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PubMed1998

1997 C. H. McCloy Research Lecture: Knowledge is more than we can talk about: implicit learning in motor skill acquisition.

This article discusses the acquisition of knowledge about environmental regulatory features that guide the selection and execution of movements involved in performing open motor skills. First, empirical evidence related to the visual search characteristics of skilled and novice performers is considered to demonstrate that learning environmental regulatory features is an important part of performing an open motor skill. Then, the hypothesis is proposed and discussed that environmental regulatory features can, and probably should, be learned implicitly, which means the features can be learned and used, even though the learner is not consciously aware of the specific characteristics of those features. This article also discusses laboratory-based experiments that provide evidence supporting this hypothesis and presents implications for developing instructional strategies and practice conditions.

Humans↗
PubMed1984

Global and local control of choice behavior by cyclically varying outcome probabilities.

Subjects asked to simulate decision makers in a competitive bidding situation chose repeatedly between two alternatives; reward probability varied according to a sine wave function of time for one alternative but was held constant over time for the other. Learning functions for choice probability exhibited the wavelike pattern predicted by a statistical learning model. However, on later transfer trials, when success probability was independent of subjects' choices, their choice behavior continued to follow a wavelike function rather than approaching the constant .5 level predicted by the learning model. A possible basis in memory for the transfer performance was revealed in subjects' sketches of the remembered pattern of variation in reward probabilities. It is concluded that choice performance is controlled by a mixture of local feedback, in a manner described by the learning model, and more global information encoded in an abstract memory representation, with the balance of the influence shifting toward the latter when local feedback becomes uninformative.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Impact of mass chemotherapy on the morbidity due to soil-transmitted nematodes.

This review summarises current knowledge of the ill-effects of soil-transmitted helminthiasis and takes a detailed look at studies that have been published over the past decade describing the effect of mass anthelminthic use on the health of endemic communities. Mass chemotherapy appears to give maximal returns in terms of improved health in areas where hookworm is a major problem and albendazole is used regularly, along with iron supplements; in children it improves physical growth and iron stores, and in pregnant women it reduces the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia. In areas where ascariasis is common, the directly attributable benefits of chemotherapy may be minimal, but it can facilitate the entry of other health care programmes in children, because deworming for ascariasis is often much desired and appreciated by the community. In areas with Vitamin A deficiency and endemic ascariasis, Vitamin A supplementation can be combined with deworming: anthelminthics do not impair Vitamin A absorption but the worms may interfere with Vitamin A uptake by reducing fat absorption. Where trichuriasis is a major problem, single dose chemotherapy may take some time to reduce prevalence, but reduction of heavy infections will reduce the incidence of Trichuris Dysentery Syndrome, probably benefit the learning abilities of affected schoolchildren, and may reduce anaemia and stunting. In general, children should be treated as early as possible, and in areas of very high prevalence, thrice-yearly mass chemotherapy probably improves health better than twice-yearly treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Visual discrimination learning under switching procedure in visually deprived cats.

Previous studies have shown that fine visual discrimination learning is severely impaired in cats binocularly deprived in the early period of life (BD cats) and also somewhat in control cats reared with open eyes in the limited laboratory environment (C cats) compared with cats reared in a normal rural environment (N cats). It was concluded that visual deprivation impairs perceptual learning. In the present study discriminative stimuli were dissimilar and so the task was perceptually easy, but using a switching procedure made it associatively difficult. In regular trials a gate with a grating pattern was positive and a blank gate negative, whereas in switching trials the meaning of the gates was reversed. The switching stimulus was intermittent light in some stages of training and intermittent tone in others. Learning was severely impaired in BD cats and somewhat in C cats and the deficit was similar under visual and auditory switching. Thus, early visual deprivation impairs associative learning. The impairment probably includes associations between switching stimulus and instrumental responses and configural associations between switching stimulus and discriminative stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Linear function neurons: structure and training.

