e-Trust and reputation

Trust online can be a hazardous affair; many are trustworthy, but some people use the anonymity of the web to behave very badly indeed. So how can we improve the quality of evidence for trustworthiness provided online? I focus on one of the devices we use to secure others’ trustworthiness: tracking past conduct through online reputation systems. Yet existing reputation systems face problems. I analyse these, and in the light of this develop some principles for system design, towards overcoming these challenges. In providing better evidence for trustworthiness online, so we can also encourage people actually to be trustworthy more often, which is an ethically welcome outcome.     

Modification of attitudes of regular class children towards the handicapped for the purpose of achieving integration

Two experimental procedures for positively modifying the attitudes of regular classroom children towards the handicapped were conducted. In both studies, curriculum and/or experiences with the handicapped were introduced to randomly selected groups of regular class elementary children. The curriculum consisted of literature, filmstrips, and lectures about handicapped children, while the experiences consisted of controlled integrational activities. The results indicated that the procedures were partially successful in modifying the attitudes of regular class children towards the handicapped. It was concluded that techniques must be developed systematically for achieving more positive attitudes in regular class children if “mainstreaming” is to become an effective educational concept.     

Using information and communications technology as a pedagogical tool: a survey of initial teacher education in Scotland

Abstract

In common with other parts of the United Kingdom, teacher education in Scotland is facing a period of rapidly changing demands with respect to the use of information and communications technology (ICT), together with high levels of investment, rising expectations, and increased scrutiny and accountability. In this article, we present an account of a national survey of the ICT skills and attitudes of students entering and exiting from the teacher education institutions in Scotland in the session 1996-97. The students are extremely positive in their attitudes, their enthusiasm for ICT use in education is high and their aspirations clear – they expect ICT to permeate their professional work now and in the future. Their experiences during their period of training fall considerably short of their expectations. We discuss the reasons for some of the difficulties and consider the challenges faced by tutors in initial teacher education courses who must now ‘model the message’ of a learner-centred approach to the education of their students.     

Understanding Early Inhibitory Development: Distinguishing Two Ways That Children Use Inhibitory Control

Inhibitory control is the capacity to suppress inappropriate responses. It is central to many aspects of development, most notably executive function and effortful control. Despite its importance, however, there are significant gaps in our understanding of inhibitory control’s early development, and several findings that remain hard to explain. Here, a new account of inhibitory control is presented, explaining previous findings by distinguishing between two distinct ways that inhibitory control is used. According to this “Strength/Endurance” account, inappropriate responses which are highly prepotent tax inhibitory strength; whereas inappropriate responses which remain active for a long time tax inhibitory endurance. The developmental trajectories of these two aspects of inhibitory control, and their separate impacts on broader development, are discussed.     

Optimised force-velocity training during pre-season enhances physical performance in professional rugby league players

ABSTRACT

The effectiveness of 8-week force-velocity optimised training was assessed in highly trained professional rugby league athletes. Players (age 24 ± 3 years; body mass 94.9 ± 21.6 kg; height 181.3 ± 6.0 cm) were strength-matched and assigned to a force-velocity optimised group (OP; n = 15) or a general strength-power group (GP; n = 14). Tests included 10-m, 20-m sprints, 3 repetition-maximum squat and squat jumps over five load conditions to ascertain vertical force-velocity relationship. ANCOVA revealed there was a group effect for force-velocity deficit (P < 0.001), with the OP two-fold greater than the GP group (OP pre: 51.13 ± 31.42%, post: 62.26 ± 31.45%, GP pre: 33.00 ± 19.60%, post: 31.14 ± 31.45%, P < 0.001). There were further group effects for 3RM squat (OP pre: 151.17 ± 22.95 kg, post: 162.17 ± 24.16 kg, GP pre: 156.43 ± 25.07 kg, post: 163.39 ± 25.39 kg, P < 0.001), peak power (OP pre: 3195 ± 949 W, post: 3552 ± 1033 W, GP pre: 3468 ± 911 W, post: 3591 ± 936 W, P < 0.001), and SJ (OP pre: 39.79 ± 7.80 cm, post: 42.69 ± 7.83 cm, GP pre: 40.44 ± 6.23 cm, post: 41.14 ± 5.66 cm, P < 0.001). Prescribing F-V deficit training is superior for improving physical performance within highly trained RL players.     

Physical profiles of elite,sub-elite,regional and age-group netballers

Physical profile data from elite, sub-elite, regional, under 21s (U21), under 19s (U19) and under 17s (U17) (n = 845) players from a state netball association in Australia were analysed. Within season changes were examined for the elite and sub-elite players. Longitudinal changes were examined for the elite across four consecutive netball seasons.

Elite were significantly older (24.3 ± 3.4years), taller (182.4 ± 7.2cm) and heavier (73.42 ± 6.95kg) than other playing levels (p < 0.001, ES 0.49–3.26) and had higher vertical jump (VJ) data compared to all groups (p < 0.001, ES 0.47–0.93). U17’s were significantly faster than elite, sub-elite and U19 players over 5m (p < 0.05, ES 0.36–0.58) while elite were faster over 20m compared to all groups (p < 0.01, ES 0.45–0.72). Elite achieved a greater distance (1350.8m; p < 0.05, ES 0.32–0.50) in the Yo-YoIRT1 compared to the sub-elite, regional, U19 and U17. VJ height significantly increased from the 2014 (51.6 ± 4.8cm) to the 2017 season (59.6 ± 6.3cm) for the elite players (p < 0.01, ES 1.18). Yo-YoIRT1 test scores increased significantly between the pre-season and in-season phases (p < 0.05, ES 0.17).     

The Use of Student Consulting Projects as an Active Learning Pedagogy: A Case Study in a Production/Operations Management Course

Active learning has attracted considerable attention in higher education in response to concerns about how and what students are learning. There are many different forms of active learning, yet most of them are classroom based. We propose an alternative to active learning in the classroom through active learning outside of the classroom in the form of student consulting projects. While the literature on student consulting has largely focused on projects to assist small business owners, this research demonstrates the potential for using student-consulting projects in the Production/Operations Management course. We use a case study to describe the use of a student-consulting project as an alternative to the other types of active learning described in the Operations Management education literature.     

Superior Detection of Faces in Male Infants at 2 Months

Females generally attend more to social information than males; however, little is known about the early development of these sex differences. With eye tracking, 2-month olds’ (N = 101; 44 females) social orienting to faces was measured within four-item image arrays. Infants were more likely to detect human faces compared to objects, suggesting a functional face detection system. Unexpectedly, males looked longer at human faces than females, and only males looked faster and longer at human faces compared to objects. Females, in contrast, looked less at human faces relative to animal faces and objects, appearing socially disinterested. Notably, this is the first report of a male face detection advantage at any age. These findings suggest a unique stage in early infant social development.     

Troubles with information overload—Moving from quantity to quality in information provision

The authors view the phenomenon of information overload as a result of a general failure in the business community to recognize the ways in which information processes add value to information. They present a conceptual model based on the broad information attributes of truth, guidance, accessibility, scarcity and weight, and apply the model to a number of information-oriented initiatives undertaken in Standard Life. The roles of both information providers and information users are discussed, with particular emphasis on the needs of managers and decision makers for high value-added, or ‘quality’, information. The authors argue the need to bridge a long-standing gap between information providers and users in their respectice views of what the role, competences and requirements of the other is in information terms. Their value-added information model provides a way for both parties to begin communicating in meaningful terms on these issues.