Prenatal Alcohol Exposure,Child Externalizing Behavior,and Maternal Stress

Objective. This study examined linkages between prenatal exposure to alcohol, current maternal alcohol use, child externalizing behavior, and maternal stress in a sample of 4- to 6-year-old children and their mothers. Design. Questionnaires, interviews, and behavioral observations were used to assess study variables in 42 mother - child dyads. Results. Current maternal alcohol use did not relate to children's behavior problems. However, children with higher levels of prenatal exposure to alcohol exhibited more externalizing behavior. In turn, higher levels of child externalizing behavior were associated with increased maternal stress. An alternative model, in which maternal stress was assumed to relate to less supportive mother - child interactions and higher levels of current maternal alcohol consumption, which in turn were expected to relate to higher rates of child externalizing behavior, did not fit the data. Conclusions. The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure likely extends to caregivers. Interventions must focus not only on affected individuals but also on their families, who may experience significant stress in trying to care for such individuals.     

Prenatal Risk and Infant Regulation: Indirect Pathways via Fetal Growth and Maternal Prenatal Stress and Anger

Pathways from maternal tobacco, marijuana, stress, and anger in pregnancy to infant reactivity and regulation (RR) at 9 months of infant age were examined in a low‐income, diverse sample beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy, with fetal growth and postnatal stress/anger as potential mediators, and infant sex as a moderator. Participants were 247 dyads (173 substance‐exposed infants). There were no direct effects of prenatal risk on RR and no moderation by sex. However, there were significant indirect effects on RR via poor fetal growth and higher postnatal anger. The study adds to the sparse literature on joint effects of tobacco and marijuana, and highlights the role of fetal growth and maternal anger as important pathways from prenatal risk to infant RR.     

The Contribution of Infant, Maternal, and Family Conditions to Maternal Feeding Competencies

OBJECTIVE: Because little is known about the role of family problem-solving processes in the development of mothers' competencies in feeding a very low birth-weight (VLBW) infant, we explored the contribution made by the competence in negotiating displayed by a mother and family member as they jointly problem solve infant-care issues. The infant's neonatal biomedical condition, maternal depressive symptoms, and family poverty status may also contribute to feeding competencies. DESIGN: A sample of 41 mothers of VLBW infants from 2 longitudinal studies who were observed during feeding at 1 and 8 months infant postterm age, with a family member of their choosing, participated in a dyadic problem-solving exercise. We assessed maternal feeding competencies with the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment (Clark, 1997) and dyadic negotiating competence using an observational scale from the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (Melby & Conger, 2001). We classified infant condition through medical record audit. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale (L. S. Radloff, 1977), and family poverty status was determined through the mother's report of family income. RESULTS: Mothers' feeding competencies, structured into 2 factors, Parental Positive Affective Involvement, Sensitivity, and Responsiveness (PPAISR) and Parental Negative Affect and Behavior (PNAB, scored in the direction of low negativity) were stable from 1 to 8 months, accounting for the entire set of predictor variables. Neonatal biomedical condition had no effect on either PPAISR or PNAB; depressive symptoms were negatively associated with PNAB at 8 months; poverty status negatively predicted both PPAISR and PNAB at 1 and 8 months; and negotiating competence of the mother-family member dyad was positively associated with PNAB at 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence that family poverty status and dyadic negotiating competence were both associated with maternal feeding competencies supports inclusion of these family-level variables in a model of feeding competencies. A mother's negotiating competence with another family member who takes a responsible role in infant care may support maternal feeding competencies during a VLBW infant's early weeks when parenting patterns are forming.     

Disorganized Infant Attachment Classification and Maternal Psychosocial Problems as Predictors of Hostile-Aggressive Behavior in the Preschool Classroom

This study of 62 lowincome families examined the relation between maternal and infant measures assessed at 18 months infant age and child behavior problems at age 5 as rated by preschool teachers. The infancy assessments included measures of mother-infant interaction, maternal psychosocial problems, infant cognitive development, and infant attachment security, including the disorganized/disoriented classification. The strongest single predictor of deviant levels of hostile behavior toward peers in the classroom was earlier disorganized/disoriented attachment status, with 71% of hostile preschoolers classified as disorganized in their attachment relationships in infancy. Maternal psychosocial problems independently predicted hostile aggressions in preschool and combined additively with infant attachment security in prediction. Results are discussed in relation to the asymmetry of forward and backward prediction that characterized the findings and in relation to the potential significance of disorganized attachment behavior as a precursor to later maladaptation.     

