Science Evidence Research Articles

I–O Psychology: We Have the Evidence; We Just Don't Use It (or Care To)

EDUARDO SALASUniversity of Central FloridaBriner and Rousseau (2011) raise animportant point in questioning the degree towhich the industrial–organizational (I–O)profession is truly evidence based. Inresponse, what we suggest is twofold:first, there are areas of I–O psychologyin which we have made strides in theuse of evidence in science and practicedespite the odds, and second, that to trulyincrease the evidence-based nature of I–Opsychology as a whole, we must focuson the root of the problem: the lack ofan educational and professional foundationthat promotes a synergy between scienceand practice.We Are There, to Some ExtentBriner and Rousseau make the argumentthat the I–O psychology profession is lack-ing in problem-focused systematic reviewsthat address specific questions with prac-tical application in mind. We answer thatthe literature consists of a number of meta-analyses that do just that. For example,one such practice-relevant topic that hasbeen addressed in the meta-analytic litera-ture is organizational productivity. Guzzo,Jette, and Katzell (1985) conducted ameta-analysis specifically examining the

New cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines 2010: Managing the newly born in delivery room

Most newborns are born vigorous and do not require neonatal resuscitation. However, about 10% of newborns require some type of resuscitative assistance at birth. Although the vast majority will require just assisted lung aeration, about 1% requires major interventions such as intubation, chest compressions, or medications. Recently, new evidence has prompted modifications in the international cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines for both neonatal, paediatric and adult patients. Perinatal and neonatal health care providers must be aware of these changes in order to provide the most appropriate and evidence-based emergency interventions for newborns in the delivery room. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the main recommended changes in neonatal resuscitation at birth, according to the publication of the international Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) in the CoSTR document (based on evidence of sciences) and the new 2010 guidelines released by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

A Contextual Approach to the Admissibility of the State's Forensic Science and Medical Evidence

This article examines the admissibility of forensic science and medicine in criminal proceedings. In Part ii, we explain how reliability-based admissibility standards in the United States have been unevenly applied to expert evidence in civil and criminal cases and have not prevented wrongful convictions. In Part iii, we review a recent Consultation Paper (and report) issued by the Law Commission of England and Wales. Though focused on the need for ‘sufficiently reliable’ expert opinion evidence, we challenge its contemplation of easier admissibility for experience-based forensic sciences and techniques traditionally admitted. In Part iv we examine the evolving law on the admissibility of expert evidence in Canada. In response, we argue that while front-end reforms to the organization and practice of forensic science and medicine, advocated by the Goudge Inquiry and the American National Academy of Sciences, appear more promising than reliance on the adversary system, the gate-keeping role of trial judges...

Using Provocative Questions to Address Societal Health Issues

Debates about healthcare, abortion, stem cells, and other issues illustrate that health decision-making can be a societal challenge. This article posits that museums can take an active role in helping visitors participate in public health decision-making by asking them to think about socio-scientific issues through the lens of argumentation. As a part of the development of exhibits focusing on public health and human biology, the Museum of Science, Boston conducted a front-end study to understand the potential of socio-scientific questions to generate discussion, the abilities of visitors to create socio-scientific arguments, and the impact of the questions on these arguments. Findings indicate that visitors have a variety of views about these issues, that they use different kinds of supports (values, science evidence, and informal evidence) as part of their arguments, and that the claim a visitor chooses may impact the supports they use.

Constructing videocases to help novices learn to facilitate discussions in science and English: how does subject matter matter?

