The dynamics of practice effects in an optotype acuity task.
Summary of "The dynamics of practice effects in an optotype acuity task."
BACKGROUND:
Practice-related improvements of performance are common in many areas of visual processing. There is preliminary evidence that this is also the case for standard optotype acuity tasks. The present study was designed to confirm and quantify the effect of practice under different feedback conditions and to track the dynamics of practice over several sessions.
METHODS:
Subjects completed a total of 56 runs of a computer-based acuity test with randomly oriented Landolt C optotypes, split evenly over four sessions at intervals of 1 week. Half of the subjects received feedback indicating the correct response.
RESULTS:
Over the course of the sessions, the test outcomes increased significantly by 0.11 logMAR with feedback and by 0.055 logMAR without feedback. In addition to an increase in acuity over the first few runs of the first session, a major part of the practice effect with feedback occurred not during a session, but in between the first and the second session. Without feedback, the increase in acuity occurred mainly within the first half of the first session.
CONCLUSIONS:
Feedback has a drastic effect on the magnitude and dynamics of the practice effect, which is not explained by simple familiarization with the test procedure. If feedback is not given, practice effects can be neglected in most clinical routine applications even when many test repetitions are performed. However, they may become relevant on a group level in clinical studies without an appropriate control.
Affiliation
Sektion Funktionelle Sehforschung, Univ.-Augenklinik, Killianstr. 5, 79106, Freiburg, Germany, sven.heinrich@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Opht
ISSN: 1435-702X
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21509531
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1675-z
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Visual Acuity
Clarity or sharpness of OCULAR VISION or the ability of the eye to see fine details. Visual acuity depends on the functions of RETINA, neuronal transmission, and the interpretative ability of the brain. Normal visual acuity is expressed as 20/20 indicating that one can see at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. Visual acuity can also be influenced by brightness, color, and contrast.
Time And Motion Studies
The observation and analysis of movements in a task with an emphasis on the amount of time required to perform the task.
Dominance, Ocular
The functional superiority and preferential use of one eye over the other. The term is usually applied to superiority in sighting (VISUAL PERCEPTION) or motor task but not difference in VISUAL ACUITY or dysfunction of one of the eyes. Ocular dominance can be modified by visual input and NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS.
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Private Practice
Practice of a health profession by an individual, offering services on a person-to-person basis, as opposed to group or partnership practice.
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