Validating Panga Munthu Test and Porteus Maze Test (wooden form) in Zambia

This study aims at validating two non-verbal, non paper-and-pencil tests, namely Panga Munthu and Porteus Maze (wooden form) on the basis of age differentiation and school performance. The subjects included Zambian school children from an intellectually average group aged 7–8 years, 9–10 years and 11–12 years; and also 11–12 years-old bright and dull school children. The results show that the two tests differentiate the three age groups, but not the bright, average and dull 11–12 year old children. The tests in their present form thereby seem to measure some factor which matures with age, but they are not useful at predicting school performance. In Africa, especially rural Africa, intelligent behaviour is not usually measured by acadmic excellence. A study of the relationship between these tests and the African criteria for intelligence is recommended.     

Sex-role ideology and children's drawings: Does the jack-o-lantern smile or scare?

Jack-o-lanterns drawn by kindergarteners were submitted to adult judges who were asked both to identify the child's gender from the drawing and to give reasons for the judgment made. Judges agreed that the characteristics distinguishing girls' from boys' drawings were use of details, neatness, colorfulness, smiling face, and symmetry; while boys' drawings differed from girls' in their frightening faces, messiness, incompleteness, and unconventionality. Judges were accurate about 60% of the time in identifying boys but only about 30% of the time in identifying girls, a statistically reliable difference.The cooperation of the kindergarten children in South Road (SR) and West Kingston (WK) schools, their teachers, Frances Streeter and Susan Wise, and their principals, John Fratiello and Richard Corcoran, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also extended to the university students whose participation contributed to this investigation.     

Relations between life difficulties, measures of working memory operation, and examination performance in a student sample

This study investigated the hypothesis that the negative effect of life difficulties on examination performance in university students (Andrews & Wilding, 2004) can be explained by impairment of working memory efficiency. UK-based students were given an extensive interview covering recent life stressors, and carried out a task testing working memory span, in which they had to judge the truth of arithmetic expressions while retaining words. Students reporting one or more life difficulties in the preceding 12 months recalled significantly fewer words than those reporting no such difficulties, but showed no difference in processing time on the task. However, while the number of words recalled was unrelated to examination performance at the end of the year, students who took longer on the task did significantly less well in the examination. This relation was more marked in Science than in Arts students. A number of possible explanations for this pattern of results are considered, which need to be explored in further research. In particular it is suggested that the number of words retained in the working memory span task reflects current state, and is reduced by intrusive thoughts provoked by current life difficulties, while time on the task reflects more permanent efficiency of the processing system and, therefore, efficiency in study and examinations.     

Dash of Faith: A Faith-Based Participatory Research Pilot Study

The Dash of Faith pilot used a community-based participatory research approach to design an experiential dietary intervention based on two African-American churches, one intervention and one comparison. Congregation members identified components that were incorporated into 12 weekly and 4 monthly sessions, with a goal of increasing fruit and vegetable and lowering fat intake. At 2 months, a marginally significant (p = 0.07) increase in fruit and vegetable consumption was observed in the intervention group but was not maintained at study conclusion. We propose that these mixed findings may be attributable, in part, to bias introduced by the participatory nature of the design.     

Mortality salience and evaluations of in‐group versus out‐group critics: The role of criticism legitimacy and perceived threat

Significant terror management research has examined the impact of mortality salience on evaluations toward in‐group versus out‐group and attitudinally similar versus dissimilar others. However, relatively little research has examined evaluations when group membership is disentangled from attitude similarity. The current research examined the impact of mortality salience on evaluations toward in‐group and out‐group critics when people are less likely to rely on group membership as a heuristic. In Experiment 1, the results showed that in the control condition, participants rated an in‐group member who provided unjustified criticism more positively than an out‐group member who provided the same criticism. Under mortality salience, the reverse occurred: An in‐group member who provided unjustified criticism was rated more negatively than an out‐group member. Experiment 2 showed that under mortality salience, the derogation of an in‐group critic who provided unjustified criticism was mediated by perceptions of threat. Implications for reactions to group‐directed criticism as well as mortality salience effects are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Defining Nano,Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine: Why Should It Matter?

Nanotechnology, which involves manipulation of matter on a ‘nano’ scale, is considered to be a key enabling technology. Medical applications of nanotechnology (commonly known as nanomedicine) are expected to significantly improve disease diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and subsequently reduce health care costs. However, there is no consensus on the definition of nanotechnology or nanomedicine, and this stems from the underlying debate on defining ‘nano’. This paper aims to present the diversity in the definition of nanomedicine and its impact on the translation of basic science research in nanotechnology into clinical applications. We present the insights obtained from exploratory qualitative interviews with 46 stakeholders involved in translational nanomedicine from Europe and North America. The definition of nanomedicine has implications for many aspects of translational research including: fund allocation, patents, drug regulatory review processes and approvals, ethical review processes, clinical trials and public acceptance. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field and common interest in developing effective clinical applications, it is important to have honest and transparent communication about nanomedicine, its benefits and potential harm. A clear and consistent definition of nanomedicine would significantly facilitate trust among various stakeholders including the general public while minimizing the risk of miscommunication and undue fear of nanotechnology and nanomedicine.     

Exploring Adolescents’ Talk About Bullying on an Online Message Board: Broadening and Complicating Understandings of Victimization

Current definitions of bullying, crafted by policymakers and researchers, raise questions about the ways in which adult constructions of bullying reflect, or fail to reflect, the lived realities of adolescents. In particular, the narrow scope of “bullying,” as currently defined, may over-simplify adolescents’ experiences with relational aggression, which often sit in the space between bullying, discrimination, and harassment. This study investigates adolescents’ talk about bullying on an online message board, as one effort to better understand whether adolescents’ constructions of bullying are aligned with those of researchers and policymakers, and where these youth constructions may overlap with ideas about discrimination and harassment. Conducting a content analysis of data from an online, teen message board, we find that participants frequently use the term bullying to describe adult or familial aggression, and often describe bullying behaviors in ways that reflect elements of discrimination and harassment. We conclude with suggestions for future research and practical approaches that might better bridge gaps between research and practice.     

Obstacles to Widening Biosample Research

Science and Engineering Ethics - Switzerland has an excellent culture of medical research and is a melting pot for medical experts with international expertise. Nevertheless, as in other countries,...     

Correction to: Synthetic Biology and the Translational Imperative

Science and Engineering Ethics - The author group of above-mentioned review paper was incorrectly published in the online article.