Variation In Individual Performance Research Articles

Distortion errors characterise visuo-constructive performance in Huntington’s disease

Objective: Visuospatial deficits have been extensively studied in Huntington’s disease (HD), particularly in relation to visuomotor integration, with less emphasis on visuo-constructive abilities. Quantitative analyses have demonstrated that individuals with HD perform worse than healthy controls (HC) but similarly to people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim of the present study was to conduct a qualitative investigation of visuo-constructive abilities in both HD and AD. By employing both simple and complex tasks, we hypothesized that a qualitative analysis of performance would reveal a distinct pattern of errors specific to HD. Methods: Participants for this study were identified retrospectively. The sample included 41 individuals with HD, 25 with AD, and 35 HC. All participants underwent a neuropsychological battery, which included the Constructional Apraxia Test (CAT) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test. Results: Our results showed no significant quantitative difference in visuo-constructive performance between the two patient groups. However, distinct qualitative patterns of drawing errors emerged. Simplifications were more frequent in the AD group, while distortions were distinctive errors in the HD group. These qualitative error patterns were consistent across both the CAT and ROCF. Conclusion: Our study emphasises the value of qualitative analysis in interpreting visuo-constructive performance, shifting the focus from “how much” a participant achieves to “how” they perform a neuropsychological task. This qualitative approach is useful to capture the complexity and variability of individual performance, providing deeper insight into the cognitive processes affected by different neurological conditions.

Persistent vocal learning in an aging open-ended learner reflected in neural FoxP2 expression

BackgroundMost vocal learning species exhibit an early critical period during which their vocal control neural circuitry facilitates the acquisition of new vocalizations. Some taxa, most notably humans and parrots, retain some degree of neurobehavioral plasticity throughout adulthood, but both the extent of this plasticity and the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying it remain unclear. Differential expression of the transcription factor FoxP2 in both songbird and parrot vocal control nuclei has been identified previously as a key pattern facilitating vocal learning. We hypothesize that the resilience of vocal learning to cognitive decline in open-ended learners will be reflected in an absence of age-related changes in neural FoxP2 expression. We tested this hypothesis in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a small gregarious parrot in which adults converge on shared call types in response to shifts in group membership. We formed novel flocks of 4 previously unfamiliar males belonging to the same age class, either “young adult” (6 mo − 1 year) or “older adult” (≥ 3 year), and then collected audio-recordings over a 20-day learning period to assess vocal learning ability. Following behavioral recording, immunohistochemistry was performed on collected neural tissue to measure FoxP2 protein expression in a parrot vocal learning center, the magnocellular nucleus of the medial striatum (MMSt), and its adjacent striatum.ResultsAlthough older adults show lower vocal diversity (i.e. repertoire size) and higher absolute levels of FoxP2 in the MMSt than young adults, we find similarly persistent downregulation of FoxP2 and equivalent vocal plasticity and vocal convergence in the two age cohorts. No relationship between individual variation in vocal learning measures and FoxP2 expression was detected.ConclusionsWe find neural evidence to support persistent vocal learning in the budgerigar, suggesting resilience to aging in the open-ended learning program of this species. The lack of a significant relationship between FoxP2 expression and individual variability in vocal learning performance suggests that other neurogenetic mechanisms could also regulate this complex behavior.

Experienced veterinary surgeons require multiple attempts but gain proficiency rapidly in robotic simulator tasks.

