Acquisition of word-processing skills by younger, middle-age, and older adults

A total of 45 subjects in three age groups (younger, middle-age, older) were trained to word process on microcomputers using a commercial training program and an experimenter-designed test and evaluation protocol. Although all of the subjects mastered the essentials of word processing, the older group took significantly longer to complete the training and evaluation procedures and performed more poorly on a review examination that tested their knowledge of the word-processing commands and techniques. The results are discussed in relation to requirements for trainer assistance, motivational factors, and the need to design training protocols that meet the needs of older adults.     

Administration of inhalation anesthetics to small animals: Some problems and solutions

Some problems inherent in administering inhalation anesthetics to small laboratory animals in studies of memory consolidation are discussed. A simple and inexpensive apparatus which has been designed to eliminate some of these problems is described.     

Antecedents of Children's Performance on Class Inclusion Tasks: Some Zimbabwean Evidence

An analysis of covariance hierarchical regression procedure was used to examine children's performance on verbally presented classification tasks in relation to the children's socio-cultural background, age, level of schooling, and sex. Task perception and motivation were entered as covariates. A total of 296 black and white Zimbabwean children took part in the study. Social class membership, age, level of schooling, and sex explained a significant proportion of the variance in performance on the classification tasks, whereas cultural group membership did not. Implications for multicultural perspectives on children's cognitive development are discussed and suggestions made for further research.     

Treating boys with low school achievement and behavior problems: comparison of two kinds of intervention

Children with low school achievement frequently have behavior problems and interpersonal difficulties that pose a risk for psychosocial maladjustment. 39 boys were assessed and randomly assigned to one of two group treatment conditions: (a) interpersonal cognitive problem-solving for whom training was provided through oral and written language activities that met children's social and academic needs and (b) a language workshop, during which only academic difficulties were treated. Parents of children in both groups received group attention. Posttreatment assessments indicated that boys in both conditions showed significant improvements on school achievement and behavior problems, as they were measured by behavior scales reported by mothers and by an academic achievement test. Children in the problem-solving group improved significantly more than the other group on most measures. These results suggest that work with interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills combined with reading and writing activities is a useful means to produce improvements in child behavior and school achievement.     

De kunstgeschiedenis in het licht eener algemeene Geesteswetenschap

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Complex Systems from the Perspective of Category Theory: II. Covering Systems and Sheaves

Using the concept of adjunction, for the comprehension of the structure of a complex system, developed in Part I, we introduce the notion of covering systems consisting of partially or locally defined adequately understood objects. This notion incorporates the necessary and sufficient conditions for a sheaf theoretical representation of the informational content included in the structure of a complex system in terms of localization systems. Furthermore, it accommodates a formulation of an invariance property of information communication concerning the analysis of a complex system.     

“Which Palestine Should We Teach?” Signatures,Palimpsests, and Struggles over School Textbooks

The present paper offers a reflection on school textbooks produced and introduced by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from the year 2000 onward. The aim is to examine the debates over these textbooks, by situating them over the backdrop of larger geopolitical dynamics and intra-Palestinian social and political struggles.     

Neurocognitive influences on health behavior in a community sample.

CONTEXT: Dominant models of individual health behavior omit biological variables entirely and are composed almost exclusively of social-cognitive and conative variables. Research from the neurosciences suggests a role for brain function in explaining behaviors that require active self-regulation for consistent performance. However, the association between brain function and health behavior is underexplored. OBJECTIVE: To examine the predictive power of executive function for 2 health risk behaviors and 2 health protective behaviors in healthy adults. DESIGN: A cross-sectional community sample (N = 216) of adults 20-100 years of age were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests and completed self-report questionnaires regarding their health practices. It was hypothesized that poor performance on neuropsychological tests tapping executive function would be associated with poor health behavior tendencies. RESULTS: Errors on the Stroop task were positively associated with health risk behavior and negatively associated with health protective behavior after controlling for demographics, education, and IQ. CONCLUSION: Executive function is associated with health behavior tendencies. If the association is causal, explanatory models of individual health behavior should be revised to account for individual differences in biologically imbued self-regulatory abilities.