpersonal expertise areas concerning how to teach genetics in the personal health context of genetic testing, and the lessons of five of them were observed. The findings showed that the required teacher expertise encompasses specific pedagogical content expertise, interpersonal expertise and a preference for teacher roles and teaching approaches for the moral aspects of teaching in this context. A need for further development of teaching and learning activities for (reflection on) moral reasoning came to the fore. Suggestions regarding how to apply this expertise into context-based genetics education are discussed.

Verification of road databases using multiple road models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziems, Marcel; Rottensteiner, Franz; Heipke, Christian

2017-08-01

In this paper a new approach for automatic road database verification based on remote sensing images is presented. In contrast to existing methods, the applicability of the new approach is not restricted to specific road types, context areas or geographic regions. This is achieved by combining several state-of-the-art road detection and road verification approaches that work well under different circumstances. Each one serves as an independent module representing a unique road model and a specific processing strategy. All modules provide independent solutions for the verification problem of each road object stored in the database in form of two probability distributions, the first one for the state of a database object (correct or incorrect), and a second one for the state of the underlying road model (applicable or not applicable). In accordance with the Dempster-Shafer Theory, both distributions are mapped to a new state space comprising the classes correct, incorrect and unknown. Statistical reasoning is applied to obtain the optimal state of a road object. A comparison with state-of-the-art road detection approaches using benchmark datasets shows that in general the proposed approach provides results with larger completeness. Additional experiments reveal that based on the proposed method a highly reliable semi-automatic approach for road data base verification can be designed.

RHIM-based protein:protein interactions in anti-microbial defence against programmed cell death by necroptosis.

PubMed

Baker, Max O D G; Shanmugam, Nirukshan; Pham, Chi L L; Strange, Merryn; Steain, Megan; Sunde, Margaret

2018-05-05

The Receptor-interacting protein kinase Homotypic Interaction Motif (RHIM) is an amino acid sequence that mediates multiple protein:protein interactions in the mammalian programmed cell death pathway known as necroptosis. At least one key RHIM-based complex has been shown to have a functional amyloid fibril structure, which provides a stable hetero-oligomeric platform for downstream signaling. RHIMs and related motifs are present in immunity-related proteins across nature, from viruses to fungi to metazoans. Necroptosis is a hallmark feature of cellular clearance of infection. For this reason, numerous pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, have developed varied methods to modulate necroptosis, focusing on inhibiting RHIM:RHIM interactions, and thus their downstream cell death effects. This review will discuss current understanding of RHIM:RHIM interactions in normal cellular activation of necroptosis, from a structural and cell biology perspective. It will compare the mechanisms by which pathogens subvert these interactions in order to maintain their replicative and infective cycles and consider the similarities between RHIMs and other functional amyloid-forming proteins associated with cell death and innate immunity. It will discuss the implications of the heteromeric nature and structure of RHIM-based amyloid complexes in the context of other functional amyloids. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Development of Reasoning Test Instruments Based on TIMSS Framework for Measuring Reasoning Ability of Senior High School Student on the Physics Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muslim; Suhandi, A.; Nugraha, M. G.

2017-02-01

The purposes of this study are to determine the quality of reasoning test instruments that follow the framework of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as a development results and to analyse the profile of reasoning skill of senior high school students on physics materials. This research used research and development method (R&D), furthermore the subject were 104 students at three senior high schools in Bandung selected by random sampling technique. Reasoning test instruments are constructed following the TIMSS framework in multiple choice forms in 30 questions that cover five subject matters i.e. parabolic motion and circular motion, Newton’s law of gravity, work and energy, harmonic oscillation, as well as the momentum and impulse. The quality of reasoning tests were analysed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and classic test analysis include the validity of item, level of difficulty, discriminating power, reliability and Ferguson’s delta. As for the students’ reasoning skills profiles were analysed by the average score of achievements on eight aspects of the reasoning TIMSS framework. The results showed that reasoning test have a good quality as instruments to measure reasoning skills of senior high school students on five matters physics which developed and able to explore the reasoning of students on all aspects of reasoning based on TIMSS framework.

Supporting Mechanistic Reasoning in Domain-Specific Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Paul J.

2017-01-01

Mechanistic reasoning is an epistemic practice central within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Although there has been some work on mechanistic reasoning in the research literature and standards documents, much of this work targets domain-general characterizations of mechanistic reasoning; this study provides…

Teaching for clinical reasoning - helping students make the conceptual links.

PubMed

McMillan, Wendy Jayne

2010-01-01

Dental educators complain that students struggle to apply what they have learnt theoretically in the clinical context. This paper is premised on the assumption that there is a relationship between conceptual thinking and clinical reasoning. The paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between conceptual learning and clinical reasoning. A review of current literature is used to explain the way in which conceptual understanding influences clinical reasoning and the transfer of theoretical understandings to the clinical context. The paper argues that the connections made between concepts are what is significant about conceptual understanding. From this point of departure the paper describes teaching strategies that facilitate the kinds of learning opportunities that students need in order to develop conceptual understanding and to be able to transfer knowledge from theoretical to clinical contexts. Along with a variety of teaching strategies, the value of concept maps is discussed. The paper provides a framework for understanding the difficulties that students have in developing conceptual networks appropriate for later clinical reasoning. In explaining how students learn for clinical application, the paper provides a theoretical framework that can inform how dental educators facilitate the conceptual learning, and later clinical reasoning, of their students.

Striving for best practice: standardising New Zealand nursing procedures, 1930-1960.

PubMed

Wood, Pamela J; Nelson, Katherine

2013-11-01

To identify how nurses in the past determined best practice, using the context of New Zealand, 1930-1960. In the current context of evidence-based practice, nurses strive to provide the best care, based on clinical research. We cannot assume that nurses in the past, prior to the evidence-based practice movement, did not also have a deliberate process for pursuing best practice. Discovering historical approaches to determining best practice will enrich our understanding of how nurses' current efforts are part of a continuing commitment to ensuring quality care. Historical research. The records of the Nursing Education Committee of the New Zealand Registered Nurses' Association, 1940-1959, and the 309 issues of New Zealand's nursing journal, Kai Tiaki, 1930-1960, were analysed to identify the profession's approach to ensuring best practice. This approach was then interpreted within the international context, particularly Canada and the USA. For nearly 30 years, nurse leaders collaborated in undertaking national surveys of training hospitals requesting information on different nursing practices. They subsequently distributed instructions for a range of procedures and other aspects of nursing care to standardise practice. Standardising nursing care was an effective way to ensure quality nursing at a time when hospital care was delivered mostly by nurses in training. The reasons for and timing of standardisation of nursing care in New Zealand differed from the international move towards standardisation, particularly in the USA. Historically, nurses also pursued best practice, based on standardising nursing procedures. Examining the antecedents of the present evidence-based approach to care reminds us that the process and reasons for determining best practice change through time. As knowledge and practice continually change, current confident assertions of best practice should and will continue to be challenged in future. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Variety in Parental Use of "Want" Relates to Subsequent Growth in Children's Theory of Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffman, Ted; Puri, Aastha; Galloway, Olivia; Su, Japher; Taumoepeau, Mele

2018-01-01

In 2 cross-lagged, longitudinal studies we contrasted parental talk about want in a single context versus multiple contexts. Study 1 examined thirty-two 2 year olds, with mothers describing pictures to children. Mothers could use want in zero, one, or multiple contexts. Children whose mothers used want in multiple contexts experienced a…

Robust co-regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation sites on proteins reveals novel protein interactions†

PubMed Central

Naegle, Kristen M.; White, Forest M.; Lauffenburger, Douglas A.; Yaffe, Michael B.

2012-01-01

Cell signaling networks propagate information from extracellular cues via dynamic modulation of protein–protein interactions in a context-dependent manner. Networks based on receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), for example, phosphorylate intracellular proteins in response to extracellular ligands, resulting in dynamic protein–protein interactions that drive phenotypic changes. Most commonly used methods for discovering these protein–protein interactions, however, are optimized for detecting stable, longer-lived complexes, rather than the type of transient interactions that are essential components of dynamic signaling networks such as those mediated by RTKs. Substrate phosphorylation downstream of RTK activation modifies substrate activity and induces phospho-specific binding interactions, resulting in the formation of large transient macromolecular signaling complexes. Since protein complex formation should follow the trajectory of events that drive it, we reasoned that mining phosphoproteomic datasets for highly similar dynamic behavior of measured phosphorylation sites on different proteins could be used to predict novel, transient protein–protein interactions that had not been previously identified. We applied this method to explore signaling events downstream of EGFR stimulation. Our computational analysis of robustly co-regulated phosphorylation sites, based on multiple clustering analysis of quantitative time-resolved mass-spectrometry phosphoproteomic data, not only identified known sitewise-specific recruitment of proteins to EGFR, but also predicted novel, a priori interactions. A particularly intriguing prediction of EGFR interaction with the cytoskeleton-associated protein PDLIM1 was verified within cells using co-immunoprecipitation and in situ proximity ligation assays. Our approach thus offers a new way to discover protein–protein interactions in a dynamic context- and phosphorylation site-specific manner. PMID:22851037

Process evaluation in a multisite, primary obesity-prevention trial in American Indian schoolchildren1–3

PubMed Central

Helitzer, Deborah L; Davis, Sally M; Gittelsohn, Joel; Going, Scott B; Murray, David M; Snyder, Patricia; Steckler, Allan B

2016-01-01

We describe the development, implementation, and use of the process evaluation component of a multisite, primary obesity prevention trial for American Indian schoolchildren. We describe the development and pilot testing of the instruments, provide some examples of the criteria for instrument selection, and provide examples of how process evaluation results were used to document and refine intervention components. The theoretical and applied framework of the process evaluation was based on diffusion theory, social learning theory, and the desire for triangulation of multiple modes of data collection. The primary objectives of the process evaluation were to systematically document the training process, content, and implementation of 4 components of the intervention. The process evaluation was developed and implemented collaboratively so that it met the needs of both the evaluators and those who would be implementing the intervention components. Process evaluation results revealed that observation and structured interviews provided the most informative data; however, these methods were the most expensive and time consuming and required the highest level of skill to undertake. Although the literature is full of idealism regarding the uses of process evaluation for formative and summative purposes, in reality, many persons are sensitive to having their work evaluated in such an in-depth, context-based manner as is described. For this reason, use of structured, quantitative, highly objective tools may be more effective than qualitative methods, which appear to be more dependent on the skills and biases of the researcher and the context in which they are used. PMID:10195608

Effects of customization on application decisions and applicant pool characteristics in a web-based recruitment context.

PubMed

Dineen, Brian R; Noe, Raymond A

2009-01-01

The authors examined 2 forms of customization in a Web-based recruitment context. Hypotheses were tested in a controlled study in which participants viewed multiple Web-based job postings that each included information about multiple fit categories. Results indicated that customization of information regarding person-organization (PO), needs-supplies, and demands-abilities (DA) fit (fit information customization) and customization of the order in which these fit categories were presented (configural customization) had differential effects on outcomes. Specifically, (a) applicant pool PO and DA fit were greater when fit information customization was provided, (b) applicant pool fit in high- versus low-relevance fit categories was better differentiated when configural customization was provided, and (c) overall application rates were lower when either or both forms of customization were provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Design and Development of an Online Video Enhanced Case-Based Learning Environment for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltan, Fatih; Özden, M. Yasar; Kiraz, Ercan

2016-01-01

People generally prefer to use stories in order to provide context when expressing a point. Spreading a message without context is unlikely to be meaningful. Like stories, cases have contextual meaning and allow learners to see a situation from multiple perspectives. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate how to design and…

A dynamic access control method based on QoS requirement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chunquan; Wang, Yanwei; Yang, Baoye; Hu, Chunyang

2013-03-01

A dynamic access control method is put forward to ensure the security of the sharing service in Cloud Manufacturing, according to the application characteristics of cloud manufacturing collaborative task. The role-based access control (RBAC) model is extended according to the characteristics of cloud manufacturing in this method. The constraints are considered, which are from QoS requirement of the task context to access control, based on the traditional static authorization. The fuzzy policy rules are established about the weighted interval value of permissions. The access control authorities of executable service by users are dynamically adjusted through the fuzzy reasoning based on the QoS requirement of task. The main elements of the model are described. The fuzzy reasoning algorithm of weighted interval value based QoS requirement is studied. An effective method is provided to resolve the access control of cloud manufacturing.

Describing and recognizing patterns of events in smart environments with description logic.

PubMed

Scalmato, Antonello; Sgorbissa, Antonio; Zaccaria, Renato

2013-12-01

This paper describes a system for context awareness in smart environments, which is based on an ontology expressed in description logic and implemented in OWL 2 EL, which is a subset of the Web Ontology Language that allows for reasoning in polynomial time. The approach is different from all other works in the literature since the proposed system requires only the basic reasoning mechanisms of description logic, i.e., subsumption and instance checking, without any additional external reasoning engine. Experiments performed with data collected in three different scenarios are described, i.e., the CASAS Project at Washington State University, the assisted living facility Villa Basilea in Genoa, and the Merry Porter mobile robot at the Polyclinic of Modena.

Preservice Science Teachers' Informal Reasoning about Socioscientific Issues: The Influence of Issue Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topcu, Mustafa Sami; Sadler, Troy D.; Yilmaz-Tuzun, Ozgul

2010-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to explicitly test the extent to which issue contexts affect the informal reasoning processes engaged in by individuals. In order to address the research question framing this study, we engaged 39 Turkish preservice science teachers (PSTs) in interviews designed to elicit argumentation related to multiple…

Fourth-Grade Emergent Bilingual Learners' Scientific Reasoning Complexity, Controlled Experiment Practices, and Content Knowledge When Discussing School, Home, and Play Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buxton, Cory A.; Salinas, Ale; Mahotiere, Margarette; Lee, Okhee; Secada, Walter G.

2015-01-01

Background: In exploring how emergent bilingual learners' prior knowledge from home and play contexts might influence their scientific reasoning, this study drew upon two distinct research traditions: (a) experimental research from the developmental and cognitive psychology tradition, and (b) research on culturally and linguistically diverse…

Adolescents' Emotions and Reasoning in Contexts of Moral Conflict and Social Exclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malti, Tina; Ongley, Sophia F.; Dys, Sebastian P.; Colasante, Tyler

2012-01-01

This article explores how adolescents feel and think about contexts of moral conflict and social exclusion. We asked twelve-year-old adolescents how they would feel about intentionally harming another peer, omitting a prosocial duty, and excluding another peer. We then asked them to explain the reasoning behind their feelings and report on levels…

Lecture-based versus problem-based learning in ethics education among nursing students.

PubMed

Khatiban, Mahnaz; Falahan, Seyede Nayereh; Amini, Roya; Farahanchi, Afshin; Soltanian, Alireza

2018-01-01

Moral reasoning is a vital skill in the nursing profession. Teaching moral reasoning to students is necessary toward promoting nursing ethics. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of problem-based learning and lecture-based methods in ethics education in improving (1) moral decision-making, (2) moral reasoning, (3) moral development, and (4) practical reasoning among nursing students. This is a repeated measurement quasi-experimental study. Participants and research context: The participants were nursing students in a University of Medical Sciences in west of Iran who were randomly assigned to the lecture-based (n = 33) or the problem-based learning (n = 33) groups. The subjects were provided nursing ethics education in four 2-h sessions. The educational content was similar, but the training methods were different. The subjects completed the Nursing Dilemma Test before, immediately after, and 1 month after the training. The data were analyzed and compared using the SPSS-16 software. Ethical considerations: The program was explained to the students, all of whom signed an informed consent form at the baseline. The two groups were similar in personal characteristics (p > 0.05). A significant improvement was observed in the mean scores on moral development in the problem-based learning compared with the lecture-based group (p < 0.05). Although the mean scores on moral reasoning improved in both the problem-based learning and the lecture-based groups immediately after the training and 1 month later, the change was significant only in the problem-based learning group (p < 0.05). The mean scores on moral decision-making, practical considerations, and familiarity with dilemmas were relatively similar for the two groups. The use of the problem-based learning method in ethics education enhances moral development among nursing students. However, further studies are needed to determine whether such method improves moral decision-making, moral reasoning, practical considerations, and familiarity with the ethical issues among nursing students.

Multiple Semantic Matching on Augmented N-partite Graph for Object Co-segmentation.

PubMed

Wang, Chuan; Zhang, Hua; Yang, Liang; Cao, Xiaochun; Xiong, Hongkai

2017-09-08

Recent methods for object co-segmentation focus on discovering single co-occurring relation of candidate regions representing the foreground of multiple images. However, region extraction based only on low and middle level information often occupies a large area of background without the help of semantic context. In addition, seeking single matching solution very likely leads to discover local parts of common objects. To cope with these deficiencies, we present a new object cosegmentation framework, which takes advantages of semantic information and globally explores multiple co-occurring matching cliques based on an N-partite graph structure. To this end, we first propose to incorporate candidate generation with semantic context. Based on the regions extracted from semantic segmentation of each image, we design a merging mechanism to hierarchically generate candidates with high semantic responses. Secondly, all candidates are taken into consideration to globally formulate multiple maximum weighted matching cliques, which complements the discovery of part of the common objects induced by a single clique. To facilitate the discovery of multiple matching cliques, an N-partite graph, which inherently excludes intralinks between candidates from the same image, is constructed to separate multiple cliques without additional constraints. Further, we augment the graph with an additional virtual node in each part to handle irrelevant matches when the similarity between two candidates is too small. Finally, with the explored multiple cliques, we statistically compute pixel-wise co-occurrence map for each image. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets, i.e., iCoseg and MSRC datasets, achieve desirable performance and demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework.

Deficiencies of the cryptography based on multiple-parameter fractional Fourier transform.

PubMed

Ran, Qiwen; Zhang, Haiying; Zhang, Jin; Tan, Liying; Ma, Jing

2009-06-01

Methods of image encryption based on fractional Fourier transform have an incipient flaw in security. We show that the schemes have the deficiency that one group of encryption keys has many groups of keys to decrypt the encrypted image correctly for several reasons. In some schemes, many factors result in the deficiencies, such as the encryption scheme based on multiple-parameter fractional Fourier transform [Opt. Lett.33, 581 (2008)]. A modified method is proposed to avoid all the deficiencies. Security and reliability are greatly improved without increasing the complexity of the encryption process. (c) 2009 Optical Society of America.

To Reason or Not to Reason: Is Autobiographical Reasoning Always Beneficial?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Kate C.; Mansfield, Cade D.

