Organized Semantic Fluency and Executive Functioning in an Adult Clinical Sample and a Community Sample

The study investigated an organized semantic fluency task, (the Controlled Animal Fluency Task - CAFT) as a measure of executive functioning (EF) in adults, and the relationship with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Participants (N = 266) consisted of a clinical sample (n = 142) utilizing neuropsychological assessment data collected at an outpatient psychological center, and a community sample (n = 124). The clinical sample was a heterogeneous mixed neurological group including a variety of health conditions and comorbid anxiety and depression. The CAFT Animals by Size demonstrated a significant positive correlation with Category Fluency (r = .71, n = 142, p < .001) , Animal Fluency (r = .70, n = 142, p < .001), and with other, established neuropsychological measures. The CAFT Animals by Size condition demonstrated a significant moderate negative correlation with IADL for the sample as a whole (r = -.46, n = 248, p < .001), and for the clinical sample (r = -.38, n = 129, p < .001), but not for the community sample. In a hierarchical regression analysis, CAFT Animal by Size explained additional variance in IADL (&#916;R2 = .15). In a hierarchical regression analysis predicting IADL with the control variables entered first, followed by Category Fluency, with CAFT Animal by Size entered last, CAFT Animals by Size did not make a significant additional contribution. A stepwise forward regression indicated Category Fluency, education, and Category Switching are better predictors of IADL than CAFT Animals by Size. Normative data for the CAFT were calculated separately for age groups and education levels. Simple logistic regression indicated CAFT Animal by Size was a significant predictor of clinical or community group membership. A second logistic regression analysis indicated the CAFT Animal by Size condition improved the prediction of membership in the clinical versus the community group, compared to the MMSE alone. Applications of the CAFT are discussed

Field Independence and Cognitive Flexibility in Creative Test Performance

Much research in recent years has been devoted to the identification and measurement of creative abilities. It was postulated that Werner\u27s orthogenetic principle, in which development is conceptualized as proceeding from a state of relative lack of differentiation of functions to a state of increasing differentiation, articulation, and hierarchic integration of functions, might be applied to cognitive development in order to provide a useful model for investigating such abilities. A parallel interest of the investigator was the use of the Stroop Color-Word Test as a measure of hierarchic integration of cognitive functions (here called cognitive flexibility). Three hundred and fifty-nine subjects were screened in order to identify three groups of individuals: those both highly differentiated (as inferred from level of perceptual fieldindependence) and highly flexible (HFI-HCF), who were hypothesized to be the most creative; those highly differentiated but exhibiting low flexibility (HFI-LCF), who were hypothesized to exhibit moderate levels of creativity; those exhibiting low differentiation and low flexibility (LFI-LCF), who were hypothesized to be the least creative. However, when these identified subjects were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and the Otis- Gamma intelligence test (to assess the contribution of intelligence to creativity) this hypothesis was not borne out. In fact, the HFI-LCF subjects performed most creatively, followed by the HFI-HCF and then the LFI-LCF subjects, although none of the five creativity score differences were found to be statistically significant. These results were discussed in terms of possible methodological and conceptual shortcomings and suggestions for future research were advanced

Natural landscape scenic preference: techniques for evaluation and simulation.

The aesthetic beauty of a landscape is a very subjective issue: every person has their own opinions and their own idea of what beauty is. However, all people have a common evolutionary history, and, according to the Biophilia hypothesis, a genetic predisposition to liking certain types of landscapes. It is possible that this common inheritance allows us to attempt to model scenic preference for natural landscapes. The ideal type of model for such predictions is the psychophysical preference model, integrating psychological responses to landscapes with objective measurements of quantitative and qualitative landscape variables. Such models commonly predict two thirds of the variance in the predications of the general public for natural landscapes. In order to create such a model three sets of data were required: landscape photographs (surrogates of the actual landscape), landscape preference data and landscape component variable measurements. The Internet was used to run a questionnaire survey; a novel, yet flexible, environmentally friendly and simple method of data gathering, resulting in one hundred and eighty responses. A geographic information system was used to digitise ninety landscape photographs and measure their landforms (based on elevation) in terms of areas and perimeters, their colours and proxies for their complexity and coherence. Landscape preference models were created by running multiple linear regressions using normalised preference data and the landscape component variables, including mathematical transformations of these variables. The eight models created predicted over sixty percent of variance in the responses and had moderate to high correlations with a second set of landscape preference data. A common base to the models were the variables of complexity, water and mountain landform, in particular the presence or absence of water and mountains was noted as being significant in determining landscape scenic preference. In order to fully establish the utility of these models, they were further tested against: changes in weather and season; the addition of cultural structures; different photographers; alternate film types; different focal lengths; and composition. Results showed that weather and season were not significant in determining landscape preference; cultural structures increased preferences for landscapes; and photographs taken by different people did not produce consistent results from the predictive models. It was also found that film type was not significant and that changes in focal length altered preferences for landscapes

