Acquisition Of Cognitive Skills Research Articles

Kv3.3 potassium channels and spinocerebellar ataxia.

The voltage-dependent potassium channel subunit Kv3.3 is expressed at high levels in cerebellar Purkinje cells, in auditory brainstem nuclei and in many other neurons capable of firing at high rates. In the cerebellum, it helps to shape the very characteristic complex spike of Purkinje cells. Kv3.3 differs from other closely related channels in that human mutations in the gene encoding Kv3.3 (KCNC3) result in a unique neurodegenerative disease termed spinocerebellar ataxia type 13 (SCA13). This primarily affects the cerebellum, but also results in extracerebellar symptoms. Different mutations produce either early onset SCA13, associated with delayed motor and impaired cognitive skill acquisition, or late onset SCA13, which typically produces cerebellar degeneration in middle age. This review covers the localization and physiological function of Kv3.3 in the central nervous system and how the normal function of the channel is altered by the disease-causing mutations. It also describes experimental approaches that are being used to understand how Kv3.3 mutations are linked to neuronal survival, and to develop strategies for treatment.

Linking GABA and glutamate levels to cognitive skill acquisition during development.

Developmental adjustments in the balance of excitation and inhibition are thought to constrain the plasticity of sensory areas of the cortex. It is unknown however, how changes in excitatory or inhibitory neurochemical expression (glutamate, γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)) contribute to skill acquisition during development. Here we used single‐voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) to reveal how differences in cortical glutamate vs. GABA ratios relate to face proficiency and working memory abilities in children and adults. We show that higher glutamate levels in the inferior frontal gyrus correlated positively with face processing proficiency in the children, but not the adults, an effect which was independent of age‐dependent differences in underlying cortical gray matter. Moreover, we found that glutamate/GABA levels and gray matter volume are dissociated at the different maturational stages. These findings suggest that increased excitation during development is linked to neuroplasticity and the acquisition of new cognitive skills. They also offer a new, neurochemical approach to investigating the relationship between cognitive performance and brain development across the lifespan. Hum Brain Mapp 36:4334–4345, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping Published byWiley Periodicals, Inc.

Supplemental Material for Assessing Cognitive Therapy Skills Comprehension, Acquisition, and Use by Means of an Independent Observer Version of the Skills of Cognitive Therapy (SoCT-IO)

Supplemental Material for Assessing Cognitive Therapy Skills Comprehension, Acquisition, and Use by Means of an Independent Observer Version of the Skills of Cognitive Therapy (SoCT-IO)

Effects of the Use of High-Fidelity Human Simulation in Nursing Education: A Meta-Analysis.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high-fidelity human simulation (HFHS) on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes of learning. PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Korean databases were searched. The RevMan program was used for analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted of 26 controlled trials, with a total of 2,031 nursing students. The use of HFHS tended to have beneficial effects on cognitive and psychomotor domains of learning. In analysis of cognitive outcomes, the weighted average effect size across studies was -0.97 for problem-solving competency, -0.67 for critical thinking, and -2.15 for clinical judgment. The effect size for clinical competence of the psychomotor domain was -0.81. Use of HFHS might positively impact a high level of cognitive skill and clinical skill acquisition. Further research is required to determine the effectiveness of use of HFHS as an educational strategy to improve knowledge acquisition and communication skills.

Statistical classification for cognitive diagnostic assessment: an artificial neural network approach

The purpose of the current investigation was to describe how the artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be used to interpret student performance on cognitive diagnostic assessments (CDAs) and evaluate the performances of ANNs using simulation results. CDAs are designed to measure student performance on problem-solving tasks and provide useful diagnostic information about cognitive skill acquisition. But for CDA to realise its potential as a formative testing method, substantial progress must be made in the development of cognitive models that characterise students’ knowledge structures and processes skills, the construction of high-quality test items that precisely measure the nature of the knowledge and skills as specified in the cognitive models, as well as the advancement of psychometric techniques that allow us to accurately interpret student performance. The current investigation focuses on the third component as we examine the use of ANNs as a powerful nonparametric statistical method for diagnostic classification.

