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PubMedDate not supplied

Performance on the Hooper Visual Organizational Test in patients diagnosed with subcortical vascular dementia: relation to naming performance.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the performance of individuals with vascular dementia (VaD) on the Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT) and to determine the influence of naming on HVOT performance in this population. BACKGROUND: The HVOT is commonly administered to assess visuospatial perception among neurologic patients, but the test requires verbal identification of stimuli as well as spatial ability. Previous studies have examined the influence of naming on the HVOT, but the issue has not been systematically addressed in individuals with subcortical VaD. METHOD: Individuals with a diagnosis of VaD were administered the HVOT, three additional measures of visuospatial function (Block Design and Picture Completion subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test copy trial), and the Boston Naming Test (BNT). RESULTS: On average, the VaD patients performed poorly compared with normative data on each of the cognitive measures, with the most pronounced deficit evident on the BNT. Regression analyses revealed that more than 60% of the variance in performance on the HVOT was accounted for by performance on the Block Design subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised; performance on the BNT did not contribute significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that VaD patients perform below expectations on the HVOT and that the measure is robust to naming deficits in this population.

Brain↗

PubMed1996

Performance traits, hoof mineral composition, and hoof characteristics of bulls in a 112-day postweaning feedlot performance test.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate relations between hoof and performance data from bulls fed in a 112-day standardized postweaning feedlot performance test. ANIMALS AND DESIGN: Breeds included were Angus (n = 20), Brangus (n = 19), Hereford (n = 31), and Simmental (n = 53). Hoof measurements, scores, and a 0.5-g hoof tissue sample were obtained from the right forefoot of bulls on days 1 and 112 of 4 tests conducted in 3 locations in Arkansas. Data were analyzed, using least squares ANOVA. The model used included an overall mean, breed, farm of origin within breed, initial age, and initial weight within breed and residual. Residual and canonical correlations of the traits studied were calculated. RESULTS: Residual correlations were found between some hoof minerals. Canonical correlations between performance traits and hoof minerals, between hoof characteristics and hoof minerals, and between hoof characteristics and performance traits were 0.62 and 0.45 (P < 0.005), 0.54 and 0.40 (P < 0.05), and 0.56 (P < 0.01) and 0.26 (P > 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a relation exists between performance traits and hoof mineral composition and hoof characteristics and mineral composition. The visual scoring system for these data did not genetically separate bulls on the basis of claw quality. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: By selecting bulls with high claw quality, cattle producers are decreasing the chances of premature culling because of hoof laminitis. Therefore, by obtaining hoof measurements and mineral composition in a feedlot performance test, producers should have the tools to select bulls for increased lifetime performance.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

The use of performance indicators in performance analysis.

The aims of this paper are to examine the application of performance indicators in different sports and, using the different structural definitions of games, to make general recommendations about the use and application of these indicators. Formal games are classified into three categories: net and wall games, invasion games, and striking and fielding games. The different types of sports are also sub-categorized by the rules of scoring and ending the respective matches. These classes are analysed further, to enable definition of useful performance indicators and to examine similarities and differences in the analysis of the different categories of game. The indices of performance are sub-categorized into general match indicators, tactical indicators, technical indicators and biomechanical indicators. Different research examples and the accuracy of their presentation are discussed. We conclude that, to enable a full and objective interpretation of the data from the analysis of a performance, comparisons of data are vital. In addition, any analysis of the distribution of actions across the playing surface should also be presented normalized, or non-dimensionalized, to the total distribution of actions across the area. Other normalizations of performance indicators should also be used more widely in conjunction with the accepted forms of data analysis. Finally, we recommend that biomechanists should pay more attention to games to enrich the analysis of performance in these sports.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed2002

The effects of age and sex on mental rotation performance, verbal performance, and brain electrical activity.

This study examined the effects of age and sex on mental rotation performance, verbal performance, and brain-wave activity. Thirty-two 8-year-olds (16 boys) and 32 college students (16 men) had EEG recorded at baseline and while performing four computerized tasks: a two-dimensional (2D) gingerbread man mental rotation, a 2D alphanumeric mental rotation, of three-dimensional (3D) basketball player mental rotation, and lexical decision making. Additionally, participants completed a paper- and pencil water level task and an oral verbal fluency task. On the 2D alphanumeric and 3D basketball player mental rotation tasks, men performed better than boys, but the performance of women and girls did not differ. On the water level task, men performed better than women whereas there was no difference between boys and girls. No sex differences were found on the 2D gingerbread man mental rotation, lexical decision-making, and verbal fluency tasks. EEG analyses indicated that men exhibited left posterior temporal activation during the 2D alphanumeric task and that men and boys both exhibited greater left parietal activation than women and girls during the 2D gingerbread man task. On the 3D basketball player mental rotation task, all participants exhibited greater activation of the right parietal area than the left parietal area. These data give insight into the brain activity and cognitive development changes that occur between childhood and adulthood.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Performance norms for a rhesus monkey neuropsychological testing battery: acquisition and long-term performance.

