As rates of prematurity continue to rise, identifying which preterm children are at increased risk for learning disabilities is a public health imperative. Identifying continuities between early and later skills in this vulnerable population can also illuminate fundamental neuropsychological processes that support learning in all children. At 18 months adjusted age, we used socioeconomic status (SES), medical variables, parent-reported vocabulary, scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) language composite, and children’s lexical processing speed in the looking-while-listening (LWL) task as predictor variables in a sample of 30 preterm children. Receptive vocabulary as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (fourth edition) at 36 months was the outcome. Receptive vocabulary was correlated with SES, but uncorrelated with degree of prematurity or a composite of medical risk. Importantly, lexical processing speed was the strongest predictor of receptive vocabulary (r = ?.81), accounting for 30% unique variance. Individual differences in lexical processing efficiency may be able to serve as a marker for information processing skills that are critical for language learning. 相似文献
Objective: We examine concurrent and longitudinal associations between sleep duration (SD) and body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to young adulthood, controlling for physical activity and internalising symptoms. Sex and age group differences (early adolescent group ages 12–15 years and late adolescent group ages 16–18 years) are examined.
Design: A randomly selected community-based sample of youth (N = 662; 48.3% males) were surveyed biannually from 2003 (T1) to 2014 (T6).
Results: We found sex and age group differences for the concurrent and longitudinal associations between SD and BMI. For males, shorter SD at baseline was concurrently related to higher BMI. For females, shorter SD at baseline was associated with longitudinal increases in BMI, for the late adolescent group only.
Conclusion: Findings show that the association between SD and BMI, previously shown in childhood, continues to be significant in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmentally appropriate and sex-specific strategies for motivating and supporting healthy sleep habits in adolescence that may help to prevent weight gain into young adulthood are discussed. 相似文献
ObjectivesThis study used the Scheme of Change for Sport Psychology Practice (SCSPP; Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011a) to examine athletes' and coaches' personal characteristics, perceptions of, coping with, and perceived outcome of the London 2012 Olympic Games (OGs). We also contrasted several sub-groups (e.g., Olympic and Paralympic athletes) in certain variables, and examined the decision-making and support systems involved in the OGs change process.Design and methodsA cross-sectional and retrospective design was used. Israeli Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches (N = 61) completed measures of change-event experiences (Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011b) and athletic/coaching identity (AI/CI; Brewer & Cornelius, 2001) two years after the London 2012 OGs.ResultsOlympic athletes trained more, and had higher motivation and AI than Paralympic athletes. The OGs were perceived as a significant and positive change-event in the participants' careers. AI/CI was associated with the perceived significance of the OGs. At the time of Olympic qualification, the participants tended either to ignore this change-event or cope with it independently. Most participants reported making a decision to change related to adjustment and coping. Professional support was mainly available prior to and during the OGs. During this experience the participants did not consider using sport psychology services, but retrospectively, valued the usefulness of this support. Athletes' motivation after the OGs was predicted from their satisfaction of coping, and their perceived outcome of this change-event was predicted from their satisfaction of competition results.ConclusionsPsychological support must be provided as part of the Olympic cycle, especially in promoting a decision to change. Maintaining realistic expectations may be critical for facilitating a positive perception of this change-event. 相似文献
In educational and psychological measurement we find the distinction between speed and power tests. Although most tests are partially speeded, the speed element is usually neglected. Here we consider a latent trait model developed by Rasch for the response time on a (set of) pure speed test(s), which is based on the assumption that the test response times are approximately gamma distributed, with known shape parameters and scale parameters depending on subject ability and test difficulty parameters. In our approach the subject parameters are treated as random variables having a common gamma distribution. From this, maximum marginal likelihood estimators are derived for the test difficulties and the parameters of the latent subject distribution. This basic model can be extended in a number of ways. Explanatory variables for the latent subject parameters and for the test parameters can be incorporated in the model. Our methods are illustrated by the analysis of a simulated and an empirical data set. 相似文献
Examined the effects of the normative school transition to senior high school (n=330) on the self-system and perceived school and peer social contexts of poor, black (n=83), European American (n=115), Latino (n=105), and Asian American (n=27) youth in the public school systems of three Eastern urban cities. The only negative effect of the school transition on
the self-system was a decline in grade point average (GPA). Concurrently, the school transition was perceived to be associated
with changes in the school and peer contexts. Across the transition, students reported increased disengagement from school
(i.e., increased social support and extracurricular involvement) and increased engagement with peers (i.e., decreased daily
hassles and increased involvement). These changes in the school and peer microsystems, like the changes in the self-system,
were also common across race/ethnicity and gender. In addition, transition-associated school changes, and in particular changes
in daily academic demands/hassles and involvement in school activities, were associated with changes in the academic dimensions
of the self-system (i.e., academic efficacy expectations and GPA). Results and implications for preventive intervention are
discussed within a developmental mismatch framework.
This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH43084) and the Carnegie Corporation
(B4850) awarded to Edward Seidman, J. Lawrence Aber, LaRue Allen, and Christina Mitchell. We express our appreciation to the
children and schools whose cooperation made this study possible. 相似文献