1,720,968 research outputs found
Brain Stimulation Can Impair Long-term Retention of Memory
Get PDFUsing a SAFMEDS task (Say All Fast a Minute Every Day Shuffled; designed to build fluency), this study investigates whether anodal transcranial electrical brain stimulation (tES) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, can modulate both learning ability and subsequent long-term memory retention. Using a within-subject design, participants (N=25) took part in 6 training sessions over consecutive days in which active or sham stimulation was administered randomly (3 of each). A computer based SAFMEDS task was used, containing flags unknown to the participants from countries around the world. Each training session consisted of the repetition of 8 pairs of flag/country names. The aim was to say aloud the name of the countries at least 60 times in one-minute blocks to reach a performance-based threshold. In two testing sessions, one day after the final training session and one week later, participants were tested on all 48 flags they had learnt. The participants were tested on both free recall and recognition. Results showed no difference in learning speed between active and sham stimulation for the training sessions. However, in the sham condition, recognition was significantly greater in the second testing session, compared to the active condition. Marginal significance was found for free recall for the sham condition compared to active, in the second testing session. These results show that for this particular task, anodal-tES was ineffective at improving learning ability and of detriment to performance in subsequent recognition and free recall tests, compared to the sham condition
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Commentary on “Video-modelling as an effective solution for coaching carers of autistic adults”: building skills; that should be our priority
Get PDFPurpose – This paper aims to discuss the importance of offering high-quality support focussed on
developing the skills of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Design/methodology/approach – The analysis will be based on the study published by Cohen and
McGill (2020), who demonstrated that video modelling led to improvements in support workers’
performance when training adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to brush their teeth.
Findings – Developing the skills of staff members and services users should be one of our primary aims.
Evidence-based practices grounded in behaviour analysis can help produce optimal outcomes that will
improve the quality of service provision and, subsequently, the service users’ quality of life.
Originality/value – This paper is aimed at parents and professionals working in the field of disabilities
who are keen to further improve the service provision of people with disabilities
Precision Teaching: A meta-analysis and investigation into its components and effects upon students' mathematical ability within special education
No full textInternational and national data suggest that education fails to produce optimal student outcomes. This is particularly relevant for students with IDD or SEN that attend either mainstream or special education. As a result, education is gradually transitioning towards more evidence-based approaches to improve outcomes for all students. Various systems have been developed and used in this attempt, such as Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. One system that has produced encouraging evidence is Precision Teaching, which integrates strategies from the experimental and applied analysis of behaviour and education. This system is primarily a progress monitoring and decision-making system that can be used across a range of skills, including academic, language, and motor skills, to name a few. However, PT has received inadequate attention from educators and behaviour analysts primarily due to how it has previously been researched and disseminated. The overarching aim of this PhD was to evaluate PT's effectiveness as a system used to accelerate educational outcomes for students with IDD and particularly mathematics.
The aim of Study 1 was to evaluate the whole PT literature against the most modern criteria developed by the field. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted that had a series of aims, namely to (a) evaluate the quality of PT's existing evidence by including studies that would align with its most up-to-date conceptualisation, (b) gather general information on PT's application, including the population, setting, interventions used and more, (c) gather technical information on PT's application, such as the duration of assessments, visual displays used, or frequency aims set, and (d) evaluate PT's effectiveness by completing a meta-analysis using studies that met the specified quality criteria. The EBSCO information services were used to access the British Education Index, ERIC, and APA PsycINFO. Elsevier was used to access SCOPUS, while PubMed and Web of Science were also used. Studies including a mixture of methodologies were evaluated with a series of quality assessment tools, including the Evaluative Method and the JBI checklists. Out of the total number of articles, 164 were included in the review, while 27 were included in the meta-analysis. Findings demonstrated that PT had been applied across various skills, settings, and populations with a primary focus on academic skills. The overall quality of the literature was poor as most studies scored below an adequate overall quality. However, PT was associated with effect sizes that were medium to large, while heterogeneity was substantial. The results suggest that PT can optimise existing practices and has much potential for improving provision for students with IDD. Still, a need for more evidence of its application with students in special education and primarily mathematics was noted.
As a result, the aim of Study 2 was to evaluate (a) whether students with IDD attending special education in the UK would demonstrate improvements in mathematics, and particularly addition, following the introduction of PT, and (b) whether students with IDD who have moderate mathematical ability could equal or outperform their peers with fewer difficulties with their math skills. Students were divided into three groups, with one receiving PT and the other two acting as comparisons. A quasi-experimental design was used for five component skills across different learning channel sets, and a multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on the composite skill. The intervention, which used the Minimum Celeration Line goal-setting procedure, led to a significant improvement in all skills, including addition, and this was associated with a large effect size; student performance met or exceeded that of their peers.
The aim of Study 3 was to evaluate the relationship of two learning channel sets, namely the See-Say and See-Write. Specifically, the study focused on (a) whether improvements in one learning channel set will generalise to another without direct training, (b) whether performance (i.e., frequency) and learning (i.e., celeration) across learning channel sets are different, and (c) whether the practice sequence of learning channel sets affects student outcomes. Participants received practice in the x7 and x8 tables across both channel sets, using the Personal Best goal-setting approach. A multiple treatments design, embedded in a multiple baseline across participants design, was used. Practice led to improvements that were maintained. Practice on one set affected performance on the other, and the order of practice was an important variable. The See-Say channel set led to better generalisation outcomes, while performance was stronger on the See-Write.
The aim of Study 4 was to compare the Minimum Celeration Line approach and the Personal Best approach and examine whether they produced different outcomes in terms of participants' performance (i.e., frequency) and learning (i.e., celeration) during their mathematical practice. Also, as with the previous empirical studies, this study aimed to gather more data regarding PT's effectiveness in producing educationally significant outcomes for students with IDD in special education. An adapted alternating treatments design with a control condition was embedded in a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. Each approach was randomly allocated to either the multiplication/division (x ÷) table of 18 or 19, while no approach was allocated to the x÷ 14 table that acted as a control. Participants improved with both conditions and maintained their performance well, while improvements amongst participants allocated to the control condition were weak. The Personal Best approach was highlighted as slightly more effective in terms of average performance and more efficient in terms of timings needed to achieve criterion. No differences were identified in terms of learning rate (i.e., celeration) or performance on the mastery assessment (MESA).
The following conclusions were drawn from the combined findings. PT has accumulated encouraging evidence across different areas. Therefore, suggestions regarding its use should not be considered unfounded. However, more evidence is needed regarding its application with specific populations, such as students with IDD. The empirical studies within this thesis demonstrated that PT could indeed accelerate outcomes for this population. What is more, the studies highlighted that students' potential might be greater than typically considered as long as the instruction is tailored to their skillset and evidence-based strategies are used. However, more evidence is required of PT's general application and its components and the way they interact and affect outcomes. For example, more research is needed regarding learning channels or goal-setting procedures used within the PT system. Similarly, more research is needed on various concepts that are considered an integral part of PT, such as fluency and agility
Guest editorial: Generating evidence to improve quality of life and other outcomes for children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities
No full textGuest editorial: Precision teaching for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Get PDFVariations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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