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PubMed2006

Simulator assessment of innate endovascular aptitude versus empirically correct performance.

OBJECTIVE: Prior work has established that performance on an endovascular simulator incorporating tactile feedback (haptics) correlates with previous endovascular experience and can be improved by training. This study was designed to test the ability to define and measure innate endovascular aptitude and empirically correct performance and to determine whether these are two different things. METHODS: Subjects ranging in endovascular skill level from novice to expert were surveyed to determine video game experience and skill, endovascular level of training, and endovascular experience. They were then tested by using a standard protocol requiring timed advancement of a catheter and wire sequentially into each of three vessels arising from a simulated type I arch. Recorded trials were independently and blindly scored by two experienced endovascular faculty members by using a modification of a previously validated scale (Modified Reznick Scale; MRS). Summed scores were analyzed by frequency analysis and categorized as satisfactory and unsatisfactory on the basis of a clear bimodal distribution. Categorical outcome, time to task completion, and other variables were analyzed by means of linear regression, analysis of variance, and Welch modified two-sample t tests, as indicated. RESULTS: A total of 61 subjects were enrolled: 42% students, 8% technicians, 19% surgeons, 13% cardiologists, and 18% radiologists. Of these, 62% were considered novices and 30% experts on the basis of previous experience; 56% of subjects worked in an endovascular-related occupation. MRS scores were highly correlated between raters (P < .0001) and showed a clear bimodal distribution, with subjects in any endovascular occupation (including technicians) scoring significantly better than all others (P < .0001). Hours of video games played per week were correlated highly with completion times (P < .001) and MRS scores (P < .001). Measures of formal training (number of endovascular cases and occupation) correlated highly with completion times (all P < .03) and MRS scores (all P < .008). In comparing completion times vs MRS scores, three groups were apparent: unskilled-inexperienced, skilled-inexperienced, and skilled-experienced, corresponding primarily to senior subjects without endovascular experience, younger subjects without endovascular experience, and formally trained endovascular physicians, respectively. Those judged intermediate in aptitude reduced times to the lowest possible level before improving their MRS scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although inherently subjective, the MRS yields reproducible scores that correlate with endovascular experience and formal training. Experts and novices with extensive video game experience achieve short completion times, whereas high MRS scores are achieved only by formally trained subjects. Innate endovascular aptitude and empirically correct performance may be two separate things, and aptitude may be acquirable through (or identified by) extensive nonmedical video game experience.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Dynamic sculpting of brain functional connectivity and mental rotation aptitude.

Changes in long-range synchronization are considered a key mechanism for the integration and segregation of cortical regions mediating cognitive processes. Such synchronization or functional connectivity is reflected in human electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence and in steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) coherence. In this chapter, the relationship between cognitive proficiency in the mental rotation task (MRT) and functional connectivity reflected in SSVEP event-related partial coherence is described. The capacity to estimate changing levels of functional connectivity with a relatively high temporal resolution makes it possible to examine the relationship between functional connectivity at various points in time and aptitude. In the current study, the relationships between functional connectivity and two mental rotation aptitude measures, mental rotation speed and mental rotation accuracy, are described. We observed that functional connectivity was correlated with proficiency and that this correlation was both positive and negative for various regions and points in time. It is suggested that cognitive aptitude is related to the brain's capacity to enhance functional connectivity or communication between cortical regions that are relevant to the cognitive demands while attenuating irrelevant communication. This capacity is termed functional connectivity sculpting, and it is proposed that functional connectivity sculpting may constitute an important functional component of the neural substrate of learning and aptitude.

Brain↗
PubMed2004

Effects of a multidisciplinary weight loss intervention on anaerobic and aerobic aptitudes in severely obese adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if a multidisciplinary weight loss programme in adolescents suffering severe obesity allows an improvement of anaerobic and aerobic aptitudes. DESIGN: In all, 55 adolescents (33 girls and 22 boys) suffering from severe obesity were enrolled in an interdisciplinary weight reduction programme lasting 6-12 months. Progressive submaximal physical activity was performed and national dietary allowances for adolescents with low levels of physical activity were provided. MEASUREMENTS: Total and regional body composition and anaerobic aptitudes (handgrip strength (HGS), vertical jump height (VJH)) and aerobic aptitudes (maximal aerobic power (MAP), maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2max))) were measured before and after weight loss. RESULTS: The mean reduction of body mass index (BMI) was similar in girls (21.4+/-5.9%) and boys (23.7+/-6.4%). Fat mass (FM) steepest drop was observed in the trunk (-63.2+/-10.1% in boys and -51.5+/-11.4% in girls). The total lean mass (LM) did not vary in both sexes. Right HGS and VJH increased in both sexes (P<0.05), whereas left HGS increased only in boys. MAP and VO(2max) per kg BW increased (P< 0.0001) in both sexes (2.3+/-0.3 vs 1.7+/-0.3 W/kg and 32.8+/-4.5 vs 26.7+/-4.1 ml/min/kg in girls and 2.8+/-1.9 vs 1.9+/-0.4 W/kg and 39.1+/-6.3 vs 27.9+/-5.1 ml/min/kg in boys, respectively), whereas MAP and VO(2max) in absolute value and per kg LM increased only in boys (P=0.04). Total LM was the strongest determinant of HGS, VJH, MAP and VO(2max) in both sexes (P<0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary weight reduction programme including moderate dietary restriction in combination with regular physical training induced an improvement of anaerobic and aerobic aptitudes, a marked reduction of obesity and a preservation of LM in severely obese adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Visual aptitude for automobile driving].