Risk-taking propensity and its relationship to achievement motivation among selected municipal parks and recreation directors in the state of Iowa

The purpose of the study was to examine the risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation among selected park and recreation directors in the state of Iowa. More specifically, the study is designed to determine the relationships between risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation. In addition, the study seeks to explore the relationships between various demographic variables such as age, gender, education level, city size, agency size, organizational budget, and years of professional experience in the park and recreation field and either risk-taking propensity or achievement motivation. Atkinson\u27s Theory of Achievement Motivation and McClelland\u27s Need for Achievement were employed to better understand the relationship between achievement motivation and risk-taking propensity, in support of the present study. In addition, three research instruments (1) Demographic Characteristics Survey, (2) The Choice Dilemmas Questionnaire (CDQ) developed by Kogan and Wallach (1964), and Achievement Motive Questionnaire (AMQ) developed by Elizur (1979), were utilized to collect data. Statistical methods, such as Descriptive Statistical Analysis, Pearson\u27s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Spearman\u27s Rho Correlation Coefficient, Independent-sample t-test, and One-way ANOVA, were employed to analyze data in this study. Results indicated that: (1) 81.4% of respondents demonstrate a moderate propensity for risk-taking; (2) 96.6% of respondents scored at the moderate or high levels of motivation achievement; (3) there exists a statistical correlation between propensity for risk-taking and achievement motivation at 0.01 level (r = .341, p = .0008); (4) there was only one demographical variable (age) weakly correlated with risk-taking propensity at 0.05 level; and (5) There were three demographical variables (full-time staff, city size, and organizational budget) moderately correlated with achievement motivation

Can a computer expert system aid the process of clinical decision-making in podiatry?

The aim of this research was to invetigate the clinical decision-making processes used in podiatry and hence to investigate if a computer expert system could be used to aid the process of clinical decision-making. This was achieved through a sequence of four empirical studies. The initial study used card sorts to investigate seven expert podiatrists’ perceptions of and attitudes toward diagnostic aids, and in particular how podiatrists viewed expert systems. The results showed that expert systems are perceived as different in kind from other diagnostic aids such as X-rays or blood tests. The second study was conducted using one expert and one novice podiatrist and used a task analysis to investigate the types of tasks and skills undertaken by a podiatrist during the diagnosis of a patient in different clinical environments. The results indicate that the work is highly schematised and involves routine tasks such as nail care and callus reduction. In clinic, podiarists perform many tasks quickly. There was little difference between the number of tasks per minute undertaken in a general clinic and the number of tasks in a specialist diabetes clinic. Considering the speed of diagnosis, it is postulated that both expert and novice podiatrists’ use of schemata, pattern matching, and tacit and implicit knowledge dominates their diagnostic activity during consultations. The third study focused on how clinical reasoning and decision-making occur during consultations with a patient. Think-aloud protocols were used to investigate the differences in the clinical reasoning process between five expert and nine novice podiatrists. The speed of diagnosis and general lack of causal assertions suggest that use of schemata and tacit knowledge dominate the diagnosis process for both experts and novices. In a general setting, the novices produced four common clinical reasoning themes. These indicate that pattern recognition is a common method of diagnosis. However, there was an increase in the number of clinical reasoning themes used by experts in a specialist setting, indicating novice—expert differences. The fourth study used laddering interviews on a mixture of twelve NHS and private podiatrists to investigate why podiatrists used certain clinical reasoning themes. A hierarchical value map was derived, showing that, at an initial response level to the laddering questions, certain values were important: the palpation of the foot, building a picture of the foot condition, and being able to use clinical reasoning frequently and immediately. The emphases on palpation and immediacy of reasoning suggest that an expert system is unlikely to serve podiatrists’ needs in clinics. This research has provided a new understanding of the clinical reasoning processes used in podiatry. A podiatrist has a very busy timeline when diagnosing a patient and predominantly uses (and values) tacit knowledge, implicit learning, and compiled skills during consultations. There is little evidence for the need or desire for an expert system in clinical podiatry practice. However, if such an expert system were to be created, then: (a) it would have to be fast and non-intrusive so it can fit into a very busy consultation timeline, (b) it would need a knowledge base that could account for diagnosis of foot and leg conditions based on pattern recognition, and (c) it might be most valuable in the form of a decision support system for professional development that included the full range of expert diagnostic theme

