Interference control in children with reading difficulties

Two studies investigated whether the greater Stroop interference reported in children with reading difficulties compared to typical readers of the same age represents a generalized deficit in interference control or a consequence of their reading problems. In Study 1, a color-word Stroop task and a nonverbal task involving responses to locations associated with pictures were administered to 23 children with single word reading difficulties and 22 typically developing children matched for age and nonverbal ability. Children with reading difficulties showed disproportionate interference effects in the color-word Stroop but not the nonverbal task. In Study 2, groups of poor and typical readers completed a spatial Stroop task with printed input that did not require a verbal response and a nonverbal analogue. Both groups showed comparable interference in these two tasks. Thus, the reported problems in the color-word Stroop task in children with reading difficulties do not appear to entail general impairments in interference control.     

From exclusion to inclusion; supporting Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators to keep children in mainstream education: a qualitative psychoanalytic research project

This paper draws on my doctoral research study based on consulting work with three primary school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) that took place in 2008. The study examined the interactions that arose in the consultations with the SENCos and their staff. The findings that emerged from the application of Grounded Theory research methodology showed that the consultant, the SENCos and the children for whom they were responsible all felt on the edge of school life. SENCos and their staff were subject on a daily basis to powerful projections from children who were unable to tolerate difficult feelings and they were at risk of becoming identified with these feelings. The consultant in turn was the recipient of powerful projections from the SENCos. These complex dynamics of projective identification are examined in the study. The question of how SENCos and staff can better support children on the edge of exclusion with these unregulated feeling states is discussed. It is proposed that senior management teams and policy makers are essential in putting the SENCo role more at the centre of schools, both physically and in terms of how it is perceived. The need for access to a consultant who can help SENCos to understand and process extreme feelings is recommended as a way forward.     

Classroom Peer Relationships and Behavioral Engagement in Elementary School: The Role of Social Network Equity

Applying social capital and systems theories of social processes, we examine the role of the classroom peer context in the behavioral engagement of low-income students (N = 80) in urban elementary school classrooms (N = 22). Systematic child observations were conducted to assess behavioral engagement among second to fifth graders in the fall and spring of the same school year. Classroom observations, teacher and child questionnaires, and social network data were collected in the fall. Confirming prior research, results from multilevel models indicate that students with more behavioral difficulties or less academic motivation in the fall were less behaviorally engaged in the spring. Extending prior research, classrooms with more equitably distributed and interconnected social ties—social network equity—had more behaviorally engaged students in the spring, especially in classrooms with higher levels of observed organization (i.e., effective management of behavior, time, and attention). Moreover, social network equity attenuated the negative relation between student behavioral difficulties and behavioral engagement, suggesting that students with behavioral difficulties were less disengaged in classrooms with more equitably distributed and interconnected social ties. Findings illuminate the need to consider classroom peer contexts in future research and intervention focused on the behavioral engagement of students in urban elementary schools.     

Working memory resources in young children with mathematical difficulties

Kyttälä, M., Aunio, P. & Hautamäki, J. (2010). Working memory resources in young children with mathematical difficulties. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51 , 1–15.
Working memory (WM) ( Baddeley, 1986, 1997 ) is argued to be one of the most important cognitive resources underlying mathematical competence ( Geary, 2004 ). Research has established close links between WM deficits and mathematical difficulties. This study investigated the possible deficits in WM, language and fluid intelligence that seem to characterize 4- to 6-year-old children with poor early mathematical skills before formal mathematics education. Children with early mathematical difficulties showed poor performance in both verbal and visuospatial WM tasks as well as on language tests and a fluid intelligence test indicating a thoroughly lower cognitive base. Poor WM performance was not moderated by fluid intelligence, but the extent of WM deficits was related to language skills. The educational implications are discussed.     

Career counsellors' perceptions of the severity of career decision-making difficulties

Individuals differ in the type and severity of the difficulties they face when making a career decision. Relying on the Gati, Krausz, and Osipow (1996) taxonomy of career decision-making difficulties, we elicited the judgements of 28 career counselling experts about factors that contribute to the perceived severity of the difficulties. Difficulties attributed to an internal or emotional cause were judged as more severe than difficulties attributed to an external or cognitive cause. With respect to the consequences, difficulties that prevent making a decision, or those that require long-term treatment, were judged as more severe than difficulties that may lead to a non-optimal decision, and those that require a short-term treatment. The analysis revealed that the factor that most affected the experts' severity judgements was the expected length of treatment. Treatment priority was affected only partially by severity, reflecting the role of other considerations.     

