How user innovations become commercial products: A theoretical investigation and case study

In this paper we model the pathways commonly traversed as user innovations are transformed into commercial products. First, one or more users recognize a new set of design possibilities and begin to innovate. They then join into communities, motivated by the increased efficiency of collective innovation. User-manufacturers then emerge, using high-variable/low-capital cost production methods. Finally, as user innovation slows, the market stabilizes enough for high-capital, low-variable cost manufacturing to enter. We test the model against the history of the rodeo kayak industry and find it supported. We discuss implications for “dominant design” theory and for innovation practice.     

Dwell times showcase how goal structure informs preschoolers’ analysis of unfolding motion patterns

Using Hard et al.’s (2011) dwell-time paradigm, 85 preschoolers (aged 2.5–4.5; 43 female; primarily from white families) advanced at their own pace through one of three slideshows. All slideshows depicted an actor reaching toward, grasping, and retrieving a ball. However, motion patterns differed for one slideshow (straight-reach) relative to the other two (arcing-reaches), and one of the arcing-reach slideshows depicted a violation of typical goal-related motion. Preschoolers’ knowledge of goal structure systematically modulated attention to event boundaries across slideshows despite surface differences, even when controlling for pixel change (an index of changes in motion). These findings showcase the value of the dwell time paradigm, and illuminate how children deploy attention as goal-related expectations shape their analysis of continuously unfolding activity.     

Single-sex schooling and subject choice: Pattern of enrolment at Monash University

Using data collected from incoming students at Monash University from 1972 to 1990, this study assesses the impact of single-sex versus coeducational schooling on the faculty choice of both female and male students. A clear pattern emerges of students from co-educational schools being over-represented in Science and Engineering and under-represented in Law and Medicine and, in recent years, in Economics and Politics. This is true for both females and males. However, further analysis establishes that this is more likely to be caused by socio-economic factors than by the gender composition of the school attended, since most students from co-educational schools come from the government sector and most students from single-sex schools from the independent sector.     

What does playing cards have to do with science? A resource-rich view of African American young men

The study examines the resources related to science that African American young men learn and develop by playing a card game called Spades, a common cultural practice in African American communities that dates back to the Civil War Era. The qualitative study examines what the Spades players at a local high school consider when making decisions about what cards to play. A significant finding is that the players use, learn and develop resources such as the ability to make observations, draw inferences, and use empirical data to inform future actions and decisions. Such reasoning bears a resemblance to central practices of science and challenges long held deficit views of African American young men. Implications of the research findings are discussed.     

Research findings can change attitudes about corporal punishment

Positive attitudes toward the use of corporal punishment (CP) predict subsequent spanking behavior. Given that CP has frequently been associated with behavior problems in children and child maltreatment, this prevention work was designed to test whether adults’ attitudes could be changed by informing participants about the research findings on problematic behaviors associated with CP. Two random assignment studies are reported. In Study 1, we tested whether an active reading condition would result in more attitude change than a passive condition. With a sample of 118 non-parent adults, we found that after reading very brief research summaries on the problems associated with CP, there was a significant decrease in favorable attitudes toward CP. Contrary to expectations, the magnitude of the change was comparable for active and passive processing conditions. In Study 2, we extended our approach to a sample of 520 parents and included a control group. A significant decrease in positive attitudes toward spanking was observed in the intervention group, but no change for the control group. Parents who were unaware of the research showed more change after reading the summaries. Thus, these studies demonstrate that a brief and cost-effective approach to raise awareness of research findings can reduce positive attitudes toward CP. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.     

Do German-speaking children have a chance to overcome reading and spelling difficulties? A longitudinal survey from the second until the eighth grade

In a longitudinal study the development of reading and spelling abilities of 458 Viennese school children from the second until the eighth grade was analysed. Although the students’ level of performance displayed a great consistency with poor readers and spellers retaining their weaknesses, groups of students whose performance either improved or deteriorated with time were also identified. Not only cognitive prerequisites, but also the classroom behavior of the students and social factors proved to be significant for the long-term prognosis.