Perspective taking,empathic concern,and perceived humanness of people with dementia

Past work has documented the detrimental psychological and health outcomes of negative age stereotypes and dehumanization of older adults. We investigated the role of perspective taking in enhancing positive perceptions of humanness of older individuals with dementia. To manipulate perspective taking, participants either imagined the situation of an older woman with dementia (n = 35), remained objective and detached (n = 37), or received no instructions (n = 35). We measured evidence of impairments of humanness needed to conclude personhood loss for the woman with dementia (i.e., humanness standards). Compared to stay-objective participants, imagine-other and no-instructions participants asked for more evidence of impairments of uniquely human characteristics, but not of human nature characteristics, in order to conclude personhood loss for the woman with dementia. Empathic concern for the woman with dementia mediated this effect. We discuss the importance of studying perceptions of personhood of those with dementia with a focus on the person with dementia and his or her social and personal connections with others. Strategies for developing and maintaining healthy relationships with persons with dementia based on active perspective taking are also discussed.     

Orally Positioning Older People in Assessment Meetings

It has been demonstrated that persons with dementia may be positioned as less competent than participants of the same age without dementia, and that persons with dementia possibly also are positioned as less competent than other older persons without dementia. In the present study, we aim to explore this further by analyzing Swedish assessment meetings in which needs and preferences are investigated for older persons without dementia. The material consists five audio-recorded assessment meetings, where there were at least two conversational partners present (a spouse and/or a child) and where the older person applying for social services was not diagnosed with dementia. The ages of the older persons ranged from 81 to 88, while the age of the relatives ranged from 46 to 93. The results of the present study demonstrate that older persons without dementia mainly are positioned as competent. However, it may be related to the degree of frailty, because the frailest person in the present study appears to be positioned as less competent than the other participants. The present paper adds to existing knowledge on how professionals in assessment meetings contribute to the positioning of older persons as competent and capable of making decisions. The results of the present article may be useful to promote development of education and training of communication skills for care mangers in assessments. Such training would further ensure that older persons with and without cognitive impairments can be actively involved in the creation and interpretation of their applications for social services.     

The potential for lifelong learning in dementia: a post-humanist exploration

Numbers of people with dementia are projected to grow to 682 million globally by 2050. However, despite this escalation, the widely-promoted positive vision of lifelong learning throughout all ages does not extend to people with dementia. Constructions of learning for those with dementia are predominantly limited to the management of symptoms. The focus on retrieval of memory does not seem to allow for the emergence of the learner as a ‘new beginner’ or as a teacher. This paper focuses on a recent study, Beyond Words to challenge dominant assumptions about dementia and learning. Using a post-humanist theoretical framework, this longitudinal qualitative study explores the benefits of community music for those who face problems communicating with words: such as those with dementias, autism, learning difficulties and brain damage. Rather than characterising them as ‘non-verbal’ it positions them as ‘post-verbal’ and able to communicate in different ways. Moving away from discussions of ‘selfhood’, the paper uses a post-humanist approach to explore an agentic assemblage including one person with dementia from the study and also explores how another participant teaches important lessons about materiality and time. It demonstrates that learning and ‘new beginnings’ and ‘becomings’ can and do take place at advanced stages of dementia, challenging the assumption that dementia is a wasteland for learning. It also shows how people with dementia have much to teach researchers about living and learning.     

Resilience in Families Caring for a Family Member Diagnosed with Dementia

The aim of this study was to identify and explore factors associated with family resilience in families caring for a demented family member. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to collect data from a convenience sample of spouses acting as primary caregivers of patients and living in the Cape Metropolitan area of the Western Cape, South Africa. The sample was comprised of families in which a spouse (n = 44) was caring for a partner with dementia. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using analyses of variance, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients, and a best-subsets multiple regression analysis. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. It was found that social support, positive communication patterns, acceptance, optimism, family hardiness, family connectedness, and the effective management of symptoms facilitated the resilience process in these families. In addition to expanding the current literature regarding family resilience, the findings of this study could be used to develop interventions tailored to the needs of these families caring for dementia patients to create a family environment that enhances adjustment and adaptation.     