2011-01-01

Autobiographical reasoning has been found to be a critical process in identity development; however, the authors suggest that existing research shows that such reasoning may not always be critical to another important outcome: well-being. The authors describe characteristics of people such as personality and age, contexts such as conversations,…

Historical Consideration of Place: Inviting Multiple Histories and Narratives in Place-Based Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Miyoun

2010-01-01

Drawing upon van Eijck and Roth's notion of "place as chronotope," this review paper discusses historical consideration of place as it assists us to conceptualize place in its collective, political, and dialogical nature. In a place, we are positioned amidst of the multiplicity of histories and narratives within ever shifting various contexts of…

In the Context of Multiple Intelligences Theory, Intelligent Data Analysis of Learning Styles Was Based on Rough Set Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narli, Serkan; Ozgen, Kemal; Alkan, Huseyin

2011-01-01

The present study aims to identify the relationship between individuals' multiple intelligence areas and their learning styles with mathematical clarity using the concept of rough sets which is used in areas such as artificial intelligence, data reduction, discovery of dependencies, prediction of data significance, and generating decision…

A Microswitch-Based Program to Enable Students with Multiple Disabilities to Choose among Environmental Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancioni, Giulio E.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Singh, Nirbhay N.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Didden, Robert; Oliva, Doretta; Severini, Laura

2006-01-01

Students with multiple disabilities, such as severe to profound mental retardation combined with motor and visual impairment, are usually unable to engage in constructive activity or play a positive role in their daily context. Microswitches are technical tools that may help them improve their status by allowing them to control environmental…

Singapore Primary Students' Pursuit of Multiple Achievement Goals: A Latent Profile Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ning, Hoi Kwan

2018-01-01

Based on measures of approach and avoidance mastery and performance goals delineated in the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework, this study utilized a person-centered approach to examine Singapore primary students' (N = 819) multiple goals pursuit in the general school context. Latent profile analysis identified six types of students with distinct…

Encouraging the practice of testicular self-examination: a field application of the theory of reasoned action.

PubMed

Brubaker, R G; Wickersham, D

1990-01-01

Identified factors associated with testicular self-examination (TSE) within the context of the theory of reasoned action. Subjects (232 male college students) received instruction in TSE and completed a questionnaire operationalizing the components of the theoretical model. During the following 6 weeks, a field intervention was conducted in which approximately half the subjects were exposed to posters reminding them to perform the exam. Multiple-regression analyses revealed that intention to perform TSE correlated significantly with attitude and subjective norm and that consideration of self-efficacy and TSE knowledge improved the prediction of intention. Significant differences in outcome expectancies and normative beliefs were found between subjects who intended to perform the exam and those who did not. Intention was moderately (r = .30, p less than .001) correlated with behavior; the intention-behavior correlation, however, was stronger among subjects who intended to perform the exam and were exposed to the posters (r = .55, p less than .001).

Probability versus representativeness in infancy: can infants use naïve physics to adjust population base rates in probabilistic inference?

PubMed

Denison, Stephanie; Trikutam, Pallavi; Xu, Fei

2014-08-01

A rich tradition in developmental psychology explores physical reasoning in infancy. However, no research to date has investigated whether infants can reason about physical objects that behave probabilistically, rather than deterministically. Physical events are often quite variable, in that similar-looking objects can be placed in similar contexts with different outcomes. Can infants rapidly acquire probabilistic physical knowledge, such as some leaves fall and some glasses break by simply observing the statistical regularity with which objects behave and apply that knowledge in subsequent reasoning? We taught 11-month-old infants physical constraints on objects and asked them to reason about the probability of different outcomes when objects were drawn from a large distribution. Infants could have reasoned either by using the perceptual similarity between the samples and larger distributions or by applying physical rules to adjust base rates and estimate the probabilities. Infants learned the physical constraints quickly and used them to estimate probabilities, rather than relying on similarity, a version of the representativeness heuristic. These results indicate that infants can rapidly and flexibly acquire physical knowledge about objects following very brief exposure and apply it in subsequent reasoning. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

An Ontology-based Context-aware System for Smart Homes: E-care@home.

PubMed

Alirezaie, Marjan; Renoux, Jennifer; Köckemann, Uwe; Kristoffersson, Annica; Karlsson, Lars; Blomqvist, Eva; Tsiftes, Nicolas; Voigt, Thiemo; Loutfi, Amy

2017-07-06

Smart home environments have a significant potential to provide for long-term monitoring of users with special needs in order to promote the possibility to age at home. Such environments are typically equipped with a number of heterogeneous sensors that monitor both health and environmental parameters. This paper presents a framework called E-care@home, consisting of an IoT infrastructure, which provides information with an unambiguous, shared meaning across IoT devices, end-users, relatives, health and care professionals and organizations. We focus on integrating measurements gathered from heterogeneous sources by using ontologies in order to enable semantic interpretation of events and context awareness. Activities are deduced using an incremental answer set solver for stream reasoning. The paper demonstrates the proposed framework using an instantiation of a smart environment that is able to perform context recognition based on the activities and the events occurring in the home.

An Ontology-based Context-aware System for Smart Homes: E-care@home

PubMed Central

Alirezaie, Marjan; Köckemann, Uwe; Kristoffersson, Annica; Karlsson, Lars; Blomqvist, Eva; Voigt, Thiemo; Loutfi, Amy

2017-01-01

Smart home environments have a significant potential to provide for long-term monitoring of users with special needs in order to promote the possibility to age at home. Such environments are typically equipped with a number of heterogeneous sensors that monitor both health and environmental parameters. This paper presents a framework called E-care@home, consisting of an IoT infrastructure, which provides information with an unambiguous, shared meaning across IoT devices, end-users, relatives, health and care professionals and organizations. We focus on integrating measurements gathered from heterogeneous sources by using ontologies in order to enable semantic interpretation of events and context awareness. Activities are deduced using an incremental answer set solver for stream reasoning. The paper demonstrates the proposed framework using an instantiation of a smart environment that is able to perform context recognition based on the activities and the events occurring in the home. PMID:28684686

Commands, competence, and cariño: maternal socialization practices in Mexican American families.

PubMed

Livas-Dlott, Alejandra; Fuller, Bruce; Stein, Gabriela L; Bridges, Margaret; Mangual Figueroa, Ariana; Mireles, Laurie

2010-05-01

Early research on the socialization of Latino children has posited that mothers exercise authoritarian practices, compared with lateral reasoning (authoritative) strategies emphasized by Anglo mothers. This work aimed to categorize fixed types of parenting practices tied to the mother's personality rather than to culturally bounded contexts; it often ignored the emotional warmth or harshness present in compliance attempts and relied on interview questions rather than naturalistic observation. We built from ecocultural theory to observe daily home activities in which Mexican American mothers attempted to correct their young child's behavior or encourage completion of a task (compliance attempt). We observed 24 first- or second-generation mothers and their 4-year-old children and analyzed the activity contexts and multiple forms of 1,477 compliance attempts. Mothers typically led with direct verbal commands in their attempt to achieve compliance. Many blended commands with other compliance strategies, rather than repeating simple behaviors. Drawing on Crockenberg and Litman's (1990) differentiation of variable compliance strategies, we find that most mothers relied on low power-assertive methods, including verbal commands, rather than inductive strategies that involved reasoning. Few compliance episodes prompted high power-assertive or harsh strategies. The degree of reliance on verbal commands and the complexity of mothers' repertoires appear to be related to their education and acculturation levels. 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Reasoning, cognitive control, and moral intuition

PubMed Central

Patterson, Richard; Rothstein, Jared; Barbey, Aron K.

2012-01-01

Recent Social Intuitionist work suggests that moral judgments are intuitive (not based on conscious deliberation or any significant chain of inference), and that the reasons we produce to explain or justify our judgments and actions are for the most part post hoc rationalizations rather than the actual source of those judgments. This is consistent with work on judgment and explanation in other domains, and it correctly challenges one-sidedly rationalistic accounts. We suggest that in fact reasoning has a great deal of influence on moral judgments and on intuitive judgments in general. This influence is not apparent from study of judgments simply in their immediate context, but it is crucial for the question of how cognition can help us avoid deleterious effects and enhance potentially beneficial effects of affect on judgment, action, and cognition itself. We begin with established work on several reactive strategies for cognitive control of affect (e.g., suppression, reappraisal), then give special attention to more complex sorts of conflict (“extended deliberation”) involving multiple interacting factors, both affective and reflective. These situations are especially difficult to study in a controlled way, but we propose some possible experimental approaches. We then review proactive strategies for control, including avoidance of temptation and mindfulness meditation (Froeliger et al., 2012, this issue). We give special attention to the role of slow or “cool” cognitive processes (e.g., deliberation, planning, and executive control) in the inculcation of long-term dispositions, traits, intuitions, skills, or habits. The latter are critical because they in turn give rise to a great many of our fast, intuitive judgments. The reasoning processes involved here are distinct from post hoc rationalizations and have a very real impact on countless intuitive judgments in concrete situations. This calls for a substantial enlargement of research on cognitive control, drawing on work in developmental psychology, automatization, educational theory, and other fields. PMID:23264763

A conceptual model to empower software requirements conflict detection and resolution with rule-based reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Sabrina; Jalil, Intan Ermahani A.; Ahmad, Sharifah Sakinah Syed

2016-08-01

It is seldom technical issues which impede the process of eliciting software requirements. The involvement of multiple stakeholders usually leads to conflicts and therefore the need of conflict detection and resolution effort is crucial. This paper presents a conceptual model to further improve current efforts. Hence, this paper forwards an improved conceptual model to assist the conflict detection and resolution effort which extends the model ability and improves overall performance. The significant of the new model is to empower the automation of conflicts detection and its severity level with rule-based reasoning.

The Impact of Human-Automation Collaboration in Decentralized Multiple Unmanned Vehicle Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

based decentralized auctions for robust task allocation ,[ IEEE Trans. Robot., vol. 25, no. 4, pp...operators can aid such systems by bringing their knowledge- based reasoning and experience to bear. Given a decentralized task planner and a goal- based ...experience to bear. Given a decentralized task planner and a goal- based operator interface for a network of unmanned vehicles in a search, track,

Examining Curriculum Related Progress Using a Context-Based Test Instrument--A Comparison of Estonian Grade 10 and 11 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soobard, R.; Rannikmae, M.

2015-01-01

This study was undertaken to investigate the progress in operational scientific literacy skills through demonstrating cognition associated with undertaking scientific processes. Scientific literacy is taken here to mean utilising science knowledge and skills, particularly with relevance to creative problem solving and making reasoned decisions in…

Student Difficulties in Socio-Scientific Argumentation and Decision-Making Research Findings: Crossing the Borders of Two Research Lines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acar, Omer; Turkmen, Lutfullah; Roychoudhury, Anita

2010-01-01

Students' poor argumentation in the context of socio-scientific issues has become a concern in science education. Identified problems associated with student argumentation in socio-scientific issues are misevaluation of evidence, naive nature of science conceptualizations, and inappropriate use of value-based reasoning. In this theoretical paper,…

The Experiential Domain: Developing a Model for Enhancing Practice in D&T Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Adrian; Seery, Niall; Canty, Donal

2018-01-01

Creativity and innovation are leading topics for the twenty-first century, not only in individual, cultural or social contexts but also within a wider perspective in business or economic development. For that reason, creative and innovative activities have started to feature in many design-based programs in second level education. Design and…

An Issues- and Concepts-Based Curriculum: Teaching about Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Keith

2014-01-01

I argue that students want to see relevance in their studies. The National Curriculum in England is a list of concepts that we wish them to understand. However, the concepts need to be embedded into a meaningful context, such as climate change, which may become the overarching reason for teaching science. In this article I remember fondly…

Beyond the Bake Sale: A Community-Based Relational Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Mark R.; Hong, Soo; Rubin, Carolyn Heang; Uy, Phitsamay Sychitkokhong

2009-01-01

Background/Context: Parent involvement in education is widely recognized as important, yet it remains weak in many communities. One important reason for this weakness is that urban schools have grown increasingly isolated from the families and communities they serve. Many of the same neighborhoods with families who are disconnected from public…

Learning to Think Spatially in an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Computational Design Context: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben Youssef, Belgacem; Berry, Barbara

2012-01-01

Spatial thinking skills are vital for success in everyday living and work, not to mention the centrality of spatial reasoning in scientific discoveries, design-based disciplines, medicine, geosciences and mathematics to name a few. This case study describes a course in spatial thinking and communicating designed and delivered by an…

Design Decisions in Developing Learning Trajectories-Based Assessments in Mathematics: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penuel, William R.; Confrey, Jere; Maloney, Alan; Rupp, André A.

2014-01-01

This article analyzes the design decisions of a team developing diagnostic assessments for a learning trajectory focused on rational number reasoning. The analysis focuses on the design rationale for key decisions about how to develop the cognitive assessments and related validity arguments within a fluid state and national policy context. The…

"Mathematics Is Just 1 + 1 = 2, What Is There to Argue About?": Developing a Framework for Argument-Based Mathematical Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fielding-Wells, Jill

2016-01-01

One potential means to develop students' contextual and conceptual understanding of mathematics is through Inquiry Learning. However, introducing a problem context can distract from mathematical content. Incorporating argumentation practices into Inquiry may address this through providing a stronger reliance on mathematical evidence and reasoning.…

Mathematics pre-service teachers’ statistical reasoning about meaning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristanto, Y. D.

2018-01-01

This article offers a descriptive qualitative analysis of 3 second-year pre-service teachers’ statistical reasoning about the mean. Twenty-six pre-service teachers were tested using an open-ended problem where they were expected to analyze a method in finding the mean of a data. Three of their test results are selected to be analyzed. The results suggest that the pre-service teachers did not use context to develop the interpretation of mean. Therefore, this article also offers strategies to promote statistical reasoning about mean that use various contexts.

Teaching and Assessing Clinical Reasoning Skills.

PubMed

Modi, Jyoti Nath; Anshu; Gupta, Piyush; Singh, Tejinder

2015-09-01

Clinical reasoning is a core competency expected to be acquired by all clinicians. It is the ability to integrate and apply different types of knowledge, weigh evidence critically and reflect upon the process used to arrive at a diagnosis. Problems with clinical reasoning often occur because of inadequate knowledge, flaws in data gathering and improper approach to information processing. Some of the educational strategies which can be used to encourage acquisition of clinical reasoning skills are: exposure to a wide variety of clinical cases, activation of previous knowledge, development of illness scripts, sharing expert strategies to arrive at a diagnosis, forcing students to prioritize differential diagnoses; and encouraging reflection, metacognition, deliberate practice and availability of formative feedback. Assessment of clinical reasoning abilities should be done throughout the training course in diverse settings. Use of scenario based multiple choice questions, key feature test and script concordance test are some ways of theoretically assessing clinical reasoning ability. In the clinical setting, these skills can be tested in most forms of workplace based assessment. We recommend that clinical reasoning must be taught at all levels of medical training as it improves clinician performance and reduces cognitive errors.

Cloud-Coffee: implementation of a parallel consistency-based multiple alignment algorithm in the T-Coffee package and its benchmarking on the Amazon Elastic-Cloud.

PubMed

Di Tommaso, Paolo; Orobitg, Miquel; Guirado, Fernando; Cores, Fernado; Espinosa, Toni; Notredame, Cedric

2010-08-01

We present the first parallel implementation of the T-Coffee consistency-based multiple aligner. We benchmark it on the Amazon Elastic Cloud (EC2) and show that the parallelization procedure is reasonably effective. We also conclude that for a web server with moderate usage (10K hits/month) the cloud provides a cost-effective alternative to in-house deployment. T-Coffee is a freeware open source package available from http://www.tcoffee.org/homepage.html

State medical licensure for telemedicine and teleradiology.

PubMed

Hunter, Tim B; Weinstein, Ronald S; Krupinski, Elizabeth A

2015-04-01

Physician medical licensure is state based for historical and constitutional reasons. It may also provide the best method for guaranteeing patient protection from unqualified, incompetent, impaired, or unprofessional practitioners of medicine. However, a significant cost for physicians practicing telemedicine is having to obtain multiple state medical licenses. There is reasonable likelihood that model legislation for the practice of telemedicine across state boundaries will be passed in the next few years, providing physicians with a simpler process for license reciprocity in multiple states via interstate licensing compacts. Physicians would have to be licensed in the state in which the patient resides. Patient complaints would still be adjudicated by the medical licensing board in the state where the patient resides according applicable state legislation.

Assessment of Preschooler's Scientific Reasoning in Adult-Child Interactions: What Is the Optimal Context?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meindertsma, Heidi B.; van Dijk, Marijn W. G.; Steenbeek, Henderien W.; van Geert, Paul L. C.

2014-04-01

In educational settings, continuous assessment of the child's level of understanding is necessary to effectively utilize the principles of scaffolding and to create contexts that can advance the scientific reasoning of the child. In this article, we argue that a child's performance is a dynamic notion that is created by all elements in an interaction, including the task. Therefore, we studied preschoolers' levels of scientific reasoning varying different properties of the assessment context. Young children were interviewed about four scientific tasks using one out of four different protocols (varying in the degree of flexibility and adaptiveness) by an adult. In the first study, different task contents resulted in different performance levels. The second study indicated that the most structured protocol elicited the highest maximum level of reasoning in children and the highest percentage of correct predictions. The third study showed differences between the protocols in the adult's verbal behavior. Adaptation in verbal behavior to different children by the adult did not result in higher scientific understanding by the children, whereas a higher degree of task structure did. Combined, the studies emphasize the importance of context, which has implications for assessment and teaching situations.

Proverb comprehension in context: a developmental study with children and adolescents.

PubMed

Nippold, M A; Martin, S A; Erskine, B J

1988-03-01

Although previous studies have reported that proverb comprehension remains quite literal before adolescence, the results of the present study indicated that fourth graders performed well on a proverb comprehension task involving contextual information and a written multiple choice format. It was also found that performance on the proverb task steadily improved at least through the eighth grade and was significantly correlated to performance on a perceptual analogical reasoning task. The study contributes to the small but growing body of information concerning language development during the preadolescent and adolescent years and may have some important implications for the assessment of youngsters of this age range who have comprehension deficits that are troublesome, yet difficult to document.

Patient safety and the problem of many hands

PubMed Central

Dixon-Woods, Mary; Pronovost, Peter

2016-01-01

Summary Healthcare worldwide is faced with a crisis of patient safety: every day, everywhere, patients are injured during the course of their care. Notwithstanding occasional successes in relation to specific harms, safety as a system characteristic has remained elusive. We propose that one neglected reason why the safety problem has proved so stubborn is that healthcare suffers from a pathology known in the public administration literature as the problem of many hands. It is a problem that arises in contexts where multiple actors – organizations, individuals, groups – each contribute to effects seen at system level, but it remains difficult to hold any single actor responsible for these effects. Efforts by individual actors, including local quality improvement projects, may have the paradoxical effect of undermining system safety. Many challenges cannot be resolved by individual organisations, since they require whole-sector coordination and action. We call for recognition of the problem of many hands and for attention to be given to how it might most optimally be addressed in a healthcare context. PMID:26912578

A robot sets a table: a case for hybrid reasoning with different types of knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansouri, Masoumeh; Pecora, Federico

2016-09-01

An important contribution of AI to Robotics is the model-centred approach, whereby competent robot behaviour stems from automated reasoning in models of the world which can be changed to suit different environments, physical capabilities and tasks. However models need to capture diverse (and often application-dependent) aspects of the robot's environment and capabilities. They must also have good computational properties, as robots need to reason while they act in response to perceived context. In this article, we investigate the use of a meta-CSP-based technique to interleave reasoning in diverse knowledge types. We reify the approach through a robotic waiter case study, for which a particular selection of spatial, temporal, resource and action KR formalisms is made. Using this case study, we discuss general principles pertaining to the selection of appropriate KR formalisms and jointly reasoning about them. The resulting integration is evaluated both formally and experimentally on real and simulated robotic platforms.

geneCBR: a translational tool for multiple-microarray analysis and integrative information retrieval for aiding diagnosis in cancer research.

