Children's Norm Enforcement in Their Interactions With Peers

This study investigates how children negotiate social norms with peers. In Study 1, 48 pairs of 3‐ and 5‐year‐olds (N = 96) and in Study 2, 48 pairs of 5‐ and 7‐year‐olds (N = 96) were presented with sorting tasks with conflicting instructions (one child by color, the other by shape) or identical instructions. Three‐year‐olds differed from older children: They were less selective for the contexts in which they enforced norms, and they (as well as the older children to a lesser extent) used grammatical constructions objectifying the norms (“It works like this” rather than “You must do it like this”). These results suggested that children's understanding of social norms becomes more flexible during the preschool years.     

Some reflections on the western bias of media theory

This paper sketches a personal perspective of this phenomenon, as seen through Western eyes, and looks at some of its origins, manifestations and possible effects. The roots lie deeply embeded in Western social science where they are mixed with ideas about the superiority of Western (and Protestant) society. In relation to media theory, the bias partly comes from the extent to which media theory is dependent on and reflective of the meda themsleves, which according to some hypotheses are also very ‘Western’ if not ‘American’. The question arises how to combat, avoid or counter the bias in seeking a more universal form of media theory.     

How multi-levels of individual and team learning interact in a public healthcare organisation: a conceptual framework

The aim of this paper is to review the relevant literature on organisational learning and offer a preliminary conceptual framework as a basis to explore how the multi-levels of individual learning and team learning interact in a public healthcare organisation. The organisational learning literature highlights a need for further understanding of how the multi-levels of organisational learning interact and a broadly accepted theory of organisational learning has not yet emerged. Organisational learning is a multi-level concept and while there has been some multi-level research, more is required to understand the mechanisms that facilitate the flow of learning between the levels. This paper explores multi-level learning, using action learning as a basis through which we consider how individual learning and team learning interact. The preliminary conceptual framework seeks to contribute to our understanding of the interaction between the individual and team levels of learning and the processes and conditions that facilitate or hinder the flow of learning. As this framework provides a means of exploring individual learning in a team setting it has the potential to develop understanding as to how to enhance the effectiveness of learning interactions in the healthcare sector and other sectors. In turn this exploration could lead to enhanced understanding of the mechanisms involved in the flow of learning.     

Context,Content and Social Responsibility in Professional Education

The paper describes a curriculum experiment designed to provide a “liberal” complement to the vocational core of an undergraduate programme. After tracing the genesis of the new “context” curriculum its rationale is set out in terms of three key educational assumptions. From these flow implications for both the content of what is to be taught and the ways in which teaching and learning should be conducted.     

Language specific speech perception and the onset of reading

In two studies the relationship between theonset of reading and language specific speechperception, the degree to which native speechperception is superior to non-native speechperception, was investigated. In Experiment 1with children of 4, 6, and 8 years, languagespecific speech perception occurred maximallyat 6 years and was positively related toreading ability for age and languagecomprehension level. In Experiment 2, with anexpanded range of ages and various stimulus andtask changes, the relationship between readingand language specific speech perception stillheld, and maximal language specific speechperception occurred around the onset of readinginstruction for three different sets of speechcontrasts, but not for a control set ofnon-speech contrasts. The results show thatlanguage specific speech perception is alinguistic rather than an acoustic phenomenon.Results are discussed in terms of early speechperception abilities, experience with oralcommunication, cognitive ability, readingability, alphabetic versus logographiclanguages, phonics versus whole word readinginstruction, and the effect of age versusinstruction.     

Print Media/Journalism

Charles A. Goodrum's The Library of Congress (New York: Praeger, 1974—$10.00)

Richard E. Huss' The Development of Printer's Mechanical Typesetting Methods: 1822-1925 (Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1973—price not known)

Bruce M. Kennedy's Community Journalism: A Way of Life (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1974—price not known)

Louis E. Ingelhart's The College and University Campus Student Press: An Examination of its Status and Aspirations and Some of the Myths Surrounding It (send to Dr. John A. Boyd, National Council of College Publications Advisors, TMU 300, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana 47809—$2.00, paper)

Dan D. Nimmo and Charles M. Bonjean's Political Attitudes and Public Opinion (New York: McKay, 1972—$6.95, paper)     

Evolution of fat oxidation during exercise in obese pubertal boys: Clinical implications

Abstract

In this study, we examined fat oxidation rates during exercise in obese pubescent boys. Three groups of pubescent boys (16 pre-pubescent, Tanner's stage I; 16 pubescent, Tanner's stage III; and 14 post-pubescent, Tanner's stage V) performed a graded test on a leg cycle ergometer. The first step of the test was fixed at 30 W and power was gradually increased by 20 W every 3.5 min. Oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O₂) and carbon dioxide production ([Vdot]CO₂) were determined as the means of measurements during the last 30 s of each step, which allowed us to calculate fat oxidation rates versus exercise intensity. Between 20 and 50% of peak oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O_2peak), fat oxidation rate in relative values (mg · min^?1 · kg FFM^?1) decreased continuously with pubertal development. In the same way, the maximum rate of fat oxidation occurred at a lower percentage of [Vdot]O_2peak (pre-pubescent: 49.47 ± 1.62%; pubescent: 47.43 ± 1.26%; post-pubescent: 45.00 ± 0.97%). Our results confirm that puberty is responsible for a decrease in fat free mass capacities to use fat during exercise. The results suggest that post-pubescent obese boys need to practise physical activity at a lower intensity than pre-pubescent boys to enhance lipolysis and diminish adipose tissue and the consequences of obesity.