Higher Number Of Correct Answers Research Articles

Efecto de factores temáticos y pragmáticos en razonamiento condicional con textos narrativos

RESUMEN En esta investigación experimental se analiza la importancia de factores de tipo temático y pragmático en tareas de inferencia condicional, incluidas en textos narrativos, que describen situaciones plausibles de la vida cotidiana. Se manipula el tipo de contenido (causal versus promesa/amenaza), la congruencia de los textos (congruente versus no congruente), la probabilidad de ocurrencia empírica de los enunciados condicionales (deterministas, probabilísticos y ninguna relación), y el tipo de regla condicional (Modus Ponens, Modus Tollens, Afirmación del Consecuente y Negación del Antecedente). A partir de un paradigma de selección de respuesta, además de elegir la conclusión, los sujetos debían indicar la seguridad con la que hacían dicha selección. Los resultados pusieron de manifiesto que: (a) Los sujetos que razonaban con textos congruentes, obtenían mejores resultados y manifestaban sentirse más seguros de sus respuestas que los que razonaban con textos no congruentes; (b) se obtuvieron las tasas más elevadas de aciertos y la mayor seguridad en las respuesta cuando se razonaba con enunciados deterministas, que siempre suceden en el mundo real (c) el tipo de contenido no registró efectos principales, pero sí se obtuvieron efectos interactivos significativos entre el contenido y la congruencia de los textos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten en el marco de los principales enfoques teóricos actuales de razonamiento condicional.

Effect of High-Fidelity Simulation on Medical Students' Knowledge about Advanced Life Support: A Randomized Study.

High-fidelity simulation (HFS) is a learning method which has proven effective in medical education for technical and non-technical skills. However, its effectiveness for knowledge acquisition is less validated. We performed a randomized study with the primary aim of investigating whether HFS, in association with frontal lessons, would improve knowledge about advanced life support (ALS), in comparison to frontal lessons only among medical students. The secondary aims were to evaluate the effect of HFS on knowledge acquisition of different sections of ALS and personal knowledge perception. Participants answered a pre-test questionnaire consisting of a subjective (evaluating personal perception of knowledge) and an objective section (measuring level of knowledge) containing 100 questions about algorithms, technical skills, team working/early warning scores/communication strategies according to ALS guidelines. All students participated in 3 frontal lessons before being randomized in group S, undergoing a HFS session, and group C, receiving no further interventions. After 10 days from the end of each intervention, both groups answered a questionnaire (post-test) with the same subjective section but a different objective one. The overall number of correct answers of the post-test was significantly higher in group S (mean 74.1, SD 11.2) than in group C (mean 65.5, SD 14.3), p = 0.0017, 95% C.I. 3.34 – 13.9. A significantly higher number of correct answers was reported in group S than in group C for questions investigating knowledge of algorithms (p = 0.0001; 95% C.I 2.22–5.99) and team working/early warning scores/communication strategies (p = 0.0060; 95% C.I 1.13–6.53). Students in group S showed a significantly higher score in the post-test subjective section (p = 0.0074). A lower proportion of students in group S confirmed their perception of knowledge compared to group C (p = 0.0079). HFS showed a beneficial effect on knowledge of ALS among medical students, especially for notions of algorithms and team working/early warning scores/communication.

Conhecimentos dos agentes comunitários de saúde sobre crack e outras drogas

Objetivo: identificar os conhecimentos dos agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS), do município de Passo Fundo sobre o crack e outras drogas e descrever os perfis sociodemográfico e de saúde. Métodos: estudo descritivo realizado com 78 ACS de Passo Fundo. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio da aplicação de um questionário estruturado e autoaplicável sobre dados demográficos e de saúde dos ACS, e de um questionário de investigação dos conhecimentos sobre crack e demais drogas. Foram realizados análise descritiva, teste de Tukey e correlações lineares de Pearson e Spearman. Resultados: todos os ACS eram do sexo feminino, com idade média de 41,1±9,6 anos, sendo que 57,7% delas possuíam o ensino médio completo e 69,2% eram casadas. Além disso, 11,5% eram tabagistas, 93,6% negaram dependência ao álcool, e a maioria tinha dependentes químicos em sua área de abrangência. Metade delas apresentou problemas familiares. Em relação à saúde, 29,5% obtiveram SRQ com pontuação sugerindo possibilidade de Transtornos Mentais Comuns, e 51,3% afirmaram ser portadoras de doenças crônicas. A prova de conhecimentos obteve 34,5% de média de acertos, sendo o maior número de respostas corretas entre as ACS com maior escolaridade (p=0,006). Conclusão: o baixo número de acertos em teste de conhecimento evidencia uma necessidade urgente: a de reforçar a formação das ACS. O perfil específico dessas profissionais suscita a necessidade de maior atenção à sua saúde, bem como de novas pesquisas na área.

