The robustness of learning through overhearing

Two studies examined the robustness of vocabulary learning through overhearing by testing 48 2-year-olds in contexts in which a potentially distracting activity was present (Studies 1 and 2) and in which the novel word was embedded in a directive rather than a labeling statement (Study 2). The children were equally good at learning a novel object label when there was no distracting activity as when there was. They were also able to learn the word when the object was not explicitly labeled. These findings suggest that young children are keen observers of third-party interactions and that their linguistic input consists of more than just speech directly addressed to them.     

The Role of Indian Madrasahs in Providing Access to Mainstream Education for Muslim Minority Students: A West Bengal Experience

The paper discusses educational constitutional provisions for minorities in India, especially for Muslims. It also portrays the development and contribution of the Madrasah system, particularly in West Bengal, with special reference to efforts made by the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education to bring Muslim children into the national system of education. Based on a survey administered in some madrasahs, the paper also highlights some aspects of their functioning as well as the problems that they are facing. The authors conclude by arguing that such an initiative could inspire other states in India aiming at providing better access to formal education among marginalized groups.     

A Bayesian psychophysical model for angular variables

Bayesian theories of perception provide a link between observed response distributions and theoretical constructs from Bayesian decision theory. Using Bayesian psychophysics we derive response distributions for two cases, one based on a normal distribution and one on a von Mises distribution for angular variables. Interestingly, where the theoretical response distribution is always unimodal in the case of normal distributions, it can become bimodal in the angular setting in the case when prior and likelihood are about equally strong.     

Examining the relationship between use of sexually explicit media and sexual risk behavior in a sample of men who have sex with men in Norway

The purpose of this study was to investigate consumption patterns of gay‐oriented sexually explicit media (SEM) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Norway, with a particular emphasis on a possible relationship between gay SEM consumption and HIV risk behavior. Participants included 529 MSM living in Norway recruited online to complete a SEM consumption and sexual risk survey. Of the 507 participants who responded to the all items measuring exposure to SEM, 19% reported unprotected anal intercourse with a casual partner (UAI) in last 90 days, and 14% reported having had sero‐discordant UAI. Among those with UAI experience, 23% reported receptive anal intercourse (R‐UAI) and 37% reported insertive anal intercourse (I‐UAI). SEM consumption was found to be significantly associated with sexual risk behaviors. Participants with increased consumption of bareback SEM reported higher odds of UAI and I‐UAI after adjusting for other factors using multivariable statistics. MSM who started using SEM at a later age reported lower odds of UAI and I‐UAI than MSM who started earlier. Future research should aim at understanding how MSM develop and maintain SEM preferences and the relationship between developmental and maintenance factors and HIV sexual risk behavior.     

Transnormativity and Transgender Identity Development: A Master Narrative Approach

Sex Roles - Despite rapidly shifting social dynamics and the recent increase in scholarship on transgender identity development, existing research on transgender identity has been theoretically...