Research has shown that the beneficial effects of peer collaboration are not always apparent until some time has elapsed. Such delayed effects are not readily incorporated in current models of collaborative learning, but because they constitute incubation effects in the psychological sense of the term, they should in principle be consistent with cognitive accounts of how incubation occurs. Accordingly, the paper reports three studies which test whether, in accordance with cognitive models of incubation, the delayed effects of peer collaboration could result from: (a) the breaking over time of unhelpful mental sets, (b) the engagement in post-collaborative reflective appraisal, and (c) the experience of subsequent events that, thanks to collaboration, can be used productively. The studies involved 9- to 12-year-old children working on the factors relevant to floating and sinking. The results provide no evidence for the relevance of set breaking or reflective appraisal, but suggest strongly that peer collaboration can 'prime' children to make good use of subsequent input. It is argued that in addition to clarifying how the delayed effects occur and applying incubation models in a novel context, the results flag up issues that are common to collaborative and cognitive theory, and that neither address adequately.

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IntroductionDementia is predominantly a disease of later life but there are at least 15 000 people under 65yrs who have the illness. Symptom relief is often missed as these patients are unable to communicate effectively.Aims of the ProjectImprove the quality of End of life Care for people who are diagnosed with dementia admitted to hospitalIncrease the awareness of staff caring for these patientsPromote advance care planning for people with dementiaSupport families of people suffering from dementia with decision makingMethodsA flow chart was designed and coloured to reflect the local End of Life Care Model. There was close liaison with trust staff about developments in dementia care within the acute setting and teaching materials were developed to train staff on caring for patients with dementia in their last days of life.ResultsThe Trust collated results from the dementia screening tool used to asses every patient over 75yrs; it demonstrated an Increase in knowledge for staff in trust to recognise dementia as a terminal disease.DiscussionThe project aimed to support patients with dementia from diagnosis to bereavement. The work was a collaboration between the Acute Trust and local hospice services. Work streams were formed to develop care pathways, integrated working and shared learning. The trust adopted the butterfly scheme which the CNS team promoted when visiting patients with dementia and raise awareness of importance of advanced care planning for these patients.ConclusionImproving the knowledge of staff around caring for patients that are dying who have dementia improves their ability to effectively observe and manage symptoms, improves the quality of care and job satisfaction whilst improving outcomes and relieving distress for patients and families.