The 2007 Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education: a new direction for statutory religious education in England and Wales

The aim of this article is to introduce and summarise the main feature of the new Birmingham City Council Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2007 Birmingham City Council (BCC). 2007. Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, Birmingham: City Council.  [Google Scholar]), consider the relevance of its commitments and conclusions to ongoing debates within British religious education, and, finally, offer some kind of provisional assessment of its strengths and worth. By way of introduction, attention is given both to the mounting controversy that currently attends British religious education, which has given rise to conflicting opinions and estimates of its achievements and value, and to the historical role and legal status of agreed syllabuses within English and Welsh education.     

White matter hyperintensities and working memory: an explorative study

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly observed in elderly people and may have the most profound effect on executive functions, including working memory. Surprisingly, the Digit Span backward, a frequently employed working memory task, reveals no association with WMH. In the present study, it was investigated whether more detailed analyses of WMH variables and study sample selection are important when establishing a possible relationship between the Digit Span backward and WMH. To accomplish this, the Digit Span backward and additional working memory tests, WMH subscores, and cardiovascular risk factors were examined. The results revealed that performance on the Digit Span backward test is unrelated to WMH, whereas a relationship between other working memory tests and WMH was confirmed. Furthermore, a division between several white matter regions seems important; hyperintensities in the frontal deep white matter regions were the strongest predictor of working memory performance.     

A Taxonomy of Equity Factors

A perplexing problem with Adams' (1963 ) equity theory has been the difficulty associated with operationalizing requisite components, perceived employee inputs, and outcomes. This study, involving 352 respondents, produced empirically derived, two-dimensional taxonomies of inputs and outcomes, laying the foundation for identification of key variables. Specifically, the study summarizes a typology of 9 distinct employee inputs perceived as controllable by individuals, including effort, education, attendance, and cooperativeness. Conversely, the study summarizes a typology of 14 distinct outcomes along a continuum of 4 dimensions, including personalized vs. generalized and economic vs. noneconomic characteristics. These typologies and incumbent regression analysis provide insight into the complexities associated with inputs and outcomes in the context of equity theory.     

The impact of group psychotherapy on social development in children with pervasive developmental disorders

Thirty-nine children with a diagnosed pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) participated in homogeneous psychotherapy groups. Their social development was assessed at home and at school both before and after treatment. Significant improvements in social functioning were observed in both settings, and these gains were not attributable to demographic variables or cognitive development. This research provides psychometric validation for the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS; Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984) and the Tyminski Social Skills Checklist (SSC), a new index designed to assess children's social functioning in educational settings. The results suggest that group therapy may be an important modality for better understanding and developing crucial social skills among the growing number of children diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder.     

The etiology of behavioral problems and competencies in very young twins

Although genetic and environmental influences on behavior problems in middle childhood and adolescence have been well-studied, little is known about the etiology of behavior problems in very early childhood. The present study explores genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in behavior problems and competences in an infant-toddler sample of twins. There were 1,950 twin pairs (mean age=23.8 months) who were rated by parents on the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. All four domains (Externalizing, Internalizing, Dysregulation, Competence) and 20 subscales-indices on the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment displayed significant heritability. There were also substantial shared environmental influences operating on most of the domains and subscales. Compared with behavior problems, behavioral competencies were less heritable and more influenced by shared environments.     

Some Comments on Pareto Thinking,Test Validity,and Adverse Impact: When ‘and’ is optimal and ‘or’ is a trade‐off

De Corte, Lievens, and Sackett add to the literature on selection test validity and adverse impact (AI). Their Pareto‐based weighting scheme essentially asks organizations if they are willing to give up some validity to hopefully achieve some reduction in AI. We considered their approach and conclusions in relation to the regression weighting method we used, and we offer five points that reflect our observations as well as our shared goals. We hope our comments, like their work in this field, will invigorate the pursuit of new ways of examining, and one day resolving, the persistent concern regarding the AI associated with valid selection tests.     

Experiments Behind the Veil: Structural Influences on Judgments of Social Justice

In two experiments, participants judged the fairness of different distributions of wealth in hypothetical societies. In the first study, the level of meritocracy in the hypothetical societies and the frame of reference from which participants judged alternative distributions of wealth interacted to influence fairness judgments. As meritocracy increased, all participants became more tolerant of economic inequality, particularly when they judged fairness from a redistribution frame of reference that made salient transfers among socioeconomic classes. Liberal participants, however, placed a greater emphasis on equality than did conservative participants across all conditions. In the second study, reactions to income transfers depended on the efficiency of the transfers and the identity of the groups receiving the benefits, but conservatives placed a greater emphasis in their fairness judgments on tying benefits to workfare requirements, whereas liberals did not distinguish between unconditional welfare transfers and workfare transfers.     

The Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT) as a measure of academic achievement and general intelligence

The degree to which practical, creative, and analytical abilities, measured by the Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT) (Sternberg, 1993), significantly contribute to the prediction of academic achievement, independent of general intelligence, was investigated. Although Sternberg et al. (2000) claim that the STAT is not related to, nor a measure of, general intelligence, data obtained by Sternberg, Ferrari, Clinkenbeard, and Grigorenko (1996), found that STAT scores were significantly correlated with measures of general intelligence. In the present study, introductory psychology midterm examination grades, STAT scores, and Wonderlic Personnel Test scores (as a measure of general intelligence), were obtained from undergraduate students at the University of Western Ontario (N=150). Total STAT scores and each of the STAT subsection scores were significantly related to Wonderlic test scores, P<0.01, and the STAT subsections were significantly related to each other, P<0.01. The partial correlations between midterm grades and creative, practical, analytical, and total STAT scores, with the variance due to the Wonderlic test removed, were also found to be significant for practical and for total STAT scores, P<0.05, but nonsignificant for creative and analytical STAT scores. A factor analysis including midterm examination grades, the Wonderlic test, and each of the STAT subsections revealed a single general factor. Thus, some results supported Sternberg but others were contrary to his claims.     

A Comparative Study of Family Characteristics of Anglo American and Asian American High Achievers

The purpose of this study is to examine the similarities and differences in family characteristics of Asian American and Anglo American high achievers. Sixty matched parents were interviewed concerning 4 areas. The findings suggest that the family life of Anglo American students tend to be less structured and provide less formal educational experience for children after school and on weekends. Similarities between these 2 groups include high parental expectation, concerned parents, stable family environment, and close-knit family relationships.