The influence of question design on the response to self-assessment in www.elearnSCI.org: a submodule pilot study.

This is an interventional training session. The objective of this study was to investigate the difference in response to self-assessment questions in the original and an adjusted version for a submodule of www.elearnSCI.org for student nurses. The study was conducted in a teaching hospital affiliated to Peking University, China. In all, 28 student nurses divided into two groups (groups A and B; 14 in each) received a print-out of a Chinese translation of the slides from the 'Maintaining skin integrity following spinal cord injury' submodule in www.elearnSCI.org for self-study. Both groups were then tested using the 10 self-assessment multiple-choice questions (MCQs) related to the same submodule. Group A used the original questions, whereas group B received an adjusted questionnaire. The responses to four conventional single-answer MCQs were nearly all correct in both groups. However, in three questions, group A, with the option 'All of the above', had a higher number of correct answers than group B, with multiple-answer MCQs. In addition, in another three questions, group A, using the original multiple-answer MCQs, had fewer correct answers than group B, where it was only necessary to tick a single incorrect answer. Variations in design influence the response to questions. The use of conventional single-answer MCQs should be reconsidered, as they only examine the recall of isolated knowledge facts. The 'All of the above' option should be avoided because it would increase the number of correct answers arrived at by guessing. When using multiple-answer MCQs, it is recommended that the questions asked should be in accordance with the content within the www.elearnSCI.org.

Error risk in the decision making process

This research starts from the assumption, widely observed in literature, that stress and distraction involve risks of error, especially in high-density decision-making work situations, including Urgent Care-Emergency Depart - ments. Three groups of undergraduates, 20 subjects each, were given fifteen multiplechoice logical questions: one group worked under stress; the second group worked under stress and was distracted twice; the third group worked under conditions that were neither stressful nor disturbing. The highest number of correct answers was generally scored by those working under quiet conditions. The group who worked under stress and was disturbed twice scored a greater number of correct answers than the group working under stress. For exploratory purposes, eight undergraduates were exposed to a condition of attentional disturbance for the entire duration of the test; they registered a significant lengthening of response times and a significant negative effect on their performance.

Can exposure to prenatal sex hormones (2D:4D) predict cognitive reflection?

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is a test introduced by Frederick (2005). The task is designed to measure the tendency to override an intuitive response that is incorrect and to engage in further reflection that leads to the correct response. The consistent sex differences in CRT performance may suggest a role for prenatal sex hormones. A now widely studied putative marker for relative prenatal testosterone is the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D). This paper tests to what extent 2D:4D, as a proxy for the prenatal ratio of testosterone/estrogens, can predict CRT scores in a sample of 623 students. After controlling for sex, we observe that a lower 2D:4D (reflecting a relative higher exposure to testosterone) is significantly associated with a higher number of correct answers. The result holds for both hands' 2D:4Ds. In addition, the effect appears to be stronger for females than for males. We also control for patience and math proficiency, which are significantly related to performance in the CRT. But the effect of 2D:4D on performance in CRT is not reduced with these controls, implying that these variables are not mediating the relationship between digit ratio and CRT.

Opinions and Knowledge About Climate Change Science in High School Students

This study investigates the influence of knowledge on opinions about climate change in the emerging adults' age group (16-17 years). Furthermore, the effects of a lecture in climate change science on knowledge and opinions were assessed. A survey was conducted in Austria and Denmark on 188 students in national and international schools before and after a lecture in climate change science. The results show that knowledge about climate change science significantly affects opinions about climate change. Students with a higher number of correct answers are more likely to have the opinion that humans are causing climate change and that both individuals and governments are responsible for addressing climate change. The lecture in climate change science significantly improved knowledge development but did not affect opinions. Knowledge was improved by 11% after the lecture. However, the percentage of correct answers was still below 60% indicating an urgent need for improving climate change science education.