Visual function is crucial in driving and is one of the links which determine the medical aptitude to this activity. The ophthalmologist has important medical and moral responsibilities and has more than one mission in the determination of the aptitude to driving. The evaluation of the aptitude of the (future) driver is based on different legal criteria (Belgian Royal Orders dated on 23-03-1998 and 05-09-2002) whose requirements are in accordance with EC reglementation and are different according as the motor vehicles are used for private or professional purposes. Social and psychological consequences of driving incapacity may be important as far as the real impact of vision alterations on the incidence of motor vehicle crashes is still to be clearly determined. The knowledge of the repercussions of different diseases such as ametropia, age related effects, loss of vision in one eye, cataract, glaucomatous neuropathy, laser treatments,... on car driving can help the ophthalmologist to improve his judgment on the patient's real driving aptitude and the quality of his counselling if needed.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Developing undergraduate medical boarding's clinical aptitude in anemic deficiencies with a participation promotive educational strategy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the profit of a participation promotive educational strategy versus traditional teaching on development of the undergraduate medical boarding's clinical aptitude. METHODS: A quasiexperimental design was made. An instrument was built and validated in order to explore clinical aptitude. It contains three actual clinical cases about iron, folic acid or cobalamin deficiency, and a questionnaire with 164 items to explore eight clinical aptitude indicators; experts attending and teaching physicians validated it. A Kuder-Richardson coefficient of 0.80 was gotten when we estimated the internal reliability. The instrument was applied simultaneously to 55 undergraduate medical boarding from two hospitals of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social the starting year of undergraduate boarding (initial measuring) and at finish once again (end measuring). The experimental group (GE, n = 29) was exposed to a participation promotive educational strategy, and control group (GC, n = 26) to a traditional one. RESULTS: The overall scores of initial measuring in the GE and GC were low: 57 y 42 respectively (maximum: 164); at end measuring an increase in overall scores was observed: in the GE 68 (p < 0.02) and GC 47 (NS). CONCLUSIONS: The participation promotive educational strategy is better than traditional teaching for developing the undergraduate medical boarding's clinical aptitude. It must be considerated to propitiate changes to develop a more reflexive and critical education.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The search for a profile of aptitudes that characterize dentists.

This article is a reinterpretation of an unsuccessful attempt to develop a standard battery of aptitude measures to distinguish practicing dentists. Of 22 potential predictors used by a firm specializing in aptitude testing and career counseling, the national sample of 116 dentists tested showed few differences from the norm group, and some differences were counterintuitive. For example dentists performed no better than the norm on spatial visualization and worse than the norm on several measures of language skill and on finger dexterity. Based on these findings, this paper argues that a broad conceptualization is required when attempting to characterize the aptitudes necessary to complete dental education and to maintain a dental practice. The apparent inconsistency between these findings and successful prediction of performance in laboratory courses using available admissions instruments is explained.

Aptitude↗
PubMed1990

Aptitude testing and the selection of dental students.

This paper discusses the problems involved in the selection of dental students and the need for some form of aptitude testing. It describes the situation in the United Kingdom both in the past and the present, and then describes in detail the situation in North America (both in the United States and Canada). The Dental Admission Test, its history and the research into its development are described with particular emphasis on the dexterity, perceptual and aptitude components of the test. More recent research into dexterity and aptitude testing of dental students is also covered. However, it is apparent that many questions remain unanswered.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed2005

Correlation between perceptual, visuo-spatial, and psychomotor aptitude to duration of training required to reach performance goals on the MIST-VR surgical simulator.

