Facilitating the highly bonded cohort: Should more be done to anticipate and reduce the potential for hyper-cohesiveness and deindividuation in therapy training cohorts in universities?

Successfully facilitating learning for small therapy training programmes requires a special understanding of the psychological work of group processes. Students in therapy training spend almost every class together over two or more years. In these student groups, or cohorts, individuals manage themselves within a unique interpersonal and intragroup dynamic. Course instructors must develop their capacity to work effectively with this specific learning milieu. At the same time, the particular dynamics of the cohort context might not be understood by university management where increasingly few cohort contexts exist for students. Consequently, phenomena arising from the specialised nature of the group environment may not be well understood outside of the expertise of the course. In the first part of the paper, the international literature about learning in cohorts is reviewed. In the second part, this reflection is further developed to explore facilitation of a group that has some features of what might be described as negative cohesiveness, or what is described in family theory as enmeshment. Some consideration as to how to anticipate and off-set potential difficulties for groups in therapy training courses is also contributed.     

Fortune favors the bold (and the Italicized): effects of disfluency on educational outcomes

Previous research has shown that disfluency – the subjective experience of difficulty associated with cognitive operations – leads to deeper processing. Two studies explore the extent to which this deeper processing engendered by disfluency interventions can lead to improved memory performance. Study 1 found that information in hard-to-read fonts was better remembered than easier to read information in a controlled laboratory setting. Study 2 extended this finding to high school classrooms. The results suggest that superficial changes to learning materials could yield significant improvements in educational outcomes.     

论当代生命伦理学与人权

生命伦理学面临诸多的伦理问题,其中最为凸显的是人权困境,生命伦理学与人权有着内在的本质联系和契合点,人权是生命伦理的核心和生长点,人权的基本理论和原则使生命伦理学的存在与发展成为可能,并且成为活生生的伦理现实。生命伦理学饱含丰富的人权意蕴,成为人权理论合理性的印证。要科学审视当代生命伦理学和人权关系,化解人权困境,推动生命伦理学的发展。     

学习困难儿童的问题解决特点研究

本研究选取学习困难儿童和正常儿童各 3 2名 ,设置河内塔问题解决的情境 ,采用临床观察法 ,对学习困难儿童在问题解决中的特点作了初步的探究。研究发现 :1与正常儿童相比 ,学习困难儿童在发现和有效运用策略方面明显不足 ,但当学习困难儿童对问题情境比较熟悉后 ,有明显的进步 ;2一定的提示并不能帮助学习困难儿童最有效地应用策略。     

联结竞争对听写困难儿童形音联结编码的影响

听写困难是一种发生率较高的儿童学习障碍现象。听写困难的认知机制,主要包括语音加工缺陷、字形表征缺陷以及形音联结编码缺陷。本研究通过两个实验,考察了整字语音竞争和部件语音竞争,对听写困难儿童形音联结编码的影响。结果发现,在不同条件下,听写困难儿童的形音联结水平都落后于正常儿童;整字语音竞争显著干扰了正常儿童的形音联结编码,但对听写困难儿童的影响并不明显;与之相反的是,部件语音竞争对听写困难儿童的干扰更为明显。研究结果支持听写困难儿童的形音联结编码缺陷理论。在此基础上,听写困难儿童的形音联结较少受到整字语音的竞争干扰,但更容易受到部件语音的竞争干扰,这可能是因为,他(她)们的整体字形加工或表征存在缺陷,导致原生字字形和语音信息难以被激活,以及合体字的部件信息得到更多的加工所致。     

目标设置对写作困难儿童议论文说服力的促进效应研究

将写作困难儿童随机分入三个不同的目标设置组,总目标设置条件要求儿童根据话题写议论文,目标为文章应能说服读者赞同他们的观点;分目标设置条件对儿童有同样的要求,但给儿童提供了以议论文的基本构成为基础的分目标;辩论加分目标设置除了与分目标设置组相同的条件外,还要求儿童在写作前进行辩论。研究结果表明,分目标设置组儿童的议论文比总目标设置组和辩论加分目标设置组儿童的议论文更具说服力度。在文章构成成分上,分目标设置组和辩论加分目标设置组要好于总目标设置组。这三种目标设置中,分目标对写作困难儿童的议论文说服力有很大的促进作用。     

