scholarly journals How set switching affects the use of context-appropriate language by autistic and neuro-typical children

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110128
Author(s):  
Louise Malkin ◽  
Kirsten Abbot-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Informational Needs ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Switch Condition ◽  
Set Switching ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Typical Peers ◽  
The Way

Autistic children have difficulties in adapting their language for particular listeners and contexts. We asked whether these difficulties are more prominent when children are required to be cognitively flexible, when changing how they have previously referred to a particular object. We compared autistic ( N = 30) with neuro-typical 5- to 7-year-olds. Each child participated in two conditions. In the switch condition, the same animal had to be re-described across trials to be appropriately informative (e.g. a participant could appropriately describe a picture as ‘dog’ on one trial but later the participant needed to re-describe the same picture as ‘spotty dog’ to differentiate it from a co-present black dog). In the no-switch condition, no picture needed to be re-described. Nonetheless, the conditions were matched regarding the requirement to use both complex (e.g. spotty cat) versus simple expressions (e.g. horse). Autistic children were more over-informative than peers even prior to the requirement to re-describe an animal. Overall, we found a main effect of the switch condition and no interaction with group. Switching a description hinders the ability of children to be appropriately informative. As autistic children are generally less appropriately informative, the requirement to switch leads to particularly poor performance in autism. Lay abstract The way autistic individuals use language often gives the impression that they are not considering how much information listeners need in a given context. The same child can give too much information in one context (e.g. saying ‘the big cup’ with only one cup present) and too little information in another context (e.g. entering a room and announcing ‘the red one’ when the listener has no prior knowledge regarding what this refers to). We asked whether many autistic children particularly struggle to tailor their language appropriately in situations where this means changing how they have previously described something. That is, if a speaker has recently described an object as ‘the cup’, the need to switch to describing it as ‘the big cup’ could hinder the speaker’s ability to use language in a context-appropriate way. We found that switching descriptions indeed makes it more difficult for children to use language in a context-appropriate way, but that this effect did not play out differently for autistic versus neuro-typical children. Autistic children were, however, less likely to provide a context-appropriate amount of information overall than were neuro-typical peers. The combination of these effects meant that when object re-description was required, autistic children only produced an appropriate description half the time. In contrast, without a requirement to re-describe, autistic children could indeed take listener informational needs into account. Applied professionals should consider whether a requirement to change the way the child has previously said something may hinder a child’s ability to communicate effectively.

scholarly journals Key Issues: A Round Table Discussion

1993 ◽  
Vol 137 ◽  
pp. 776-786
Author(s):  
T.M. Brown ◽  
P. Demarque ◽  
R. Noyes ◽  
F. Praderie ◽  
I.W. Roxburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Observational Data ◽  
Round Table ◽  
The Other ◽  
Complete List ◽  
Round Table Discussion ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Table Discussion ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Way

We have taken part to an exceptionally rich colloquium, characterized by a large amount of information in all fields of physics, and a remarkable collection of observational data. Our understanding of what is going on inside the stars has changed in a radical manner during the last years, on one side because the observations are bringing new kinds of information, and on the other side because theory in its development is taking into account a number of processes, some of them having been completely ignored only ten years ago.It is impossible to draw here a complete list of problems. There are many cases where some inconsistency could be found in the theory itself or some contradiction between observational data and theory. I recommended that such a list should be drawn carefully. The participants to the round table discussion will give their contribution, helping to open the way to new fields of research and to new discoveries.

Sloppy Typing and Reproduction in a Written Technical Message—An Experiment

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-55
Author(s):  
Richard M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Reading Time ◽  
Time Judgment ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Good Reproduction ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Way

An experiment was performed to determine the effect (if any) of sloppy typing and reproduction upon the effectiveness of a written technical message. The variables tested were the margins, the way in which corrections were made, and the reproduction of the message. Approximately seven hundred subjects in five definably different audiences were tested. Measures were taken of comprehension, reading time, judgment of the author's credibility, and judgment of the author's competence as a writer. Five main effects and five interactions were found at the 0.05 level of probability. Each variable, each measure of the effectiveness of the message, and each audience was involved in one or more of these effects. In each main effect and each interaction subject to easy interpretation, the unaltered form (good typing and good reproduction) of the variable(s) concerned appeared to be the more effective.

From the Classroom: Division Discussions: Bridging Student and Teacher Thinking

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-235
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Teacher Thinking ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Support Material ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Mathematical Content ◽  
Mathematical Connections ◽  
Textbook Series ◽  
The Way

Many teachers grapple with ways to connect mathematical content with the prior knowledge of students. This is a persistent challenge in teaching because each new group of students brings its own unique understanding of mathematics. This year, as I wrestled with finding instructional strategies that would help my students make these mathematical connections, the problem was compounded by my school district's adoption of a new textbook series. The textbook, which presents concepts and procedures in novel ways, included new content that my district expected me to help students understand. Connections between content and students' prior knowledge that I had been able to support using the old materials would need to be integrated with new support material or possibly dropped. Furthermore, I would need to forge new connections between student knowledge and the novel content that the textbook contained. This article sketches an example of the complexities of this work in the context of teaching division. It shares how I worked with students to address the problem of connection and explains the way in which this work gave me a chance to reflect on important dimensions of my instructional work.

