Sources of Differences in Children's Understandings of Mathematical Equality: Comparative Analysis of Teacher Guides and Student Texts in China and the United States

This study reports findings from comparative samples of sixth-grade Chinese and U.S. students' interpretations of the equal sign. Ninety-eight percent of the Chinese sample correctly answered 4 items indicating conceptions of equality and provided conceptually accurate explanations. In contrast, only 28% of the U.S. sample performed at this level. We examine how teacher preparation materials, students' textbooks and teachers' guidebooks treat equality in each country. U.S. teacher preparation textbooks rarely interpreted the equal sign as equivalence. On the contrary, Chinese textbooks typically introduced the equal sign in a context of relationships and interpreted the sign as “balance,” “sameness,” or “equivalence” and only then embedded the sign with operations on numbers.     

Book Reviews

For inexperienced sales representatives, success provides an important learning opportunity from which to build confidence and hone strategies. Such learning is derived from the attributions one makes for success and how those attributions shape future behavior. This research investigates the interpretation and behavioral intentions of inexperienced sales representatives following a successful sales call using a sample of financial services representatives. Surprisingly, we found that achieving success did not assure the adoption or future use of the strategy that garnered that success. These results suggest that inexperienced sales representatives may require managerial attention to fully understand and appropriately assimilate their sales successes. Implications for managers and future research are discussed.     

The relationship between religion and cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality in the women's health initiative observational study

Some studies suggest that religiosity may be related to health outcomes. The current investigation, involving 92,395 Women's Health Initiative Observational Study participants, examined the prospective association of religious affiliation, religious service attendance, and strength and comfort from religion with subsequent cardiovascular outcomes and death. Baseline characteristics and responses to religiosity questions were collected at enrollment. Women were followed for an average of 7.7 years and outcomes were judged by physician adjudicators. Cox proportional regression models were run to obtain hazard ratios (HR) of religiosity variables and coronary heart disease (CHD) and death. After controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and prior health variables, self-report of religious affiliation, frequent religious service attendance, and religious strength and comfort were associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality [HR for religious affiliation = 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75–0.93] [HR for service attendance = 0.80; CI: 0.73–0.87] [HR for strength and comfort = 0.89; CI: 0.82–0.98]. However, these religion-related variables were not associated with reduced risk of CHD morbidity and mortality. In fact, self-report of religiosity was associated with increased risk of this outcome in some models. In conclusion, although self-report measures of religiosity were not associated with reduced risk of CHD morbidity and mortality, these measures were associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality.     

Repression following a series of natural disasters: Immune and Neuroendocrine correlates

The influence of repression on peripheral blood lymphocyte surface markers and diurnal decline in salivary cortisol following multiple disasters was examined. Participants were sampled at 2 to 8 weeks after a severe fire and flood, and again 1 year later. High distress, low distress, and repression groups were formed utilizing self-reported distress and systolic blood pressure during a disaster recall interview. A main effect for group was identified for CD56⁺ cells (NK cells), with repressors and high distress participants demonstrating lower percentage of NK cells than low distress participants. At Time 1 repressors demonstrated significantly higher percentage of CD56⁺CD69⁺ cells (activated NK cells) than high and low distress participants. From Time 1 to Time 2, repressor participants showed a significant decline in the percentage of activated NK cells. Repressors demonstrated attenuated decline in salivary cortisol compared to low distress participants. Health implications for disaster recovery are discussed.     

The Influence of Attentional Style and Risk Perceptions on Intentions to Undergo Prophylactic Oophorectomy Among First-Degree Relatives

This study examined the predictors of women's intentions to undergo prophylactic oophorectomy. Eighty female first-degree relatives (FDRs) of ovarian cancer patients completed a measure of attentional style upon enrollment into a Family Risk Assessment Program. Following participation, measures of cancer risk perceptions, perceived benefits and costs of surgery, and intentions to undergo preventive surgery were obtained. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that a high monitoring attentional style, as well as greater perceived risk of ovarian cancer and greater perceived benefits of the procedure, was associated with greater intentions to undergo prophylactic oophorectomy. In addition, a significant interaction between attentional style and perceived risk revealed that high monitors who felt at increased risk for ovarian cancer were less inclined to undergo surgery, whereas low monitors who perceived themselves to be at increased risk were more inclined to undergo surgery. The implications of the results for the design of counseling interventions are discussed.     

Randomised trial of expressive writing for distressed metastatic breast cancer patients

Women with metastatic breast cancer and significant psychological distress (N?=?87) were assigned randomly to engage in four home-based sessions of expressive writing or neutral writing. Women in the expressive writing group wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their cancer, whereas women in the neutral writing group wrote about their daily activities in a factual manner. No statistically significant group differences in existential and psychological well-being, fatigue and sleep quality were found at 8-weeks post-writing. However, the expressive writing group reported significantly greater use of mental health services during the study than the neutral writing group (55% vs. 26%, respectively; p?<?0.05). Findings suggest that expressive writing may improve the uptake of mental health services among distressed cancer patients, but is not broadly effective as a psychotherapeutic intervention.     

Combat Stressors Predicting Perceived Stress Among Previously Deployed Soldiers

While combat exposures are considered principle stressors in developing mental health problems, research suggests social support can reduce this risk. Using data from 1,592 previously deployed soldiers, we found five classes of soldiers based on their patterns of responses to items measuring perceived stress. In subsequent analyses, we found increased combat exposure predicted membership in classes with greater combat-related stress, while greater unit cohesion predicted membership in classes with lower perceived stress. Also, greater willingness to report misconduct predicted greater unit cohesion. Results suggest that unit cohesion plays a vital role in the reduction of perceived stress among soldiers.