PubMed

Glez-Peña, Daniel; Díaz, Fernando; Hernández, Jesús M; Corchado, Juan M; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino

2009-06-18

Bioinformatics and medical informatics are two research fields that serve the needs of different but related communities. Both domains share the common goal of providing new algorithms, methods and technological solutions to biomedical research, and contributing to the treatment and cure of diseases. Although different microarray techniques have been successfully used to investigate useful information for cancer diagnosis at the gene expression level, the true integration of existing methods into day-to-day clinical practice is still a long way off. Within this context, case-based reasoning emerges as a suitable paradigm specially intended for the development of biomedical informatics applications and decision support systems, given the support and collaboration involved in such a translational development. With the goals of removing barriers against multi-disciplinary collaboration and facilitating the dissemination and transfer of knowledge to real practice, case-based reasoning systems have the potential to be applied to translational research mainly because their computational reasoning paradigm is similar to the way clinicians gather, analyze and process information in their own practice of clinical medicine. In addressing the issue of bridging the existing gap between biomedical researchers and clinicians who work in the domain of cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, we have developed and made accessible a common interactive framework. Our geneCBR system implements a freely available software tool that allows the use of combined techniques that can be applied to gene selection, clustering, knowledge extraction and prediction for aiding diagnosis in cancer research. For biomedical researches, geneCBR expert mode offers a core workbench for designing and testing new techniques and experiments. For pathologists or oncologists, geneCBR diagnostic mode implements an effective and reliable system that can diagnose cancer subtypes based on the analysis of microarray data using a CBR architecture. For programmers, geneCBR programming mode includes an advanced edition module for run-time modification of previous coded techniques. geneCBR is a new translational tool that can effectively support the integrative work of programmers, biomedical researches and clinicians working together in a common framework. The code is freely available under the GPL license and can be obtained at http://www.genecbr.org.

Medical Student and Tutor Perceptions of Video Versus Text in an Interactive Online Virtual Patient for Problem-Based Learning: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Woodham, Luke A; Ellaway, Rachel H; Round, Jonathan; Vaughan, Sophie; Poulton, Terry; Zary, Nabil

2015-06-18

The impact of the use of video resources in primarily paper-based problem-based learning (PBL) settings has been widely explored. Although it can provide many benefits, the use of video can also hamper the critical thinking of learners in contexts where learners are developing clinical reasoning. However, the use of video has not been explored in the context of interactive virtual patients for PBL. A pilot study was conducted to explore how undergraduate medical students interpreted and evaluated information from video- and text-based materials presented in the context of a branched interactive online virtual patient designed for PBL. The goal was to inform the development and use of virtual patients for PBL and to inform future research in this area. An existing virtual patient for PBL was adapted for use in video and provided as an intervention to students in the transition year of the undergraduate medicine course at St George's, University of London. Survey instruments were used to capture student and PBL tutor experiences and perceptions of the intervention, and a formative review meeting was run with PBL tutors. Descriptive statistics were generated for the structured responses and a thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes in the unstructured responses. Analysis of student responses (n=119) and tutor comments (n=18) yielded 8 distinct themes relating to the perceived educational efficacy of information presented in video and text formats in a PBL context. Although some students found some characteristics of the videos beneficial, when asked to express a preference for video or text the majority of those that responded to the question (65%, 65/100) expressed a preference for text. Student responses indicated that the use of video slowed the pace of PBL and impeded students' ability to review and critically appraise the presented information. Our findings suggest that text was perceived to be a better source of information than video in virtual patients for PBL. More specifically, the use of video was perceived as beneficial for providing details, visual information, and context where text was unable to do so. However, learner acceptance of text was higher in the context of PBL, particularly when targeting clinical reasoning skills. This pilot study has provided the foundation for further research into the effectiveness of different virtual patient designs for PBL.

Adolescent judgments and reasoning about the failure to include peers with social disabilities.

PubMed

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Li, Zhushan

2015-06-01

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder often do not have access to crucial peer social activities. This study examines how typically developing adolescents evaluate decisions not to include a peer based on disability status, and the justifications they apply to these decisions. A clinical interview methodology was used to elicit judgments and justifications across four contexts. We found adolescents are more likely to judge the failure to include as acceptable in personal as compared to public contexts. Using logistic regression, we found that adolescents are more likely to provide moral justifications as to why failure to include is acceptable in a classroom as compared to home, lab group, and soccer practice contexts. Implications for intervention are also discussed.

Stimulating Mathematical Reasoning with Simple Open-Ended Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, John

2018-01-01

The importance of mathematical reasoning is unquestioned and providing opportunities for students to become involved in mathematical reasoning is paramount. The open-ended tasks presented incorporate mathematical content explored through the contexts of problem solving and reasoning. This article presents a number of simple tasks that may be…

[Neural basis of self-face recognition: social aspects].

PubMed

Sugiura, Motoaki

2012-07-01

Considering the importance of the face in social survival and evidence from evolutionary psychology of visual self-recognition, it is reasonable that we expect neural mechanisms for higher social-cognitive processes to underlie self-face recognition. A decade of neuroimaging studies so far has, however, not provided an encouraging finding in this respect. Self-face specific activation has typically been reported in the areas for sensory-motor integration in the right lateral cortices. This observation appears to reflect the physical nature of the self-face which representation is developed via the detection of contingency between one's own action and sensory feedback. We have recently revealed that the medial prefrontal cortex, implicated in socially nuanced self-referential process, is activated during self-face recognition under a rich social context where multiple other faces are available for reference. The posterior cingulate cortex has also exhibited this activation modulation, and in the separate experiment showed a response to attractively manipulated self-face suggesting its relevance to positive self-value. Furthermore, the regions in the right lateral cortices typically showing self-face-specific activation have responded also to the face of one's close friend under the rich social context. This observation is potentially explained by the fact that the contingency detection for physical self-recognition also plays a role in physical social interaction, which characterizes the representation of personally familiar people. These findings demonstrate that neuroscientific exploration reveals multiple facets of the relationship between self-face recognition and social-cognitive process, and that technically the manipulation of social context is key to its success.

A comprehensive test of clinical reasoning for medical students: An olympiad experience in Iran

PubMed Central

Monajemi, Alireza; Arabshahi, Kamran Soltani; Soltani, Akbar; Arbabi, Farshid; Akbari, Roghieh; Custers, Eugene; Hadadgar, Arash; Hadizadeh, Fatemeh; Changiz, Tahereh; Adibi, Peyman

2012-01-01

Background: Although some tests for clinical reasoning assessment are now available, the theories of medical expertise have not played a major role in this filed. In this paper, illness script theory was chose as a theoretical framework and contemporary clinical reasoning tests were put together based on this theoretical model. Materials and Methods: This paper is a qualitative study performed with an action research approach. This style of research is performed in a context where authorities focus on promoting their organizations’ performance and is carried out in the form of teamwork called participatory research. Results: Results are presented in four parts as basic concepts, clinical reasoning assessment, test framework, and scoring. Conclusion: we concluded that no single test could thoroughly assess clinical reasoning competency, and therefore a battery of clinical reasoning tests is needed. This battery should cover all three parts of clinical reasoning process: script activation, selection and verification. In addition, not only both analytical and non-analytical reasoning, but also both diagnostic and management reasoning should evenly take into consideration in this battery. This paper explains the process of designing and implementing the battery of clinical reasoning in the Olympiad for medical sciences students through an action research. PMID:23555113

Reasons for non-use of condoms among men who have sex with men: a comparison of receptive and insertive role in sex and online and offline meeting venue.

PubMed

Ostergren, Jenny E; Rosser, B R Simon; Horvath, Keith J

2011-02-01

This study examined reasons for non-use of condoms among an online survey sample of 462 non-condom using men who have sex with men to: (1) identify major domains, themes and categories encompassing reasons for non-use of condoms and (2) examine whether reasons varied by role-in-sex (insertive or receptive) and meeting venue (online or offline). A thematic analysis was completed on participant responses to an open-ended question about reasons for non-condom use. Preference for not using condoms and contextual factors were the top two reasons given for not using condoms, followed by a reasoned judgment based on risk assessment, relationship status and interpersonal communication. No major differences were found between men who reported non-condom use at last receptive and insertive anal intercourse. By contrast when meeting online, men were more likely to report reasons for non-condom use that corresponded to individual preference and mutual agreement not to use condoms. When meeting offline, men were more likely to cite reasons related to context and relationships. In developing HIV-prevention interventions for this population, researchers should address both venues separately, as reasons why men engage in non-use of condoms appear to differ.

Reasons for Non-use of Condoms among Men-who-have-Sex-with-Men: A Comparison of Receptive and Insertive Role-in-Sex and Online and Offline Meeting Venue

PubMed Central

Ostergren, Jenny E.; Rosser, B.R. Simon; Horvath, Keith J.

2010-01-01

This study examined reasons for non-use of condoms among an online survey sample of 462 non-condom using MSM to 1) identify major domains, themes and categories encompassing reasons for non-use of condoms, and 2) examine whether reasons varied by role-in-sex (insertive or receptive) and meeting venue (online or offline). A thematic analysis was completed on participant responses to an open-ended question about reasons for non-condom use. Preference for not using condoms and contextual factors were the top two reasons given for not using condoms, followed by a reasoned judgment based on risk assessment, relationship status and interpersonal communication. No major differences were found between men who reported non-condom use at last receptive and insertive anal intercourse. By contrast when meeting online, men were more likely to report reasons for non-condom use that corresponded to individual preference and mutual agreement not to use condoms. When meeting offline, men were more likely to cite reasons related to context and relationships. In developing HIV prevention interventions for this population, researchers should address both venues separately, as reasons why men engage in non-use of condoms appear to differ. PMID:20967649

So, Here's the Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Columba, Lynn

2013-01-01

Mathematics is about reasoning, patterns, and making sense of things. Children's literature provides a powerful opportunity to foster unique experiences in mathematics learning. Storybooks, thinking strategies, and manipulatives offer a winning combination for mastering multiplication facts based on conceptual ideas and relationships. The most…

A risk-based decision support framework for selection of appropriate safety measure system for underground coal mines.

PubMed

Samantra, Chitrasen; Datta, Saurav; Mahapatra, Siba Sankar

2017-03-01

In the context of underground coal mining industry, the increased economic issues regarding implementation of additional safety measure systems, along with growing public awareness to ensure high level of workers safety, have put great pressure on the managers towards finding the best solution to ensure safe as well as economically viable alternative selection. Risk-based decision support system plays an important role in finding such solutions amongst candidate alternatives with respect to multiple decision criteria. Therefore, in this paper, a unified risk-based decision-making methodology has been proposed for selecting an appropriate safety measure system in relation to an underground coal mining industry with respect to multiple risk criteria such as financial risk, operating risk, and maintenance risk. The proposed methodology uses interval-valued fuzzy set theory for modelling vagueness and subjectivity in the estimates of fuzzy risk ratings for making appropriate decision. The methodology is based on the aggregative fuzzy risk analysis and multi-criteria decision making. The selection decisions are made within the context of understanding the total integrated risk that is likely to incur while adapting the particular safety system alternative. Effectiveness of the proposed methodology has been validated through a real-time case study. The result in the context of final priority ranking is seemed fairly consistent.

Strategy selection as rational metareasoning.

PubMed

Lieder, Falk; Griffiths, Thomas L

2017-11-01

Many contemporary accounts of human reasoning assume that the mind is equipped with multiple heuristics that could be deployed to perform a given task. This raises the question of how the mind determines when to use which heuristic. To answer this question, we developed a rational model of strategy selection, based on the theory of rational metareasoning developed in the artificial intelligence literature. According to our model people learn to efficiently choose the strategy with the best cost-benefit tradeoff by learning a predictive model of each strategy's performance. We found that our model can provide a unifying explanation for classic findings from domains ranging from decision-making to arithmetic by capturing the variability of people's strategy choices, their dependence on task and context, and their development over time. Systematic model comparisons supported our theory, and 4 new experiments confirmed its distinctive predictions. Our findings suggest that people gradually learn to make increasingly more rational use of fallible heuristics. This perspective reconciles the 2 poles of the debate about human rationality by integrating heuristics and biases with learning and rationality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Hospital dental practice in special patients

PubMed Central

Silvestre-Rangil, Javier; Espín-Gálvez, Fernando

2014-01-01

Dental patients with special needs are people with different systemic diseases, multiple disorders or severe physical and/or mental disabilities. A Medline search was made, yielding a total of 29 articles that served as the basis for this study, which offers a brief description of the dental intervention protocols in medically compromised patients. Dental treatment in patients with special needs, whether presenting medical problems or disabilities, is sometimes complex. For this reason the hospital should be regarded as the ideal setting for the care of these individuals. Before starting any dental intervention, a correct patient evaluation is needed, based on a correct anamnesis, medical records and interconsultation reports, and with due assessment of the medical risks involved. The hospital setting offers the advantage of access to electronic medical records and to data referred to any complementary tests that may have been made, and we moreover have the possibility of performing treatments under general anesthesia. In this context, ambulatory major surgery is the best approach when considering general anesthesia in patients of this kind. Key words:Hospital dentistry, special patients, medically compromised patients. PMID:24121921

Seeing the forest for the trees: hybridity and social-ecological symbols, rituals and resilience in postdisaster contexts

Treesearch

Keith G. Tidball

2014-01-01

The role of community-based natural resources management in the form of "greening" after large scale system shocks and surprises is argued to provide multiple benefits via engagement with living elements of social-ecological systems and subsequent enhanced resilience at multiple scales. The importance of so-called social-ecological symbols, especially the...

Environmental influences on neural systems of relational complexity

PubMed Central

Kalbfleisch, M. Layne; deBettencourt, Megan T.; Kopperman, Rebecca; Banasiak, Meredith; Roberts, Joshua M.; Halavi, Maryam

2013-01-01

Constructivist learning theory contends that we construct knowledge by experience and that environmental context influences learning. To explore this principle, we examined the cognitive process relational complexity (RC), defined as the number of visual dimensions considered during problem solving on a matrix reasoning task and a well-documented measure of mature reasoning capacity. We sought to determine how the visual environment influences RC by examining the influence of color and visual contrast on RC in a neuroimaging task. To specify the contributions of sensory demand and relational integration to reasoning, our participants performed a non-verbal matrix task comprised of color, no-color line, or black-white visual contrast conditions parametrically varied by complexity (relations 0, 1, 2). The use of matrix reasoning is ecologically valid for its psychometric relevance and for its potential to link the processing of psychophysically specific visual properties with various levels of RC during reasoning. The role of these elements is important because matrix tests assess intellectual aptitude based on these seemingly context-less exercises. This experiment is a first step toward examining the psychophysical underpinnings of performance on these types of problems. The importance of this is increased in light of recent evidence that intelligence can be linked to visual discrimination. We submit three main findings. First, color and black-white visual contrast (BWVC) add demand at a basic sensory level, but contributions from color and from BWVC are dissociable in cortex such that color engages a “reasoning heuristic” and BWVC engages a “sensory heuristic.” Second, color supports contextual sense-making by boosting salience resulting in faster problem solving. Lastly, when visual complexity reaches 2-relations, color and visual contrast relinquish salience to other dimensions of problem solving. PMID:24133465

Connecting Classroom, Clinic, and Context: Clinical Reasoning Strategies for Clinical Instructors and Academic Faculty.

PubMed

Furze, Jennifer; Kenyon, Lisa K; Jensen, Gail M

2015-01-01

Clinical reasoning is an essential skill in pediatric physical therapist (PT) practice. As such, explicit instruction in clinical reasoning should be emphasized in PT education. This article provides academic faculty and clinical instructors with an overview of strategies to develop and expand the clinical reasoning capacity of PT students within the scope of pediatric PT practice. Achieving a balance between deductive reasoning strategies that provide a framework for thinking and inductive reasoning strategies that emphasize patient factors and the context of the clinical situation is an important variable in educational pedagogy. Consideration should be given to implementing various teaching and learning approaches across the curriculum that reflect the developmental level of the student(s). Deductive strategies may be helpful early in the curriculum, whereas inductive strategies are often advantageous after patient interactions; however, exposure to both is necessary to fully develop the learner's clinical reasoning abilities. For more insights from the authors, see Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at http://links.lww.com/PPT/A87.

Learning from Multiple Collaborating Intelligent Tutors: An Agent-based Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomos, Konstantinos; Avouris, Nikolaos

1999-01-01

Describes an open distributed multi-agent tutoring system (MATS) and discusses issues related to learning in such open environments. Topics include modeling a one student-many teachers approach in a computer-based learning context; distributed artificial intelligence; implementation issues; collaboration; and user interaction. (Author/LRW)

The AI Interdisciplinary Context: Single or Multiple Research Bases?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khawam, Yves J.

1992-01-01

This study used citation analysis to determine whether the disciplines contributing to the journal literature of artificial intelligence (AI)--philosophy, psychology, linguistics, computer science, and engineering--share a common AI research base. The idea that AI consists of a completely interdisciplinary endeavor was refuted. (MES)

Development of essentialist thinking about religion categories in Northern Ireland (and the United States).

PubMed

Smyth, Kirsty; Feeney, Aidan; Eidson, R Cole; Coley, John D

2017-03-01

Social essentialism, the belief that members of certain social categories share unobservable properties, licenses expectations that those categories are natural and a good basis for inference. A challenge for cognitive developmental theory is to give an account of how children come to develop essentialist beliefs about socially important categories. Previous evidence from Israel suggests that kindergarteners selectively engage in essentialist reasoning about culturally salient (ethnicity) categories, and that this is attenuated among children in integrated schools. In 5 studies (N = 718) we used forced-choice (Study 1) and unconstrained (Studies 2-4) category-based inference tasks, and a questionnaire (Study 5) to study the development of essentialist reasoning about religion categories in Northern Ireland (Studies 1-3 & 5) and the U.S. (Study 4). Results show that, as in Israel, Northern Irish children selectively engage in essentialist reasoning about culturally salient (religion) categories, and that such reasoning is attenuated among children in integrated schools. However, the development trajectory of essentialist thinking and the patterns of attenuation among children attending integrated schools in Northern Ireland differ from the Israeli case. Meta-analysis confirmed this claim and ruled out an alternative explanation of the results based on community diversity. Although the Northern Irish and Israeli case studies illustrate that children develop selective essentialist beliefs about socially important categories, and that these beliefs are impacted by educational context, the differences between them emphasize the importance of historical, cultural, and political context in understanding conceptual development, and suggest that there may be more than one developmental route to social essentialism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Transfer after process-based object-location memory training in healthy older adults.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Kathrin; von Bastian, Claudia C; Röcke, Christina; Martin, Mike; Eschen, Anne

2016-11-01

A substantial part of age-related episodic memory decline has been attributed to the decreasing ability of older adults to encode and retrieve associations among simultaneously processed information units from long-term memory. In addition, this ability seems to share unique variance with reasoning. In this study, we therefore examined whether process-based training of the ability to learn and remember associations has the potential to induce transfer effects to untrained episodic memory and reasoning tasks in healthy older adults (60-75 years). For this purpose, the experimental group (n = 36) completed 30 sessions of process-based object-location memory training, while the active control group (n = 31) practiced visual perception on the same material. Near (spatial episodic memory), intermediate (verbal episodic memory), and far transfer effects (reasoning) were each assessed with multiple tasks at four measurements (before, midway through, immediately after, and 4 months after training). Linear mixed-effects models revealed transfer effects on spatial episodic memory and reasoning that were still observed 4 months after training. These results provide first empirical evidence that process-based training can enhance healthy older adults' associative memory performance and positively affect untrained episodic memory and reasoning abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognition of an expert tackling an unfamiliar conceptual physics problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, David; Undreiu, Adriana

2009-11-01

We have investigated and analyzed the cognition of an expert tackling a qualitative conceptual physics problem of an unfamiliar type. Our goal was to elucidate the detailed cognitive processes and knowledge elements involved, irrespective of final solution form, and consider implications for instruction. The basic but non-trivial problem was to find qualitatively the direction of acceleration of a pendulum bob at various stages of its motion, a problem originally studied by Reif and Allen. Methodology included interviews, introspection, retrospection and self-reported metacognition. Multiple facets of cognition were revealed, with different reasoning strategies used at different stages and for different points on the path. An account is given of the zigzag thinking paths and interplay of reasoning modes and schema elements involved. We interpret the cognitive processes in terms of theoretical concepts that emerged, namely: case-based, principle-based, experiential-intuitive and practical-heuristic reasoning; knowledge elements and schemata; activation; metacognition and epistemic framing. The complexity of cognition revealed in this case study contrasts with the tidy principle-based solutions we present to students. The pervasive role of schemata, case-based reasoning, practical heuristic strategies, and their interplay with physics principles is noteworthy, since these aspects of cognition are generally neither recognized nor taught. The schema/reasoning-mode perspective has direct application in science teaching, learning and problem-solving.