The role of executive functions in bilingual children with reading difficulties

To explore the joint effect of reading difficulties (RD) and bilingualism on executive functions, 190 children of four groups of 9–12 year‐olds (41 bilinguals with RD, 45 monolinguals with RD, 45 bilinguals without RD, and 59 monolinguals without RD) were examined on the Concentration game, Tower of Hanoi, and Stroop as measures of executive functioning tapping into inhibitory/attentional control, working memory and planning ability. The most prominent finding was that in terms of RD, the speed of performances decreased dramatically. This general decrease was more pronounced for bilingual children with RD than for their monolingual counterparts. In conclusion, the findings suggest that while bilinguals gain more from executive functions in normal reading, they lose in terms of RD. Such an outcome confirms that executive functions are essential components of both reading and bilingualism, which depending on whether reading conditions are normal or difficult will produce cognitive advantages or disadvantages. Further, it is argued that dissimilarity between the Farsi and Swedish languages may complicate handling of such a situation.     

Growing up with severe learning difficulties: A longitudinal study of young people and their families

The paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people with severe learning difficulties. Two types of comparison are made: changes between Time 1 and Time 2, and comparisons with the younger age group in the study. The young adults acquired considerably more self-help and communication skills between Time 1 and Time 2. They were less likely to require help with self care than the younger age group and their carers were less stressed. Parents' needs for additional service provision fell into three categories: information needs, help with communication and other skills, and practical help. The greatest need was for information. The main concerns of the mothers at Time 1 and Time 2 are documented. The young adults' preparation for leaving school, current day placements at Social Education Centres and employment prospects are discussed. It is concluded that there are few opportunities to move on to less sheltered environments.     

Working memory resources in young children with mathematical difficulties

Kyttälä, M., Aunio, P. & Hautamäki, J. (2010). Working memory resources in young children with mathematical difficulties. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51 , 1–15.
Working memory (WM) ( Baddeley, 1986, 1997 ) is argued to be one of the most important cognitive resources underlying mathematical competence ( Geary, 2004 ). Research has established close links between WM deficits and mathematical difficulties. This study investigated the possible deficits in WM, language and fluid intelligence that seem to characterize 4- to 6-year-old children with poor early mathematical skills before formal mathematics education. Children with early mathematical difficulties showed poor performance in both verbal and visuospatial WM tasks as well as on language tests and a fluid intelligence test indicating a thoroughly lower cognitive base. Poor WM performance was not moderated by fluid intelligence, but the extent of WM deficits was related to language skills. The educational implications are discussed.     

职业决策困难研究述评

职业决策困难是指个人在职业决策过程中所遇到的各种难题,其一直是生涯心理学当中一个非常重要的研究主题.它会以两种方式影响职业决策结果:一是,导致个体无法做出决定;二是,导致个体做出劣质决定.本文回顾了1980～2012年国内外相关研究,对职业决策困难的概念界定、亚类型、结构、测量工具、影响因素和干预措施进行了系统梳理.在此基础上,对未来研究方向进行了展望,指出未来研究需要进一步清晰界定职业决策困难的内涵和外延、对维度构成达成共识、深入探索形成机制以及加强定制化干预研究.     