To assess attempts to proficiency of experienced veterinary surgeons for 2 surgical tasks when using a robotic simulator (Mimic dV-Trainer; Surgical Sciences) and determine factors associated with the successful performance of these tasks. Veterinary surgeons with rigid, minimally invasive surgery experience performed 2 tasks ("pick and place" and "knot the ring 1") using the simulator until they attained proficiency. Individual performance variables were recorded. The number of attempts to proficiency was recorded. Performance variables were also assessed for effect on proficiency by the Kendall tau correlation and hierarchical multiple linear regression. The study period was from July 25, 2022, through December 14, 2022. The 18 surgeons enrolled required a median of 8.5 attempts (95% CI, 7 to 12; range, 6 to 22) to reach proficiency for the basic task versus 27 attempts (95% CI, 21 to 38; range, 10 to 63) for the advanced task. Surgeons took a median of 6 minutes (range, 3 to 11 minutes) to complete training for the basic task and 12 minutes (range, 4 to 46 minutes) for the advanced task. The number of attempts to reach proficiency correlated strongly with economy of motion (tau = 0.72), instrument collisions (tau = 0.72), and time to completion (tau = 0.96). Although experienced surgeons required a high number of attempts to gain proficiency in robotic simulator tasks, they did achieve proficiency quickly, encouraging future investigations into their use for training. Specific motion metrics were identified which improved efficiency during training.

Examining Adolescent Language Performance in Discourse Production Across Four Elicitation Tasks.

Comprehensive spoken language assessment should include the evaluation of language use in naturalistic contexts. Discourse elicitation and analysis provides the opportunity for such an evaluation to occur. In this article, our overall aim was to describe adolescents' language performance on four elicitation tasks and determine if there are task-related differences across the elicitation tasks. Forty-four typically developing adolescents with ages ranging from 12;2 to 17;11 (years;months; M = 15;2; 21 boys and 23 girls) participated in the study. They completed four spoken discourse tasks: (a) story generation using a wordless picture book, (b) fable retell, (c) six personal narratives in response to emotion-based prompts, and (d) monologic response to two stories that contained a moral dilemma. Responses were transcribed and analyzed for four language performance measures tapping into language productivity, syntactic complexity, lexical diversity, and verbal facility. Despite individual variability in performance, mean scores were close to median scores for most measures, suggesting a symmetrical distribution. As expected, all four language performance measures were significantly different across the four elicitation tasks. The personal narrative task elicited the longest samples, with the highest verbal fluency. In contrast, both lexical diversity and syntactic complexity were the strongest in response to the fable retell and the moral dilemma tasks. This investigation provides speech-language pathologists with an overview of how task-related factors may impact adolescent language performance. These findings may be used to support their clinical decision-making processes in choosing a suitable discourse task when conducting a comprehensive spoken language assessment. Three hypothetical case examples are used to illustrate the decision-making process. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25761768.

Delving into Word and Print Awareness in 4-Year-Old Children

This research delves into the emergent literacy skills of preschool-aged children through a thorough examination using the Preschool Word and Print Awareness Examination (PWPA). A diverse sample of 45 typically developing children, aged between 3 years and 11 months to 5 years and 1 month, participated in the study. Rigorous screening criteria ensured a homogeneous and suitable sample for the emergent literacy enhancement program. The PWPA, aligned with Marie Clay's interactive literacy assessment paradigm, assessed children's word and print awareness through engaging exercises integrated into shared storybook reading routines. Results unveiled significant variability in individual and overall performance, providing nuanced insights into the developmental trajectories of emergent literacy skills. The study focused on two key components of the PWPA: Words in Print and Print Concepts, evaluated through carefully selected storybooks. Findings indicated challenges and strengths in children's ability to recognize written words and understand foundational print concepts, emphasizing the need for early intervention in addressing emerging literacy issues. The discussion highlighted potential applications of PWPA in literacy screening programs, individualized goal-setting, and intervention planning. This research contributes to the understanding of preschool children's emergent literacy skills, providing valuable insights for educators, speech-language pathologists, and researchers to foster proficient readers in early childhood.

