Hiromi Masunaga

Expertise and age-related changes in components of intelligence

In a sample of 263 male GO players at 48 levels of expertise and ranging from 18 to 78 years of age, it was found that factors of expertise deductive reasoning (EDR) and expertise working memory (EWM) were independent of factors of fluid reasoning (Gf) and short-term working memory (STWM) that, along with cognitive speed (Gs), have been found to characterize decline of intelligence in adulthood. The main effects of analyses of cross-sectional age differences indicated age-related decline in EDR and EWM as well as in Gf, STWM, and Gs. However, interaction and partialing analyses indicated that decline in EDR and EWM decreased to no decline with increase in level of expertise. The results thus suggest that with increase in factors known to raise the level of expertise--particularly, intensive, well-designed practice--there may be no age-related decline in the intelligence that is measured in the abilities of expertise.

Characterizing mature human intelligence: Expertise development

Abstract Results from a study of 263 male players at 48 levels of expertise in the game of GO, and ranging from 18 to 78 years of age, suggest a need to revise the extended theory of fluid (Gf) and crystallized (Gc) intelligence to take account of continued development of intelligence throughout adulthood. The extended theory of Gf–Gc is based on evidence that Gf, short-term apprehension and retrieval (SAR) and cognitive speed (Gs), decline with age over adulthood. Results from a number of studies, however, suggest that within the domains of expertise, high levels of reasoning, feats of memory and speeded thinking similar to Gf are displayed by older adults. To explore this hypothesis, measures of reasoning, memory and cognitive speed were constructed within the domain of expertise related to playing the complex game of GO. Analysis of the structure of the GO-embedded measures and standard measures of Gf (SAR and Gs) indicated a form of short-term memory — labeled expertise working memory (EWM) — that had substantially wider span than the short-term working memory (STWM) of SAR. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that long-term working memory is built up during the course of developing high levels of expertise. The results also suggest that a form of expertise deductive reasoning (EDR), utilizing EWM and incorporating large stores of knowledge, is distinct from Gf. Expertise cognitive speed (ECS), however, was not found to be reliably distinct from the Gs factor. Analyses of cross-sectional age differences indicate an age-related decline in both EDR and EWM, but as higher levels of expertise are reached, age-related decline does not occur. To the extent that there is continued press to advance expertise throughout adulthood, there may be improvement, not decline, in the EDR and EWM forms of intelligence.

Aligning teaching practices with an understanding of quality teaching: A faculty development agenda

Background: To guide the future faculty development practices in a better manner, it is important to determine how clinical teachers perceive their own skill development. Aim: The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which clinical teachers aligned their teaching practices, as measured with a self-rating instrument, with their understanding of what constitutes good clinical teaching. Method: A sample of 1523 residents and 737 faculty members completed the clinical teaching perception inventory (CTPI) online and ranked 28 single-word descriptors that characterized clinical teachers along a seven-point scale in two measures, “My Ideal Teacher” and “Myself as a Teacher.” Results: Faculty and residents showed strikingly similar discrepancies, in both their magnitudes and directions, between their ratings of “My Ideal Teacher” and those of “Myself as a Teacher.” Both residents and faculty found it most difficult to develop the stimulating, well-read, and innovative nature to meet their own standards. Conclusions: Data did not support our hypothesis that faculty would demonstrate stronger congruence between “My Ideal Teacher” and “Myself as a Teacher” than residents. Medical faculty would benefit from future faculty development practices that are designed to assist them in becoming stimulating, well-read, and innovative teachers, while using less control and caution in their teaching.

EFFECT OF GERONTOLOGY EDUCATION: A 21‐YEAR REPORT

With the aging of members of society has come rapid growth in gerontology education in the United States. However, evaluation of gerontology educational programs has not kept pace. After completing 20 years of instruction, the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology conducted a survey of its graduates to evaluate the success of both the graduates and the program itself. To assess the success of the graduates, the variables of employment status, salary level, and job satisfaction were used, and for the success of the program, graduates’ perceived usefulness of the program, willingness to enroll the program again if the choice could be made a second time, and willingness to recommend the program to others were assessed. The variables of the program level (bachelor/masters), program type (single/dual degree), employment in aging before and during enrollment, and cohort differences also were examined to investigate how these variables influenced the success of the graduates and ...

How Does Gender Interact With Clinical Teachers’ Perceptions of Clinical Teaching?

This study analyzed 816 medical professors’ perceptions of clinical teaching, as measured with the online version of the Clinical Teaching Perception Inventory, and examined difficulties that female professors faced in becoming the ideal clinical teacher. While describing themselves as a clinical teacher, female professors rated themselves lower than did their male counterparts on the stereotypical masculine characteristics “stimulating,” “well read,” “assured,” and “secure” and rated themselves higher on a stereotypical feminine characteristic “feeling.” It is possible that female medical professors underrate their actual behaviors as clinical teachers. Implications are discussed for future faculty development and the advancement of gender equity in medical education, where numbers of women have been steadily increasing. Recommendations for further research are offered.