Biomedical subjects

D G Morrow

Publications and source records attributed to D G Morrow.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Aging, expertise, and narrative processing.

In a study of how aviation expertise influences age differences in narrative processing, young and older pilots and nonpilots read and recalled aviation and general narratives. They chose referents for sentences referring to a protagonist or minor character mentioned 1 sentence (recent character) or 3 sentences (distant character) before this target sentence. All groups chose referents less accurately for sentences about distant and minor characters than about recent and protagonist characters, perhaps because these referents were less likely to be in working memory. Young readers and pilots were more accurate for distant and minor character target sentences in aviation narratives, and recalled aviation narratives more accurately. Expertise did not reduce age differences. Expertise differences may reflect decreased demands on working memory capacity, and age declines may reflect reduced capacity.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Elders' nonadherence: its assessment and medication reminding by voice mail.

This study investigates four questions related to the problem of medication nonadherence among elders. First, does memory failure play a significant role in nonadherence? Second, can memory-related nonadherence be predicted by simple tests of cognitive performance? Third, can the new portable bar code scanner technology be used to unobtrusively monitor nonadherence? Most importantly, can inexpensive telephone voice mail technology be used to improve medication adherence? The results show that: elders have substantial levels of forgetting; nonadherence decreases with higher cognitive test scores; portable bar code scanners are useful for monitoring adherence; and voice mail reduces tardiness and complete forgetting.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

Marijuana carry-over effects on aircraft pilot performance.

This study finds evidence for 24-h carry-over effects of a moderate social dose of marijuana on a piloting task. In separate sessions, nine currently active pilots smoked one cigarette containing 20 mg of delta 9 THC and one Placebo cigarette. Using an aircraft simulator, pilots flew just before smoking, and 0.25, 4, 8, 24, and 48 h after smoking. Marijuana impaired performance at 0.25, 4, 8, and 24 h after smoking. While seven of the nine pilots showed some degree of impairment at 24 h after smoking, only one reported any awareness of the drug's effects. The results support our preliminary study and suggest that very complex human/machine performance can be impaired as long as 24 h after smoking a moderate social dose of marijuana, and that the user may be unaware of the drug's influence.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Mental models in narrative comprehension.

Readers of stories construct mental models of the situation and characters described. They infer causal connections relating characters' actions to their goals. They also focus attention on characters' movements, thereby activating nearby parts of the mental model. This activation is revealed in readers' faster answering of questions about such parts, with less facilitation the greater their distance from the focus. Recently visited as well as imagined locations are also activated for several seconds. These patterns of temporary activation facilitate comprehension.

Cognition↗

PubMed1990

Memory skills elders want to improve.

While many research studies have investigated memory training for elders, none have asked which specific memory skills elders would like to improve. This study investigates two related questions. First, which memory skills elders would like to improve? Second, is there a common set of these memory skills? Elders completed a three-part questionnaire. First, it asked for subject demographics. Second, it asked for the first, second, third, and then all other memory skills they would most like to improve. Finally, it asked elders to rate the importance of 10 specific memory skills. The results indicate that elders share a common set of memory skills they wish to improve. They are: (a) people's names, (b) important dates, (c) location of household objects, (d) recent and past events, (e) meetings and appointments, (f) information and facts, (g) general improvement, and (h) medication. One conclusion from these findings is that at least some memory training research should focus on these specific memory skills.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Increasing influenza vaccination adherence through voice mail.

The number of influenza and influenza-related deaths is alarmingly high, yet mean vaccination adherence rates among the high-risk elderly population remain at only 20%. The present study investigates the use of an inexpensive voice-mail system, TeleMinder, as a method of increasing influenza vaccination adherence among a subpopulation of elders identified as low adherers. The first group of older people received no intervention. Group 2 received a voice-mail message informing them of the cost, time, date, and location of an influenza vaccination clinic. Group 3 was exposed to posted and verbal announcements alone. Group 4 both received voice mail and was exposed to posted and verbal announcements. Vaccination adherence levels for groups 1 through 4 were 1.5%, 11.8%, 7.4%, and 37.5%, respectively. Voice mail significantly increased vaccination adherence either alone or in combination with posted and verbal announcements. These findings suggest that voice mail provides an inexpensive means of increasing influenza vaccination rates.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Marijuana, aging, and task difficulty effects on pilot performance.

This study provides evidence that diverse factors can cumulatively contribute to human/machine performance decrements. In separate sessions, young and old pilots smoked one of three cigarettes containing either 0 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg of the active ingredient, delta 9 THC. They flew a calm and a turbulent flight in a light aircraft simulator at 1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hour (h) delay after smoking. Effects were found at 1 and 4 h after smoking in the turbulent flight conditions when 20 mg cigarettes were smoked. Drug dose level, age, weather conditions (i.e., task difficulty), and delay period all affected pilot performance. Most important, these variables produced cumulative performance decrements.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Elders' nonadherence, its assessment, and computer assisted instruction for medication recall training.

This study investigates three questions related to the problem of medication nonadherence among elders. First, does recall failure play a significant role in nonadherence? Recent research suggests that it may not. Second, can the new portable bar code scanner technology be used to study nonadherence? Other forms of monitoring are obtrusive or inaccurate. Finally, can inexpensive computer assisted instructions (CAI) be used to teach mnemonic techniques specifically designed to improve medication schedule recall? Current research on memory training teaches nonspecific mnemonics and uses the expensive classroom approach. Results of the present study suggest that physically active and cognitively alert elders do have significant nonadherence (control group = 32.0%) problems related to forgetting and that CAI courseware can significantly reduce (medication recall training group = 10.0%) this form of nonadherence. Portable bar code technology proved easy to use by elderly patients and provided detailed information about the type of forgetting underlying nonadherence. Most significant recall failure was in the complete forgetting to take medication rather than delays in medicating or overmedicating.

Aged↗

PubMed1976

Diminished virucidal activity of kethoxal against vesicular stomatitis virus pretreated with guanidinating reagent and proteases.

The reactivity of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) with kethoxal can be appreciably altered by treatment with 1-guanyl-3, 5-dimethyl pyrazole nitrate (GDMP) and proteolytic enzymes. Pretreatment of purified VSV with GDMP or proteolytic enzymes markedly reduced the effectiveness of kethoxal as a virucide. The rate of neutralizability of GDMP- and trypsin-treated viruses by specific antiserum differed from that of controls.

Aldehydes↗