Fetal Testosterone,Socio‐Emotional Engagement and Language Development

The present study investigated the relations among fetal testosterone, child socio‐emotional engagement and language development in a sample of 467 children (235 boys) from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Bioavailable testosterone concentration measured in umbilical cord blood taken at birth was found to be significantly negatively correlated with socio‐emotional engagement and vocabulary development for boys but not for girls. Socio‐emotional engagement mediated the effect of boys' fetal testosterone levels on their vocabulary development. However, the size of the effects was small, and fetal testosterone and socio‐emotional engagement were no longer significant predictors of boys' vocabulary scores after accounting for the effects of other predictors including maternal age and education, parity, and parent–child book reading. It is concluded that further research into these associations is warranted in both typical and atypical development and that this research would profit from including a broader focus on the role that proximal processes such as socio‐emotional engagement, joint attention and imitation have in mediating the developmental effects of prenatal factors such as fetal testosterone exposure. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of meaningfulness and integrative processing in expressive writing on positive and negative affect and life satisfaction

Meaningfulness and integrative processing of expressive writing may influence the effect of expressive writing. Participants completed measures of positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction before and after an expressive writing intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four expressive writing instruction conditions, which combined higher and lower levels of meaning and integrative processing instructions. Meaningfulness and integrative processing instructions had significant effects in increasing positive affect and there was a significant interaction between meaningfulness instructions and integrative processing instructions; participants in the high meaningfulness and high integrative processing instruction condition showed the greatest increase in positive affect. Meaningfulness had a significant effect in decreasing negative affect. The intervention did not influence life satisfaction. Both meaningfulness and integrative processing instructions led to more self-reported personal meaningfulness of the writing and more cognitive, emotional, behavioural and situational changes. More self-reported meaningfulness of the writing and more cognitive, emotional, behavioural and situational changes made as a result of the writing were in turn associated with greater increases in positive affect. The results of the study affirm the importance of meaningfulness and processing in expressive writing and potentially provide information regarding how to increase the effectiveness of expressive writing.     

Linguistic Profile of Individuals with Down Syndrome: Comparing the Linguistic Performance of Three Developmental Disorders

An increasing number of studies, addressing the linguistic abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) suggest that they exhibit strengths and weaknesses within the linguistic domain. This article critically reviews the literature on the linguistic profile of individuals with DS, with particular emphasis on the expression and reception of vocabulary and grammar, including nonverbal linguistic expression during infant development. In doing so, attention is given to recent comparative studies of the linguistic abilities of individuals with DS, Specific Language Impairment (SLI), and Williams syndrome (WS). The possibility that deficits in one cognitive system may have consequences in another cognitive system, and that these consequences may define the nature of the impairment in each clinical syndrome is further discussed with suggestions for future research.     

Focusing and Expressive Arts Therapy as a Complementary Treatment for Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

This pilot study (N = 18) explored the effectiveness of focusing and expressive arts therapies intervention on the quality of life of women with breast cancer. The format was a 2-day (7 hours per day) retreat/support group in which complementary treatments (focusing, writing, art, and movement) were provided in an intensive format. Our hypothesis was that an integrated approach of multimodal expressive arts therapy would result in improvements in several measures of the participants' qualities of life. There was a 6-week post-group follow-up telephone interview, during which several participants reported positive results. This suggests that the intervention was beneficial.     

幼儿书目清单的编制及其与口头词汇的关系

本研究根据中国家庭文化背景编制一个测量中国家庭亲子阅读量的问卷——幼儿书目清单,并比较书目清单和传统的父母自陈报告家庭亲子阅读频率这两种方法在预测幼儿口头词汇的效果上是否存在差异.研究发现幼儿书目清单有较好的信、效度.进一步的回归分析发现在控制了儿童的智商、父母的学历后亲子阅读量确实能显著预测幼儿的口语能力,并且书目清单的预测效果优于父母自陈报告的亲子阅读频率.     

Expressive Electronic Journal Writing: Freedom of Communication for Survivors of Acquired Brain Injury

In addition to the impaired ability to effectively communicate, adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) also experience high incidences of depression, social isolation, and decreased quality of life. Expressive writing programs have been shown to be effective in alleviating these concomitant impairments in other populations including incarcerated inmates (Lane, Writing as a road to self-discovery, F & W, Cincinnati 1993). In addition, computer applications such as email have been suggested as an effective means of improving communication and social isolation in adults with brain injury (Sohlberg et al. [2003]. Brain Injury, 17(7), 609–629). This investigation examines the effects of on-line expressive journal writing on the communication, emotional status, social integration and quality of life of individuals with brain injury.     

儿童英汉口语词汇知识与英语语音意识的关系

以120名母语为汉语的四、五年级小学儿壹为被试.探讨英语和母语口语词汇知识与英语语音意识的关系.结果表明: (1)英语和母语口语词汇知识与英语语音意识之间存在密切关系. (2)英语口语词汇产生对英语音节、首音一韵脚和音位意识具有显著的独立预测作用,英语口语词汇理解对英语语音意识的独立贡献性不显著. (3)汉语口语词汇产生对英语音节意识具有显著的预测作用,汉语口语词汇理解对英语音位意识具有显著的预测作用;汉语口语词汇产生既可以直接作用于英语音节意识,也可以通过汉语语音意识的中介发挥间接作用:汉语口语词汇理解则完全通过汉语语音意识和英语口语词汇产生的中介间接作用于英语旨位意识.     

道德:是在压抑人性,还是在提升人性

当前社会上出现一股思潮,认为道德的约束使人性中很多自然、正常的东西得不到应有的释放与满足,道德压抑了人性,导致了人性的扭曲,严重地影响了人们的身心健康。认为应当将人们从道德的种种束缚中解放出来,打倒一切违背人性、压抑人性、摧残人性的东西。本文通过对人性本质的揭示认为:道德本然的定位并不是要压抑人性,恰恰相反,道德自始至终都是立足于提升和完善人性。在人类历史上,道德的确有走向人性的反面的情况,而这不过是由于我们将道德绝对化、制度化和虚无化后所致。     

汉语儿童读词者的认知特征及其影响因素

读词者是指能够流畅地进行字词识别和解码, 却难以很好地理解文本内容的学生。以840名小学一到六年级学生为研究对象, 对其进行阅读速度、阅读理解、语素意识(包括同音语素意识、同形语素意识和复合语素意识)、汉字识别、口语词汇、工作记忆、一般智力等测查, 通过现状描述和多分类logistic回归分析, 结果发现：(1)一年级汉语儿童读词者的检出率为0.7%, 二年级之后的检出率在6.5%~10.1%之间; (2)在语言特异性认知因素上, 控制了年龄和智力后, 与其他学生相比, 读词者在汉字识别任务上表现较好, 在语素意识各个任务及口语词汇上表现较差; (3)年龄和智力是造成读词者比率增加的一般因素; (4)同音语素意识和口语词汇是造成读词者比率增加的语言特异性认知因素。     

大学生第二外语词汇学习中的测试效应

本研究采用学习-测试研究范式,以"Swahili-汉语"配对词为实验材料,考察不同实验条件测试对大学生第二外语词汇习得的促进作用。研究发现:(1)不同实验条件的累积回忆正确率相同;(2)测试效应显著,且对长时保持具有促进作用;(3)被试对不同实验条件的学习效果的预期与事实不相符。这些结果表明,自我测试既有助于学生高效习得第二外语词汇,又有助于教师改善课堂教学。