Learning to conduct interactive classroom discussions is a high priority for becoming an effective teacher, and most teachers view conducting productive classroom discussions as a complex undertaking. Because the dynamics of facilitating classroom discussions are multifaceted and hard to analyze in real time, there is a growing interest in how video allows preservice teachers to examine records of their practice to promote further growth. What prospective teachers actually take away from analysis of video, however, needs further exploration. In this study, we explored five preservice student teachers’ beliefs about conducting discussions and probed the potential of videocase construction for supporting teacher learning by investigating the following question: ‘To what extent and how does making a videocase help preservice teachers investigate their facilitation of a subject‐specific discussion?’ Results revealed that by constructing and talking about their videocases, all five preservice teachers gained insights about how they lead discussions. Studying video excerpts and articulating what they saw in them provided a context for looking more closely at their own roles and student roles within their discussion. They also recognized the complexities of leading discussions and acknowledged particular areas that need improvement. The teachers used the metaphorical language of ‘guiding’ their students down a pathway when they talked about leading classroom discussions. There were similarities and differences among teachers’ conceptions of good discussions in English and science, and their notions of ‘guiding’ were related to their subject matter goals. The study suggests, however, several areas that may require further attention in preservice teachers’ preparation in leading discussions. Although the teachers expressed views of discussion that aligned broadly with disciplinary views in English or science, their language lacked specificity in what it means to develop varied interpretations of texts in English or consensus based on argument and evidence in science. More specific video analysis focused on subject matter goals and corresponding conversational elements may help preservice teachers develop more nuanced, sophisticated views of how particular types of social interaction have the potential to help their students reach specific subject matter goals. We conclude that investigation is needed on larger numbers of preservice teachers’ videocase construction processes, and further inquiry is needed into how working with video analysis affects their actual performance in future discussion facilitation.

Glucose Blood Levels as a Therapeutic Target in Acute Ischaemic Stroke Setting

Ischaemic stroke is extremely common in western societies contributing to 70-85% of strokes, one of the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability. Despite advancement in preventive measures, the total number of strokes is set to rise in the future due to increasing numbers of aging populations across the world. Diabetes as a risk factor for stroke has been well established. There are also emerging evidence to suggest glucose level management in acute stroke phase as a therapeutic target may be beneficial, albeit remains controversial. One of the issues in difficulty in interpreting study findings is their heterogeneity. In this article, we provide epidemiological, basic science, clinical observational and trial evidence leading to the current practice of regarding blood glucose as the therapeutic target in acute ischaemic stroke setting.

Targeting Gender Equity In Science

HAVING SOLVED all the other pressing problems of the nation, Congress and the Obama Administration seem to be getting serious about guaranteeing that equal numbers of women and men have careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. The blunt instrument they are prepared to use to accomplish this goal is Title IX, the provision in the 1972 civil rights law that forbids discrimination in education by gender. Evidence for science as a target for gender equalization comes from both a recent White House conference and a hearing of the House Science & Technology Committee. Both events were stacked with presenters calling for greater participation of women in science and engineering, with little discussion about whether there is a need or desire for such a change. The White House conference celebrated the 37th anniversary of the landmark civil rights law. Hosted by Valerie B. Jarrett, a personal adviser to President Barack Obama, the event featured speakers who ...

Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnancy: The Basic Science and Clinical Evidence Surrounding the Controversy in Management

Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York Financial Disclosure: The authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest.

Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnancy: The Basic Science and Clinical Evidence Surrounding the Controversy in Management

Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnancy: The Basic Science and Clinical Evidence Surrounding the Controversy in Management

