Effect of external motion on correspondence between infant actigraphy and maternal diary

Correspondence between infant actigraphy and mother-recorded diary differed significantly when receiver–operator function area under the curve, correlation, and logistic regression was calculated with and without excluding periods of external motion. External motion occurred in 40% of recording time and significantly changed activity count per epoch.     

The gestural repertoire of the wild bonobo (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan paniscus</Emphasis>): a mutually understood communication system

In animal communication, signallers and recipients are typically different: each signal is given by one subset of individuals (members of the same age, sex, or social rank) and directed towards another. However, there is scope for signaller–recipient interchangeability in systems where most signals are potentially relevant to all age–sex groups, such as great ape gestural communication. In this study of wild bonobos (Pan paniscus), we aimed to discover whether their gestural communication is indeed a mutually understood communicative repertoire, in which all individuals can act as both signallers and recipients. While past studies have only examined the expressed repertoire, the set of gesture types that a signaller deploys, we also examined the understood repertoire, the set of gestures to which a recipient reacts in a way that satisfies the signaller. We found that most of the gestural repertoire was both expressed and understood by all age and sex groups, with few exceptions, suggesting that during their lifetimes all individuals may use and understand all gesture types. Indeed, as the number of overall gesture instances increased, so did the proportion of individuals estimated to both express and understand a gesture type. We compared the community repertoire of bonobos to that of chimpanzees, finding an 88 % overlap. Observed differences are consistent with sampling effects generated by the species’ different social systems, and it is thus possible that the repertoire of gesture types available to Pan is determined biologically.     

Measurement of Ability in Adaptive Learning and Assessment Systems when Learners Use On-Demand Hints

Adaptive learning and assessment systems support learners in acquiring knowledge and skills in a particular domain. The learners’ progress is monitored through them solving items matching their level and aiming at specific learning goals. Scaffolding and providing learners with hints are powerful tools in helping the learning process. One way of introducing hints is to make hint use the choice of the student. When the learner is certain of their response, they answer without hints, but if the learner is not certain or does not know how to approach the item they can request a hint. We develop measurement models for applications where such on-demand hints are available. Such models take into account that hint use may be informative of ability, but at the same time may be influenced by other individual characteristics. Two modeling strategies are considered: (1) The measurement model is based on a scoring rule for ability which includes both response accuracy and hint use. (2) The choice to use hints and response accuracy conditional on this choice are modeled jointly using Item Response Tree models. The properties of different models and their implications are discussed. An application to data from Duolingo, an adaptive language learning system, is presented. Here, the best model is the scoring-rule-based model with full credit for correct responses without hints, partial credit for correct responses with hints, and no credit for all incorrect responses. The second dimension in the model accounts for the individual differences in the tendency to use hints.     

Thanks to 2010 Reviewers

Abstract

The electronic conductivity, diffusion coefficient and the self-energy in the vicinity of the energy gap of amorphous Si at T=0K have been computed as a function of energy for a fully bonded model of Si. We have used the equation-of-motion method in κ-space to show, for the first time, the probable position and existence of mobility edges. The conductivity rises rapidly away from the mobility edges to take values typical of those found in liquid metals. The behaviour of the self-energy indicates that a resonance phenomenon is responsible for the formation of a gap.     

Affective Well-Being in Retirement: The Influence of Values,Money, and Health Across Three Years

In this study, personal values, health, and financial status were investigated as determinants of affective well-being in a sample of 371 recent retirees across 3 years. Personal values, measured with the Portrait Value Questionnaire (Schwartz et al. in J Cross Cult Psychol 32:519–542, 2001), were hypothesized to show direct links to positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) as well as to moderate the association between financial and health status and affective well-being. Using structural equation modeling, higher PA was predicted by female gender, better finances, fewer illnesses, and higher self-transcendence (ST), openness to change (OC), and conservation values. Higher NA was predicted by female gender, lower finances, more illnesses, higher self-enhancement (SE) and lower OC values. SE and OC values also moderated the association between financial status and PA. Longitudinal analyses indicated a relatively stable pattern of associations across 3 years. While the impact of finances on affect was stable over time, the effects of health and values increased across 3 years.     

Getting to the Root of Relationship Attributions: Family-of-Origin Perspectives on Self and Partner Views

A large body of research has been devoted to the study of family-of-origin (FOO) experience influences on future relationship outcomes and processes. In addition, substantial information exists regarding the role relationship attributions play in connection with relationship quality and stability. Yet, limited information has been forthcoming regarding how the FOO experience has an influence on attributions made in romantic relationships. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the impact of the FOO experience on attributions made about one’s own communication and personality variables, as well as the communication and personality variables of one’s partner from a sample of individuals who had completed the RELATionship Evaluation (N = 6,649). Results show evidence of a relationship between the FOO experience and the attributions made about oneself and one’s partner. Results were particularly pronounced for the communication variables. Gender differences also were found. The utility of study findings for couple and family researchers and practitioners is discussed.     

Linear mapping of numbers onto space requires attention

Mapping of number onto space is fundamental to mathematics and measurement. Previous research suggests that while typical adults with mathematical schooling map numbers veridically onto a linear scale, pre-school children and adults without formal mathematics training, as well as individuals with dyscalculia, show strong compressive, logarithmic-like non-linearities when mapping both symbolic and non-symbolic numbers onto the numberline. Here we show that the use of the linear scale is dependent on attentional resources. We asked typical adults to position clouds of dots on a numberline of various lengths. In agreement with previous research, they did so veridically under normal conditions, but when asked to perform a concurrent attentionally-demanding conjunction task, the mapping followed a compressive, non-linear function. We model the non-linearity both by the commonly assumed logarithmic transform, and also with a Bayesian model of central tendency. These results suggest that veridical representation numerosity requires attentional mechanisms.     

Nonverbal Behavioral Indicators of Negative Affect in Couple Interaction

Affect has been identified across numerous research studies to be a vital element in understanding couple relationship processes. Affect has been shown to distinguish between satisfied and dissatisfied couples and to be important in understanding processes leading to relationship dissolution. However, research has not yet uncovered nonverbal indicators that a couple is experiencing negative affect compared to other affective states. In this study we sought to identify specific nonverbal behaviors associated with different affective states. Results suggested that differences in looking-behavior and smiling can be used to identify affect states during couple communication. We outline how the results can aid couples therapy interventions.     

Number, texture and crowding

A recent study shows that selectivity for numerosity emerges as a natural property in deep networks of hierarchical generative models of visual perception. These results, together with recent conceptualizations of crowding and texture, suggest that the 'sense of number' is a fundamental visual property, independent of texture and seemingly related attributes.