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Biomedical subjects

H S Caron

Publications and source records attributed to H S Caron.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1985

Compliance: the case for objective measurement.

This paper evaluates the current status and importance of methods for measuring patients' compliance with medical regimens. Studies are cited on the inaccuracy of subjective measures (patients' statements) and one study, presented in detail, demonstrates that the magnitude of error can be large. However, research has generally failed to use or develop valid quantitative measures of compliance. One review finds only 31% of compliance studies using objective measures prior to 1978; 50 more recent studies were only slightly better. Although it appears that inaccurate measurement of compliance may jeopardize research and clinical practice, major reviewers of the compliance literature have not provided clear guidelines. Investigators should develop methods appropriate to their own research question before commencing a project, or else should restrict themselves to measurable compliance variables, e.g. attendance. Improved measurement may come from blood tests, from medication monitoring (counting) and perhaps ultimately from research to enhance the validity of interview procedures.

Humans↗
PubMed1984

Left-handers and right-handers compared on performance and preference measures of lateral dominance.

Ninety-three right-handed and 53 left-handed adults were compared on a range of performance and preference measures of handedness and footedness. Performance measures included tests of accuracy, speed, and strength. Non-parametric statistical procedures were used to determine whether left-handers (LHs) were less lateralized than right-handers (RHs), and whether distributions for LHs were the mirror images of those for RHs. On performance measures, the distributions for LHs and RHs were generally normal and similar in central tendency, shape, and range. However, on preference measures, distributions were J-shaped, and LHs were significantly less lateralized and more widely dispersed than RHs. Correlations among performance measures were generally low for all subjects. Sex and familial left-handedness did not significantly moderate the responses of these right- and left-handers on performance or preference measures of lateral dominance.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The Target Test: a brief laterality measure of speed and accuracy.

This paper describes a performance measure of lateral dominance, the Target Tests, which provides separate assessments of manual speed and accuracy within a relatively simple paper-and-pencil format. The Target Tests were administered to 111 normal adults, and scores were examined with respect to handedness, familial left-handedness, and sex. The tests significantly differentiated between right- and left-handers. Target scores were substantially correlated with the Harris Tests of Lateral Dominance, suggesting adequate reliability and validity. The means, standard deviations, and ranges for the preferred and nonpreferred hands for both handedness groups were nearly identical. The Target Tests provide a convenient instrument for assessing motoric lateralization of speed and accuracy in clinical and research settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Asymmetry of facial expression related to handedness, footedness, and eyedness: a quantitative study.

This study investigates the relationship between traditional measures of lateral dominance and facial asymmetry or facedness, i.e., the relative intensity of expression "and muscular involvement" on the two sides of the face. Subjects were 19 left-handed and 29 right-handed normal adults coached to produce eight facial expressions of emotion and one expression involving unilateral facial movement. Videotapes of each subject were reliably rated for facedness. A lateral dominance battery yielded preference scores for hand, foot, and eye, and performance scores for accuracy, speed, and strength. Facedness and lateral dominance scores were intercorrelated. For all subjects, facedness for the eight emotional expressions was positively related to eyedness, but unrelated to handedness or footedness. Facial asymmetry during emotional expression was more intense on the left side of the lower face and may be a right hemisphere function, regardless of handedness. The one expression requiring deliberate unilateral facial movement was significantly and inversely related to handedness and footedness.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

An evaluation of a program for teaching clinic patients the rationale of their peptic ulcer regimen.

This study examined the effectiveness of a program for teaching complex medical concepts, the rationale of antacid therapy, to clinic patients with peptic ulcer. Those who already knew the rationale were excluded, and the remaining patients were divided into three groups: I. taught the rationale, II. taught other materials, III. untaught control. Teaching proved effective when: (1) basic concepts were identified and taught, (2) important misconceptions were eliminated, and (3) patient's attention was maintained and their progress monitored with the Socratic method. The key facts were acquired by 85 per cent of the patients within four sessions. However, application of the learned concepts in solving new problems varied with the intelligence of the patient. Certain misconceptions could not be eliminated by the teaching.

Achievement↗