Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations and Adjustment: Changes From Early to Late Adolescence

Drawing from developmental and cultural adaptation perspectives and using a longitudinal design, this study examined: (a) mean‐level changes in Mexican‐origin adolescents’ cultural orientations and adjustment from early to late adolescence and (b) bidirectional associations between cultural orientations and adjustment using a cross‐lag panel model. Participants included 246 Mexican‐origin, predominantly immigrant families that participated in home interviews and a series of nightly phone calls when target adolescents were 12 and 18 years of age. Girls exhibited more pronounced declines in traditional gender role attitudes than did boys, and all youth declined in familism values, time spent with family, and involvement in Mexican culture. Bidirectional relations between cultural orientations and adjustment emerged, and some associations were moderated by adolescent nativity and gender.     

Latino Adolescents’ Ethnic Identity: Is There a Developmental Progression and Does Growth in Ethnic Identity Predict Growth in Self‐Esteem?

The current longitudinal study of 323 Latino adolescents (50.5% male; M age = 15.31 years) examined whether ethnic identity exploration, resolution, and affirmation demonstrated significant growth over a 4-year period and whether growth in ethnic identity predicted growth in self-esteem. Findings from multiple-group latent growth curve models revealed that exploration, resolution, and affirmation all increased significantly from middle to late adolescence for Latina girls. For Latino boys, only affirmation increased significantly. Furthermore, only growth in exploration predicted growth in boys' and girls' self-esteem. This research indicates that patterns of growth in ethnic identity vary by adolescent sex. Furthermore, findings underscore the need to examine the unique contributions of each ethnic identity component, rather than using a composite ethnic identity score.     

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disordered and control boys' responses to social success and failure

The behavioral, self-evaluative, and attributional responses of 120 boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 65 control boys to social success and failure were examined using a dyadic, laboratory get-acquainted task employing child confederates. Objective coders rated boys with ADHD as less socially effective than controls in their interactions, but also as less frustrated and helpless. In terms of self-evaluations, ADHD boys overwhelmingly rated their own performance more favorably than did controls and in some instances, these differences were more apparent following failure. The attributional pattern of ADHD and control boys differed in that ADHD boys were more likely than controls to attribute success to external, uncontrollable factors such as task ease and being lucky; controls, on the other hand, were more likely than ADHD boys to attribute initial failure to not having tried hard enough. Results are discussed in the context of existing literature documenting a positive illusory bias in ADHD boys' self-perceptions.     

Developmental foundations of physiological dynamics among mother–infant dyads: The role of newborn neurobehavior

This study tested whether newborn attention and arousal provide a foundation for the dynamics of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in mother–infant dyads. Participants were 106 mothers (M_age = 29.54) and their 7-month-old infants (55 males and 58 White and non-Hispanic). Newborn attention and arousal were measured shortly after birth using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale. Higher newborn arousal predicted a slower return of infant RSA to baseline. Additionally, greater newborn attention predicted mothers’ slower return to baseline RSA following the still-face paradigm, and this effect only held for mothers whose infants had lower newborn arousal. These findings suggest that newborn neurobehavior, measured within days of birth, may contribute to later mother–infant physiological processes while recovering from stress.     

The Rating and Matching Item-Objective Alignment Methods

Central to the standards-based assessment validation process is an examination of the alignment between state standards and test items. Several alignment analysis systems have emerged recently, but most rely on either traditional rating or matching techniques. Little, if any, analyses have been reported on the degree of consistency between the two methods and on the item and objective characteristics that influence judges' decisions. We randomly assigned judges to either rate item-objective links or match items to objectives while reviewing the 2004 Arizona high school mathematics standards and assessment. Across items we found moderate convergence between methods, and we detected apparent reasons for divergently scored items. We also found that judges relied on item and objective content and intellectual skill features to render decisions. Based on our evidence, we contend that a thorough alignment analysis would involve judges using both rating and matching, while focusing on both content and intellectual skill. The findings have important implications for states when examining the alignment between their standards and assessments.     

Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations and Values: Do Older Sisters and Brothers Matter?