A case-study of a socio-scientific issues curricular and pedagogical intervention in an undergraduate microbiology course: A focus on informal reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schalk, Kelly A.

The purpose of this investigation was to measure specific ways a student interest SSI-based curricular and pedagogical affects undergraduates' ability informally reason. The delimited components of informal reasoning measured were undergraduates' Nature of Science conceptualizations and ability to evaluate scientific information. The socio-scientific issues (SSI) theoretical framework used in this case-study has been advocated as a means for improving students' functional scientific literacy. This investigation focused on the laboratory component of an undergraduate microbiology course in spring 2008. There were 26 participants. The instruments used in this study included: (1) Individual and Group research projects, (2) journals, (3) laboratory write-ups, (4) a laboratory quiz, (5) anonymous evaluations, and (6) a pre/post article exercise. All instruments yielded qualitative data, which were coded using the qualitative software NVivo7. Data analyses were subjected to instrumental triangulation, inter-rater reliability, and member-checking. It was determined that undergraduates' epistemological knowledge of scientific discovery, processes, and justification matured in response to the intervention. Specifically, students realized: (1) differences between facts, theories, and opinions; (2) testable questions are not definitively proven; (3) there is no stepwise scientific process; and (4) lack of data weakens a claim. It was determined that this knowledge influenced participants' beliefs and ability to informally reason. For instance, students exhibited more critical evaluations of scientific information. It was also found that undergraduates' prior opinions had changed over the semester. Further, the student interest aspect of this framework engaged learners by offering participants several opportunities to influentially examine microbiology issues that affected their life. The investigation provided empirically based insights into the ways undergraduates' interest and functional scientific literacy can be promoted. The investigation advanced what was known about using SSI-based frameworks to the post-secondary learner context. Outstanding questions remain for investigation. For example, is this type of student interest SSI-based intervention broadly applicable (i.e., in other science disciplines and grade levels)? And, what challenges would teachers in diverse contexts encounter when implementing a SSI-based theoretical framework?

Promoting Modeling and Covariational Reasoning among Secondary School Students in the Context of Big Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gil, Einat; Gibbs, Alison L.

2017-01-01

In this study, we follow students' modeling and covariational reasoning in the context of learning about big data. A three-week unit was designed to allow 12th grade students in a mathematics course to explore big and mid-size data using concepts such as trend and scatter to describe the relationships between variables in multivariate settings.…

Contextual cloud-based service oriented architecture for clinical workflow.

PubMed

Moreno-Conde, Jesús; Moreno-Conde, Alberto; Núñez-Benjumea, Francisco J; Parra-Calderón, Carlos

2015-01-01

Given that acceptance of systems within the healthcare domain multiple papers highlighted the importance of integrating tools with the clinical workflow. This paper analyse how clinical context management could be deployed in order to promote the adoption of cloud advanced services and within the clinical workflow. This deployment will be able to be integrated with the eHealth European Interoperability Framework promoted specifications. Throughout this paper, it is proposed a cloud-based service-oriented architecture. This architecture will implement a context management system aligned with the HL7 standard known as CCOW.

Generalizing on Multiple Grounds: Performance Learning in Model-Based Troubleshooting

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-02-01

Aritificial Intelligence , 24, 1984. [Ble88] Guy E. Blelloch. Scan Primitives and Parallel Vector Models. PhD thesis, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory...Diagnostic reasoning based on strcture and behavior. Aritificial Intelligence , 24, 1984. [dK86] J. de Kleer. An assumption-based truth maintenance system...diagnosis. Aritificial Intelligence , 24. �. )3 94 BIBLIOGRAPHY [Ham87] Kristian J. Hammond. Learning to anticipate and avoid planning prob- lems

Climate in Context - How partnerships evolve in regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parris, A. S.

2014-12-01

In 2015, NOAA's RISA program will celebrate its 20th year of exploration in the development of usable climate information. In the mid-1990s, a vision emerged to develop interdisciplinary research efforts at the regional scale for several important reasons. Recognizable climate patterns, such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), emerge at the regional level where our understanding of observations and models coalesce. Critical resources for society are managed in a context of regional systems, such as water supply and human populations. Multiple scales of governance (local, state, and federal) with complex institutional relationships can be examined across a region. Climate information (i.e. data, science, research etc) developed within these contexts has greater potential for use. All of this work rests on a foundation of iterative engagement between scientists and decision makers. Throughout these interactions, RISAs have navigated diverse politics, extreme events and disasters, socio-economic and ecological disruptions, and advances in both science and technology. Our understanding of information needs is evolving into a richer understanding of complex institutional, legal, political, and cultural contexts within which people can use science to make informed decisions. The outcome of RISA work includes both cases where climate information was used in decisions and cases where capacity for using climate information and making climate resilient decisions has increased over time. In addition to balancing supply and demand of scientific information, RISAs are engaged in a social process of reconciling climate information use with important drivers of society. Because partnerships are critical for sustained engagement, and because engagement is critically important to the use of science, the rapid development of new capacity in regionally-based science programs focused on providing climate decision support is both needed and challenging. New actors can bolster existing partnerships, but also impact trust developed through engagement. Examining other partnership-driven science initiatives, such as Digital Coast or NIDIS, can help identify critical elements of governance and network management that could be applied to the regional climate programs.

PREDICTING ER BINDING AFFINITY FOR EDC RANKING AND PRIORITIZATION: MODEL I

EPA Science Inventory

A Common Reactivity Pattern (COREPA) model, based on consideration of multiple energetically reasonable conformations of flexible chemicals was developed using a training set of 232 rat estrogen receptor (rER) relative binding affinity (RBA) measurements. The training set include...

Moral Reasoning Patterns and Influential Factors in the Context of Environmental Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuncay, Busra; Yilmaz-Tuzun, Ozgul; Teksoz, Gaye Tuncer

2012-01-01

This study investigated pre-service science teachers' (PSTs') moral reasoning patterns and the factors underlying these reasoning patterns. Local and non-local environmental dilemmas were used to examine moral reasoning patterns. An explanatory design was used with the collection and analysis of quantitative data, which was subsequently refined…

Student Reasoning about Electrostatic and Gravitational Potential Energy: An Exploratory Study with Interdisciplinary Consequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsey, Beth A.

2014-01-01

This paper describes an investigation into student reasoning about potential energy in the context of introductory electrostatics. Similar incorrect reasoning patterns emerged both in written questions administered after relevant instruction and in one-on-one interviews. These reasoning patterns are also prevalent in responses to questions posed…

From Role Models to Nations in Need of Advice: Norway and Sweden under the OECD's Magnifying Glass

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pettersson, Daniel; Prøitz, Tine Sophie; Forsberg, Eva

2017-01-01

By analysing five separate OECD reviews of evaluation and assessment practices with Norway and Sweden as cases, our study illustrates different ways in which a specific international educational reasoning is blended into more context-based national education policies and, as such, works in parallel with internal reforms and agendas. It is evident…

Stimulating Base-Ten Reasoning with Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bray, Wendy S.; Blais, Tanya Vik

2017-01-01

When asked to determine the number of tens in twenty-five, most second graders who have had instruction on place value can quickly provide the correct answer of two. However, when asked to show how the numeral 2 is represented in a set of twenty-five objects, many children struggle to draw a connection between the digit 2 and twenty objects in the…

Put Reading First: Positive Effects of Direct Instruction and Scaffolding for ESL Learners Struggling with Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Staden, Annalene

2011-01-01

The inability of many English second-language (ESL) learners to read at desirable levels is universal, but reasons for this and solutions have not yet been addressed. Within the South African teaching context especially there is a paucity of evidence-based research findings available on the literacy challenges faced by ESL learners and the…

On the Embedded Complementarity of Agent-Based and Aggregate Reasoning in Students' Developing Understanding of Dynamic Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroup, Walter M.; Wilensky, Uri

2014-01-01

Placed in the larger context of broadening the engagement with systems dynamics and complexity theory in school-aged learning and teaching, this paper is intended to introduce, situate, and illustrate--with results from the use of network supported participatory simulations in classrooms--a stance we call "embedded complementarity" as an…

Context Based Inferences in Research Methodology: The Role of Culture in Justifying Knowledge Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evers, Colin W.; Mason, Mark

2011-01-01

Drawing on work in epistemology and the philosophy of science, this paper seeks to provide very general reasons for why a comparative perspective needs to be applied to the inferential procedures of research methodologies where these concern the issue of justifying knowledge claims. In particular, the paper explores the role of culture on a number…

Anthropomorphism--Matters or Not? On Agent Modality and Its Implications for Teaching English Idioms and Design Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmadi, Alireza; Sahragard, Rahman; Babaie Shalmani, Hamed

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to examine whether agent-based instruction would privilege English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners any better than mainstream approaches (e.g. analogical reasoning, guessing from context, image formation, semantic analysis, etc.) when it comes to the teaching of English idioms. It also sought to explore whether…

Emergency Department Coverage by Primary Care Physicians in a Rural Practice-Based Research Network: Incentives, Confidence, and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lew, Edward; Fagnan, Lyle J.; Mattek, Nora; Mahler, Jo; Lowe, Robert A.

2009-01-01

Context: In rural areas of the United States, emergency departments (EDs) are often staffed by primary care physicians, as contrasted to urban and suburban hospitals where ED coverage is usually provided by physicians who are residency-trained in emergency medicine. Purpose: This study examines the reasons and incentives for rural Oregon primary…

How Do Higher-Education Students Use Their Initial Understanding to Deal with Contextual Logic-Based Problems in Discrete Mathematics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubis, Asrin; Nasution, Andrea Arifsyah

2017-01-01

Mathematical reasoning in logical context has now received much attention in the mathematics curriculum documents of many countries, including Indonesia. In Indonesia, students start formally learning about logic when they pursue to senior-high school. Before, they previously have many experiences to deal with logic, but the earlier assignments do…

Exploring Gender Issues across Cultures: A Literature Based Whole Language Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Yi-Hsuan Gloria

This paper explores the whole language approach to teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in the context of gender issues. More specifically, this study is focused on teaching ESL to university freshman in Taiwan. The whole language approach is used for two reasons: language can best be learned when it kept as a whole--especially with…

Towards a Differentiated and Domain-Specific View of Educational Technology: An Exploratory Study of History Teachers' Technology Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voet, Michiel; De Wever, Bram

2017-01-01

Adopting a differentiated and domain-specific view of educational technology, the present study focuses on the case of school history. It argues that, in this particular context, one of technology's main assets is its ability to support inquiry-based learning activities, during which students interpret the past through historical reasoning. As…

Developing Students' Critical Reasoning About Online Health Information: A Capabilities Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiblom, Jonna; Rundgren, Carl-Johan; Andrée, Maria

2017-11-01

The internet has become a main source for health-related information retrieval. In addition to information published by medical experts, individuals share their personal experiences and narratives on blogs and social media platforms. Our increasing need to confront and make meaning of various sources and conflicting health information has challenged the way critical reasoning has become relevant in science education. This study addresses how the opportunities for students to develop and practice their capabilities to critically approach online health information can be created in science education. Together with two upper secondary biology teachers, we carried out a design-based study. The participating students were given an online retrieval task that included a search and evaluation of health-related online sources. After a few lessons, the students were introduced to an evaluation tool designed to support critical evaluation of health information online. Using qualitative content analysis, four themes could be discerned in the audio and video recordings of student interactions when engaging with the task. Each theme illustrates the different ways in which critical reasoning became practiced in the student groups. Without using the evaluation tool, the students struggled to overview the vast amount of information and negotiate trustworthiness. Guided by the evaluation tool, critical reasoning was practiced to handle source subjectivity and to sift out scientific information only. Rather than a generic skill and transferable across contexts, students' critical reasoning became conditioned by the multi-dimensional nature of health issues, the blend of various contexts and the shift of purpose constituted by the students.

Exploring undergraduates' understanding of photosynthesis using diagnostic question clusters.

PubMed

Parker, Joyce M; Anderson, Charles W; Heidemann, Merle; Merrill, John; Merritt, Brett; Richmond, Gail; Urban-Lurain, Mark

2012-01-01

We present a diagnostic question cluster (DQC) that assesses undergraduates' thinking about photosynthesis. This assessment tool is not designed to identify individual misconceptions. Rather, it is focused on students' abilities to apply basic concepts about photosynthesis by reasoning with a coordinated set of practices based on a few scientific principles: conservation of matter, conservation of energy, and the hierarchical nature of biological systems. Data on students' responses to the cluster items and uses of some of the questions in multiple-choice, multiple-true/false, and essay formats are compared. A cross-over study indicates that the multiple-true/false format shows promise as a machine-gradable format that identifies students who have a mixture of accurate and inaccurate ideas. In addition, interviews with students about their choices on three multiple-choice questions reveal the fragility of students' understanding. Collectively, the data show that many undergraduates lack both a basic understanding of the role of photosynthesis in plant metabolism and the ability to reason with scientific principles when learning new content. Implications for instruction are discussed.

Exploring Undergraduates' Understanding of Photosynthesis Using Diagnostic Question Clusters

PubMed Central

Parker, Joyce M.; Anderson, Charles W.; Heidemann, Merle; Merrill, John; Merritt, Brett; Richmond, Gail; Urban-Lurain, Mark

2012-01-01

We present a diagnostic question cluster (DQC) that assesses undergraduates' thinking about photosynthesis. This assessment tool is not designed to identify individual misconceptions. Rather, it is focused on students' abilities to apply basic concepts about photosynthesis by reasoning with a coordinated set of practices based on a few scientific principles: conservation of matter, conservation of energy, and the hierarchical nature of biological systems. Data on students' responses to the cluster items and uses of some of the questions in multiple-choice, multiple-true/false, and essay formats are compared. A cross-over study indicates that the multiple-true/false format shows promise as a machine-gradable format that identifies students who have a mixture of accurate and inaccurate ideas. In addition, interviews with students about their choices on three multiple-choice questions reveal the fragility of students' understanding. Collectively, the data show that many undergraduates lack both a basic understanding of the role of photosynthesis in plant metabolism and the ability to reason with scientific principles when learning new content. Implications for instruction are discussed. PMID:22383617

Ontology Mappings to Improve Learning Resource Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasevic, Dragan; Hatala, Marek

2006-01-01

This paper proposes an ontology mapping-based framework that allows searching for learning resources using multiple ontologies. The present applications of ontologies in e-learning use various ontologies (eg, domain, curriculum, context), but they do not give a solution on how to interoperate e-learning systems based on different ontologies. The…

Multiple Perspectives, Loyalties and Identities: Exploring Intrapersonal Spaces through Research-Based Theatre

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Vince; Belliveau, George

2011-01-01

This paper recounts the investigative journey of a small group of faculty and graduate students at the University of British Columbia who extensively employed research-based theatre methods to collaboratively and performatively explore three distinct but related contexts that represent critical "moments" in the professional lives of…

A Multi-layer, Data-driven Advanced Reasoning Tool for Intelligent Data Mining and Analysis for Smart Grids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Ning; Du, Pengwei; Greitzer, Frank L.

2012-12-31

This paper presents the multi-layer, data-driven advanced reasoning tool (M-DART), a proof-of-principle decision support tool for improved power system operation. M-DART will cross-correlate and examine different data sources to assess anomalies, infer root causes, and anneal data into actionable information. By performing higher-level reasoning “triage” of diverse data sources, M-DART focuses on early detection of emerging power system events and identifies highest priority actions for the human decision maker. M-DART represents a significant advancement over today’s grid monitoring technologies that apply offline analyses to derive model-based guidelines for online real-time operations and use isolated data processing mechanisms focusing on individualmore » data domains. The development of the M-DART will bridge these gaps by reasoning about results obtained from multiple data sources that are enabled by the smart grid infrastructure. This hybrid approach integrates a knowledge base that is trained offline but tuned online to capture model-based relationships while revealing complex causal relationships among data from different domains.« less

Effects of the Multiple Solutions and Question Prompts on Generalization and Justification for Non-Routine Mathematical Problem Solving in a Computer Game Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Chun-Yi; Chen, Ming-Jang; Chang, Wen-Long

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of solution methods and question prompts on generalization and justification of non-routine problem solving for Grade 9 students. The learning activities are based on the context of the frog jumping game. In addition, related computer tools were used to support generalization and justification of…

Understanding clinical reasoning in osteopathy: a qualitative research approach.

PubMed

Grace, Sandra; Orrock, Paul; Vaughan, Brett; Blaich, Raymond; Coutts, Rosanne

2016-01-01

Clinical reasoning has been described as a process that draws heavily on the knowledge, skills and attributes that are particular to each health profession. However, the clinical reasoning processes of practitioners of different disciplines demonstrate many similarities, including hypothesis generation and reflective practice. The aim of this study was to understand clinical reasoning in osteopathy from the perspective of osteopathic clinical educators and the extent to which it was similar or different from clinical reasoning in other health professions. This study was informed by constructivist grounded theory. Participants were clinical educators in osteopathic teaching institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Focus groups and written critical reflections provided a rich data set. Data were analysed using constant comparison to develop inductive categories. According to participants, clinical reasoning in osteopathy is different from clinical reasoning in other health professions. Osteopaths use a two-phase approach: an initial biomedical screen for serious pathology, followed by use of osteopathic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body. Clinical reasoning in osteopathy was also described as occurring in a number of contexts (e.g. patient, practitioner and community) and drawing on a range of metaskills (e.g. hypothesis generation and reflexivity) that have been described in other health professions. The use of diagnostic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body differentiated clinical reasoning in osteopathy. These models were not used to name a medical condition but rather to guide the selection of treatment approaches. If confirmed by further research that clinical reasoning in osteopathy is distinct from clinical reasoning in other health professions, then osteopaths may have a unique perspective to bring to multidisciplinary decision-making and potentially enhance the quality of patient care. Where commonalities exist in the clinical reasoning processes of osteopathy and other health professions, shared learning opportunities may be available, including the exchange of scaffolded clinical reasoning exercises and assessment practices among health disciplines.

