Lenguaje y adquisición del conocimiento

RESUMEN

El presente trabajo es un estudio empírico longitudinal y transversal de dos grupos de niños de procedencias ambientales diferentes (ambiente familiar y centro de menores) en el que se observan las diferencias en el proceso de desarrollo lingüístico, centrándose en la evolución pragmática del lenguaje mediante la cual se estudia la evolución y construcción de conceptos. Tras definir el procedimiento de estudio y analizar el desarrollo del lenguaje en los sujetos teniendo en cuenta la Longitud Media de los Enunciados (L.M.E.), las autoras concluyen que este desarrollo es mejor en los niños del medio ambiental familiar, diferenciándose también en el ritmo de adquisición y, por tanto, en la evolución del proceso de simbolización. Entre otras cuestiones, los autores destacan que el retraso tanto lingüístico como cognitivo que presentan los niños institucionalizados es consecuencia de la no adecuación de las pautas de interacción adulto-niño exigidas, afirmando que dichas pautas están determinadas por las condiciones ambientales. El trabajo finaliza resaltando que interacción, lenguaje y cognición están dialécticamente interrelacionados.     

Scale of reading fluency in Spanish: measuring the components of fluency / Escala de fluidez lectora en español: midiendo los componentes de la fluidez

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to design and validate a rating scale to measure reading fluency. As well as speed and accuracy, different dimensions of prosody were taken into account (volume, intonation, pauses and phrasing), aspects hardly considered in reading assessment. In addition, a measure of reading quality was included. 122 Spanish primary-school children (74 in Year 2 and 48 in Year 4) read aloud a narrative text. Using inter-rater criteria, children’s reading was assessed with this new rating scale (Scale of Reading Fluency in Spanish, SRFS) (Escala de Fluidez Lectora en Español, EFLE) and with the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (Rasinski, 2004). Standardized reading comprehension and prosodic reading tests were used as criterion measures. Results show acceptable reliability and validity coefficients. We conclude that SRFS appears to be a useful instrument for using in education and research contexts.     

El abuso de drogas y su prevención

RESUMEN

Probablemente el consumo de drogas por la humanidad es tan lejano como su misma historia. De hecho, casi todas las culturas disponen de una droga que acompaña sus rituales sociales, religiosos, o ambos. El ejemplo más cercano se nos presenta en la transformación del vino en la liturgia católica.

El consumo de drogas viene condicionado por la interación individuo/ambiente, con toda su complicidad cultural, educativa, consumista, etc. Su prevención es, por tanto, de enorme complejidad y supone una confluencia de esfuerzos entre las diferentes estructuras sociales, que van desde procedimientos legales hasta programas educativos, campañas de consumo, marketing, reestructuración de la economía, educación sanitaria y procedimientos individuales de tratamiento y rehabilitación.

Este trabajo hace especial hincapié en los procedimientos psicológicos que deberían formar parte o tomarse en consideración en los programas educativos y de rehabilitación dirigidos a la labor preventiva.     

Emoción expresada: Introducción al concepto,evaluación e implicaciones pronosticas y terapéuticas

RESUMEN

Los autores comienzan analizando el concepto de emoción expresada y los modos de evaluarla en el nucleo familiar de pacientes esquizofrénicos, clarificando sus dos componentes básicos: implicación emocional excesiva y actitud crítica. Seguidamente repasan diversos estudios en torno a la validez y utilidad de este constructo y otros en relación con cuestiones de carácter conceptual y metodológico. Finalmente abordan las implicaciones y desarrollos terapéuticos, centrándose en las intervenciones sociales llevadas a cabo en Gran Bretaña y en la terapia familiar conductual y ofreciendo algunos de sus resultados. El trabajo concluye que la revisión de los estudios sobre emoción expresada en familiares de sujetos esquizofrénicos pone de relieve la adecuación y utilidad de estas medidas, ofreciendo algunas pautas para investigaciones futuras.     

La cara y la emoción: datos para una réplica

Resumen

Este artículo es una réplica a los límites que pone Valle-Inclán a la universalidad de ciertas expresiones faciales de las emociones. Se rebate que el empleo de expresiones espontáneas, la falta de entrenamiento de los jueces y la técnica de recogida de los datos sean variables relevantes en los estudios de juicios. Además, se aportan datos de trabajos omitidos en el artículo objeto de la réplica que apoyan la tesis de la universalidad de diferentes expresiones faciales de las emociones.     

