Preliminary Research and Summation #2

Attention Span

Article 1

This article discusses how a child's attention span at an early stage can determine one's self-regulation construct starting from the age 4 too age 25 which on average is when one would graduate from college. Self-regulation can help children hinder their inappropriate behaviors such as shouting without being called on by instead controlling their emotional reactions during a situation. These are important for children's social skills, the ability to consume information, and moral development. It states that this is, "connected to activation patterns in the anterior attentional network in the brain...The executive attention network consists of the anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal areas of the brain, which are activated during tasks requiring cognitive control such as needing to focus and pay attention." The study conducted in this article indicates that task persistence during the age of 13 allowed them to predict one's grades, income, occupational level, and educational attainment later on. They also realize that parental socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with one's educational attainment and academic achievements. The results of the research show that children with strong attention span-persistence obtain information better because they are able to ignore distractions, monitor progress, and resolve conflicts to complete a task. They also note that a lot of a child's attention span is correlated to their mother's educational level.

McClelland, Megan M., Alan C. Acock, Andrea Piccinin, Sally Ann Rhea, and Michael C. Stallings. “Relations between Preschool Attention Span-Persistence and Age 25 Educational Outcomes.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28, no. 2 (April 1, 2013): 314–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.07.008.

Article 2

The information provided in this source talks about the function of using a standardized test to measure one's attention span called a Continuous Performance Test (CPT). The function of a program that displays words and colors. Additionally, it includes beeps. This allows researchers to study and understand vision accuracy, hearing accuracy, and learning ability. Two variables that can hinder this test are those who struggle with intelligence levels (IO) which correlates to ones learning abilities and physical impairments which include vision and hearing impairment, acute illnesses, or chronic diseases. One's attention span can be measured by their behavioral characteristics and performance levels within the classroom. Statistics show that between 1-25 people, some can pay attention at a 100% level for 1 to 60 minutes. Some can pay attention at 90% level for 1 to 20 minutes. Some can pay attention at an 80% level for only 1 to 5 minutes. Some can pay attention at a 50% level for only 1 to 2 minutes. And finally, Some can pay attention at only a 10% level for less than a minute. It is suggested that the CPT is reliable and can indicate brain damage. The test has found an increasing amount of activity in the right orbito-frontal area. Also found that tasks indicated the right hemisphere and the medial frontal structures of the brain.

Stewart, Donald B., and Thomas D. Sullivan. Measurement of attention span and attention deficits. United States US6053739A, filed April 10, 1997, and issued April 25, 2000. https://patents.google.com/patent/US6053739A/en.

Affects of Visuals

Article 3

This article communicates how visuals can be used to support someone with Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). It states that visuals, "are part of everyone's communication system, can attract and hold a student's attention, enable the student to focus on the message and reduce anxiety, make abstract concepts more concrete for the student, and help the student express his or her thoughts." They understand that children with autism tend to be visually focused rather than audible learners. It mentions how visuals for students can allow them to engage in life aside from them having an impairment. Visuals have shown success in helping literacy skills, encourage positive behaviors, and notify changes in activities. Visuals have shown to help create structure, routine, and sequence with their daily activities. Ways teachers can create these visual environments for children include TEACCH, PECS, and Social Stories.

Rao, Shaila M., and Brenda Gagie. “Learning through Seeing and Doing: Visual Supports for Children with Autism.” TEACHING Exceptional Children 38, no. 6 (July 2006): 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005990603800604.

Article 4

This article discusses a study on understanding how students solve percentage problems. It consisted of 8 problems on percentages to be answered by 60 females in seventh grade. The question this research was meant to answer was, "1) What is the impact of personalization and visual representations (diagrams, illustrations) on students’ accuracy when solving percentage story problems? 2) How do these trends change when taking into account students’ affect for mathematics and their perception of their knowledge of mathematics?". Research prior to the study states that visuals along with text has shown to have an effect on increased learning (Mayer, 2005). The students were classified in 4 group types:

• High Affect and High Knowledge (HAHK)

• High Affect and Low Knowledge (HALK)

• Low Affect and High Knowledge (LAHK)

• Low Affect and Low Knowledge (LALK)

Results indicated that HALK and LAHK students showed improvement with the illustrated questions with no personalization or diagram. Illustrations showed to increase cognitive load.

Walkington, Candace, Jennifer Cooper, and Elizabeth Howell. “THE EFFECTS OF VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND INTEREST-BASED PERSONALIZATION ON SOLVING PERCENT PROBLEMS,” n.d., 5.

Article 5

Breast Cancer Info

Article 5

This video provides a lot of information about what breast cancer is, the different stages, and different treatment options. Dr. John Williams explains what will be expected within early-stage breast cancer and late-stage breast cancer. He explained that the term DCIS is the precancerous condition where cells evolve and might evolve into invasive cancer that can invade other parts of the body. He communicates the differences between invasive and non-invasive breast cancer. There are two cell types of invasive breast cancer which are invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma. He also mentions triple-negative breast cancer and her2 positive breast cancer. These are more threatening and chemotherapy is recommended to treat. He states that most breast cancers are hormonal responsive cancers and estrogen-sensitive breast cancers which can be treated with hormonal therapies. early-stage breast cancer is associated with a smaller tumor and little to no evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes. Late-stage breast cancer is when a tumor is 4+ centimeters large and there is clear evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes. Stage 3 breast cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy and surgery. Stage 4 breast cancer means cancer has grown to different parts of the body and is likely fatal.

Breast Cancer Type and Stage: What You Need to Know, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWqfoBj2bsA.

Article 6

Dr. John Williams dives deep into facts that revolve around Sentinel Node Biopsy in this video. He provides basic information about how we have around 10-12 lymph nodes under our arm. He talks about the downside of having an axillary dissection. One risk entails swelling in the arm called lymphedema. There is the Z11 trial which means if a patient has evidence of cancer in only 1 or 2 lymph nodes, it is not beneficial to remove all of their lymph nodes. He describes the process of receiving a sentinel node biopsy surgery like the length of the surgery, receiving small injections of a radioactive tracer, being injected with a small amount of blue dye to indicate the lymph nodes, and that most of the paint will be under the arm after the surgery rather the breast. Lastly, he brings up those who can/should avoid receiving a sentinel node biopsy. Those included are those with DCIS, invasive breast cancer, older than 70, have health problems, difficulty getting around, or use a walker.

Sentinel Node Biopsy: Breast Cancer Lymph Node Surgery, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_02F3PnhrFc.