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James‐Brabham E, Loveridge T, Sella F, Wakeling P, Carroll DJ, Blakey E. How do socioeconomic attainment gaps in early mathematical ability arise? Child Dev 2023; 94:1550-1565. [PMID: 37248732 PMCID: PMC10953023 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Socioeconomic attainment gaps in mathematical ability are evident before children begin school, and widen over time. Little is known about why early attainment gaps emerge. Two cross-sectional correlational studies were conducted in 2018-2019 with socioeconomically diverse preschoolers, to explore four factors that might explain why attainment gaps arise: working memory, inhibitory control, verbal ability, and frequency of home mathematical activities (N = 304, 54% female; 84% White, 10% Asian, 1% black African, 1% Kurdish, 4% mixed ethnicity). Inhibitory control and verbal ability emerged as indirect factors in the relation between socioeconomic status and mathematical ability, but neither working memory nor home activities did. We discuss the implications this has for future research to understand, and work towards narrowing attainment gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Toni Loveridge
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Francesco Sella
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition and Centre for Early Mathematics Learning, Department of Mathematics EducationLoughborough UniversityLoughboroughUK
| | | | | | - Emma Blakey
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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2
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Studenica A, Laketa A, Chrysochoou E, Blakey E, Vivas AB. The influence of bilingualism on adolescent cognition: The roles of biculturalism, the bilingual profile, and linguistic similarity. Cognitive Development 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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3
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Baumbusch J, Blakey E, Carapellotti A, Dohmen M, Kagan SH, Melendez-Torres GJ. This alarm is not a drill: We call gerontological nurses to act on climate change. Int J Older People Nurs 2021; 16:e12421. [PMID: 34486228 DOI: 10.1111/opn.12421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sarah H Kagan
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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4
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Hoerl C, Lorimer S, McCormack T, Lagnado DA, Blakey E, Tecwyn EC, Buehner MJ. Temporal Binding, Causation, and Agency: Developing a New Theoretical Framework. Cogn Sci 2021; 44:e12843. [PMID: 32419274 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In temporal binding, the temporal interval between one event and another, occurring some time later, is subjectively compressed. We discuss two ways in which temporal binding has been conceptualized. In studies showing temporal binding between a voluntary action and its causal consequences, such binding is typically interpreted as providing a measure of an implicit or pre-reflective "sense of agency." However, temporal binding has also been observed in contexts not involving voluntary action, but only the passive observation of a cause-effect sequence. In those contexts, it has been interpreted as a top-down effect on perception reflecting a belief in causality. These two views need not be in conflict with one another, if one thinks of them as concerning two separate mechanisms through which temporal binding can occur. In this paper, we explore an alternative possibility: that there is a unitary way of explaining temporal binding both within and outside the context of voluntary action as a top-down effect on perception reflecting a belief in causality. Any such explanation needs to account for ways in which agency, and factors connected with agency, has been shown to affect the strength of temporal binding. We show that principles of causal inference and causal selection already familiar from the literature on causal learning have the potential to explain why the strength of people's causal beliefs can be affected by the extent to which they are themselves actively involved in bringing about events, thus in turn affecting binding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
| | | | | | - Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield
| | - Emma C Tecwyn
- School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University
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5
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Abstract
Changing the way children make their response appears to sometimes, but not always, boost their inhibitory control-though interpreting existing findings is hampered by inconsistent methods and results. This study investigated the effects of delaying, and changing, the means of responding. Ninety-six preschoolers (Mage 46 months) completed tasks assessing inhibitory control, counterfactual reasoning, strategic reasoning, and false belief understanding. Children responded either immediately or after a delay, and either by pointing with their finger, or with a hand-held arrow. Delaying boosted performance on all tasks except false belief understanding; arrow-pointing only improved strategic reasoning. It is suggested that delay helps children work out the correct response; it is unlikely to help on tasks where this requirement is absent.
