AN EXTENDED BASIC SIGHT VOCABULARY FOR THE PRIMARY GRADES

Extant word lists are typically based on word frequency counts from various types of literature (e.g., basal readers, content textbooks, trade books, adult reading material). The word list described in this study was constructed by determining what words are commonly known (i.e., recognized in their written form) by beginning readers. Almost 7,000 primary grade children were tested for basic sight recognition of 1,800 high frequency words. Using a 90 percent minimum criterion (i.e., 90 percent or more of the students at each grade level recognized each word), a 1,683‐word list was established that consisted of 587 first‐grade words, 861 second‐grade words, and 235 third‐grade words. Implications and uses of the extended basic sight vocabulary are also discussed.     

Flashbulb memories? The effects of when the initial memory report was obtained

Why have some researchers found reports of flashbulb memories to be stable, while others have observed inconsistencies? Paradoxically, it appears that relatively long delays between event and initial documentation have produced greater consistency of participants' reports. To investigate this directly, we collected the initial documentation of hearing about O.J. Simpson's acquittal either five hours or one week after the acquittal was read. Observed consistency of memories varied as a function of documentation time; following an eight-week retention, the delayed reports were more consistent. The delayed group also reported fewer propositions in their initial documentation. We proposed a consolidation model to explain these results: during the days immediately following a newsworthy event, the narrative structure of these memories changes in that some details are forgotten. After this consolidation period, the memories may solidify. Thus, it may have been easier for the delayed group to provide consistent memories at the two intervals.     

A COMPARISON OF DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING IMPLEMENTED IN A ONE‐TO‐ONE INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT AND IN A GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT

Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is a systematic form of intervention commonly implemented with children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Experimenters and clinicians have implemented DTT in both one‐to‐one instructional formats and group instructional formats to teach a wide variety of skills to children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to compare DTT implemented in a one‐to‐one instructional format with DTT implemented in a group instructional format in order to determine which format was more effective, efficient, resulted in higher observational learning, and resulted in better maintenance when teaching a variety of expressive skills. The experimenters utilized a parallel treatment design, and the results indicated that both instructional formats were equally effective, there were mixed results in terms of maintenance and efficiency, and group instruction resulted in observational learning. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transition from practitioner to educator: A repertory grid analysis

We examined the process of transition from being a practitioner in a field to becoming an educator in the same field, using repertory grid technique and a longitudinal methodology. A total intake of Technical and Further Education beginning teachers was followed throughout their 2-year preparation program. At five intervals, 6 months apart, repertory grids were administered to the group, with the elements supplied relating to various roles and aspects of the self relevant to transition. Constructs elicited from the group mapped the transition process during the 2-year period and showed the changing emphasis over the course. Measurements of self-esteem and the effect of the transition on family relationships were also administered. Results showed that the nature of the transition was generally positive. The constructs elicited identified change in the transition process as experienced by the group under study. Initially constructs were general and included satisfaction, striving, and participation. They then revealed greater concern with issues of time, control, personal and professional development, and, finally, those attributes of “being qualified.” Specifically, results show the transition process to be a personal experience, and illustrate the beneficial function of proceeding through the transition process as part of a group.     

Qualities, Relations, and Property Exemplification

The question whether qualities are metaphysically more fundamental than or mere limiting cases of relations can be addressed in an applied symbolic logic. There exists a logical equivalence between qualitative and relational predications, in which qualities are represented as one-argument-place property predicates, and relations as more-than-one-argument-place predicates. An interpretation is first considered, according to which the logical equivalence of qualitative and relational predications logically permits us ontically to eliminate qualities in favor of relations, or relations in favor of qualities. If metaphysics is understood at least in part as an exercise in ontic economy, then we may be encouraged to adopt a property ontology of qualities without quality-irreducible relations, or relations without relation-irreducible qualities. If either strategy is followed, the choice of reducing qualities to relations or relations to qualities will need to be justified on extra-logical grounds. These might include a perceived greater intuitiveness, explanatory fecundity, compatibility with cognitive ontogeny or developmental psychology, expressive or explanatory elegance or cumbersomeness, and an open-ended list of philosophical motivations that could reasonably favor the ontic prioritization of qualities over relations or relations over qualities. Despite its intuitive appeal, the thesis that logical equivalence together with extra-logical preferences justifies unidirectional ontic reduction of relations to qualities or qualities to relations is rejected in light of the more defensible proposition that the logical equivalence of qualitative and relational predications actually supports the opposite conclusion, that both qualities and relations are logically indispensable to a complete ontology of properties. The logical equivalence of qualitative and relational predications, insofar as we continue to observe the distinction, makes it logically necessary ontically for both qualities and relations to exist whenever either one exists. That logically equivalent qualitative and relational predications have as their truth-makers the exemplification by objects of both qualities and relations as equi-foundational properties further suggests that there is no deeper logical distinction between qualities and relations, but only two convenient lexical-grammatical designations for property predications involving one- versus more-than-one-argument-place.     