Reply: RCT of real versus placebo acupuncture in IVF

Sir, We refer to the letter by Renckens addressed at our recent publication (So et al., 2009) on the use of acupuncture in IVF treatment, stating that Human Reproduction should not publish papers on absurd forms of treatment such as acupuncture. Although there are no particular comments directed to us, we would like to respond to the opinion stated in the letter and express our views on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture. (i) The WHO booklet on Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature aims to develop a uniform nomenclature in acupuncture so as to achieve global agreement on a standard acupuncture nomenclature. This has greatly facilitated research and exchange of information in this area. However, it should be clarified that the purpose of this booklet is not to correlate the acupoints with the well-known anatomical landmarks in Western Medicine. (ii) Different medical systems may have different developments and philosophies. The theory of Yin-Yang used in TCM is certainly different from that of Western Medicine. Although anatomical correlates of acupoints are still not demonstrated, we should not reject the existence of the acupoints and the effects of TCM in clinical trials. (iii) IVF is not listed as an indication in the WHO report ‘Acupuncture: review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trials’ because the first randomized study on acupuncture in IVF (Paulus et al., 2002) was published in 2002. Other relevant randomized studies were published in 2006 and several metaanalyses on acupuncture in IVF were published in 2008. There are many meta-analyses on acupuncture in the Cochrane library. (iv) In our paper, we put down the rationale of choosing the acupoints, which is based on the TCM theory. This intends to give the readers more information about Chinese Medicine. In order for the reader to appreciate the effects of acupuncture, we determined outcome measures that are very well defined, scientifically valid and commonly used in studies in Western Medicine. (v) We strongly believe that well-conducted RCT, especially double blind, is still the golden method to examine the effectiveness of a therapy, whether the therapy is believed by some to be absurd or not. We will be delighted to learn any other means which are better to study absurd claims. It is also unfair to say that a therapy is absurd just because it is not consistent with our own beliefs. Science has advanced because scientists have continued to challenge and change some of the established concepts by properly conducted experiments. In the assessment of the efficacy of a therapy, a properly conducted RCT is the best experimental approach to prove or refute the efficacy of a form of therapy. (vi) As the design of studies including those on TCM is evolving and improving, it seems unfair to point out the methodological weakness based on evidence published before 1989. There were also many examples of clinical trials conducted in Western countries with methodological weaknesses. Again, we should always keep the most updated evidence in Science. It is well known that studies with negative results are more difficult to be published than those with positive results. This may be related to the publication policy of journals, rather than where the papers come from. We agree that journals nowadays should not publish papers with serious methodological problems but we strongly disagree that journals do not publish properly conducted RCT on therapies which may appear ‘absurd’ to some readers. Scientific development will be suffocated if journals adopt this approach. We are of the opinion that well-conducted research in TCM should be continued in order to confirm or refute the effectiveness of TCM in clinical practice. The results of these studies, whether positive or not, should be published in peer-reviewed journals. Last but not least, we thank the reader for the comment which is a reminder that we must continue to conduct studies in the highest scientific standard.

Learning to Teach About Ideas and Evidence in Science: The Student Teacher as Change Agent

A collaborative curriculum development project was set up to address the lack of good examples of teaching about ideas and evidence and the nature of science encountered by student teachers training to teach in the age range 11–16 in schools in England. Student and teacher-mentor pairs devised, taught and evaluated novel lessons and approaches. The project design required increasing levels of critique through cycles of teaching, evaluation and revision of lessons. Data were gathered from interviews and students’ reports to assess the impact of the project on student teachers and to what extent any influences survived when they gained their first teaching posts. A significant outcome was the perception of teaching shifting from the delivery of standard lessons in prescribed ways to endeavours demanding creativity and decision-making. Although school-based factors limited newly qualified teachers’ chances to use new lessons and approaches and therefore act as change-agents in schools, the ability to critique curriculum materials and the recognition of the need to create space for professional dialogue were durable gains.

The Force of Counter-Evidence in Science and Religion

The role of empirical evidence in scientific and in religious discourse has been revisited in a recent paper by John Worrall, who argues for the overlap between these two types of discourse and for the superiority of the former. His main thesis is that the epistemic attitude of natural science is superior because it is essentially related to evidence and falsifiability, whereby the search for counter-evidence is taken as the primary driving force for research. The epistemic attitude of religion, on the contrary, is essentially related to faith, whereby the effects of counter-evidence are always minimized or neutralized. In this paper, I question Worrall's analysis of the role of evidence in the two kinds of discourse. I argue that the debate has systematically neglected the question of holism of meaning. When such holism is taken into consideration, the very idea of a purely given experience becomes questionable. I argue that this neglected area is as pivotal in our understanding of religious discourse as it has been acknowledged to be in philosophy of science. I then propose a refined account of religious language, illustrating thereby that between the role of evidence in science and its roles in religion there is a lot in common.

