Does repeated reading predict reading development over time? A study of children from Grade 3 to 4

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether immediate gains in reading fluency achieved during repeated reading of text can predict long‐term reading development over and above traditional predictors of reading development. Eighty‐one Grade 3 children read texts three times consecutively and were instructed either to read as quickly as possible (speed‐focused repeated reading), or to retell the text afterwards (meaning‐focused repeated reading). Measures of text reading fluency, sentence reading fluency, and text comprehension were administered to the children in Grades 3 and 4 to assess their reading development over time. The results indicate that children's immediate response to repeated reading can contribute to the prediction of their development of reading fluency over time. Even after controlling for individual differences in general cognitive ability, word reading fluency, rapid automatized naming, and vocabulary, the experimental measure with meaning‐focused repeated reading remained a significant predictor.     

Effects of motor intention on the perception of somatosensory events: A behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging study

The intention to execute a movement can modulate our perception of sensory events, and this modulation is observed ahead of both ocular and upper limb movements. However, theoretical accounts of these effects, and also the empirical data, are often contradictory. Accounts of “active touch”, and the premotor theory of attention, have emphasized how movement intention leads to enhanced perceptual processing at the target of a movement, or on the to-be-moved effector. By contrast, recent theories of motor control emphasize how internal “forward” model (FM) estimates may be used to cancel or attenuate sensory signals that arise as a result of self-generated movements. We used behavioural and functional brain imaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) to investigate how perception of a somatosensory stimulus differed according to whether it was delivered to a hand that was about to execute a reaching movement or the alternative, nonmoving, hand. The results of our study demonstrate that a somatosensory stimulus delivered to a hand that is being prepared for movement is perceived to have occurred later than when that same stimulus is delivered to a nonmoving hand. This result indicates that it takes longer for a tactile stimulus to be detected when it is delivered to a moving limb and may correspond to a change in perceptual threshold. Our behavioural results are paralleled by the results of our fMRI study that demonstrated that there were significantly reduced blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses within the parietal operculum and insula following somatosensory stimulation of the hand being prepared for movement, compared to when an identical stimulus was delivered to a nonmoving hand. These findings are consistent with the prediction of FM accounts of motor control that postulate that central sensory suppression of somatosensation accompanies self-generated limb movements, and with previous reports indicating that effects of sensory suppression are observed in higher order somatosensory regions.     

Can you see me in the snow? Action simulation aids the detection of visually degraded human motion

Using a novel paradigm, we demonstrate that action simulation can directly facilitate ongoing perception of people's movements. Point-light actors (PLAs) representing common human motions were shown embedded in a visual noise reminiscent of “TV snow”. At first, the PLAs were perceived clearly, then occluded from view for a short duration, during which it was hypothesized that a real-time action simulation was generated tracking the motion's course. The PLA then reappeared in motion at variable visibility against the noise, whilst detection thresholds for the reappearance were measured. In the crucial manipulation, the test motion was either temporally congruent with the motion as it would have continued during occlusion, and thus temporally matching the simulation, or temporally incongruent. Detection thresholds were lower for congruent than for incongruent reappearing motions, suggesting that reappearing motion that temporally matched the internal action simulation was more likely to be detected.     

Predicting Antenatal Class Attendance: Attitudes Of Self And Others

Abstract

Attendance at antenatal classes has been found to improve birth outcomes, yet many women do not attend. This study investigates the extent to which we can predict attendance and whether women's expectations of classes are confirmed by their subsequent experiences. Intention to attend was the most predictive variable in the 529 primigravidas women studied. It was best predicted by women's general attitudes about coping and the value of attendance, rather than by specific expectations of classes. Women's perceptions of the attitudes of the baby's father and of the hospital doctor were also important. Although there were demographic differences between attenders and non-attenders, they were less predictive than attitudes. These findings are consistent with the Theory of Reasoned Action. Women's experiences of classes were much more positive than their expectations. Giving this information to women and their partners may change their attitudes and, hence, attendance.     

Antenatal predictors and use of coping strategies in labour

Abstract

One aim of antenatal preparation is developing coping strategies for use (luring labour. However, the existing literature suggests that attendance at classes is not associated with lower pain or distress, possibly because receiving training cannot be assumed to be associated with subsequent practice.

This study aimed to assess whether attenders at classes actually used their taught strategies in their labours, whether use was associated with psychological benefits and whether antenatal measures could predict subsequent use. Concepts from the theories of planned behaviour and self efficacy were used to attempt to predict use of three types of coping strategy.

Use was high for breathing strategies but poor for relaxation and posture. Proportion of use of breathing and relaxation showed weak associations with lower fear. Whilst intentions did act as significant predictors for use of posture and relaxation only small proportions of the variance were accounted for and other antenatal measures showed little predictive capacity.

