Gesture Reflects Language Development: Evidence From Bilingual Children

There is a growing awareness that language and gesture are deeply intertwined in the spontaneous expression of adults. Although some research suggests that children use gesture independently of speech, there is scant research on how language and gesture develop in children older than 2 years. We report here on a longitudinal investigation of the relation between gesture and language development in French-English bilingual children from 2 to 3 1/2 years old. The specific gesture types of iconics and beats correlated with the development of the children's two languages, whereas pointing types of gestures generally did not. The onset of iconic and beat gestures coincided with the onset of sentencelike utterances separately in each of the children's two languages. The findings show that gesture is related to language development rather than being independent from it. Contrasting theories about how gesture is related to language development are discussed.     

Sexual Identity Development: A Base for Work with Same-Sex Couple Partner Abuse

Literature review reveals that domestic violence occurs in same-sex relationships at approximately the same rate as it does in heterosexual relationships. There are a number of dimensions common to same-sex and heterosexual battering as well as significant differences. The differential impact of sexual identity development on same-sex violence has not been addressed in the literature. Unlike the situation with heterosexual couples, there is little in the literature addressing treatment guidelines for work with same-sex couples. This article highlights some of the differences between same-sex battering and heterosexual battering and suggests the need for additional research on the interaction between sexual identity development stages of same-sex partners and domestic violence.     

认知发展研究趋势的探讨

该文阐明了认知科学、建构主义和新皮亚杰学派对认知发展研究的影响,着重论述了新皮亚杰学派对认知发展研究的新趋势及主要观点,并对这些趋势予以了较为详尽的评述,以期为认知发展心理学家重新审视和思考原有认知发展理论假设的合理性、提出新的假设和新的研究方向有所启示。     

初中生的抑郁与焦虑:结构与发展特点

本研究采用问卷法,对南充市3所普通中学的500名初中生进行了调查,考察其抑郁、焦虑的结构和发展特点。研究发现:(1)初中生的抑郁、焦虑都具有一定的内在结构,抑郁包括无助与孤独感、绝望与无价值感、能力减退感、不良心境和生理症状五个维度,焦虑则包括担忧与过敏倾向、对人不安、恐惧倾向、生理症状四个因素;(2)初中生的抑郁与焦虑的总体水平表现出明显的年龄特征,即随年龄的增长,其抑郁与焦虑的水平不断提高,初中二年级是重要的转折期。(3)初中生的抑郁和焦虑情绪有显著的性别差异。     

中学生对同伴群体和家庭影响力的判断

本研究采用情境故事判断、社会关系网络问卷和访谈法对495名中学生进行了问卷调查,对32名中学生进行了群体访谈,结果表明:1.在“告发同伴错误行为”、同伴中流行的“暗语”、穿同伴中流行服装和听同伴中流行的音乐四个情境中,从初一到高二的青少年学生存在着从接受父母影响向接受同伴群体影响的转变趋势.各情境中,从初二到高一年级是从接受父母影响向接受同伴影响的一个敏感的转变时期.2.随着年龄增长,青少年学生对如何处理社会关系的判断表现出一种水平的演进,起先是在服从权威的水平上,然后逐渐向回避不良后果水平转变,第三种水平表现为工具性地处理社会关系,最后达到协调社会关系的水平.3.同伴交往较多的青少年,大多表现出外倾、人缘好、心地善良、乐于助人等积极的个性特征,表明同伴交往与青少年学生的个性发展有重要的相互影响作用.     

Considerations for a Psychology of Experience: Heinz Werner's Contribution

It is proposed that three themes in Heinz Werner's psychology provide directions for a contemporary psychology of experience. The first theme is the nature of developing mind. Werner's view of the mind as incorporating nonlogical modes of thought is contrasted with the hyper-rational views that dominate contemporary psychology. The second theme is Werner's model of the gradual differentiation and integration of spheres of experience. The model can be elaborated with minimal universalist assumptions, thus providing ways of conceptualizing cultural and individual differences as well as changes within a person's life. The third theme is the theory of symbolization that Werner developed in collaboration with Bernard Kaplan. Integrating the theory of symbolization with the spheres of experience model, it is seen how internal and external acts of symbolization enter into the formation and internal differentiation of spheres.     

