The second self: Computers and the human spirit

Educational technology research and development -     

Religiosity and interpersonal problems explain individual differences in self esteem among young adults with child maltreatment experiences

Child maltreatment can have a lasting impact, which is why it is important to understand factors that may exacerbate or mitigate self-esteem difficulties in adulthood. Although there is tremendous benefit that can come from religion and spirituality, few studies examine religious views after child maltreatment. Subsequent interpersonal difficulties may also affect self-esteem in maltreatment survivors. This study sought to examine interpersonal problems and religiosity as mediators in the link between childhood maltreatment and self-esteem in adulthood. The study recruited 718 women (M = 19.53 years) from a large public university. Participants completed questionnaires related to child abuse and neglect, interpersonal problems, religiosity, and self-esteem. Results demonstrated that all forms of maltreatment were associated with negative views of God and with more interpersonal difficulties. Viewing God as a punishing figure mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and low adult self-esteem, along with several areas associated with interpersonal problems. Further, for both child emotional neglect and physical abuse, viewing God as less supportive mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and low adult self-esteem. The results may help in intervention for child maltreatment survivors by increasing awareness of the importance of religiosity in treatment to self-esteem issues in both childhood and adulthood.     

论当前的婴幼儿营养与保健研究

婴幼儿时期的营养与保健是孩子健康成长的重要组成部分,婴幼儿时期的营养问题可能会导致儿童不可逆转的生长和认知发育迟缓,以及近期和远期的不良后果。因此,当前婴幼儿营养与保健问题成为家长普遍关注的话题。其中母乳喂养和合理的添加辅助食品是预防儿童营养不良的重要举措。本文将分析当前婴幼儿营养与保健方面存在的问题,进而提出婴幼儿营养与保健的方法。     

Helping the young child cope with death

Justin and Jenny had prepared for the space shuttle launch by cutting out pictures of Christa McAuliffe from the Weekly Reader. Their mother was a teacher, just like the new astronaut. During the televised launch, the three-year-old boy marched and twirled around. His five-year-old sister stood still and observed intently.Judy Ansell Ketchel is a second-grade teacher in the Southmoreland School District, Scottdale, Pennsylvania.     

Computers in Distance Education: gender differences in self‐perceived computer competencies

This article reports on the gender differences in self‐perceived computer competencies among distance education learners at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Four aspects of competencies that are related to computer usage and its applications were studied; these were competencies in the usage of general computer software, usage of networking software, handling of computer hardware and performing computer maintenance. The results showed that there are no significant differences between the genders in terms of the competencies in the usage of general computer software as well as networking software. These are directly linked to the educational purposes needed to support and facilitate learning in distance education. However, gender differences are observed regarding competencies in their handling of most aspects of computer hardware as well as performing computer maintenance.     

Images of the young child in history: Enlightenment and romance

Contemporary Western views of the child and of childhood call for a historical inquiry into the ontological and epistemological preunderstandings from which these views have arisen. From the ancient mythological motif of the divine child to the perspectives of Freud and Piaget, this study traces the philosophical images of the young child in Western thought. Given special attention is the image of “holy childhood,” which views the young child as possessed of a psycho-spiritual unity that is often translated into a goal of adult development. This notion of the young child as exemplar for adults was carried into the secularized West of the Enlightenment by the latter's mirror image, the Romantic Movement. Although Enlightenment thinking tends to dominate the modern world view, both traditions—En-lightenment and Romance-still live in tension in contemporary images of the young child.     

Infant and young child feeding in developing countries

Feeding practices are important determinants of growth and development of children. Using infant and young child feeding indicators and complementary feeding guidelines, 7 practices in 28 countries are described, showing substantial variation across countries. Only 25% of 0- to 5-month-olds were exclusively breastfed, and only half of 6- to 8-month-olds received complementary foods the previous day. Median duration of breastfeeding and increase of fluid intake during diarrhea were low among countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI). Living in high-HDI countries may not translate to positive feeding practices. Across countries, there is a need for promotion, protection, and support of optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices as well as better adherence to recommendations for feeding during illness.     

Literalism in the young child’s interpretation of pictures

This article describes four studies concerned with the young child’s response to the illusion of incompleteness in pictures. A substantial proportion of the children, aged 4 to 7 years, responded as if an element “out of sight” in a picture either did not exist or was incomplete. This mode of responding, termed “literalism,” was found to be related to age and proved to be little influenced by training and one other form of structured experience. The work reported in this article was funded by a grant from the Education Research and Development Committee, Commonwealth Department of Education, Canberra, Australia. The author acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of Ann Ring, June Sleet, and Janette Muir in the execution of these studies.     

Delayed intermodal contingency affects young children's recognition of their current self

This study investigated whether 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds use their video feedback as a reflection of their current state, even when their feedback was presented with a short temporal delay. In Experiment 1, the effects of 1- and 2-s delayed feedback were examined on an analog of the mark test. In the case of live and 1-s delayed feedback, 3-year-olds passed the test; however, they failed in the case of 2-s delayed feedback. Experiment 2 examined the effect of prior experience of delayed contingency and explorative behavior. The results showed a significant effect of prior experience. These results suggest that detection of visual-proprioceptive contingency contributes to recognition of visual feedback as one's current self.