Given the dynamic nature of modern surgical education, determining factors that may improve the efficiency of laparoscopic training is warranted. The objective of this study was to analyze whether perceptual, visuo-spatial, or psychomotor aptitude are related to the amount of training required to reach specific performance-based goals on a virtual reality surgical simulator. Sixteen MS4 medical students participated in an elective skills course intended to train laparoscopic skills. All were tested for perceptual, visuo-spatial, and psychomotor aptitude using previously validated psychological tests. Training involved as many instructor-guided 1-hour sessions as needed to reach performance goals on a custom designed MIST-VR manipulation-diathermy task (Mentice AB, Gothenberg, Sweden). Thirteen subjects reached performance goals by the end of the course. Two were excluded from analysis due to previous experience with the MIST-VR (total n = 11). Perceptual ability (r = -0.76, P = 0.007) and psychomotor skills (r = 0.62, P = 0.04) significantly correlated with the number of trials required. Visuo-spatial ability did not significantly correlate with training duration. The number of trials required to train subjects to performance goals on the MIST-VR manipulation diathermy task is significantly related to perceptual and psychomotor aptitude.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A role for aptitude testing in surgery?

Recent interest in the selection of surgical trainees has been directed towards the use of aptitude tests. Using mainly senior surgeons' ratings of trainees' surgical ability for comparison, specific areas of objective investigation have included manual dexterity, spatial ability, personality, and decision-making ability. While certain spatial ability tests have been shown to correlate with ratings of surgical skill, tests of manual dexterity have not. Personality variables, specifically, show how surgeons deal with stress and decision-making ability, and are considered to be important within the profession. Although aptitude tests are being used in medical recruitment, there is still widespread disagreement over their inclusion and their validity. It is proposed that the use of aptitude testing in surgery is limited by three principal factors: there are too few well-designed studies investigating the basic psychological and psychomotor abilities considered to be specific to surgical skill; the use of subjective ratings of surgical ability as the independent variable in most studies; and the fact that, as yet, there is no working definition of superior surgical ability.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed2004

Training-induced changes in aerobic aptitudes of professional basketball players.

We investigated the effects of a training program on the aerobic aptitudes and the relevance of the instant of equality of pulmonary gas exchange (i. e., RER = 1.00) to assess these effects in professional basketball players. Eight athletes performed two incremental exercise tests on a cycloergometer separated by 4.7 +/- 0.7 months. Physiological variables recorded during these two tests (heart rate, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, respiratory exchange ratio, power output) allowed to determine the first and second ventilatory thresholds and the instant of equality of pulmonary gas exchange. The training program induced significant variations of resting heart rate, oxygen uptake and power output measured for the instant of equality of pulmonary gas exchange. Moreover, the used fractions of heart rate, oxygen uptake and power reserves for the instant of equality of pulmonary gas exchange and the second ventilatory threshold increase significantly. Inversely, maximal oxygen uptake, maximal power reached and the used fractions of reserves for the first ventilatory threshold do not differ significantly. Professional basketball training is not focused on drills aiming to enhance both the aerobic power and aptitude, our results suggest that this training program induce the same physiological changes as a typical aerobic training. We also demonstrated that the instant of equality of pulmonary gas exchange is a powerful tool to quantify the changes in aerobic aptitudes during a sport season.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical aptitudes of residents in emergency medicine in trauma management].

OBJECTIVE: To build, validate and apply an instrument to evaluate the clinical aptitudes of the emergency medicine residents of different degrees in the management of traumatic diseases at six different treatment locations in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a comparative cross-sectional study that evaluates the clinical aptitudes in the management of patients with traumatic injuries by residents specializing in emergency medicine at six different locations in Mexico City. The instrument was based on four clinical areas being validated by a consensus of experts in emergency medicine and educational investigation. A consistency of 0.94 within the pilot test was obtained. A non-parametric statistical analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Included in the study were 141 residents from six locations and three with degrees of the specialty. A minimum scoring of 3 was obtained and a maximum of 119, with 25 possible answers expected by chance. Kruskal-Wallis test did not show significant differences among the six locations. To obtain comparison between levels, in only one location were significant differences found; 61 % of the residents demonstrated low aptitudes, 20.6 % reached intermediate level, 16.3 % showed a very low level, and only 0.7 % demonstrated a high level; no resident reached a very high level. CONCLUSIONS: The educational process in the analyzed locations appears to not promote students generating their own criterion, which negatively affects the solution to routine problems.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical aptitude of family doctors in the management of patients with diabetes type two with initial nephropathy].

The diabetic nephropathy in initial phase requires an opportune identification by family physicians. Indeed, they should be qualified to interpret the data that suggesting that a patient be going through that phase of the illness, in order to orientate the management and processing of the same one, from an integrative perspective. The purpose of this work was to measure the aptitude of the family doctors to interpret, to judge and to propose in front of sick patients with diabetes type two with initial nephropathy. We made this with a representative sample of family physicians in five Family Medicine Units of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The main variable of the study was the clinical aptitude of the doctors: interpretation, judgment and proposals carried out in the practice of their profession; and through an ordinal scale, levels of aptitude' were defined, which related to the remainder of variables using the medium, Kruskal Wallis stadiometer and chi2.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Musical aptitude and adaptive behavior of people with mental retardation.

