Reconsidering conceptual knowledge: Heterogeneity of its components.

Cognitive arithmetic classically distinguishes procedural and conceptual knowledge as two determinants of the acquisition of flexible expertise. Whereas procedural knowledge relates to algorithmic routines, conceptual knowledge is defined as the knowledge of core principles, referred to as fundamental structures of arithmetic. To date, there is no consensus regarding their number, list, or even their definition, partly because they are difficult to measure. Recent findings suggest that among the most complex of these principles, some might not be "fundamental structures" but rather may articulate several components of conceptual knowledge, each specific to the arithmetic operation involved. Here, we argue that most of the arithmetic principles similarly may rather articulate several core concepts specific to the operation involved. Data were collected during a national mathematics contest based on an arithmetic game involving a large sample of 9- to 11-year-old students (N = 11,243; 53.1% boys) over several weeks. The purpose of the game was to solve complex arithmetic problems using five numbers and the four operations. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The results show that both conceptual and procedural knowledge were used by children. Moreover, the PCA sorted conceptual and procedural knowledge together, with dimensions being defined by the operation rather than by the concept. This implies that "fundamental structures" rather regroup different concepts that are learned separately. This opens the way to reconsider the very nature of conceptual knowledge and has direct pedagogical implications.

The integration of physicians in nursing homes has a positive impact on the perceived quality of care / L'intégration de médecins prescripteurs en Ehpad : une amélioration de la qualité des soins perçue

INTRODUCTION: Since 2017, the Regional Health Agency of 'Île-de-France' has implemented an experiment to subsidize the recruitment of part-time doctors in nursing homes, so that residents without a primary care physician can benefit from regular medical follow-up. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: The purpose of the study is to estimate the effects of this experiment: how is it implemented? What are its effects on the perceived quality of care? METHOD: The method used was based on a qualitative survey involving semi-structured individual or group interviews. On the whole, 20 professionals, one resident, and two daughters of residents were interviewed in four different nursing homes. RESULTS: The investigation shows that this experiment addresses an unmet medical need. However, the recruiting of doctors appears to be difficult and significant delays have been noted. The experimentation is considered to be beneficial by professionals and recipients: It provides an opportunity to re-evaluate prescriptions in time, to prevent the deterioration of the residents' health and to reduce the need for emergency services. These physicians are involved in the care for cognitive disorders and play an important role in the support of the end-of-life. CONCLUSIONS: The experimentation has a positive effect on the perceived quality of care, according to professionals as well as residents or their relatives, which could provide a rationale for its sustainability or even its extension.

Introduction: L'agence régionale de santé d'Île-de-France a mis en place, depuis 2017, une expérimentation consistant à subventionner le recrutement de médecins à temps partiel dans les établissements d'hébergement pour personnes dépendantes (Ehpad) afin que les résidents sans médecin traitant bénéficient d'un suivi médical régulier. But de l'étude: L'objectif de cette étude est d'estimer les effets du dispositif en tentant de répondre à ces deux questions : comment se passe l'intégration du médecin dans l'Ehpad ? Quels sont les effets du dispositif sur la qualité des soins perçue ? Méthode: La méthode employée est une enquête qualitative par entretiens semi-directifs individuels ou collectifs. Au total, 20 professionnels, une résidente et deux filles de résidentes ont été interrogés, dans quatre établissements différents. Résultats: L'enquête montre que ce dispositif répond à un besoin médical insatisfait. Le recrutement de médecins apparaît toutefois difficile et des délais importants ont été relevés dans l'étude. L'expérimentation est jugée bénéfique par les personnes interrogées : elle permettrait une réévaluation des prescriptions en temps voulu, éviterait des dégradations de l'état de santé des résidents et limiterait le recours aux urgences. Les médecins interviennent dans la prise en soins des troubles cognitifs et jouent un rôle important dans l'accompagnement des fins de vie. Conclusions: L'expérimentation a un effet positif sur la qualité des soins perçue, aussi bien d'après les professionnels que les résidents ou leurs proches, ce qui pourrait justifier sa pérennisation voire son extension.