Family is an important context for cultural development, but little is known about the contributions of siblings. This study investigated whether older siblings’ cultural orientations and familism values predicted changes in younger siblings’ cultural orientations and familism values across 2 years and tested sibling characteristics and younger siblings’ modeling as moderators. Participants were 246 Mexican-origin younger (M_age = 17.72; SD = 0.57) and older siblings (M_age = 20.65; SD = 1.57) and their parents. Findings revealed that older siblings’ Anglo orientations and familism values interacted with younger siblings’ modeling: When younger siblings reported high modeling, older siblings’ Anglo orientations and values predicted increases in younger siblings’ Anglo orientations and values. Discussion highlights the importance of siblings in cultural socialization.     

Perceived Discrimination and Ethnic Affirmation: Anglo Culture Orientation as a Moderator Among Mexican‐Origin Adolescent Mothers

This study examined whether Anglo culture orientation modified the association between adolescents' perceived ethnic discrimination and ethnic identity affirmation over time in a sample of Mexican‐origin adolescent mothers (N = 205, M_age = 16.24 years). Results indicated that perceived ethnic discrimination was significantly associated with decreases in ethnic identity affirmation over time for adolescents reporting high Anglo culture orientation, but no relation existed for adolescents reporting low Anglo culture orientation. Findings suggest that a person–environment mismatch (i.e., between adolescents' perceptions of their connection to Anglo culture and the messages they receive from others regarding that connection in terms of perceived ethnic discrimination) may be detrimental to adolescents' development of positive feelings about their ethnicity.     

De Genève à Belo Horizonte,une histoire croisée: circulation,réception et réinterprétation d’un modèle européen des classes spéciales au Brésil des années 1930

L’organisation des classes homogènes selon le niveau de développement mental des élèves et celle des classes spéciales pour les enfants en retard scolaire eut lieu dans les écoles élémentaires de Belo Horizonte, au Brésil, pendant les années de 1930, dans le cadre d’une réforme du système d’éducation, à laquelle participèrent des spécialistes étrangers, et en spécial la psychologue russe Helena Antipoff (1892–1974). Le projet des classes spéciales alors établies et leurs transformations dans le contexte brésilien sont étudiés à partir de données documentaires publiées entre 1930 et 1940. Née en Russie, Antipoff a fait des études supérieures en France (1910–1911), comme stagiaire dans le laboratoire Binet-Simon, et à Genève (1912–1914), à l’Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau, où elle exerça ultérieurement les fonctions d’assistante d’Édouard Claparède (1926–1929). Notre hypothèse est que les classes spéciales créées à Belo Horizonte le furent sur le modèle genevois, et constituèrent un important exemple de circulation et diffusion de connaissances au niveau international, ainsi que de construction de repères dans le domaine de l’éducation spéciale au Brésil. Ainsi, la division des classes par niveau intellectuel mesuré par des tests d’intelligence, l’idée de “l’école sur mesure” proposée par Claparède, le dialogue avec les méthodes suggérées par Alice Descouedres démontrent les relations avec le modèle genevois. En même temps, l’interprétation des résultats des tests comme manifestation d’une forme d’ “intelligence civilisée” et les adaptations des exercices d’orthopédie mentale pour développer cette intelligence demandée par l’école montrent les transformations du modèle dans le contexte brésilien.     

Adaptive SMC based on the dynamic containment of the sliding variable

Conventional Sliding Mode Controllers (SMCs) exhibit a robust performance against matched bounded uncertainties and disturbances by containing them under a fixed controller’s effort. Consequently, the controller is commonly found excessive, leading to chattering and straining the actuator. As a solution, the variable-gain SMCs adapt to the instantaneous system requirements, thus attenuating the aforesaid effects and keeping the SMC’s benefits. However, the reported adaptive laws underlying such behavior commonly require arbitrary design considerations and do not consider practical implementation. Unlikely, in this work, a hysteresis-based adaptability law to drive the sliding variable to a boundary layer around zero is proposed. The sliding boundary—hysteresis’ width—will consistently “bounce” over the sliding variable, trying to shrink against it while preserving the sliding mode. This behavior finds its steady-state once the sliding variable and the sliding boundary’s dynamics are synchronized, with no need of subjective or arbitrary adjustments. The close-loop tuning can be derived from the system’s parameters alone, and its steady-state performance can be quantitatively predicted. Furthermore, a method to adjust the sliding surface parameters according to the system’s desired behavior is provided, all in a closed, analytical way. Finally, the physical actuator limits are taken into account and never exceeded, and the discrete nature of the devices normally used for SMC implementation is incorporated throughout. Two examples are studied to portray the proposal’s advantages.