Midterm feedback from students: Its relationship to instructional improvement and students' cognitive and affective outcomes.

Feedback from student ratings collected at midterm resulted in (a) more favorable student ratings at the end of the term, (b) better final examination scores, and (c) more favorable affective outcomes. Ss were the 931 students in 30 sections of a course in computer programming. Randomly selected instructors were given feedback from midterm ratings and met with the authors to discuss the ratings and strategies for improvement. Ss in the feedback sections were similar to other Ss in terms of pretest scores and midterm ratings. These findings and a review of the literature suggest that feedback from student ratings, particularly when coupled with a frank discussion of their implications with an external consultant, can be an effective intervention for improving teaching effectiveness. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic achievement and self-evaluations of academic performance.

College students often make informal evaluations of their own course performance. Previous research has shown that the accuracy of these self-evaluations is correlated positively with actual course achievement; however, no one has yet explained why such a relationship exists. It was hypothesized that poor students make less accurate performance evaluations because they know less about the criteria by which their work will be judged. To test that hypothesis, 52 students in an introductory psychology course graded their own work and that of others on both a midterm and a final examination and described their instructor's grading criteria on each occasion. As expected, poor students were less accurate than others at evaluating their own course performance. Poor and good students did not differ, however, in their ability to accurately evaluate the performance of others. The relative inaccuracy of the poor students' self-evaluations was not due to a lack of knowledge about the instructor's grading criteria, but instead involved a failure to apply those criteria to their own course work. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Histochemical detection of 4-hydroxynonenal protein in Alzheimer amyloid

Portfolio learning has not previously been reported for clinical undergraduate teaching. This open randomized study aimed to assess the effect of portfolio learning in the teaching of oncology to medical students. The project aimed to provide the student with a holistic understanding of the impact of the disease and its treatment on the patient and family, and the natural history of malignant disease, through long-term personal experience of a cancer patient. All undergraduate medical students entering Clinical Studies in October 1992 at the University of Wales College of Medicine were randomized to a study or control group. Both groups continued with the standard curriculum. Each study-group student followed a patient with cancer for 9 months, supported by bi-monthly small-group tutorials. Tutors were either general practitioners or hospital consultants, not necessarily oncologists; each was supplied with a tutor's resource pack of key oncology review papers. Students recorded triggers to learning and key items in a personal learning portfolio. Students' performances in clinical examinations and the contents of their portfolio was assessed. Final assessment was by hidden questions in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in the final degree examination, when students in the study group showed higher marks in factual knowledge of oncology, particularly amongst the weaker students (P = 0.01). Those submitting portfolios for formative assessment had higher overall marks than those in the study group who did not (P = 0.04), representing the more motivated students. The whole study group showed a beneficial trend in their knowledge of oncology.     

Effects of subliminal symbiotic stimulation on academic performance: Further evidence on the adaptation-enhancing effects of oneness fantasies.

60 college students, enrolled in a 6-wk undergraduate summer session law course with the experimenter-instructor, received, besides the normal instruction, subliminal stimulation before 3 out of 5 lectures each week and before and after a 10-min counseling session with the experimenter. They were divided into 3 matched groups of 20 each. Group 1 received the message "Mommy and I are one"; Group 2 the message, "My prof and I are one"; and Group 3 the neutral control message, "People are walking." The main dependent variable was the final examination grade received by each student. Both experimental groups earned significantly higher grades than the control group. These results are consistent with those of earlier studies on schizophrenics, insect phobics, obese women, and alcoholics, which indicated that the stimulation of oneness fantasies has an adaptation-enhancing effect on behavior. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of study counseling and desensitization in alleviating test anxiety in college students.

Selected 36 male and 39 female test-anxious undergraduates. 50 Ss were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 therapists for (a) desensitization alone, (b) study counseling alone, (c) a combination of study counseling and desensitization, and (d) a placebo procedure. 25 Ss were assigned to 2 control groups. The experimental design was a repeated-measures paradigm involving pre- and posttreatment assessment of self-report, physiological, and academic performance variables. Data were collected during an interview and immediately before midterm and final examinations. Results indicate that a combination of desensitization and study counseling was more effective in reducing physiologically measured anxiety and improving academic and examination performance than either technique alone. Desensitization and study counseling were not reliably different from each other, nor reliably more effective than the placebo procedure in improving academic performance. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of instructional set on attributions of nonvolition during hypnotic and nonhypnotic analgesia.