What variables can influence clinical reasoning?

PubMed

Ashoorion, Vahid; Liaghatdar, Mohammad Javad; Adibi, Peyman

2012-12-01

Clinical reasoning is one of the most important competencies that a physician should achieve. Many medical schools and licensing bodies try to predict it based on some general measures such as critical thinking, personality, and emotional intelligence. This study aimed at providing a model to design the relationship between the constructs. Sixty-nine medical students participated in this study. A battery test devised that consist four parts: Clinical reasoning measures, personality NEO inventory, Bar-On EQ inventory, and California critical thinking questionnaire. All participants completed the tests. Correlation and multiple regression analysis consumed for data analysis. There is low to moderate correlations between clinical reasoning and other variables. Emotional intelligence is the only variable that contributes clinical reasoning construct (r=0.17-0.34) (R(2) chnage = 0.46, P Value = 0.000). Although, clinical reasoning can be considered as a kind of thinking, no significant correlation detected between it and other constructs. Emotional intelligence (and its subscales) is the only variable that can be used for clinical reasoning prediction.

A Descriptive Study on the Use of Materials in Vocabulary Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Kerry; Holmes, Stacy V.; Watts, Karley

2012-01-01

Vocabulary knowledge is important because it is highly correlated with content area learning. Strategies for vocabulary instruction recommend using new words in multiple contexts as key to learning. To date, the term "multiple contexts" emphasizes written contexts, not three-dimensional concrete material contexts. This article describes the…

ICT-Based Learning Personalization Affordance in the Context of Implementation of Constructionist Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ignatova, Natalija; Dagiene, Valentina; Kubilinskiene, Svetlana

2015-01-01

How to enable students to create a personalized learning environment? What are the criteria of evaluation of the ICT-based learning process personalization affordance? These questions are answered by conducting multiple case study research of the innovative ICT-based learning process in iTEC (Innovative Technologies for Engaging Classrooms)…

Single and multiple object tracking using log-euclidean Riemannian subspace and block-division appearance model.

PubMed

Hu, Weiming; Li, Xi; Luo, Wenhan; Zhang, Xiaoqin; Maybank, Stephen; Zhang, Zhongfei

2012-12-01

Object appearance modeling is crucial for tracking objects, especially in videos captured by nonstationary cameras and for reasoning about occlusions between multiple moving objects. Based on the log-euclidean Riemannian metric on symmetric positive definite matrices, we propose an incremental log-euclidean Riemannian subspace learning algorithm in which covariance matrices of image features are mapped into a vector space with the log-euclidean Riemannian metric. Based on the subspace learning algorithm, we develop a log-euclidean block-division appearance model which captures both the global and local spatial layout information about object appearances. Single object tracking and multi-object tracking with occlusion reasoning are then achieved by particle filtering-based Bayesian state inference. During tracking, incremental updating of the log-euclidean block-division appearance model captures changes in object appearance. For multi-object tracking, the appearance models of the objects can be updated even in the presence of occlusions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed tracking algorithm obtains more accurate results than six state-of-the-art tracking algorithms.

High School Students' Reasons for Their Science Dispositions: Community-Based Innovative Technology-Embedded Environmental Research Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebenezer, Jazlin; Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Kasab, Dimma

2018-05-01

The purpose of this investigation was to qualitatively describe high school students' reasons for their science dispositions (attitude, perception, and self-confidence) based on their long-term experience with innovative technology-embedded environmental research projects. Students in small groups conducted research projects in and out of school with the help of their teachers and community experts (scientists and engineers). During the 3-year period of this nationally funded project, a total of 135 students from five schools in a mid-west State participated in research activities. Of the 135 students, 53 students were individually interviewed to explore reasons for their science dispositions. Students' reasons for each disposition were grouped into categories, and corresponding frequency was converted to a percentage. The categories of reasons were not only attributed to the use of innovative technologies in environmental research but also the contexts and events that surrounded it. The reasons that influenced students' science dispositions positively were because engaging in environmental research projects with technology contributed to easing fear and difficulty, building a research team, disseminating findings, communicating with the community, researching with scientists, training by teachers, and acknowledging teachers' knowledge. These results advanced how and why students develop science dispositions in the positive direction, which are as follows: building science teacher capacity, developing a community of inquirers, and committing to improve pedagogical practices.

Context Sensing System Analysis for Privacy Preservation Based on Game Theory.

PubMed

Wang, Shengling; Li, Luyun; Sun, Weiman; Guo, Junqi; Bie, Rongfang; Lin, Kai

2017-02-10

In a context sensing system in which a sensor-equipped mobile phone runs an unreliable context-aware application, the application can infer the user's contexts, based on which it provides personalized services. However, the application may sell the user's contexts to some malicious adversaries to earn extra profits, which will hinder its widespread use. In the real world, the actions of the user, the application and the adversary in the context sensing system affect each other, so that their payoffs are constrained mutually. To figure out under which conditions they behave well (the user releases, the application does not leak and the adversary does not retrieve the context), we take advantage of game theory to analyze the context sensing system. We use the extensive form game and the repeated game, respectively, to analyze two typical scenarios, single interaction and multiple interaction among three players, from which Nash equilibriums and cooperation conditions are obtained. Our results show that the reputation mechanism for the context-sensing system in the former scenario is crucial to privacy preservation, so is the extent to which the participants are concerned about future payoffs in the latter one.

A Prospective Examination of Clinician and Supervisor Turnover Within the Context of Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in a Publicly-Funded Mental Health System.

PubMed

Beidas, Rinad S; Marcus, Steven; Wolk, Courtney Benjamin; Powell, Byron; Aarons, Gregory A; Evans, Arthur C; Hurford, Matthew O; Hadley, Trevor; Adams, Danielle R; Walsh, Lucia M; Babbar, Shaili; Barg, Frances; Mandell, David S

2016-09-01

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout.

Student Strategies Suggesting Emergence of Mental Structures Supporting Logical and Abstract Thinking: Multiplicative Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Jim

2014-01-01

For many students, developing mathematical reasoning can prove to be challenging. Such difficulty may be explained by a deficit in the core understanding of many arithmetical concepts taught in early school years. Multiplicative reasoning is one such concept that produces an essential foundation upon which higher-level mathematical thinking skills…

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

PubMed

Ingram, James N; Howard, Ian S; Flanagan, J Randall; Wolpert, Daniel M

2011-09-01

Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field) perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar object dynamics, however, the representations can be engaged based on visual context, and are updated by a single-rate process.

Knowledge and intelligent computing system in medicine.

PubMed

Pandey, Babita; Mishra, R B

2009-03-01

Knowledge-based systems (KBS) and intelligent computing systems have been used in the medical planning, diagnosis and treatment. The KBS consists of rule-based reasoning (RBR), case-based reasoning (CBR) and model-based reasoning (MBR) whereas intelligent computing method (ICM) encompasses genetic algorithm (GA), artificial neural network (ANN), fuzzy logic (FL) and others. The combination of methods in KBS such as CBR-RBR, CBR-MBR and RBR-CBR-MBR and the combination of methods in ICM is ANN-GA, fuzzy-ANN, fuzzy-GA and fuzzy-ANN-GA. The combination of methods from KBS to ICM is RBR-ANN, CBR-ANN, RBR-CBR-ANN, fuzzy-RBR, fuzzy-CBR and fuzzy-CBR-ANN. In this paper, we have made a study of different singular and combined methods (185 in number) applicable to medical domain from mid 1970s to 2008. The study is presented in tabular form, showing the methods and its salient features, processes and application areas in medical domain (diagnosis, treatment and planning). It is observed that most of the methods are used in medical diagnosis very few are used for planning and moderate number in treatment. The study and its presentation in this context would be helpful for novice researchers in the area of medical expert system.

Robotics technology discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montemerlo, Melvin D.

1990-01-01

Viewgraphs on robotics technology discipline for Space Station Freedom are presented. Topics covered include: mechanisms; sensors; systems engineering processes for integrated robotics; man/machine cooperative control; 3D-real-time machine perception; multiple arm redundancy control; manipulator control from a movable base; multi-agent reasoning; and surfacing evolution technologies.

Reflective learning in community-based dental education.

PubMed

Deogade, Suryakant C; Naitam, Dinesh

2016-01-01

Community-based dental education (CBDE) is the implementation of dental education in a specific social context, which shifts a substantial part of dental clinical education from dental teaching institutional clinics to mainly public health settings. Dental students gain additional value from CBDE when they are guided through a reflective process of learning. We propose some key elements to the existing CBDE program that support meaningful personal learning experiences. Dental rotations of 'externships' in community-based clinical settings (CBCS) are year-long community-based placements and have proven to be strong learning environments where students develop good communication skills and better clinical reasoning and management skills. We look at the characteristics of CBDE and how the social and personal context provided in communities enhances dental education. Meaningfulness is created by the authentic context, which develops over a period of time. Structured reflection assignments and methods are suggested as key elements in the existing CBDE program. Strategies to enrich community-based learning experiences for dental students include: Photographic documentation; written narratives; critical incident reports; and mentored post-experiential small group discussions. A directed process of reflection is suggested as a way to increase the impact of the community learning experiences. We suggest key elements to the existing CBDE module so that the context-rich environment of CBDE allows for meaningful relations and experiences for dental students and enhanced learning.

Are medical students being taught anatomy in a way that best prepares them to be a physician?

PubMed

Meral Savran, Mona; Tranum-Jensen, Jørgen; Frost Clementsen, Paul; Hastrup Svendsen, Jesper; Holst Pedersen, Jesper; Seier Poulsen, Steen; Arendrup, Henrik; Konge, Lars

2015-07-01

Reasoning in a clinical context is an attribute of medical expertise. Clinical reasoning in medical school can be encouraged by teaching basic science with a clinical emphasis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anatomy is being taught in a way that facilitates the development of clinical reasoning. Two multiple-choice tests on thoracic anatomy were developed using a modified Delphi approach with groups of four clinical consultants and four teachers, respectively, expressing their opinions about knowledge relevant to thoracic anatomy. Validity was assessed by administering the tests to clinical consultants, anatomy teachers, and pre-course medical students. Post-course medical students took both tests to explore the focus of the course, i.e., whether it facilitated clinical reasoning. The pre-course students scored significantly lower than the teachers and post-course students on both tests and lower than the consultants on the consultants' test (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). The teachers significantly outperformed the consultants (P = 0.03 on the consultants' test, P < 0.001 on the teachers' test) and the medical students (P < 0.001 on both tests). The post-course students scored significantly lower on the consultants' test (P = 0.001) and significantly higher on the teachers' test (P = 0.02) than the consultants. This study demonstrates poor performances by medical students on a test containing clinically relevant anatomy, implying that the teaching they have received has not encouraged clinical reasoning. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A cultural model of infidelity among African American and Puerto Rican young adults.

PubMed

Macauda, Mark M; Erickson, Pamela I; Singer, Merrill C; Santelices, Claudia C

2011-12-01

Having concurrent sexual partners is a risk factor for STIs and HIV/AIDS, yet few studies have investigated the cultural meanings and functions of concurrency. A multi-method qualitative/quantitative study of sexual ideas, attitudes, and behaviors among inner-city Puerto Rican and African American emergent adults (age 18-25) in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, suggests that having concurrent partners is common in this population. Using data from 12 focus groups and 40 participants in systematic data collection techniques (e.g., pile sorts), the underlying cognitive structure of concurrency and cheating/infidelity are explored. Results suggest that participants are less tolerant of multiple partners in more committed relationships, but that very few relationships can be considered committed. Furthermore, participants see cheating as inevitable even in committed relationships. Sexual transgressions are considered the most severe form of cheating. Having an outside partner for emotional reasons or to have access to one's child were seen as more acceptable/forgivable than doing so for sexual satisfaction, social status or material goods. Multiple partnerships must be seen in the context of the inner city where resources and opportunities are scarce and young adults attempt to protect themselves from emotional injury. Documenting new and changing social constructions of infidelity is important for understanding the social context of sexual behavior in our global world and for designing culturally appropriate health interventions.

Network-based Approaches in Pharmacology.

PubMed

Boezio, Baptiste; Audouze, Karine; Ducrot, Pierre; Taboureau, Olivier

2017-10-01

In drug discovery, network-based approaches are expected to spotlight our understanding of drug action across multiple layers of information. On one hand, network pharmacology considers the drug response in the context of a cellular or phenotypic network. On the other hand, a chemical-based network is a promising alternative for characterizing the chemical space. Both can provide complementary support for the development of rational drug design and better knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the multiple actions of drugs. Recent progress in both concepts is discussed here. In addition, a network-based approach using drug-target-therapy data is introduced as an example. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Children’s Recognition of Fairness and Others’ Welfare in a Resource Allocation Task: Age Related Changes

PubMed Central

Rizzo, Michael T.; Elenbaas, Laura; Cooley, Shelby; Killen, Melanie

2016-01-01

The present study investigated age-related changes regarding children’s (N = 136) conceptions of fairness and others’ welfare in a merit-based resource allocation paradigm. To test whether children at 3- to 5-years-old and 6- to 8-years-old took others’ welfare into account when dividing resources, in addition to merit and equality concerns, children were asked to allocate, judge, and reason about allocations of necessary (needed to avoid harm) and luxury (enjoyable to have) resources to a hardworking and a lazy character. While 3- to 5-year-olds did not differentiate between distributing luxury and necessary resources, 6- to 8-year-olds allocated luxury resources more meritoriously than necessary resources. Further, children based their allocations of necessary resources on concerns for others’ welfare, rather than merit, even when one character was described as working harder. The findings revealed that, with age, children incorporated the concerns for others’ welfare and merit into their conceptions of fairness in a resource allocation context, and prioritized these concerns differently depending on whether they were allocating luxury or necessary resources. Further, with age, children weighed multiple moral concerns including equality, merit, and others’ welfare, when determining the fair allocation of resources. PMID:27455189

Using Two-Tier Test to Identify Primary Students' Conceptual Understanding and Alternative Conceptions in Acid Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayrak, Beyza Karadeniz

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify primary students' conceptual understanding and alternative conceptions in acid-base. For this reason, a 15 items two-tier multiple choice test administered 56 eighth grade students in spring semester 2009-2010. Data for this study were collected using a conceptual understanding scale prepared to include…

Why do people appear not to extrapolate trajectories during multiple object tracking? A computational investigation

PubMed Central

Zhong, Sheng-hua; Ma, Zheng; Wilson, Colin; Liu, Yan; Flombaum, Jonathan I

2014-01-01

Intuitively, extrapolating object trajectories should make visual tracking more accurate. This has proven to be true in many contexts that involve tracking a single item. But surprisingly, when tracking multiple identical items in what is known as “multiple object tracking,” observers often appear to ignore direction of motion, relying instead on basic spatial memory. We investigated potential reasons for this behavior through probabilistic models that were endowed with perceptual limitations in the range of typical human observers, including noisy spatial perception. When we compared a model that weights its extrapolations relative to other sources of information about object position, and one that does not extrapolate at all, we found no reliable difference in performance, belying the intuition that extrapolation always benefits tracking. In follow-up experiments we found this to be true for a variety of models that weight observations and predictions in different ways; in some cases we even observed worse performance for models that use extrapolations compared to a model that does not at all. Ultimately, the best performing models either did not extrapolate, or extrapolated very conservatively, relying heavily on observations. These results illustrate the difficulty and attendant hazards of using noisy inputs to extrapolate the trajectories of multiple objects simultaneously in situations with targets and featurally confusable nontargets. PMID:25311300

The outcomes of 1120 severe multiple trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock in an emergency department: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Wen, Yin; Yang, Huang; Wei, Wang; Shan-shou, Liu

2013-01-01

Uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock is a significant factor in death of severe multiple trauma patients. The acute management of injured bleeding in emergency department (ED) may improve patient outcomes. The medical records of severe multiple trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock in our ED were reviewed to summarize an evidence-based approach to the management of critically injured bleeding trauma patients. A retrospective study was carried out from January 2002 to December 2011 in a Chinese tertiary hospital. Clinical data from major trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock admitted to ED were evaluated. The patients were stratified based on the characteristics of traumatic condition and resuscitation strategies. The medical treatments and the outcomes of these severe multiple trauma patients were described. A total of 1120 major trauma patients, consisting of 832 males and 288 females, were enrolled. 906 of the patients (80.9%) were injured in traffic accidents, 104 (9.3%) from falling, and 100 from other reasons. The number of injured sites varied from 2 to 6, 616(55.0%) more than 3. 902 (80.5%) trauma patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital. Uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock is a main reason of trauma patients' death. The resuscitation strategy should center upon permissive hypotension and early hemostatic resuscitation combined identified and corrects coagulopathy. The current approach to the management of critically injured bleeding trauma patients is able to improve patient outcomes.

Multiple abiotic stimuli are integrated in the regulation of rice gene expression under field conditions.

PubMed

Plessis, Anne; Hafemeister, Christoph; Wilkins, Olivia; Gonzaga, Zennia Jean; Meyer, Rachel Sarah; Pires, Inês; Müller, Christian; Septiningsih, Endang M; Bonneau, Richard; Purugganan, Michael

2015-11-26

Plants rely on transcriptional dynamics to respond to multiple climatic fluctuations and contexts in nature. We analyzed the genome-wide gene expression patterns of rice (Oryza sativa) growing in rainfed and irrigated fields during two distinct tropical seasons and determined simple linear models that relate transcriptomic variation to climatic fluctuations. These models combine multiple environmental parameters to account for patterns of expression in the field of co-expressed gene clusters. We examined the similarities of our environmental models between tropical and temperate field conditions, using previously published data. We found that field type and macroclimate had broad impacts on transcriptional responses to environmental fluctuations, especially for genes involved in photosynthesis and development. Nevertheless, variation in solar radiation and temperature at the timescale of hours had reproducible effects across environmental contexts. These results provide a basis for broad-based predictive modeling of plant gene expression in the field.

Do Different Mental Models Influence Cybersecurity Behavior? Evaluations via Statistical Reasoning Performance.

PubMed

Brase, Gary L; Vasserman, Eugene Y; Hsu, William

2017-01-01

Cybersecurity research often describes people as understanding internet security in terms of metaphorical mental models (e.g., disease risk, physical security risk, or criminal behavior risk). However, little research has directly evaluated if this is an accurate or productive framework. To assess this question, two experiments asked participants to respond to a statistical reasoning task framed in one of four different contexts (cybersecurity, plus the above alternative models). Each context was also presented using either percentages or natural frequencies, and these tasks were followed by a behavioral likelihood rating. As in previous research, consistent use of natural frequencies promoted correct Bayesian reasoning. There was little indication, however, that any of the alternative mental models generated consistently better understanding or reasoning over the actual cybersecurity context. There was some evidence that different models had some effects on patterns of responses, including the behavioral likelihood ratings, but these effects were small, as compared to the effect of the numerical format manipulation. This points to a need to improve the content of actual internet security warnings, rather than working to change the models users have of warnings.