Quality of Center Child Care and Infant Cognitive and Language Development

The relations between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development were examined in a sample of 79 African-American 12-month-old infants. Both structural and process measures of quality of child care were collected through interviews with the center director and observation of the infant classroom. Results indicated that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessments of cognitive development ( Bayley Scales of Infant Development ), language development (Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development), and communication skills (Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales). In addition, quality of care in child care centers and at home was positively related. Analyses that adjusted for this association between quality of care at home and in child care suggested that the process measure of quality of child care independently related to the infant's cognitive development, and one structural measure, the infant-adult ratio, independently related to the infant's overall communication skills. Neither child nor family factors was found to moderate the association between child care quality and infant development. These findings, in conjunction with the growing child care literature, suggest that researchers and policymakers should focus on how quality of child care can be improved to enhance, not impair, infant development.     

结合创新大赛开展综合性创新实验初探

本文分析了实验教学存在的问题,提出了结合创新大赛开展综合性创新实验的新型实验课程并进行了试点。     

Angry Responses to Infant Challenges: Parent,Marital, and Child Genetic Factors Associated With Harsh Parenting

This study examined genetic and environmental influences on harsh parenting of adopted 9‐month‐olds (N = 503), with an emphasis on positive child‐, parent‐, and family‐level characteristics. Evocative gene–environment correlation (rGE) was examined by testing the effect of both positive and negative indices of birth parent temperament on adoptive parents’ harsh parenting. Adoptive fathers’ harsh parenting was inversely related to birth mother positive temperament, indicating evocative rGE, as well as to marital quality. Adoptive parents’ negative temperamental characteristics were related to hostile parenting for both fathers and mothers. Findings support the importance of enhancing positive family characteristics in addition to mitigating negative characteristics, as well as engaging multiple levels of the family system to prevent harsh parenting.     

Maternal Insightfulness and Resolution of the Diagnosis Are Associated With Secure Attachment in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders

In the current study (a) maternal insightfulness into the experience of the child and (b) resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis and their associations with children's security of attachment were examined in a sample of 45 preschoolers (mean age = 49 months) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It was hypothesized that mothers who were insightful and resolved would be more likely to have securely attached children than mothers who were neither insightful nor resolved. The findings supported this hypothesis. The implications of insightfulness and resolution for child attachment in the context of ASD are discussed.     

Prenatal and Postnatal Diagnosis of Infant Disability: Breaking the News to Mothers

The birth of an infant with a disability is often perceived as the loss of a “perfect” baby and is typically an unanticipated event for the mother and family. Mothers may experience self-blame for the disability; therefore, sensitive communication is crucial. A private setting is recommended, with a minimum of health-care professionals in attendance when the diagnosis is revealed. The perinatal educator can guide the mother through the early emotional phases of processing and accepting the new information by offering support and incorporating timely information and interventions. The perinatal educator can also inform and prepare other expectant couples in the childbirth class and encourage them to support the mother and father in celebrating the forthcoming birth. The objective of nursing care for a mother whose infant is newly diagnosed with a disability is to facilitate a positive outcome for her and to promote optimal infant bonding. In all communication and information, replacing the term “disabled infant” with “infant with a disability” is emphasized in order to recognize the infant first and the disability second.     

Age of Bilingual Exposure Is Related to the Contribution of Phonological and Semantic Knowledge to Successful Reading Development

Bilingual children's reading as a function of age of first bilingual language exposure (AoE) was examined. Bilingual (varied AoE) and monolingual children (N = 421) were compared in their English language and reading abilities (6–10 years) using phonological awareness, semantic knowledge, and reading tasks. Structural equation modeling was applied to determine how bilingual AoE predicts reading outcomes. Early exposed bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on phonological awareness and word reading. Phonology and semantic (vocabulary) knowledge differentially predicted reading depending on the bilingual experience and AoE. Understanding how bilingual experiences impact phonological awareness and semantic knowledge, and in turn, impact reading outcomes is relevant for our understanding of what language and reading skills are best to focus on, and when, to promote optimal reading success.     

Differential Effects of Maternal Sensitivity to Infant Distress and Nondistress on Social-Emotional Functioning

Associations between maternal sensitivity to infant distress and nondistress and infant social-emotional adjustment were examined in a subset of dyads from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care ( N = 376). Mothers reported on infant temperament at 1 and 6 months postpartum, and maternal sensitivity to distress and nondistress were observed at 6 months. Child behavior problems, social competence, and affect dysregulation were measured at 24 and 36 months. Maternal sensitivity to distress but not to nondistress was related to fewer behavioral problems and higher social competence. In addition, for temperamentally reactive infants, maternal sensitivity to distress was associated with less affect dysregulation. Sensitivity to nondistress only prevented affect dysregulation if sensitivity to distress was also high.     

