Do prior knowledge, personality and visual perceptual ability predict student performance in microscopic pathology?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES There has been long-standing controversy regarding aptitude testing and selection for medical education. Visual perception is considered particularly important for detecting signs of disease as part of diagnostic procedures in, for example, microscopic pathology, radiology and dermatology and as a component of perceptual motor skills in medical procedures such as surgery. In 1968 the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) was introduced in dental education. The aim of the present pilot study was to explore possible predictors of performance in diagnostic classification based on microscopic observation in the context of an undergraduate pathology course. METHODS A pre- and post-test of diagnostic classification performance, test of visual perceptual skill (Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, 3rd edition [TVPS-3]) and a self-report instrument of personality (Big Five Personality Inventory) were administered. In addition, data on academic performance (performance in histology and cell biology, a compulsory course taken the previous year, in addition to performance on the microscopy examination and final examination) were collected. RESULTS The results indicated that one personality factor (Conscientiousness) and one element of visual perceptual ability (spatial relationship awareness) predicted performance on the pre-test. The only factor to predict performance on the post-test was performance on the pre-test. Similarly, the microscopy examination score was predicted by the pre-test score, in addition to the histology and cell biology grade. The course examination score was predicted by two personality factors (Conscientiousness and lack of Openness) and the histology and cell biology grade. CONCLUSIONS Visual spatial ability may be related to performance in the initial phase of training in microscopic pathology. However, from a practical point of view, medical students are able to learn basic microscopic pathology using worked-out examples, independently of measures of personality or visual perceptual ability. This finding should reassure students about their abilities to improve with training independently of their scores on tests on basic abilities and personality.

Expertise under the microscope: processing histopathological slides

“…As a result, novices failed to translate one type of image into the other. The elementary role of visual spatial ability in microscopy has also been shown by Helle et al 22 in early stages of learning.…”

Interplays of psychometric abilities on learning gross anatomy

“…A longitudinal study investigating personality and performance across a medical school found that conscientiousness was a strong predictor of performance in all years and its predictive validity increased over time, as did those for extraversion and openness (Lievens et al, 2009). Staff and peer ratings of professionalism in medical school have been positively associated with conscientiousness behaviors McLachlan et al, 2009), and higher levels of conscientiousness have been associated with better medical student performance on anatomy examinations (Finn et al, 2015) and diagnostic tests in a pathology course (Helle et al, 2010).…”

Personality assessments and outcomes in medical education and the practice of medicine: AMEE Guide No. 79

“…A number of researchers in medical education have confirmed that personality measures can contribute valuable information to the selection of medical students (Walton 1987;Helle et al 2010). It is suggested that the assessment of personality must be given a major role in physician training (Walton 1987).…”