Sport-Related Concussions: A Review of Epidemiology, Challenges in Diagnosis, and Potential Risk Factors

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a common mild traumatic brain injury among young, active individuals, affecting approximately 300,000 young American adults annually. In this review of the epidemiology of SRC, we describe the challenges in identifying concussion occurrence and review the studies describing concussion incidence in various sports. In high risk contact sports, American football, soccer (European football), hockey, lacrosse, and basketball athletes experience concussion unintentionally during the course of play. Among these, football concussion incidence is reviewed in greatest detail because it has the highest incidence among the contact sports, and some studies have shown long-term neurophysiologic and neurodegenerative outcomes. Mechanisms of injury differ significantly by sport and can be potential targets for concussion risk mitigation. Despite the apparent high incidence of SRC, risk factors determining initial concussion, recovery periods, recurrence, and long-term outcomes remain poorly understood and warrant further study exploring the influence of age, sex, genetics, and athletic factors.     

Daily fluctuations in the affective states of dancers: A cross-situational test of basic needs theory

ObjectivesThis study tested the generalizability of basic needs theory (BNT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) across situations in which dancers learn and perform within vocational dance. Specifically, we examined the inter-relationships between daily and typical perceptions of autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction, and changes in affective states, across dance situations that were divergent in their learning and evaluative potential (dance classes, rehearsals, and performances). Genre differences were also examined.DesignA one-month diary study examined the inter-relationships between typical and daily perceptions of autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction and positive and negative affect among dancers studying three distinct genres and in three situations (classes, rehearsals, performances).MethodFifty-five dancers completed a series of scales tapping the variables of interest. Abbreviated versions of the scales were completed before (affective states) and after (affective states, basic needs and autonomy support) dance classes, rehearsals and performances over four weeks. Analyzes tested the BNT sequence across the learning and performance situations. Interactions between typical and state experiences were tested. Cross-genre comparisons were also made.ResultsResults partially supported the BNT sequence across classes, rehearsals and performances. There were situational differences in the salience of each need as a predictor of affective states. When comparing genres, some differences were also found in perceived autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and affective states.ConclusionsFindings point to the importance of promoting autonomy supportive dance teaching to facilitate dancers' day-to-day experiences of well-being.     

The Attribution of Positive and Negative Qualities to Social Actions

This research reports on the manner in which extrinsic qualities are attributed to different forms of social action. Particular concern was given to the question of how such attribution of properties might be related to a person's desire to be involved in the action. Two findings seemed to be relatively clear. First, quite arbitrary qualities are attributed to various social actions with a high degree of consistency. Because these qualities cannot be considered intrinsic to the action, the consistent attribution of such qualities must come from some source other than the actions themselves. Second, of the several qualities examined, the most powerful attributed quality for purposes of social motivation appeared to be the general concept of display. Actions perceived as having a high degree of display potential for an actor were also actions that respondents were willing to commit themselves to or become involved in to a profound degree.     

Bias in Cross-Sectional Analyses of Longitudinal Mediation: Partial and Complete Mediation Under an Autoregressive Model

Maxwell and Cole (2007) Maxwell, S. E. and Cole, D. A. 2007. Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation. Psychological Methods, 12: 23–44. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] showed that cross-sectional approaches to mediation typically generate substantially biased estimates of longitudinal parameters in the special case of complete mediation. However, their results did not apply to the more typical case of partial mediation. We extend their previous work by showing that substantial bias can also occur with partial mediation. In particular, cross-sectional analyses can imply the existence of a substantial indirect effect even when the true longitudinal indirect effect is zero. Thus, a variable that is found to be a strong mediator in a cross-sectional analysis may not be a mediator at all in a longitudinal analysis. In addition, we show that very different combinations of longitudinal parameter values can lead to essentially identical cross-sectional correlations, raising serious questions about the interpretability of cross-sectional mediation data. More generally, researchers are encouraged to consider a wide variety of possible mediation models beyond simple cross-sectional models, including but not restricted to autoregressive models of change.