Pedestrians perceptions for utilization of pedestrian facilities – Delhi,India

Pedestrian fatalities from 2001 to 2009 in Delhi, India show that pedestrians have the largest share in total road fatalities. Though, facilities like pedestrian underpasses and overpasses are provided to cross the road at several locations, all too often pedestrians do not use them. This study was designed to analyze the pedestrians’ perceptions for underutilization of pedestrian facilities.Five hundred pedestrians were interviewed at seven different locations based on available pedestrian facilities such as zebra crossing, pedestrian underpasses and overpasses. Analysis of usage of these facilities showed that usage of underpasses and zebra crossing is less by female respondents. To know the safety and convenience perception of pedestrians with respect to a specific facility, ordinal logit model was used in this study. Results showed that convenience perception is statistically significant (at 95% CI) for the use of zebra crossings.The conclusions drawn from this study can be used to improve the state of pedestrian facilities in Delhi for prioritization of the facilities based on stated preferences.     

Children’s street crossing performance when auditory information about traffic is lacking

PurposeThe current study examined the impact on children’s street crossing behaviors of not having auditory-based information about traffic when crossing streets.MethodUsing a fully-immersive virtual reality system, numerous indices of children’s street crossing behaviors were measured both when they had auditory-based information about traffic and when this was lacking.ResultsThe lack of traffic sounds did not influence the inter-vehicle gap size that children crossed into but it did result in slower initiations and, ultimately, more high-risk outcomes (close calls and hits).ConclusionTraffic sounds significantly contribute to enhance children’s safety when crossing streets. Cars with reduced sounds (e.g., electric) and anything that interferes with children accessing auditory-based traffic information (e.g., wearing headphones) could increase their risk of pedestrian injury.     

Classroom observations of students with and without ADHD: Differences across types of engagement

The current study examined the behaviors related to academic engagement exhibited by students with ADHD during instruction in math and reading. A total of 155 students (92 ADHD, 63 recruited controls) in grades 1 through 4 participated in the study. Results revealed that students with ADHD exhibited statistically significant lower rates of academic engagement and higher rates of off-task behaviors than recruited controls and randomly selected peer comparisons. Specifically, students with ADHD exhibited statistically significant lower rates of passive academic engagement (PET) than recruited controls and peer comparisons; however no group differences were found with regard to active engaged time (AET). In addition, students with ADHD exhibited lower rates of AET than PET, a finding observed among both recruited controls and randomly selected peer comparisons. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The effect of drivers’ eye contact on pedestrians’ perceived safety

Many fatal accidents that involve pedestrians occur at road crossings, and are attributed to a breakdown of communication between pedestrians and drivers. Thus, it is important to investigate how forms of communication in traffic, such as eye contact, influence crossing decisions. Thus far, there is little information about the effect of drivers’ eye contact on pedestrians’ perceived safety to cross the road. Existing studies treat eye contact as immutable, i.e., it is either present or absent in the whole interaction, an approach that overlooks the effect of the timing of eye contact. We present an online crowdsourced study that addresses this research gap. 1835 participants viewed 13 videos of an approaching car twice, in random order, and held a key whenever they felt safe to cross. The videos differed in terms of whether the car yielded or not, whether the car driver made eye contact or not, and the times when the driver made eye contact. Participants also answered questions about their perceived intuitiveness of the driver’s eye contact behavior. The results showed that eye contact made people feel considerably safer to cross compared to no eye contact (an increase in keypress percentage from 31% to 50% was observed). In addition, the initiation and termination of eye contact affected perceived safety to cross more strongly than continuous eye contact and a lack of it, respectively. The car’s motion, however, was a more dominant factor. Additionally, the driver’s eye contact when the car braked was considered intuitive, and when it drove off, counterintuitive. In summary, this study demonstrates for the first time how drivers’ eye contact affects pedestrians’ perceived safety as a function of time in a dynamic scenario and questions the notion in recent literature that eye contact in road interactions is dispensable. These findings may be of interest in the development of automated vehicles (AVs), where the driver of the AV might not always be paying attention to the environment.     

对论及医院伦理委员会功能之论文的分析研究

检索1989年～2005年间讨论医院伦理委员会功能的论文,通过文献研究的方法,对论及医院伦理委员会功能之论文的历年篇数变化情况、发表论文地区、作者所属机构、发表刊物及所探讨的功能等几个方面进行整理、归纳、统计,并对所得结果进行分析.     

Mommy is only happy! Dutch mothers’ realisation of speech sounds in infant-directed speech expresses emotion,not didactic intent

Exaggeration of the vowel space in infant-directed speech (IDS) is well documented for English, but not consistently replicated in other languages or for other speech-sound contrasts. A second attested, but less discussed, pattern of change in IDS is an overall rise of the formant frequencies, which may reflect an affective speaking style. The present study investigates longitudinally how Dutch mothers change their corner vowels, voiceless fricatives, and pitch when speaking to their infant at 11 and 15 months of age. In comparison to adult-directed speech (ADS), Dutch IDS has a smaller vowel space, higher second and third formant frequencies in the vowels, and a higher spectral frequency in the fricatives. The formants of the vowels and spectral frequency of the fricatives are raised more strongly for infants at 11 than at 15 months, while the pitch is more extreme in IDS to 15-month olds. These results show that enhanced positive affect is the main factor influencing Dutch mothers’ realisation of speech sounds in IDS, especially to younger infants. This study provides evidence that mothers’ expression of emotion in IDS can influence the realisation of speech sounds, and that the loss or gain of speech clarity may be secondary effects of affect.     

