The Development of Attention to Objects and Scenes: From Object-Biased to Unbiased

Selective attention is the ability to focus on goal-relevant information while filtering out irrelevant information. This work examined the development of selective attention to natural scenes and objects with a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm. Children (N = 69, ages 4–6 years) and adults (N = 80) were asked to attend to either objects or scenes, while ignoring the other type of stimulus. A multinomial processing tree model was used to decompose selective attention into focusing and filtering components. The results suggest that attention is object-biased in children, due to difficulty filtering attention to goal-irrelevant objects, whereas attention in adults is relatively unbiased. The findings suggest important developmental asymmetries in selective attention to scenes and objects.     

Statistical modeling processes through the lens of instrumental genesis

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Digital technology is indispensable for doing and learning statistics. When technology is used in mathematics education, the learning of concepts and the...     

In search of the unconscious: the science-based diagnostic observation of girls in a Dutch reformatory in the 1950s

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the science-based diagnostic observation in a Dutch girls’ reformatory in the 1950s. Scientisation of the observation implied that to the medical examination upon entry and observation of a child’s behaviour were added a psychological assessment, a psychiatric examination, and an inquiry into the family of origin. Inspired by dynamic psychology it was part of a strategy to promote a more professional and individualised treatment in child protection. The research addresses the claims to an additional value of child science in this procedure. It turns out that the psychological and psychiatric knowledges weighed heavier than the input from non-academic staff in regard to the representation of a girl in the observation report and advice to the juvenile court. Information concerning a girl’s observed behaviour and acceptance in the group was overruled by Freudian beliefs regarding the consequences of early childhood experiences for her unconscious feelings.     

A path analytic test of the reading strategies mediation model: Relating cognitive competences and motivational influences to individual differences in fifth-grade students' reading comprehension

This study examined a theoretical model hypothesizing that reading strategies mediate the effects of intrinsic reading motivation, reading fluency, and vocabulary knowledge on reading comprehension. Using path analytic methods, we tested the direct and indirect effects specified in the hypothesized model in a sample of 1105 fifth-graders. In addition to standardized tests and questionnaires, we administered a performance test to assess students' proficiency in the application of three reading strategies. The overall fit of the model to the data was good. Both cognitive (fluency and vocabulary) and motivational (intrinsic reading motivation) variables had an indirect effect on reading comprehension through their influence on reading strategies. Reading strategies had a unique effect on reading comprehension and partially mediated the effects that cognitive and motivational variables had on fifth-graders' reading achievements.     

The "how" and "why" of the ancient Greek long jump with weights: a five-fold symmetric jump in a row?

A plausible explanation for the ancient long jump records from Greek antiquity is sought on the basis of pictorial and written sources, and corroborated with practical tests. Ancient sources report that athletes jumped more than 15 m with weights in their hands, which enabled them to jump further than without these weights. It is proposed that the ancient Greek long jump was a continuous succession of five standing broad jumps, in which the landing phase of one jump was also the countermovement for the next jump. Four trained athletes jumped further with (14.64 +/- 0.76 m, range 13.64-15.63 m) than without weights (13.88 +/- 0.70 m, range 12.60-14.75 m; P = 0.001). These results show that this technique is executable, fits with ancient written and pictorial sources, and allows trained modern athletes to jump distances well over 15 m. The extra distance jumped when using weights may be due to changes in the position of the jumper's centre of mass at take-off and at landing, and an increase in take-off velocity stemming from several biomechanical mechanisms.     

Can LEDs help with art conservation? – Impact of different light spectra on paint pigment degradation

The impact of the spectral composition of light on the discoloration of paint pigments has been investigated for the case of lead chromate sulfate, an unstable yellow pigment used by Vincent van Gogh and other painters. With LEDification, museum lighting is moving from using halogen to LED lamps. LED light sources have a significantly different spectral composition than halogen lamps. To understand the impact of these differences on pigment stability, the wavelength dependence of pigment discoloration was determined. Contrary to the expectation that lower wavelength photons induce more damage than higher wavelength ones, UV (394?nm), blue, and cyan light all lead to similar levels of discoloration of a pigment for the same level of radiant power. By understanding this wavelength dependence, it becomes possible to create white light LED lamps with a spectral composition tuned to minimize the degradation effect. An existing LED solution with a modified emission indeed resulted in 30% less color change in the experiment than halogen. Furthermore, a method is proposed to optimize the LED spectra by tuning to the properties of each specific artifact. Simulations show that this can reduce the damage of the light source by 45% in specific cases.     

Book Review: Networking theories as an example of boundary crossing. Angelika Bikner-Ahsbahs and Susanne Prediger (Eds.) (2014) Networking of theories as a research practice in mathematics education

This review essay first discusses a book authored by the Networking Theories Group and argues that the strategies for networking of theories are very similar to the learning mechanisms identified in the literature on boundary crossing. I propose that these two theoretical perspectives may be put into a fruitful dialogue.     

Effects of a multifactorial injury prevention intervention in physical education teachers: A randomized controlled trial

Physical education (PE) teachers are at a high risk of musculoskeletal sports or work-related injuries because of the physical activity as inherent part of their profession. Such injuries have a negative impact on work and leisure time activities, and effective injury prevention interventions are needed. The present study aimed at testing the effectiveness of an injury prevention intervention that was developed and optimized according to PE teachers' wishes and values. Fifty-five PE teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control group. Intervention group teachers engaged in two days of training during which they familiarized with eight injury prevention strategies (seven intrinsic and one extrinsic). A special feature of the intervention was that the way of delivery was based on the self-determination theory in order to stimulate participants' motivation to adhere to the proposed strategies. Prospective registrations during one school year were conducted concerning injuries and preventive behaviours. Results showed that the intervention group teachers had a lower number of injuries per 1000?h time of exposure (TOE) than the controls (INT: 0.49, CON: 1.14 injuries/1000?h TOE, OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.06–5.07), and applied a broader variety of strategies including dynamic and static stretching, core stability, balance and strength training, when compared to the controls who mainly engaged in warming-up. In conclusion, with the same amount of time, an injury reduction was found in PE teachers through a more balanced use of provided preventive strategies.     

Development and Application of a Category System to Describe Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Activities in the Process of Scientific Modelling

Research in Science Education - As part of their professional competencies, science teachers need an elaborate meta-modelling knowledge as well as modelling skills in order to guide and monitor...     

Overcoming cross-cultural group work tensions: mixed student perspectives on the role of social relationships

As universities worldwide rapidly internationalise, higher education classrooms have become unique spaces for collaboration between students from different countries. One common way to encourage collaboration between diverse peers is through group work. However, previous research has highlighted that cross-cultural group work can be challenging and has hinted at potential social tensions. To understand this notion better, we have used robust quantitative tools in this study to select 20 participants from a larger classroom of 860 students to take part in an in-depth qualitative interview about cross-cultural group work experiences. Participant views on social tensions in cross-cultural group work were elicited using a unique mediating artefact method to encourage reflection and in-depth discussion. In our analysis of emergent interview themes, we compared student perspectives on the role of social relationships in group work by their academic performance level. Our findings indicated that all students interviewed desired the opportunity to form social relationships with their group work members, but their motivations for doing so varied widely by academic performance level.