Impact of a simulation training curriculum on technical and nontechnical skills in colonoscopy: a randomized trial

GI endoscopy simulation-based training augments early clinical performance; however, the optimal manner by which to deliver training is unknown. We aimed to validate a simulation-based structured comprehensive curriculum (SCC) designed to teach technical, cognitive, and integrative competencies in colonoscopy. Single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Endoscopic simulation course at an academic hospital. Thirty-three novice endoscopists were allocated to an SCC group or self-regulated learning (SRL) group. The SCC group received a curriculum consisting of 6 hours of didactic lectures and 8 hours of virtual reality simulation-based training with expert feedback. The SRL group was provided a list of desired objectives and was instructed to practice on the simulator for an equivalent time (8 hours). Clinical transfer was assessed during 2 patient colonoscopies using the Joint Advisory Group Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (JAG DOPS) scale. Secondary outcome measures included differences in procedural knowledge, immediate post-training simulation performance, and delayed post-training (4-6 weeks) performance during an integrated scenario test on the JAG DOPS communication and integrated scenario global rating scales. There was no significant difference in baseline or post-training performance on the simulator task. The SCC group performed superiorly during their first and second clinical colonoscopies. Additionally, the SCC group demonstrated significantly better knowledge and colonoscopy-specific performance, communication, and global performance during the integrated scenario. We were unable to measure SRL participants' effort outside of mandatory training. In addition, feedback metrics and number of available simulation cases are limited. These results support integration of endoscopy simulation into a structured curriculum incorporating instructional feedback and complementary didactic knowledge as a means to augment technical, cognitive, and integrative skills acquisition, as compared with SRL on virtual reality simulators. ( NCT01991522.)

English

The purpose of this paper is to present the relevance of the three-step approach undertaken by a marketing academic working in the University of New England Business School to foster distance student’s learning, satisfaction and overall study experience. This work is a reflection of the author’s teaching practice whereby a multitude of innovative teaching resources, relevant assignments and effective feedback system were integrated to develop work-ready assessment tools that are required for today’s graduates to be readily employable. Evidence gathered from teaching and unit evaluation data obtained from the years 2011 to 2014 indicated that this three-step approach fostered students’ independent learning by transforming them from being passive surface learners to deep and active learners. Similarly, the overall satisfaction rate of students with the units (subject) coordinated by the author, the pass rates and grade point averages as well as the number of distinctions and high distinctions secured by students enrolled in those marketing related units indicate the acquisition of authentic cognitive skills. The evidence gathered from teaching practice indicates the relevance of integrating work-ready assessment tools with worthwhile feedback and innovative teaching resources to enhance distance students’ overall study experience. Key words: Marketing units, work-ready assessment tools, teaching resources, assignment plans, quality feedback, student’s independent learning.

Competition between frontal lobe functions and implicit sequence learning: evidence from the long-term effects of alcohol.

Implicit sequence learning is a fundamental mechanism that underlies the acquisition of motor, cognitive and social skills. The relationship between implicit learning and executive functions is still debated due to the overlapping fronto-striatal networks. According to the framework of competitive neurocognitive networks, disrupting specific frontal lobe functions, such as executive functions, increases performance on implicit learning tasks. The aim of our study was to explore the nature of such a relationship by investigating the effect of long-term regular alcohol intake on implicit sequence learning. Since alcohol dependency impairs executive functions, we expected intact or even better implicit learning in patient group compared to the healthy controls based on the competitive relationship between these neurocognitive networks. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the long-term effects of alcohol dependency both on implicit learning and on executive functions requiring different but partly overlapping neurocognitive networks. Here, we show weaker executive functions but intact implicit learning in the alcohol-dependent group compared to the controls. Moreover, we found negative correlation between these functions in both groups. Our results confirm the competitive relationship between the fronto-striatal networks underlying implicit sequence learning and executive functions and suggest that the functional integrity of this relationship is unaltered in the alcohol-dependent group despite the weaker frontal lobe functions.

