Experience matters: 11-month-old infants can learn to use material information to predict the weight of novel objects

In contrast to previous findings, this study demonstrates that 11-month-old infants are able to learn the relationship between object material and object weight when exploring different objects that provided a systematic covariation of both object features. This guides their action in a subsequent preferential-reaching task.     

Development of motor imagery and anticipatory action planning in children with developmental coordination disorder – A longitudinal approach

Children with impaired motor coordination (or Development Coordination Disorder – DCD) have difficulty with the predictive control of movements, evidenced by cross-sectional studies that show impaired motor imagery and action planning abilities. What remains unclear is whether this deficit in predictive control reflects immaturity of the motor system (a developmental delay) or some deviation from normal development (a disorder). To advance this discussion the present study used a longitudinal design to examine the development of motor imagery and action planning in children with DCD. Thirty children were included in the DCD group (aged 6–11 years) and age- and gender-matched to 30 controls. The DCD group had a mABC-2 score ≤ 16th percentile, the control group > 20th percentile. Motor imagery was assessed with the hand rotation task, action planning with a test for end-state comfort. Children participated in three measurements, with one year in between measurements. Results showed that children with DCD were slower and less accurate than their typically developing peers in all subsequent years but were able to improve their motor imagery ability over time. Furthermore, children with DCD showed less planning for ESC at the start of the present study, but were able to catch up with their peers during two-year follow up. These results exemplify that improvement of motor imagery and action planning ability is possible in DCD, and they lend theoretical support to the use of new training techniques that focus on training motor imagery to improve motor skills in children with DCD.     

家庭社会经济地位与青少年未来规划的关系:外向性的调节作用及其性别差异

以山东省济南市、莱州市的935名初二和高一学生为被试, 进行为期一年半的追踪研究, 考察了家庭社会经济地位与青少年的教育规划和职业规划之间的关系, 检验了外向性在其中的调节作用及其性别差异。结果表明:(1)家庭社会经济地位能够显著正向地预测青少年T1和T2时的教育规划以及T1时的职业规划;(2)外向性水平越高, 青少年教育规划和职业规划水平越高, 但是这种预测作用不存在长期性;(3)外向性能够调节家庭社会经济地位与青少年教育规划之间关系, 且这种调节作用存在显著的性别差异;但在家庭社会经济地位与青少年职业规划之间不存调节作用。这表明, 外向性不仅能够直接保护青少年的未来规划, 而且能够抵抗低家庭社会经济地位对个体未来规划的不良影响, 但是这种压力抵抗效应在不同性别、不同未来规划的领域之中存在差异。     

大学生职业生涯规划存在的问题及对策

高等教育体制改革的深化和毕业生就业方式的转变,使得职业生涯规划的重要性日益突出。本文从实际出发,提出了当前大学生职业生涯规划存在的问题,并提出了具有可操作性的解决对策和建议。     

Tier 1 and Tier 2 early intervention for handwriting and composing

Three studies evaluated Tier 1 early intervention for handwriting at a critical period for literacy development in first grade and one study evaluated Tier 2 early intervention in the critical period between third and fourth grades for composing on high stakes tests. The results contribute to knowledge of research-supported handwriting and composing instruction that informs practice as school psychologists are empowered to embrace the role of intervention specialist. The first study found that neurodevelopmental training (orthographic-free motor activities and motor-free orthographic activities) led to improved accuracy and legibility of letter formation, but that direct handwriting instruction with visual cues and verbal mediation led to improved automatic handwriting (rate of writing legible letters) and transfer to improved word reading. The second study found that neither motor training nor orthographic training alone added value to direct instruction in automatic letter writing and composing practice in developing handwriting skills, which transferred to improved word reading; but the added motor training did improve performance on a grapho-motor planning task for sequential finger movements that is relevant to composing. A related analysis showed that direct instruction with visual cues and memory delays may reduce reversals. A third study found that adding handwriting to reading instruction improved handwriting but did not add value to reading outcomes for at risk readers; reading instruction alone was beneficial for word reading, decoding, and comprehension. The fourth study showed that comprehensive, explicit instruction in the processes of composition led to more significant improvement, based on group and individual data, than did the regular fourth grade program, on high stakes writing assessment.     