Reasons why women in labour may fail to take behavioural consequences from their antenatal beliefs are considered. Predicting health-related behaviours where maintenance rather than just initiation is involved may require greater consideration of intra-situational and emotional factors. Modifications of antenatal preparation to facilitate use of strategies are discussed.     

Monaural Auditory Cue Affects the Process of Choosing the Initial Swing Leg in Gait Initiation

The authors investigated the effect of an auditory cue on the choice of the initial swing leg in gait initiation. Healthy humans initiated a gait in response to a monaural or binaural auditory cue. When the auditory cue was given in the ear ipsilateral to the preferred leg side, the participants consistently initiated their gait with the preferred leg. In the session in which the side of the monaural auditory cue was altered trial by trial randomly, the probability of initiating the gait with the nonpreferred leg increased when the auditory cue was given in the ear contralateral to the preferred leg side. The probability of choosing the nonpreferred leg did not increase significantly when the auditory cue was given in the ear contralateral to the preferred leg side in the session in which the auditory cue was constantly given in the ear contralateral to the preferred leg side. The reaction time of anticipatory postural adjustment was shortened, but the probability of choosing the nonpreferred leg was not significantly increased when the gait was initiated in response to a binaural auditory cue. An auditory cue in the ear contralateral to the preferred leg side weakens the preference for choosing the preferred leg as the initial swing leg in gait initiation when the side of the auditory cue is unpredictable.     

Getting it right: a reply to baum

In this reply to Baum, I emphasize that the failure to understand the processes associated with scientific verbal behavior may result in scientific statements like the generalized matching law that do not accurately reflect cause-and-effect relations.     

Impact of average household income and damage exposure on post‐earthquake distress and functioning: A community study following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Post‐traumatic stress, depression and anxiety symptoms are common outcomes following earthquakes, and may persist for months and years. This study systematically examined the impact of neighbourhood damage exposure and average household income on psychological distress and functioning in 600 residents of Christchurch, New Zealand, 4–6 months after the fatal February, 2011 earthquake. Participants were from highly affected and relatively unaffected suburbs in low, medium and high average household income areas. The assessment battery included the Acute Stress Disorder Scale, the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD‐7), along with single item measures of substance use, earthquake damage and impact, and disruptions in daily life and relationship functioning. Controlling for age, gender and social isolation, participants from low income areas were more likely to meet diagnostic cut‐offs for depression and anxiety, and have more severe anxiety symptoms. Higher probabilities of acute stress, depression and anxiety diagnoses were evident in affected versus unaffected areas, and those in affected areas had more severe acute stress, depression and anxiety symptoms. An interaction between income and earthquake effect was found for depression, with those from the low and medium income affected suburbs more depressed. Those from low income areas were more likely, post‐earthquake, to start psychiatric medication and increase smoking. There was a uniform increase in alcohol use across participants. Those from the low income affected suburb had greater general and relationship disruption post‐quake. Average household income and damage exposure made unique contributions to earthquake‐related distress and dysfunction.     

What Can Political Psychology Learn from Implicit Measures? Empirical Evidence and New Directions

Implicit measures have become very popular in virtually all areas of basic and applied psychology. However, there are empirical and theoretical arguments that might raise doubts about their usefulness in research on political attitudes. Based on a review of relevant evidence, we argue that implicit measures can be useful to identify distal sources of political preferences in domains where self‐presentation may bias self‐reports (e.g., influence of racial attitudes on voting decisions). In addition, implicit measures of proximal political attitudes can contribute to the prediction of future political decisions by virtue of their capability to predict biases in the processing of decision‐relevant information (e.g., prediction of voting behavior of undecided voters). These conclusions are supported by research showing that implicit measures predict real‐world political behavior over and above explicit measures. The reviewed findings suggest that implicit measures may serve as a useful supplement to improve the prediction of election outcomes. Open questions and potential directions for future research are discussed.     

Effectiveness of video modeling in teaching earthquake and postearthquake evacuation safety skills for children with autism

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of video modeling to teach safety skills during earthquakes and postearthquake evacuation to children with autism. Three male children with autism, aged 9–10 years, participated in the study. The results indicate that video modeling was effective at promoting the acquisition of “drop, cover, and hold on” and evacuation skills for all three students. Furthermore, the skills generalized to a new setting for all three participants and maintained up to 4 weeks after video modeling for the two participants for whom maintenance was evaluated. Social-validity data were also collected from participants, their parents, and a teacher, and the findings were positive overall. Implications for instruction and future research are discussed based on the results of the study.