A computerized behavioral battery based upon human neuropsychological tests (CANTAB, CeNeS, Cambridge, UK) has been developed to assess cognitive behaviors of rhesus monkeys. Monkeys reliably performed multiple tasks, providing long-term assessment of changes in a number of behaviors for a given animal. The overall goal of the test battery is to characterize changes in cognitive behaviors following central nervous system (CNS) manipulations. The battery addresses memory (delayed non-matching to sample, DNMS; spatial working memory, using a self-ordered spatial search task, SOSS), attention (intra-/extra-dimensional shift, ID/ED), motivation (progressive-ratio, PR), reaction time (RT) and motor coordination (bimanual task). As with human neuropsychological batteries, different tasks are thought to involve different neural substrates, and therefore performance profiles should assess function in particular brain regions. Monkeys were tested in transport cages, and responding on a touch sensitive computer monitor was maintained by food reinforcement. Parametric manipulations of several tasks demonstrated the sensitivity of performance to increases in task difficulty. Furthermore, the factors influencing difficulty for rhesus monkeys were the same as those shown to affect human performance. Data from this study represent performance of a population of healthy normal monkeys that will be used for comparison in subsequent studies of performance following CNS manipulations such as infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (NeuroAIDS) or drug administration.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2000

Performance appraisal process and system facets: relationship with contextual performance.

Because appraisal-related interactions between supervisors and employees may influence more than task performance, the authors considered the potential effects of social and interpersonal processes in performance appraisal on contextual performance. They hypothesized that performance appraisal process and system facets were associated with employees' contextual performance as well as with their perceptions of appraisal accuracy. After controlling relevant variables, they found that appraisal process facets explained variance in contextual performance and perceived accuracy beyond that accounted for by the system facets. However, when the order of entry for the process and system variable sets was reversed, only for perceived appraisal accuracy, as hypothesized, did the system facets account for variance beyond that explained by the appraisal process facets.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

In fencing, does intensive practice equally improve the speed performance of the touche when it is performed alone and in combination with the lunge?

Global movements are generally composed of several simple movements. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the effects of practice on the performance of a simple movement cannot be highlighted when it is performed alone but only when it is part of a global movement. For this purpose we examined the performance of the touche movement in fencing, in terms of maximal speed of the foil, when it is performed alone and in combination with the lunge. The touche can be assimilated to a pointing task towards a target while the lunge can be assimilated to a forward stepping movement. Four international class fencers and five novices were tested. The results show that 1) the performance in the isolated touche condition was comparable between the two test populations, 2) the performance was higher in the expert population compared to the novice population in the sequential touche + lunge condition, and 3) the velocity of the centre of mass at the time of the peak velocity of the touche was higher in the expert population than in the novice population in the sequential touche + lunge condition. In line with Bernstein's concepts on the effects of practice on motor control it is suggested that the experts exploit to advantage the forces developed during the lunge whereas the novices do not.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

The relation between psychometric test performance and physical performance in older adults.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between cognitive function and physical disability in nondemented older adults is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between performance on psychometric measures and a modified Physical Performance Test (modified PPT) in older men and women. METHODS: One hundred twenty-five men and women aged 75 years and older, who were enrolled in randomized, controlled trials of exercise or hormone replacement therapy, were recruited from the community-at-large and from congregate living sites. Measures obtained included Trailmaking A and B tests, Cancellation Random Figure tests, Weschler Associate Learning and 20-minute Delayed Recall, Verbal Fluency test, a modified PPT, and self-reports about performance of activities of daily living, medication use, and hospitalization in the previous year. RESULTS: Simple regression analysis demonstrated that speed of performance on the Trailmaking B and Cancellation Random Figure tests was significantly associated with total modified PPT score (r = .29, p < .001 and r = .36,p < .001, respectively). A factor analysis of the psychometric test battery demonstrated that two factors, a cognitive speed factor and a memory factor, accounted for 55% of the variance in cognitive test performance. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that age, number of medications, and the cognitive speed factor were independent predictors of total modified PPT score. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive processing speed is a significant component of physical frailty in this population, although it accounts for a small percentage of variance on a standardized physical performance test.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Worker performance and ventilation in a call center: analyses of work performance data for registered nurses.

UNLABELLED: We investigated the relationship between ventilation rates and individual work performance in a call center, and controlled for other factors of the indoor environment. We randomized the position of the outdoor air control dampers, and measured ventilation rate, differential (indoor minus outdoor) carbon dioxide (DeltaCO(2)) concentration, supply air velocity, temperature, humidity, occupant density, degree of under-staffing, shift length, time of day, and time required to complete two different work performance tasks (talking with clients and post-talk wrap-up to process information). DeltaCO(2) concentrations ranged from 13 to 611 p.p.m. We used multivariable regression to model the association between the predictors and the responses. We found that agents performed talk tasks fastest when the ventilation rate was highest, but that the relationship between talk performance and ventilation was not strong or monotonic. We did not find a statistically significant association between wrap-up performance and ventilation rate. Agents were slower at the wrap-up task when the temperature was high (> 25.4 degrees C). Agents were slower at wrap-up during long shifts and when the call center was under-staffed. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The productivity benefits of ventilation rates that exceed common standards such as ASHRAE Standard 62 may be small (0-2%), and other factors may have a larger impact on productivity. Understaffing and long shifts should be avoided because both showed a negative impact on performance. In this study, high temperature had the largest statistically significant impact on productivity and was caused by occupants fighting over the thermostat setpoint. Care should be taken to avoid high temperatures in call centers. If occupants are allowed to adjust temperature setpoints, then the size and/or duration of the setpoint change should be restricted.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

TOPS: the Optimum Performance Scale approach to improving nursing home performance.

