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Biomedical subjects

S Millar

Publications and source records attributed to S Millar.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Screening elder cardiac patients to identify need for social work services.

Present screening methods to identify older patients in need of posthospital care planning are overly sensitive and lack specificity, with the rate of false-positive screenings reaching 65 percent. Research was undertaken to develop a computerized screening mechanism to identify elderly cardiac patients at high risk for posthospital care needs. Using the data from the Medicus Nursing Productivity and Quality of Patient Care Classification System (NPAQ) as potential predictive factors, the false-positive screening rate was reduced to 26 percent. Early and accurate identification of these patients may prove beneficial to patients and their families and to social workers and hospital administrators. It can improve social worker efficiency in developing and implementing an adequate posthospital care plan, thus enhancing patient recovery.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1990

Articulatory coding in prose reading: evidence from braille on changes with skill.

The role of speech-based strategies in prose reading was tested in two experiments with braillists at different levels of proficiency. Subjects read prose texts in silent and oral control conditions, under articulatory suppression, and while making non-speech movements during silent and oral reading, respectively. Experiment 1 used relatively difficult braille texts and showed that articulatory suppression reduced comprehension significantly compared to the other conditions. Speed (syllables per minute) was not significantly reduced under articulatory suppression, although two subjects were unable to read at all in that condition. Experiment 2 used easy texts and included beginning readers. Proficiency levels interacted significantly with experimental conditions for both speed and comprehension. The best readers showed no effect of articulatory suppression on either speed or comprehension with easy tests. Beginners showed significantly reduced speed and comprehension (or failed to score at all) under articulatory suppression, despite good comprehension in control conditions. For subjects in the middle groups, articulatory suppression had some effect on comprehension but speeded rather than slowed reading, if anything. The results suggest that articulatory suppression can affect input strategies as well as comprehension, but that the strategies which underly it vary with skill and test conditions. It was argued that suppression taps important but changing strategies in prose reading.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Simultaneous reading with the two hands: reply to Bertelson and Mousty.

Bertelson and Mousty's criticisms of Millar's (1987) analyses rest on a misapprehension of the nature and purpose of the measures that were used. Millar (1987) used two measures to test a prediction from the hypothesis that fast braillists use the two hands to read different portions of text simultaneously. The study was not about scanning. Bertelson and Mousty's criticism and reanalysis of Millar's (1987) data is shown to be based on unsupported assumptions, and a misunderstanding of the first measure. Details about the first measure are given. It is shown that the findings from the two measures agree and are in the opposite direction to that predicted by the hypothesis. There could be a number of reasons for the difference between Bertelson et al. (1985) and Millar's (1987) data. They need further study.

Blindness↗
PubMed1987

The perceptual "window" in two-handed braille: do the left and right hands process text simultaneously?

The hypothesis that fluent braille readers use both hands simultaneously to read was tested. Video tape recordings of finger movements by ten students reading prose text were subjected to frame by frame analyses of synchronous finger positions. The hypothesis was not borne out. Touching a letter by one hand was paired most often with simultaneous touching of a space between letters or between words by the other hand. Simultaneous touching of letters by the two hands was least frequent and did not differ from simultaneous touching of gaps between letters. Further evidence against the hypothesis came from analyses of the time relations between the two hands at the beginning and end of lines. It was argued that fluency does not depend on simultaneous processing of the same type of information, but on fast intermittent alternation in function between the two hands.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Perceptual and task factors in fluent braille.

Hypotheses that fluent braille depends (i) on coding letters by global outline shape for all task and speed levels, or (ii) on lateral dot-gap density scanning in fast reading for meaning were tested with three groups of fluent braillists who differed in reading speeds. In experiment 1, 90 degrees-rotated (near to far) texts under vertical and horizontal finger orientation were used. Hypothesis (i) was not supported. Finger orientation interacted significantly with Speed and Task. Vertical finger orientation, which disrupts lateral scanning, slowed reading for comprehension more than for letter search, and differentially more for faster readers. Horizontal finger orientation, which instead disrupts the familiar finger-body relation, did not have differential effects. The findings support hypothesis (ii). In experiment 2, normal texts and texts containing a degraded dot in some letters were used. These are felt in searching for individual letter patterns, but would disrupt lateral scanning of expected dot-gap density patterns in reading for meaning. The results supported the predictions from hypothesis (ii), that degraded texts slow reading for meaning significantly more than for letter search, and more in the case of faster readers than for the slowest group. Findings were not consistent with hypothesis (i), which predicts that text degradation affects tasks equally, and affects the slowest rather than the fastest readers. The results suggest that perceptual coding in reading differs with task demands and speed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Aspects of size, shape and texture in touch: redundancy and interference in children's discrimination of raised dot patterns.

