White matter development during adolescence as shown by diffusion MRI

Previous volumetric developmental MRI studies of the brain have shown white matter development continuing through adolescence and into adulthood. This review presents current findings regarding white matter development and organization from diffusion MRI studies. The general trend during adolescence (age 12–18 years) is towards increasing fractional anisotropy (FA) with age and decreasing mean diffusivity (MD) with age, findings primarily due to decreasing radial diffusivity with age. However, results of studies vary as to the regional specificity of such age-related changes, likely due in part to methodological issues. Another general trend is for FA to positively correlate and MD to negatively correlate with cognitive function. This trend is however region-specific, task-specific, and population-specific; some studies have in fact found negative correlations of FA and positive correlations of MD in specific regions with specific measures of cognitive performance. There are also published reports of sexual dimorphism in white matter development, indicating differing developmental trajectories between males and females as well as differing relationships developmentally between white matter architecture and cognitive function. There is a need for more research to further elucidate the development of white matter and its relation to cognitive function during this critical developmental period.     

宗教资本:从布迪厄到斯达克

"宗教资本"概念对理性选择理论的发展至关重要,然而,"宗教资本"的诸多定义却常常模糊不清,或脱离于其所源出的知识构架。关于"宗教资本"概念,有两种相互独立发展的理论:其一大致属于欧洲,源自韦伯和布迪厄的研究;其二大致属于美国,源自艾纳孔和斯达克的研究。泰瑞·雷对通过对两种理论的比较研究,进而厘清其理论谱系,仔细考察了宗教资本概念及其衍生概念"灵性资本"的应用和批评,并提出了两个具有独创性的修正概念("制度宗教资本"和"民间宗教资本"),以此解决宗教资本概念在学术著作和文章中所出现的问题。     

国内留守儿童研究综述

对国内近二十年来关于留守儿童研究进行综述,概括了至今为止取得的研究成果,以期能为今后研究提供一些有价值建议。从留守儿童概念、生存状况、受教育状况、心理健康状况以及对留守儿童问题对策与建议进行分别概括,提出了现阶段研究存在的一些问题,对今后留守儿童的研究提出了一些看法与建议。     

建立诚信社会应该有制度性的奖惩安排

诚信不仅是一种美德,而且是做人、做事的基本要求。良好的社会应该是人与人之间相互信任的诚信社会。为了形成诚信文化,社会应该对不诚实行为进行惩罚,而且这种惩罚应该有一种制度性的安排,在这种安排中政府的诚信是关键的环节。     

A meta-analytic review of work-family conflict and its antecedents

This meta-analytic review combines the results of more than 60 studies to help determine the relative effects of work, nonwork, and demographic and individual factors on work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). As expected, work factors related more strongly to WIF, and some nonwork factors were more strongly related to FIW. Demographic factors, such as an employee’s sex and marital status, tended to relate weakly to WIF and FIW. Overall the analysis supports the notion that WIF and FIW have unique antecedents, and therefore, may require different interventions or solutions to prevent or reduce their occurrence. Lastly, the analysis suggests that demographic variables, such as sex and marital status, are alone poor predictors of work-family conflict. Researchers are advised to attend to more finely grained variables that may more fully capture employees’ likelihood of experiencing work-family conflict.     

Changing institutional incentives to foster sound scientific practices: One department

Replicable research and open science are of value to our field and to society at large, but most universities provide no incentives to adopt these practices. Instead, current incentive structures favor novel research, which has led to a situation in which few researchers take the time to do replications, share protocols, or share data. Obviously, several approaches to remedy this situation are possible. However, little progress can be made if becoming involved in such activities reduces a researcher’s chances of rank and status advancement and other rewards. I describe in this article the way my department has modified our incentive structure to tackle this problem, including how the changes influence my research as a developmental psychologist. Finally, I offer suggestions for faculty who wish to initiate similar changes in their institutions.     

L’instrumentalisation managériale des espaces de délibération formels: l’expérience des enseignantes du préscolaire/primaire

This study examines formal deliberation spaces’ structure and how they translate into collegial work structures. Based on a critical experientialist work theory and a materialist feminist perspective it considers formal deliberation spaces and teachers’ lived experiences. The methodology relies on a qualitative research design involving 25 primary school teachers and individual and group interviews. The results show many mandatory formal deliberation spaces within the work organization and highlight the limited possibilities for teachers to deliberate their day-to-day experiences within these spaces. The findings render visible the process by which the structure of formal deliberation spaces can be moulded and instrumentalized to benefit the administration and render invisible teachers’ lived experience, leading to institutional silencing.     

Focal dystonia: current theories.

Dystonia is a syndrome characterised by abnormal involuntary sustained muscle contractions that often result in twisted and abnormal positions. Focal dystonia affects only a single body part with symptoms varying from permanent (e.g., torticollis) to task-specific (e.g., musician's cramp). The exact causes of focal dystonia have yet to be determined. Possible causative factors have been identified at all levels along the sensorimotor pathway, including anatomical constraints of the hand (musicians), abnormal co-contractions of the muscles due to reciprocal inhibition in the spinal cord, subcortical and cortical remapping, deficiencies in sensorimotor integration and perceptual deficits. A review of the current literature on these topics is provided with a special focus on musicians with focal dystonia. Also reviewed are current treatments of focal dystonia in musicians. On the basis of the currently available evidence, certain risk factors are identified for the development of task-specific focal dystonia, including number of practice hours, personality, genetic predisposition, performance factors and sensory effects. In addition, it is highlighted that dystonic movements occur predominantly in the context of perceptual-motor tasks involving emotions. When emotional and motor traces have become associated, they are difficult to change; it is suggested that this mechanism plays an important role in the preservation of dystonic symptoms.     

Knowledge creation in consumer research: Multiple routes,multiple criteria

The modal scientific approach in consumer research is to deduce hypotheses from existing theory about relationships between theoretic constructs, test those relationships experimentally, and then show “process” evidence via moderation and mediation. This approach has its advantages, but other styles of research also have much to offer. We distinguish among alternative research styles in terms of their philosophical orientation (theory-driven vs. phenomenon-driven) and their intended contribution (understanding a substantive phenomenon vs. building or expanding theory). Our basic premise is that authors who deviate from the dominant paradigm are hindered by reviewers who apply an unvarying set of evaluative criteria. We discuss the merits of different styles of research and suggest appropriate evaluative criteria for each.