Musical aptitude was assessed in 16 adults nominated as having special musical interests and/or skills and 16 matched comparison adults. Information pertaining to strengths and weaknesses in adjustment was also obtained. Musical target subjects scored higher on the test of musical aptitude, particularly if they played a musical instrument. Evidence for difficulties in adjustment associated with musical skill or interest was mixed, although, in general, the results suggested no pervasive maladjustment among those with exceptional skill combined with mental retardation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Scholastic aptitude and achievement among children with unilateral brain lesions.

Cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitude and academic achievement were studied for 20 left hemisphere lesioned (LL) and 12 right hemisphere lesioned (RL) children in comparison with matched peers. On the Cognitive clusters, both LL and RL children performed significantly poorer than controls on the reasoning, perceptual speed and memory clusters. For the Scholastic Aptitude clusters, lesioned subjects performed significantly lower than controls on all clusters except for the knowledge cluster. On the Academic Achievement clusters, LL performed significantly poorer on the written language cluster while RL performed lower on the reading, math and written language clusters. Age of lesion onset, site of lesion and IQ differences are discussed in relationship to the ability clusters measured.

Achievement↗
PubMed1992

Results of the ESA study on psychological selection of astronaut applicants for Columbus Missions I: aptitude testing.

European participation in the Space Station Freedom brought about new challenges for the psychological selection of astronaut candidates, particularly in respect to specific demands of long duration space flights. For this reason existing selection criteria and methods were reassessed. On these grounds a study was undertaken applying a unique composition of aptitude tests to a group of 97 ESA scientists and engineers who are highly comparable to the expected astronaut applicants with respect to age and education. The tests assessed operational aptitudes such as logical reasoning, memory function, perception, spatial orientation, attention, psychomotor function, and multiple task capacity. The study goals were: 1) Verification of psychometric qualities and applicability of tests in a normative group; 2) Search for culture-fair tests by which multi-national groups can be examined; 3) Identification of test methods which consider general and special operational demands of long duration space flights. Based on the empirical findings a test battery was arranged for use in the selection of ESA astronaut applicants. Results showed that 16 out of the 18 employed tests have good psychometric qualities and differentiate reliably in the special group of testees. The meta structure of the test battery as described by a factorial analysis is presented. Applicability of tests was generally high. Tests were culture-fair, however, a relation between English language skills and test results was identified. Since most item material was language-free, this was explained with the importance of English language skills for the understanding of test instructions. Solutions to this effect are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

The short form test of academic aptitude (SFTAA) as a determinant of minimal brain dysfunction in children.

The Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude (SFTAA) has been found to yield results comparable to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. With this in mind, it was hypothesized that children with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) would obtain significantly different results on the SFTAA than children without MBD. Two studies (N = 40 and N = 72) using randomly selected MBD and non-MBD third-grade children supported the hypothesis. In Study I, the MBD and non-MBD children were matched on IQ; in Study II, they were not. Study I found that MBD children scored better than non-MBD children on subtest four (memory). Study II illustrated an apparent reversal of this finding and concluded that IQ must be considered in this type of investigation, since it tends to mask aptitude test results.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Use of a medical reasoning aptitude test to help predict performance in medical school.

A medical reasoning aptitude test (MRAT) was designed to assess aptitude for clinical problem-solving in medical school applicants. The purpose of the study reported here was to determine whether the information provided by this test, when used in conjunction with college grade-point averages (GPAs) and scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), would improve the prediction of medical school performance. Specifically, the authors investigated the incremental predictive value of the MRAT relative to students' overall performance in medical school and, more specifically, to their knowledge and clinical reasoning during preclinical years and clinical performance during the clerkship year. Overall, it was found that, with the exception of the first year, the addition of MRAT scores to the GPAs and MCAT scores increased precision in identifying students who performed poorly or exceptionally well in the second year and the clinical clerkship year. This last finding is especially useful, since few other tests have provided that information. On the basis of the preliminary findings, the authors propose further use and validation of the MRAT.

Achievement↗
PubMed1984

Cognitive and motor shifting aptitude disorder in Parkinson's disease.

Eighteen patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and nineteen control subjects, who were matched for age and intelligence, were compared in tests measuring "shifting aptitude" at cognitive and motor levels (word production, sorting blocks or animals, and finger pushing sequences). It was found that Parkinson patients produced fewer different names of animals and professions in one minute than control subjects, needed more trials for detecting a shift in a sorting criterion, and produced fewer finger responses in a change of pushing sequence than control subjects. These results are interpreted as reflecting a central programming deficit that manifests itself in verbal, figural and motor modalities, that is, a diminished "shifting aptitude" characteristic of patients with dysfunctioning basal ganglia. The results are discussed in relation to changes of behaviour organisations in animals with dysfunctioning basal ganglia.

Aged↗