Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

The purpose of this paper is to present a cognltively-based and empirically-derived approach for the design of the RadTutor, a prototype computerized tutor to train radiology residents in diagnosing mammograms exhibiting breast diseases. A multitude of computer-based radiology training environments have recently been developed with the objective of supporting the acquisition of radiological expertise. In general, however, these systems have failed in several aspects including a failure to incorporate theoretical perspectives and empirical findings to the design of these systems. This paper outlines the conceptual framework for the development of the prototype which includes; (1) a discussion of the objectives and goals of the radiology residency training program, (2) a review and critique of existing computer-based radiology training environments, (3) a synthesis of an expert-novice study aimed at attaining a cognitive model of problem solving in mammogram interpretation (Azevedo, 1997), (4) a description of the results of analyses of authentic radiology resident teaching rounds, and (5) deriving instructional principles for the design of the mammography tutor.