Home Environment and Classroom Climate: An Investigation of their Relation to Students’ Academic Self-Concept in a Streamed Setting

Many studies concur that students’ perceptions of their home and school environments, such as relationships with parents and teachers, are related to their academic self-concept (for example, Chang et al., Int J of Behav Dev 27(2):182–189, 2003; Ireson and Hallam, Br J Educ Psychol 75:297–311, 2005; Jang, J Kor Home Econ, 39:101–114, 2001; Lau and Leung, Br J Educ Psychol, 62:193–202, 1992; Lau and Pun, Social Behav Pers, 27(6):639–650, 1999; Masche and Barber, “Connectedness and separation in parent-adolescent relationships: Indicators of a successful identity development.” Paper presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, April 19–22, 2001; Sanders, “School–family–community partnerships and the academic achievement of African American, urban adolescents.” Report No. 7. EDRS. ED 402404, 1996). Nonetheless, little is known about whether the strength of the relationships is comparable for students of different ability streams, or if the predictors of variance of their academic self-concept are similar. To fill the empirical gap, a 3-year longitudinal study was conducted with Secondary One students (approximate age 13) from three government schools in Singapore. Pearson product–moment correlation and Fisher’s z _r transformation showed that there were significant differences in the strength of the relationships between higher- and lower-ability stream students’ academic self-concept and their perceived home environment and classroom climate. In addition, stepwise multiple linear regressions established that lower-ability stream students’ perceived teachers’ expectations had more consistent and substantial impact on their confidence level than that of their higher-ability stream counterparts. In comparison, higher-ability stream students’ perceived parental academic support had more consistent impact on their academic self-concept than that of their lower-ability stream peers.     

On the border: perimeter patrolling as a transitional exploratory phase in a diurnal rodent,the fat sand rat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Psammomys obesus</Emphasis>)

Exploration is an initial phase of constructing spatial representation. In an illuminated environment, exploration by nocturnal rodents takes the form of home-base behavior, with the rodents organizing their activity in relation to the base, repeatedly orienting and returning to it. In the dark, home base behavior in gerbils is preceded by looping exploration, in which travel paths tangle into loops that close at various locations so that the gerbils pilot from one loop to the next. In the present study we tested a diurnal gerbil, the fat sand rat, Psammomys obesus, in both a lit and a dark open field in order to compare its exploratory behavior with that of nocturnal rodents. We found that under lit conditions, fat sand rats used perimeter patrolling, traveling mainly along the walls of the open field. In perimeter patrolling the animal probably monitors its location in relation to the perimeter (arena walls), and not to a specific location as in home base. In the dark, fat sand rats first used looping, and gradually shifted to perimeter patrolling exploration. We suggest that perimeter patrolling is a transient phase in which the animal evaluates possible locations for a home base. Thus, perimeter patrolling is an intermediate phase between looping, which is based on piloting from one landmark to the next, and home base exploration, in which the animal continuously orients to a specific location. This spatial behavior of perimeter patrolling may shed light on phases of information processing and spatial representation during exploration and navigation.     

儿童行为抑制的生理机制研究述评

行为抑制指儿童不愿意接近陌生刺激,并带有害羞、恐惧和焦虑等消极情绪的气质类型,具有中等程度的稳定性和特定生理基础,对儿童日后情绪和行为发展具有较大影响。与非行为抑制个体相比,在特定的刺激条件下,行为抑制个体的杏仁核、纹状体和右前额区域的激活水平可能较高,心率和可的松水平也倾向于较高。目前,研究者已结合行为和生理学方法来探讨行为抑制的生理机制,取得了一些重要的进展。但是,也存在一些问题有待于进一步探讨。     

判断与决策中的基线比例忽略

基线比例忽略是指在事件的判断中忽略相关事件统计学上的信息, 而只关注当前呈现的案例信息, 从而造成判断和决策偏差的一种现象。目前对这一现象的解释主要包括双加工理论和线性整合理论, 而影响基线比例忽略的因素有许多方面, 如信息特征、认知能力等等。在未来研究中, 应该深入分析双加工理论的作用机制以及依据模糊痕迹理论提出新的研究视角, 同时拓展在团体和公共领域中的应用性研究。     

On a problematic procedure to manipulate response biases in recognition experiments: the case of “implied” base rates

The experimental manipulation of response biases in recognition-memory tests is an important means for testing recognition models and for estimating their parameters. The textbook manipulations for binary-response formats either vary the payoff scheme or the base rate of targets in the recognition test, with the latter being the more frequently applied procedure. However, some published studies reverted to implying different base rates by instruction rather than actually changing them. Aside from unnecessarily deceiving participants, this procedure may lead to cognitive conflicts that prompt response strategies unknown to the experimenter. To test our objection, implied base rates were compared to actual base rates in a recognition experiment followed by a post-experimental interview to assess participants’ response strategies. The behavioural data show that recognition-memory performance was estimated to be lower in the implied base-rate condition. The interview data demonstrate that participants used various second-order response strategies that jeopardise the interpretability of the recognition data. We thus advice researchers against substituting actual base rates with implied base rates.     