Multimedia educational tools for cognitive surgical skill acquisition in open and laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Conventional teaching in surgical training programmes is constrained by time and cost, and has room for improvement. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a multimedia educational tool developed for an index colorectal surgical procedure (anterior resection) in teaching and assessment of cognitive skills and to evaluate its acceptability amongst general surgical trainees. Multimedia educational tools in open and laparoscopic anterior resection were developed by filming multiple operations which were edited into procedural steps and substeps and then integrated onto interactive navigational platforms using Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 10.1. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on general surgical trainees to evaluate the effectiveness of online multimedia in comparison with conventional 'study day' teaching for the acquisition of cognitive skills. All trainees were assessed before and after the study period. Trainees in the multimedia group evaluated the tools by completing a survey. Fifty-nine trainees were randomized but 27% dropped out, leaving 43 trainees randomized to the multimedia group (n=25) and study day group (n=18) who were available for analysis. Posttest scores improved significantly in both groups (P<0.01). The change in scores (mean±SD) in the multimedia group was not significantly different from the study day group (6.02±5.12 and 5.31±3.42, respectively; P=0.61). Twenty-five trainees completed the evaluation survey and experienced an improvement in their decision making (67%) and in factual and anatomical knowledge (88%); 96% agreed that the multimedia tool was a useful additional educational resource. Multimedia tools are effective for the acquisition of cognitive skills in colorectal surgery and are well accepted as an educational resource.

Children's Own Time Use and its Effect on Skill Formation

Using time-use data from a longitudinal survey (covering Ethiopia, India and Vietnam), the present study examines how the amount of time children spend on different activities impacts their acquisition of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Modeling the skill formation production function of children and extending the set of inputs to include the child’s own time inputs, the study finds that child involvement in work activities such as domestic chores and paid activities are associated with a reduction in both cognitive and non-cognitive achievements. The results imply that there is an indirect adverse effect of child work on skill development through the reduction of hours of study. The results are consistent across all the study countries and for both young children and adolescents. These results are also robust to a variety of specification checks.

Prolonged Exposure to Simulated Teaching and the Academic Performance of Education Students

Research on superior performance has shown that important characteristics of students’ achievement and the acquisition of cognitive skills are acquired through practice and appropriate use of teaching methods [1]. Aim: This study examined the effect of using simulated teaching in learning a college content course. Methodology: A total of 88 third year college education students went through a pretest-posttest experimental study with 44 participants in each of the control or reporting group and the simulated teaching or experimental group, respectively. It was assumed that prolonged exposure to simulated teaching would enhance education students ‘academic performance in a specified academic subject. The data were analysed using means, standard deviation, T-Test for Paired Samples and T-Test for Independent Samples. Results: Findings revealed a highly significant difference between the mean gain of the control and experimental groups (p-value=.000) indicating that the level of academic performance of students who had more exposure to simulated teaching was significantly higher than students who stopped using the method. The result suggests that the students who had prolonged exposure to simulated teaching performed better in learning a content subject than those who had less exposure to the Original Research Article Presnilla-Espada; JSRR, 7(1): 11-22, 2015; Article no.JSRR.2015.183 12 method. Conclusion: The study concludes that prolonged exposure to simulated teaching results in a higher academic performance. It further strengthens the notion that ‘when we teach, we learn twice’.

The Play in the Context of Early Childhood Education in the View of Nurseries Professionals

The activities carried out with the child 0 - 2 years, as the play are vitals for the development of perceptions, movements, postures and intelligence contributing to the acquisition of psychomotor and cognitive skills. The family has played an important role in providing this tool, but today, in Brazil, the children in this age group have attended the Early Childhood Education institutions. Thus, the objective of this research was to determine the meaning given by professionals from the nursery to the activities to play of the age group 0 - 2 years. Participated a total of 128 professionals working in municipal nurseries of a medium-sized city of São Paulo. They were asked about the importance of play and toy for children 0 - 2 years and how it is offered in the nursery routine. The answers were analyzed based on qualitative data analysis technique and enhanced with concepts of thematic analysis. They were organized in themes importance of play; proposals for toys and games; organization of time, space and materials for activities to play; participation in the activities of play. The results indicate that: 1) the activity of play is considered important by the participants for both the development and the learning; 2) teachers are responsible for organizing this activity focused on educational planning; 3) they report that playing at this age is difficult, especially with the smaller, because of the nursery routine of the organization. Therefore, this work contributes to the design of the activities of play, more suitable to the needs of the public attended, aiming at the global development of the baby.

