Biomedical subjects

P A Haught

Publications and source records attributed to P A Haught.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1984

Degrees of specificity in task analysis.

The effects of training identical tasks using three different degrees of task-analysis specificity (long, 28 steps; medium, 14 steps; and short, 7 steps) were assessed. Mildly, moderately, and severely mentally retarded vocational rehabilitation clients were taught to assemble three apparatuses (lawn mower engine, electric drill, carburetor) in a counterbalanced design. The short task analysis resulted in most errors in training, but training time did not differ. A Level of Retardation X Treatment interaction indicated that although all subjects made more errors during training with the short task analysis, severely retarded subjects made the most errors in that condition.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Effects of preference, prompt, and task agreement on the discrimination learning of mentally retarded adults.

Twenty-seven mentally retarded employees of a sheltered workshop were trained on five discrimination tasks (wires, hardware, moldings, capacitors, and fasteners) using five combination of preference, prompt, and task agreement: all agree, preference different, prompt different, tasks different, and all different. The data revealed that when the learners were prompted in the dimension of the target discrimination (a) fewer errors were made, (b) training time was reduced, and (c) fewer training trials were required to reach criterion. Preference for a particular dimension (color, shape, or size, as measured by a screening test) did not significantly affect performance on the discrimination tasks. Findings were discussed in terms of the functions of prompts as feedback, reinforcement, and symbolic parts of a compound stimulus.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Perceived ability and level of education as predictors of traditional and practical adult problem solving.

Sixty adults (ages 19 to 80) were divided into three age groups. Each individual completed the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), which assesses an individual's self-perception of problem-solving ability, prior to completing two types of problems, including concept-identification tasks and six everyday, practical problems. When the level of education across the younger, middle-aged, and older adults was controlled, older individuals perceived themselves as better problem solvers, and they were more confident in their problem-solving abilities than the other age groups. Additionally, these older adults with relatively high levels of education took more time to complete the concept-identification tasks but did not make more errors or need more choices to solve these tasks. Similarly, the older participants performed as well as either of the other age groups on the everyday, practical problems.

Adult↗