Attitude to Secondary Prevention and Concerns about Colonoscopy Are Independent Predictors of Acceptance of Screening Colonoscopy

Background: Colonoscopy in combination with endoscopic polypectomy has been shown to be an efficient measure for reducing colorectal cancer incidence. In Germany, a colorectal cancer screening program based on colonoscopy for individuals aged 55 and above was introduced in 2002. However, for largely unknown reasons, participation rates remain low. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing compliance with colorectal cancer screening. Methods: A structured survey of 239 individuals aged 55-79 years ;was performed. Statistical analysis included chi(2) test, t test, principal component analysis, and logistic regression. Results: 56% of previously screened, but only 26% of non-screened individuals had received a recommendation to undergo screening colonoscopy. 50% of the non-screened believed a screening colonoscopy should only be performed in case of complaints. Univariate analysis identified participation in any secondary prevention measures (p < 0.001), concerns about colonoscopy (p < 0.012), and knowledge about colorectal cancer (p < 0.001) as critical issues distinguishing between groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that secondary prevention (p < 0.001) and concerns about colonoscopy (p = 0.026) were independent predictors of compliance with screening recommendations. Conclusion: Our survey has identified critical factors deterring compliance with colorectal cancer screening recommendations. This will help to direct future campaigns in order to increase participation in colorectal cancer screening. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

Executive functions in the context of complex learning: Malleable moderators?

Executive functions are crucial for complex learning in addition to prior knowledge. In this article, we argue that executive functions can moderate the effectiveness of instructional approaches that vary with respect to the demand on these functions. In addition, we suggest that engagement in complex activity contexts rather than specific cognitive training paradigms may enhance executive functions and yield practically relevant transfer effects to other cognitive abilities. We develop several hypotheses and principles for how to improve executive functions in these contexts. For future research, we suggest to systematically investigate the moderating role of executive functions in learning environments with varying degrees of instructional support and varying context characteristics. We identify potential factors influencing the improvement of executive functions to be considered in a systematic research program

What can the Real World do for simulation studies? A comparison of exploratory methods

For simulation studies on the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), usually rather simple population models are used without model errors. In the present study, real data characteristics are used for Monte Carlo simulation studies. Real large data sets are examined and the results of EFA on them are taken as the population models. First we apply a resampling technique on these data sets with sub samples of different sizes. Then, a Monte Carlo study is conducted based on the parameters of the population model and with some variations of them. Two data sets are analyzed as an illustration. Results suggest that outcomes of simulation studies are always highly influenced by particular specification of the model and its violations. Once small residual correlations appeared in the data for example, the ranking of our methods changed completely. The analysis of real data set characteristics is therefore important to understand the performance of different methods

Evaluation of a new k-means approach for exploratory clustering of items

Evaluation of a new k-means approach for exploratory clustering of item

Learning to solve ill-defined statistics problems: does self-explanation quality mediate the worked example effect?

Extensive research has established that successful learning from an example is conditional on an important learning activity: self-explanation. Moreover, a model for learning from examples suggests that self-explanation quality mediates effects of examples on learning outcomes (Atkinson et al. in Rev Educ Res 70:181–214, 2000). We investigated self-explanation quality as mediator in a worked examples—problem-solving paradigm. We developed a coding scheme to assess self-explanation quality in the context of ill-defined statistics problems and analyzed self-explanation data of a study by Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016). Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016) investigated whether the worked example effect depends on prior knowledge, working memory capacity, shifting ability, and fluid intelligence. In our study, we included these variables to jointly explore mediating and moderating factors when individuals learn with worked examples versus through problem-solving. Seventy-four university students (mean age = 23.83, SD = 5.78) completed an open item pretest, self-explained while either studying worked examples or solving problems, and then completed a post-test. We used conditional process analysis to test whether the effect of worked examples on learning gains is mediated by self-explanation quality and whether any effect in the mediation model depends on the suggested moderators. We reproduced the interaction effects reported by Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016) but did not detect a mediation effect. This might indicate that worked examples are directly effective because they convey a solution strategy, which might be particularly important when learning to solve problems that have no algorithmic solution procedure

Cognitive Reserve in Young and Old Healthy Subjects: Differences and Similarities in a Testing-the-Limits Paradigm with DSST