The Investigation of Social Media use and Digitalization Effects on Employees Perspectives on Organizational and Individual Performance

Purpose –Most studies of social media use are based on individual and some organizational perspectives. However, there are few studies that investigate the true effects of social media use on individual and organizational performance. Therefore, using a quantitative approach, this study investigates employees' attitudes toward social media use and its effects on individual and organizational performance. This study, investigates employees' attitudes toward social media use and its effects on individual andorganizational performance.Design/methodology/approach –The research analyzed and interpreted the data of 415 participants working for a retail company in the retail sector in Turkey in the context of the research model. In the research model, the relationship between the three primary variables is discussed. These are SMU: Social Media Use, ATDT: Attitudes Toward Digital Technology, IOP: Individual and Organizational Performance Variables. Social media use and organizational-individual performance variables, two of these three, are variables derived from previous studies in the literature and included as a one-dimension in the research model. The dependent variable "ATDT: Attitude Towards Digital Technology" was subjected to factor analysis.Findings–The results show that the increasing use of social media with digitalization is critical to the performance of companies and individuals. At the same time, one of the findings of this study was the causal relationship between social media use and digitalization. Discussion–The results show that the digitization factor resulting from the use of social media is an important factor in organizational and individual performance.

The role of external factors on the reactivation of the heritage language of Turkish-German returnees.

This study investigates the heritage language performance of Turkish-German returnees upon their reintegration into Turkey and explores the impact of external factors on their proficiency in the (re-)activated heritage language (HL). Data collection involved the participation of 28 Turkish heritage speakers and a control group of 28 monolingual speakers. The language proficiency of both groups was assessed through a cloze test and an error correction task with a focus on converbial constructions, evidentiality and direct object case marking in Turkish. A sociolinguistic background questionnaire was used to obtain information about their language experiences. The study focused on understanding the individual and group differences in returnee's heritage language performance. Additionally, random forest analysis was employed to investigate the relative influence of external factors on individual variability within the returnee group. The analysis of results revealed notable group differences between the returnees and the control group, emphasizing the unique linguistic challenges faced by those who returned to Turkey. Within the returnee group, there was considerable individual variability in heritage language performance. The subsequent exploration of individual variation highlighted the significant role of external factors. Notably, the length of residence in Germany, the age at which participants returned to Turkey, and the frequency of Turkish language use in their migration context emerged as significant predictors of the returnee participants' proficiency in their (re-)activated HL. Surprisingly, formal contact with the dominant German language did not exert a substantial impact on the returnees' language proficiency, suggesting the nuanced influence of various external factors on heritage language development.

An Investigation into the Variables Affecting School Principals Burnout through XGBoost Method

The present study aims to investigate the impact of organizational psychological capital, organizational citizenship behaviour, individual performance and various demographic variables on school principas’ burnout in public schools. The opinions of princals working in Diyarbakır province and districts between the years of 2016- 2017 were considered. This research employed a survey model, which falls under the quantitative research paradigm. Data were collected from 254 principals through the administration of the Organizational Psychological Capital Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Scale, Individual Performance Scale, and School Principal Burnour Scale. The collected data were analyzed using the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) mining method. The findings revealed several key predictors of principals’ burnout, including altruism, resilience, professional seniority, individual performance, civic virtue, type of school, hope, sportsmanship, school principal’s length of service, marital status, optimism and the district of the school. Based on these results, it is recommended to alleviate principals’ burnout by reducing their responsibilities and creating conducive environments that foster their leadership roles.

Neurofunctional underpinnings of individual differences in visual episodic memory performance

Episodic memory, the ability to consciously recollect information and its context, varies substantially among individuals. While prior fMRI studies have identified certain brain regions linked to successful memory encoding at a group level, their role in explaining individual memory differences remains largely unexplored. Here, we analyze fMRI data of 1,498 adults participating in a picture encoding task in a single MRI scanner. We find that individual differences in responsivity of the hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex account for individual variability in episodic memory performance. While these regions also emerge in our group-level analysis, other regions, predominantly within the lateral occipital cortex, are related to successful memory encoding but not to individual memory variation. Furthermore, our network-based approach reveals a link between the responsivity of nine functional connectivity networks and individual memory variability. Our work provides insights into the neurofunctional correlates of individual differences in visual episodic memory performance.

