Proportional Reasoning in 5- to 6-Year-Olds

There have been mixed results in studies investigating proportional reasoning in young children. The current study aimed to examine whether providing visual scaling cues and structuring the reasoning process can improve proportional reasoning in 5- to 6-year-old children. In a series of computerized tasks, children compared the sweetness of 2 mixtures. Each mixture was represented by a juice rectangle stacked on top of a water rectangle. Two rectangles shared the same width but were of same or different heights. The mixtures were scaled by either changing their widths or their heights. In Experiment 1, children’s performance was poor when judging equivalent proportions. In Experiment 2, the 2 mixtures were individually previewed to encourage individual estimation of each mixture and thereby allow participants to strategically reason about the relative proportions. Children performed significantly better than in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, children explicitly rated the sweetness of each preview mixture. Performance did not improve relative to Experiment 2. Throughout all 3 experiments, children were more sensitive in detecting equivalence when scaling occurred along the width compared with the height, demonstrating the effectiveness of visual-spatial scaling cues. Together, these experiments suggested that visuospatial scaling cues and structuring the 2-step reasoning process using previews can improve 5- to 6-year-olds’ proportional reasoning with certain limitations.     

A consumer-grade LCD monitor for precise visual stimulation

Because they were used for decades to present visual stimuli in psychophysical and psychophysiological studies, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) used to be the gold standard for stimulus presentation in vision research. Recently, as CRTs have become increasingly rare in the market, researchers have started using various types of liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitors as a replacement for CRTs. However, LCDs are typically not cost-effective when used in vision research and often cannot reach the full capacity of a high refresh rate. In this study we measured the temporal and spatial characteristics of a consumer-grade LCD, and the results suggested that a consumer-grade LCD can successfully meet all the technical demands in vision research. The tested LCD, working in a flash style like that of CRTs, demonstrated perfect consistency for initial latencies across locations, yet showed poor spatial uniformity and sluggishness in reaching the requested luminance within the first frame. After these drawbacks were addressed through software corrections, the candidate monitor showed performance comparable or superior to that of CRTs in terms of both spatial and temporal homogeneity. The proposed solution can be used as a replacement for CRTs in vision research.     

Variations of career decision ambiguity tolerance between China and the United States and between high school and college

The variation of career decision ambiguity tolerance (CDAT) by cultures and development stages was examined in a sample of Chinese high school students (n = 339), a sample of Chinese college students (n = 356), along with U.S. college students (n = 328). It was hypothesized that career decision ambiguity tolerance decreases when individuals experience more societal/cultural pressure on decidedness and responsibility for their career decision making. Based on the three-factor structure of CDAT (i.e., preference, tolerance, and aversion), measurement invariance was examined between Chinese and U.S. college students and between Chinese high school and college students. While the factor of tolerance was not upheld in both Chinese samples, the factors of preference and aversion were found to be structurally invariant across cultures and developmental stages. The analyses comparing means of preference and aversion found that U.S. college students had a higher level of preference relative to Chinese college students. It was also found that in comparison to Chinese high school students, Chinese college students had a higher level of aversion. The criterion validity of CDAT in Chinese culture was supported in the findings of preference and aversion being associated with career exploration and career indecision. The implication of this study was discussed along with its limitations and suggestions for future research.     

The Way Evaluation Tastes: Tasting as an Embodied Cue of Evaluation

The current theory and research on embodiment have indicated that the basic bodily experiences, which may be more fundamental and important than previously suggested, can influence human cognitive processes. Drawing upon this perspective, the present study examined the hypothesis that the psychological experience of evaluation is grounded in the physical experience of tasting. In three experiments, we found that a tasting cue facilitated evaluation-related conceptual processing in a lexical decision task (Experiment 1), and induced a desire to evaluate toward novel stimuli (Experiment 2). Furthermore, sweet tastes were associated with more positive and secure evaluations than bitter tastes (Experiment 3). These findings provide converging evidence supporting the prediction that tasting as an embodied cue of evaluation.     

National Culture,Creativity, and Productivity: What’s the Relationship with Student Achievement?