Australian forensic scientists: a view from the witness box

Forensic scientists occupy an important position in courts of law as expert witnesses. Despite a wealth of knowledge and experience about how scientific evidence is presented, Australian forensic scientists have not, until now, been asked for their perspective on how their evidence is used in the legal system. This paper highlights some of the results of a survey of Australian forensic scientists across a broad range of disciplines, which investigated their views on pre-trial processes, trial presentation of scientific evidence, their interaction with the judge, jury and other forensic experts, and finally, their comments on forensic science and expert evidence in general.

Distributed Cognition in a Sixth-Grade Classroom

In this study, we discuss the scaffolded design of ODRES (Observe, Discuss, and Reason with Evidence in Science), a computer tool that was designed to be used with elementary school children in science, and report on the effects of learning with ODRES on students’ conceptual understandings about light, color, and vision. Succinctly, dyads of sixth-grade students were engaged in distributed collaborative inquiry regarding the scientific concepts of light, vision, and color in order to solve a mystery problem about a stolen diamond. ODRES was employed to scaffold students’ collaborative inquiry with different tools, such as the simulator that simulates the effects of the color of a light source on an object, the magnifying glass that enables students to make careful observations, and the notebook that organizes the results of students’ investigations. Students performed two cycles of collaborative inquiry, and each cycle was followed by a classroom discussion where students could present their solutions, share information, reflect, raise questions, and get feedback about their proposed solutions. The results showed that learning with ODRES positively affected students’ understandings and promoted a lasting effect on their conceptions. Moreover, the results provide useful guidance about how ODRES can be used as a learning tool in collaborative inquiry, and explain the role of discussion and investigation of inquiry processes at the level of a distributed cognitive system. Implications for designing distributed educational systems for children are finally discussed.

A framework for practical work in science and scientific literacy through argumentation

This paper draws on earlier work on ideas that underpin the collection and use of evidence in science in schools. It establishes that different types of practical work share the same procedural underpinnings. It then takes the work of Toulmin on argumentation to suggest that the idea of the ‘public claim’ can be used to forge a link between scientific experimentation in schools and emerging ideas of scientific literacy. It concludes with a discussion of possible implications.

Children's roles and use of evidence in science: an analysis of decision‐making in small groups

This article reports the findings of a research project concerned with children engaging in scientific argumentation. Discussion activities were designed to enable groups of children to use evidence when making decisions. The findings show a variation in the success with which children construct scientific arguments; some groups debate most of the evidence and consider a range of options, whilst others explore a limited range of options and discuss only the evidence that supports their choice. Analysis of the data indicates that the roles children adopt have an important influence on how evidence is used. Drawing of the work of Belbin, a management theorist who explored the roles adopted by members of successful teams, key roles emerged and a taxonomy of children's roles was devised. This article explains the characteristics of these roles and their effect on the way the groups use evidence when making decisions in science.

Étendre l'accès à la prévention et au traitement du VIH dans un contexte de rareté des ressources : défis et perspectives

Résumé Les maladies transmissibles demeurent la principale cause de morbidité et de mortalité dans un contexte de rareté des ressources. A travers des mécanismes biologiques et sociaux, la pauvreté accroît considérablement la vulnérabilité des personnes face aux maladies infectieuses. De plus, les principaux fléaux infectieux, tels que le VIH/SIDA, la tuberculose et la malaria, perpétuent la pauvreté et participent de façon négative au développement économique et social. Le VIH/SIDA est un exemple caractéristique en ce qu’il affecte principalement les personnes dans la force de l’âge, provoquant ainsi des pertes de productivité et de cohésion sociale. C’est en Afrique sub-saharienne que ses effets sont les plus dramatiques et la situation est souvent aggravée par le fait que de nombreux pays souffrent d’une gouvernance faible ou peu fonctionnelle. Celle-ci a contribué à une érosion progressive du secteur de la santé publique dans ces pays. Le VIH/SIDA entretient également une épidémie de tuberculose. D’un côté, nous nous efforçons de répondre aux besoins croissants du secteur de la santé publique, particulièrement dans les pays les plus sévèrement frappés par l’épidémie de VIH/SIDA ; de l’autre, ce secteur est délaissé des professionnels, déjà trop rares, du VIH/SIDA. De même, les capacités du secteur de l’éducation sont affaiblies en raison de la mortalité croissante des enseignants infectés par le VIH/SIDA. A l’heure de la mondialisation, la communauté internationale ne peut se permettre d’ignorer les problèmes sanitaires (ainsi que les autres) des pays en développement. La spirale décroissante du développement économique et social dans les pays les plus pauvres, en ignorant les justifications humanitaires qui seules devraient légitimer l’action, fournit les préalables d’une insécurité et d’une instabilité générale. En dépit des progrès accomplis ces dernières années afin de combler le « déficit de financement », la mise en place de programmes efficaces a fait défaut. La lutte contre le VIH/SIDA nécessite une appropriation générale et un plan d’actions global qui retienne une approche pragmatique, basée sur le meilleur de la science et sur des faits empiriques. L’enjeu est considérable mais l’actuel élargissement de l’accès aux antirétroviraux fournit une occasion unique de soutenir les pauvres et de construire des systèmes de santé durables en Afrique et dans d’autres cadres caractérisés par la rareté des ressources.