Cognitive reserve (CR) is understood as capacity to cope with challenging conditions, e. g. after brain injury or in states of brain dysfunction, or age-related cognitive decline. CR in elderly subjects has attracted much research interest, but differences between healthy older and younger subjects have not been addressed in detail hitherto. Usually, one-time standard individual assessments are used to characterise CR. Here we observe CR as individual improvement in cognitive performance (gain) in a complex testing-the-limits paradigm, the digit symbol substitution test (DSST),with 10 repeated measurements, in 140 younger (20-30 yrs) and 140 older (57-74 yrs) healthy subjects. In addition, we assessed attention, memory and executive function, and mood and personality traits as potential influence factors for CR. We found that both, younger and older subjects showed significant gains, which were significantly correlated with speed of information processing, verbal short-term memory and visual problem solving in the older group only. Gender, personality traits and mood did not significantly influence gains in either group. Surprisingly about half of the older subjects performed at the level of the younger group, suggesting that interindividual differences in CR are possibly age-independent. We propose that these findings may also be understood as indication that one-time standard individual measurements do not allow assessment of CR, and that the use of DSST in a testing-the-limits paradigm is a valuable assessment method for CR in young and elderly subjects

Wer soll die Professur bekommen?

Die Entwicklung einer Wissenschaft ist abhängig von den Personen, die sie tragen. Der Auswahl geeigneter Personen in Berufungsverfahren auf Professuren kommt deshalb eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Die vorliegende Studie beschäftigt sich erstmals damit, wie Kolleginnen und Kollegen der Psychologie Berufungsverfahren beurteilen; wie wichtig sie verschiedene Indikatoren für die Eignung auf eine Professur einschätzen; wie hoch die Diskrepanz zwischen gewünschter und tatsächlicher Relevanz dieser Indikatoren ist; sowie wie sie zu verschiedenen Ausgestaltungsmöglichkeiten von Berufungsverfahren stehen. Es wurden 3.784 Mitglieder der DGPs angeschrieben, um an einer online Befragung teilzunehmen. N = 1.453 Personen beantworteten zumindest einen Teil der Fragen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Diskrepanzen zwischen Ist und Soll bei überfachlichen Kompetenzen (Kommunikation, Kooperation, strategisches Denken) besonders groß sind und dass die Befragten den Stellenwert quantitativer Forschungsleistungsindikatoren als zu hoch ansehen. Die Befragten befürworten den Einsatz strukturierter Interviews zur Erfassung überfachlicher Kompetenzen, eine multi-methodale Messung der Forschungs- und Lehrleistung durch qualitative und quantitative Indikatoren sowie stärker strukturierte Probelehrvorträge. Mögliche fachpolitische Konsequenzen dieser Befunde werden diskutiert.Progress in science is dependent on the people doing science. Adequate selection procedures for hiring well-suited individuals are of eminent importance. The present research studies for the first time how psychology researchers perceive hiring procedures in psychology. It analyzes the perceived relevance of a number of selection criteria, it examines the discrepancy between ought and is in the selection criteria, and it studies the acceptance of a number of techniques that could be used for organizing the selection process. Respondents (N = 1,453 members of the German Psychological Association) answered an online questionnaire, in which they rated the desired relevance of 41 selection criteria as well as their actual relevance in hiring procedures in psychology. The findings show that the greatest discrepancies between ought and is concern the relevance of general competencies such as communication skills, cooperation, strategic thinking (which should be considered more) and the purely quantitative indicators of research performance (which should be considered less). Selection procedures were perceived as less transparent than possible. Respondents were in favor of using structured interviews for the assessment of general competencies; they endorsed usage of multiple indicators of research and teaching performance; and they approved that applicants should demonstrate their teaching skills in a well-structured lecture. The possible consequences of these findings for hiring procedures are discussed

The Digit Span Backwards Task

The "digit span backwards" (DSB) is the most commonly used test in clinical neuropsychology to assess working memory capacity. Yet, it remains unclear how the task is solved cognitively. The present study was conducted to examine the use of visual and verbal cognitive strategies in the DSB. Further, the relationship between the DSB and a complex span task, based on the Simultaneous Storage and Processing task (Oberauer et al., 2003), was investigated. Visualizers performed bette