Mobile information communication technology for crisis management : understanding user behavior, response and training

SMS text-messaging is an interoperable communication vehicle known to be dependable for mass media alert notifications in crisis management. SMS text-messaging also offers potential as one viable two-way communication alternative for field responders in crisis response. Both continuously changing mobile information communication technologies and the importance of precise information exchange constitute a need for communication protocol training and practice. This study introduces a technology-mediated training technique based on speech act and communicative action theories. These theories are used to inform the design of a baseline measure for task performance improvement and to suggest a model to predict communication readiness. Because this research bridges two fields - information systems and communication - it provides a model for full construct-representation of text-based interaction in a technology-mediated environment. The proposed model is validated through a web-based training application with 50 participants who have different crisis response backgrounds, including emergency management practitioners, first responders, public safety volunteers, community volunteers, community citizens, and students over the age of 18. Each group encompasses diverse technological skill and usage levels. The web-based training application developed in the present study features plain language training so that a clear understanding of user behavior, response, and training would emerge. The training and crisis scenario are rendered through multimedia recordings and designed to measure task response, based on the 160 character per SMS text-message exchange limit. The mixed-methods design begins with a crisis scenario, followed by pre-training measures, three repeated training measures, and concludes with post-training measures. A total of six tasks are introduced (3 pre-training and 3 post-training) in which each participant interfaces with the web-based training application through a high-speed Internet connection. Task response level results show promise for this exploratory research and contribute to a new discourse mode that extends to mobile technology penetration. Future research will focus on refinement of the model\u27s task performance measures and will seek to introduce additional situation-based scenarios and mixed-modes of communication. During this next research phase, the objective is to incorporate the model into mobile device usage and operationalize the model in authentic crisis management contexts. If successful in extended field simulation, the model may have the potential to ensure effective mobile information communication within the context of crisis

Beyond the horizon of measurement: Festschrift in honor of Ingwer Borg

"Modesty and academic excellence paired with trustfulness and truthfulness, these are the descriptions we would choose, if asked to describe Ingwer Borg in a nutshell. A glance at his oevre reveals a multi-talented, innovative, and cross-disciplinary scientist, who, by all means, could fill his walls with eminent names, topics, positions, and publications. This is in contrast to the frugality of his office, a scientific workbench, not a celebrity's showroom. In addition to his academic pursues he likes to venture into real life, too. This volume is organized in two parts. The first part deals with measurement issues including the application of multidimensional scaling to substantive issues but where the method is center-stage. The second part in substantive in focus and deals with questions of the organization of firms and employee attitudes." (author's abstract). Contents: Peter Ph. Mohler: Sampling from a universe of items and the De-Machiavellization of questionnaire design (9-14); Hubert Feger: Some analytical foundations of multidimensional scaling for ordinal data (15-40); Patrick J.F. Groenen, Ivo A. van der Lans: Multidimensional scaling with regional restrictions for facet theory: an application to Levy's political protest data (41-64); Arie Cohen: A comparison between factor analysis and smallest space analysis of the comprehensive scoring system of the Rorschach (65-72); Wolfgang Bilsky: On the structure of motives: beyond the 'big three' (73-84); Shlomit Levy, Dov Elizur: Values of veteran Israelis and new immigrants from the former Soviet Union: a facet analysis (85-104); Simon L. Dolan, Christian Acosta-Flamma: Values and propensity to adopt new HRM web-based technologies as determinants of HR efficiency and effectiveness: a firm level resource-based analysis (105-124); Sanjay T. Menon: Non-hierarchical emergent structure: a case study in alternative management (125-138); Christiane Spitzmüller, Dana M. Glenn: Organizational survey response: previous findings and an integrative framework (139-162); Thomas Staufenbiel, Maren Kroll, Cornelius J. König: Could job insecurity (also) be a motivator? (163-174); Michael Braun, Miriam Baumgärtner: The effects of work values and job characteristics on job satisfaction (175-188)

Some Comparisons between Conventional College Teaching Methods and a Composite of Procedures Involving Large Lecture Groups, Seminars, and Reduced Class Time

The problem of this study was to determine the differences in achievement, critical thinking, and attitude toward subjects of junior college freshmen which could be attributed to two approaches to the teaching of English composition and American history. The purpose of the study was to yield information for use as the basis for administrative and instructional judgments concerning pupil deployment, and plant and staff utilization