Design and validation of a virtual reality trainer for ultrasound‐guided regional anaesthesia

Virtual reality is a form of high-fidelity simulation that may be used to enhance the quality of medical education. We created a bespoke virtual reality trainer software using high resolution motion capture and ultrasound imagery to teach cognitive-motor needling skills necessary for the performance of ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia. The primary objective of this study was to determine the construct validity between novice and experienced regional anaesthetists. Secondary objectives were: to create learning curves for needling performance; compare the virtual environment immersion with other high-fidelity virtual reality software; and compare cognitive task loads imposed by the virtual trainer compared with real-life medical procedures. We recruited 21 novice and 15 experienced participants, each of whom performed 40 needling attempts on four different virtual nerve targets. Performance scores for each attempt were calculated based on measured metrics (needle angulation, withdrawals, time taken) and compared between the groups. The degree of virtual reality immersion was measured using the Presence Questionnaire, and cognitive burden was measured using the NASA-Task Load Index. Scores by experienced participants were significantly higher than novices (p=0.002) and for each nerve target (84% vs. 77%, p=0.002; 86% vs. 79%, p=0.003; 87% vs. 81%, p=0.002; 87% vs. 80%, p=0.003). Log-log transformed learning curves demonstrated individual variability in performance over time. The virtual reality trainer was rated as being comparably immersive to other high-fidelity virtual reality software in the realism, possibility to act and quality of interface subscales (all p > 0.06) but not in the possibility to examine and self-performance subscales (all p < 0.009). The virtual reality trainer created workloads similar to those reported in real-life procedural medicine (p=0.53). This study achieved initial validation of our new virtual reality trainer and allows progression to a planned definitive trial that will compare the effectiveness of virtual reality training on real-life regional anaesthesia performance.

Individual Variability in Performance Reflects Selectivity of the Multiple Demand Network among Children and Adults.

Executive function (EF) is essential for humans to effectively engage in cognitively demanding tasks. In adults, EF is subserved by frontoparietal regions in the multiple demand (MD) network, which respond to various cognitively demanding tasks. However, children initially show poor EF and prolonged development. Do children recruit the same network as adults? Is it functionally and connectionally distinct from adjacent language cortex, as in adults? And is this activation or connectivity dependent on age or ability? We examine task-dependent (spatial working memory and passive language tasks) and resting state functional data in 44 adults (18-38 years, 68% female) and 37 children (4-12 years, 35% female). Subject-specific functional ROIs (ss-fROIs) show bilateral MD network activation in children. In both children and adults, these MD ss-fROIs are not recruited for linguistic processing and are connectionally distinct from language ss-fROIs. While MD activation was lower in children than in adults (even in motion- and performance-matched groups), both showed increasing MD activation with better performance, especially in right hemisphere ss-fROIs. We observe this relationship even when controlling for age, cross-sectionally and in a small longitudinal sample of children. These data suggest that the MD network is selective to cognitive demand in children, is distinct from adjacent language cortex, and increases in selectivity as performance improves. These findings show that neural structures subserving domain-general EF emerge early and are sensitive to ability even in children. This research advances understanding of how high-level human cognition emerges and could inform interventions targeting cognitive control.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study provides evidence that young children already show differentiated brain network organization between regions that process cognitive demand and language. These data support the hypothesis that children recruit a similar network as adults to process cognitive demand; and despite immature characteristics, children's selectivity looks more adult-like as their executive function ability increases. Mapping early stages of network organization furthers our understanding of the functional architecture underlying domain-general executive function. Determining typical variability underlying cognitive processing across developmental periods helps establish a threshold for executive dysfunction. Early markers of dysfunction are necessary for effective early identification, prevention, and intervention efforts for individuals struggling with deficits in processing cognitive demand.

Anatomical connectivity in children with developmental dyscalculia: A graph theory study.