Teaching for the Transition: the Canadian PGY-1 Neurosurgery 'Rookie Camp'.

Transitioning from medical school to residency is difficult and stressful, necessitating innovation in easing this transition. In response, a Canadian neurosurgical Rookie Camp was designed and implemented to foster acquisition of technical, cognitive and behavioral skills among incoming Canadian post graduate year one (PGY-1) neurosurgery residents. The inaugural Rookie Camp was held in July 2012 in Halifax. The curriculum was developed based on a national needs-assessment and consisted of a pre-course manual, 7 case-based stations, 4 procedural skills stations and 2 group discussions. The content was clinically focused, used a variety of teaching methods, and addressed multiple CanMEDS competencies. Evaluation included participant and faculty surveys and a pre-course, post-course, and 3-month retention knowledge test. 17 of 23 PGY-1 Canadian neurosurgical residents participated in the Camp. All agreed the course content was relevant for PGY-1 training and the experience prepared them for residency. All participants would recommend the course to future neurosurgical residents. A statistically significant improvement was observed in knowledge related to course content (F(2,32) = 7.572, p<0.002). There were no significant differences between post-test and retention-test scores at three months. The inaugural Canadian Neurosurgery Rookie Camp for PGY-1 residents was successfully delivered, with engagement from participants, training programs, the Canadian Neurosurgical Society, and the Royal College. In addition to providing fundamental knowledge, which was shown to be retained, the course eased junior residents' transition to residency by fostering camaraderie and socialization within the specialty.

The emergence of age-dependent social cognitive deficits after generalized insult to the developing brain: a longitudinal prospective analysis using susceptibility-weighted imaging.

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for maturation of neurobiological processes that underlie complex social and emotional behavior including Theory of Mind (ToM). While structural correlates of ToM are well described in adults, less is known about the anatomical regions subsuming these skills in the developing brain or the impact of cerebral insult on the acquisition and establishment of high-level social cognitive skills. This study aimed to examine the differential influence of age-at-insult and brain pathology on ToM in a sample of children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Children and adolescents with TBI (n = 112) were categorized according to timing of brain insult: (i) middle childhood (5-9 years; n = 41); (ii) late childhood (10-11 years; n = 39); and (iii) adolescence (12-15 years; n = 32) and group-matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status to a typically developing (TD) control group (n = 43). Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging including a susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) sequence 2-8 weeks postinjury and were assessed on a battery of ToM tasks at 6- and 24-months after injury. Results showed that for adolescents with TBI, social cognitive dysfunction at 6- and 24-months postinjury was associated with diffuse neuropathology and a greater number of lesions detected using SWI. In the late childhood TBI group, we found a time-dependent emergence of social cognitive impairment, linked to diffuse neuropathology. The middle childhood TBI group demonstrated performance unrelated to SWI pathology and comparable to TD controls. Findings indicate that the full extent of social cognitive deficits may not be realized until the associated skills reach maturity. Evidence for brain structure-function relationships suggests that the integrity of an anatomically distributed network of brain regions and their connections is necessary for the acquisition and establishment of high-level social cognitive skills.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of performance during advanced laparoscopic fellowship: a curriculum based on structured assessment and feedback

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to examine the acquisition of advanced laparoscopic technical and cognitive skills during a fellowship. MethodsDuring a yearlong fellowship, consecutive assessments were completed by a fellow and 1 attending for 3 advanced procedures. The Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, and procedure-specific rating tools and free-text feedback were used. Descriptive statistics, the t test, linear mixed-effects regression, and qualitative analysis of feedback were performed. ResultsSeventy-six cases were included. Average ratings increased for each assessment area every month (P < .001). There were significant differences between ratings by assessors with more stringent ratings by the fellow. While the attending focused on efficiency and safety, the fellow focused on technical issues, with later expanded attention to advanced cognitive aspects. ConclusionsThese assessment tools can be used as a quantitative index to monitor fellows' learning curve. In combination with narrative feedback, such data can provide measures to direct improvement during self-directed learning.

