Misunderstandings and omissions in textbook accounts of effect sizes

There have been frequent attempts in psychology to reduce the reliance on null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) as the criterion for establishing the importance of results. Many authorities now recommend the reporting of effect sizes (ESs) as a supplement or alternative to NHST. However, there is extensive specialist literature highlighting problems associated with the use and interpretation of ESs. A review of the coverage of ESs in over 100 textbooks on statistical analysis in behavioural science revealed widespread neglect of ESs and the relevant critical issues that have widespread coverage in the more specialist literature. For example, many textbooks claim that ESs should be interpreted as a simple measure of the practical real-world importance of a result despite the fact that ESs are profoundly influenced by features of design and analysis strategy. We seek to highlight areas of misunderstanding about ESs found in the pedagogical literature in the light of the more specialist literature and make recommendations to researchers for the appropriate use and interpretation of ESs. This is critical as statistics textbooks have a crucial role in the education of researchers.     

Relative effects of breastfeeding intention and practice on maternal responsiveness

Our objective was to examine the differential effects of antenatal breastfeeding intention (BI) and breastfeeding practice (BP) on maternal postnatal responsiveness. We conducted a secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a subsample of 962 mother–infant dyads from a U.K.-based birth cohort study the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Exposures were BI and BPs measured at 32 weeks of gestation and 18 months’ postpartum. The outcome was maternal responsiveness assessed at 12 months’ postpartum. We used logistic regression analyses unadjusted and adjusted for confounders. Intention to breastfeed was associated with increased odds of postnatal maternal responsiveness independent of BP, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.34, 95% CI [1.42, 3.86]. There was no evidence that BP was an independent predictor of maternal responsiveness, OR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.55, 1.57]. Life-course epidemiology analyses demonstrated that maternal responsiveness is most positive when both BI and BP are present. This is the first population-based study to provide evidence that BI during pregnancy is more strongly associated with maternal postnatal responsiveness than is BP. Further research is needed to understand the determinants of BI in pregnancy and its relationships with maternal responsiveness.     

语言熟练度对Stroop效应的影响——不平衡双语者的任务态fMRI研究

目的:探讨语言熟练度对Stroop效应的影响及其背后的脑机制。材料与方法:17位被试参与本研究。被试母语为汉语,第二语言为英语。在被试完成中英文的stroop色字的任务过程中对被试进行fMRI扫描。结果:在色字相一致的条件下,中文任务与英文任务相比,双侧背侧枕叶及右侧背外侧前额叶有更强的激活; 反向比较,双侧腹侧枕叶有更强的激活。在色字不一致的条件下,中文任务与英文任务相比,双侧背外侧前额叶、右侧枕下回有更强的激活; 反向比较,并无显著激活的脑区。此外,中文Stroop效应引起左侧额下回显著的激活。英文Stroop效应中,左侧额下回无显著激活。结论:结合前人研究,我们得出,语言熟练度影响了对注意控制有重要作用的背外侧前额叶以及与反应抑制有关的左侧额下回在Stroop任务中的参与程度,进而影响了Stroop任务的表现     

Cognitive complexity of social images revealed by Jewish Israeli adolescents relating to drawings of Jews and Arabs

The present study examined age‐related differences among Israeli youth regarding the complexity of their mental images of Jews and Arabs, two groups that are adversaries in the Middle East conflict. The participants, 494 Jewish children and adolescents ranging from 8–16 years old each, drew two human figures, one Jewish and one Arab, and then attributed a forename and a profession to each drawn image. Four complexity variables were scored as follows: image complexity (number of items included in the figure), embellishments (number of items added to the drawing and in the space around the figure), image name, and image profession. Overall, participants depicted members of their in‐group as more complex. However, early adolescence was found to be a critical age at which differences emerged. The findings suggest that introducing complexity to social representations in early adolescence may facilitate prevention of negative associations related to outgroups and enhance intervention to reduce stereotypes, prejudice, and racism.     