职业决策困难研究述评

职业决策困难是指个人在职业决策过程中所遇到的各种难题,其一直是生涯心理学当中一个非常重要的研究主题.它会以两种方式影响职业决策结果:一是,导致个体无法做出决定;二是,导致个体做出劣质决定.本文回顾了1980～2012年国内外相关研究,对职业决策困难的概念界定、亚类型、结构、测量工具、影响因素和干预措施进行了系统梳理.在此基础上,对未来研究方向进行了展望,指出未来研究需要进一步清晰界定职业决策困难的内涵和外延、对维度构成达成共识、深入探索形成机制以及加强定制化干预研究.     

Towards Working Life: Effects of an intervention on mental health and transition to post-basic education

The Towards Working Life group method was designed to promote the transition to the upper secondary level or vocational studies and to support mental health among young people finishing their basic education. This study examined the effects of the intervention during upper secondary and vocational studies in a randomized field experimental study among a total of 1034 students. At the one-year follow-up, the program had increased both education related social ties and the number of adults in these ties. The group intervention had interaction effects with baseline risk of depression and learning difficulties on symptoms of depression and school burnout. Among those initially at risk of depression, the intervention decreased symptoms of depression. For students who were at risk of depression and had learning difficulties, the intervention decreased school burnout.     

书写产生过程的认知机制

van Galen (1991)的书写产生模型指出书写过程是由层级结构组织起来的多个认知模块平行加工的结果。以此模型为出发点, 介绍了书写产生研究中主要关注的三个问题：书写过程中是否存在语音中介？书写时拼写编码的加工单元是什么？以及书写过程中认知编码阶段和运动执行阶段之间的关系？此外, 我们总结了书写产生与口语产生和阅读之间的联系, 介绍了书写产生过程的认知神经机制。最后, 我们分析了汉语的独特特点, 并指出这些特点对于书写产生研究的重要意义, 期待更多的心理语言学研究关注书写产生这一研究领域。     

Teaching Spelling of Social Studies Content Vocabulary Prior to Using the Vocabulary in Inclusive Learning Environments: An Examination of Constant Time Delay, Observational Learning, and Instructive Feedback

This study evaluated the effectiveness of using a 5 s constant time delay (CTD) procedure to teach the written spelling of social studies vocabulary words taken from the general education social studies content to students with mild disabilities. Subjects were 3 elementary students with mild disabilities. Instruction was delivered in a small group setting. Vocabulary words were different for each student, which allowed for observational learning by the other students in the group. Assessments of observational learning were conducted when each student attempted to spell their group-mate's words. Related instructive feedback (meaningful sentences containing the social studies vocabulary words) was presented in the consequent event of instructional trials. A multiple probe design across word sets was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure. Results indicated that (a) CTD was reliably implemented and all students acquired the spelling of their own sets of 12 social studies vocabulary words with 100% accuracy and maintained this accuracy over time, (b) all students generalized their target spellings across settings and instructors, and (c) some observational and instructive feedback learning occurred for all students. Additionally, long-term maintenance of observational spellings decreased over time, and minor fluctuations in long-term maintenance of instructive feedback occurred.     

联结竞争对听写困难儿童形音联结编码的影响

听写困难是一种发生率较高的儿童学习障碍现象。听写困难的认知机制,主要包括语音加工缺陷、字形表征缺陷以及形音联结编码缺陷。本研究通过两个实验,考察了整字语音竞争和部件语音竞争,对听写困难儿童形音联结编码的影响。结果发现,在不同条件下,听写困难儿童的形音联结水平都落后于正常儿童;整字语音竞争显著干扰了正常儿童的形音联结编码,但对听写困难儿童的影响并不明显;与之相反的是,部件语音竞争对听写困难儿童的干扰更为明显。研究结果支持听写困难儿童的形音联结编码缺陷理论。在此基础上,听写困难儿童的形音联结较少受到整字语音的竞争干扰,但更容易受到部件语音的竞争干扰,这可能是因为,他(她)们的整体字形加工或表征存在缺陷,导致原生字字形和语音信息难以被激活,以及合体字的部件信息得到更多的加工所致。