Women Creating Public Art and Community, 2000–2014

This narrative describes a series of 15 short‐term public art projects that were part of a program for women and girls in Lowell, Massachusetts, a mid‐size city in the United States. The projects were designed to give public space to women’s stories and perspectives by exhibiting their creative art in response to suggested themes. A few thousand women and girls representing diverse age and cultural groups created art based on their lived experiences. The organizers of the program met people in comfortable settings, tailored their art‐making approaches to particular groups, and used inclusive processes in developing and executing the program. Program successes and challenges were related to the organizational structure of the art projects, the annual themes and art media, the extent of outreach and support, the process of creation, and the impact of art exhibits. Using community psychology and feminist frameworks, authors reflect on the projects and their relevance across contexts, highlight key organizing strategies, and identify ways the project represents community psychology in action.     

Year-one children thinking about and writing ‘large’ quantities / Niños de primer grado pensando en y anotando cantidades ‘grandes’

Abstract

We studied how year-one children in primary school think about and with numbers when they use verbal expressions and numerical notations to suggest ‘very large’ quantities in different contexts of meaning (tokens, an elderly person’s age, stars). We individually interviewed 63 children from schools in Río Negro, Argentina. The analysis identified the different ways children approached the tension that exists between stability and innovation. Context seems to influence the answers given by many of the children who were interviewed. The results showed five cognitive trajectories: in the first two, children did not demonstrate any innovation in their notations. Children in the remaining trajectories (84% of respondents) conducted a kind of numerical ‘take off’ in at least one of the tasks. Knowledge of the number series does not guarantee an easy approach to writing ‘large’ quantities but it does seem to favour a strategy of greater cognitive flexibility.     

Properties of hypothesis testing techniques and (Bayesian) model selection for exploration‐based and theory‐based (order‐restricted) hypotheses

In this paper, the performance of six types of techniques for comparisons of means is examined. These six emerge from the distinction between the method employed (hypothesis testing, model selection using information criteria, or Bayesian model selection) and the set of hypotheses that is investigated (a classical, exploration‐based set of hypotheses containing equality constraints on the means, or a theory‐based limited set of hypotheses with equality and/or order restrictions). A simulation study is conducted to examine the performance of these techniques. We demonstrate that, if one has specific, a priori specified hypotheses, confirmation (i.e., investigating theory‐based hypotheses) has advantages over exploration (i.e., examining all possible equality‐constrained hypotheses). Furthermore, examining reasonable order‐restricted hypotheses has more power to detect the true effect/non‐null hypothesis than evaluating only equality restrictions. Additionally, when investigating more than one theory‐based hypothesis, model selection is preferred over hypothesis testing. Because of the first two results, we further examine the techniques that are able to evaluate order restrictions in a confirmatory fashion by examining their performance when the homogeneity of variance assumption is violated. Results show that the techniques are robust to heterogeneity when the sample sizes are equal. When the sample sizes are unequal, the performance is affected by heterogeneity. The size and direction of the deviations from the baseline, where there is no heterogeneity, depend on the effect size (of the means) and on the trend in the group variances with respect to the ordering of the group sizes. Importantly, the deviations are less pronounced when the group variances and sizes exhibit the same trend (e.g., are both increasing with group number).     

Examining the Presence of Congregational Programs Focused on Violence Against Women

Religious congregations are uniquely poised to provide programs to support survivors of violence against women; yet little is known regarding the prevalence of such programs. In this study, we used data from three waves of the National Congregation Study (N = 3334) to examine change across time in the presence of a congregational program to support survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence. We also explored results among different Christian religious traditions across time. Given the gendered nature of this violence, we also tested whether the (a) gender of the head clergy (i.e., religious leader), and (b) ability of women to serve in congregational leadership roles predicted the presence of programs. As points of comparison, we also examined the total number of congregational social service programs and food programs in particular. Overall, we found different patterns of change across religious traditions for the different programs. Moreover, clergy gender and the ability of women to serve in leadership roles predicted the presence of different types of programs. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research also are discussed.     

Ein dramatischer Verlauf einer Demenz

Delirium and dementia are two of the most common causes of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly. In patients with dementia, there is a high risk that changes in location – and especially being admitted to the hospital – may result in serious deterioration of brain function, e.g., delirium. With this case report, the authors emphasize the importance of a thorough medical history, behavioral observation, and progress monitoring in the diagnosis of dementia, while at the same time also question the sense, responsibility, and resource use in daily hospital routine.     

Developing civic engagement in university education: predicting current and future engagement in community services

One of the important goals of education is for students to learn to be responsible civic participants. Thus, the time students spend in college is invaluable. It is important that students learn to participate and be responsible citizens of their community during their time in college (Giles and Eyler in Mich J Community Serv Learn 1:77–85, 1994). In this study, a program to help achieve this important educational goal is presented and evaluated. This involved the examination of the impact of actual participation in a community service activity on students’ changes in attitudes and future intentions. A path model based on predictions drawn from place attachment theory was developed and tested to examine how participating in a community service activity affected students’ place attachment and interests in community service. Two-hundred-and-nine university students participated in the study. Results confirmed the hypothesized model. Implications for enhancing student involvement in their communities and encouraging their development into responsible citizens were discussed.     

Developmental patterns of emotion regulation in toddlerhood: Examining predictors of change and long‐term resilience

Emotion regulation is critical for optimal functioning across a wide range of domains and may be even more important for individuals in high‐risk environments. While evidence suggests that childhood is generally a period of emotion regulation growth and development, research is needed to examine factors that may contribute to deviations from a typical trajectory. In a prospective study of 1,905 children, latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify trajectory groups of emotion regulation across toddlerhood (age 14–36 months), examine predictors of those trajectory groups from child temperament, parenting behaviors, and environmental risk, and explore predictions of resilience in 5th grade from the identified groups. LGCA supported a three‐class model, with a Stable Incline group, a Decline group, and a Catch‐Up group. Child negative emotionality, positive and negative parenting, and environmental risk predicted group membership. These trajectory groups in toddlerhood were predictive of child resilient functioning in the 5th grade. Our findings highlight the importance of utilizing developmental models of emotion regulation and provide implications for prevention and early intervention services to enhance emotion regulation development in early childhood.