Relationships between recovery-stress state and performance in sprinters and jumpers

This study investigated the possible relationship between recovery-stress state and competition results in sprinters and jumpers. The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes of Kellmann and Kallus was used. The subjects were tested one day before the Estonian Indoor Championships (n = 10; 4 men and 6 women) and Outdoor Championships (n= 11; 4 men and 7 women). The competition results were measured as International Amateur Athletic Federation points. Scores for Fatigue (r = -.74) and Emotional Stress (r =-.79) from the subscales were correlated with IAAF points during Indoor Championships. Competition results from the Outdoor Championships were correlated with scores on the Somatic Complaints (r =-.70) and General Well-being (r = .63) subscales. Individual analysis suggests a possible relationship between the recovery-stress state and performance in competition which should be investigated further.     

The Effects of Choice on the Reading Comprehension and Enjoyment of Children with Severe Inattention and no Attentional Difficulties

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - It has been proposed that enhancing motivation supports the learning of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Less is...     

Mind and the Environment

Intuitively, an object is something that coheres internally and is largely independent of its environment. But what is the environment? Viewed at one scale, it surrounds and separates objects and differentiates them. Viewed at another scale, it is itself a collection of objects surrounded by (more) environment. At all scales, we describe the world in terms of objects in an environment. I examine the nature of the environment and its role in mediating the object-subject relation. This dedicated analysis of the environment provides a new perspective on the notion of objectivity.     

How does social essentialism affect the development of inter‐group relations?

Psychological essentialism is a pervasive conceptual bias to view categories as reflecting something deep, stable, and informative about their members. Scholars from diverse disciplines have long theorized that psychological essentialism has negative ramifications for inter‐group relations, yet little previous empirical work has experimentally tested the social implications of essentialist beliefs. Three studies (N = 127, ages 4.5–6) found that experimentally inducing essentialist beliefs about a novel social category led children to share fewer resources with category members, but did not lead to the out‐group dislike that defines social prejudice. These findings indicate that essentialism negatively influences some key components of inter‐group relations, but does not lead directly to the development of prejudice.     

Brief Parenting Interventions for Children at Risk of Externalizing Behavior Problems: A Systematic Review

We systematically reviewed the evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of brief parenting interventions, defined as <8 sessions in duration, in reducing child externalizing behaviors. While there is significant evidence to support the efficacy of parenting interventions of 8–12 sessions in duration, the public health benefit of these interventions is limited by low participation rates, high attrition rates and the lack of implementation by a wide range of practitioners. Brief parenting interventions have the potential to extend the reach and impact of parenting interventions and steer children away from a trajectory of life course persistent behavior problems. A search of four electronic databases was undertaken to identify RCTs conducted on brief parenting interventions. The primary outcome was child externalizing behaviors and secondary outcomes included parenting skills, parental self-efficacy, parental mental health and partner relationship functioning. The heterogeneity of included studies prevented a meta-analysis but characteristics of the studies were described. Nine papers summarising the results of eight studies with 836 families in five countries met inclusion criteria. All studies found significant improvements in parent-rated child externalizing behaviors, parenting skills and parenting self-efficacy, relative to control or comparison groups, with findings maintained at follow-up. Less consistent findings emerged for parental mental health and partner relationship functioning. This review provides initial evidence that brief parenting interventions may be sufficient to reduce child externalizing behavior problems for some families, however further research is needed.     

Parental Accommodation Predicts Symptom Severity at Long-Term Follow-Up in Children with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: A Preliminary Investigation

Pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition affecting millions of children. Though well intentioned, accommodation (i.e., a parent’s attempt to assuage their child’s distress and anxiety) is thought to increase OCD symptom severity and may cause greater OCD-related impairment. The present study sought to examine the relative contribution of parental accommodation in predicting OCD symptom severity. Children between the ages of 6 and 18 (and their parents) participated in a prospective, longitudinal study investigating the course of pediatric OCD utilizing a longitudinal design. Data was collected at intake (n = 30) and two-years (n = 22) post-intake controlling for age, anxiety and depression. Parental accommodation (measured at intake) significantly predicted OCD symptom severity and was the strongest predictor at both intake and two-year follow-up. These preliminary findings highlight the importance of further research seeking to delineate factors relevant to the development and maintenance of accommodation as well as parent-level variables that might mediate the relationship between accommodation and OCD symptom severity.     

Oscar Wilde in Singapore: Ambivalence,Enforcement, and the Criminalization of Homosexuality

The city state of Singapore, which recently celebrated 50 years of independence, still curiously retains a nineteenth century colonial penal code that criminalizes homosexuality. While state censorship discourages its citizens from engaging in public discourse that explores the implications of this penal code, colloquially known as 377A, discussions on the topic are still visible. High profile attempts to repeal the law through challenging the Singapore Constitution are reported in mainstream media outlets, and the artistic community also supports the repeal of the penal code. One of the most powerful instances of this was W!ld Rice’s 2013 all-male production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest followed by Moisés Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (the former played to international acclaim in Macau in 2014 and Brisbane in September 2015). This essay examines the relationship between art and state policy in Singapore by considering how artistic expressions that address social and cultural anxieties contribute to rather than subvert conversations about social policy-making. In this case, the seemingly comical Wilde plays produced an especially serious and nuanced analysis of the off-stage consensus problems in Singapore, among the LGBT community, heterosexual citizens, and the government. The plays effectively expose and articulate the deeply ambivalent sentiments that have come to characterize the 377A debate.