Liking for name predicts happiness: A behavioral genetic analysis

Research has established that humans tend to view their names in a positive light and liking for one’s name is positively associated with subjective well-being. In this study, the genetic basis of individual difference in liking for one’s name was examined in a survey of 304 pairs of twins from Beijing, China. Results showed that (1) liking for name was heritable (47%), while unique environment also played a role (53%); (2) the positive association between name-liking and subjective well-being is driven by common genetic (r_g: .21–.41) and non-shared environmental (r_e: .14–.22) influences. These findings have provided novel evidence that liking for one’s name is a fundamentally important trait and further shed light on the understanding of implicit self-esteem.     

Class size effects on literacy skills and literacy interest in first grade: A large-scale investigation

This article examines the impact of class size on literacy skills and on literacy interest in beginning readers from zones with specific educational needs in France. The data came from an experiment involving first graders in which teachers and pupils were randomly assigned to the different class types (small classes of 10-12 pupils vs. regular classes of 20-25 pupils).Globally, the findings reveal that class size has a (small) impact on the two basic literacy skills, reading (word recognition task) and spelling (word production task). Children with high literacy interest made more progress than children with low literacy interest. The analysis also explores the effect of four factors - early schooling, age, first language and socio-economic status - on the same type of literacy skills as above. Smaller classes most specifically improved performances in two types of population: children whose first language is French and children from intermediate and average socio-economic brackets. This means, in contrast, that neither the children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds nor the children whose first language was not French benefited from the use of smaller first grade classes. Data in this experiment are examined in the light of studies on the connections between class size, classroom procedures and pupils' engagement.     

Genetic influences on core self-evaluations,job satisfaction,and work stress: A behavioral genetics mediated model

In this study we investigated the mediated influence of core self-evaluations (CSE) on employee health problems via job satisfaction and work stress, and the degree to which genetic factors explain these mediated relationships. Based on data obtained from a sample of 594 Swedish twins (114 monozygotic twin pairs and 183 dizygotic twin pairs), conventional path analysis results supported the mediated effects of CSE on employee health via job satisfaction and work stress, after controlling for conscientiousness and extraversion. Behavioral genetic analyses showed significant heritability of all four variables. Moreover, we found that the mediated relationships via job satisfaction and work stress are explained by genetic factors, such that the genetic source of job satisfaction and work stress mediates the genetic influence of CSE on health problems. These results highlight the role played by genetic factors in better understanding the relationships between CSE, work attitudes, and health outcomes.     

Trying on and Trying Out: Participatory Action Research as a Tool for Literacy and Identity Work in Middle Grades Classrooms

This article explores the role of collaborative, ethnographic, participatory action research (PAR) with eighth grade students as a set of possible literacy practices for involving students with issues connected to their lives, resources, language(s), and communities. Findings are based on a year of fieldwork conducted as part of shared inquiry into one public school community’s experiences with gentrification and meeting the complex needs of diverse learners. Findings bring to life the ways in which PAR facilitates the redefining of reading, writing, and research; the reconsideration of languages; the rethinking of literacy practices; and the repositioning of participants within and beyond given research endeavors.     

Dialogic reflective e-journaling: providing extra field-based support to special education preservice teachers by enhancing their critical reflection skills and transformative learning

In light of the continual problem of attrition in the field of special education and the need for well-prepared new special education teachers, the purpose of this study was to examine how dialogic reflective e-journaling between the first author and undergraduate preservice teachers impacted the classroom decision-making as well as the transformative learning of these preservice teachers involved in a special education field-based experience in US schools. Performance feedback was given by the first author as part of the teacher preparation supports already in place for the field-based experience. Study findings revealed that dialogic e-journaling enhanced the reflective skills of the study participants when faced with classroom disorienting dilemmas and instigated a positive personal transformation in them as teachers.     

Causality, criticality, and reading words: distinct sources of fractal scaling in behavioral sequences

The finding of fractal scaling (FS) in behavioral sequences has raised a debate on whether FS is a pervasive property of the cognitive system or is the result of specific processes. Inferences about the origins of properties in time sequences are causal. That is, as opposed to correlational inferences reflecting instantaneous symmetrical relations, causal inferences concern asymmetric relations lagged in time. Here, I integrate Granger-causality with inferences about FS. Four simulations illustrate that causal analyses can isolate distinct FS sources, whereas correlational techniques cannot. I then analyze three simultaneous sequences of responses from a database of word-naming trials. I find that two, or perhaps three, distinct sources account for the presence of FS in these sequences, but FS is not a general property of the system. This suggests that FS arises due to the properties of a limited number of identifiable psychological and/or neural processes. Finally, I reanalyze a previously published dataset of acoustic frequency spectra using the new tools. The causality/criticality combination introduced here offers a new important perspective in the study of cognition.     

