Inhibitory control,dyadic social behavior,and mental health difficulties in preschoolers

Although inhibitory control is typically associated with positive outcomes, several theoretical frameworks suggest that too little and too much inhibitory control may be problematic. Using a longitudinal, latent variable approach, we examined whether a multi-method index of inhibitory control at Time 1 (N = 105, 52 girls, M_age = 3.50 years, 87% White) predicted observed social behavior with an unfamiliar peer and maternal report of preschoolers’ mental health difficulties at Time 2 (M_age = 4.76 years). Data collection occurred between 2017 and 2019. Inhibitory control displayed a U-shaped relation with prospective outcomes, where high and low levels of inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of avoidant social behaviors and mental health difficulties. The results are discussed in the context of under- and over-regulation in understanding individual differences in children's social behavior and mental health difficulties.     

Questioning intuition through reflective engagement

Current literature on ethics and moral development focuses on discussion concerning the impact of intuition on moral decision-making. Through the use of student journal reflections over the course of one semester, this study utilized a grounded theory approach in order to explore and understand participant levels of awareness and understanding of intuition in this regard. The findings suggest that reflective engagement enables these participants to become more aware of and therefore access and govern intuitions so that they can be more equally integrated during a moral decision-making process. This study emphasizes the student’s understanding of the impact of intuition on moral decision-making and therefore offers additional insight into the current discussion in the literature.     

Effects of different types of true–false questions on memory awareness and long-term retention

This study investigated the effects of two different true–false questions on memory awareness and long-term retention of knowledge. Participants took four subsequent knowledge tests on curriculum learning material that they studied at different retention intervals prior to the start of this study (i.e. prior to the first test). At the first and fourth (pre- and post-) tests, participants indicated which form of memory awareness (i.e. remember, know, familiar and/or guess) accompanied their answer. On the two intermediate tests, testing format was manipulated: true/false or true/false justification, that is a true/false statement with the additional instruction to explain why the statement is true or false. The results resembled earlier findings in that different forms of memory awareness could be distinguished. The study did not indicate (additional) knowledge schematisation as a result of testing or testing format. However, independent of test format, the proportion of correct answers on the post-test was higher than on the pre-test. This could indicate that the beneficial effects of testing can occur even when the learning episode was at a long retention interval prior to the first test.     

Social skills of Slovenian primary school students with learning disabilities

Social skills of students with special needs play a very important role in their successful integration into inclusive learning environments. The aim of present empirical research was to establish whether students with learning disabilities (LD) attending grades 7–9 of regular primary school in Slovenia experience difficulties in social skills compared to their peers without LD. The following measuring instruments were used: the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and the Self-Concept Scale. The basic research findings indicated statistically significant structural differences between the students with LD and their peers. The two groups differ in terms of difficulties in social interaction. Students with LD experience more difficulties. Statistically significant differences between the groups also appeared in tension and inhibition in social contact and social anxiety, as well as in the area of self-concept: students with LD are more anxious and reserved in social contacts.     

Gelatin‐Filtered Consommé: A Practical Demonstration of the Freezing and Thawing Processes

ABSTRACT: Freezing is a key food processing and preservation technique widely used in the food industry. Application of best freezing and storage practices extends the shelf‐life of foods for several months, while retaining much of the original quality of the fresh food. During freezing, as well as its counterpart process, thawing, a number of critical physiochemical processes take place, including freeze concentration and freezing‐point depression. As a start to understanding the complexities associated with frozen foods, Food Science students should be able to describe and explain what occurs during the freezing and thawing of an aqueous solution. A modern cooking technique, gelatin‐filtered consommé, illustrates all of the phenomena associated with the freezing and thawing processes in a memorable, edible, hands‐on fashion.     

Die Körperzusammensetzung von Hobbygamern im Vergleich zu deutschlandweit erhobenen Referenzdaten

About two thirds of adults in Germany are overweight or obese. While an increase in the consumption of high-calorie food is considered the main cause, the influence of various forms of sedentary activities is still controversially discussed. The aim of the present study is to compare the body composition of hobby gamers with reference data collected throughout Germany and to examine the effects of intensive use of computer games (gaming) on body composition. A total of 68 male participants of a computer game event aged 18–46 years (27.9 years; 180.1?cm; 83.5?kg; BMI 25.7) were examined for fat mass, body cell mass, extracellular mass, body water and phase angle using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA, Nutriguard MS type, data input). Ten test persons were retested by means of segmental 8?electrode BIA after a 24?h interval during their visit to the event. As a reference sample, data from 278 male adults of the same age (27.9 years, 179.4?cm; 78.8?kg; BMI 24.5) were collected in 168 locations throughout Germany. The hobby gamers reported on average 37.1?h screen media usage per week. Compared to the reference sample, they showed a slightly higher body cell mass index (p?<?0.01, T?=?4.07), but no differences in fat mass index (p?=?0.96, T?=?0.05) and phase angle (p?=?0.90, T?=?0.12). A significant increase in body water (T₀: 48.2?l, T₀₊₂₄?_h: 49.3?l; p?=?0.04, T?=?2.39) and decrease in the phase angle of the lower extremities (T₀:?7.40, T₀₊₂₄?_h: ?6.85; p?<?0.01, T?=?5.40) was observed in the 24?h retest. Compared to the reference data collected throughout Germany, hobby gamers show no differences in health-relevant parameters of body composition. Nevertheless, after intensive gaming, a short-term increase in the amount of extracellular water in the lower extremities was found. Due to these disturbances in the water balance, the consequent execution of movement breaks during gaming is important.     

The “pinpointing effect” vs. the “diffusion effect” of peer influence

Classroom teachers are learning to employ the peer group to “shape up” dissidents. However, singling out a child may produce undesirable side effects such as emotional behavior, resentment, etc. Can the same result be obtained by rewarding the class for ignoring the target behavior of everyone in the room? Twelve subjects were selected from six middle school classes, two from each class. Each entire class was rewarded for increased ignoring of the target behavior (whispering): in the three P (pinpointed) classes, for ignoring the whispering of Designated (target) subjects; in the three D (diffusion) classes, for ignoring whispering by all class members. The results indicate that a peer group can decrease reinforcement of a disruptive behavior and thereby decelerate it in a singled-out child (Pinpointing Effect) or a behavior emitted by any child in class (Diffusion Effect) with equal effectiveness. However, patterns in the data suggest that peers ignored P-Designated subjects most, D subjects next most, and P-Undesignated subjects the least and that this pattern of ignoring was mirrored in the pattern of deceleration of the target behaviors in the three groups. These patterns suggest that the Pinpointing Effect may be stronger than the Diffusion Effect, but further study is needed.     

Developmental patterns of children's shyness: Relations with physiological,emotional, and regulatory responses to being treated unfairly

The dysregulation of social fear has been widely studied in children's shyness, but we know little about how shy children regulate during unfair treatment. We first characterized developmental patterns of children's shyness (N = 304, n_girls = 153; 74% White, 26% Other) across 2 (M_age = 2.07), 3 (M_age = 3.08), 4 (M_age = 4.08), and 6 (M_age = 6.58) years of age. Data collection occurred from 2007 to 2014. At age 6, the high stable group had higher cardiac vagal withdrawal and lower expressed sadness and approach-related regulatory strategy than the low stable group when being treated unfairly. Although shy children may be more physiologically impacted by being treated unfairly, they may mask their sadness to signal appeasement.