Assessing the Effect of Language Demand in Bundles of Math Word Problems

Differential bundle functioning (DBF) analyses were conducted to determine whether seventh and eighth grade second language learners (SLLs) had lower probabilities of answering bundles of math word problems correctly that had heavy language demands, when compared to non-SLLs of equal math proficiency. Math word problems on each of four test forms (two at Grade 7 and two at Grade 8) were bundled together if they used the passive voice, conditional clause, relative clause, or a combination of any two. The results showed that the average total scores for SLLs was significantly lower than that for non-SLLs on each test form. However, only two bundles (passive voice and conditional clause at Grade 7 on Form 2) indicated statistically significant DBF against SLLs in favor of matched non-SLLs. An additional step was taken to determine whether the two bundles that showed statistically significant DBF against SLLs had biased the mean total scores for this group.The Walker, Zhang, Banks, and Cappaert (2012) procedure established for this purpose showed that this was not the case. Implications of the results are provided as well as suggestions for future research.     

Visual perspective in remembering and episodic future thought

According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis, remembering and episodic future thinking are supported by a common set of constructive processes. In the present study, we directly addressed this assertion in the context of third-person perspectives that arise during remembering and episodic future thought. Specifically, we examined the frequency with which participants remembered past events or imagined future events from third-person perspectives. We also examined the different viewpoints from which third-person perspective events were remembered or imagined. Although future events were somewhat more likely to be imagined from a third-person perspective, the spatial viewpoint distributions of third-person perspectives characterizing remembered and imagined events were highly similar. These results suggest that a similar constructive mechanism may be at work when people remember events from a perspective that could not have been experienced in the past and when they imagine events from a perspective that could not be experienced in the future. The findings are discussed in terms of their consistency with—and as extensions of—the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis.     

Pathologisches Glücksspiel und Delinquenz

Pathological gambling is characterized by excessive gambling behavior which influences the life and well-being of a person in a dysfunctional way. It often leads to severe consequences in social and family life, career and material matters. This can also include illegal acts. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) excessive gambling was classified under impulse-control disorders but was renamed as gambling disorder (GD) and reclassified under the category “substance-related and addictive disorders” in DSM-5, due to parallels to substance use disorders in the clinical characteristics as well as genetic and neurobiological factors. In Germany, approximately 0.5?% of the adult population suffer from GD. Especially gambling machines are associated with an increased risk of gambling-related problems. Common comorbidities are substance-related and affective disorders. The most important risk factors are young age, male gender, a history of migration, gambling-related problems in the family, unemployment, a low educational level and low household income. Delinquent behavior was not considered to be a sufficiently discriminative factor for GD, although there is a correlation between delinquency and gambling behavior. In addition, those GD subjects who show delinquent behavior also show a specific risk profile. Thus, mental health professionals should be aware of possible psychosocial consequences in GD, such as illegal acts, and this should be addressed in the effective treatment strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Moreover, it is necessary to improve the access routes for affected people into healthcare system in order to ensure early detection and treatment of the disease.     

Pain perception to the cold pressor test during the menstrual cycle in relation to estrogen levels and a comparison with men.

Animal and human research has shown that pain sensitivity changes during the menstrual cycle. This has sometimes been ascribed to hormonal variations. The aim of the present study was to examine how perception of pain, induced by the cold pressor test to the dominant hand, was related to gender and phases of the menstrual cycle. A repeated-measures design was used, where twenty-two female students participated at two different phases of the menstrual cycle (days 2-4 and days 20-24). A control group of nineteen male students participated on two occasions, separated by a three week period. The cycle phase during which each woman began her participation was randomized. Pain was induced using the cold pressor test. Pain threshold was determined as the duration of time between when the subject first reported pain and exposure to the painful stimulus. Pain tolerance was determined as the duration of time until the subject withdraw her/his hand from the test water because the pain was too intensive. The results showed that men tolerated significantly greater pain than women. Women's pain threshold was significantly higher during the second phase of the menstrual cycle. Systolic pressure was higher in men than women, increasing more in men in response to cold pressor testing than women. Further research, including measurements of plasma hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, is needed to clarify the role played by estrogens in pain perception.     

Adjusting the Religious Autobiography Course for the Postmodern Classroom

Religious autobiography as an introductory course is popular yet problematic. Often, it lacks methodological breadth and functions to ensconce Western notions of subjectivity which elide difference, locatedness, and the reality of multiple or shifting identifications. These problems can be addressed by incorporating into the course a community‐based learning exercise in which each student is paired with a local senior citizen, conducts a series of interviews with the elder, and then writes an (auto‐)biography based on the interviews. Students are thus given a real‐life situation in which to test the applicability of theories and definitions of religion, as well as a relationship to a subject whose locatedness and relatively unprivileged “I” allow for the problematization of autobiography as a genre as well as an appreciation for the contextual nature of religiosity. This exercise transforms the religious autobiography course into a pedagogically fruitful, intellectually defensible, and institutionally savvy introductory course.     

Adult Attachment,Self‐Efficacy,Perspective Taking,and Conflict Resolution

Parents (N= 124) completed surveys assessing their adult attachment style, conflict resolution style, social self‐efficacy, and perspective taking. Findings supported hypothesized relationships between secure attachment and mutual forms of conflict resolution. More equivocal support was obtained for hypothesized pairings of specific nonsecure attachment styles and nonmutual conflict styles. Findings suggested mediating effects for social competencies (social self‐efficacy and perspective taking), which accounted for some of the negative association between attachment avoidance and mutual conflict style. Follow‐up analyses identified mediating effects of social competencies on specific combinations of attachment and conflict styles–thus suggesting avenues for counseling interventions.     

Effects of Age on Dual-Task Walking While Listening

This study examined the effects of age on single- and dual-task listening and walking during virtual street crossing. Seventeen younger and 12 older adults participated. In each listening trial, three sentences were presented simultaneously from separate locations. Participants were instructed to report the target sentence. Predictability of the target sentence location was varied. Treadmill walking was measured using motion analysis. Measures included word recognition accuracy, head and trunk angles, and spatiotemporal gait parameters. Older adults exhibited a more upright head alignment and less variability in stride time during dual-tasking, particularly under less certain target sentence location conditions. Younger adults’ walking was unaffected by dual-task demands. Together, the results indicate greater postural prioritization in older adults than young.