Do Different Mental Models Influence Cybersecurity Behavior? Evaluations via Statistical Reasoning Performance

PubMed Central

Brase, Gary L.; Vasserman, Eugene Y.; Hsu, William

2017-01-01

Cybersecurity research often describes people as understanding internet security in terms of metaphorical mental models (e.g., disease risk, physical security risk, or criminal behavior risk). However, little research has directly evaluated if this is an accurate or productive framework. To assess this question, two experiments asked participants to respond to a statistical reasoning task framed in one of four different contexts (cybersecurity, plus the above alternative models). Each context was also presented using either percentages or natural frequencies, and these tasks were followed by a behavioral likelihood rating. As in previous research, consistent use of natural frequencies promoted correct Bayesian reasoning. There was little indication, however, that any of the alternative mental models generated consistently better understanding or reasoning over the actual cybersecurity context. There was some evidence that different models had some effects on patterns of responses, including the behavioral likelihood ratings, but these effects were small, as compared to the effect of the numerical format manipulation. This points to a need to improve the content of actual internet security warnings, rather than working to change the models users have of warnings. PMID:29163304

LexValueSets: An Approach for Context-Driven Value Sets Extraction

PubMed Central

Pathak, Jyotishman; Jiang, Guoqian; Dwarkanath, Sridhar O.; Buntrock, James D.; Chute, Christopher G.

2008-01-01

The ability to model, share and re-use value sets across multiple medical information systems is an important requirement. However, generating value sets semi-automatically from a terminology service is still an unresolved issue, in part due to the lack of linkage to clinical context patterns that provide the constraints in defining a concept domain and invocation of value sets extraction. Towards this goal, we develop and evaluate an approach for context-driven automatic value sets extraction based on a formal terminology model. The crux of the technique is to identify and define the context patterns from various domains of discourse and leverage them for value set extraction using two complementary ideas based on (i) local terms provided by the Subject Matter Experts (extensional) and (ii) semantic definition of the concepts in coding schemes (intensional). A prototype was implemented based on SNOMED CT rendered in the LexGrid terminology model and a preliminary evaluation is presented. PMID:18998955

Barriers and benefits associated with nurses information seeking related to patient education needs on clinical nursing units.

PubMed

Jones, Josette; Schilling, Katherine; Pesut, Daniel

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to answer the following two questions: What are clinical nurses' rationales for their approaches to finding patient educational materials on the web? What are perceived barriers and benefits associated with the use of web-based information resources for patient education in the context of nursing clinical practice?Over 179 individual data units were analyzed to understand clinical nurses' rationales for their approaches to find patient educational materials on the web. Rationales were defined as those underlying catalysts or activators leading to an information need. Analyses found that the primary reasons why clinical nurses conducted web-based information searches included direct patient requests ( 9 requests), colleague requests (6 requests), building patient materials collections (4), patients' family requests (3), routine teaching (1), personal development (1), or staff development (1). From these data, four broad themes emerged: professional reasons, personal reasons, technology reasons, and organization reasons for selecting information resources. Content analysis identified 306 individual data units representing either 'benefits' (178 units) or 'barriers' (128) to the nurses' use of web resources for on-unit patient care. Inter-rater reliability was assessed and found to be excellent (r = 0.943 to 0.961). The primary themes that emerged as barriers to the used of web-based resources included: 1) time requirements to perform a search, 2) nurses' experience and knowledge about the resources or required technology, 3) specific characteristics of individuals electronic information resources, and 4) organizational procedures and policies. Three primary themes that represented the benefits of using web-based resources were also identified: 1) past experiences and knowledge of a specific resource or the required technologies, 2) availability and accessibility on the unit, and 3) specific characteristics of individual information tool. In many cases, nurses commented on specific characteristics or features of favorite information resources. Favorite sites included a variety or reputable health care organizations that displayed context in text, audio, and/or video. In addition such sites were described as easy-to read and provided content related to patient-focused information or specific content such as toll free telephone contact numbers.Information searching is the interaction between and among information users and computer-based information systems. Information seeking is becoming an important part of the knowledge work of nurses. Information seeking and searching intersects with the field of human computer interaction (HCI), which focuses on all aspects of human, and computer interactions. Users of an information system are understood as "actors" in situations, with a set of skills and shared practices based on work experiences with others. Designing better tools and developing information searching strategies that support, extend, and transform practices, begins by asking: Who are the users? What are the tasks? What is the interplay between the technology and the organization of the task? This study contributes fundamental data and information about the rationales nurses use in information seeking tasks. In addition it provides empirical evidences regarding barriers and benefits of information seeking in the context of patient education needs in inpatient clinical settings.

Prediction system of hydroponic plant growth and development using algorithm Fuzzy Mamdani method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudana, I. Made; Purnawirawan, Okta; Arief, Ulfa Mediaty

2017-03-01

Hydroponics is a method of farming without soil. One of the Hydroponic plants is Watercress (Nasturtium Officinale). The development and growth process of hydroponic Watercress was influenced by levels of nutrients, acidity and temperature. The independent variables can be used as input variable system to predict the value level of plants growth and development. The prediction system is using Fuzzy Algorithm Mamdani method. This system was built to implement the function of Fuzzy Inference System (Fuzzy Inference System/FIS) as a part of the Fuzzy Logic Toolbox (FLT) by using MATLAB R2007b. FIS is a computing system that works on the principle of fuzzy reasoning which is similar to humans' reasoning. Basically FIS consists of four units which are fuzzification unit, fuzzy logic reasoning unit, base knowledge unit and defuzzification unit. In addition to know the effect of independent variables on the plants growth and development that can be visualized with the function diagram of FIS output surface that is shaped three-dimensional, and statistical tests based on the data from the prediction system using multiple linear regression method, which includes multiple linear regression analysis, T test, F test, the coefficient of determination and donations predictor that are calculated using SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) software applications.

Validating Retinal Fundus Image Analysis Algorithms: Issues and a Proposal

PubMed Central

Trucco, Emanuele; Ruggeri, Alfredo; Karnowski, Thomas; Giancardo, Luca; Chaum, Edward; Hubschman, Jean Pierre; al-Diri, Bashir; Cheung, Carol Y.; Wong, Damon; Abràmoff, Michael; Lim, Gilbert; Kumar, Dinesh; Burlina, Philippe; Bressler, Neil M.; Jelinek, Herbert F.; Meriaudeau, Fabrice; Quellec, Gwénolé; MacGillivray, Tom; Dhillon, Bal

2013-01-01

This paper concerns the validation of automatic retinal image analysis (ARIA) algorithms. For reasons of space and consistency, we concentrate on the validation of algorithms processing color fundus camera images, currently the largest section of the ARIA literature. We sketch the context (imaging instruments and target tasks) of ARIA validation, summarizing the main image analysis and validation techniques. We then present a list of recommendations focusing on the creation of large repositories of test data created by international consortia, easily accessible via moderated Web sites, including multicenter annotations by multiple experts, specific to clinical tasks, and capable of running submitted software automatically on the data stored, with clear and widely agreed-on performance criteria, to provide a fair comparison. PMID:23794433

Family and community rejection and a Congolese led mediation intervention to reintegrate rejected survivors of sexual violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Kohli, Anjalee; Tosha, Maphie; Ramazani, Paul; Safari, Octave; Bachunguye, Richard; Zahiga, Isaya; Iragi, Aline; Glass, Nancy

2013-01-01

Our purpose in this study is to describe the multiple and inter-related health, economic, and social reasons for rejection and to provide an example of a Congolese-led family mediation program to reintegrate survivors into their families. We conducted this study in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and included two focus group discussions and twenty-seven interviews. Rejection extends beyond physical dislocation to include economic and social aspects. Family mediation is a process requiring knowledge of traditions and norms. Understanding the context of rejection and supporting promising local reintegration efforts will likely improve health, economic, and social outcomes for the survivor, her family, and her community.

A realistic evaluation: the case of protocol-based care

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background 'Protocol based care' was envisioned by policy makers as a mechanism for delivering on the service improvement agenda in England. Realistic evaluation is an increasingly popular approach, but few published examples exist, particularly in implementation research. To fill this gap, within this paper we describe the application of a realistic evaluation approach to the study of protocol-based care, whilst sharing findings of relevance about standardising care through the use of protocols, guidelines, and pathways. Methods Situated between positivism and relativism, realistic evaluation is concerned with the identification of underlying causal mechanisms, how they work, and under what conditions. Fundamentally it focuses attention on finding out what works, for whom, how, and in what circumstances. Results In this research, we were interested in understanding the relationships between the type and nature of particular approaches to protocol-based care (mechanisms), within different clinical settings (context), and what impacts this resulted in (outcomes). An evidence review using the principles of realist synthesis resulted in a number of propositions, i.e., context, mechanism, and outcome threads (CMOs). These propositions were then 'tested' through multiple case studies, using multiple methods including non-participant observation, interviews, and document analysis through an iterative analysis process. The initial propositions (conjectured CMOs) only partially corresponded to the findings that emerged during analysis. From the iterative analysis process of scrutinising mechanisms, context, and outcomes we were able to draw out some theoretically generalisable features about what works, for whom, how, and what circumstances in relation to the use of standardised care approaches (refined CMOs). Conclusions As one of the first studies to apply realistic evaluation in implementation research, it was a good fit, particularly given the growing emphasis on understanding how context influences evidence-based practice. The strengths and limitations of the approach are considered, including how to operationalise it and some of the challenges. This approach provided a useful interpretive framework with which to make sense of the multiple factors that were simultaneously at play and being observed through various data sources, and for developing explanatory theory about using standardised care approaches in practice. PMID:20504293

Same-Sex Couples' Decisions and Experiences of Marriage in the Context of Minority Stress: Interviews From a Population-Based Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Rostosky, Sharon S; Riggle, Ellen D B; Rothblum, Esther D; Balsam, Kimberly F

2016-08-01

In the emerging context of marriage equality, it is important to explore the reasons for and experience of marriage for long-term same-sex couples, including the role of minority stress. In Wave 3 of the population-based, longitudinal CUPPLES Study we interviewed 21 long-term same-sex couples (14 female, 7 male) who resided in 12 different states and who were legally married. Couple members ranged in age from 37 to 84 and reported being together as a couple from 15 to 41 years. Seven couples lived in states that did not recognize their marriage at the time of the interview. Legal protection and social validation emerged as the two primary domains that captured couples' lived experiences of marriage. Minority stress experiences emerged in the narratives in the context of couples' long-term commitment, the availability of civil marriage, and couples' participation in activist efforts on behalf of marriage equality for themselves and others.

Age-Related Differences in Contribution of Rule-Based Thinking toward Moral Evaluations.

PubMed

Caravita, Simona C S; De Silva, Lindamulage N; Pagani, Vera; Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the interplay of different criteria of moral evaluation, related to the type of the rule and context characteristics, in moral reasoning of children, early, and late adolescents. Students attending to fourth, seventh, and tenth grade were asked to evaluate the acceptability of rule breaking actions using ad hoc scenarios. Results suggest that the role of different moral evaluation criteria changes by age. During adolescence a greater integration of the moral criteria emerged. Moreover, adolescents also prioritized the evaluation of moral rule (forbidding to harm others) violations as non-acceptable when the perpetrator harms an innocent victim by applying a direct personal force. The relevance of these findings to increase the understanding of how moral reasoning changes by age for the assessment of impairments in moral reasoning of non-normative groups is also discussed.

Sociocultural and Behavioral Contexts of Condom Use in Heterosexual Married Couples in India: Challenges to the HIV Prevention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhattacharya, Gauri

2004-01-01

This article examines sociocultural expectations of sexual behavior and the reasons why not using condoms may be logical to married heterosexual couples in India. Married women who report monogamous sexual relationships with their husbands are a high-risk group for HIV infection in India. Based on the public health model and a population-based…

Determining the Requisite Components of Visual Threat Detection to Improve Operational Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

cognitive processes, and may be enhanced by focusing training development on the principle components such as causal reasoning. The second report will...discuss the development and evaluation of a research-based training exemplar. Visual threat detection pervades many military contexts, but is also... developing computer-controlled exercises to study the primary components of visual threat detection. Similarly, civilian law enforcement officers were

Ontological metaphors for negative energy in an interdisciplinary context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyfus, Benjamin W.; Geller, Benjamin D.; Gouvea, Julia; Sawtelle, Vashti; Turpen, Chandra; Redish, Edward F.

2014-12-01

Teaching about energy in interdisciplinary settings that emphasize coherence among physics, chemistry, and biology leads to a more central role for chemical bond energy. We argue that an interdisciplinary approach to chemical energy leads to modeling chemical bonds in terms of negative energy. While recent work on ontological metaphors for energy has emphasized the affordances of the substance ontology, this ontology is problematic in the context of negative energy. Instead, we apply a dynamic ontologies perspective to argue that blending the substance and location ontologies for energy can be effective in reasoning about negative energy in the context of reasoning about chemical bonds. We present data from an introductory physics for the life sciences course in which both experts and students successfully use this blended ontology. Blending these ontologies is most successful when the substance and location ontologies are combined such that each is strategically utilized in reasoning about particular aspects of energetic processes.

The Eyes Have It: A Problem-Based Learning Exercise in Molecular Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Harold B.

2007-01-01

Molecular evolution provides an interesting context in which to use problem-based learning because it integrates a variety of topics in biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. This three-stage problem for advanced students deals with the structure, multiple functions, and properties of lactate dehydrogenase isozymes, and the related…

Learning from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms: Using Inquiry to Inform Practice. Language & Literacy Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fingon, Joan C., Ed.; Ulanoff, Sharon H., Ed.

2012-01-01

This resource guide looks at new classroom-based literacy research that supports "all" learners, including culturally and linguistically diverse students. The authors demonstrate how teachers and researchers develop instructional practices based on multiple languages and the literacy contexts of their schools. They describe classrooms where…

Geopolitical E-Analysis Based on E-Learning Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinicu, Anca; Oancea, Romana

2017-01-01

In a world of great complexity, understanding the manner states act and react becomes more and more an intriguing quest due to the multiple relations of dependence and interdependence that characterize "the global puzzle". Within this context, an analysis based on a geopolitical approach becomes a very useful means used to determine not…

Towards a Better Understanding of the Legibility Bias in Performance Assessments: The Case of Gender-Based Inferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greifeneder, Rainer; Zelt, Sarah; Seele, Tim; Bottenberg, Konstantin; Alt, Alexander

2012-01-01

Background: Handwriting legibility systematically biases evaluations in that highly legible handwriting results in more positive evaluations than less legible handwriting. Because performance assessments in educational contexts are not only based on computerized or multiple choice tests but often include the evaluation of handwritten work samples,…

Context and meter enhance long-range planning in music performance

PubMed Central

Mathias, Brian; Pfordresher, Peter Q.; Palmer, Caroline

2015-01-01

Neural responses demonstrate evidence of resonance, or oscillation, during the production of periodic auditory events. Music contains periodic auditory events that give rise to a sense of beat, which in turn generates a sense of meter on the basis of multiple periodicities. Metrical hierarchies may aid memory for music by facilitating similarity-based associations among sequence events at different periodic distances that unfold in longer contexts. A fundamental question is how metrical associations arising from a musical context influence memory during music performance. Longer contexts may facilitate metrical associations at higher hierarchical levels more than shorter contexts, a prediction of the range model, a formal model of planning processes in music performance (Palmer and Pfordresher, 2003; Pfordresher et al., 2007). Serial ordering errors, in which intended sequence events are produced in incorrect sequence positions, were measured as skilled pianists performed musical pieces that contained excerpts embedded in long or short musical contexts. Pitch errors arose from metrically similar positions and further sequential distances more often when the excerpt was embedded in long contexts compared to short contexts. Musicians’ keystroke intensities and error rates also revealed influences of metrical hierarchies, which differed for performances in long and short contexts. The range model accounted for contextual effects and provided better fits to empirical findings when metrical associations between sequence events were included. Longer sequence contexts may facilitate planning during sequence production by increasing conceptual similarity between hierarchically associated events. These findings are consistent with the notion that neural oscillations at multiple periodicities may strengthen metrical associations across sequence events during planning. PMID:25628550

Introduction: digital games as a context for cognitive development, learning, and developmental research.

PubMed

Blumberg, Fran C; Fisch, Shalom M

2013-01-01

The authors present reasons why developmental psychologists should care about children's and adolescents' digital game play. These reasons may be identified as: a) digital game play is an integral aspect of children's and adolescents' lives; b) digital game play contributes to learning and cognitive development; and c) developmental research has the potential to contribute to effective educational game design. The authors expand on these reasons with the goal of introducing or reintroducing to developmental psychologists a rich and very relevant context in which to examine children's and adolescents' applied cognitive development. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Interactive Visualization of DGA Data Based on Multiple Views

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Yujie; Lin, Ying; Ma, Yan; Guo, Zhihong; Gu, Chao; Wang, Mingtao

2017-01-01

The commission and operation of dissolved gas analysis (DGA) online monitoring makes up for the weakness of traditional DGA method. However, volume and high-dimensional DGA data brings a huge challenge for monitoring and analysis. In this paper, we present a novel interactive visualization model of DGA data based on multiple views. This model imitates multi-angle analysis by combining parallel coordinates, scatter plot matrix and data table. By offering brush, collaborative filter and focus + context technology, this model provides a convenient and flexible interactive way to analyze and understand the DGA data.

Multiple switching modes and multiple level states in memristive devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Feng; Yang, J. Joshua; Borghetti, Julien; Strachan, John Paul; Zhang, M.-X.; Goldfarb, Ilan; Medeiros-Ribeiro, Gilberto; Williams, R. Stanley

2011-03-01

As one of the most promising technologies for next generation non-volatile memory, metal oxide based memristive devices have demonstrated great advantages on scalability, operating speed and power consumption. Here we report the observation of multiple switching modes and multiple level states in different memristive systems. The multiple switching modes can be obtained by limiting the current during electroforming, and related transport behaviors, including ionic and electronic motions, are characterized. Such observation can be rationalized by a model of two effective switching layers adjacent to the bottom and top electrodes. Multiple level states, corresponding to different composition of the conducting channel, will also be discussed in the context of multiple-level storage for high density, non-volatile memory applications.