The K-T cancellation test in the older adults: Normative data and construct validity

ABSTRACT Since cutoff scores are necessary for differentiating normal cognitive functioning from dementia, the main objective of this study was to establish normative data of the K-T test, a standardized cancellation test. The construct validity of K-T test was also investigated. In total, 2471 cognitively intact elderly subjects from the SU.VI.MAX 2 study were included in the present study. Younger subjects, women and subjects with higher education had a higher number of correct answers and fewer omission errors. Participants made few commission errors and only the educational level was found to have a significant effect. Normative data for correct responses and efficiency were stratified by age, education, and gender. Correlation analysis showed that the K-T test was significantly correlated to validated neuropsychological tests assessing executive functions. This study permits to strengthen the utility of the K-T test to detect impairment of the executive components involved in the task.

Preventive Peer-educational Activities: What can Medical Students do to Potentially Save Lives?

ABSTRACT Background Traffic injuries are among the main causes of death worldwide. Even with the advances in technology, there are still 50% of deaths that cannot be reduced by medical care improvement. These important injuries can though be reduced by prevention of trauma. One of the best ways to address this issue is through incorporating preventive measures to the daily routine of schools. It is the aim of this study to assess children's perception on traumatic events and to introduce a cost-effective peer-education preventive action. Study design A prospective interventional comparative study with children from a basic school in South Brazil. A questionnaire with 9 decision-making questions about traffic scenarios was applied by volunteer medical students from May to June 2012, before and after a peer-educational lecture on prevention of traffic injuries. There were 20 epidemiological questions as well. Data collected was compared between the pre and the posttests of the same students. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square for discrete, and the students’ t-test for continuous variables. Results Among 246 students answered the questionnaires. The mean age was 10.19 years old. 21% reported that always crosses the street alone, while 47% only cross with an adult. Most of the students said they always cross-streets in the zebra-crossing and look to both sides before crossing (60.71 and 84.9% respectively). Impressively, 12.55% said they often/ sometimes drive a car or a motorcycle. Also, 30.76% ride a bike in between the cars. Furthermore, 77.48% of the students use the front seat of the car. Regarding safety issues, only one-third have a horn in their bikes, and less than half use helmet when playing. When comparing their assessments, there was a higher number of correct answers in the decision-making section in the post-test (5.21 vs 3.93, p = 0.000001161). The estimated overall cost was 45 dollars. Conclusion Preventive measures urge to be incorporated to schools curricula. Peer-educational actions are a cost-effective for spreading medical knowledge among children and youth. How to cite this article Abreu-Reis P, Tomasich F, Pinto BES, Manfrinato MFM, Oliveira LB, Nasr A, Slongo H, Cruz JB, Collaço I. Preventive Peer-educational Activities: What can Medical Students do to Potentially Save Lives? Panam J Trauma Critical Care Emerg Surg 2012;1(3):182-185.

Aproximación a los conocimientos teóricos de enfermería sobre función renal residual

La función renal residual representa para algunos enfermeros de unidades renales un término indiferente en su diaria relación con el paciente renal crónico, a pesar de que su declinación tiene un efecto directo sobre la morbimortalidad. Objetivo: describir los conocimientos teóricos sobre la FRR, del enfermero que labora en pro­ gramas de diálisis. Metodología: La primera fase fue el diseño del instrumento con validación de apariencia y de contenido por cinco profesionales expertos, proponiendo un cuestionario final con cuatro dominios y 25 pregun­ tas. En la segunda fase se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal mediante la aplicación del instru­ mento a once enfermeros de una UR de Bogotá. Resultados: de los 11 el 82% (9) son mujeres y 18% (2) hombres, 64 % tiene formación en posgrado y el tiempo mediano de experiencia laboral en unidad renal fue cinco años. Los que presentaron mayor número de respuestas correctas tienen edad promedio de 34,6 años y la mediana de experiencia laboral de seis años, en contraste aquellos con mayor número de respuestas incorrectas tienen cüras de 29,5 y tres años. Hubo más respuestas correctas en el dominio importancia de preservar la función renal residual y menos en los ítems que evalúan malnutrición y anemia (55 y 64%). El dominio con menor frecuencia de respuestas acertadas fue el técnico científico (determinación de la FRR con recolección y medición de orina ínterdialítica) con 82 y 45%. En el dominio de preservación de la FRR las respuestas fueron incorrectas en ultrafiltración y cambios bruscos de volemia, en 82 y 73%. Conclusión: los resultados muestran la necesidad de revisar algunos conceptos teóricos y se propone desarrollar actividades académicas para fortalecerlos para con­ tribuir a brindar un mejor cuidado de enfermería a los pacientes en terapia dialítica. Se requieren de estudios futuros para evaluar si existe relación entre el conocimiento de la FRR con la práctica que ejerce el enfermero para preservarla. Abreviaturas: FRR, función renal residual; UR, unidad(es) renal(es).