Using Hofstede’s culture dimensions and World Values Survey (WVS) dimensions, the study uses a series of multiple regressions to explore the relationship among national culture, creativity as measured by patents, economic productivity as measured by gross domestic product per capita, and student achievement as measured by Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The findings of this exploratory study highlight long-term orientation value from Hofstede’s national culture dimensions and tradition versus secular-rational values from the WVS as the most significant predictors of student academic achievement. A series of 12 regression analyses indicated significant relationships among student achievement, creativity, and economic productivity with models explaining between 19.9% and 76.0% of the variance among countries.     

Measuring the Effectiveness of a Genetic Counseling Supervision Training Conference

Genetic counselors who receive formal training report increased confidence and competence in their supervisory roles. The effectiveness of specific formal supervision training has not been assessed previously. A day-long GC supervision conference was designed based on published supervision competencies and was attended by 37 genetic counselors. Linear Mixed Model and post-hoc paired t-test was used to compare Psychotherapy Supervisor Development Scale (PSDS) scores among/between individuals pre and post conference. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model and post-hoc McNemar’s test was used to determine if the conference had an effect on GC supervision competencies. PSDS scores were significantly increased 1 week (p < 0.001) and 6 months (p < 0.001) following the conference. For three supervision competencies, attendees were more likely to agree they were able to perform them after the conference than before. These effects remained significant 6 months later. For the three remaining competencies, the majority of supervisors agreed they could perform these before the conference; therefore, no change was found. This exploratory study showed this conference increased the perceived confidence and competence of the supervisors who attended and increased their self-reported ability to perform certain supervision competencies. While still preliminary, this supports the idea that a one day conference on supervision has the potential to impact supervisor development.     

The Relationship between the Supervision Role and Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Genetic Counseling

Many genetic counselors provide supervision to students during their career. Previous studies have shown genetic counselors, in general, are at increased risk for developing compassion fatigue. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in compassion fatigue and burnout levels in genetic counselors who currently supervise compared to genetic counselors who do not. Genetic counselors who currently practice in a clinical setting (N = 391) completed an online survey containing demographic questions, the Professional Quality of Life Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and questions specific to the genetic counselor’s experiences with supervision. Overall, when controlling for trait-anxiety, the supervision role by itself was not independently associated with the risk for compassion fatigue and burnout among genetic counselors. Within supervisors, however, there were several factors which were associated with this risk. Those with less supervision experience reported more secondary traumatic stress. Those supervisors reporting less confidence had decreased compassion satisfaction. Those with less experience or less confidence in their supervision role were most likely to be at increased risk for developing compassion fatigue. Training in supervision and support for dealing with compassion fatigue and burnout may be beneficial to supervisors with less experience.     

Predictive remapping gives rise to environmental inhibition of return

Neurons in various brain regions predictively respond to stimuli that will be brought to their receptive fields by an impending eye movement. This neural mechanism, known as predictive remapping, has been suggested to underlie spatial constancy. Inhibition of return (IOR) is a bias against recently attended locations. The present study examined whether predictive remapping is a mechanism underlying IOR effects observed in environmental coordinates. The participant made saccades to a peripheral location after an IOR effect had been elicited by an onset cue and discriminated a target presented around the time of saccade onset. Immediately before the required saccade, IOR emerged at the retinal locus that would be brought to the cued location. A second task in which the participant maintained fixation during the entire trial ruled out the possibility that this IOR effect was simply the spillover of IOR from the cued location. These findings, for the first time, provide direct behavioral evidence that predictive remapping is a mechanism underlying environmental IOR.     

Association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and depression: a meta-analysis in the Chinese population

Depression is a worldwide public health issue, and its prevalence increases each year. Although a number of studies have been conducted on the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and depression in China, this association remains elusive and controversial. To clarify the impact of MTHFR C677T polymorphism on the risk of depression, a meta-analysis was performed in the Chinese population. Relevant studies were identified using PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biology Medicine through May 5, 2015. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the associations. A total of 13 case–control studies including 1895 patients and 1913 controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, T variant of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of depression in the Chinese population (T vs. C: OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.24–1.85; TT + CT vs. CC: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.16–2.30; TT vs. CC: OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.49–3.24; TT vs. CC + CT: OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.31–2.46). In subgroup analyses stratified by geographic area and source of controls, the significant results were found in population-based studies, in hospital-based studies, in North and South China. The risk conferred by MTHFR C677T polymorphism is higher in North China than in South China. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with depression in the Chinese population, but these associations vary in different geographic locations.