Exploring Person Fit with an Approach Based on Multilevel Logistic Regression

The idea that test scores may not be valid representations of what students know, can do, and should learn next is well known. Person fit provides an important aspect of validity evidence. Person fit analyses at the individual student level are not typically conducted and person fit information is not communicated to educational stakeholders. In this study, we focus on a promising method for detecting and conveying person fit for large-scale educational assessments. This method uses multilevel logistic regression (MLR) to model the slopes of the person response functions, a potential source of person misfit for IRT models. We apply the method to a representative sample of students who took the writing section of the SAT (N = 19,341). The findings suggest that the MLR approach is useful for providing supplemental evidence of model–data fit in large-scale educational test settings. MLR can be useful for detecting general misfit at global and individual levels. However, as with other model–data fit indices, the MLR approach is limited in providing information regarding only some types of person misfit.     

Using person response functions to investigate areas of person misfit related to item characteristics

Individual person fit analyses provide important information regarding the validity of test score inferences for an individual test taker. In this study, we use data from an undergraduate statistics test (N = 1135) to illustrate a two-step method that researchers and practitioners can use to examine individual person fit. First, person fit is examined numerically with several indices based on the Rasch model (i.e., Infit, Outfit, and Between-Subset statistics). Second, person misfit is presented graphically with person response functions, and these person response functions are interpreted using a heuristic. Individual person fit analysis holds promise for improving score interpretation in that it may detect potential threats to validity of score inferences for some test takers. Individual person fit analysis may also highlight particular subsets of items (on which a test taker performs unexpectedly) that can be used to further contextualize her or his test performance.     

Does it matter how Molly does it? Person-presentation of strategies and transfer in mathematics

Educational materials often present general concepts or strategies via specific people. Although this practice may enhance interest, it may also have costs for learning and transfer. Linking a strategy to a person (e.g., “Molly’s strategy”) could result in narrower transfer because students infer that the strategy is specific to the person, rather than a general strategy they should adopt. The present study tested this hypothesis among middle school students (N = 191) who learned a novel strategy for solving a mathematics story problem. For some students, the strategy example was presented via a specific person, and for others it was not. Students then solved posttest problems and rated the generality of the strategy. Students who saw the example without the person were more likely to transfer the strategy to new problems, and this effect was mediated by students’ perceptions of the strategy’s generality. Thus, associating information with a person substantially limits the extent to which students transfer their knowledge.     

Coworking as a Career Strategy: Implications for the Work and Family Lives of University Employees

This study of 276 couples compares coworking couples, which means both partners work for the same university, with noncoworking couples, those couples in which only one partner is employed at a university. Among the employees at the two universities studied, one in seven dual-earner couples cowork. These couples are more educated and are less likely to prioritize one spouses' career over that of the other, as compared to noncoworking couples. Coworking is positively associated with work commitment and family success for husbands and with family and marital satisfaction for wives, especially for couples with graduate degrees. Findings suggest that employment of spouses can be beneficial to employees and institutions.     

关于信息技术与高校美术课程整合的思考

改变传统的以教师为中心的教学模式,建构一种以学生为认知主体的教学模式,为学生创新能力和信息能力的培养,营造最理想的教学环境。利用多媒体技术和网络技术,构建有利于信息技术与高校美术课程整合的学习环境。为美术教学改革开辟一条新道路,为培养创新型人才开拓一片新天地。     

Framing the Problem: effects of wording on children's statistical inferences

ABSTRACT A total of 96 children aged 11 to 12 years were given statistical inference problems (base‐rate and law of large numbers) designed to test the effects of wording on their answers. The wording of the problems was manipulated to make the information on base‐rates and on the law of large numbers either more salient or less salient. The latter condition was established by adding extraneous information to base‐rates, or, in the case of the law of large numbers, making the context unfamiliar or focusing choice on a particular person rather than on the group. A significant main effect of wording was found across all problems in favour of the salient condition. The results indicated that the children had a high level of statistical intuition and that they knew when to reason statistically and when not to.     