A Health Education Program for Brazilian Public Schoolchildren: The Effects on Dental Health Practice and Oral Health Awareness

Determine the impact of an oral health education program on oral hygiene and the awareness level of elementary schoolchildren. A total sample of 247 schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 15 years from the public school system of Parnamirim, Brazil, were selected and randomly allocated to a control (n=115) and experimental (n=132) group. Sociodemographic data were recorded and a clinical examination was given to establish the decayed, missing and filled surfaces index (DMFS) and the dmfs index. The visible plaque index (VPI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were collected before and after the intervention. A closed-question questionnaire was applied to the schoolchildren before and after intervention to determine their knowledge of oral health. The experimental group took part in oral health education activities over a 4-month period. The VPI (P = 0.014; CI 0.24-0.86) and GBI (P = 0.013; CI 0.28-0.87) of the experimental group were significantly lower after educational activities. Similarly, the experimental group also obtained a higher number of correct answers on the questionnaire (P < 0.0001; CI 3.73-26.81). However, there was no association between oral hygiene indicators, VPI (P = 0.311; CI 0.23-1.60), and GBI (P = 0.927; CI 0.43-2.16), and the information level of the schoolchildren. Contextualized educational activities in the school routine had positive effects on oral hygiene and the level of information about oral health, although the more informed individuals did not always practice better oral hygiene.

Gender Differences in Adult`s Knowledge about Dietary Fats, Cholesterol, Fiber and Energy

The purpose of this study was to determine of adults’ knowledge in Ankara, Turkey, about fat, cholesterol, fiber and energy contents of food depending on gender differences. The sample of 200 subjects was composed of 74 males and 126 females. It was determined that the question which received the highest number of correct answers was “Which has more fat: roast chicken leg or fried chicken leg?” (89.5%) and the question which received the highest number of incorrect answers was “Which is higher in calories: Butter or Margarine?” (12.5%). Except the question “Based on your knowledge, which has more fiber: Kidney beans or Lettuce?”, all the other questions were answered correctly by the women.

Gender differences, impulsivity and attention measures in BPD patients

Background and aims:Despite the intense study on impulsivity in BPD, little attention has been given to the relationship between gender, impulsivity and BPD. Previous findings are inconsistent and there is a lack of specific research.The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between man and women with BDP in different impulsivity measures.Method:We examined the gender differences in 45 subjects recruited in a psychiatric unit, in which 33 (73,3%) were women and 12 (26,7%) were men. Mean age of the study sample was 28.9 years old (SD= 1.04). No differences were found in socio-demographic variables between men and women. In order to establish a BDP diagnose the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorder (SCID-II) was used. Impulsivity was assessed with the Barrat Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11) and the Continuous Performance Test identical pairs version (CPT-IP).Results:We found significant gender differences in BIS scores. Men have scored higher than women in all BIS scores, especially in the second-order factor of nonplanning impulsiveness.In CPT-IP results there were also significant differences between men and women performance. Men made a higher number of correct answers (hits) and a higher number of false alarms (commission errors) than women. Also, men had a significant higher score in the d index (attentional capacity) than women.Conclusion:Gender differences influence the performance in laboratorial and psychometric measures of impulsivity in BPD subjects. This pattern of impulsivity is consistent with the attentional performance in these subjects.