Three different representations for a thresholded linear equation are developed. For binary input they are shown to be representationally equivalent though their training characteristics differ. A training algorithm for linear equations is discussed. The similarities between its simplest mathematical representation (perceptron training), a formal model of animal learning (Rescorla-Wagner learning), and one mechanism of neural learning (Aplysia gill withdrawal) are pointed out. For d input features, perceptron training is shown to have a lower bound of 2d and an upper bound of dd adjusts. It is possible that the true upper bound is 4d, though this has not been proved. Average performance is shown to have a lower bound of 1.4d. Learning time is shown to increase linearly with the number of irrelevant or replicated features. The (X of N) function (a subset of linearly separable functions containing OR and AND) is shown to be learnable in d3 time. A method of utilizing conditional probability to accelerate learning is proposed. This reduces the observed growth rate from 4d to the theoretical minimum (for unmodified version) of 2d. A different version reduces the growth rate to about 1.7d. The linear effect of irrelevant features can also be eliminated. Whether such an approach can be made probably convergent is not known.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Context-specific Bayesian clustering for gene expression data.

The recent growth in genomic data and measurements of genome-wide expression patterns allows us to apply computational tools to examine gene regulation by transcription factors. In this work, we present a class of mathematical models that help in understanding the connections between transcription factors and functional classes of genes based on genetic and genomic data. Such a model represents the joint distribution of transcription factor binding sites and of expression levels of a gene in a unified probabilistic model. Learning a combined probability model of binding sites and expression patterns enables us to improve the clustering of the genes based on the discovery of putative binding sites and to detect which binding sites and experiments best characterize a cluster. To learn such models from data, we introduce a new search method that rapidly learns a model according to a Bayesian score. We evaluate our method on synthetic data as well as on real life data and analyze the biological insights it provides. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the method to other data analysis problems in gene expression data.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed1959

Serial errors in human learning: a test of the McCrary-Hunter hypothesis.

An experiment was conducted on 120 human subjects to test the hypothesis that the probability distribution of serial errors is an invariant property of rote memorization. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relative difficulty function was significantly affected by ability to learn. There was a systematic tendency (p < .05) for fast learners to commit proportionately more errors in the middle of the sequence.

Humans↗
PubMed2004

Universal Grammar, statistics or both?

Recent demonstrations of statistical learning in infants have reinvigorated the innateness versus learning debate in language acquisition. This article addresses these issues from both computational and developmental perspectives. First, I argue that statistical learning using transitional probabilities cannot reliably segment words when scaled to a realistic setting (e.g. child-directed English). To be successful, it must be constrained by knowledge of phonological structure. Then, turning to the bona fide theory of innateness--the Principles and Parameters framework--I argue that a full explanation of children's grammar development must abandon the domain-specific learning model of triggering, in favor of probabilistic learning mechanisms that might be domain-general but nevertheless operate in the domain-specific space of syntactic parameters.

Child↗
PubMed1981

The effects of colchicine and vinblastine on memory in chicks.

Colchicine, injected bilaterally into the forebrain of day-old chicks at times before and after one-trial avoidance learning, produced transient amnesia for one to three hours after learning, that could not be accounted for as a perceptual or attentional defect. The amnesia was dose dependent and was produced only when injections occurred within a limited period before and after learning. No amnesia occurred when injections were given 120 min before or 60 min later than the learning trial, nor at times prior to the retrieval test. During the amnesic period, new learning could occur and be retrieved 15 min later. The amnesia could be overcome by retention-testing or by a new, related, learning experience before or up to 30 min after onset of amnesia. Control birds injected with saline or lumicolchicine, a biologically inactive derivative of colchicine, showed normal retention. Vinblastine sulphate, which also interrupts microtubular networks and hence axonal flow, had no amnesic properties. Colchicine injections had no effect on the levels of acetylcholinesterase, choline acetyltransferase, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the whole forebrain or in forebrain synaptosomes during the amnesic period. Nor did colchicine injections affect amino acid uptake and protein or glycoprotein synthesis before or during the amnesic period, although there was 10-20% inhibition of protein synthesis 5 h after injection. Thus over the amnesic period, there was no evidence of gross perturbation of brain function. Electron microscopy showed microtubules intact within 1 mm of the injection site 2.5 after injection. Oedema was found at this time in chicks injected with a high dose (100 micrograms) shown to disturb behaviour grossly, but not with a low dose (5 micrograms) which caused amnesia. Transient amnesia for one-trial avoidance learning is most probably caused by secondary effects of colchicine on nerve cell function. We suggest that the amnesic episode represents destruction of one of the stages of a multiple independent parallel process of memory consolidation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Testing memory for self-generated items in dementia: method makes a difference.

