中学高年级学生作文能力结构特征的研究

对４９０名高三学生的１８个作文变量的测验资料,运用高阶因素分析法概括出中学高年级学生作文能力结构的三个群因素。第一个是作文能力的因素,它是作文认知活动的各种能力相互作用的一种协调发展程度。第二个是由词汇量、造句等能力组合成的词语能力,它是作文能力结构中的一个活跃因素。第三个是词汇量因素,它独立存在于一阶、二阶因素中,表明它是不同阶段认知活动的一个不可缺的因素。     

Consistent estimation in the rasch model based on nonparametric margins

Consider the class of two parameter marginal logistic (Rasch) models, for a test ofm True-False items, where the latent ability is assumed to be bounded. Using results of Karlin and Studen, we show that this class of nonparametric marginal logistic (NML) models is equivalent to the class of marginal logistic models where the latent ability assumes at most (m + 2)/2 values. This equivalence has two implications. First, estimation for the NML model is accomplished by estimating the parameters of a discrete marginal logistic model. Second, consistency for the maximum likelihood estimates of the NML model can be shown (whenm is odd) using the results of Kiefer and Wolfowitz. An example is presented which demonstrates the estimation strategy and contrasts the NML model with a normal marginal logistic model.This research was supported by NIMH traning grant, 2 T32 MH 15758-06 and by ONR contract N00014-84-K-0588. The author would like to thank Diane Lambert, John Rolph, and Stephen Fienberg for their assistance. Also, the comments of the referees helped to substantially improve the final version of this paper.     

Assessing structure building in college classrooms at scale

Structure building refers to the way in which people construct meaning from incoming information by creating a foundation of mental nodes, mapping incoming information to the foundational structure, and shifting to a new structure when necessary. Structure building ability has been shown to moderate learning both in laboratory-based and classroom-based research (e.g., use of outlines for effective note-taking and course final grades, respectively). However, measurement of structure building can be resource intensive. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a shortened, scalable measure of structure building (developed by a textbook publisher) in a real-world context. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that this tool, embedded in the online ancillary materials accompanying a textbook, can be used to measure a variable that is relevant to students' learning in introductory psychology courses.     

Disability and employment – overview and highlights

Due to the expected decline in the working-age population, especially in European countries, people with disabilities are now more often recognized as a valuable resource in the workforce and research into disability and employment is more important than ever. This paper outlines the state of affairs of research on disability and employment. We thereby focus on one particular group of people with disabilities, that is to say people with mental disabilities. We define disability according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization, by that recognizing that disability results from the interaction of person and environment. Key issues, including the complexity of defining disability, the legal situation in Europe and North America concerning disability at work, and barriers and enablers to employment, are discussed. For each of the topics we show important findings in the existing literature and indicate where more in-depth research is needed. We finalize with a concrete research agenda on disability and employment and provide recommendations for practice.     

小学生近似数量系统敏锐度的发展趋势及其与数学能力的关系：抑制控制的中介作用

采用测量法和问卷法考察了172名小学生近似数量系统敏锐度的发展,以及抑制控制在近似数量系统敏锐度与数学能力关系中的中介效应。结果表明：(1)随着年龄增长,小学生的近似数量系统敏锐度逐渐提高;(2)近似数量系统敏锐度(负相关序列中的韦伯系数)和抑制控制均能显著正向预测小学生的数学能力;(3)抑制控制在小学生近似数量系统敏锐度(负相关序列中的韦伯系数)与数学能力的关系中起部分中介作用。     

Semantic interference in picture naming during dual-task performance does not vary with reading ability

Previous dual-task studies examining the locus of semantic interference of distractor words in picture naming have obtained diverging results. In these studies, participants manually responded to tones and named pictures while ignoring distractor words (picture–word interference, PWI) with varying stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between tone and PWI stimulus. Whereas some studies observed no semantic interference at short SOAs, other studies observed effects of similar magnitude at short and long SOAs. The absence of semantic interference in some studies may perhaps be due to better reading skill of participants in these than in the other studies. According to such a reading-ability account, participants’ reading skill should be predictive of the magnitude of their interference effect at short SOAs. To test this account, we conducted a dual-task study with tone discrimination and PWI tasks and measured participants’ reading ability. The semantic interference effect was of similar magnitude at both short and long SOAs. Participants’ reading ability was predictive of their naming speed but not of their semantic interference effect, contrary to the reading ability account. We conclude that the magnitude of semantic interference in picture naming during dual-task performance does not depend on reading skill.     

Grey parrot numerical competence: a review

The extent to which humans and nonhumans share numerical competency is a matter of debate. Some researchers argue that nonhumans, lacking human language, possess only a simple understanding of small quantities, generally less than four. Animals that have, however, received some training in human communication systems might demonstrate abilities intermediate between those of untrained nonhumans and humans. Here I review data for a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) that has been shown to quantify sets of up to and including six items (including heterogeneous subsets) using vocal English labels, to comprehend these labels fully, and to have a zero-like concept. Recent research demonstrates that he can also sum small quantities. His success shows that he understands number symbols as abstract representations of real-world collections, and that his sense of number compares favorably to that of chimpanzees and young human children.     

The role of phonological activation in the visual semantic retrieval of Chinese characters

The Stroop paradigm was used to examine the role of phonological activation in semantic access and its development in reading Chinese characters. Subjects (age 7-23 years) of different reading ability were asked to name the display color of Chinese characters. The characters were displayed in four different colors: red, yellow, blue and green. There were five types of relationships between a character and its display color: semantically congruent, phonologically congruent, semantically incongruent, phonologically incongruent and neutral. In addition to the classical Stroop effects, interference and facilitation effects from the homophones of color characters were also observed. The younger children and those with lower reading ability exhibited stronger Stroop effects. These findings suggest that phonological codes are activated automatically in Chinese character recognition. Furthermore, there is more phonological activation in the semantic retrieval of children in lower grades and those with lower reading ability.     

The relationship between reading ability and lateralized lexical decision

Although lexical decision remains one of the most extensively studied cognitive tasks, very little is known about its relationship to broader linguistic performance such as reading ability. In a correlational study, several aspects of lateralized lexical decision performance were related to vocabulary and reading comprehension measures, as assessed using the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. This lateralized lexical decision task has been previously shown to demonstrate (1) independent contributions from both hemispheres, as well as (2) interhemispheric interactions during word recognition. Lexical decision performance showed strong relationships with both reading measures. Specifically, vocabulary performance correlated significantly with left visual field (LVF) word accuracy and LVF non-word latency, both measures of right hemisphere performance. There were also significant, though somewhat weaker, correlations between reading comprehension and RVF non-word latency. Lexicality priming, a measure of interhemispheric communication during lexical decision, was also correlated with reading comprehension. These results suggest that hemispheric interaction during word recognition is common, and that lexical processing contribution from the right hemisphere, something commonly taken as minor and inconsequential, can lead to significant performance benefits and to individual differences in reading.