Verificação do desempenho de crianças deficientes auditivas oralizadas em teste de vocabulário

Expressive vocabulary of hearing impaired children. To verify the performance of a group of children with hearing impairment in an expressive vocabulary test. The Language Test for Young Children ABFW-Vocabulary was used in 21 children with moderately-severe to profound hearing losses. Children were divided in three groups according to their age: 3 to 4 years and 11 months; 5 to 6 years and 11 months; 7 to 8 years and 11 months. These children used predominately the linguistic oral code in order to communicate. All of the groups presented a higher number of correct answers and substitution processes when compared to the number of non-designations. Overall, children with ages between 7 and 8 years and 11 months presented a better performance than those with ages between 3 and 4 years and 11 moths, and with ages between 5 and 6 years and 11 months. Both of these groups presented similar performances. Children presented better performances in the semantic fields of animals, means of transportation and shapes and colors; older children demonstrated to have a greater knowledge of words in most of the tested semantic fields. The ABFW Vocabulary Test identified the semantic fields in which children present a greater or lower domain, as well as the identification of the strategies that hearing impaired children use when trying to name an object. These information allow speech-language pathologists to emphasize the semantic fields that are less known to the children and to explore characteristics and attributes of those objects that are already known by them before their presentation.

Women's perception of the benefits of mammography screening: population-based survey in four countries.

Screening programmes are often actively promoted to achieve high coverage, which may result in unrealistic expectations. We examined women's understanding of the likely benefits of mammography screening. Telephone survey of random samples of the female population aged > or =15 years in the US, UK, Italy, and Switzerland using three closed questions on the expected benefits of mammography screening. A total of 5964 women were contacted and 4140 women (69%) participated. Misconceptions were widespread: a majority of women believed that screening prevents or reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer (68%), that screening at least halves breast cancer mortality (62%), and that 10 years of regular screening will prevent 10 or more breast cancer deaths per 1000 women (75%). In multivariate analysis higher number of correct answers was positively associated with higher educational status (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.66) and negatively with having had a mammography in the last 2 years (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.01). Compared with US women (reference group) and Swiss women (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.18) respondents in Italy (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.74) and the UK (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.88) gave fewer correct answers. In the US and three European countries a high proportion of women overestimated the benefits that can be expected from screening mammography. This finding raises doubts on informed consent procedures within breast cancer screening programmes.

Color and form as support for picture recognition in old age.

This study examined the effect of color and form as support for picture recognition measured immediately and after a period of 20 minutes in two groups: a random sample of 80-year-old men and women, with a Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE) score of >26 points (N=142), and individuals with confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with a MMSE score ranging from 7-26 points (N=50). The result showed that individuals with AD could make use of spatial support for recognition at a significantly lower level than among the cognitively intact 80-year olds, but most interestingly with a similar pattern. Chromatic pictures had an advantage over achromatic ones on immediate recognition measured as less time consumption and a higher number of correct answers in both groups. However, after 20 minutes' retention time, achromatic pictures were better recognized than chromatic ones by both the 80-year olds and the individuals with AD. It is suggested that immediate recognition had most support from self-generated cues concerning color, in contrast to retained recognition where instead cues concerning form had the strongest impact. Gender and age had no influence on recognition. Visual function and abstract vs concrete objects showed a slight impact on the result. Factors of intelligence and memory in the group of 80-year olds only had a minor influence on recognition, contrary to dementia which had a profound impact. It is concluded that spatial support as to color and form could be used for recognition in old age groups. The result will encourage further experimental research in using coding and cueing strategies for future implications in clinical practice.

Do undereducated patients read and understand written education materials?

Objectives: The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of written information in improving the knowledge of the undereducated nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) users about the side effects of NSAIDs and to investigate the compliance of patients with the written information materials. Methods: Thirty patients received only verbal information, 38 patients received only written, and 40 patients received both verbal and written information. After seven or ten days a questionnaire was administered to the patients on the phone to assess the patients' knowledge. Results: Sixty one (78.2%) patients read the leaflets. Higher number of correct answers was obtained with both verbal and written information. Written information better informed than verbal information alone (p=0.02). Conclusion: We conclude that the undereducated patients will read and understand written education materials especially when the materials are written simple and short.