Current theories postulate that numerical processing depends upon a brain circuit formed by regions and their connections; specialized in the representation and manipulation of the numerical properties of stimuli. It has been suggested that the damage of these network may cause Developmental Dyscalculia (DD): a persistent neurodevelopmental disorder that significantly interferes with academic performance and daily life activities that require mastery of mathematical notions and operations. However, most of the studies on the brain foundations of DD have focused on regions of interest associated with numerical processing, and have not addressed numerical cognition as a complex network phenomenon. The present study explored DD using a Graph Theory network approach. We studied the association between topological measures of integration and segregation of information processing in the brain proposed by Graph Theory; and individual variability in numerical performance in a group of 11 school-aged children with DD (5 of which presented with comorbidity with Developmental Dyslexia, the specific learning disorder for reading) and 17 typically developing peers. A statistically significant correlation was found between the Weber fraction (a measure of numerical representations' precision) and the Clustering Index (a measure of segregation of information processing) in the whole sample. The DD group showed significantly lower Characteristic Path Length (average shortest path length among all pairs of regions in the brain network) compared to controls. Also, differences in critical regions for the brain network performance (hubs) were found between groups. The presence of limbic hubs characterized the DD brain network while right Temporal and Frontal hubs found in controls were absent in the DD group. Our results suggest that the DD may be associated with alterations in anatomical brain connectivity that hinder the capacity to integrate and segregate numerical information.

No Link Between Speech-in-Noise Perception and Auditory Sensory Memory - Evidence From a Large Cohort of Older and Younger Listeners.

A growing literature is demonstrating a link between working memory (WM) and speech-in-noise (SiN) perception. However, the nature of this correlation and which components of WM might underlie it, are being debated. We investigated how SiN reception links with auditory sensory memory (aSM) - the low-level processes that support the short-term maintenance of temporally unfolding sounds. A large sample of old (N = 199, 60-79 yo) and young (N = 149, 20-35 yo) participants was recruited online and performed a coordinate response measure-based speech-in-babble task that taps listeners' ability to track a speech target in background noise. We used two tasks to investigate implicit and explicit aSM. Both were based on tone patterns overlapping in processing time scales with speech (presentation rate of tones 20 Hz; of patterns 2 Hz). We hypothesised that a link between SiN and aSM may be particularly apparent in older listeners due to age-related reduction in both SiN reception and aSM. We confirmed impaired SiN reception in the older cohort and demonstrated reduced aSM performance in those listeners. However, SiN and aSM did not share variability. Across the two age groups, SiN performance was predicted by a binaural processing test and age. The results suggest that previously observed links between WM and SiN may relate to the executive components and other cognitive demands of the used tasks. This finding helps to constrain the search for the perceptual and cognitive factors that explain individual variability in SiN performance.

Defining “happy” in happy birthday: Singing accuracy a construct based on range and intervals

Singing in tune, or singing accuracy, is a construct dependent on genre, key selection, singers’ ranges, and listener expectations. But across genres, singers are expected to sing in tune with themselves and with others. Because singing a familiar song may be the most common communal singing situation in the lives of non-professional singers and students, we chose to examine previously reported data on the Happy Birthday song as representative of one typical example of a popular song globally and used in previous research. The participants were adult non-professional singers. We designed a predictive model of performance on the large ascending octave based on initial interval performance, providing implications for music education in children or adults and by exploring variables such as range, voice register, and key modulation. We conclude that while initial performance may predict subsequent performance, features such as singer’s range and starting pitch may also account for variability in individual performance.

Animacy interactions with individual variability in sentence production and comprehension reveal similar lexically driven competitive processes.

Sentence production and comprehension both draw on linguistic knowledge, but current research is unclear on whether these fundamental language tasks involve similar or distinct competitive processes. Previous studies suggest that production and comprehension may involve similar conflict resolution processes, but that production may additionally recruit motor-related conflict not necessarily present in comprehension. To examine these possibilities, we combined an experimental animacy-driven manipulation eliciting difficulty in separate production and comprehension tasks with an examination of how this manipulation interacted with individual variability in motor-related and lexicosemantic conflict resolution performance beyond vocabulary measures. We reasoned that a different pattern of interactions for production and comprehension would point to distinct processes across these tasks, whereas interactions with the same individual performance task would indicate similar conflict-related processes. We found that beyond a significant role of vocabulary, only a measure of context-dependent lexical ambiguity resolution interacted with the animacy manipulation in the production and the comprehension task. These findings suggest a role for linguistic knowledge and similar lexically driven competitive processes in both sentence production and comprehension. Alongside current computational models, these results raise the possibility that despite different task demands, some production and comprehension competitive processes are not entirely distinct from one another nor separable from lexical knowledge. Implications for current views on the relationship between sentence production and comprehension are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