OBJECTIVE: To learn how pAD (probable Alzheimer's disease), PD+ ("Parkinson's Plus" syndrome), and control subjects remember internally generated material under different conditions. BACKGROUND: "Self-discovered," or internally generated knowledge, prized by educators and therapists, can bring about considerable behavioral change. Both parietal-temporal-limbic (pAD) and frontal-subcortical dementia (e.g. PD+) cause dysmemory, but may cause different internal-external memory bias. pAD subjects, confusing internal and external information (confabulation) and reporting internal information during memory testing (intrusions), may be biased to remember internal material. PD+ subjects, impaired at generative tests, may be externally biased. METHODS: Ten pAD, 5 PD+, and 10 control subjects generated words in a category without instruction to remember (INR), and took a list-learning test of incidental memory for internally and externally generated words. To test how INR influences memory, subjects then generated and attempted to recall four more words. RESULTS: All three subject groups remembered more internally generated than externally provided words without INR. Recall versus recognition of internally generated words differed by group, with PD+ subjects showing greatest improvement with recognition. The pAD subjects performed worse with INR than without INR, had the most intrusion errors, and, rather than demonstrating a release from proactive inhibition, recalled fewer words outside the category. Groups differed in overall recall/recognition improvement (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Aged subjects preferentially retained internally generated material. However, among demented subjects, memory for internally generated words was influenced by the testing method used. PD+ subjects have poor internal recall, but excellent internal recognition. In pAD, memory for internally generated words may exceed external memory, but only when subjects are not explicitly trying to remember.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Identifying offline muscle strength profiles sufficient for short-duration FES-LCE exercise: a PAC learning model approach.

UNLABELLED: Functional electrical stimulation-induced leg cycle ergometry (FES-LCE) provides therapeutic exercise for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, there exists no systematic approach to predict whether an individual has sufficient thigh muscle strength necessary for FES-LCE exercise. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) learning model as a predictor of thigh muscle strengths sufficient for short-duration FES-LCE exercise and compare the model's performance with other well-known statistical methods. METHODS: Six healthy male individuals with SCI, having age (32.0 +/- 12.5 years), height (1.8 +/- 0.04 m), and weight (79.12 +/- 10.76 kg), participated in static and dynamic experiments. During static experiments, absolute crank torque measurements were used to estimate thigh muscle strengths in response to maximum FES intensities of 70 mA, 105 mA, and 140 mA at fixed crank positions on an FES-LCE. During dynamic experiments, changes in power output measurements were used to classify rider performance as 'Fatigue' or 'No Fatigue' during short-duration FES-LCE at maximum stimulation intensities of 70 mA, 105 mA, and 140 mA and flywheel resistance levels of 0/8th, 1/8th, and 2/8th kilopounds. A Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) learning model was developed to classify static offline muscle strength observations with online rider performances. PAC's discriminatory power was compared with logistic regression (LR), Fisher's linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and an artificial neural network (ANN) model. RESULTS: PAC and ANN learning models correctly identified 100% of the training examples. PAC's average performance on the validation set was 93.1%. The ANN and LR performed comparable with 92.8% and 93.1% accuracy, respectively. The LDA method faired well on the validation set at 89.9%. CONCLUSIONS: PAC performed well in identifying muscle strengths associated with the online performance criterion. Although PAC did not perform best during cross-validation, this model has many advantages over the other methods. PAC can adapt to changes in classification schemes and is more amenable to theoretical analyses than the other methods. PAC learning has an intuitive design and may be a practical choice for classifying muscle strength profiles with well-defined performance criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Buspirone impairment of performance of passive avoidance and spatial learning tasks in the rat.