Children discriminated tactual dot patterns by size or form and by texture. Adding irrelevant, easy, correlated texture cues improved size and form discrimination while orthogonal irrelevant texture cues interfered. Facilitation and interference could be reversed by reversing dimensional difficulty, but were found also when the two dimensions were equally accurate, for both blindfolded sighted and for blind children. The theoretical implication with regard to age effects, and practical implications for using dot numerosity and dot density differences for Braille learning were discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

Segments of chromosomal DNA from Rhynchosciara americana that undergo additional rounds of DNA replication in the salivary gland DNA puffs have only weak ARS activity in yeast.

We have constructed a library of recombinant phage containing DNA from salivary gland chromosomes of Rhynchosciara americana. We have isolated phage from this library that carry sequences homologous to cDNA clones that hybridize in situ to the DNA puffs at the polytene chromosome regions C3 and C8. This has enabled us to demonstrate a 16-fold amplification of the genomic DNA sequences at these regions during DNA-puffing. At the C8 site there is a sequence element that has characteristics of 'scrambled' moderately repetitive DNA. This is located within 3 kb from the gene encoding a 1.95-kb mRNA. We have assayed restriction fragments from the two DNA puffs for Ars activity in yeast. The only strong Ars activity is associated with a part of the moderately repetitive DNA element from the C8 puff which is not present at this site in all animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The perception of complex patterns by touch.

Two experiments are reported on matching Braille characters in dot pattern and outline shape formats by congenitally blind subjects. In a third experiment subjects' drawings of Braille shapes were analysed. Experiment 1 showed that normal and retarded readers differed significantly when outline shapes 'cued' identical dot patterns, but did not differ when the dot patterns preceded outlines. However, normal as well as retarded readers were faster and more accurate in judging identical pairs in dot-pattern format than in any other condition. In experiment 2 dot patterns and outline shapes were matched at three levels of reading proficiency. Faster readers made fewer errors in matching identical pairs, but all subjects were more accurate and faster with dot patterns than with outline shapes. Experiment 3 showed that blind subjects' drawing of outline shapes is not affected by reading proficiency. Most common were errors of alignment, including 'rotation' from vertical to horizontal axes, suggesting that sources of confusion were spatial position of dots and major axes of alignment rather than mirror-image reversals. It is argued that the results are not compatible with the hypothesis that Braille letters are perceived as global outline shapes by faster readers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Is there a "best hand" for braille?

Two experiments were conducted on lateral differences in Braille tasks with predominantly right-handed blind children. The hypothesis that hand advantages change with absolute proficiency levels was not supported for either letter discrimination, letter naming or word reading. Experiment 1 provided support for the hypothesis that hand advantages depend on a combination of tasks demands and individual strategy preferences associated with relative proficiency or retardation. Retarded readers were significantly faster with the left hand in letter discrimination, and adequate readers were significantly faster with the right hand in letter naming. Experiment 2 showed that for tasks which demanded lateral movements, two-handed reading was superior to reading by either hand alone, irrespective of absolute or relative reading proficiency. It was argued that there is no "best hand" as such for Braille, but that lateral advantages depend on specific interrelations between task demands, individual preferences and reading habits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Strategy choices by young Braille readers.

The hypotheses that in Braille learning coding strategies change with reading level, and coding differs between normal and retarded readers were tested with oddity judgments by blind children. Experiment 1 showed that strategy choices varied with reading level only in association with mental age. By contrast, shape neglect and preference for phonological strategies were shown by retarded readers rather than by matched normal readers. Experiment 2 showed that under instructions to use given coding strategies the retarded were as accurate as normal readers. Accuracy for all forms of coding increased with reading level, but coding word shape was significantly less accurate than other forms of coding, and even correct coding of shape was no faster than semantic or phonological coding. It is concluded that coding the shape of Braille words is unlikely to be a major factor in producing faster Braille reading, and retarded Braille readers differ from normal readers in their spontaneous choice of strategy rather than in the ability to use the relevant codes.

