Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Naturalistic Observations

Naturalistic Observations

If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...

Actor-Observer Effect

Actor-Observer Effect

The actor-observer effect, a cognitive bias closely linked to the fundamental attribution error, refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their behavior to external, situational factors while explaining others’ behavior in terms of internal, dispositional traits. This asymmetry in attribution significantly influences social perception and judgment.Cognitive Mechanisms Behind the EffectTwo primary psychological mechanisms contribute to the actor-observer effect: differences in visual...

Observational Studies

Observational Studies

Observational studies are a type of analytical study where researchers observe events without any interventions. In other words, the researcher does not influence the response variable or the experiment's outcome.
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One example of...

Blind Procedures

Blind Procedures

Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which child was...

Obedience

Obedience

According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

CXD101 and nivolumab in patients with metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (CAROSELL): a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase II trial.

ESMO open·2022

Same author

Digital intervention increases influenza vaccination rates for people with diabetes in a decentralized randomized trial.

NPJ digital medicine·2021

Same author

ESMO's new strategic plan: our society's road to the future of oncology.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2020

Same author

Predicting changes in the status of patient-reported outcome measures after Birmingham Hip Resurfacing: an observational cohort study with a median follow-up of ten years.

The bone & joint journal·2019

Same author

The outcome and survival of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing in patients aged less than 50 years: a prospective observational cohort study with minimum ten-year follow-up.

The bone & joint journal·2019

Same author

Occupational exposure to methoxyflurane administered for procedural sedation: an observational study of 40 exposures.

British journal of anaesthesia·2018

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

Observer error: are medical students good observers?

S M Lavelle¹, D Kerr

¹Department of Experimental Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.

Technology and Health Care : Official Journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine

|June 28, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A classroom exercise significantly improved medical students' observation skills, more than doubling their scores. This educational intervention reduced errors and the benefits were retained long-term, highlighting a key educational strategy.

More Related Videos

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies

Published on: January 16, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies

Published on: January 16, 2019

Area of Science:

Medical Education
Clinical Skills Assessment
Human Observation

Background:

Observer error is a pervasive issue impacting medical practice.
Clinical students often require explicit training in observational techniques.
Systematic observation is crucial for accurate diagnosis and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and evaluate an educational intervention to reduce observer error in clinical students.
To assess the effectiveness of a repeated classroom exercise on observational skills.
To determine the long-term retention of improved observational abilities.

Main Methods:

A classroom-based observational skills exercise was administered six times over separate days.
Students observed simple objects, and their performance was scored.
Corrected feedback was provided to students within 2-3 days.
A universal proforma was tested for its impact on observational scores.

Main Results:

The intervention more than doubled the mean score for observing visible properties.
Both omission and commission errors decreased, with omission errors showing greater improvement.
A universal proforma increased the mean class score by 33% in a separate evaluation.
Improved observational skills were retained five months post-intervention.

Conclusions:

Targeted educational interventions can effectively reduce observer error in medical students.
Repeated practice and timely feedback enhance observational accuracy.
The benefits of observational skills training are durable, suggesting a lasting educational impact.