The tripartite model of fear in children with specific phobias: assessing concordance and discordance using the behavioral approach test

Lang’s tripartite model posits that three main components characterize a fear response: physiological arousal, cognitive (subjective) distress, and behavioral avoidance. These components may occur in tandem with one another (concordance) or they may vary independently (discordance). The behavioral approach test (BAT) has been used to simultaneously examine the three components of the fear response. In the present study, 73 clinic-referred children and adolescents with a specific phobia participated in a phobia-specific BAT. Results revealed an overall pattern of concordance: correlation analyses revealed the three indices were significantly related to one another in the predicted directions. However, considerable variation was noted such that some children were concordant across the response components while others were not. More specifically, based on levels of physiological arousal and subjective distress, two concordant groups (high arousal–high distress, low arousal–low distress) and one discordant (high arousal–low distress or low arousal–high distress) group of youth were identified. These concordant and discordant groups were then compared on the percentage of behavioral steps completed on the BAT. Analyses revealed that the low arousal–low distress group completed a significantly greater percentage of steps than the high arousal–high distress group, and a marginally greater percentage of steps than the discordant group. Potential group differences associated with age, gender, phobia severity, and phobia type were also explored and no significant differences were detected. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed.     

Physical activity and motor skills in children: A differentiated approach

Being physically active plays an essential role in a child's physical development. While there is ample evidence for a positive association between physical activity (PA) and motor skills in children, the question of how PA should be implemented to optimally foster motor skill proficiency is less clear. To address this gap, the current longitudinal study compared four groups of children with different patterns of leisure-time PA engagement—namely children engaging in either structured PA, unstructured PA, a combination of structured and unstructured PA, or no PA at all—with respect to their gross and fine motor skill development. Results of repeated measures mixed modeling procedures revealed that engaging in structured PA—either exclusively or in combination with unstructured PA—is beneficial for children's gross motor development, whereas engaging in unstructured PA lacks such effectiveness. As to fine motor skills, a beneficial tendency of structured PA was observed as well. Hence, PA seems to be beneficial for motor skill development particularly when implemented in a formal setting with guided opportunities for practice. In conclusion, regularly engaging in structured PA constitutes a promising way to promote motor skills and support motor development over the long term.     

Appraisal of behavioral measurement techniques for assessing dental anxiety and fear in children: A review

The aim of this article is to review and evaluate behavioral and physiological measurement techniques frequently used to assess dental anxiety and fear in children. Attention is given to the data collected, the empirical findings obtained, and the availability of normative data. The main focus, however, is on the reliability and validity. Results show that all questionnaires are open to criticism. Of the behavioral measures, Melamed's Behavior Profile Rating Scale is to be preferred to Frankl's Rating Scale, Venham Rating Scales, and Visual Analogue Scales. The main reasons are that Melamed's BPRS measures the behavior of the child more precisely and that it has superior psychometric properties. Furthermore, because of their practical, conceptual, and psychometric problems, physiological measures at this stage are found to be less appropriate for assessing dental fear in children. It is concluded that a behavioral measure is not always the ideal, but often the only available technique for assessing dental fear in children.     

Autonomy support and control within mother-father parenting structures: A person-centered approach in youth sport

In the youth sport context, parents play an important role in the motivation of adolescent athletes. From a self-determination theory viewpoint, the provision of autonomy support versus control by parents is an essential part of this socialization process. The purpose of the present study was threefold: (a) identify distinct mother-father parenting profiles of autonomy support and control based on perceptions of adolescent athletes, (b) examine the unique influence of mother-father parenting profiles on adolescent athletes' motivational responses (i.e., parent-to-child effects), and (c) understand the contribution of adolescent athletes' motivation to the emergence of these mother-father parenting profiles (i.e., child-to-parent effects). To test our hypotheses, a person-centered approach (latent profile analysis) was employed to analyze data collected from a sample of high school athletes (N = 264; Mage = 15.7 years, 64% female). Results provided evidence supporting a four-profile solution: Strong Autonomy Support Dominant: Both Parents (n = 26, 9.8%), Weak Control Dominant: Both Parents (n = 111, 42.0%), Moderate Autonomy Support and Control: Both Parents (n = 21, 8.0%), and Weak Autonomy Support Dominant: Both Parents (n = 106, 40.2%). The four mother-father parenting profiles were found to be differentially predicted by, and predictive of, adolescent athletes' adaptive and maladaptive motivational responses (i.e., basic psychological needs satisfaction, autonomous and controlled motivation). This study illuminated a general pattern of congruency in the provision of autonomy support and control by parents within mother-father parenting structures and contributed empirical evidence pointing to the reciprocal nature of interpersonal processes in parent-athlete relationships.     

