The analysis of problems and prediction of group problem solving.
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Humans↗
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Results for “Problem Solving”
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Data smoothing regularization, multi-sets-learning, and problem solving strategies.
First, we briefly introduce the basic idea of data smoothing regularization, which was firstly proposed by Xu [Brain-like computing and intelligent information systems (1997) 241] for parameter learning in a way similar to Tikhonov regularization but with an easy solution to the difficulty of determining an appropriate hyper-parameter. Also, the roles of this regularization are demonstrated on Gaussian-mixture via smoothed versions of the EM algorithm, the BYY model selection criterion, adaptive harmony algorithm as well as its related Rival penalized competitive learning. Second, these studies are extended to a mixture of reconstruction errors of Gaussian types, which provides a new probabilistic formulation for the multi-sets learning approach [Proc. IEEE ICNN94 I (1994) 315] that learns multiple objects in typical geometrical structures such as points, lines, hyperplanes, circles, ellipses, and templates of given shapes. Finally, insights are provided on three problem solving strategies, namely the competition-penalty adaptation based learning, the global evidence accumulation based selection, and the guess-test based decision, with a general problem solving paradigm suggested.
Learning↗
The prepared family caregiver: a problem-solving approach to family caregiver education.
Early hospital discharges, greater reliance on outpatient care, and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases has increased the demands on family members who care for patients at home. Family caregivers need information and training to insure that patients' needs are met and that home care is coordinated with that of health professionals. We propose a prescriptive problem-solving model for how care should be managed at home and for the kinds of information and training family caregivers should receive. The Prepared Family Caregiver model, which is summarized in the acronym COPE (Creativity, Optimism, Planning, and Expert information), teaches family caregivers how to develop and carry out orderly plans which address both medical and psychosocial problems and are coordinated with care plans of health professionals. The model is based on extensive research on problem-solving training and therapy. It empowers family members and patients for coping with illness and can help to moderate caregiver stress.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
Impaired problem solving in Parkinson's disease: impact of a set-shifting deficit.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with specific cognitive deficits in the absence of dementia, including the inability to suppress previously learned responses in a changed context. Our goal was to determine whether this set-shifting deficit is sufficient to account for impaired performance on a problem-solving task, or, instead, whether it is necessary to postulate deficits in one or more other cognitive capacities, such as logical deduction. Deductive reasoning and other conceptual abilities were assessed in 15 nondemented subjects with PD who had never been medicated, 15 nondemented subjects with PD who were currently receiving medication, and 15 healthy elderly control subjects. On a deductive reasoning task, Poisoned Food Problems, the PD groups made more errors than the control group. The PD groups' error pattern was characterized by intrusions of information from previous problems. By contrast, the PD groups made appropriate assessments of redundant and irrelevant information that appeared in these problems, and performed normally on other tests of concept formation and problem solving that did not require set shifting, indicating that the capacities for logical deduction and concept formation were intact. The set-shifting deficit, conceptualized as a difficulty in suppressing a prepotent response, appears to be a primary cognitive impairment in PD and presumably arises from dysfunction of the nigrostriatal-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex complex loop.
Aged↗
Diabetes training for dietitians: needs assessment, program description, and effects on knowledge and problem solving.
Recent changes in management and medical nutrition therapy for diabetes mellitus have produced a need to retrain many practicing dietitians. To meet this need, a multidisciplinary group experienced in medical nutrition therapy and educational methods used a formal needs-assessment process to design a new training program. Sugar is Not a Poison (SNAP): The Dietitian's New Role in Diabetes Management is a 2 1/2-day program that uses written text, didactic presentation, and exercises that simulate patient encounters to accomplish 12 learning objectives. Program evaluations show high levels of participant satisfaction. Mean (+/- standard deviation) scores on pre- and postests of knowledge and problem solving were 69 +/- 13% and 86 +/- 9%, respectively (P < 0.01). The SNAP program needs assessment, training methods, and knowledge problem-solving test are relevant to all types of education programs in clinical dietetics.
Diabetes Mellitus↗
A problem-solving format for written examinations in veterinary clinical subjects.
A simple format for a problem-solving written examination for testing students in clinical subjects was devised. A clinical problem was divided into several parts, which were described on separate pieces of paper. Students answered one part at a time, and then proceeded to the next part on which earlier relevant information was retained. The format requires students to recall, collate, analyse, interpret and synthesise information; it has been used successfully for seven years, and has potential as a teaching method.
Education, Veterinary↗
A computer-based, problem-solving system of instruction in clinical pharmacology.
