Transitioning to an Active Learning Environment for Calculus at the University of Florida

In this note, we describe a large-scale transition to an active learning format in first-semester calculus at the University of Florida. Student performance and attitudes are compared across traditional lecture and flipped sections

The P300 as a Marker of Waning Attention and Error Propensity

Action errors can occur when routine responses are triggered inappropriately by familiar cues. Here, EEG was recorded as volunteers performed a “go/no-go” task of long duration that occasionally and unexpectedly required them to withhold a frequent, routine response. EEG components locked to the onset of relevant go trials were sorted according to whether participants erroneously responded to immediately subsequent no-go trials or correctly withheld their responses. Errors were associated with a significant relative reduction in the amplitude of the preceding P300, that is, a judgement could be made bout whether a response-inhibition error was likely before it had actually occurred. Furthermore, fluctuations in P300 amplitude across the task formed a reliable associate of individual error propensity, supporting its use as a marker of sustained control over action

The p300 as a marker of waning attention and error propensity.

Action errors can occur when routine responses are triggered inappropriately by familiar cues. Here, EEG was recorded as volunteers performed a "go/no-go" task of long duration that occasionally and unexpectedly required them to withhold a frequent, routine response. EEG components locked to the onset of relevant go trials were sorted according to whether participants erroneously responded to immediately subsequent no-go trials or correctly withheld their responses. Errors were associated with a significant relative reduction in the amplitude of the preceding P300, that is, a judgement could be made bout whether a response-inhibition error was likely before it had actually occurred. Furthermore, fluctuations in P300 amplitude across the task formed a reliable associate of individual error propensity, supporting its use as a marker of sustained control over action.Peer Reviewe

Falls and falls efficacy: the role of sustained attention in older adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous evidence indicates that older people allocate more of their attentional resources toward their gait and that the attention-related changes that occur during aging increase the risk of falls. The aim of this study was to investigate whether performance and variability in sustained attention is associated with falls and falls efficacy in older adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>458 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 60 years underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Mean and variability of reaction time (RT), commission errors and omission errors were recorded during a fixed version of the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). RT variability was decomposed using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) procedure, to help characterise variability associated with the arousal and vigilance aspects of sustained attention.</p> <p>The number of self-reported falls in the previous twelve months, and falls efficacy (Modified Falls Efficacy Scale) were also recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant increases in the mean and variability of reaction time on the SART were significantly associated with both falls (p < 0.01) and reduced falls efficacy (p < 0.05) in older adults. An increase in omission errors was also associated with falls (p < 0.01) and reduced falls efficacy (p < 0.05). Upon controlling for age and gender affects, logistic regression modelling revealed that increasing variability associated with the vigilance (top-down) aspect of sustained attention was a retrospective predictor of falling (p < 0.01, OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03 - 1.26) in the previous year and was weakly correlated with reduced falls efficacy in non-fallers (p = 0.07).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Greater variability in sustained attention is strongly correlated with retrospective falls and to a lesser degree with reduced falls efficacy. This cognitive measure may provide a novel and valuable biomarker for falls in older adults, potentially allowing for early detection and the implementation of preventative intervention strategies.</p

Prolonged rote learning produces delayed memory facilitation and metabolic changes in the hippocampus of the ageing human brain

Background: Repeated rehearsal is one method by which verbal material may be transferred from short- to long-term memory. We hypothesised that extended engagement of memory structures through prolonged rehearsal would result in enhanced efficacy of recall and also of brain structures implicated in new learning. Twenty-four normal participants aged 55-70 (mean = 60.1) engaged in six weeks of rote learning, during which they learned 500 words per week every week (prose, poetry etc.). An extensive battery of memory tests was administered on three occasions, each six weeks apart. In addition, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS) was used to measure metabolite levels in seven voxels of interest (VOIs) (including hippocampus) before and after learning.Results: Results indicate a facilitation of new learning that was evident six weeks after rote learning ceased. This facilitation occurred for verbal/episodic material only, and was mirrored by a metabolic change in left posterior hippocampus, specifically an increase in NAA/(Cr+Cho) ratio.Conclusion: Results suggest that repeated activation of memory structures facilitates anamnesis and may promote neuronal plasticity in the ageing brain, and that compliance is a key factor in such facilitation as the effect was confined to those who engaged fully with the training

Data mining and intervention in Calculus I

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of MathematicsAndrew BennettMany students have difficulty performing well in Calculus 1. Since Calculus 1 is often the first math course that people take in college, these difficulties can set a precedent of failure for these students. Using tools from data mining and interviews with Precalculus and Calculus 1 students, this work seeks to identify the different types of students in Calculus 1, determine which students are at risk for failure, and to study how intervention can help them succeed both in mathematics and in their college careers

The rehabilitation of attention

This chapter examines various attempts to enhance the natural recovery of attentional processes, or to better manage the consequences of impairment, following brain injury acquired in adulthood. The results reviewed give grounds for cautious optimism. However, rehabilitation is about working with patients to achieve functional goals in everyday life. If the promising findings showing changes on neuropsychological tests are to usefully filter through to clinical care, the extent to which these translate into meaningful functional improvements must be evaluated

Examining pion electroproductin at the CLAS detector

Thesis (B.S.)--University of Rochester. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, 2006.Hydrogen and carbon targets are bombarded by relativistic electrons at the CLAS detector in Jefferson Laboratory in VA. The incident electrons scatter on target nucleons and yield events in the elastic region, resonance region and the deep inelastic region. These regions qualify the different energies and particles that appear in the final state; most notably pions produced in the resonance region. The behavior of pions produced under these conditions is of interest in the field of Neutrino Physics

Transitioning to an Active Learning Environment for Calculus at the University of Florida

In this note, we describe a large-scale transition to an active learning format in first-semester calculus at the University of Florida. Student performance and attitudes are compared across traditional lecture and flipped sections