儿童合作策略水平发展的实验研究

本实验将合作策略分为四个水平,随机选取幼儿园中班、大班及小学一、二、三年级的被试300名,在鼓励合作的条件下,通过游戏的方式,研究儿童合作行为发展的趋势.实验结果表明随着儿童年龄的增长,合作行为越来越多,且合作水平越来越高,而竞争行为逐渐减少;性别因素对合作行为影响不大,但对竞争行为却有显著的影响.这可能与我国的家庭教育、学校教育有一定的关系.     

Education for the Heart and Mind: Feminist Pedagogy and the Religion and Science Curriculum

Feminist educators and theorists are stretching the boundaries of what it means to do religion and science. They are also expanding the theoretical and practical frameworks through which we might present curricula in thosefields. In this paper, I reflect on the implications of feminist pedagogies for the interdisciplinary field of religion and science. I begin with a brief discussion of feminist approaches to education and the nature of the feminist classroom as a setting for action. Next, I present some theoretical and practical issues to consider when developing a feminist praxis and an antisexist curriculum. This leads into a discussion of the role of language and critical reflection in the religion and science classroom, the risks associated with reflective discourse, and considerations in the use of 'feminist' teaching tools such as small group work, journals, and portfolio assessment. Iconclude with a reflection on how feminist pedagogy promotes an epistemology that speaks to the hearts and minds of participants in the dialogue of religion and science.     

A developmental study of the bat/ball problem of CRT: How to override the bias and its relation to executive functioning

In two experiments, we explored the nature of the bias observed in the bat/ball problem of the cognitive reflection test (Frederick, 2005, J. Econ. Perspect., 19, 25), how to override it, and its relation to executive functioning. Based on the original bat/ball problem, we designed two additional isomorphic items. In Experiment 1, for four age groups, including 7-, 11-, and 15-year-olds and adults, we determined that the bias is related to the System 1 intervention; the performance in this item was not a matter of mathematical ability and it could be facilitated by changing the order in which the problems were presented. In Experiment 2, we determined that for 15-year-olds, good and bad performances in the item were related to executive functioning, particularly response-distractor inhibition, updating information in working memory, and the regulation of attention; however, subtle differences were identified when the problem was performed in a facilitative context compared with a non-facilitative context. The results indicated that cognitive abilities are a necessary but non-sufficient condition to resolve the problem.     

Preterm birth and maternal sensitivity: Findings from a non-western country

IntroductionAlthough there are several studies on maternal sensitivity of preterm-born children conducted in Western countries, the factors affecting the sensitivity of mothers of preterm infants have not been investigated outside the Western context.ObjectivesThis study aimed to compare maternal sensitivity of preterm children at 18 months of corrected age with their healthy term-born peers and explore the factors associated with maternal sensitivity in a middle-income non-Western country. Moreover, the associations of maternal sensitivity with socio-demographic factors, maternal depression, and social-emotional competency and behavior problems of infants were investigated.MethodsIn total, 70 (40 preterm-born and 30 term-born) mother-child dyads participated in this study. An observation-based measurement tool, Maternal Sensitivity Scale, was used to assess maternal sensitivity. Social-emotional competency and behavior problems of infants were evaluated via The Turkish version of the Brief Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed via the Beck Depression Inventory. In addition, a demographic information form was filled out by the mothers.ResultsMaternal sensitivity scores of preterm infants were significantly lower compared to term infants. Depressive symptoms scores and employment status of mothers, socio-economic status (SES), gestational age, breastfeeding duration, and behavior problems of children were the factors related to maternal sensitivity scores. In hierarchical regression analysis, SES and gestational age were the strongest predictors of maternal sensitivity. After controlling SES and gestational age, maternal depressive symptoms scores negatively predicted maternal sensitivity scores.ConclusionThis study pointed out the factors associated with the maternal sensitivity of preterm infants outside the Western context. Interventions to improve sensitive parenting behaviors of preterm infants are needed, especially in socio-economically disadvantaged groups.