Cognitive and social-emotional development of children in different preschool environments

62 English-speaking preschool children were divided into three groups, a Montessori group (n = 21), a traditional preschool group (n = 21), and a homestaying group (n = 20) to compare their relative cognitive and social-emotional development. Significant differences in favour of the school groups were found for vocabulary, language comprehension, ability to judge the correctness of figural stimuli, visual memory, and perceptual organization. No differences were found for social-emotional development, and no relationship existed between type of preschool and level of development.     

Learning and retrieval rate of words presented auditorily and visually

Mode of presentation (visual or auditory) of a multitrial free recall test is stressed as an important factor in improving the diagnosis of certain neurological patients. For further use in neuropsychological research, an experiment was carried out using normal subjects, in which the effects of presentation mode and order of modality were investigated. There were no differential effects of these variables on several parameters, such as the number of words recalled and the learning curve. The time needed for the responses in immediate recall was the same in both auditory and visual conditions. In delayed recall, however, the interresponse times were significantly shorter when words had been presented auditorily than when presented visually. The results are discussed in light of further application in the field of neuropsychology.     

Profiles of Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence: Identification and Investigation of Adaptive Correlates

Investigated profiles of self-esteem during early adolescence and their adaptive correlates in two separate longitudinal studies. Using multidimensional ratings of self-esteem within a developmental-ecological framework, cluster analysis revealed five distinct profiles for each sample. The profiles found were characterized by differing patterns of self-evaluation across major contexts of development, including consistently positive or negative ratings for all domains as well as more variable patterns in which ratings for one or more domains (e.g., school) were elevated or diminished relative to those for other areas. Profiles, in turn, were found to be related to measures of youth adjustment both concurrently and longitudinally, independent of their associations with ratings of global self-esteem. Prospective analyses in each study further revealed that profile type predicted differential change in measures of youth adjustment over time, whereas this type of relationship was not found for global ratings of self-esteem. Implications for esteem-enhancement interventions with youth are discussed.     

Effects of salience of rape on sex role attitudes,trust, and self-esteem in non-raped women

Women who thought about rape prior to answering questions about themselves reported lower self-esteem, stronger belief in traditional sex roles, and lower trust in other persons than women who were not induced to think about rape. Achievement motivation and locus of control, on the other hand, were not affected by the salience of rape. The data suggest that rape has an intimidating effect on non-raped women as previously suspected in feminist literature, although not all variables suspected may be affected.     

Classification without identification in visual search

Six subjects scanned displays of random consonants for a single target which was (a) another consonant; (b) a given number; or (c) any number. A second group of six subjects took part in three comparable conditions with number displays, and letters or numbers as targets. Scanning time for a number in a letter display or a letter in a number display was more rapid than scanning for a target drawn from the same set as the background. Several unpractised subjects, and all the subjects who practised the task, were able to scan as fast through letters for “any number” as for a specific number, or conversely through digits. The finding of different scanning rates for two precisely physically specified targets, depending on which class they were drawn from, runs counter to an explanation of high-speed scanning in terms of the operation of visual feature analysers. It is suggested that familiar categorization responses may be immediate and may provide the basis for the discrimination of relevant from irrelevant items in rapid visual scanning.     

Evidence for ‘motionese’: modifications in mothers’ infant‐directed action

We investigated the possibility that mothers modify their infant‐directed actions in ways that might assist infants’ processing of human action. In a between‐subjects design, 51 mothers demonstrated the properties of five novel objects either to their infant (age 6–8 months or 11–13 months) or to an adult partner. As predicted, demonstrations to infants were higher in interactiveness, enthusiasm, proximity to partner, range of motion, repetitiveness and simplicity, indicating that mothers indeed modify their infant‐directed actions in ways that likely maintain infants’ attention and highlight the structure and meaning of action. The findings demonstrate that ‘motherese’ is broader in scope than previously recognized, including modifications to action as well as language.     

Assessing the Within‐Trial Treatment Integrity of Discrete‐Trial Teaching Programs Using Sequential Analysis

Discrete‐trial teaching is a strategy frequently used to teach functional skills to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Research has shown that the within‐trial components of the procedure should be administered with ≥90% treatment integrity to facilitate optimal learning. Usually within‐trial treatment integrity is measured using whole‐session methods such as percentage of trials correctly administered. This study demonstrated one‐step Markov transition matrices as a method of assessing within‐trial treatment integrity. All components of discrete trials were coded and time‐stamped from video recordings of therapist–learner dyads in their typical setting (home or school). Several types of within‐trial treatment integrity errors were identified using the Markov transition matrices, error sequences that could not be identified using a percentage correct analysis. Better identification of errors has the potential both to enhance treatment integrity and to gain efficiency by targeted retraining of therapists. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One executive function never comes alone: monitoring and its relation to working memory,reasoning, and different executive functions

Monitoring is involved in many daily tasks and is described in several theoretical approaches of executive functioning. This study investigated the relative relationship of cognitive processes that are theoretically relevant to monitoring, such as concept formation, reasoning, working memory, and general cognitive control functions. Data from 699 participants who performed the Balanced Switching Task, aiming at capturing monitoring, were used. Subsamples also performed standard tasks assessing the processes assumed to be related to monitoring. Structural equation modeling revealed that general cognitive control processes are particularly relevant. They mediate the relationship between working memory, reasoning, and monitoring. Updating and maintaining information, as well as concluding from information which strategies can guide behavior toward predefined goals, is required for the ability to exert general cognitive control, which again may be relevant for implementing strategies in a goal-directed way. Together, these processes seem to be necessary to adequately monitor behavior in complex tasks.