Understanding print: early reading development and the contributions of home literacy experiences

This study explored the development of children's early understanding of visual and orthographic aspects of print and how this is related to early reading acquisition. A total of 474 children, ages 48 to 83 months, completed standardized measures of phonological awareness and early reading skills. They also completed experimental tasks that tapped their understanding of what constitutes "readable" print. The parents of participants completed a questionnaire regarding their children's home literacy experiences. The data showed systematic development in children's understanding of print conventions and English orthography and spelling. Regression analyses indicated that print knowledge was related to early reading skill, even after accounting for variance due to age and phonological awareness. Furthermore, parents' ratings of the extent of their children's involvement in activities that led to practice in reading and writing most consistently predicted the development of emerging literacy skills, including understanding of the conventions of the English writing system. Little relation between print knowledge and the frequency of storybook reading by adults was observed.     

Role conflict and ambiguity of CEOs in international joint ventures: a transaction cost perspective

Insights from transaction cost economics were used to study the boundary conditions underlying the role conflict and ambiguity of 265 CEOs in Chinese-based international joint ventures. Role conflict and ambiguity were lower when the contract between parents was more complete. Contract completeness fully mediated the effects of parent objective gap and parent formalization on role ambiguity but only partially so in the case of role conflict. Role conflict was lower when the foreign parent was dominant in the venture but higher when the local parent was dominant. Role conflict and ambiguity were inversely related to cultural distance. Neither construct had a detrimental effect on international joint venture performance. Implications for role theory are discussed.     

Obstructing the cascade: motivational system coactivation dampening defensive reactions to threat and disgust

ABSTRACT

This study uses the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing (LC4MP; Lang, 2006) as a framework to study coactivation of fundamental motivational systems elicited by common message features in antismoking public service announcements (PSAs): the appetitive system (elicited by smoking cues) and aversive system (elicited by perceived threat and disgust). Specific predictions were made for smoking cues’ ability to provide cognitive resources for message encoding when simultaneous message elements are so highly aversive they begin to deplete resources (i.e., during a defensive cascade). The results showed that greater resources were expended on encoding headlines as indicated by increased attention (i.e., gaze duration and frequency of fixation) and better free recall, but not noncue pictorial elements when smoking cues were present in PSAs high in perceived disgust. Although the inclusion of smoking cues was effective in highly aversive PSAs, results indicated that the inclusion of smoking cues reduced attention and free recall for moderately and low-aversive PSAs. Theoretical advances include the use of motivational coactivation to reduce defensive reactions and the differential allocation impact on text versus visual message elements. Applied implications highlight the importance of formative production research to ensure aversive activation is high enough to offset urges associated with smoking cues.     

The Role of Subsidies in Coordination Games with Interconnected Risk

Can subsidies promote Pareto‐optimum coordination? We found that partially subsidizing the cooperative actions for two out of six players in a laboratory coordination game usually produced better coordination and higher total social welfare with both deterministic and stochastic payoffs. Not only were the subsidized players more likely to cooperate (choose the Pareto‐optimum action), but the unsubsidized players increased their expectations on how likely others would cooperate, and they cooperated more frequently themselves. After removal of the subsidy, high levels of coordination continued in most groups with stochastic payoffs but declined in deterministic ones. This carry‐over disparity between the deterministic and stochastic settings was consistent with the economic theories that agents were more likely to keep the status quo option under uncertainty than without uncertainty. Hence, players with stochastic payoffs were more likely to keep the high coordination level (status quo) brought by the subsidy in the previous subsidy session. A post‐game survey also indicated that with stochastic payoffs, players focused on risk reduction. Temporary subsidies promoted lasting coordination because even after subsidy was removed, players still assumed that others players would prefer reduced risks from cooperation. With deterministic payoffs, however, the subsidy might crowd out other rationales for coordination, with many players indicating that the subsidy was the only reason for anyone to cooperate. Hence, the coordination level dropped when the subsidy was removed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Educational Expectations of Left-behind Children in China: Determinants and Gender Differences

Applied Research in Quality of Life - In response to the relatively low educational attainment of left-behind children in China, this article examines the determinants of educational expectations...     

神意、理性与权利——一种关于洛克自然法理论的解读

洛克对自然法的性质进行了详细的阐述,得出了自然法具有神意法和理性法双重属性的结论.这种性质界定具有模糊性,而且神意法与理性法在一定程度上是互相冲突的,因此受到后来学者的诟病;但洛克自然法理论中的这种模糊性源自其对于由理性所开启的现代性进程之谨慎态度.尽管洛克在一定程度上似乎更重视理性的作用,但理性也存在诸多问题:自然法是人类理性无法独证的,对于理性的偏执会在认识论上因缺乏根基而显得武断,而且自然法在政治上的应用及其说服力,仅仅依靠理性推演也是不够的.这些考虑最终使洛克走向一种谨慎的平衡策略-自然法既是神意法,也是理性法.此外,洛克还从上帝存在这一基本背景出发,引申出了人类应当服从的三类自然法义务,并从这三类自然法义务中推导出了人类的三大基本权利:生命、财产与自由,近代权利思想实发轫于此.     

宋代学者论“轻重”

和前代相比,宋代学者对《管子》＂轻重＂内容的分析,更为深入细致;对＂轻重＂的总体评价与年代作者的认识,也发生了变化。宋代学者对＂轻重＂近乎一致的否定评价,受到当时理学思想的直接影响;他们对＂轻重＂著作年代与作者的辨伪,与当时的疑古思潮密切相关。     

加强西方伦理思想史研究，建设社会主义精神文明

在召开中国伦理学会成立30周年的庆典大会之际,让我们对伦理学研究所走过的历程以及西方伦理思想史这30年来的研究,进行一次简短的历史回顾。西方伦理思想史的研究分为两个方面:对西方     

唐宋间敦煌的城隍与毗沙门天王

唐宋时期,作为专指敦煌城的"城隍"在社会生活中占有重要地位,这是因为敦煌城及周边城市不时地遭到外族入侵所致.而敦煌的城隍神信仰并不甚流行,原因是敦煌盛行毗沙门天王信仰,毗沙门天王已经代替了城隍神,担当起了护卫敦煌平安的使命,成为敦煌的保护神.     

药都胜迹——三皇宫

江西樟树市是驰名中外的“药都”,素有“药不到樟树不齐,药不过樟树不灵”的美誉。在这个城市里,有一座曾焕发出耀眼光辉的道教宫观——三皇宫。该宫是樟树药都的纪念碑,是樟树药文化和道教文化的载体,也是医道同源、药道同源的最好见证。此宫坐落在樟树市密如蛛网的街巷深处,它既有道观的庄严,又带有世俗的繁华。它曾经是樟