Although nursing homes, a major and expensive institution in American life, are dedicated to caring for our elders when they need nursing care, they largely fail in that mission. Instead, nursing homes are widely feared as the place where elders go to die, neglected. Staffing is chronically short, as staff do not see nursing homes as preferred places to work. Society's efforts to cure this situation have generally failed, in that we all paid for decades of foundation support, academic research, expert consultants, and government financial support and regulation in an effort to improve nursing homes, without getting significant results. Nursing homes taken as a whole have proven strongly resistant to even incremental improvements, let alone wholesale change, and as a result the failure persists. Most nursing homes are blind to the possibility of success. The issue and problem highlighted by these general failures of outside pressure to bring improvement, coupled with general blindness to potential success is: How can we get the nursing home industry to improve itself. The response outlined in this article is TOPS, The Optimum Performance System. TOPS works by delivering to participating managers (and their staff and board) a personal computer application (the TOPS Tool) that compares the performance of the participant to its peers, including descriptions of what all participants have done to produce their performance. The comparison is holistic, measuring all the main components of performance (quality of living medical health, and cost) and all the sources of performance (management and operations, facilities, and community relations). The instinctual competitive needs of each manager will urge them to use this knowledge to improve their own performance.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

The hand performance test with a modified time limit instruction enables the examination of hand performance asymmetries in adults.

Asymmetry of hand performance was investigated with the paper-and-pencil test of hand dominance originally developed by Steingruber in 1971. This test, originally constructed to measure asymmetry of hand performance in children, gave appropriate scores on asymmetry of hand performance in adults if a shorter time limit than originally proposed was applied. Asymmetry of hand performance in adults as measured with the new instruction showed reliable asymmetries in performance which are similar to those obtained on different widely accepted tests measuring asymmetries of hand performance.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Data processing in music performance research: using structural information to improve score-performance matching.

In order to study aspects of music performance, one has to find correspondences between the performance data and a score. Locating the corresponding score note for every performance note, called matching, is therefore a common task. An algorithm that automates this procedure is called a matcher. Automated matching is difficult because performers make errors, performers use expressive timing, and scores are frequently underspecified. To find the best match, most matchers use information about pitch, temporal order, and the number of matched notes. We show that adding information about the musical structure of the score gives better results. However, we found that even this information was insufficient to identify some types of performance errors and that a definition of best match based only on the number of matched notes is sometimes problematic. We provide some suggestions about how to achieve greater improvements.

Algorithms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dynamic performance analysis: a framework for understanding occupational performance.

Occupational therapy is now consistently described as a profession concerned with enabling occupation. A crucial step in enabling occupation is understanding the occupational performance of our clients. Dynamic Performance Analysis (DPA) is a new approach to occupational analysis that focuses on the client's actual performance. DPA, acknowledging that optimal performance is the product of the interaction of person, environment, and occupation, and thus highly individualistic, places the client and his or her occupation, in interaction with the environment, at the center of the analysis process. Embedded in a top-down framework, DPA is a dynamic, iterative process, carried out as the client performs the occupation. The purpose of DPA is to identify where performance breaks down and test out solutions. In this article, the rationale, origins, and basic assumptions of DPA are discussed, and a detailed description of the DPA process together with two clinical examples is presented.

Cognition↗

PubMed1993

The effects of Benadryl and Hismanal on psychomotor performance and perceived performance.

Classic antihistamines (H1 antagonists) have sedative effects and can impair psychomotor performance. It is claimed that Hismanal (astemizole) does not possess central nervous system side effects. A three-factor, repeated measures, double-blind design was used to compare the effects of single oral doses of (1) Benadryl (diphenhydramine)-50 mg, (2) Hismanal-10 mg, and (3) placebo on a battery of 11 cognitive information-processing tasks and performance ratings in 28 healthy men. Performance decrements were seen at 1 h post-Benadryl ingestion on Following Directions (p < 0.05), at 1.5 h on Unstable Tracking (p < 0.05), and at 3 h on serial addition/subtraction (p < 0.05). No decrements in performance were found post-Hismanal. Subjects perceived their performance as poorer following Benadryl ingestion versus placebo and Hismanal for 3 h postingestion (p < 0.05). Results demonstrate performance effects post-Benadryl ingestion for 1 h longer than previously reported. Tasks which demonstrated sensitivity to antihistamines were those which required an element of sustained attention and those which required a visual-motor response.

Adult↗

PubMed1965