Complementary teaching practices: Ignatian pedagogy and Buddhist‐inspired compassion meditation

While scholarly discussions on Jesuit education are plentiful, inquiries related to Ignatian pedagogy are rare. This article examines the applications of Ignatian pedagogy by juxtaposing it with the analysis of a Buddhist‐inspired and interdisciplinary contemplation program, Cognitively‐Based Compassion Training® (CBCT®). Drawing from the author's experience in teaching CBCT® at a Jesuit University, this article explores how CBCT® aligns with the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm's five elements: context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation. This study uses psychometrical measurements, such as the Compassionate Love for Humanity Scale, to document how my interdisciplinary approach may enhance participants' emotional well‐being and widen their ethical concerns. As these outcomes are inherently cross‐disciplinary and include intellectual and affective dimensions, they cannot be achieved through a single field. Building a bridge between the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and CBCT® provides a successful strategy for the educational objectives of developing the whole person and forming a compassionate character.     

Aging drivers and post delineated express lanes: Threading the needle at 70 miles per hour

Post-delineated express lanes represent a combination of driving complexities that are particularly difficult for older drivers to navigate. The narrow geometry and high speeds that are common to this treatment reflect a critical test for drivers whose depth perception, contrast sensitivity, and visual processing speed are reduced. The present study was designed to empirically examine the effects of age and color of express lane delineators on driver behavior. Three groups of participants (aged 18–39, 40–64, and 65 + years old) were required to complete a series of simulated driving scenarios consisting of combinations of single and dual lane configurations, with speed and lane position measured at the beginning and midpoint of each express lane. All drivers were pre-screened on various visual functioning abilities. Drivers in the 65 and older group show significant age-related declines in depth perception, contrast sensitivity, and phoria which were subsequently correlated with a wide range of driving measures including deceleration rate, brake time, jerk, speed, and lane position. Age related perceptual declines were statistically correlated with slower driving speed and wider lane deviations, including a statistically significant increase in the number of excursions beyond the typical 12-foot lane width. Based on these findings, the behavior of senior drivers was identified as a distinct design condition that should govern the design of high-speed, narrow geometric conditions. This age group requires wider lane widths, particularly at the beginning of single-lane post delimited sections, wider buffer areas around the post markers, and dual lane configurations wherever possible.     

老年人视听觉整合的影响因素及其神经机制

老年人的视听觉整合能力强于还是弱于年轻人, 目前尚存在很大争议。对老年人视听觉整合脑机制的研究, 将为老年人脑保健提供一种科学的跨通道整合方案。基于已有研究成果从两方面进行论述：1)影响老年人视听觉整合的因素, 包括刺激的物理属性、刺激呈现的时空关系以及刺激得到的注意资源。2)老年人视听觉整合效应。研究表明, 一方面, 老年人表现出更高的功能连接性、网络效率和较强的视听觉整合效应, 如：老年人在后顶叶、内侧前额叶和左前额叶等脑区有较强的激活, 额中央区的P2振幅表现出超加性; 老年人比年轻人的视听觉整合发生较早并有较长的延伸。另一方面, 老年人有较长的反应时和较弱的整合促进, 以及对视听觉刺激进行反应时颞上回脑区的振幅弱于年轻人。简单刺激诱发的老年人视听觉整合为进一步揭示整合机制提供了可靠的基础, 但是对于复杂情景下的视听觉信息整合加工机制仍待探究。     

消极身体意象对青少年的负面影响

消极身体意象是青少年健康成长所面临的重要问题之一。了解消极身体意象对青少年的危害以及其形成的影响因素, 对于青少年群体身心健康发展具有重要意义。消极身体意象对青少年的负面影响主要包括自我概念、情绪体验、体重控制策略、饮食失调和社会生活五个方面; 并且青少年消极身体意象形成的影响因素主要有生物因素(BMI)、社会文化因素(父母、同伴和大众媒体)和心理因素(人格因素、认知方式)。未来可从以下几个方面进一步深入研究：(1) 基于生物-心理-社会模型的视角完善青少年身体意象发展的理论模型; (2) 考察社交媒体等新兴因素的作用; (3) 阐明青少年在加工身体相关信息时的认知特点; (4) 推进中国青少年消极身体意象本土化研究。