Fifty highly hypnotizable subjects were assigned to four treatment groups or a no-treatment control group and then underwent two pain stimulation trials. Half the treated subjects were administered hypnotic analgesia, half waking analgesia. Within hypnotic and nonhypnotic treatments, half the subjects were given actively worded analgesia instructions, half passively worded instructions. Subjects in the four treated groups reported equivalent pain reduction and equivalent use of coping imagery, although hypnotic subjects rated themselves as more deeply hypnotized than did nonhypnotized subjects. Both hypnotic and nonhypnotic subjects given passive instructions rated their pain reduction as occurring involuntarily, whereas those given active instructions reported that their pain was reduced through their active use of coping strategies. These findings support sociocognitive formulations of hypnotic responding that view ratings of involuntariness as reflecting contextually guided interpretations of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of instructions on hypnotic and nonhypnotic performance.

This study examined the performance of high- and low-susceptible Ss under hypnotic and waking conditions when exhortative, analgesic, and other instructions were separately controlled and not confounded. 50 female Ss, assigned to 1 of 3 experimental or 2 control groups, performed 2 maximum effort tasks (Hand Dynamometer and Weight Endurance) and 1 skilled task (Tremor) in a Base Rate and a Special Instruction session. Except for 1 control group that always performed awake, all Ss performed both hypnotized and awake in both sessions. Special instructions facilitated performance in the hypnotic but not the waking state, and exhortative were more effective than analgesic instructions. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correcting the bias of clerkship timing on academic performance

OBJECTIVES: To document the time-of-year bias in National Board of Medical Examiners subject examination (NBME) scores in a third-year pediatrics clerkship and to develop a grading method that neutralizes the bias. DESIGN: Interventional modeling of final grades. SETTING: University-based medical school. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: During each of the past 3 academic years, we conducted six 2-month pediatric clerkships for third-year students. To counter the time-of-year bias, NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and departmental examination scores for the current rotation were pooled with those from the rotations from the same time of year during the previous 2 years. Final grades for the current rotation were determined by cutoff points derived from that entire 3-year pool. We analyzed this approach by testing the time-of-year effects on NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and final grades while maintaining step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination as a preclinical baseline control. RESULTS: The scores for step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination did not differ significantly by time of year. Clinical evaluations and NBME scores showed significant upward trends as the academic year progressed. By contrast, according to design, final grades showed no significant time-of-year trend. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support previous reports of significant improvements in NBME scores across the academic year. Our method of computing final grades corrects for this time-of-year bias by judging students only in relation to those who took the rotation at the same time of year. It is our belief that the prevalence and significance of the time-of-year trend warrants such an adjustment in grading to help minimize the academic disadvantage faced by students early in their clinical training.     

Strain difference in the timing of meiosis resumption in mouse oocytes: involvement of a cytoplasmic factor(s) acting presumably upstream of the dephosphorylation of p34cdc2 kinase

A group of 39 rats underwent excision of the submandibular and sublingual glands and ligation of the parotid ducts through the midventral incision of the neck, while the control group (41 rats) underwent a sham operation. All rats were administered 4NQO in a final concentration of 0.001% in drinking water. At 7, 14, 22 and 28 weeks after administering 4NQO, both groups of rats were killed and their tongues dissected, inspected and then fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histopathological examination. Clinical examination during the first 14 weeks revealed that rats in both groups looked healthy and no differences in body weight were noticed. Afterwards, the average weight gain of the desalivated rats was lower than in the control group (P < 0.01). The number of macroscopic oral lesions increased with time in both groups. However, in the desalivated rats, the first identifiable lesions were seen as early as week 7, whereas in the control group macroscopic lesions were seen only after 22 weeks. Histological examination revealed more affected rats in the desalivated group in the first 14 weeks after administering the carcinogen; lesions showed more severe pathological changes including two cases with evidence of squamous cell carcinoma. The differences between the desalivated groups and control decreased after 22 weeks with almost no differences at the end of the experiment.     

Comparative effects of adjunct postquestions and instructions on learning from text.

Two experiments investigated whether instructions to students about how and what to learn can facilitate learning as effectively as adjunct postquestions. In Exp I, 4 groups of 20 undergraduates each were tested: a read-only control group, an adjunct-question group, an instruction group, and an adjunct question plus instruction group. All groups performed significantly better than the control group on a test that required recall of verbatim factual information. Incidental questions were answered somewhat better by instruction Ss than by adjunct-question Ss. The 2nd experiment, with 87 adult males, replicated Exp I, except that the adjunct and test questions were derived by paraphrasing factual information from the text. Instructions on how to study for paraphrase test questions were developed for the instruction groups. All groups performed significantly better than the control group. When adjunct postquestions were repeated on the final test, they were answered somewhat better by the 2 adjunct question groups than by the instruction group. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal loops and other intercausal perceptions in attributions from exam performance.