The effects of buspirone on the execution of step-through passive avoidance and spatial navigation learning tasks were assessed. In view of the anxiolytic properties of the drug, its effects on shock induced ultrasonic vocalizations and shock suppressed locomotor activity in a hole-board were also determined. Doses (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg, IP) which did not affect exploratory activity in a novel environment (light/dark box and hole-board apparatus) were used. Buspirone (1 and 2 mg/kg) impaired performance on the 24 h passive avoidance recall test when given prior to the training and the test sessions or prior to the test session only but not when given before the training trial only. The stress response to the mild footshock, as measured in terms of suppressed locomotor activity in the hole-board apparatus and post-shock ultrasonic vocalizations, was reduced by buspirone (at 1 and 2 mg/kg, respectively), indicating that its effect on behavior in the passive avoidance learning task is probably due to its anxiolytic properties. Evidence for a possible amnesic effect of buspirone (2 mg/kg) was found on the acquisition and probe test trials in the spatial navigation task. During training the latency to find a submerged escape platform in a water maze was increased. Performance on a probe test was also impaired but this effect was not apparent in animals which had received buspirone only prior to the probe test. Although these changes may be attributable to alterations in many aspects of cognitive processing, the possibility of a direct effect on memory warrants further investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1961

Repetition and paired associates learning.

Recent experiments have suggested that paired-associate items which are practiced and missed are equivalent to new items on future trials, supporting an all-or-none interpretation of the formation of associative bonds. Experiments reported here show that if correct items are discarded after each trial the probability of getting a missed item correct on the next trial is higher than the probability of getting a new item correct.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

Is cured early cancer truly cancer?

Is cured early cancer truly cancer? is a question that characterizes th dilemma created by pathologists who diagnose cancer while it is still microscopic. This question may be asked by those who hold the diagnosis of cancer valid if the individual patient succumbs, and may even accept a reduction in the mortality rate as a result of therapy; but the ultimate obviation of all deaths by therapeutic interdiction impugns the diagnosis. Both experimental and clinical data can help to explicate the rationale for the answer to the question. In experimental systems of neoplastically transformed cells, fully committed cancer cells are readily characterized biochemically, physiologically, and morphologically; and these cellular observations are the foundation for our understanding of the biology of cancer. We know that biologic neoplastic transformation can precede morphologic evidence of the change and that morphologic evidence of transformation does not always forbode inevitable lethal progression. Human in situ and minimal carcinoma are the earliest microscopic evidences of highly curable cancer. The spectrum considered also includes clinically indolent cancers which may be locally invasive but ordinarily have a low lethal potential, and those hopelessly disseminated cancers which spontaneously regress. Should these latter not be considered real cancers because they did not kill? The relative risk for fatal termination generally increases as the cancer becomes more clinically obvious. Although the minute microscopic cancers have a lethal potential, there is much still to be learned about the probability of their progression. The pathologist and therapist must ascertain and integrate all available data and make their best estimate of the clinical significance of the microscopic findings, giving due consideration to whether therapy is indicated, the extent of therapy required, the potential for physical and psychological disability, and cost. This information should be presented to and discussed with the patient, who must then decide, with the physician(s), what is best in these particular circumstances.

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic↗
PubMed2006

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis: parents' preferences regarding counseling at the time of infants' sweat test.

Newborn screening (NBS) protocols for cystic fibrosis (CF) are the first regional population-based programs to incorporate DNA analysis into their procedures. Research about these programs can inform policy and practice regarding how best to counsel families with abnormal NBS results. The grounded theory method guided interviews with 33 families whose infants had abnormal CF NBS results. A dimensional analysis of these interviews provided a theoretical framework describing parents' preferences regarding counseling during their infant's sweat test appointment. This framework describes the contexts and characteristics of the two main dimensions of parents' preferences: factual information and emotional support. Factual information included learning about the probability of a CF diagnosis, CF disease facts, sweat test procedure, and CF genetics. Social support consisted of offering parents a choice about the timing and amount of CF information, showing empathy for their distress, instilling hope, personalizing counseling, and providing hospitality. This framework also explains the consequences of counseling that matched versus mismatched parental preferences in these domains. Counseling that matched parents preferences reduced parents' distress while mismatched counseling tended to increase parents' worry about their infant.

Adaptation, Psychological↗