Quantitative Reasoning in Environmental Science: A Learning Progression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayes, Robert Lee; Forrester, Jennifer Harris; Christus, Jennifer Schuttlefield; Peterson, Franziska Isabel; Bonilla, Rachel; Yestness, Nissa

2014-01-01

The ability of middle and high school students to reason quantitatively within the context of environmental science was investigated. A quantitative reasoning (QR) learning progression was created with three progress variables: quantification act, quantitative interpretation, and quantitative modeling. An iterative research design was used as it…

Deaf Pupils' Reasoning about Scientific Phenomena: School Science as a Framework for Understanding or as Fragments of Factual Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molander, B. O.; Pedersen, Svend; Norell, Kia

2001-01-01

A Swedish interview study of how deaf pupils reason about phenomena in a science context revealed significant variation in the extent to which pupils used scientific principles for reasoning about science phenomena, which suggests that for some pupils, school science offers little as a framework for reasoning. (Contains references.) (DB)

Answer First: Applying the Heuristic-Analytic Theory of Reasoning to Examine Student Intuitive Thinking in the Context of Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kryjevskaia, Mila; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.; Grosz, Nathaniel

2014-01-01

We have applied the heuristic-analytic theory of reasoning to interpret inconsistencies in student reasoning approaches to physics problems. This study was motivated by an emerging body of evidence that suggests that student conceptual and reasoning competence demonstrated on one task often fails to be exhibited on another. Indeed, even after…

Modular Knowledge Representation and Reasoning in the Semantic Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serafini, Luciano; Homola, Martin

Construction of modular ontologies by combining different modules is becoming a necessity in ontology engineering in order to cope with the increasing complexity of the ontologies and the domains they represent. The modular ontology approach takes inspiration from software engineering, where modularization is a widely acknowledged feature. Distributed reasoning is the other side of the coin of modular ontologies: given an ontology comprising of a set of modules, it is desired to perform reasoning by combination of multiple reasoning processes performed locally on each of the modules. In the last ten years, a number of approaches for combining logics has been developed in order to formalize modular ontologies. In this chapter, we survey and compare the main formalisms for modular ontologies and distributed reasoning in the Semantic Web. We select four formalisms build on formal logical grounds of Description Logics: Distributed Description Logics, ℰ-connections, Package-based Description Logics and Integrated Distributed Description Logics. We concentrate on expressivity and distinctive modeling features of each framework. We also discuss reasoning capabilities of each framework.

ON AN ALLEGED TRUTH/FALSITY ASYMMETRY IN CONTEXT SHIFTING EXPERIMENTS

PubMed Central

Hansen, Nat

2012-01-01

Keith DeRose has argued that context shifting experiments should be designed in a specific way in order to accommodate what he calls a ‘truth/falsity asymmetry’. I explain and critique DeRose's reasons for proposing this modification to contextualist methodology, drawing on recent experimental studies of DeRose's bank cases as well as experimental findings about the verification of affirmative and negative statements. While DeRose's arguments for his particular modification to contextualist methodology fail, the lesson of his proposal is that there is good reason to pay close attention to several subtle aspects of the design of context shifting experiments. PMID:25821248

Effects of a Context Shift and Multiple Context Extinction on Reactivity to Alcohol Cues

PubMed Central

MacKillop, James; Lisman, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

Cue exposure treatment (CET) attempts to reduce the influence of conditioned substance cues on addictive behavior via prolonged cue exposure with response prevention (i.e., extinction), but has received only modest empirical support in clinical trials. This may be because extinction learning appears to be context dependent and a change in context may result in a return of conditioned responding (i.e., renewal), although this has received only limited empirical examination. The current study used a four-session laboratory analogue of CET to examine whether a change in context following three sessions of alcohol cue exposure with response prevention would result in renewal of conditioned responding. In addition, this study examined whether conducting extinction in multiple contexts would attenuate renewal of conditioned responding. In a one-way between-subjects design, 73 heavy drinkers (71% male) were randomized to three conditions: 1) single context extinction (extinction to alcohol cues in the same context for three sessions followed by a context shift at the fourth session); 2) multiple context extinction (extinction to alcohol cues in different contexts each day for all four sessions); and 3) pseudo-extinction control condition (exposure to neutral cues in the same context for three sessions followed by exposure to alcohol cues at the fourth session). The results revealed the predicted cue reactivity and extinction effects, but the hypotheses that a context shift would generate renewed cue reactivity and that multiple contexts would enhance extinction were not supported. Methodological aspects of the study and the need for parametric data on the context dependency of extinction to alcohol cues are discussed. PMID:18729687

Racial and Regional Differences in Age at Menopause in the United States: Findings from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

PubMed Central

Mcknight, Katherine K.; Wellons, Melissa F.; Sites, Cynthia K.; Roth, David L.; Szychowski, Jeff M.; Halanych, Jewell H.; Cushman, Mary; Safford, Monika M.

2011-01-01

Objectives To examine regional and Black-White differences in mean age at self-reported menopause among community-dwelling women in the US. Study Design Cross-sectional survey conducted in the context of the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke and Myocardial Infarction study. Results We studied 22,484 menopausal women. After controlling for covariates, Southern women reported menopause 10.8 months earlier than Northeastern women, 8.4 months earlier than Midwestern women, and 6.0 months earlier than Western women (p<0.05 for all). No difference was observed in menopausal age between Black and White women after controlling for covariates (p=0.69). Conclusions Women in the South report earlier menopause than those in other regions, but the cause remains unclear. Our study's large sample size and adjustment for multiple confounders lends weight to our finding of no racial difference in age at menopause. More study is needed of the implications of these findings with regard to vascular health. PMID:21663888

Student Reasoning about Graphs in Different Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivanjek, Lana; Susac, Ana; Planinic, Maja; Andrasevic, Aneta; Milin-Sipus, Zeljka

2016-01-01

This study investigates university students' graph interpretation strategies and difficulties in mathematics, physics (kinematics), and contexts other than physics. Eight sets of parallel (isomorphic) mathematics, physics, and other context questions about graphs, which were developed by us, were administered to 385 first-year students at the…

Do alcohol use reasons and contexts differentiate adolescent high-intensity drinking? Data from U.S. high school seniors, 2005-2016.

PubMed

Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M; Stern, Stephanie A; Patrick, Megan E

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between (a) self-reported reasons for and contexts of alcohol use and (b) high-intensity drinking (i.e., having 10+ drinks in a row in the past 2 weeks) among national samples of U.S. 12th grade students. Data were obtained from 16,902 students who reported any past 12-month alcohol use from nationally representative annual 12th grade student samples from 2005-2016. When asked about drinking behavior during the past 2 weeks, 72% reported consuming less than 5 drinks at most during 1 drinking occasion; 14% reported 5-9 drinks, 7% reported 10-14 drinks, and 7% reported 15+ drinks. Adolescent drinkers in all categories (<5, 5-9, 10-14, and 15+ drinks) endorsed "to have a good time" as the most prevalent reason for alcohol use, and "at a party" as the most prevalent context of alcohol use. However, high-intensity drinking was particularly likely among adolescents drinking for coping, compulsive use, and drug effect reasons, as well as those who enjoyed the taste. Having 15+ drinks (vs. 10-14 drinks) was particularly associated with compulsive use and enjoying the taste. The relative risk of any high-intensity drinking, and of higher levels of high-intensity drinking involvement, increased with the total number of reasons and contexts endorsed. Alcohol appears to serve a larger number of functions for high-intensity drinking adolescents than non-high-intensity drinking youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Applying a Mixed Methods Framework to Differential Item Function Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hitchcock, John H.; Johanson, George A.

2015-01-01

Understanding the reason(s) for Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in the context of measurement is difficult. Although identifying potential DIF items is typically a statistical endeavor, understanding the reasons for DIF (and item repair or replacement) might require investigations that can be informed by qualitative work. Such work is…

Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners’ Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions

PubMed Central

Leeman, Jennifer; Calancie, Larissa; Kegler, Michelle C.; Escoffery, Cam T.; Herrmann, Alison K.; Thatcher, Esther; Hartman, Marieke A.; Fernandez, Maria

2017-01-01

Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity-building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build practitioners’ capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse practice contexts. PMID:26500080

Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners' Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions.

PubMed

Leeman, Jennifer; Calancie, Larissa; Kegler, Michelle C; Escoffery, Cam T; Herrmann, Alison K; Thatcher, Esther; Hartman, Marieke A; Fernandez, Maria E

2017-02-01

Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity-building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build practitioners' capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse practice contexts.

Exploration of the reasons for dropping out of psychotherapy: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Khazaie, Habibolah; Rezaie, Leeba; Shahdipour, Niloofar; Weaver, Patrick

2016-06-01

Elucidating the reasons for dropping out of psychotherapy can lead to the development of interventions aimed at reducing patient drop out. The present study aimed to explore patients' reasons for dropping out of psychotherapy in Kermanshah, Iran. The present qualitative study was performed using conventional content analysis. The current sample included 15 participants consisting of 7 patients who dropped out of psychotherapy and 8 psychotherapists who have previously experienced patient dropout. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection. All interviews were audio recorded and subsequently transcribed. Content analysis using constant comparisons was performed for transcribed interviews. Four main categories emerged as reasons for dropping out of psychotherapy: dissatisfaction with the quality of psychotherapy, financial problems in psychotherapy, unprepared socio-cultural context of psychotherapy, and psychotherapy as a non-user friendly treatment. Additionally, specific subcategories within each main category were documented. The results revealed distinct reasons for psychotherapy drop out in the current Iranian-based sample. These identified reasons should be considered and addressed at the onset of treatment as well as in the development of formal interventions aimed at reducing dropout. Further research investigating the antecedents leading to patient drop out is recommended. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conditional reasoning in Asperger's syndrome and depersonalization disorder.

PubMed

Lawrence, Emma Jane; Dumigan, Rachael; Schoenberg, Poppy; Mauricio, Sierra; Murphy, Declan G; David, Anthony S

2012-09-01

Conditional reasoning premises can be systematically manipulated to elicit specific response patterns. This is useful for investigating the reasoning style of people who report clinical symptoms. We administered a standardized conditional reasoning task to 16 participants with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome (AS), 16 participants with a diagnosis of depersonalization disorder (DPD), and 32 intelligence-quotient-matched controls. Premises were manipulated for a) context, with some being embedded within extra statements, and b) content, neutral or emotional. Both the AS and DPD participants were less likely to incorporate exceptions to the given premises than the controls, indicating difficulties with mental flexibility, although this effect was less marked in the DPD group. It seems the AS participants were also less influenced than the controls by statements that highlight possible alternative consequences. However, this effect was less robust than that observed with statements detailing exceptions, suggesting it may be because of general problems with executive function rather than difficulties in processing contextual information. We did not observe the expected difference between the DPD participants and the controls when reasoning with emotional premises. Overall, these data suggest that the DPD and AS participants have distinct reasoning styles, which may be of use for interventions based on cognitive change.

ESHRE Task Force on ethics and Law 20: sex selection for non-medical reasons.

PubMed

Dondorp, W; De Wert, G; Pennings, G; Shenfield, F; Devroey, P; Tarlatzis, B; Barri, P; Diedrich, K

2013-06-01

This Task Force document revisits the debate about the ethics of sex selection for non-medical reasons in the light of relevant new technological developments. First, as a result of improvement of the Microsort® flow cytometry method, there is now a proven technique for preconception sex selection that can be combined both with IVF and IUI. Secondly, the scenario where new approaches that are currently being developed for preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) may lead to such screening becoming a routine part of all IVF treatment. In that scenario professionals will more often be confronted with parental requests for transfer of an embryo of a specific sex. Thirdly, the recent development of non-invasive prenatal testing based on cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma allows for easy and safe sex determination in the early stages of pregnancy. While stressing the new urgency that these developments give to the debate, the Task Force did not come to a unanimous position with regard to the acceptability of sex selection for non-medical reasons in the context of assisted reproduction. Whereas some think maintaining the current ban is the best approach, others are in favour of allowing sex selection for non-medical reasons under conditions that take account of societal concerns about the possible impact of the practice. By presenting these positions, the document reflects the different views about this issue that also exist in the field. Specific recommendations include the need for a wider delineation of accepted 'medical reasons' than in terms of avoiding a serious sex-linked disorder, and for a clarification of the legal position with regard to answering parental requests for 'additional sex selection' in the context of medically indicated preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or routine PGS.

Medical Student and Tutor Perceptions of Video Versus Text in an Interactive Online Virtual Patient for Problem-Based Learning: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Ellaway, Rachel H; Round, Jonathan; Vaughan, Sophie; Poulton, Terry; Zary, Nabil

2015-01-01

Background The impact of the use of video resources in primarily paper-based problem-based learning (PBL) settings has been widely explored. Although it can provide many benefits, the use of video can also hamper the critical thinking of learners in contexts where learners are developing clinical reasoning. However, the use of video has not been explored in the context of interactive virtual patients for PBL. Objective A pilot study was conducted to explore how undergraduate medical students interpreted and evaluated information from video- and text-based materials presented in the context of a branched interactive online virtual patient designed for PBL. The goal was to inform the development and use of virtual patients for PBL and to inform future research in this area. Methods An existing virtual patient for PBL was adapted for use in video and provided as an intervention to students in the transition year of the undergraduate medicine course at St George’s, University of London. Survey instruments were used to capture student and PBL tutor experiences and perceptions of the intervention, and a formative review meeting was run with PBL tutors. Descriptive statistics were generated for the structured responses and a thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes in the unstructured responses. Results Analysis of student responses (n=119) and tutor comments (n=18) yielded 8 distinct themes relating to the perceived educational efficacy of information presented in video and text formats in a PBL context. Although some students found some characteristics of the videos beneficial, when asked to express a preference for video or text the majority of those that responded to the question (65%, 65/100) expressed a preference for text. Student responses indicated that the use of video slowed the pace of PBL and impeded students’ ability to review and critically appraise the presented information. Conclusions Our findings suggest that text was perceived to be a better source of information than video in virtual patients for PBL. More specifically, the use of video was perceived as beneficial for providing details, visual information, and context where text was unable to do so. However, learner acceptance of text was higher in the context of PBL, particularly when targeting clinical reasoning skills. This pilot study has provided the foundation for further research into the effectiveness of different virtual patient designs for PBL. PMID:26088435

A development framework for distributed artificial intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adler, Richard M.; Cottman, Bruce H.

1989-01-01

The authors describe distributed artificial intelligence (DAI) applications in which multiple organizations of agents solve multiple domain problems. They then describe work in progress on a DAI system development environment, called SOCIAL, which consists of three primary language-based components. The Knowledge Object Language defines models of knowledge representation and reasoning. The metaCourier language supplies the underlying functionality for interprocess communication and control access across heterogeneous computing environments. The metaAgents language defines models for agent organization coordination, control, and resource management. Application agents and agent organizations will be constructed by combining metaAgents and metaCourier building blocks with task-specific functionality such as diagnostic or planning reasoning. This architecture hides implementation details of communications, control, and integration in distributed processing environments, enabling application developers to concentrate on the design and functionality of the intelligent agents and agent networks themselves.

Learner-Centered Environments: Creating Effective Strategies Based on Student Attitudes and Faculty Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Catharine F.; Caston, Michael I.; King, Cheryl A.

2014-01-01

Learner-centered environments effectively implement multiple teaching techniques to enhance students' higher education experience and provide them with greater control over their academic learning. This qualitative study involves an exploration of the eight reasons for learner-centered teaching found in Terry Doyle's 2008 book, "Helping…

The Digital Divide in Classrooms: Teacher Technology Comfort and Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dornisch, Michele

2013-01-01

A disconnect exists between students' comfort with using technology for learning and teachers' comfort in using technology for teaching. Students report the desire for more engaging technology-based assignments. Teachers cite multiple reasons for their hesitancy to use technology in their teaching. The current study investigates whether…

Multiple-Reason Decision Making Based on Automatic Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glockner, Andreas; Betsch, Tilmann

2008-01-01

It has been repeatedly shown that in decisions under time constraints, individuals predominantly use noncompensatory strategies rather than complex compensatory ones. The authors argue that these findings might be due not to limitations of cognitive capacity but instead to limitations of information search imposed by the commonly used experimental…

Probability Theory, Not the Very Guide of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juslin, Peter; Nilsson, Hakan; Winman, Anders

2009-01-01

Probability theory has long been taken as the self-evident norm against which to evaluate inductive reasoning, and classical demonstrations of violations of this norm include the conjunction error and base-rate neglect. Many of these phenomena require multiplicative probability integration, whereas people seem more inclined to linear additive…

KA-SB: from data integration to large scale reasoning

PubMed Central

Roldán-García, María del Mar; Navas-Delgado, Ismael; Kerzazi, Amine; Chniber, Othmane; Molina-Castro, Joaquín; Aldana-Montes, José F

2009-01-01

Background The analysis of information in the biological domain is usually focused on the analysis of data from single on-line data sources. Unfortunately, studying a biological process requires having access to disperse, heterogeneous, autonomous data sources. In this context, an analysis of the information is not possible without the integration of such data. Methods KA-SB is a querying and analysis system for final users based on combining a data integration solution with a reasoner. Thus, the tool has been created with a process divided into two steps: 1) KOMF, the Khaos Ontology-based Mediator Framework, is used to retrieve information from heterogeneous and distributed databases; 2) the integrated information is crystallized in a (persistent and high performance) reasoner (DBOWL). This information could be further analyzed later (by means of querying and reasoning). Results In this paper we present a novel system that combines the use of a mediation system with the reasoning capabilities of a large scale reasoner to provide a way of finding new knowledge and of analyzing the integrated information from different databases, which is retrieved as a set of ontology instances. This tool uses a graphical query interface to build user queries easily, which shows a graphical representation of the ontology and allows users o build queries by clicking on the ontology concepts. Conclusion These kinds of systems (based on KOMF) will provide users with very large amounts of information (interpreted as ontology instances once retrieved), which cannot be managed using traditional main memory-based reasoners. We propose a process for creating persistent and scalable knowledgebases from sets of OWL instances obtained by integrating heterogeneous data sources with KOMF. This process has been applied to develop a demo tool , which uses the BioPax Level 3 ontology as the integration schema, and integrates UNIPROT, KEGG, CHEBI, BRENDA and SABIORK databases. PMID:19796402

A prospective examination of clinician and supervisor turnover within the context of implementation of evidence-based practices in a publicly-funded mental health system

PubMed Central

Marcus, Steven; Wolk, Courtney Benjamin; Powell, Byron; Aarons, Gregory A.; Evans, Arthur C.; Hurford, Matthew O.; Hadley, Trevor; Adams, Danielle R.; Walsh, Lucia M.; Babbar, Shaili; Barg, Frances; Mandell, David S.

2015-01-01

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout. PMID:26179469

Validity of a family-centered approach for assessing infants' social-emotional wellbeing and their developmental context: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Hielkema, Margriet; De Winter, Andrea F; Reijneveld, Sijmen A

2017-06-15

Family-centered care seems promising in preventive pediatrics, but evidence is lacking as to whether this type of care is also valid as a means to identify risks to infants' social-emotional development. We aimed to examine the validity of such a family-centered approach. We conducted a prospective cohort study. During routine well-child visits (2-15 months), Preventive Child Healthcare (PCH) professionals used a family-centered approach, assessing domains as parents' competence, role of the partner, social support, barriers within the care-giving context, and child's wellbeing for 2976 children as protective, indistinct or a risk. If, based on the overall assessment (the families were labeled as "cases", N = 87), an intervention was considered necessary, parents filled in validated questionnaires covering the aforementioned domains. These questionnaires served as gold standards. For each case, two controls, matched by child-age and gender, also filled in questionnaires (N = 172). We compared PCH professionals' assessments with the parent-reported gold standards. Moreover, we evaluated which domain mostly contributed to the overall assessment. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between PCH professionals' assessments and gold standards were overall reasonable (Spearman's rho 0.17-0.39) except for the domain barriers within the care-giving context. Scores on gold standards were significantly higher when PCH assessments were rated as "at risk" (overall and per domain).We found reasonable to excellent agreement regarding the absence of risk factors (negative agreement rate: 0.40-0.98), but lower agreement regarding the presence of risk factors (positive agreement rate: 0.00-0.67). An "at risk" assessment for the domain Barriers or life events within the care-giving context contributed most to being overall at risk, i.e. a case, odds ratio 100.1, 95%-confidence interval: 22.6 - infinity. Findings partially support the convergent validity of a family-centered approach in well-child care to assess infants' social-emotional wellbeing and their developmental context. Agreement was reasonable to excellent regarding protective factors, but lower regarding risk factors. Netherlands Trialregister, NTR2681. Date of registration: 05-01-2011, URL: http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=2681 .