Conducted 2 studies to determine whether students perceive meaningful influence patterns among the causal variables involved in determining exam performance. In Study 1, 81 students retrospectively accounted for their midterm exam performance. It was observed that the Ss perceived a number of both unidirectional and bidirectional intercausal effects, and that these were related to both perceived success and causal attributions. In Study 2, 88 students were requested to explain the exam performance of a hypothetical student. Results corroborating those of Study 1 were obtained. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Level of processing as a determinant of hypnotic hypermnesia.

Reconceptualized the distinction between those situations in which one can and cannot expect to observe hypnotic hypermnesia using the levels-of-processing theory of memory, as proposed by F. I. Craik and R. S. Lockhart (see record 1973-20189-001). In Study 1, 20 hypnotized Ss (high hypnotizables), relaxed/motivated Ss (high hypnotizables), and 20 simulating Ss (low hypnotizables) processed lists of words matched for meaningfulness and imagery value at "deep" or "shallow" levels. As predicted, the hypnotized group recalled more deeply but not more shallowly processed stimuli than the control groups. In Study 2, these findings were replicated with 30 undergraduates using improved experimental procedures and were extended to a recognition situation. In neither study was the observed hypnotic enhancement accompanied by an increment in errors. It is concluded that cognition at the time of processing is critical in rendering a stimulus amenable to hypnotic hypermnesia. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-hypnosis versus heterohypnosis: Experiential and behavioral comparisons.

In a study of experiential and behavioral differences between autohypnosis and heterohypnosis, standard group autohypnotic and heterohypnotic experiences were administered to 48 college students in counter-balanced order. Self-report measures of behavioral and subjective responses were obtained for each experience, and the total scores were compared. The experiential scores were also factor analyzed for each type of hypnosis. Behavioral total scores were comparable. Inexperienced Ss were as able to hypnotize themselves as to be hypnotized by another. Scores on "challenge" items were also comparable, whereas items suggesting positive actions showed greater variability. Factor analyses showed that the subjective experiences were generally similar. Heterohypnosis evoked more feelings of unawareness, passivity, and loss of control. Self-hypnosis elicited more feelings of time distortion, disorientation, active direction and trance variability. Conclusions are drawn that the procedures labeled self-hypnosis and heterohypnosis are indeed similar in most behavioral and phenomenological effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is the hypnotized subject lying?

Do the verbal reports of deeply hypnotized Ss truthfully reflect their subjective experiences of hypnotic suggestions? Exp 1 established that the electrodermal skin conductance response (SCR) provides an effective method for detecting deception in the laboratory equally well in hypnotized and nonhypnotized Ss. In Exp 2, deeply hypnotized and simulating Ss were administered a number of hypnotic suggestions in a typical hypnotic session, without mention of deception, and were questioned about their experiences while SCR measures were recorded concurrently. Results indicate that 89% of the hypnotized Ss' reports met the criterion for truthfulness, whereas only 35% of the simulators' reports met this criterion. Implications for the theory of hypnosis are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instructional set and the relative efficacy of hypnotic and waking analgesia.

Tested the hypothesis that hypnotic analgesia is intrinsically more effective than waking analgesia by administering both treatments while varying expectations concerning treatment efficacy. 23 male and 37 female undergraduates were assigned to hypnosis/hypnosis, hypnosis/explicit instruction, hypnosis/ambiguous instruction, and control groups. Ss given equivocal information about the efficacy of the 2 treatments exhibited larger pain tolerance in hypnotic analgesia. Ss explicitly informed that waking analgesia was more effective exhibited equivalent pain tolerance in the 2 treatments. Although these Ss rated themselves as deeply hypnotized on their hypnotic analgesia trial, they rated themselves as much less hypnotized on their waking analgesia trial. Findings did not support the hypothesis. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to personality inventories with situational stress.

"The effect of situational stress on personality inventories was measured by administering the MMPI and GAMIN during class sessions scheduled for midterm examinations to two classes of college students. The S's given the MMPI were informed that their academic performance had been inferior; S's given the GAMIN were informed that the examination would be a particularly difficult one. Significant differences between stress and non-stress scores were observed on D, Winne, and Welsh scales of the MMPI… . Adjustment scores on the GAMIN were also poorer under stress than in a retest situation." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring causal attributions for success and failure: A comparison of methodologies for assessing causal dimensions.

