Assessment of effectiveness of a communication skills program for nursing students

Effective communication promotes the quality of nursing healthcare; therefore, communication skills are considered a basic tool in nursing (Bloomfield & Pegram, 2015). One challenge nursing students and newly-graduated nurses encounter is to improve those skills (Sheldon & Hilaire, 2015; Theisen & Sandau, 2013). In Portu-gal, intervention programs addressing these competences among nurses are scar-ce (e.g., Torres, Soares, Ferreira & Graça, 2016; Lopes, Azeredo & Rodrigues, 2013). The purpose of our research is to assess the effectiveness of a communication skills program for nursing students, and also to analyze the impact of the following varia-bles: perceived importance of communication skills for nursing, perceived compe-tence on communicational skills, emotional intelligence, and empathy. To address these goals we will conduct a quasi-experimental study using a nonequivalent control group pre-posttest design. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention program, participants will complete a communication skills test (pre-test and post-test). Participants will rate the importance and self proficiency in communication skills using a 6-point scale. To measure emotional intelligence and empathy we will use Portuguese versions of the following scales: WLEIS - Wong and Law Emotional Scale (Carvalho, Guerrero, Chambel & Gonzáles-Rico, 2016; Wong & Law, 2002), and IRI - Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983; Limpo, Alves & Castro, 2010). The results we present here will contribute to the understanding of variables that in-fluence communication skills among nurses, as well as pedagogical strategies that can effectively enhance those abilities

No disponible

Effect of divided attention on the production of false memories in the DRM paradigm: a study of dichotic listening and shadowing

En el procedimiento Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) se presenta a los participantes listas de palabras asociadas (e.g., cama, noche, pesadilla, etc.) a una palabra crítica no presentada (e.g., sueño). La probabilidad de producir un falso recuerdo de la palabra crítica no presentada es muchas veces similar (o un poco superior) a la probabilidad de recordar correctamente una palabra presentada en mitad de la lista. Los falsos recuerdos producidos mediante este procedimiento son, en general, muy vívidos, de larga duración y muy difíciles de evitar. Nuestro experimento intentó analizar el efecto de la escucha dicótica y del ensombrecimiento - dos procedimientos clásicos de manipulación de la atención - en la producción de falsos recuerdos con el paradigma DRM. Los resultados muestran que no se elimina la producción de falsos recuerdos cuando las listas se presentan por el canal no atendido, independientemente de la prueba de memoria - recuerdo libre o reconocimiento -. De hecho, la proporción de falsas memorias es similar a la proporción de recuerdo y reconocimiento correctos. Este estudio confirma la robustez de este error de la memoria (e.g., Gallo, Roediger, & McDermott, 2001), verificándose que incluso cuando las condiciones de procesamiento son difíciles (debido a la división de la atención entre dos listas y el ensombrecimiento de una de ellas) los participantes tienden a producir falsas memorias, lo que refuerza la hipótesis de la activación automática de los ítems críticos(AU)

The Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm comprises the study of lists in which words (e.g., bed, pillow, etc.) are all associates of a single nonstudied critical item (e.g., sleep). The probability of falsely recalling or recognising nonstudied critical items is often similar to (or sometimes higher than) the probability of correctly recalling or recognising studied associates. False memories produced throughout this paradigm are usually seen as vivid, long lasting, and difficult to consciously avoid. Our experiment aimed to analyse the effect of dichotic listening and shadowing procedures on the production of false memories in the DRM paradigm. The results showed that the production of false memories under a divided attention condition during processing was not eliminated, independently of the type of memory task - recall or recognition. Moreover, the proportion of false memories produced in our study was similar to the amounts of correct recall and recognition in both encoding conditions. Therefore, our study confirms the robustness of this type of memory distortion (e.g., Gallo, Roediger, & McDermott, 2001), because even when the encoding conditions are impoverished, participants are prone to falsely remember the critical words, reinforcing the theoretical assumption of the automatic activation of critical lures(AU)

Paradigma Deese-Roediger-McDermott: efeito da evocação prévia e tipo de tarefa de memória / Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm: effect of previous recall and type of memory task

Pretendeu-se averiguar se a activação dos itens críticos no paradigma de Deese-Roediger-McDermott também ocorreria numa tarefa de completamento. Para analisar a contaminação explícita explorámos a existência de resultados dissociados em função da manipulação do nível de processamento. Na tarefa de completamento, a primação semântica foi estatisticamente superior à primação directa. A ausência do efeito do nível de processamento demonstra que o teste foi de memória implícita. Também avaliámos o impacto de uma tarefa de evocação numa tarefa de memória posterior. Verificámos que a evocação prévia anulou o efeito do nível de processamento na tarefa de reconhecimento. Na tarefa de completamento de inícios de palavras, o incremento de inícios de palavras completados com associados só foi expressivo quando as palavras foram codificadas superficialmente.(AU)

This study aimed to verify whether the activation of critical items in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm of producing false memories could also occur in the word stem completion task. The finding that the level of processing did not seem to have any effect on the word stem completion task supported the conclusion that the stem completion task was in fact an implicit memory test. The impact of a previous recall in a following memory task was also evaluated. The results indicated that the previous recall inhibited the effect of the processing level in the recognition task. In the word stem completion task the increase of stems completed with associates was only relevant when words were encoded superficially.(AU)

Paradigma Deese-Roediger-McDermott: efeito da evocação prévia e tipo de tarefa de memória / Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm: effect of previous recall and type of memory task

Pretendeu-se averiguar se a activação dos itens críticos no paradigma de Deese-Roediger-McDermott também ocorreria numa tarefa de completamento. Para analisar a contaminação explícita explorámos a existência de resultados dissociados em função da manipulação do nível de processamento. Na tarefa de completamento, a primação semântica foi estatisticamente superior à primação directa. A ausência do efeito do nível de processamento demonstra que o teste foi de memória implícita. Também avaliámos o impacto de uma tarefa de evocação numa tarefa de memória posterior. Verificámos que a evocação prévia anulou o efeito do nível de processamento na tarefa de reconhecimento. Na tarefa de completamento de inícios de palavras, o incremento de inícios de palavras completados com associados só foi expressivo quando as palavras foram codificadas superficialmente.

This study aimed to verify whether the activation of critical items in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm of producing false memories could also occur in the word stem completion task. The finding that the level of processing did not seem to have any effect on the word stem completion task supported the conclusion that the stem completion task was in fact an implicit memory test. The impact of a previous recall in a following memory task was also evaluated. The results indicated that the previous recall inhibited the effect of the processing level in the recognition task. In the word stem completion task the increase of stems completed with associates was only relevant when words were encoded superficially.