Evaluating anticipatory grief as a moderator of life and marital satisfaction for spousal caregivers of individuals with dementia

It is important to understand the role that anticipatory grief may have in moderating the interaction between relationship quality and marital and life satisfaction to help improve the awareness among professionals when identifying challenges individuals may experience while providing care to their romantic partner. This awareness may then lead to new ways of providing education or intervention to caregivers that may result in higher quality of care to individuals with dementia. The purpose of this study was to provide increasing awareness by evaluating the moderating role of anticipatory grief between perceptions of the relationship and marriage and life satisfaction. The sample of this study consisted of 90 spousal caregivers of individuals with dementia. Multiple regression was used and it was found that attachment and perceived closeness significantly predict satisfaction with life and marriage. Tests of moderation did not demonstrate that anticipatory grief served as a moderator for marital satisfaction or life satisfaction. The findings from the study provide information related to informing and structuring interventions and psychoeducation activities for spousal caregivers.     

RIM: A Random Item Mixture Model to Detect Differential Item Functioning

In this paper we present a new methodology for detecting differential item functioning (DIF). We introduce a DIF model, called the random item mixture (RIM), that is based on a Rasch model with random item difficulties (besides the common random person abilities). In addition, a mixture model is assumed for the item difficulties such that the items may belong to one of two classes: a DIF or a non-DIF class. The crucial difference between the DIF class and the non-DIF class is that the item difficulties in the DIF class may differ according to the observed person groups while they are equal across the person groups for the items from the non-DIF class. Statistical inference for the RIM is carried out in a Bayesian framework. The performance of the RIM is evaluated using a simulation study in which it is compared with traditional procedures, like the likelihood ratio test, the Mantel-Haenszel procedure and the standardized p -DIF procedure. In this comparison, the RIM performs better than the other methods. Finally, the usefulness of the model is also demonstrated on a real life data set.     

配偶面称语言语行为分析

配偶面称语类型多与地域、性格、年龄、教育背景、性别等个人因素有关,而较少与社会交际地位的关系相关。配偶面称语的第一位功能是传达情绪和情感,交际手段只是辅助功能;配偶面称语的主功用是“以言取效”,同时亦可“以言行事”。     

Translating Training in the NYU Caregiver Intervention in Australia: Maintaining Fidelity and Meeting Graduate Standards in an Online Continuing Professional Education Setting

The aim of this study was to develop an Internet-based self-directed training program for Australian healthcare workers to facilitate learning and competence in delivery of a proven intervention for caregivers of people with dementia: The New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI). The NYUCI is a nonpharmacological, multicomponent intervention for spousal caregivers. It is aimed at maintaining well-being by increasing social support and decreasing family discord, thereby delaying or avoiding nursing home placement of the person with dementia. Training in the NYUCI in the United States has, until now, been conducted in person to trainee practitioners. The Internet-based intervention was developed simultaneously for trainees in the U.S. and Australia. In Australia, due to population geography, community healthcare workers, who provide support to older adult caregivers of people with dementia, live and work in many regional and rural areas. Therefore, it was especially important to have online training available to make it possible to realize the health and economic benefits of using an existing evidence-based intervention. This study aimed to transfer knowledge of training in, and delivery of, the NYUCI for an Australian context and consumers. This article details the considerations given to contextual differences and to learners’ skillset differences in translating the NYUCI for Australia.     

Development of “down the road”: An interactive toolkit about driving cessation for dementia caregivers

Concerns about safe driving practices in individuals with dementia often fall to caregivers, who are frequently faced with the difficult task of initiating the conversation about driving and driving cessation with their loved ones. This is a topic that can be a very emotional and sensitive for older adults. Several print-based resources are currently available to caregivers; however, emerging research suggests that disseminating information through applied theater, a genre of theater typically based on research that addresses a social issue, may be more effective in changing attitudes than these traditional print-based methods. Applied theater touches upon the emotional complexities involved in decision-making about driving, deepening a viewer’s experience with the content. This work used research obtained from focus groups and individual interviews with 17 (eight informal and nine formal) dementia caregivers as a foundation for the development of a toolkit called Down the Road, which consists of an applied theater production about driving safety called No Particular Place to Go (in DVD-format), an accompanying viewer guidebook, and supplemental information cards. The content of Down the Road centers around eight main themes identified by dementia caregivers, including (1) the importance of driving, (2) the assessment process, (3) information about refresher courses and driving schools, (4) risk factors and warning signs, (5) starting the conversation, (6) dealing with resistance, (7) the need for support, and (8) alternative transportation options. Down the Road incorporates the expressed needs of dementia caregivers to translate knowledge into an effective, research-based toolkit that can provide caregivers with an interactive resource for use individually or in facilitated groups.     