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of three commonly used procedures for assessing the dimensional properties of causal attributions for success and failure. These methods of assessment were based on open-ended attributions for performance, importance ratings of different causes of success and failure, and the attributor's perception of his or her causal attribution for performance as assessed by the Causal Dimension Scale. Data were collected on causal attributions, expected and actual performance, subjective evaluations of performance, and affective reactions from a group of students before and after their midterm examination. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and construct validity of the attribution measures. The results generally supported the use of the Causal Dimension Scale over the other methods of assessing causal dimensions. Implications of these findings for attribution research and possible improvements in the Causal Dimension Scale are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primacy/recency effects in student ratings of instruction: A reinterpretation of gain–loss effects.

Examined how the side effects of initial and final lecture quality on end-of-course student ratings can be predicted from seemingly unrelated gain–loss theory. Also investigated was the effect on ratings of student belief that the instructor will use midterm rating feedback to improve teaching. Using videotaped lectures in a 2?×?2?×?2 laboratory analog study, the present authors manipulated Lecture 1 (good, poor), Lecture 2 (good, poor), and whether 131 college students were told that feedback to the instructor about Lecture 1 would be used to improve teaching (yes, no). With Lecture 2 ratings as the principal measure, ratings varied moderately and inversely with Lecture 1 quality (negative primacy effect), greatly and directly with Lecture 2 quality (positive recency effect), and trivially with feedback. The primacy/recency findings confirm gain–loss predictions and illustrate how gain–loss theory can be interpreted as primacy/recency effects. Implications for expectancy research and field research on instructors using midterm ratings to improve instruction in the final portion of the course are discussed. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Critical appraisal by reading for medical students--a case study from Pakistan

Doctors read literature to keep abreast of medical advances. A recommendation from the 1993 World Summit for Medical Education is that medical schools should teach medical students to critically appraise scientific reports. The Department of Community Health Sciences of Aga Khan University Medical College teaches basic research methods to medical students. This is now supplemented with "Critical Reading". Critical reading was first taught to 67 third year students between October, 1993 and May, 1994. A "validity check-list for critical readers" was introduced in a two week orientation consisting of three one-hour classroom sessions and four one-hour small group sessions. Thereafter, small groups met monthly to critique clinical epidemiological reports relevant to current organ system teaching. The students reading attitudes and critical appraisal skills were assessed through continuous assessment and a written final examination with questionnaire. All but three students passed the final examination (mean score (74%, standard deviation 12%). Sixty-four of 67 (96%) completed questionnaires. All (73% strongly) agreed that critical reading skills were essential, but only 30% strongly agreed that they had, indeed, mastered the skills. Ninety-seven percent (56% strongly) disagreed that year three was too early to start critical reading. Clinical teaching staff expressed interest in learning these skills. Students benefited from and enjoyed this first critical reading course. It strengthened ties between clinical and community health sciences teaching staff. The critical reading skills of the clinical teaching staff is being addressed in seminars to strengthen institutional research capacity.     

Social disadvantage and the self-regulatory function of justice beliefs.

Five studies support the hypothesis that beliefs in societal fairness offer a self-regulatory benefit for members of socially disadvantaged groups. Specifically, members of disadvantaged groups are more likely than members of advantaged groups to calibrate their pursuit of long-term goals to their beliefs about societal fairness. In Study 1, low socioeconomic status (SES) undergraduate students who believed more strongly in societal fairness showed greater intentions to persist in the face of poor performance on a midterm examination. In Study 2, low SES participants who believed more strongly in fairness reported more willingness to invest time and effort to achieve desirable career outcomes. In Study 3, ethnic minority participants exposed to a manipulation suggesting that fairness conditions in their country were improving reported more willingness to invest resources in pursuit of long-term goals, relative to ethnic minority participants in a control condition. Study 4 replicated Study 3 using an implicit priming procedure, demonstrating that perceptions of the personal relevance of societal fairness mediate these effects. Across these 4 studies, no link between fairness beliefs and self-regulation emerged for members of advantaged (high SES, ethnic majority) groups. Study 5 contributed evidence from the World Values Survey and a representative sample (Inglehart, Basa?ez, Diez-Medrano, Halman, & Luijkx, 2004). Respondents reported more motivation to work hard to the extent that they believed that rewards were distributed fairly; this effect emerged more strongly for members of lower SES groups than for members of higher SES groups, as indicated by both self-identified social class and ethnicity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)