A longitudinal perspective on inductive reasoning tasks. Illuminating the probability of change

Cognitive scientists have studied internal cognitive structures, processes, and systems for decades in order to understand how they function in human learning. Nevertheless, questions concerning the diagnosis of changes in these cognitive structures while solving inductive reasoning tasks are still being scrutinized. This paper reports findings from an experimental study in which 64 participants in three experimental groups solved tasks at ten measurement points. We were able to illuminate changes of cognitive structures and found significant differences between the treatments. The results also indicate that supportive information is an important aid for developing cognitive structures while solving inductive reasoning tasks.     

Predictive value of coaches’ early technical and tactical notational analyses on long-term success of female handball players

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of technique and tactics for athlete performance, there has been surprisingly little research on the value of these skills in talent identification and development. This study investigated the relationship between coaches’ early notational analyses of female youth handball players and the long-term success of these athletes. Participants included sixty-eight female handball players involved in a talent selection camp in Germany when they were between 12 and 14 years of age (mean = 14.42, SD = 0.42). All subsequently ended up as non-, semi- or professional adult players. During the initial selection camp, participants were evaluated on a range of quantitative and qualitative measures of technical and tactical skill. Results indicated significant differences between the groups, but only for the number of actions taken, not for the quality of those actions. While this seems counterintuitive, it may reflect the likelihood that more skilled and/or talented players take more actions. Further work is necessary to explore the validity and implications of these findings.     

Wider die „Sternchenkunde“!

In general, empirical results are analyzed using statistical methods to examine and discuss differences and interrelationships. Statistical methodological evaluation and the underlying reporting strategy can be described as a technical language that has to be learnt for successful communication between researchers, authors and reviewers; however, empirical science is a constantly changing environment which is why the statistical methods applied have to be refined to adhere to new empirical approaches. This line of thought will be discussed in this article and five essential recommendations will be presented: (a) directionality of hypotheses, (b) confidence intervals, (c) effect sizes, (d) confidence intervals of effect sizes and (e) practical meaningfulness.     

Ownership concentration and innovativeness of corporate ventures

Corporate venture investments are an established means for incumbent firms to access radical innovation. Drawing from a behavioural agency framework, we distinguish two mechanisms that govern the relationship between corporate venture investment and radical innovation, the safety net that corporate sponsors provide and control incentives. While the safety net induces a gap between the radical innovation success of corporate ventures (CVs) and ventures without a corporate sponsor, the superior radical innovation success of CVs decreases with the corporate sponsor’s incentives to control the venture. The impact of the safety net and control incentives further depends on the corporate sponsor’s position vis-à-vis her aspiration level.     

Loosely‐guided,self‐directed learning versus strictly‐guided,station‐based learning in gross anatomy laboratory sessions

Anatomy students studying dissected anatomical specimens were subjected to either a loosely‐guided, self‐directed learning environment or a strictly‐guided, preformatted gross anatomy laboratory session. The current study's guiding questions were: (1) do strictly‐guided gross anatomy laboratory sessions lead to higher learning gains than loosely‐guided experiences? and (2) are there differences in the recall of anatomical knowledge between students who undergo the two types of laboratory sessions after weeks and months? The design was a randomized controlled trial. The participants were 360 second‐year medical students attending a gross anatomy laboratory course on the anatomy of the hand. Half of the students, the experimental group, were subjected without prior warning to station‐based laboratory sessions; the other half, the control group, to loosely‐guided laboratory sessions, which was the course's prevailing educational method at the time. The recall of anatomical knowledge was measured by written reproduction of 12 anatomical names at four points in time: immediately after the laboratory experience, then one week, five weeks, and eight months later. The strictly‐guided group scored higher than the loosely‐guided group at all time‐points. Repeated ANOVA showed no interaction between the results of the two types of laboratory sessions (P = 0.121) and a significant between‐subject effect (P ≤ 0.001). Therefore, levels of anatomical knowledge retrieved were significantly higher for the strictly‐guided group than for the loosely‐guided group at all times. It was concluded that gross anatomy laboratory sessions with strict instructions resulted in the recall of a larger amount of anatomical knowledge, even after eight months. Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

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.     

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.     

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...