Cognitive control under social influence in baboons.

From cockroaches to human beings, the presence of other members of the same species typically facilitates dominant (habitual/well-learned) responses regardless of their contextual relevance. This social facilitation requires special attention in animal species such as primates, given their evolved cognitive control mechanisms. Here we tested baboons who freely engaged in (computer-based) conflict response tasks requiring cognitive control for successful performance, and discovered that social presence does not only enhance dominant responses but also consumes cognitive control resources. Under social presence, the baboons experienced greater cognitive conflicts, were less able to inhibit a learned action in favor of a new one, and were also less able to take advantage of previous experience with response conflict, compared with isolation. These findings explain why inappropriate behaviors are not easily suppressed in primates acting in social contexts, and indicate a greater demand for cognitive control in social groups. This extra demand might represent a major evolutionary drive of human intelligence.

Processing of contour closure by baboons (Papio papio).

This study investigated the Gestalt law of closure in baboons. Using a computer-controlled self-testing procedure, we trained baboons (Papio papio) to discriminate open versus closed shapes presented on a touch screen with a two-alternative forced choice procedure. Ten baboons (OPEN + group) were trained with the open shapes serving as the positive stimulus (S+), and nine others (CLOSE + group) were trained with the closed shape serving as S+. The OPEN + group obtained higher discrimination performance than the CLOSE + group (Exp 1), but its scores declined when new line segments were added to the stimuli (Exp 2) and after smoothing the end points of the open shapes (Exp 3). The CLOSE + group was less affected by the above manipulations of local stimulus dimension, but its performance was disrupted when the collinearity end points was reduced (Exp 3). Use of a visual search task revealed that the search for an open shape among closed distractors was less attention demanding in baboons than the search for a closed shape among open ones (Exp 4). It is concluded that (1) end lines rather than closeness per se are perceptual primitives for the open versus closed discrimination in baboons, and (2) the relative emphasis on local or configural cues when processing contour closure depends on experiential factors in baboons and is thus subject to interindividual variations.

Control of the corridor illusion in baboons (Papio papio) by gradient and linear-perspective depth cues.

The corridor illusion was recently demonstrated in baboons with background pictures containing rich depth information (Barbet and Fagot 2002, Behavioural Brain Research 132 111-115). In the current research we determined the contribution of gradient texture and perspective lines to that illusion. In experiment 1, the corridor illusion was tested in two baboons, with pictures of a hallway as backgrounds, or the same image of the hallway represented by perspective lines. Findings confirmed that the baboons experience the corridor illusion with the picture of the hallway, and showed that this illusion remained with the perspective-line backgrounds. The same procedure was adopted in experiment 2, but with a hallway drawn from gradient textures. The two baboons experienced the illusion in this experiment too. Thus both gradient and perspective line cues convey sufficient information to control the corridor illusion in baboons. In baboons, the processing of these two kinds of depth cues interacts with the perception of object size, suggesting homologous processes of pictorial depth perception in humans and non-human primates.

Amodal completion by baboons (Papio papio): contribution of background depth cues.

Four baboons (Papio papio) were tested in a computerized two-alternative forced choice task in which partially occluded graphic stimuli were shown either on linear perspective backgrounds depicting a corridor or on uniformly black backgrounds. The results indicated that baboons complete partly occluded stimuli and that amodal completion is facilitated by the display of pictorial background depth cues. Inter-individual differences emerged in the ability to extrapolate three-dimensional information from two-dimensional visual information.

Perception of the corridor illusion by baboons (Papio papio).

The corridor illusion was assessed in four baboons (Papio papio) by way of judgmental task implying a comparison between the size of two figures presented on various backgrounds. Findings demonstrate that the baboons are sensitive to the corridor illusion.