Blindness↗
PubMed1981

Self-referent and movement cues in coding spatial location by blind and sighted children.

The study tested the hypothesis that movement and self-referent information differ, and that children can use both to code unseen locations. In one experiment blindfolded sighted children made more errors with changed than with unchanged accessing movements, despite unchanged reference conditions. Rotation decreased accuracy further, although most responses were to the correct side. Age did not interact with experimental conditions. In another experiment blind children and matched blindfolded controls were less accurate with changed movements; and rotations were more difficult still. Visual experience, but not age, interacted with conditions. The blind showed significantly more self-reference (responses to the original side in rotations), and were somewhat worse also with changed movements alone but did not differ from controls when movements and references were unchanged. The results support the hypothesis that movement and self-referent information differ. Visuospatial experience and task conditions rather than age seem to determine the extent to which children use either form of information.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The utilization of external and movement cues in simple spatial tasks by blind and sighted children.

The role of visual experience in coding spatial position by movements or by external cues was examined in simple (nonrotational) shift tasks with blind and sighted children. Age and the salience of external cues were also of interest. Results showed that the congenitally totally blind used movement cues significantly more even when external cues were present and prominent. The blind with minimal visual experience coded by external cues, but made errors beyond the age by which blindfolded sighted children performed correctly. It was argued that visual experience affects coding by drawing attention to external cues, and by providing more adequate spatial information than other sources usually available to the blind. In its absence, movement coding and self-reference can become preferred strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Short-term serial tactual recall: effects of grouping on tactually probed recall of Braille letters and nonsense shapes by blind children.

The study tested the hypothesis that grouping has adverse effects on the recall of tactual shapes but facilitates the recall of tactual letters on the assumption that this depends on different processes. A further question was the relation of grouping to letter recall span (set-size). Tactually probed recall of tactually presented serial nonsense and letter shapes by blind children was tested under grouped and ungrouped conditions. Results showed a highly significant interaction between list type and grouping, and a (smaller) higher order interaction between set size list type and grouping, in the predicted directions. Grouping had adverse effects on nonsense shape recall. Letter recall was better and was facilitated by grouping, except by subjects with poor letter recall spans who were also slow at letter naming. Mental and chronological age were associated with higher scores, but unlike set size, did not relate differentially to letter grouping. It was argued that the form of coding is a factor in determining the nature of processing and in recall efficiency.

Blindness↗
PubMed1977

Early stages of tactual matching.

Naive sighted subjects tested under blind conditions were able to match raised dot (Braille letters) patterns relatively accurately by touch, but showed no advantage in judging identical pairs over different pairs of patterns. This was the case also for letters subjects had been taught to name. Instructions to match on name or feel had significant effects, but these did not relate differentially to "same"/"different" judgments. Under visual conditions subjects matched "same" letters faster than "different" letters. Errors in drawing the letters after tactual exposure and naming training showed that subjects had no accurate idea of the spatial relations or configuration of the dot patterns. The findings suggested that early stages of tactual matching involve exhaustive comparisons and rechecking of features, and that correct notions of tactual dot configurations may be built up rather slowly, and depend on identifying features along orthogonal axes.

Child↗
PubMed1977

Tactual and name matching by blind children.

The hypothesis that letters can be matched on the basis of tactual physical features was tested in three experiments with blind Braille-reading children. Experiment I compared simultaneous matching of pairs of normal (S) and enlarged (E) format Braille letters. Under physical match instructions latencies for SS pairs were significantly faster than for other pairs, but matching EE pairs which compared two difficult letters under physical match instructions was no slower than matching SE or ES letters which compared one easy and one difficult letter under name match instructions. Experiment II showed that successive physical matching of SS and EE letters was significantly faster than name matching of ES and SE letters respectively. Experiment III tested successive matching with two types of altered format (X and Y) under instructions to judge whether pairs were the same letter. Latencies did not differ between XX and YY pairs, but each was significantly faster than either XY or YX pairs. The results were deemed to support the hypothesis.

Blindness↗