PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Task Performance and Analysis”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Cost of using permanent vs. disposable ware. Studies in two school systems.

In this study, the cost of using permanent ware and disposable ware in selected schools was compared. Included in the permanent ware study were the costs of: The ware, machine washing of the ware (including labor time and consumption of utilities, detergents, and chemicals), and refuse removal. Data collected in the disposable ware study were: Meal count; number of items of ware used; labor time; and cost of equipment, supplies, and refuse removal. The cost per student was 4 cents for permanent ware and 10 cents for disposable ware. Although the findings in the schools studied point to an economic advantage in using permanent ware, other considerations might prompt a decision in favor of disposable ware.

Cooking and Eating Utensils↗
PubMed1991

A microcomputerized task assessment of cognitive change in normal elderly and young adults.

There is need for efficient, acceptable quantitative measures of cognitive differences with senescence which, in addition, have potential to discriminate mild dementia from the performance of normal elderly. A microcomputerized method designed to assess attentional capacity was administered to two elderly age groups, 68-79 and 80-87 years of age. A comparison group of young adults, 25-35 and 35-45 years of age, was similarly studied. The two tasks in the procedure (the tracking task, consisting of following a randomly moving target on a video screen, and the probe task, consisting of visual monitoring of a randomly elongating dot in the video screen) are performed separately and then simultaneously (dual task). The tracking task discriminated between the younger groups. Both the tracking and the probe task discriminated between the two older age groups. On discriminant analysis, the best variables for distinguishing older age groups were the logarithms of the single task scores. The performance scores of both elderly age groups were lower on the dual tasks compared with single tasks, but with significant performance decreases only in the probe scores. Comparing all four age groups, the older groups performed less well on the tasks and particularly poorly on the dual tasks. There were no significant gender effects. These initial data will be useful in application of the method for purposes of discriminating mild dementia from normal senescence, and possibly the effects of drugs used to enhance cognitive function.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Spatial mapping, working memory, and the fimbria-fornix system.

Rats with lesions severing either the subcallosal fornix (Fo) or the medial half of the fimbria (Fi) were used. They were compared with control (Co) animals in a working memory task (serial alternation) and a reference memory task (cue-guided alternation). Neither task required spatial mapping strategy. Damaging the Fi, but not the Fo, caused a severe deficit in the serial alternation task. Analysis of individual performance revealed that Fi rats either adopted a "side strategy, " resulting in worse than chance performance. This active perseveration required intact working memory mechanism. In the cue-guided alternation task, Fo animals proved superior to Co and Fi rats. These findings are inconsistent with notions that the exclusive role of the hippocampus is spatial mapping or storing of recent memories. They indicate also differential involvement of the fimbria and fornix fibers in behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Influence of combined visual and vestibular cues on human perception and control of horizontal rotation.

Measurements are made of manual control performance in the closed-loop task of nulling perceived self-rotation velocity about an earth-vertical axis. Self-velocity estimation is modeled as a function of the simultaneous presentation of vestibular and peripheral visual field motion cues. Based on measured low-frequency operator behavior in three visual field environments, a parallel channel linear model is proposed which has separate visual and vestibular pathways summing in a complementary manner. A dual-input describing function analysis supports the complementary model; vestibular cues dominate sensation at higher frequencies. The describing function model is extended by the proposal of a non-linear cue conflict model, in which cue weighting depends on the level of agreement between visual and vestibular cues.

Fourier Analysis↗
PubMed1992

Clarification of the dual task dilemma: lateralized effects for perfunctory and purposeful tasks in left- and right-handed males.

The hypothesis that behavioral asymmetries with the dual task paradigm represent manual dominance was investigated with right- and left-handed males performing verbal and spatial tasks ordered by complexity. Lateralization was assessed for nonideational (perfunctory) and ideational (purposeful) components of tasks with multivariate and ANCOVA procedures. The outcomes of prerequisite tests showed the assumptions for conducting ANCOVA procedures were not satisfied with different handedness groups in the same design. However, results of the multivariate analyses suggest lateralized effects are more likely to represent the cognitive task when interference is high and may represent manual dominance when interference is low.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Processing control and cost in bacteriology.

Controlled processing was applied to lower respiratory, wound, and cervicovaginal exudates, and urine. The extent of processing was determined by assessment of quality in direct smears and/or by limits placed on complete identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of isolates in mixed cultures. Some specimens were not cultured; others were cultured, but certain isolates were identified by colonial morphologic features only. The time in minutes for performing 22 processing operations was determined. The average number of operations performed with processing control was established along with the total cost per minute of labor expended. A 19% reduction was observed in the time expended with controlled processing relative to projected time expended without processing controls. Urine specimens yielded the greatest saving. Processing control speeds recollection of poor-quality specimens, provides reporting of results of examination of all Gram-stained direct smears, minimizes reporting of information potentially misleading to physicians, and may reduce other health-care costs through improved patient care.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1978

Teaching janitorial skills to the mentally retarded: acquisition, generalization, and maintenance.

A task analysis of janitorial skills required for cleaning a restroom was performed. Six subtasks with a total of 181 component responses were identified. Subjects were required to progress through a series of four prompt levels ordered generally from more to less direct assistance for 20 of the most difficult component steps. Another series of four prompts, ordered from less to more direct assistance, was used to teach the other 161 responses. Subjects progressed to the next more intense prompt level contingent on a failure to respond appropriately with less assistance. A multiple baseline across subjects as well as the six subtasks was employed to evaluate the efficacy of the procedures. Six moderately retarded adolescents were trained in their public school. The results show rapid response acquisition, skill generalization to a second restroom, and maintenance of the newly learned behavior. The present research provides evidence of a model for analyzing and training vocational skills to the mentally retarded.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Spatial rotation in the elderly: performance factors.

Male and female adults age 64 to 76 were tested on several measures of spatial rotation ability. Memory for the test stimulus was an important factor in the performance of those who generally performed at a high level and not for those performing poorly. Changing the test format to reduce test-taking mechanical barriers resulted in an increase in the absolute number of correct responses but not in the ratio of correct responses to the number of items attempted. Practice on some measures led to better performance on subsequent tasks.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Changes in the EEG frequency spectrum in various phases of mental stress].

To obtain evidence about the relationship between spontaneous EEG activity and mental activity, an experiment was designed and executed with EEG recordings during a concept-learning task. We varied task performance (self-paced vs. machine-paced) and distinguished different stages of information processing during task performance. Using factor analysis calculated on all spectral coefficients, we found two orthogonal variables in the clinical alpha band. Alpha 2 power (10.5-12 Hz) seems to reflect the overall processing demands imposed on the individuals. Furthermore, there are different EEG frequency patterns during perceptual-central- compared with response-related processing as well as during processing of positive vs. negative feedback. The results suggest using (1) conservative procedures in hypothesis testing and (2) procedures to reduce between subject variability (a posteriori defined frequency variables, relative power values, scaling of reaction values) in further studies relating EEG activity to mental activity during task performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Ergonomic strain measurement in text processing].

Text processing task demands are analysed by using an Ergonomic Job Description Questionnaire. The tasks are classified by cluster analysis. Tasks out of each cluster are examined with respect to performance and physiological strain by 8-h measurements. These reactions are assessed in terms of tolerance limits and the distribution of demands is discussed for non-tolerable work conditions.

Female↗