Advances in microcomputer technology provide new ways of incorporating PBL procedures in clinical pharmacology courses. Developments in graphics-user interfaces and analog/digital systems that display physiologic information directly on the monitor enable the computer to serve as a learning resource as laboratory classes did in the past. A model HyperCard-driven program describes four problem-oriented laboratory exercises that require interpretation and analysis of ECGs. The exercises that involve reading ECGs that were obtained before and after the onset of drug-induced changes in conduction and rhythm are designed to reinforce problem-solving skills in basic electrocardiography and give students a better understanding of the electrophysiologic basis for managing cardiac arrhythmias in clinical practice. For evaluating new programs in medical education, Schmidt describes three conditions that facilitate successful learning; (1) opportunity to use previously acquired knowledge in understanding new information, (2) applicability to future practice, and (3) ability to elaborate on the new information by interaction with other students. Advances that incorporate microcomputer technology and problem-solving learning would receive high scores by such criteria and are recommended by those who are developing courses in clinical pharmacology for medical students and others in the allied health sciences.
Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
A problem-solving strategy for teaching biosciences to nursing majors.
The author outlines a problem-solving strategy for teaching human anatomy, physiology, and microbiology to nursing majors. In Spring 2005, students improved their academic performance in comparison to Spring 2003. The author plans to further expand and analyze this teaching approach during the next two semesters.
Biological Science Disciplines↗
Affectivity in the problem-solving interactions of schizophrenia patients and their family members.
This study sought to examine the relationship between symptomatology and the affect expressed between individuals with schizophrenia and their family members. It was hypothesized that, because of their impact on patient social behavior and potential burden on relatives, greater negative symptoms would be associated with less emotional expression in patients but would be related to the greater expression of negative emotions in their relatives within a problem-solving discussion. Informed by research on the structure of emotion, a broad assessment of affect, including Negativity, Positivity, and Disengagement, was utilized to examine affect expressed by patients with schizophrenic disorders (N=91) and their family members during videotaped problem-solving discussions. Although individuals with schizophrenia were comparable to their family members in displays of Negativity, patients displayed less Positivity and greater Disengagement. Greater negative symptoms (in particular blunted or flat affect) were related to a general diminution of affective expression in the schizophrenia group. However, negative symptoms were unrelated to the emotional expression of family members. Other symptoms such as thought disorder and mood symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hostility were not related to displays of affect by either patients or their family members. The findings indicate the importance of examining domains of affect other than negativity and demonstrate that negative symptoms are related to interpersonal displays of affect in schizophrenia. Additionally, these results suggest that schizophrenic symptoms, by themselves, may contribute little to the conflict between patients and their family members.
Adult↗
Practical strategies for leading an effective group. Balancing power, participation, and problem-solving.
How can you more effectively lead your group? In today's world of rapid technological and social change, where Thriving on Chaos is the best-selling management book, group work is not a luxury, but a necessity. Although some employees naturally prefer working alone, we all must function effectively in group settings. To lead a group well, the leader needs to be sensitive to three critical variables: participation, power, and problem-solving. Balancing these processes becomes the key to effective performance. The leader must pay close attention to what is happening within the group and make specific interventions to more effectively distribute the skills and energies of the members. Making every group member a significant contributor takes skill but results in more accurate decisions and greater commitment. The group leader is the facilitator, charged with managing the problem-solving process and leading the group to the most productive, objective outcome. This article supplies many practical, corrective strategies for moving your group in a more positive direction.
Group Processes↗
Coping, problem solving and stress: a framework for intervention strategies.
This article outlines a problem-solving approach to stress and coping. Beginning with a discussion of these concepts a model is then proposed to describe some of the key psychological processes involved when a person appraises and reacts to a potentially stressful situation. These concepts and the model are then used to provide a framework which illustrates the different ways in which interventions might be made by a psychotherapist to help people improve their coping behaviour when confronted with such situations.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
"What" and "how": evidence for the dissociation of object knowledge and mechanical problem-solving skills in the human brain.
Patients with profound semantic deterioration resulting from temporal lobe atrophy have been reported to use many real objects appropriately. Does this preserved ability reflect (i) a separate component of the conceptual knowledge system ("action semantics") or (ii) the operation of a system that is independent of conceptual knowledge of specific objects, and rather is responsible for general mechanical problem-solving skills, triggered by object affordances? We contrast the performance of three patients-two with semantic dementia and focal temporal lobe atrophy and the third with corticobasal degeneration and biparietal atrophy-on tests of real object identification and usage, picture-based tests of functional semantic knowledge, and a task requiring selection and use of novel tools. The patient with corticobasal degeneration showed poor novel tool selection and impaired use of real objects, despite near normal semantic knowledge of the same objects' functions. The patients with semantic dementia had the expected deficit in object identification and functional semantics, but achieved flawless and effortless performance on the novel tool task. Their attempts to use this same mechanical problem-solving ability to deduce (sometimes successfully but often incorrectly) the use of the real objects provide no support for the hypothesis of a separate action-semantic system. Although the temporal lobe system clearly is necessary to identify "what" an object is, we suggest that sensory inputs to a parietal "how" system can trigger the use of objects without reference to object-specific conceptual knowledge.