The Relative Effects of Inquiry-Based and Commonplace Science Teaching on Students' Knowledge, Reasoning and Argumentation about Sleep Concepts: A Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Christopher D.; Taylor, Joseph A.; Kowalski, Susan M.; Carlson, Janet

2009-01-01

From Dewey to the Standards, inquiry has been an increasingly prominent theme in multiple science education reform movements, yet the transition from theory and advocacy to practice and policy has been disappointing. While there is a growing body of research which suggests that student understanding is enhanced by inquiry-based teaching, only…

Exploring the Framing of Animal Farming and Meat Consumption: On the Diversity of Topics Used and Qualitative Patterns in Selected Demographic Contexts

PubMed Central

van Woerkum, Cees M. J.

2018-01-01

Simple Summary In various contexts, people talk about the farming and consumption of animals using different arguments to construct and justify their (non-)acceptability. This paper reports on a qualitative research among consumers with different backgrounds in urban and rural areas in The Netherlands and Turkey. We present an elaborate methodology for qualitatively researching everyday-life talk about animal farming and meat consumption. We explain how we collected and organised topics people refer to, and looked at the possible relation of complete argumentations with the researched contexts. The resulting long list of topics includes animal welfare arguments, but shows that in everyday-life many others are used, such as health, taste, money, religion, and environmental impact. Our research indicates several ties between mentioned topics and the researched contexts—the most noticeable pattern being the difference between respondents in cities and rural areas. However, in contrast to what literature suggests, single contextual features, like country or gender, offered relatively little insight into the differences that showed up in the complete argumentations. This, we argue, does not imply that context does not matter, but rather that so many cultural and personal contextual aspects play a role that singular contextual features cannot sufficiently explain framing. Abstract In various contexts, people talk about animal farming and meat consumption using different arguments to construct and justify their (non-)acceptability. This article presents the results of an in-depth qualitative inquiry into the content of and contextual patterns in the everyday-life framing regarding this issue, performed among consumers in various settings in two extremes in the European sphere: the Netherlands and Turkey. We describe the methodological steps of collecting, coding, and organizing the variety of encountered framing topics, as well as our search for symbolic convergence in groups of consumers from different selected demographic contexts (country, urban-rural areas, gender, age, and education level). The framing of animal farming and meat consumption in everyday-life is not a simple one-issue rational display of facts; people referred to a vast range of topics in the categories knowledge, convictions, pronounced behaviour, values, norms, interests, and feelings. Looking at framing in relation to the researched demographic contexts, most patterns were found on the level of topics; symbolic convergence in lines of reasoning and composite framing was less prominent in groups based on single demographic contexts than anticipated. An explanation for this lies in the complexity of frame construction, happening in relation with multiple interdependent contextual features. PMID:29364860

Percutaneous Intervention in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Culprit-only or Complete Revascularization?

PubMed Central

Osório, Ana Paula Susin; de Quadros, Alexandre Schaan; Vieira, José Luiz da Costa; Portal, Vera Lucia

2017-01-01

The best approach of multivessel coronary artery disease in the context of acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation and primary percutaneous coronary intervention is one of the main reasons for controversy in cardiology. Although the main global guidelines do not recommend routine complete revascularization in these patients, recent randomized clinical trials have demonstrated benefit of this approach in reducing cardiovascular outcomes. For this reason, an adequate review of this evidence is essential in order to establish scientifically based strategy and achieve better outcomes for these patients who present with acute myocardial infarction. This review aims to present objectively the most recent evidence available on this topic. PMID:29185617

Learning and retention through predictive inference and classification.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Love, Bradley C

2010-12-01

Work in category learning addresses how humans acquire knowledge and, thus, should inform classroom practices. In two experiments, we apply and evaluate intuitions garnered from laboratory-based research in category learning to learning tasks situated in an educational context. In Experiment 1, learning through predictive inference and classification were compared for fifth-grade students using class-related materials. Making inferences about properties of category members and receiving feedback led to the acquisition of both queried (i.e., tested) properties and nonqueried properties that were correlated with a queried property (e.g., even if not queried, students learned about a species' habitat because it correlated with a queried property, like the species' size). In contrast, classifying items according to their species and receiving feedback led to knowledge of only the property most diagnostic of category membership. After multiple-day delay, the fifth-graders who learned through inference selectively retained information about the queried properties, and the fifth-graders who learned through classification retained information about the diagnostic property, indicating a role for explicit evaluation in establishing memories. Overall, inference learning resulted in fewer errors, better retention, and more liking of the categories than did classification learning. Experiment 2 revealed that querying a property only a few times was enough to manifest the full benefits of inference learning in undergraduate students. These results suggest that classroom teaching should emphasize reasoning from the category to multiple properties rather than from a set of properties to the category. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Moral Reasoning of Education Students: The Effects of Direct Instruction in Moral Development Theory and Participation in Moral Dilemma Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, Rhoda; Maddux, Cleborne D.; Richmond, Aaron; Cladianos, Antonia

2010-01-01

Background/Context: Results of the few studies that have investigated moral reasoning in education students suggest that such reasoning may be less advanced for them than for college students with non-education majors and that education students do not appear to advance in moral reasoning from freshman to senior year. Purpose: The purpose of the…

Influence of temporal context on value in the multiple-chains and successive-encounters procedures.

PubMed

O'Daly, Matthew; Angulo, Samuel; Gipson, Cassandra; Fantino, Edmund

2006-05-01

This set of studies explored the influence of temporal context across multiple-chain and multiple-successive-encounters procedures. Following training with different temporal contexts, the value of stimuli sharing similar reinforcement schedules was assessed by presenting these stimuli in concurrent probes. The results for the multiple-chain schedule indicate that temporal context does impact the value of a conditioned reinforcer consistent with delay-reduction theory, such that a stimulus signaling a greater reduction in delay until reinforcement has greater value. Further, nonreinforced stimuli that are concurrently presented with the preferred terminal link also have greater value, consistent with value transfer. The effects of context on value for conditions with the multiple-successive-encounters procedure, however, appear to depend on whether the search schedule or alternate handling schedule was manipulated, as well as on whether the tested stimuli were the rich or lean schedules in their components. Overall, the results help delineate the conditions under which temporal context affects conditioned-reinforcement value (acting as a learning variable) and the conditions under which it does not (acting as a performance variable), an issue of relevance to theories of choice.

What variables can influence clinical reasoning?

PubMed Central

Ashoorion, Vahid; Liaghatdar, Mohammad Javad; Adibi, Peyman

2012-01-01

Background: Clinical reasoning is one of the most important competencies that a physician should achieve. Many medical schools and licensing bodies try to predict it based on some general measures such as critical thinking, personality, and emotional intelligence. This study aimed at providing a model to design the relationship between the constructs. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine medical students participated in this study. A battery test devised that consist four parts: Clinical reasoning measures, personality NEO inventory, Bar-On EQ inventory, and California critical thinking questionnaire. All participants completed the tests. Correlation and multiple regression analysis consumed for data analysis. Results: There is low to moderate correlations between clinical reasoning and other variables. Emotional intelligence is the only variable that contributes clinical reasoning construct (r=0.17-0.34) (R2 chnage = 0.46, P Value = 0.000). Conclusion: Although, clinical reasoning can be considered as a kind of thinking, no significant correlation detected between it and other constructs. Emotional intelligence (and its subscales) is the only variable that can be used for clinical reasoning prediction. PMID:23853636

[A radiological case collection with interactive character as a new element in the education of medical students].

PubMed

Heye, T; Kurz, P; Eiers, M; Kauffmann, G W; Schipp, A

2008-04-01

Evaluation of an interactive, multimedia case-based learning platform for the radiological education of medical students. An interactive electronic learning platform for the education of medical students was built in HTML format independent of the operating system in the context of the Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed). A case collection of 30 common and authentic clinical cases is used as the central theme and clinical background. The user has to work on each case by making decisions regarding a selection of diagnostic modalities and by analyzing the chosen studies. After a reasonable selection and sequence of diagnostic radiological modalities and their interpretation, a diagnosis has to be made. An extensive collection of normal findings for any modality is available for the user as a reference in correlation with the pathology at anytime within each case. The case collection consists of 2053 files with 1109 Internet pages (HTML) and 869 image files (.jpeg) with approximately 10 000 crosslinks (links). The case collection was evaluated by a questionnaire (scale 1 - 5) at the end of the radiological student course. The development of the results of the radiological course exam was analyzed to investigate any effect on the learning performance after the case collection was introduced. 97.6 % of the course participants would use the case collection beyond the radiological student course to learn radiology in their medical studies. The handling of the case collection was rated excellent in 36.9 %, good in 54.6 %, satisfactory in 8 % and unsatisfactory in 0.4 %. 41 % felt that the case collection was overall excellent, 49.2 % good, 7.8 % satisfactory, 1.6 % unsatisfactory and 0.4 % poor. A positive trend in the development of the results in the radiological course exam with less variance after the introduction of the case collection was found but failed statistical significance. A platform-independent, interactive, multimedia learning platform with authentic clinical cases and multiple choice elements for the user is the ideal method for supporting and expanding medical education in radiology. The usefulness and the reasonable exertion of diagnostic modalities are conveyed in a practical context as teaching goals. The high acceptance among students is based on the interactivity and use of multimedia.

A Multi-Level Examination of Stakeholder Perspectives of Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in a Large Urban Publicly-Funded Mental Health System

PubMed Central

Beidas, Rinad S.; Stewart, Rebecca E.; Adams, Danielle R.; Fernandez, Tara; Lustbader, Susanna; Powell, Byron J.; Aarons, Gregory; Hoagwood, Kimberly E.; Evans, Arthur C.; Hurford, Matthew O.; Rubin, Ronnie; Hadley, Trevor; Mandell, David; Barg, Frances

2015-01-01

Our goal was to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of evidence-based practices from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in a large publicly funded mental health system. We completed 56 interviews with three stakeholder groups: treatment developers (n = 7), agency administrators (n = 33), and system leadership (n = 16). The three stakeholder groups converged on the importance of inner (e.g., agency competing resources and demands, therapist educational background) and outer context (e.g., funding) factors as barriers to implementation. Potential threats to implementation and sustainability included the fiscal landscape of community mental health clinics and an evolving workforce. Intervention characteristics were rarely endorsed as barriers. Inner context, outer context, and intervention characteristics were all seen as important facilitators. All stakeholders endorsed the importance of coordinated collaboration across stakeholder groups within the system to successfully implement evidence-based practices. PMID:26658692

Common murine immunoglobulin detection reagents have diminished reactivity with IgG3 - A vulnerability to misinterpretation.

PubMed

Howie, Heather L; Wang, Xiaohong; Kapp, Linda; Lebedev, Jenna; Hudson, Krystalyn E; Zimring, James C

2018-04-01

Methods designed to monitor humoral immune responses, in a variety of settings, typically use a broadly reactive detection reagent (e.g. polyclonal anti-Ig (immunoglobulin)) in order to characterize antibody responses. In the context of murine models of immunity, which are widely used, this would typically be antisera to mouse Ig or mouse IgG. However, there are 4 different subtypes of mouse IgG; thus, the validity of the above approach, as a general screen for humoral immune responses, depends upon the assumption that the antisera recognize all IgG subtypes. This seems like a reasonable assumption, since polyclonal antisera recognize multiple epitopes; however, herein we report that two commercial sources of goat anti-mouse Ig are hyporeactive with IgG3. Given that relative IgG3 levels are different in distinct types of immune response, these findings demonstrate a potential for misinterpretation, and suggest a need to modify immunological methods in this context. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teachers and Students' Conceptions of Computer-Based Models in the Context of High School Chemistry: Elicitations at the Pre-Intervention Stage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waight, Noemi; Gillmeister, Kristina

2014-01-01

This study examined teachers' and students' initial conceptions of computer-based models--Flash and NetLogo models--and documented how teachers and students reconciled notions of multiple representations featuring macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic representations prior to actual intervention in eight high school chemistry…

What Feynman Could Not yet Use: The Generalised Hong-Ou-Mandel Experiment to Improve the QED Explanation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malgieri, Massimiliano; Tenni, Antonio; Onorato, Pasquale; De Ambrosis, Anna

2016-01-01

In this paper we present a reasoning line for introducing the Pauli exclusion principle in the context of an introductory course on quantum theory based on the sum over paths approach. We start from the argument originally introduced by Feynman in "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter" and improve it by discussing with students…

Lily Pad Doubling: Proportional Reasoning Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robichaux-Davis, Rebecca R.

2017-01-01

Progressing from additive to multiplicative thinking is critical for the development of middle school students' proportional reasoning abilities. Yet, many middle school mathematics teachers lack a thorough understanding of additive versus multiplicative situations. This article describes a sequence of instructional activities used to develop the…

Testimony and Interrogation of Minors: Assumptions about Maturity and Morality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen-Kostelnik, Jessica; Reppucci, N. Dickon; Meyer, Jessica R.

2006-01-01

This article examines the legal histories and social contexts of testimony and interrogation involving minors, developmental research on suggestibility and judgment, interactions between development and legal/sociological contexts, and the reasoning behind how minors are treated in different legal contexts. The authors argue (a) that young…

Conducting Research in Schools: A Practical Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alibali, Martha W.; Nathan, Mitchell J.

2010-01-01

Cognitive development unfolds in many contexts, and one of the most important of these contexts is school. Thus, understanding the school context is critical for understanding development. This article discusses some of the reasons why cognitive developmental researchers might wish to conduct research in schools, describes how to get started…

A Learning Progression for Feedback Loop Reasoning at Lower Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hokayem, Hayat; Ma, Jingjing; Jin, Hui

2015-01-01

This study examines to what extent elementary students use feedback loop reasoning, a key component of systems thinking, to reason about interactions among organisms in ecosystems. We conducted clinical interviews with 44 elementary students (1st through 4th grades). We asked students to explain how populations change in two contexts: a…

Consequences of Contextual Factors on Clinical Reasoning in Resident Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBee, Elexis; Ratcliffe, Temple; Picho, Katherine; Artino, Anthony R., Jr.; Schuwirth, Lambert; Kelly, William; Masel, Jennifer; van der Vleuten, Cees; Durning, Steven J.

2015-01-01

Context specificity and the impact that contextual factors have on the complex process of clinical reasoning is poorly understood. Using situated cognition as the theoretical framework, our aim was to evaluate the verbalized clinical reasoning processes of resident physicians in order to describe what impact the presence of contextual factors have…

An Analysis of the Reasoning Skills of Pre-Service Teachers in the Context of Mathematical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yavuz Mumcu, Hayal; Aktürk, Tolga

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to address and analyse pre-service teachers' mathematical reasoning skills in relation to mathematical thinking processes. For these purposes, pre-service teachers' mathematical reasoning skills namely generalising/abstraction/modelling, ratiocination, development and creative thinking skills and the relationships among…

What Constitutes Evidence in Human Rights-Based Approaches to Health? Learning from Lived Experiences of Maternal and Sexual Reproductive Health.

PubMed

Unnithan, Maya

2015-12-10

The impact of human rights interventions on health outcomes is complex, multiple, and difficult to ascertain in the conventional sense of cause and effect. Existing approaches based on probable (experimental and statistical) conclusions from evidence are limited in their ability to capture the impact of rights-based transformations in health. This paper argues that a focus on plausible conclusions from evidence enables policy makers and researchers to take into account the effects of a co-occurrence of multiple factors connected with human rights, including the significant role of "context" and power. Drawing on a subject-near and interpretive (in other words, with regard to meaning) perspective that focuses on the lived experiences of human rights-based interventions, the paper suggests that policy makers and researchers are best served by evidence arrived at through plausible, observational modes of ascertaining impact. Through an examination of what human rights-based interventions mean, based on the experience of their operationalization on the ground in culturally specific maternal and reproductive health care contexts, this paper contributes to an emerging scholarship that seeks to pluralize the concept of evidence and to address the methodological challenges posed by heterogeneous forms of evidence in the context of human rights as applied to health. Copyright © 2015 Unnithan. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

[How to improve the visibility of Spanish research in nursing? Reference journals and quality indexes].

PubMed

Lima-Serrano, Marta; Lima-Rodríguez, Joaquín S; Porcel-Gálvez, Ana M; Gil-García, Eugenia

2015-01-01

Research ends when the results are shared in the academic and professional community, and for this reason they need to be published in scientific journals of reference. But the question is where should the results of nursing research be published? Taking into account the expanding context and scientific consolidation of the discipline. To answer this question, an analysis will be made of the benefits and the most common criticisms of the two most important multidisciplinary literature data bases, as well as examining the context of the Spanish nursing journals in these data bases. A description will also be made of the indexing systems, as well as making proposals to contribute to improved visibility of Spanish nursing research through the positioning of its journals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Age-Related Differences in Contribution of Rule-Based Thinking toward Moral Evaluations

PubMed Central

Caravita, Simona C. S.; De Silva, Lindamulage N.; Pagani, Vera; Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the interplay of different criteria of moral evaluation, related to the type of the rule and context characteristics, in moral reasoning of children, early, and late adolescents. Students attending to fourth, seventh, and tenth grade were asked to evaluate the acceptability of rule breaking actions using ad hoc scenarios. Results suggest that the role of different moral evaluation criteria changes by age. During adolescence a greater integration of the moral criteria emerged. Moreover, adolescents also prioritized the evaluation of moral rule (forbidding to harm others) violations as non-acceptable when the perpetrator harms an innocent victim by applying a direct personal force. The relevance of these findings to increase the understanding of how moral reasoning changes by age for the assessment of impairments in moral reasoning of non-normative groups is also discussed. PMID:28473788

A similarity score-based two-phase heuristic approach to solve the dynamic cellular facility layout for manufacturing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ravi; Singh, Surya Prakash

2017-11-01

The dynamic cellular facility layout problem (DCFLP) is a well-known NP-hard problem. It has been estimated that the efficient design of DCFLP reduces the manufacturing cost of products by maintaining the minimum material flow among all machines in all cells, as the material flow contributes around 10-30% of the total product cost. However, being NP hard, solving the DCFLP optimally is very difficult in reasonable time. Therefore, this article proposes a novel similarity score-based two-phase heuristic approach to solve the DCFLP optimally considering multiple products in multiple times to be manufactured in the manufacturing layout. In the first phase of the proposed heuristic, a machine-cell cluster is created based on similarity scores between machines. This is provided as an input to the second phase to minimize inter/intracell material handling costs and rearrangement costs over the entire planning period. The solution methodology of the proposed approach is demonstrated. To show the efficiency of the two-phase heuristic approach, 21 instances are generated and solved using the optimization software package LINGO. The results show that the proposed approach can optimally solve the DCFLP in reasonable time.