创新能力培养是实验室建设和管理工作的重点

面对知识经济时代的到来和中国加入WTO后,对于人才需求的变化,高等教育的人才培养模式发生了根本性的变化,由原来的“传授知识”转向“全面素质教育”的模式。而创新能力是人才综合素质中最具有突出意义的,因此人才培养也应以创新能力的培养为主要目标。高校实验室作为人才培养的基地,探索创新教育培养模式,努力创造适应创新人才能力培养的环境,是实验室建设和管理工作的重点。     

The War Experiences and Psychosocial Development of Children in Lebanon

This study examines the number and types of war traumas children face growing up in a war-torn country and the relation of such traumatic experiences to their psychosocial development. A sample of 224 Lebanese children (10–16 years old) were interviewed using measures of war exposure, mental health symptoms, adaptational outcomes, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The number and type of children's war traumas varied meaningfully in number and type by their age, gender, father's occupational status, and mother's educational level. As predicted, the number of war traumas experienced by a child was positively related to PTSD symptoms; and various types of war traumas were differentially related to PTSD, mental health symptoms, and adaptational outcomes. For example, children who were exposed to multiple war traumas, were bereaved, became victims of violent acts, witnessed violent acts, and/or were exposed to shelling or combat exhibited more PTSD symptoms. Children who were separated from parents reported more depressive symptoms and children who experience bereavement and were not displaced reported more planful behavior. Lastly, children who were separated from parents and who witnessed violent acts reported more prosocial behavior. Implications for program interventions and directions for future research on the effects of war on the psychosocial development of children are explored.     

词义扩展的内在机制及认知思维培养

词义扩展是人类认知思维的体现。隐喻和转喻是人类基本的认知思维,分别基于事物和概念间的相似性和邻近性而构建,是实现词义扩展的重要手段。传统的多义词教学往往将其各个义项独立,忽略彼此之间的认知关联,教学效果差强人意。从认知角度来分析词义扩展的内在机制,并对英语词汇教学中如何培养多义词的认知思维进行研究。     

Infants at Social Risk: Maternal Depression and Family Support Services as Mediators of Infant Development and Security of Attachment

31 infants at high social risk due to the combined effects of poverty, maternal depression, and caretaking inadequacy were assigned to weekly home-visiting services. At 18 months infant age, the home-visited infants were compared with 2 groups of socioeconomically similar unserved infants on measures of infant development, infant attachment, mother-infant interaction, maternal depression, and maternal social contacts. Home-visited infants of depressed mothers outperformed unserved infants of depressed mothers by an average of 10 points on the Bayley Mental Scale and were twice as likely to be classified as securely attached, with unserved high-risk infants showing a high rate of insecure-disorganized attachments. Duration of services was positively correlated with maternal involvement at 12 months. Results of the study point both to the negative developmental consequences associated with severe social risk conditions and to the buffering effects of developmentally oriented home-visiting services for infants at greatest social risk.     

The Cognitive Consequences of Collaborative Problem Solving With and Without Feedback

The goal of this research was to assess the impact of feedback, partner, and shared understanding in the course of problem solving. A sample of 180 6- to 9-year-olds was pretested to discover the children's "rule" for predicting the movement of a mathematical balance beam. For the treatment they either worked alone or with a partner who was equally, less, or more competent, with two-thirds receiving feedback from the materials. They subsequently participated in 2 individual posttests. The results revealed that children receiving feedback improved significantly more than those who did not, but that the presence of a partner was only beneficial when children received no feedback. Irrespective of feedback, those children whose partner exhibited higher-level reasoning were far more likely to benefit from collaboration than those whose partner did not, provided that the pair achieved shared understanding.     

The Cognitive and Behavioral Characteristics of Children With Low Working Memory

This study explored the cognitive and behavioral profiles of children with working memory impairments. In an initial screening of 3,189 five- to eleven-year-olds, 308 were identified as having very low working memory scores. Cognitive skills (IQ, vocabulary, reading, and math), classroom behavior, and self-esteem were assessed. The majority of the children struggled in the learning measures and verbal ability. They also obtained atypically high ratings of cognitive problems/inattentive symptoms and were judged to have short attention spans, high levels of distractibility, problems in monitoring the quality of their work, and difficulties in generating new solutions to problems. These data provide rich new information on the cognitive and behavioral profiles that characterize children with low working memory.     

科学发展观是对传统社会发展理论的超越和创新

科学发展观高扬以人为本、实现人的全面发展的旗帜,突出强调社会发展的全面、协调和可持续性,是对传统社会发展理论的超越和创新。     

与时俱进的发展观

中国共产党关于发展问题的一系列理论和观念,是在治国理政的过程中,随着实践的发展而不断深化的。三代中央领导集体的发展观既一脉相承,又与时俱进。牢固树立和认真落实科学发展观,是中国特色社会主义事业不断走向辉煌的不竭动力。     

大学通识教育的生成特性与发展时序

通识教育是区别于专业教育的另一种教育,是对专业教育的升华和整全。通识教育的演变历程和与专业教育的比较辨析表明,通识教育具有"知识性"、"精神性"和"信念性"的三重特性。因此,在发展时序上,应遵循三个阶段:通识教育作为专业教育的预备阶段;专业教育作为通识教育的补充阶段;通识教育作为专业教育的引领阶段。