The Role of the Family in Promoting Responsible Substance Use in Adolescence

The aim of this study was to examine the role of family dimensions in tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among adolescents. Furthermore, we investigated how demographic variables (adolescents’ gender and age) influence substance use and moderate the relationship between family dimensions and substance use. The sample consisted of 14,825 adolescents aged 13–14, 15–16, and 17–18 who participated in the 2006 edition of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Spain. The HBSC-2006 questionnaire included demographic variables (gender and age), substance use variables (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use), and family dimensions (parental affection, parental promotion of autonomy, family activities, adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation, and parental knowledge). The results indicated that adolescent disclosure, family activities, and parental knowledge had a significant effect on substance use. Specifically, maternal variables were shown to be slightly more relevant than paternal variables. Additionally, substance use was higher in older adolescents than in younger adolescents, and boys smoked less than girls. The discussion focused on how family dimensions promoted responsible substance use in adolescence.     

Informing Consent: Analogies to History-Taking

The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities debated for several years about whether it should adopt positions and, if so, on what range of issues. The membership recently approved an amendment to its bylaws permitting the Society to adopt positions on matters related to academic freedom and professionalism but not on substantive moral and policy issues. This resolution is problematic for a number of reasons, including the lack of a categorical difference between these types of claims and the Society's inability to speak on behalf of patients and research subjects. The implementation of the amendment also raises several issues. The Society will need to refrain from speaking too specifically and to articulate the responsibilities of its members. If the Society fails to address these concerns, it runs the risk of denigrating its public image and that of the profession.     

Effect of Depressive Symptoms and Sex on the Relationship Between Loneliness and Cigarette Dependence: A Moderated Mediation

Loneliness is a subjective and emotionally unpleasant experience of perceiving insufficient social relationships. Previous research has revealed that loneliness constitutes a psychosocial risk factor for depression, and is also related to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking. This study aims to examine the relation between loneliness, depression, and cigarette dependence, and to explore the role of sex in this relationship. A total sample of 275 adult treatment-seeking daily smokers (Mage = 45.3; 61.5% females) was used. Our results showed a significant correlation between higher scores of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and cigarette dependence. In addition, mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of loneliness on cigarette dependence, via depressive symptoms. Regarding the effect of sex, we found that this variable significantly moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette dependence. Results of this study extend previous literature by showing that, in treatment seeking smokers, loneliness is a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, and through this relation, it predicts cigarette dependence. Additionally, sex was a significant moderator of this relation. These findings have several clinical implications, and also contribute to the understanding of cigarette dependence, which is a well-known barrier for smoking cessation.     

Taking personal initiative and communicating about ideas: What is important for the creative process and for idea creativity?

Using multisource data, this study focused on the process aspect of creativity at work. A modification of Amabile's (1988 Amabile, T. M. 1988. “A model of creativity and innovation in organizations”. In Research in organizational behavior, Edited by: Staw, B. M. and Cummings, L. L. Vol. 10, 123–167. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.  [Google Scholar]) stage model of the creative process with the stages of problem identification, preparation, idea generation, and idea validation served as the basis for our study. We examined personal initiative and idea-related communication as two important factors for the creative process and for the degree of creativity of one specific idea an employee recently produced at work. In a sample of 52 nurses, we found that idea-related communication was positively related to engagement in the creative process but not to idea creativity. Personal initiative boosted engagement in the beginning of the creative process and was positively related to creativity as an outcome. Results suggest that idea-related communication is important for showing engagement in the creative process, whereas personal initiative is important in the beginning of the creative process and for idea creativity.     

Motivating innovation in schools: School principals’ work engagement as a motivator for schools’ innovation

This multisource, multilevel study examines the role of school principals’ work engagement as a motivational catalyst for schools’ innovation. We hypothesize that principals’ work engagement motivates teachers’ creativity which in turn should foster the amount of innovations made in schools. In order to operationalize innovation, we used four measures: teachers’ self-ratings and three school-specific objective indicators of schools’ innovation (school projects, external communication, and internal communication). Eighty-seven principals and 902 teachers from 83 German schools participated in our study. Results of multilevel structural equation modelling showed that principals’ work engagement increases teachers’ idea generation which in turn fosters all of our four aspects of innovation. Idea generation mediated the relationship between principals’ work engagement and self-rated innovation. It can be concluded from our study that both principals’ work engagement and teachers’ creativity can be powerful forces concerning schools’ innovation.