Mapping Children’s Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation

The research reported in this paper concerns the development of children’s skills of interpreting and evaluating evidence in science. Previous studies have shown that school teaching often places limited emphasis on the development of these skills, which are necessary for children to engage in scientific debate and decision‐making. The research, undertaken in the United Kingdom, involved four collaborative decision‐making activities to stimulate group discussion, each carried out with five groups of four children (10–11 years old). The research shows how the children evaluated evidence for possible choices and judged whether their evidence was sufficient to support a particular conclusion or the rejection of alternative conclusions. A mapping technique was developed to analyse the discussions and identify different “levels” of argumentation. The authors conclude that suitable collaborative activities that focus on the discussion of evidence can be developed to exercise children’s ability to argue effectively in making decisions.

Neurological imaging as evidence in political science: a review, critique, and guiding assessment

EnglishPolitical scientists have access to a number of competing methodologies that marshal different forms of evidence for their arguments about political phenomena. Recently a new form of evidence has appeared in political science research and, more frequently, economics: spatially explicit and time-varying neurological activity of human subjects engaged in political or economic decision-making. As with any of the more standard methodologies, this approach carries with it a set of orienting theories linking hypotheses with the types of data induced to support or falsify these theories. While this new form of evidence is exciting, especially for the empirically minded social scientist, it deserves the utmost scrutiny. I provide a review of how neurological imaging is being used in the social sciences and consider several problems and prospects of using neuroimaging data in political science.FrenchLes sciences politiques ont recours à des méthodes de recherche et à des évidences empiriques diverses pour étudier les phénomènes politiques. Récemment, les chercheurs en sciences politiques et plus souvent encore en économie se sont tout particulièrement intéressés à l'activité cérébrale, objectivable dans l'espace et variant dans le temps, de sujets humains en situation de prise de décision politique ou économique. Comme toute autre méthode de recherche, cette approche s'appuie sur des orientations théoriques, qui font le lien entre les hypothèses de recherche et les données destinées à étayer ou invalider ces théories. Si cette approche nouvelle semble prometteuse, tout particulièrement pour les chercheurs à l'esprit empirique, elle mérite d'être examinée en profondeur. L'article fait le point sur l'utilisation des résultats de l'imagerie cérébrale fonctionnelle en sciences sociales et considère les différents problèmes qu'elle pose ainsi que les perspectives nouvelles qu'elle peut offrir en sciences politiques.

Who decides what evidence is? Developing a multiple perspectives paradigm in mental health

To compare different perspectives on evidence in relation to mental health care. The method and materials constitute a selective literature review comparing key elements of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based policy with perspectives on evidence from users, carers and professionals. The aim was to develop an argument concerning these comparisons. What constitutes evidence from the perspectives of different stakeholders is a field of contestation. It is timely for a multiple perspective paradigm on evidence in science to be developed and this paper initiates this process in relation to mental health care.