履历数据测评的效度分析

履历数据是人员测评的重要手段, 但其组织情景性限制使得国外同类工具不能适用于国内人事选拔, 国内也缺乏实证研究验证其信度、效度。本研究结合某通信企业的招募选拔工作, 开发履历数据分析工具, 选取250名应聘者的履历数据、一般认知能力、大五个性和面试结果数据, 通过效标关联效度、增量效度思想, 分析履历数据有效性。结果表明, 以面试结果为效标, 履历数据具有良好的效标关联效度, 与其他测评工具组合使用时有良好的增量效度。     

The Etiology of Behavior Problems in 7-Year-Old Twins: Substantial Genetic Influence and Negligible Shared Environmental Influence for Parent Ratings and Ratings by Same and Different Teachers

Parent ratings of behavior problems in childhood show substantial genetic influence and modest shared environmental influence. However, few studies have compared these results to teacher ratings and no previous studies have compared same-teacher ratings to different-teacher ratings. 3,714 7-year-old twin pairs in the Twins Early Development Study were rated by parents and teachers on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Substantial heritability and negligible shared environmental influence were found for data from all three raters for total behavior problems, hyperactivity, prosocial behavior, peer problems, conduct problems, and emotional symptoms. Sex-limitation models revealed similar results for males and females, although there was some evidence for greater heritability for boys, especially when twins were rated by the same teacher.     

The effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport using single-case designs: A meta regression analysis of the peer-reviewed studies

We used a novel meta regression analysis approach to examine the effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport assessed using single-case experimental designs (SCEDs). One hundred and twenty-one papers met the inclusion criteria applied to eight database searches and key sport psychology journals. Seventy-one studies reported sufficient detail for effect sizes to be calculated for the effects of psychological skills training on psychological, behavioral, and performance variables. The unconditional mean effect size for weighted (Δ = 2.40) and unweighted (Δ = 2.83) models suggested large improvements in psychological, behavioral, and performance outcomes associated with implementing cognitive-behavioral psychological skills training and behavioral interventions with a SCED. However, meta-regression analysis revealed important heterogeneities and sources of bias within this literature. First, studies using a group-based approach reported lower effect sizes compared to studies using single-case approaches. Second, the single-case studies, (over 90 per cent the effect sizes), revealed upwardly biased effect sizes arising from: (i) positive publication bias such that studies using lower numbers of baseline observations reported larger effects, while studies using larger numbers of baseline observations reported smaller – but still substantial – effects; (ii) not adopting a multiple baseline design; and (iii) not establishing procedural reliability. We recommend that future researchers using SCED’s should consider these methodological issues.     

Reading and related skills in Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9: French normative data from EVALEC

IntroductionTo appropriately assess reading difficulties, tests designed according to an appropriate theoretical framework and based on normative data are required.ObjectiveWe used EVALEC (Sprenger-Charolles, Colé, Béchennec, & Kipffer-Piquard, 2005) to collect data on the word-level reading skills and reading-related skills (phonemic awareness, phonological short-term memory, and rapid naming) of middle school children (Grades 6 to 9, about 80 in each grade).MethodIn the tests focused on word-level reading skills, the effects of regularity (regular vs. irregular words), lexicality, and length (short vs. long irregular words and pseudowords) were examined. Accuracy and processing times were recorded for all tests.ResultsThe effects of both regularity and lexicality were significant, whatever the measure and independently of grade. Both accuracy and speed were lower for longer pseudowords, whereas length did not have a significant effect on irregular word latencies and, surprisingly, long irregular words were read more accurately than short ones. Reading level as assessed by a standardized test (Lefavrais, 2005) was not predicted by phonological short-term memory; rapid naming (color names) and phonemic awareness were both predictors but, in both cases, only response times predicted reading level.ConclusionThese results, and particularly those from the reading tasks, are discussed in relation to models of written-word recognition developed to account for the reading of multisyllabic items (Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2010) in orthographies shallower than English (Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2014).     

Downsizing,changes in work,and self-rated health of employees: A 7-year 3-wave panel study

Abstract

The question of whether changes in work and interpersonal relationships mediate the adverse effects of downsizing on health of employees was explored. Longitudinal data from a 7-year study of 550 municipal workers in a variety of jobs was collected before, immediately after, and 4 years after downsizing. The degree of downsizing for each job category was assessed using organizational records of contracted days worked. Downsizing predicted adverse changes in work characteristics and a long-lasting decline in self-rated health. Decreased job control, high job insecurity and increased physical demands, in combination, appeared to be the linking mechanism between downsizing and general health. Interestingly, social conflict did not play a role in the mediation process.     

Newborn behavioral observations system in rural Pakistan: A feasibility and acceptability study

The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system is a relationship-based tool that helps parents recognize their infant's competencies and learn their behavioral cues, with the goals of enhancing parental responsiveness and satisfaction in the infant-parent relationship. In our study, a pediatrician integrated the NBO into 44 pediatric health care visits of infants in rural Pakistan villages, under the remote guidance of two U.S.-based child psychiatrists. A clinician then gave the mothers a survey about their experience of the NBO and found that the mothers were highly satisfied, reporting greater appreciation of their infant's strengths, greater understanding of their infant's behavioral cues, stronger attachment to their infant, and greater self-confidence as a mother. In their consideration of these results, the authors explore cultural reasons for the mothers’ responses and generate hypotheses to inform an outcome study of a similar intervention. This was a feasibility and acceptability study and was not randomized, had no control group, and did not use objective measures of outcome.