Developmental trajectory of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder: Comparison with schizophrenia

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP) are associated with neurocognitive deficits. However, it has been suggested that schizophrenia, but not BP, is characterised by premorbid cognitive impairments and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. In this paper, studies investigating neurocognitive deficits in premorbid, high-risk and first-episode BP were reviewed and these findings were compared with outcome of studies in schizophrenia. Available evidence suggests that cognitive deficits are evident in first-episode BP and such deficits can be evident even years before the onset of the illness in some patients. Trajectory of cognitive deficits from childhood to adulthood can be very similar in schizophrenia and many patients with BP. Developmental lag in acquisition of cognitive skills is a risk factor for both disorders. However, unlike schizophrenia, not only impaired cognition but also supranormal premorbid cognitive/scholastic performance predict BP. Neurodevelopmental cognitive impairment is evident in some but not all patients with BP. A model suggesting that only BP patients who share common genetic risk factors with schizophrenia have premorbid neurodevelopmental cognitive deficits is proposed. In this model, combination of absence of neurodevelopmental abnormalities and BP-related temperamental characteristics explains the relationship between supranormal cognition and risk for BP.

Using Curriculum Mapping to Engage Faculty Members in the Analysis of a Pharmacy Program

To develop a curriculum mapping process that supports continuous analysis and evidence-based decisions in a pharmacy program. A curriculum map based on the national educational outcomes for pharmacy programs was created using conceptual frameworks grounded in cognitive learning and skill acquisition. The curriculum map was used to align the intended curriculum with the national educational outcomes and licensing examination blueprint. The leveling and sequencing of content showed longitudinal progression of student learning and performance. There was good concordance between the intended and learned curricula as validated by survey responses from employers and graduating students. The curriculum mapping process was efficient and effective in providing an evidence-based approach to the continuous quality improvement of a pharmacy program.

Developing Scenario-based Serious Games for Complex Cognitive Skills Acquisition: Design, Development and Evaluation of the EMERGO Platform

Serious games are considered to provide powerful and attractive ways to acquire complex cognitive skills for education and training. But existing platforms for development of game-based e-learning often appear either not to be very user-friendly or too rigid or costly. This article addresses the design, development and evaluation of a generic platform for fast and flexible development and delivery of a wide variety of scenario-based games that enables complex cognitive skills acquisition. We present the requirements for the EMERGO platform and which common components it offers to cater for most of the needed functionalities within scenario-based games. We explain how users in various roles can use the platform to manage, develop, deliver and play a broad variety of scenario-based games. Evaluation data are presented to back up the claim that the platform indeed allows for faster, more user-friendly and less costly development and delivery of scenario-based games. Seven years after the platform has been launched, it until now has proven successful and still continues to evolve. We close off with some conclusions and needs for further development.

A micro approach to cognitive skills’ growth in a university context

This paper focuses on the measurement of human capital, specifically on the growth of cognitive skills (CS) during the higher education at university. CS have already been evaluated in a macroeconomic perspective inside the neoclassical growth models, but not still in a micro perspective. However the measure of educational quality and learning process is still an issue not fully addressed. The micro approach allows the researcher to focus on the evaluation of CS acquisition process. Based on these measurements, different types of CS accumulation can be identified. We will investigate CS through nonlinear latent growth modeling, and we will apply this methodology to administrative data of an Italian university.

Development of different forms of skill learning throughout the lifespan.

The acquisition of complex motor, cognitive, and social skills, like playing a musical instrument or mastering sports or a language, is generally associated with implicit skill learning (SL). Although it is a general view that SL is most effective in childhood, and such skills are best acquired if learning starts early, this idea has rarely been tested by systematic empirical studies on the developmental pathways of SL from childhood to old age. In this paper, we challenge the view that childhood and early school years are the prime time for skill learning by tracking age-related changes in performance in three different paradigms of SL. We collected data from participants between 7 and 87 years for (1) a Serial Reaction Time Task (SRT) testing the learning of motor sequences, (2) an Artificial Grammar Learning (AGL) task testing the extraction of regularities from auditory sequences, and (3) Probabilistic Category Learning in the Weather Prediction task (WP), a non-sequential categorization task. Results on all three tasks show that adolescence and adulthood are the most efficient periods for skill learning, since instead of becoming less and less effective with age, SL improves from childhood into adulthood and then later declines with aging.