Knowledge bases in medicine: a review

Efforts to represent knowledge effectively have been central to progress in various aspects of medical informatics. These efforts range from relatively simple "electronic textbooks" to fairly sophisticated knowledge-based systems, which function as well as, or even better than, human experts faced with similar problems. Knowledge bases have been developed in many fields, but the relatively limited domains and structured language of medicine, as well as the importance of information in the provision of good medical care, have made research in medical knowledge representation an area of intense activity. This paper reviews representative knowledge bases and knowledge-based systems in medicine: electronic textbooks such as PDQ and the Hepatitis Knowledge Base (HKB), rule-based systems such as MYCIN, causal models (e.g., CASNET), and hypothesis- or frame-based systems, exemplified by PIP and INTERNIST-1. The paper describes the relationships among divergent approaches and provides a sense of current and future trends. It examines problems in knowledge-based systems, particularly in knowledge representation and acquisition, and the responses to these challenges. The latter include the use of domain-independent software shells for constructing knowledge bases, the adaptation and use of previously existing knowledge bases, and multiple uses of the same knowledge base for different purposes.     

The effects of a systematic training program on the attitudes and behaviors of white people

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a systematic step-by-step curricular-affective program of race relations training on the attitudes and behaviors of white people. Two attitude scales, the Attitude Exploration Survey and the Steckler Attitude Inventory, are used to assess changes in attitudes. A Behavioral Rating Scale is used by participants and their significant others to assess change in behavior in relations to their behavioral objective. The results indicate that both attitudes and behavior are changed as a result of the training program and that the change is retained eight weeks after completion of the program.     

Teachers' and At‐Risk Students' Stimulated Recall of Instruction

Abstract

Using the stimulated recall of instruction methodology, we interviewed teachers and students at risk for referral to special education about their perceptions, judgments, and decision making during the course of instruction. The results of the teacher interviews suggest that teachers respond to complex collections of student cues in their decision making about students. Teachers described themselves as more frequently monitoring the at‐risk students, although their attempts to modify instruction consisted primarily of attempts to motivate these students. The at‐risk students indicated awareness that they are experiencing difficulty in class, had somewhat less understanding of how teachers attempt to help them, and responded with anger and frustration to their learning problems.