Association of Parenting with Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors of College Students in India

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parenting and sexual attitudes and behaviors of college students in India. Both physical sexual behaviors and online sexual behaviors were examined. A sub-sample of Indian college students aged 18–25 years (n?=?159; 32% female) recruited online for survey completion were the focus of this study. Two path models were performed to explore how sexual attitudes and behaviors were associated with perceived parental solicitation, trust, and warmth. Maternal and paternal influences were tested in separate models. Mothering was more strongly associated with daughters’ sexual behaviors while fathering was associated with sons. College students with liberal sexual attitudes reported engaging in more physical and online sexual behaviors. As Indian youth experience a more globalizing coming of age than previous generations, they require an extended period of parental support and involvement. Findings in the current study suggest that young adults are receptive to parental influence with warm and trusting parent–child relationships playing a significant role in shaping college students’ sexual behaviors.     

Neuroanatomical correlates of performance in a state‐wide test of math achievement

The development of math skills is a critical component of early education and a strong indicator of later school and economic success. Recent research utilizing population‐normed, standardized measures of math achievement suggest that structural and functional integrity of parietal regions, especially the intraparietal sulcus, are closely related to the development of math skills. However, it is unknown how these findings relate to in‐school math learning. The present study is the first to address this issue by investigating the relationship between regional differences in grey matter (GM) volume and performance in grade‐level mathematics as measured by a state‐wide, school‐based test of math achievement (TCAP math) in children from 3rd to 8th grade. Results show that increased GM volume in the bilateral hippocampal formation and the right inferior frontal gyrus, regions associated with learning and memory, is associated with higher TCAP math scores. Secondary analyses revealed that GM volume in the left angular gyrus had a stronger relationship to TCAP math in grades 3–4 than in grades 5–8 while the relationship between GM volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus and TCAP math was stronger for grades 5–8. These results suggest that the neuroanatomical architecture related to in‐school math achievement differs from that related to math achievement measured by standardized tests, and that the most related neural structures differ as a function of grade level. We suggest, therefore, that the use of school‐relevant outcome measures is critical if neuroscience is to bridge the gap to education.     

Suggestibility effects persist after one year in children who experienced a single or repeated event

The study of long-term memory for repeated events has important implications for understanding autobiographical memory in a forensic context. Recall accuracy and suggestibility for details of an instance of a repeated event versus a single event were examined in children aged 5–6 and 7–8 years after a one-year delay. Children who reported an instance of a repeated event were more likely to report that a non-experienced detail had occurred and reported less correct information than did single-event children. After one year a significant suggestibility effect was still present. The present experiment provides further evidence for both the capabilities and limitations of children's long-term recall and reinforces the importance of non-suggestive interviews of children at all stages of investigation.     

Who is there? Captive western gorillas distinguish human voices based on familiarity and nature of previous interactions

Animal Cognition - The ability to recognize conspecifics by their acoustic signals is of crucial importance to social animals, especially where visibility is limited, because it allows for...     

The impact of cognitive behavioral therapy on post event processing among those with social anxiety disorder

Individuals with social anxiety are prone to engage in post event processing (PEP), a post mortem review of a social interaction that focuses on negative elements. The extent that PEP is impacted by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the relation between PEP and change during treatment has yet to be evaluated in a controlled study. The current study used multilevel modeling to determine if PEP decreased as a result of treatment and if PEP limits treatment response for two types of cognitive behavioral treatments, a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention and individually based virtual reality exposure. These hypotheses were evaluated using 91 participants diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. The findings suggested that PEP decreased as a result of treatment, and that social anxiety symptoms for individuals reporting greater levels of PEP improved at a slower rate than those with lower levels of PEP. Further research is needed to understand why PEP attenuates response to treatment.     

The Interactive Effects of Task and External Feedback on Practice Performance and Learning

The interactions of task and external feedback on practice performance and learning were examined. While external feedback was consistently beneficial to performance during practice, regardless of the availability of feedback from the task, it was detrimental to learning when the task provided little feedback. External feedback benefited learning only when feedback was also available from the task. In addition, task feedback benefited learning, partially due to its effects on error detection and correction skills. Results suggest the importance of examining the simultaneous provision of feedback from different sources, studying the role of task feedback in learning, and more cleanly assessing learning to avoid confounding it with transient performance improvements.