Inexpensive video cameras used by parents to record social communication in epidemiological investigations in early childhood-A feasibility study

We tested the feasibility of parents recording social interactions with their infants using inexpensive camcorders, as a potential method of effective, convenient, and economical large scale data gathering on social communication. Participants were asked to record two short video clips during either play or a mealtime, and return the data. Sixty-five video clips (32 pairs) were returned by 33 families, comprising 8.5% of families contacted, 44.6% of respondents and 51.6% of those sent a camcorder, and the general visual and sound quality of the data was assessed.Audio and video quality were adequate for analysis in 85% of clips and several social behaviours, including social engagement and contingent responsiveness, could be assessed in 97% of clips. We examined two quantifiable social behaviours quantitatively in both adults and infants: gaze direction and duration, and vocalization occurrence and duration. It proved difficult for most observers to obtain a simultaneous clear view of the parents and infant's face.Video clips obtained by parents are informative and usable for analysis. Further work is required to establish the acceptability of this technique in longitudinal studies of child development and to maximize the return of usable data.     

The predictive value of daily vs. retrospective well-being judgments in relationship stability

The present study examined the role of daily and retrospective judgments of well-being and relationship satisfaction in relationship longevity. Participating couples completed a 14-day diary report of well-being and relationship satisfaction. After the daily diary survey, they evaluated the 14-day period. Participants also rated their global relationship satisfaction at that time. Retrospective judgments of daily well-being predicted later relationship status better than daily ratings of well-being did, whereas daily ratings of relationship domain satisfaction predicted later status better than retrospective judgments of daily relationship domain satisfaction did. Furthermore, global relationship satisfaction predicted later relationship status better than daily ratings of relationship domain satisfaction did. In general, global, summary judgments had a greater predictive value of future relationship status than did specific, daily judgments. Finally, synchronicity of daily fluctuations of well-being between partners predicted later relationship status.     

Perceptions of married life among single never‐married,single ever‐married,and married adults

With the increasing prevalence of single adults in the United States, perceptions of marriage as the relationship “gold standard” may be diminishing. In this study (N = 6,576), we explored perceptions of married life in three subgroups of participants: Those who have never married, ever married, and currently married. Across subgroups, most did not perceive married life more positively than single life in external/tangible domains (e.g., more friends), but did in emotional experiences and frame of mind (e.g., contentment). These findings suggest conceptualizations of marriage may be changing to be less positive or less discrepant from conceptualizations of single life. However, these findings also suggest that people continue to view marital relationships as a positive source of emotional experience and support.     

Embodied reflexivity: discerning ethical practice through the Six-Part Story Method

Early reflective practice drew on the work of John Dewey and the concept of learning-by-doing involving individual reflection on, and in, action. More recently the practice of reflection has also been taken into a more socially constructed, and emergent, sense of knowing where the individual ‘reflexes’ in, and through, experiences as felt ways of knowing. This concept forms the basis of this article. We will explore a process of learning called the Six-Part Story Method (6PSM). Originally created in the field of dramatherapy as a diagnostic tool to enable child victims of trauma to be supported, Elinor further developed it in 2017 to support education professionals and leaders to enhance their reflective practice and create new opportunities to develop greater self-awareness. Warren then utilized it in teaching a course on ethical practice in a graduate programme; the course’s epistemological underpinning is the concept of ‘ethical know-how’. We then include the work of Helen, a student in the programme, as she explores the story she developed through the 6PSM and then analyzes the effect of it on herself one year later.     

Are Fast Complex Movements Unimaginable? Pupillometric Studies of Motor Imagery in Expert Piano Playing

Motor imagery (MI; mental simulation of actions) shares certain mental representations and processes with executed movement (ME). This neurocognitive overlap between MI and ME may explain why the systematic use of MI improves skilled performance in numerous domains. Unfortunately, the attentional mechanisms underlying MI remain unresolved. Therefore, the present studies investigated the role of attentional effort (as measured by pupil dilation) in MI. We evaluated the effects of movement complexity and speed on expert pianists' pupil dilation as they physically executed and used MI to perform easy/complex and slow/fast music phrases. Results revealed that easy movements required similar levels of attentional effort during MI and ME. However, during complex movements performed at a fast speed, the correspondence between execution and imagery of movement was disrupted.     

Three Contrasting Approaches in English Church/Faith Schools: Perspectives from headteachers

This article briefly notes the context in which English church/faith schools, supported by public funds, are placed. It then reports on three small and linked research projects into how 14 primary schools, led by their headteachers, belonging to three Christian denominations in England, namely Roman Catholic, Church of England and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), transmit their beliefs and culture to their children. It goes on to examine the cultures that can be discerned within these schools and to compare differences. The article concludes by placing the findings on a continuum of closed/open; and, finally, by speculating on the consequences of the findings in a secularized and multi-cultural society.     

Scaling affordances for human reach actions

A methodology developed by Cesari and Newell [Cesari, P., & Newell, K. M. (1999). The scaling of human grip configuration. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 25, 927-935; Cesari, P., & Newell, K. M. (2000). The body-scaling of grip configurations in children aged 6-12 years. Developmental Psychobiology 36, 301-310] was used to delineate the roles of an object's weight (W) and distance (D) as well as the actor's strength (S) in determining the macroscopic action used to reach for the object. Participants reached for objects of five different weights placed at 10 distances. The findings of a single discriminant analysis revealed that when object weight is scaled in terms of each individual's strength and reach distance is scaled in terms of each individual's maximum-seated reach distance, a single discriminant analysis was able to predict 90% of the reach modes used by both men and women. The result of the discriminant analysis was used to construct a body-scaled equation, K=lnD+ln(W/S)/36, similar in form to the one derived by Cesari and Newell, accurately predicted the reach action used. Our findings indicate that Cesari and Newell's method can identify a complex relationship between geometric and dynamic constraints that determine the affordances for different reach actions.