45 Superstars of Science

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Daigh
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Stephen Hawking ◽  
The Way

This wonderful book contains easy to read biographies of some of the most influential people that have shaped modern science. Each biography assumes no prior knowledge on the part of the reader and highlights the key contributions of each of the scientists. From ancient scholars such as Pythagoras and Aristotle, to modern scientists like Stephen Hawking, this book is an excellent way for anyone interested in science to learn about many of the great scientists/thinkers that helped shape the way that we think about our world. For the trivia buff, each biography also ends with a “mini quiz” with answers in the back of the book!

scholarly journals Examining Some of The Students’ Challenges in Learning Organic Chemistry

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Issa I. Salame ◽  
Sagar Patel ◽  
Shafic Suleman
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Resonance Structures ◽  
Difficult Subject ◽  
The Way

Organic chemistry is often regarded as a difficult subject which deters learners and is associated with poor performance. Our research aims to examine some of the challenges that students face in learning organic chemistry topics related to acid/base and resonance structures theories. For this purpose, organic chemistry exams were analyzed in regards to these troublesome topics. A questionnaire was administered to further understand some of the challenges students face when enrolled in organic chemistry. Our data show that students face several challenges learning these topics and that there is a need to change the way these topics are addressed in instruction.

Prospective Factors that Predict American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination Performance: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 000313482110586
Author(s):  
David R Velez
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Clinical Evaluations ◽  
Examination Performance ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Usmle Step ◽  
American Board Of Surgery

Introduction American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) performance has become an important factor when monitoring resident progress. Understanding which prospective factors predict performance can help identify residents at risk. Methods A literature search was conducted searching PubMed, EMBASE, and JAMA Network from June 2011 to June 2021, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed for the terms “ABSITE” and “American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination.” Prospective factors such as prior examination performance, clinical evaluations, and demographics were evaluated. Results A final 35 studies were included. The prospective factor most consistently found to predict ABSITE performance is performance on prior knowledge-based examinations such as the USMLE step exams. The ACGME Medical Knowledge 1 milestone evaluation also appears to correlate to ABSITE performance, although clinical evaluations, in general, do not. Demographics have no significant correlation to ABSITE performance. Discussion Using performance on prior knowledge-based examinations programs may be able to identify residents at risk for failing ABSITE. It may be possible to initiate early intervention before rather than only remediation after poor performance.

The benthos in the management of marine sediments

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Gray ◽  
Michael Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Numerical Techniques ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Marine System ◽  
Community Variables ◽  
Single Technique ◽  
The Way

Throughout the previous chapters, we have focused on our understanding of the benthic system, its processes, structure, and functioning but, hopefully, we have also shown some of the changes to the system as the result of human activities. It is now relevant to look at the way in which management relies on and uses benthic data and information, the way in which benthic information and data are put into a wider context, and the way we manage marine sediments. Although examples in this chapter are mainly taken from European initiatives, the same examples exist in other regions. In all countries, there are many agencies and bodies involved directly or directly in the science and management of marine sediments—some carry out marine benthic studies and/or the monitoring, some require others to carry out the monitoring, and others use the benthic research and monitoring information. Throughout this book we have indicated many of the numerical techniques at our disposal for analysing benthic data, for linking them to the environmental variables, and for using them in understanding the functioning of the marine system, not least in relation to human activities. Indeed, Elliott (1996) suggested that there were approximately 26 groups of techniques for analysing the benthos and Gray (2000) describes recent methods and the progress made recently in analysing benthic data—by now we have added even more techniques. We have indicated here how some of the techniques have been adapted from other fields of ecology, such as terrestrial systems and even, in some cases, from other fields altogether; for example the main diversity index used, Shannon–Wiener H',was obtained from information and systems analysis. Figure 11.1 indicates how many of those methods link together in order to obtain a large amount of information from the benthos—it is axiomatic that no single technique gives a large amount of information and many of them rely on several techniques being used together. Figure 11.1 indicates how we start with community structural and primary variables (abundance, biomass, etc.) and move on from these into univariate and derived community variables as well as graphical techniques for community structure.

The Speech-Associated Attitude of Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter and the Differential Effect of Age

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine Vanryckeghem ◽  
Gene J. Brutten
Keyword(s):  
Differential Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Clinical Consideration ◽  
Dutch Translation ◽  
Attitude Test ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
The Way

Fifty-five Flemish children, ages 6 to 13, who stuttered and 55 who did not were the subjects of a two (group) by eight (age) factorial investigation of their response to a Dutch translation of the Communication Attitude Test (C.A.T.). The main effect results confirmed previous C.A.T. findings that, as early as age 6, children who stutter exhibit significantly more in the way of a negative speech-associated attitude than their peers do. In addition, the between-group difference in attitude diverged with age. The C.A.T. scores increased for those who stuttered and decreased for the normally fluent children. These data suggest that the attitude of the two groups of children was differentially affected by their speech-related experience history. It follows from this, and the other findings of the study, that the attitude toward speech of children who stutter warrants early clinical consideration and attention.

Control Room Operating Procedures: Content and Format

1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Elizabeth Zach
Keyword(s):  
Current Control ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Machine Interface ◽  
Man Machine Interface ◽  
Human Side ◽  
The Way

Current control room operating procedures have been found to be inadequate both in terms of the amount of information they contain and in the way the information is presented. Operators do not feel that procedures aid their performance; rather they feel that procedures are a cumbersome irritation. In the wake of Three Mile Island, much emphasis is being placed on improving the hardware systems at nuclear plants. Attention must also be directed to the human side of the man-machine interface.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document