Aged↗
Social problem solving, social behavior, and children's peer popularity.
This study examined social problem-solving ability and peer social behavior in popular and unpopular 5-6-year-old children. The 4 most popular and 4 least popular individuals in a school class of 26 children were identified. Responses to a series of four social dilemmas were obtained, and the children were videotaped during free class activities. Popular children gave significantly more effective (p < .01) and relationship oriented (p < .05) strategies for resolving social dilemmas than unpopular children, and they were involved in more peer interactions (p < .05), were more positively reinforcing (p < .01), and showed more positive activity when alone (p < .01).
Child↗
Gas chromatography problem solving and troubleshooting: is there a problem with the injector?
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Journal Article↗
Interpersonal problem-solving in young children: a cognitive approach to prevention.
An interpersonal cognitive problem-solving (ICPS) intervention, designed to reduce and prevent impulsive and inhibited behaviors in black low socioeconomic status (SES) 4- and 5-year-olds, was implemented by teachers and evaluated over a 2-year period. In the first year, 113 children were trained and 106 were not. The 131 still-available in kindergarten were divided into four groups: Twice-trained (n = 39); Once-trained, Nursery (n = 30); Once-trained, Kindergarten (n = 35), and Never-trained controls (n = 27). Findings showed that (a) ICPS impact on behavior lasted at least 1 full year, (b) training was as effective in kindergarten as in nursery, and (c) for this age and SES group, 1 year of intervention had the same immediate behavior impact as 2. Further, well-adjusted children trained in nursery were less likely to begin showing behavioral difficulties over the 2-year period than were comparable controls, highlighting implications of the ICPS approach for primary prevention.
Child Behavior Disorders↗
The mediating effects of self-esteem and coronary-prone behavior on problem solving and affect under low and high stress.
Self-esteem and coronary-prone behavior were identified as two personality constructs related to different stress responses. It was hypothesized that in the case of low self-esteem Type A subjects the conflicting stress responses would have a particularly adverse effect on problem-solving behavior, mood, and self-perception. Subjects were 32 Type A and 32 Type B males evenly divided into high and low self-esteem groups. Half of the subjects in each group solved 10 matrix problems under high stress, half under low stress. Compared with high self-esteem Type As, low self-esteem Type As under high stress became more hostile and perceived themselves as more tense and more hurried. They also tended to make more errors. Results are interpreted as implying that low and high self-esteem Type A subjects are not psychologically homogeneous. It is suggested that the two groups may differ substantially in terms of cardiovascular risk.
Adult↗
BRCA1/2 testing in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families: effectiveness of problem-solving training as a counseling intervention.
It remains uncertain whether members of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) families experience psychological distress with genetic testing and whether pre-test counseling can have a moderating effect on client well-being. One purpose of this study was to assess change in psychological well-being from baseline to 6-9 months follow-up and the effect of a problem-solving training (PST) intervention on psychological well-being. Two hundred and twelve members of 13 HBOC families were offered BRCA1/2 testing for a previously identified family mutation. Participants received education and were randomized to one of two counseling interventions; PST or client-centered counseling. Psychological well-being was assessed at baseline and again at 6-9 months following the receipt of test results, or at the equivalent time for those participants who chose not to undergo testing. Well-being was assessed using measures of depressive symptoms (CESD), intrusive thoughts (IES), cancer worries, and self-esteem. Comparisons were made between those who chose testing and those who did not as well as between those who received positive and negative test results. One hundred eighty one participants elected to undergo genetic testing (85%) and 47 of these (26%) were identified as BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Breast and ovarian cancer worries decreased significantly (p = 0.007 and 0.008, respectively) in those who tested negative while there was no appreciable change in psychological well-being from baseline to follow-up in either those who tested positive or in non-testers. Among all participants, particularly testers, those randomized to PST had a greater reduction in depressive symptoms than those randomized to client-centered counseling (p < 0.05 and p = 0.02, respectively). Regardless of the decision to test, individuals with a personal history of cancer (n = 22) were more likely to have an increase in breast cancer worries compared to those who had never been diagnosed with cancer (p < 0.001). Results suggest that a problem-solving counseling intervention may help to enhance psychological well-being following testing and that a personal history of cancer may increase psychological distress associated with genetic testing.
Adult↗
Teaching treatment planning. A problem-solving model.
An effective physical therapist must be able to identify a patient's problems and the cause of the problems and to plan specific treatments with a sound rationale. This article presents a model used as a teaching tool for treatment planning may be used in both academic and clinical settings. Questions that are used in completing the model and examples of the model's application are presented. Teaching the problem-solving model and its use in one physical therapy curriculum are discussed.
Curriculum↗