The situational effects on haptic perception of rod length

Three experiments were conducted to investigate situational effects (manipulation, range, and prior experience) on the haptic perception of rod length. Each rod was held between its two ends with one hand. In Experiment 1, 32 participants judged length of rods using different manipulations. Perceived lengths were found to be dependent on manner of manipulation and not necessarily equal to actual lengths. Different parameters were detected in different manipulations. In Experiment 2, 8 participants judged rod lengths by wielding rods of two ranges: long and short. Perceived length was found to be affected by the range of rods evaluated successively in a single set. In Experiment 3, 9 participants judged rod lengths after an experience of handling dense or light rods. Perceived length was found to be affected by prior experience. Results are discussed in terms of how rod lengths can be perceived accurately by haptic modality without involving direct perception.     

A comparative study of personality in adults and children: Hong Kong vs England

The 90-item adult version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was translated into Chinese and administered to 270 male and 462 female subjects in Hong Kong. In a second study the 81-item version of the Junior EPQ (JEPQ) was translated into Chinese and given to 698 boys and 629 girls.Reasonably valid scales for use in Hong Kong are suggested for both adult and junior forms of the questionnaire. In a direct comparison of British and Chinese (Hong Kong) groups, using reduced scales comprising only items both scoring keys had in common. Hong Kong adults scored higher on Psychoticism and Social Desirability and lower on Extraversion than the British while children from Hong Kong scored lower on Extraversion and Neuroticism but higher on Social Desirability than their British counterparts. Indices of factor comparison were universally high, indicating that the major dimensions of personality were very similar in Hong Kong Chinese as in British subjects.     

Implicit personality theory: Is it illusory?1

Several studies have found a substantial association between subjects' judgments about the co-occurrence of personality items and the items' actual co-occurrence, lending support to the validity of implicit personality theory. This work has recently been called into question by an investigation of Mirels (1976) that reported a nonsignificant relationship between judged probabilities of item pairs and the pairs' empirical coendorsement probabilities (actually calculated conditional probabilities) derived from self-report responses. Using Mirels' data as well as new data, an appreciable and highly significant association between judgments of behavioral co-occurrence and empirical coendorsement was found, when the latter was measured by correlational-type indexes instead of conditional probability. This outcome indicates that the divergent results in the Mirels investigation were due to its use of the conditional probability index as a measure of empirical coendorsement. These findings add to the accumulating body of evidence pointing to the validity of implicit personality theory.     

An investigation of finger and manual dexterity

In ergonomics, handgrip has been perceived as one of the most important hand functions; however, other types of functions of the hand are also important to the ergonomist, such as finger and manual dexterity, on which few ergonomic studies have been done. This experiment involved 60 male and female college students whose performance (number of pegs placed into a board in 30 sec.) of finger dexterity were statistically significantly different between the right and left hands and between women and men. The interaction of hand and sex was significant.     

Re‐construing politics: The dual impacts of abstraction on political ideology

The influence of construal level on political ideology is unclear. Some research says that abstraction polarizes political attitudes by making liberals more liberal and conservatives more conservative. Other research instead argues that an abstract construal causes people to exhibit similar political attitudes as each other. The current research presents two experiments in which abstraction polarizes political attitudes on issues of social inequality. However, abstraction also increases traditionalism, and so it increases a preference for maintaining the societal status quo, such as by increasing one's disagreement with or opposition to homosexuality. The dual impacts of abstraction parallel the two distinct dimensions of political ideology (i.e., acceptance of social inequality and preference for the status quo), both of which prior research on construal level has not yet considered. Overall, the current findings indicate that the effects of construal level and the dimensions underlying political ideology need to be teased apart to fully understand the exact relationship between the two.     

The Role of Parent-Child Interaction in Community-Based Youth Relationship Education

This study sought to answer whether there is an association between parent-adolescent relationship processes and adolescents' awareness of unhealthy relationships. Adolescent awareness of unhealthy relationships was measured using a retrospective pre/post survey after participation in a relationship education (RE) program that has been adapted for use with youth. Supportiveness in the parent-child relationship was measured at pre-test. The sample consisted of 6984 adolescents aged 11–18. The sample was fairly representative of the areas from which it was drawn: 54% European American, 36% African American. Results revealed significant improvement in awareness of unhealthy relationships after program participation. Greater supportiveness predicted greater change in the outcome. This suggests that RE programs targeted at youth should specifically inform parents of goals so that they may be reinforced in parents' interactions with their adolescents.     

Mixed‐methods Evaluation of the Good Behaviour Game in English Primary Schools

Inclusivity of all children in education and within educational settings is an important value and goal. Yet, where settings and practices are not oriented for inclusivity and engagement, some children can struggle with academic tasks and are often marginalised and exhibit disruptive behaviours. The study reported here addresses the social nature of school as a community for learning through a mixed‐methods concurrent triangulation evaluation of the implementation of the Good Behaviour Game (GBG) in six primary (elementary) schools with 10 classes and 222 children in Oxfordshire, England. The Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptations ‐ Revised (TOCA‐R) was administered in individual interviews with class teachers. Additionally, individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted with teachers, coaches and head teachers (n = 22). In a pre–post design, improvements in child adaptation were observed on all TOCA‐R subscales. In an integrative analysis that brought together quantitative and qualitative findings, pupil improvement was identified in three major areas: inclusion and social participation, behaviour, and concentration. Interview results also highlighted the substantial practical challenges associated with implementing and using the GBG in schools in the UK. Overall, the results of this study support the idea that social relationships within the school community, between pupils and between pupils and teachers, provide an important context for learning and social development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multiple case study of teachers referring to their own religious beliefs in mathematics teaching

There is a need to integrate religious education and spiritual education across school curriculum. This paper reports one of the few empirical studies on bridging the intention-practice gap in classrooms. Six school teachers deliberately designed and implemented mathematics lessons which referred to their own religious beliefs in teaching. It unfolds teachers’ intention to enact their religious beliefs in mathematics classroom teaching. Different modes were identified. Implications to religious education in schools are offered.     

Choice of Weapon or Weapon of Choice? Examining the Interactions between Victim Characteristics in Single‐victim Male Sexual Homicide Offenders

As most studies report that the majority of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) prefer to kill with their own hands, research has largely neglected to examine the choice of weapon by these offenders. The US Supplementary Homicide Reports show that although a large number of SHOs murder their victim using personal weapons (e.g. bare hands and manual or ligature strangulation), the majority use an alternative weapon (e.g. edged weapons, contact weapons, and firearms). The present study hypothesises that the choice of weapon is in part influenced by victim characteristics. To identify specific combinations and interactions between victim characteristics and the choice of a personal or edged weapon during the commission of a sexual homicide, a combination of exhaustive chi‐square automatic interaction detector and conjunctive analysis is used on a sample of 2,472 single‐victim male SHOs from a 36‐year period of Supplementary Homicide Report data (1976–2011). Findings show that SHOs choose their weapon according to some victim characteristics. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of police suspect prioritisation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.