An Effect of Individual Characteristics and Work Environment on Employee Motivation and Performance

The role of HR is increasing is important when viewed from the supply and demand side of the labor market, where human capital is the level of compatibility between demand and supply of labor with the quality and quantity of HR itself. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of individual characteristics and work environment on employee motivation and performance, and to determine the effect of employee motivation intervening on individual characteristics and work environment on performance. This study uses quantitative methods with the aim of testing hypotheses with the object of this research being all employees of PT. Merapi Utama Pharma Medan Branch, which is located at Jalan Tapian Nauli Pasar 1 No. 5 districts. Sunggal, Kel. Medan Sunggal, Medan 20138 with 76 employees consisting of marketing staff and administrative staff. This company is engaged in pharmaceutical wholesalers whose products are in the form of services in the distribution of medical devices, medicines, infusion fluids and equipment, as well as health food. PT. Merapi Utama Pharma distributes goods from the company or commonly called Principal to hospitals, pharmacies, outlets, supermarkets and mini markets. The data collection technique used a census because the total population was only 76 people. Hypothesis testing using path analysis. The results showed that individual characteristics had a significant effect on employee motivation and performance, the work environment had a significant effect on employee motivation but had no significant effect on performance. The test results show that employee motivation variables mediate the effect of individual characteristics and work environment on performance. This study updates the motivation variable as an intervening variable between individual characteristics variables, performance variables, research locations, and variable relationship models. The limitations of this study include the number of samples which are only 76 subjectivities. In addition, the re-examination should be conducted again in a different place with a larger sample.

Desempeño y habilidad competitiva de la gramínea invasora Eragrostis plana en condiciones de estrés hídrico

Eragrostis plana (capín Annoni) is an important invasive grass of the Río de la Plata grasslands, frequently associated with sites under high degree of abiotic stress (e.g., water stress). We performed two complementary experiments, in which we evaluated the relative effect of water stress on the performance and competitive ability of E. plana and two native grasses: Eragrostis bahiensis and Sporobolus indicus. In the first experiment, the performance of the species was studied in two treatments (n=5), with and without water stress. In the second, we evaluated the competitive ability by manipulating plant-plant interactions under water stress (n=5). Both experiments were carried out simultaneously in a greenhouse under controlled conditions. Different individual performance variables related to plant growth and resource acquisition/utilization strategies were measured (e.g., height, number of green and dry leaves, number of tillers, biomass). In the first experiment, the performance of each species with and without water stress was compared; while in the second, relative interaction intensity indices were calculated. Eragrostis plana was the most affected species by water stress, with lower leaf production, higher rate of leaf senescence and lower rate of height growth. In the competitive ability experiment, E. plana had a greater inhibitory effect on the growth of native plants, and its response was generally positive or neutral when interacting with them. We conclude that although water stress had a greater effect on E. plana than native grasses, the competitive ability of the invader is superior even under these conditions.

Traits Defining Sow Lifetime Maternal Performance.