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Baumbusch J, Blakey E, Carapellotti A, Dohmen M, Kagan SH, Melendez-Torres GJ. Our tips for you: Ideas for authors from the IJOPN Editorial Team. Int J Older People Nurs 2021; 16:e12376. [PMID: 34018331 DOI: 10.1111/opn.12376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marleen Dohmen
- Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, XX, The Netherlands
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Laketa A, Studenica A, Chrysochoou E, Blakey E, Vivas AB. Biculturalism, linguistic distance, and bilingual profile effects on the bilingual influence on cognition: A comprehensive multipopulation approach. J Exp Psychol Gen 2021; 150:2273-2292. [PMID: 33856851 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The idea that being bilingual benefits one's cognitive development and performance has been greatly challenged over the last years. If such an effect exists, as some studies continue to show, it might actually be restricted to particular contexts and bilingual profiles; not unlikely, considering the enormous diversity in the latter across the world. In this study, we assessed 4 different bilingual populations (N = 201) and 2 monolingual populations (N = 105), in the Balkan region. We formed bilingual groups based on (a) acculturation strategy (bicultural vs. monocultural), (b) linguistic distance, as well as (c) bilingual profile (balanced vs. unbalanced), based on linguistic, affective, and acculturation measures and cluster analysis. Beyond prior work, this allowed us to explore the specific conditions under which any cognitive advantage may be observed in bilinguals. We did not find systematic evidence for positive effects of bilingualism, biculturalism, or a balanced bilingual profile on inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, monitoring, and proactive-reactive control management. The only evidence pointing to an advantage was restricted to Bosnian-Albanian bilinguals (linguistic distance analyses) and their general monitoring capacity. Acculturation strategy though, played an important role in shaping the bilinguals' language profile, and appeared to have independent effects on cognition from bilingualism. On this basis, acculturation should be considered in future explorations of bilingual cognitive development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield
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8
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Lorimer S, McCormack T, Blakey E, Lagnado DA, Hoerl C, Tecwyn EC, Buehner MJ. The developmental profile of temporal binding: From childhood to adulthood. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2020; 73:1575-1586. [PMID: 32338574 PMCID: PMC7534204 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820925075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Temporal binding refers to a phenomenon whereby the time interval between a cause and its effect is perceived as shorter than the same interval separating two unrelated events. We examined the developmental profile of this phenomenon by comparing the performance of groups of children (aged 6–7, 7–8, and 9–10 years) and adults on a novel interval estimation task. In Experiment 1, participants made judgements about the time interval between (a) their button press and a rocket launch, and (b) a non-causal predictive signal and rocket launch. In Experiment 2, an additional causal condition was included in which participants made judgements about the interval between an experimenter’s button press and the launch of a rocket. Temporal binding was demonstrated consistently and did not change in magnitude with age: estimates of delay were shorter in causal contexts for both adults and children. In addition, the magnitude of the binding effect was greater when participants themselves were the cause of an outcome compared with when they were mere spectators. This suggests that although causality underlies the binding effect, intentional action may modulate its magnitude. Again, this was true of both adults and children. Taken together, these results are the first to suggest that the binding effect is present and developmentally constant from childhood into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | | | - Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David A Lagnado
- Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christoph Hoerl
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Emma C Tecwyn
- School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
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Blakey E, Carapellotti A, Chilvers D, Kagan SH, Melendez-Torres GJ, O'Connosr S. Our Gratitude and a Reminder to Pivot, Not Jump. Int J Older People Nurs 2020; 15:e12324. [PMID: 32413242 DOI: 10.1111/opn.12324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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10
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Blakey E, Matthews D, Cragg L, Buck J, Cameron D, Higgins B, Pepper L, Ridley E, Sullivan E, Carroll DJ. The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Dev 2020; 91:1594-1614. [PMID: 32031254 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The socioeconomic attainment gap in mathematics starts early and increases over time. This study aimed to examine why this gap exists. Four-year-olds from diverse backgrounds were randomly allocated to a brief intervention designed to improve executive functions (N = 87) or to an active control group (N = 88). The study was preregistered and followed CONSORT guidelines. Executive functions and mathematical skills were measured at baseline, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year posttraining. Executive functions mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and mathematical skills. Children improved over training, but this did not transfer to untrained executive functions or mathematics. Executive functions may explain socioeconomic attainment gaps, but cognitive training directly targeting executive functions is not an effective way to narrow this gap.
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Tecwyn EC, Bechlivanidis C, Lagnado DA, Hoerl C, Lorimer S, Blakey E, McCormack T, Buehner MJ. Causality influences children's and adults' experience of temporal order. Dev Psychol 2020; 56:739-755. [PMID: 31944800 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although it has long been known that time is a cue to causation, recent work with adults has demonstrated that causality can also influence the experience of time. In causal reordering (Bechlivanidis & Lagnado, 2013, 2016) adults tend to report the causally consistent order of events rather than the correct temporal order. However, the effect has yet to be demonstrated in children. Across four preregistered experiments, 4- to 10-year-old children (N = 813) and adults (N = 178) watched a 3-object Michotte-style "pseudocollision." While in the canonical version of the clip, object A collided with B, which then collided with object C (order: ABC), the pseudocollision involved the same spatial array of objects but featured object C moving before object B (order: ACB), with no collision between B and C. Participants were asked to judge the temporal order of events and whether object B collided with C. Across all age groups, participants were significantly more likely to judge that B collided with C in the 3-object pseudocollision than in a 2-object control clip (where clear causal direction was lacking), despite the spatiotemporal relations between B and C being identical in the two clips (Experiments 1-3). Collision judgments and temporal order judgments were not entirely consistent, with some participants-particularly in the younger age range-basing their temporal order judgments on spatial rather than temporal information (Experiment 4). We conclude that in both children and adults, rather than causal impressions being determined only by the basic spatial-temporal properties of object movement, schemata are used in a top-down manner when interpreting perceptual displays. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
| | - Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield
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Hostler TJ, Poerio GL, Blakey E. Still More Than a Feeling: Commentary on Cash et al., "Expectancy Effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" and Recommendations for Measurement in Future ASMR Research. Multisens Res 2019; 32:521-531. [PMID: 31128572 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20191366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) - the sensory phenomenon experienced by some people in response to visual and auditory stimuli such as whispering - has attracted substantial public attention but is not yet well understood or well established within the scientific community. Recent research published in PeerJ by Cash, Heisick and Papesh (2018) investigated whether ASMR could be a placebo effect (resulting from expectation) rather than a genuine experience triggered by ASMR-inducing stimuli. In this article, we provide a commentary on Cash et al.'s findings and argue that they provide evidence for (rather than against) the veracity of ASMR. We discuss issues regarding the measurement of ASMR and end by providing some recommendations on how to assess ASMR as both a state and a trait, in the hope of galvanising collaborative research efforts in the emerging field of ASMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Hostler
- 1Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Emma Blakey
- 2Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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13
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Blakey E, Tecwyn EC, McCormack T, Lagnado DA, Hoerl C, Lorimer S, Buehner MJ. When causality shapes the experience of time: Evidence for temporal binding in young children. Dev Sci 2018; 22:e12769. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology The University of Sheffield SheffieldUK
| | | | | | | | | | - Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology Queen's University Belfast BelfastUK
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14
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Poerio GL, Blakey E, Hostler TJ, Veltri T. More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196645. [PMID: 29924796 PMCID: PMC6010208 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) describes the experience of tingling sensations in the crown of the head, in response to a range of audio-visual triggers such as whispering, tapping, and hand movements. Public interest in ASMR has risen dramatically and ASMR experiencers watch ASMR videos to promote relaxation and sleep. Unlike ostensibly similar emotional experiences such as “aesthetic chills” from music and awe-inspiring scenarios, the psychological basis of ASMR has not yet been established. We present two studies (one large-scale online experiment; one laboratory study) that test the emotional and physiological correlates of the ASMR response. Both studies showed that watching ASMR videos increased pleasant affect only in people who experienced ASMR. Study 2 showed that ASMR was associated with reduced heart rate and increased skin conductance levels. Findings indicate that ASMR is a reliable and physiologically-rooted experience that may have therapeutic benefits for mental and physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Lara Poerio
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas J. Hostler
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Theresa Veltri
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Blakey E, Carroll DJ. Not All Distractions Are the Same: Investigating Why Preschoolers Make Distraction Errors When Switching. Child Dev 2017; 89:609-619. [DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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17
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Abstract
Improvements in cognitive flexibility during the preschool years have been linked to developments in both working memory and inhibitory control, though the precise contribution of each remains unclear. In the current study, one hundred and twenty 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds completed two rule-switching tasks. In one version, children switched rules in the presence of conflicting information, and in the other version, children switched rules in the presence of distracting information. Switching in the presence of conflict improved rapidly between the ages of 3 and 3.5 years, and was associated with better working memory. Conversely, switching in the presence of distraction developed significantly between the ages of 2 and 3 years, and was associated with better inhibitory control.
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Abstract
Emma Blakey considers one of most important lessons she learnt as a student nurse on placement, and explores how team work can influence patient care and how solidarity can change society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Third year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University
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Abstract
Cognitive training has been shown to improve executive functions (EFs) in middle childhood and adulthood. However, fewer studies have targeted the preschool years-a time when EFs undergo rapid development. The present study tested the effects of a short four session EF training program in 54 four-year-olds. The training group significantly improved their working memory from pre-training relative to an active control group. Notably, this effect extended to a task sharing few surface features with the trained tasks, and continued to be apparent 3 months later. In addition, the benefits of training extended to a measure of mathematical reasoning 3 months later, indicating that training EFs during the preschool years has the potential to convey benefits that are both long-lasting and wide-ranging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield , Sheffield, UK
| | - Daniel J Carroll
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield , Sheffield, UK
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20
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Blakey E. What I would have told my first-year self. Br J Nurs 2015; 24:679. [PMID: 26153806 DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2015.24.13.679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Emma Blakey looks back over her nursing degree course and thinks of some advice she might have appreciated at the start of it—advice that others could benefit from as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Third year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University
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Blakey E. Reliance on technology and the future of dialysis. Br J Nurs 2015; 24:413. [PMID: 25849241 DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2015.24.7.413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Emma Blakey discusses her experience of working on a dialysis unit, how strange it felt to be so reliant on machines and how important it is to be aware of national policy debates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Third year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University
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Abstract
Emma Blakey wanted to experience life as a nursing student in Spain, to see a different way of nursing and to explore the impact of austerity measures. She reflects on her time in Valencia and how this experience has influenced her nursing practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Blakey
- Second year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University
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