Interacting with People who have Severe Communication Problems: Ethical considerations

People who have severe speech and communication problems have difficulties making themselves heard both in everyday communications and society at large. In spite of the positive results which have followed the development of non-vocal intervention strategies, this group of people is at risk for being left out of the social common and being alienated. It is important to realise that one cannot do in the technical what one cannot do in the ethical. Unless both social interaction and intervention with people who have severe communication impairments are based on ethical reflection, the moral standards that are applied to this group may be lower than for other people. True communicative interaction depends on the acceptance that the other partner has something of value to communicate, even if the means for expressive communication are limited and the messages are vague and difficult to understand. A moral requirement for autonomy, that is, an equal footing or right to expression, places an ethical imperative on the more competent communication partner to strive to overcome the asymmetrical relationship and help the disabled person create authentic messages. Ethics is awareness based on the reflection on moral phenomena, grounded in the norms and values of the society and typically the result of discourse and co-constructive reflection, in the form of everyday discussions as well as of public philosophical scrutiny. Communication is a vehicle of reflection and discourse may be regarded as joined reflection. Thus, time for discourse in professional work may be a prerequisite for ethical practice.     

数字化、因特网和档案利用中的版权保护

加强对电子档案信息的开发利用将成为档案工作为知识经济服务的重要课题，然而，这项工作必须受到版权法规的限制和制约。数字技术的发展与应用所造成的版权制度的相对滞后，使电子档案信息的开发利用遇到了前所未有的版权保护方面的压力，直接影响了档案信息服务的效率和质量。所以，有必要对数字版权保护环境中档案信息开发利用的版权问题作深入研究，调整版权制度，以建立新的利益平衡机制，使版权人、档案馆、公众的利益共存与相容，促进档案事业的发展，维护版权人和社会的整体利益。     

Education for Self‐Forgiveness as a Part of Education for Forgiveness

The analyses undertaken in this article refer to the harm experienced in close relationships, where the lack of forgiveness and the breakdown in the relationship can be a source of additional suffering for the victim. Referring to the discussion conducted in the Journal of Philosophy of Education in the years 2002–2003, I assume that one of the most difficult challenges for the injured individual is to determine whether change made by the perpetrator of evil encourages the individual to trust the perpetrator or whether forgiveness can actually be understood as consent to further harm. Another challenge is that the injured person must make a decision about forgiveness when s/he perceives change in the perpetrator if lack of forgiveness is not to become the cause of a definitive breakdown in the relationship. I propose the thesis that a person—by reference to acts of self‐forgiveness—can learn to identify the moment when forgiveness is possible and necessary. After explaining what self‐forgiveness is, what act it relates to and what its moral value is, I show how self‐forgiveness and reflection on the process of self‐forgiveness can benefit education for forgiveness of another person.     

Coparenting Among Lesbian,Gay, and Heterosexual Couples: Associations With Adopted Children's Outcomes

Coparenting is associated with child behavior in families with heterosexual parents, but less is known about coparenting among lesbian‐ and gay‐parent families. Associations were studied among self‐reported divisions of labor, coparenting observations, and child adjustment (M_age = 3 years) among 104 adoptive families headed by lesbian, gay, or heterosexual couples. Lesbian and gay couples reported sharing child care, whereas heterosexual couples reported specialization (i.e., mothers did more child care than fathers). Observations confirmed this pattern—lesbian and gay parents participated more equally than heterosexual parents during family interaction. Lesbian couples showed the most supportive and least undermining behavior, whereas gay couples showed the least supportive behavior, and heterosexual couples the most undermining behavior. Overall, supportive coparenting was associated with better child adjustment.     

论构建交互网络教学环境——运用信息网络培养学生综合能力的研究

利用交互网络构建新的教学环境，把信息网络作为学生进行综合学习的信息搜集和发表的良好环境，为学生创造进行深刻学习的机会。综合运用多媒体培养学生自主学习的能力，提高学生发现问题、解决问题的实践能力，激发学习的原动力，发挥学生的主体性。