Simple SummaryIn pig production, the ability of a sow to produce and rear a high number of viable piglets that meet weight targets for a desired age at slaughter is the ultimate goal. To achieve this, both management and breeding programs have to be tailored and continuously optimized. Reproductive characteristics, maternal attributes, and the ability to maintain body condition are highly variable, both within sows and amongst sows. For individual sows, maternal performance alters with age, and the environmental factors have a large impact on sow performance. This study demonstrated that the sow influences the number of high-quality slaughter pigs produced, which is not solely related to variation in litter size. Accounting for the sow’s influence on the number of tail-enders in breeding programs could assist with producing more high-quality slaughter pigs.Declining sow performance with increasing parity or an increase in the number of poor- quality pigs potentially impacts on farm productivity. This study investigated the phenotypic and genetic background of the sow’s influence on (i) the number of pigs not meeting the industry standards (tail-enders) and (ii) changes in performance with parity. Data were available for 3592 sows and their litters (13,976 litters) from a pig production system in NSW, Australia. The mean, standard deviation (SD), and slope for trait values over time were estimated for the sow characteristic traits: number of born-alive (NBA) and stillborn (SB) piglets and body condition of sow recorded with a caliper (CAL), along with maternal effects on piglet performance, represented by: average piglet birth weight (APBW), number of weaned piglets (WEAN), and tail-enders (TEND). Traits were analyzed in ASReml 4.2, by using an animal model. The number of tail-enders produced by a sow is a heritable trait, with a heritability estimate of 0.14 ± 0.04. Sow characteristics and maternal effects on piglet performance expressed by mean and slope had similar heritability estimates, ranging from 0.10 ± 0.03 to 0.38 ± 0.05, whereas estimates for SD traits were generally not different from zero. The latter suggests individual variability in sow characteristics or maternal performance between parities is largely not genetic in origin. This study demonstrated that more attention is required to identify contributions to the problem of tail-enders, and that slope traits could potentially be useful in the breeding program to maximize lifetime performance.

Reliability of the empathy selection task, a novel behavioral measure of empathy avoidance.

The empathy selection task is a novel behavioral paradigm designed to assess an individual's willingness to engage in empathy. Work with this task has demonstrated that people prefer to avoid empathy when some other activity is available, though individual differences that might predict performance on this task have been largely unexamined. Here, we assess the suitability of the empathy selection task for use in individual difference and experimental research by examining its reliability within and across testing sessions. We compare the reliability of summary scores on the empathy selection task (i.e., proportion of empathy choices) as an individual difference metric to that of two commonly used experimental tasks, the Stroop error rate and go/no-go commission rate. Next, we assess systematic changes at the item/trial level using generalized multilevel modeling which considers participants' individual performance variation. Across two samples (N = 89), we find that the empathy selection task is stable between testing sessions and has good/substantial test-retest reliability (ICCs = .65 and .67), suggesting that it is comparable or superior to other commonly used experimental tasks with respect to its ability to consistently rank individuals.

Model‐Based Analysis of Standard Operating Procedures' Role in Abnormal and Emergency Events

AbstractStandard Operating Procedures (SOP) describe the desired flight‐crew response to mission events including normal, abnormal, and emergency events. The SOPs define flight‐crew step‐by‐step actions to perform the SOP appropriate for the mission event. Although the aircraft and automation are tested rigorously for certification, and the flight‐crew are trained and qualified through simulator and flight check‐rides, oversight of the SOPs is marginal. This is especially problematic for SOPs that must be completed in a short Allowable Operational Time Window (AOTW) prior to the occurrence of a hazardous event. The AOTW can be variable due to environmental conditions (e.g. wind, aircraft performance), as is the Time‐on‐Procedure (ToP) (e.g. simultaneous procedures/events, disruptions/distractions in the cockpit, variability in individual human performance). The variance motivates the need for modeling and analysis of SOPs.This paper used a modeling language embedded in a System Engineering Model‐Based tool to evaluate the execution performance of the SOPs for abnormal/emergency mission events with regard to ToP and AOTW. The analysis yielded a classification of the accident scenarios by: (1) Insufficient AOTW, (2) Excessive ToP, or (3) combination of excessive ToP and insufficient AOTW. For the excessive ToP, the analysis highlighted the issue of delay in initiating an SOP due to ambiguity in the triggering cue from the external environment, or missing associations between a cockpit alert and the SOP. The analysis also highlighted issues arising from the presence of memory items in the SOP, or cues that are out of the operator's Field of View (FoV). In all cases, the results highlighted the importance of a method for quantifying the performance of SOPs considering the variability in ToP and AOTW. The implications of these results are discussed.