父母自主支持与青少年未来规划:基本心理需要与个人成长主动性的中介作用

基于自我决定理论,采用问卷法对广州市2所初中（初一和初二）和2所高中（高一和高二）共562名学生进行调查,考察了父母自主支持与青少年未来规划的关系,以及基本心理需要和个人成长主动性在其中的链式中介作用。结果发现：（1）父母自主支持显著正向预测青少年未来教育规划,但对未来职业规划的预测作用不显著;（2）基本心理需要和个人成长主动性在父母自主支持和青少年未来教育、职业规划之间均起着显著的链式中介作用;（3）纳入基本心理需要和个人成长主动性的中介作用后,父母自主支持对未来职业规划具有显著的负向残余效应,但对未来教育规划的残余效应不显著,这表明父母自主支持对青少年未来规划的影响可能存在坏的一面。因此,基本心理需要和个人成长主动性是影响父母自主支持与青少年未来规划之间关系的重要内因。     

退休规划的研究现状和本土化发展

退休规划是个体在退休前为保障将来的退休生活做出的长期准备。退休规划不仅有利于退休人员生活幸福, 还有助于缓解社会保障体系的压力, 在较早进入老龄化的国家已经得到重视。通过回顾国外相关研究, 本文归纳出退休规划的六个具体领域(财务、健康、社交休闲、工作、心理、居住), 总结并评价了过去研究应用的主要理论基础(角色理论、计划过程理论、资源视角、生态系统理论)和有代表性的测量工具。汇总分析了退休规划在人口学、环境和心理三层面上的影响因素以及对过渡型就业和退休适应两阶段的影响。基于研究概念的发展以及中国国情, 未来研究应该首先开发本土化工具, 合理选择理论视角并系统研究规划的各个领域, 验证并创新退休规划的影响因素研究, 注重中国国情问题并加强干预研究。     

Effect of Object and Task Properties on Bimanual Transport

The use of both hands simultaneously when manipulating objects is fairly commonplace, but it is not known what factors encourage people to use two hands as opposed to one during simple tasks such as transport. In particular, we are interested in three possible transport strategies: unimanual transport, handing off between hands, and symmetric bimanual transport. In this study, we investigate the effect of object size, weight, and starting and ending position (configuration) as well as the need to balance the object on the use of these three strategies in a bowl-moving task. We find that configuration and balance have a strong effect on choice of strategy, and size and weight have a weaker effect. Hand-offs are most often used when the task requires moving an object from left to right and vice versa, while the unimanual strategy was frequently used when passing front to back. The bimanual strategy is only weakly affected by configuration. The need to balance an object causes subjects to favor unimanual and bimanual strategies over the hand-off. In addition, an analysis of transport duration and body rotation suggests that strategy choice may be driven by the desire to minimize body rotation.     

Challenges in Supporting Community Implementation of Science-based Programs: A Critical Review of Local Partnerships for Success Plans

This paper provides the opportunity to consider local challenges to implementing science-based programs. Wandersman et al. (American Journal of Community Psychology 2008) define three systems necessary to effectively implement science-based programming. These systems include the Prevention Support System, which is responsible for assisting communities in implementing effective practices; the Prevention Research System, which is responsible for developing and packaging prevention programming; and the Prevention Delivery System, which is responsible for delivering services. The authors conduct a content analysis related to six county level efforts to implement science-based programs in Ohio. These counties are part of a larger Ohio initiative referred to as Partnerships for Success. The authors suggest that local officials are quite skilled at accessing the Prevention Research System and providers at the local level represent an effective service delivery system. The authors contend that the Prevention Support System in these counties is capable of enhancing several functions related to local infrastructure but is deficient in other important elements.