Prévention des situations à risque de forte charge émotionnelle : exemple dans le secteur de l’aide à domicile

Far from disappearing from the professional world, psychosocial risks remains a concern within organizations. Their rate is still high and their effects for the health are still deleterious (Eurofound and EU-OSHA, 2014). Nevertheless, it is possible to act in prevention to isolate these risks and reduce them. The analysis of several high emotional charged situations, based on workplace observations and interviews on work experience, lead to identify risky working conditions for the health, in terms of too much high work and emotional requests. This article exposes a research-action led in a small sized enterprise of home help. The aim was to analyze psychosocial risks factors and to reduce them. We made interviews with 25 home helps, 3 administrative staff, and the head of the service; then, we observed the activity of 13 employees. The video recording was used as an analysis vector, at first in the workplace, then in collective self-confrontations sessions. The feedback collected from these sessions, in addition to activity and emotions at work analyses, allowed to identify the noxious working conditions and to target potential or real psychosocial risks. The results show how much certain situations with high emotional labor echo in a negative way on the health of people having lived them. They also show that the implementation of preventive measures with regard to these risky situations facilitates the emotions regulation and are protective towards the health. Finally, this article highlights that the emotional component of work plays a fundamental role on the subjective relationship between employees, their work and their health, and shows that emotional component analysis can contribute to the psychosocial risks identification and their prevention.     

The illusion of the perfect alibi: Establishing the base rate of non‐offenders' alibis

The present study was designed to establish the base rate of alibis and supportive evidence for alibis of non‐offenders. That is important because the presence and lack of an alibi are often seen as a clear indicator of innocence and guilt, respectively, of a suspect. A large sample of laypersons (N  = 841) was randomly assigned to one of 32 conditions in which they were asked to generate a true alibi after they were falsely accused of being the perpetrator of a mock robbery. Each condition consisted of either a Tuesday or a Saturday and one of 16 timeframes. In general, the majority of the participants had an alibi (99.5%) and supportive evidence for their alibis (92.4%). The supportive evidence often consisted of a combination of supportive evidence rather than one distinct form of supportive evidence (33.3%). Although it is widely assumed that the alibi believability is determined based on the strength of the supportive evidence, our results show that the type of evidence that can be presented by laypeople depends upon the day and the timeframe wherein the crime has been committed. The results of the study therefore imply that determining alibi believability solely on the strength of the supportive evidence is not a fair measure. We suggest that the believability should also be based on the base rate of alibis and its supportive evidence.     

Understanding print: early reading development and the contributions of home literacy experiences

This study explored the development of children's early understanding of visual and orthographic aspects of print and how this is related to early reading acquisition. A total of 474 children, ages 48 to 83 months, completed standardized measures of phonological awareness and early reading skills. They also completed experimental tasks that tapped their understanding of what constitutes "readable" print. The parents of participants completed a questionnaire regarding their children's home literacy experiences. The data showed systematic development in children's understanding of print conventions and English orthography and spelling. Regression analyses indicated that print knowledge was related to early reading skill, even after accounting for variance due to age and phonological awareness. Furthermore, parents' ratings of the extent of their children's involvement in activities that led to practice in reading and writing most consistently predicted the development of emerging literacy skills, including understanding of the conventions of the English writing system. Little relation between print knowledge and the frequency of storybook reading by adults was observed.     

Dissociations between implicit and explicit memory in children: the role of strategic processing and the knowledge base

A review of the literature shows that explicit memory develops substantially from three years of age to adulthood, while implicit memory remains stable across this age range. Previously, this developmental dissociation has been attributed to different memory systems, or to confounds with perceptual vs. conceptual processing. Prompted by an alternative developmental framework, the experiments reported here provide evidence against both interpretations. Instead, it will be argued that (a) the implicit-explicit developmental dissociation reflects differences in strategic processing (strategy use and metamemory) across childhood and (b) that implicit memory can show development if a child's knowledge base in the tested domain is developing with age.