不同编码对听写困难儿童字形记忆的促进效应

听写困难是一种发生率较高的儿童学习障碍现象。实验考察笔画语音编码和动作编码对听写困难儿童字形记忆水平的影响。结果发现, 笔画语音编码对听写困难儿童的字形记忆成绩没有明显影响, 但却明显促进了正常儿童的字形记忆成绩; 与之相对, 动作编码对正常儿童的字形记忆成绩没有明显影响, 但却明显促进了听写困难儿童的字形记忆成绩。上述现象, 既可能源于编码加工阶段, 也可能源于字形表征的提取阶段。     

开展保乳手术所遇困难引发的深入思考

随着医学研究的发展及人们对乳腺癌生物学行为的深入认识,保乳手术逐渐成为早期乳腺癌手术治疗的主流,但在我国开展保乳手术却困难重重,这其中既有社会、经济、文化的原因,也有患者、家属的原因,而医务人员本身的原因也不容忽视。     

听写困难儿童的整体字形加工特点

听写困难是指儿童能够认读不能听写的现象。本研究以部件启动和整字启动任务中的探测字命名反应时差值,作为整体字形加工水平的指标,间接考察了听写困难儿童的整体字形加工特点。结果发现,听写对照组被试的整体字形加工在呈现时间为75 ms和300 ms时发生,而在150 ms时没有发生;听写困难组被试的整体字形加工仅在75 ms时发生,而在150 ms和300 ms时未发生。两组被试在75 ms时的整体字形加工水平之间没有显著差异。结果表明,听写困难被试仅仅在早期知觉阶段存在整体字形加工,而在词汇加工阶段的整体字形加工缺乏或延迟。     

小学语文教学中改善学生情绪调节困难状况的实验研究

采用实验组、控制组前后测实验设计,选取42名小学四年级学生,以语文学科教学为依托,运用教学实验方法探索语文教学中改善学生情绪调节困难状况之渗透方式的有效性。结果表明:学科渗透可以在一定程度上改善学生情绪调节困难状况、促进心理素质发展,特别是对中、高程度情绪调节困难学生的改善更为显著;实验组语文学业成绩比控制组有所提高,但并未达到显著性水平。说明学科渗透可以作为学生心理素质教育实施的有效途径之一。     

Stress and coping in mothers caring for a child with severe learning difficulties: A test of Lazarus' transactional model of coping

The literature on psychological stress among women consistently points to the adverse effects of child rearing on mothers, particularly those caring for children with physical or mental handicaps. Early studies of the effects on family functioning of caring for a child with severe learning difficulties adopted a pathological approach in which it was assumed that psychological distress was inevitable among family members, particularly mothers. Recent research has emphasised that many families cope with and adapt to the stress they experience, and seeks to discover how they do so. The paper reports on a study of 166 mothers caring for a child with severe learning difficulties. The aim of the study was to investigate both the factors associated with maternal stress and those which might mediate or buffer the effects of stress. The study used the Folkman and Lazarus' (1979) transactional model of stress. Stress is the condition that results when person/environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy between the demands of a situation and his/her resources or ability to cope with those demands. The nature and type of coping generated by a person will be determined by the coping resources in the person's environment. The model identifies five categories of coping resource: utilitarian resources, health/morale, social networks, general and specific beliefs, and problem solving skills. In our study, the five coping resources were represented by the mother's social class and appraisal of her financial worries, physical health, social support, acceptance of and adjustment to the child, and assessment of coping skills. Stress was measured by the Malaise Inventory (Rutter, 1970). Four of the five coping resources were found to be significant contributors in a hierarchical regression analysis of stress scores, contributing additional variance beyond that of behavioural and other child characteristics. Altogether, 55% of the variance in stress scores was explained.     

心算困难儿童的语音复述

心算中语音复述和计算加工交替进行,其中任何一方面落后都会导致心算困难。使用视觉心算成绩和听觉心算成绩相减的范式,研究计算能力正常但心算水平落后的儿童的语音复述水平。结果发现,不同年级心算困难儿童呈现不同的困难模式,2、4年级心算困难儿童语音复述水平正常,但由于语音工作记忆容量的落后,导致缺少足够的注意资源进行计算加工。3年级心算困难儿童在语音工作记忆容量和语音复述上都存在落后,导致心算困难,呈现出双重困难模式。