The Roles of Parental Support and Family Stress in Adolescent Sleep

The current study examines the association between parental support and adolescent sleep under varying levels of family stress. Participants included 316 adolescents (M_age = 16.40 years, 43% male) and their parents (M_age = 45.67 years, 91% mothers) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Both adolescents and parents completed questionnaires and adolescents wore wrist actigraphs and completed self‐reports on their sleep for 7 consecutive days. Results indicated that under contexts of family stress, more parental support was linked to longer sleep duration, less sleep variability, and less time spent awake during the night. Findings suggest that under contexts of family stress, cohesive family relationships may provide a sense of stability and security that is necessary for healthful sleep.     

Comparing Models of Change to Estimate the Mediated Effect in the Pretest–Posttest Control Group Design

Models to assess mediation in the pretest–posttest control group design are understudied in the behavioral sciences even though it is the design of choice for evaluating experimental manipulations. The article provides analytical comparisons of the four most commonly used models to estimate the mediated effect in this design: analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), difference score, residualized change score, and cross-sectional model. Each of these models is fitted using a latent change score specification and a simulation study assessed bias, Type I error, power, and confidence interval coverage of the four models. All but the ANCOVA model make stringent assumptions about the stability and cross-lagged relations of the mediator and outcome that might not be plausible in real-world applications. When these assumptions do not hold, Type I error and statistical power results suggest that only the ANCOVA model has good performance. The four models are applied to an empirical example.     

Avoiding Bias in Randomised Controlled Trials in Educational Research

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are often seen as the 'gold standard' of evaluative research. However, whilst randomisation will ensure comparable groups, trials are still vulnerable to a range of biases that can undermine their internal validity. In this paper we describe a number of common threats to the internal validity of RCTs and methods of countering them. We highlight a number of examples from randomised trials in education and health care where problems of execution and analysis of the RCT has undermined their internal validity. However, awareness of these potential biases can lead to careful planning to avoid or reduce their occurrence. If good quality randomised trials are to inform policy and practice in education then rigorous trials need to be designed that are the least susceptible to threats to their validity.     

Successive reversals of a discriminated preference for signaled tailshock

Three rats received unmodifiable tailshock at random intervals in a shuttlebox. In a continuous-choice situation, Ss could choose between an auditory signal immediately preceding or immediately following the tailshock. Over repeated daily 3-h sessions, each S acquired a spatial discrimination indicating a strong preference for the signal preceding tailshock. This preference continued undiminished through two successive reversals of the position associated with signaled shock. This demonstration precludes explanations of the preference-for-signaled-shock phenomenon based upon primary reinforcement value or acquired value of the signal, position preferences, and overt modification of the aversiveness of the reinforcer through such means as postural adjustments. An explanation of recent failures to obtain the preference-for-signaled-shock effect is offered.     

Chinese and Canadian Children's Evaluations of Lying and Truth Telling: Similarities and Dfferences in the Context of pro-and Antisocial Behaviors

The present study compared Chinese and Canadian children's moral evaluations of lie and truth telling in situations involving pro- and antisocial behaviors. Seven-, 9-, and 11-year-old Chinese and canadian children were presented 4 brief stories. Two stories involved a child who intentionally carried out a good deed, and the other2 stories involved a child who intentionally carried out a bad deed. When story characters were questioned by a teacher as to who had committed the deed, they either lied or told the truth. Children were asked to evaluate the story characters' deeds and their verbal statements. Overall, Chinese children rated truth telling less positively and lie telling more positively in prosocial settings than Canadian children, indicating that the emphasis on self-effacement and modesty in Chinese culture overrides Chinese children's evaluations of lying in some situations. Both Chinese and canadian children rated trugh telling positively and lie telling negatively in antisocial situations, reflecting the emphasis in both cultures on the distinction between misdeed and truth/lie telling. The findings of the present study suggest that, in the realm of lying and truth telling, a close relation between sociocultural practices and moral judgment exists. Specific social and cultural norms have an impact on children's developing moral judgments, which in turn, are modified by age and experience in a particular culture.