Art and achievement

Philosophical Studies - An increasingly popular view in the philosophy of art is that some artworks are good artworks at least partly because they are achievements. This view was introduced to...     

Preschoolers' use of spatiotemporal history, appearance, and proper name in determining individual identity

Humans construe their environment as composed largely of discrete individuals, which are also members of kinds (e.g., trees, cars, and people). On what basis do young children determine individual identity? How important are featural properties (e.g., physical appearance, name) relative to spatiotemporal history? Two studies examined the relative importance of these factors in preschoolers' and adults' identity judgments. Participants were shown pairs of individuals who looked identical but differed in their spatiotemporal history (e.g., two physically distinct but identical Winnie-the-Pooh dolls), and were asked whether both members in the pair would have access to knowledge that had been supplied to only one of the pairs. The results provide clear support for spatiotemporal history as the primary basis of identity judgments in both preschoolers and adults, and further place issues of identity within the broader cognitive framework of psychological essentialism.     

The effect of stressor severity on outcome following group debriefing

This analogue study reports data on the efficacy of group debriefing in the mitigation of distress for a stressful video, which had two levels of severity. It also provides a new procedure for use in experimental psychopathology studies. One hundred and nineteen participants were shown one of two stressful videos and, subsequently, 67 participants received group debriefing whilst 52 participants acted as a control. A statistical difference was found between the two groups for level of distress at follow-up, with those who had watched the more stressful video scoring higher on video distress and trauma-type symptomatology than those who watched the less stressful video. This was particularly the case for those who received debriefing -- adding further caution to the longer-term effects of systematised group interventions following harrowing events.     

Neuropsychological functioning in preschool-age children with sickle cell disease: the role of illness-related and psychosocial factors.

Cognitive and academic deficits have been identified in school-aged children with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, there have been very few identified studies that examine neuropsychological functioning in preschool-age children with SCD. It is important to understand effects of SCD from a developmental perspective and to consider the contribution of environmental factors in this at-risk population. Neuropsychological functioning of preschool-age children with SCD and no history of overt stroke (n = 26) was examined across several domains (language, immediate memory/brief attention, visuospatial/visuoconstructional, motor/visuomotor). The mean Full Scale IQ for the sample was 89.0. Performance on the Immediate Memory/ Brief Attention domain was significantly higher than the other domains, although the pattern of performance was relatively consistent, with mean standard scores ranging from 88.0 to 95.0. Disease severity was not significantly related to cognitive functioning in this group of young children with SCD. Socioeconomic status (SES) was significantly correlated with most domain scores and, based on regression analyses, accounted for 18% to 47% of the variance in functioning. Psychosocial factors, such as number of children living in the home and parental stress levels, were negatively associated with Motor/Visuomotor skills, and weekly hours in school/day care was positively associated with language-related skills. Results suggest that, at this young age, psychosocial risk factors appear to be appropriate targets for intervention, with the goal of improving long-term outcome in children with SCD. Further investigations should include comparison to a matched control group.     

An Evaluation of a Parenting Class Curriculum for Parents of Young Children: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parenting the Strong-Willed Child</Emphasis>

Young children with high levels of acting out behaviors present a challenge for families, caregivers, and the childcare system. The Parenting the Strong-Willed Child (PSWC) parenting class curriculum program is a 6-week, group based parent education program designed for parents of children with noncompliance problems (ages 2–8). The PSWC program was offered at no cost to parents enrolled in 8 Head Start centers, and parents were invited to participate in a program evaluation study. Seventy-one families enrolled in the study and completed at least one PSWC session. From pre- to post-test, parents reported significant improvements in both the frequency and intensity of child behavior problems. Parents also reported significant reductions in parenting stress, as well as improvements in their parenting behaviors, including a reduction in the use of lax discipline techniques and emotional reactivity in the context of discipline encounters. All improvements were sustained six months later. These preliminary results are encouraging, and point to the need for a more rigorous, controlled evaluation of the PSWC parenting class curriculum.     

Sustaining a Strong Cultural and National Identity: The Acculturation of Immigrants and Second-generation Canadians of Asian and African Descent

Immigrants often internalize a new national identity when they move to another country (psychological acculturation), although doing so means identifying with a culture that has values and traditions different from those of their culture of origin. A total of 403 immigrants, mostly from Asia (54.4%) and Africa (34.9%), and 78 Canadians whose parents had emigrated mostly from Asia (84.4%) completed a questionnaire on their integration into Canadian society and the discriminatory barriers that they faced. In support of Social Identity Theory (SIT), the strength with which respondents identified with Canada was associated with less cultural group bias, whereas the strength with which they identified with their cultural group was associated with more cultural group bias (Hypothesis 1). That is, a strong national identity moderated the tendency of immigrants (Study 1) and Canadians who are the children of immigrants (Study 2) to favour their cultural group over others. In addition, these opposing identity-differentiation relationships were stronger for those who believed that their heritage culture was incompatible with Canadian culture (Hypothesis 2). Unexpectedly, support for Hypothesis 2 was much stronger for the small sample of Canadians in Study 2, and their identification with and participation in mainstream Canadian society were negatively related to perceived discrimination. These and other results support the value of balanced multiculturalism policies designed to combat racism and encourage immigrants and their native-born children to identify strongly with their host nation while maintaining their heritage culture.