家中不同游戏情境中婴儿与父母交流行为的比较研究

采用录像手段,考察真实的家庭环境中,16名婴儿与父亲和母亲在自由游戏和完成任务游戏情境中的交流行为。研究结果表明,无论在自由游戏还是在完成任务游戏中,母亲的表态行为都比父亲的多些。婴儿对母亲的表态行为比对父亲的多,对父亲的行动祈求、信息祈求和注意祈求行为比对母亲的多。在自由游戏中,母亲比父亲更多地承诺参与儿童的游戏。总体上,父母亲根据交流情境选择交流行为外,也表现出自身的特点,孩子则根据交流对象的选择交流行为。     

The Nuts and Bolts of Behavioral Observation of Marital and Family Interaction

Despite considerable discussion in the literature about the advantages of observational research and the relative benefits of different coding systems and strategies, little is written about the actual implementation of this assessment strategy. This paper presents an overall framework as well as the essential components involved in collecting (selection of task, setting, unit of analysis, and coding system) and coding (transcribing, selecting and training coders, transforming data, and analyzing reliability) of observational data. To achieve success with observational methods, we emphasize several issues, including (a) the research question as the motivator for all decisions, (b) the interrelatedness of tasks, and (c) the implications of decisions early in the process for later stages of analysis and interpretation. Investigators are encouraged to communicate the details of their observational and coding procedures so that these methods are readily accessible for purposes of replication and comparison.     

失语：医患交往中的沉默现象反思

本文从医生和患者交往的失语现象入手,采取案例分析的方法,分析了沉默的不同类型及特点,指出沉默的原因是对医患沟通的忽视,医生的无暇,受传统父权思想的影响,其根源在于人文精神的失落,并有针对性地提出了沉默的唤醒的途径和治疗失语的方法。     

An investigation of the theoretical content of physical activity brochures

New evidence-based physical activity (PA) guidelines and recommendations for constructing messages supplementing the guidelines have been put forth. As well, recent reviews have identified theoretical constructs that hold promise as targets for intervention: self-regulation, outcome expectancies and self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the integration of messages targeting self-regulation, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies in existing physical activity brochures. Twenty-two PA brochures from Canadian and American National Health Organizations were assessed for their use self-efficacy, self-regulatory processes and outcome expectancies. Brochures were analyzed line-by-line using a modified version of the validated Content Analysis Approach to Theory-Specified Persuasive Educational Communication (CAATSPEC; Abraham, Southby, Quandte, Krahé, & van der Sluijs, 2007). Two independent raters coded a third of the brochures (n = 7). Inter-rater reliability was acceptable for 17 of the 20 categories (rs > .79). Discrepancies in all categories were discussed and agreement was reached. The remaining brochures were coded by one of the two raters. Usage of the three key theoretical constructs accounted for only 36.43% of brochure content (20.23% self-efficacy, 10.40% outcome expectancies, 5.80% self-regulation). Brochures lacked the use of a variety of theoretical strategies, specifically goal-setting, planning and verbal persuasion and rarely highlighted the affective benefits of physical activity. In the future brochures should aim to place increased emphasis on self-regulation, self-efficacy, and affective outcome expectancies.     

家中游戏情境对父婴交流行为的影响

采用录像手段,考察真实的家庭环境中,自由游戏和完成任务游戏情境对16对父婴交流行为的影响。研究结果表明：父亲表现出高控制的交流行为,以行动指令和信息祈求①为主,孩子则以顺从行为为主。游戏情境对父亲的部分交流行为有明显影响,父亲在自由游戏中的信息祈求行为①比在任务游戏中多,断言行为②比在任务游戏中少。总体上,父亲根据游戏情境调整自己的交流行为,婴儿也表现出相应的适应性行为。     

Influence of Parenting Factors on Childhood Social Anxiety: Direct Observation of Parental Warmth and Control

The purpose of the present study is to determine the association of parenting behaviors and social anxiety in children. Three parental factors—including parental socialization, control, and warmth—were investigated in a sample of 31 two-parent families. Rather than solely relying upon retrospective questionnaires, this study incorporated direct observation and a Daily Activity Log to assess the qualities of social interaction. Moderate associations between parental control and child anxiety symptoms were found, with no support for the association between parental warmth and child anxiety. More specifically, maternal overprotection and observed negative commands related to child social anxiety, and paternal overprotection related to child general anxiety. Several gender differences were found regarding the impact of parent behaviors on child anxiety. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

The development of responses to people and a toy in infants with down syndrome

The behavior of eight infants with Down syndrome was observed biweekly from 8 to 24 weeks and monthly up to 48 weeks. At each visit the infants were presented with their mother, a female stranger, and a rattle puppet that were alternately active and passive. Each condition lasted 60 s. The results showed that by 4 months of age the infants began to differentiate, in the proportion of time they looked, smiled, and vocalized, between people and the toy. They did not discriminate, however, between mother and female stranger and between the active and passive adults until the second half of the first year. In particular, whereas normal infants usually show distress toward passive or “still-face” adults, the infants in this study continued to vocalize, at times even with smiling faces. The implications of these atypical aspects of the social development of infants with Down syndrome for their subsequent nonverbal communicative development are discussed.     

Family interaction and child psychopathology: A comparison of two observation strategies

We examined two systems of assessing family interactions that are in common usage: a home based observation of free parent-child interaction and a clinic based observation of a structured mother-child problem solving discussion. Participants were 18 depressed, 27 conduct disordered and 16 comparison children and their mothers. Results indicated that: 1) these observations may yield very different data about child, and to a lesser extent, parent behavior, 2) parental affect in the clinic was related to their level of aversive behaviour in the home, 3) levels of both aversive and positive behavior for children and their mothers were correlated within each setting, 4) accuracy of diagnostic classifications made on the basis of the observational data were highest for comparison and conduct disordered children, but lowest for depressed children observed in the clinic, and 5) the inclusion of data on mothers' behavior increased classification accuracy for conduct disordered children only.