Inventors and invention processes in Europe: Results from the PatVal-EU survey

Based on a survey of the inventors of 9017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new information about the characteristics of European inventors, the sources of their knowledge, the importance of formal and informal collaborations, the motivations to invent, and the actual use and economic value of the patents.     

The ‘I knew it all along’ phenomenon: second-order false belief understanding and the curse of knowledge in primary school children

This study investigated two different expressions of the so-called curse of knowledge in primary school children: hindsight bias and outcome bias. Further, it explored the possible predictive function of false belief understanding in reducing these biases. Ninety-one children aged 7, 9, and 11 years (middle- to upper-middle class) were administered classical first- and second-order false belief tasks as well as hindsight and outcome bias tasks in a within-subjects design, while controlling for cognitive level. Both biases were found at all ages. Second-order false belief understanding seemed to reduce outcome bias but not hindsight bias. These findings indicate that the curse of knowledge is a multifaceted construct with potential relevant implications for learning in children.     

Affiliative and Aggressive Humor,Attachment Dimensions,and Interaction Goals

This study examined humor production in relation to attachment dimensions and interaction goals. Participants (N = 172) completed measures of attachment dimensions (anxiety, avoidance), humor production (affiliative humor, aggressive humor), and primary and secondary goals. Anxiety was negatively related to affiliative humor, whereas avoidance was positively related to aggressive humor. Affiliative humor was related to effectiveness and being playful in the interaction, as well as the secondary goals of arousal management and clarity. Aggressive humor was not related to any of the goals.     

The effect of intellectual capital attributes on organizational performance. The case of the Bologna Opera House

In this study, we propose to model how intellectual capital (IC) attributes affect the performance of organizations operating in the performing arts sector, more specifically opera companies. In particular, the aim of this paper is twofold in that it seeks: (1) to analyze the role IC plays in performing arts organizations; and (2) to propose research hypotheses that suggest how IC affects the performance of these organizations. An in-depth qualitative approach was adopted. The research methodology deployed consists of a longitudinal case study of a major Italian opera house. The main findings of this study are two: (1) the identification of six attributes of IC that are deeply grounded in management theories and that make the definition of the IC construct more theoretically robust with respect to other studies that are less evidence-based; (2) the development of a model that shows how IC attributes affect the three different performance dimensions of performing arts organizations.     

The binding media of the polychromy of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

The “Terracotta Army” is a worldwide known archaeological finding in China. It is a part of the burial complex of the emperor Qin Shihuangdi (259–210 BC), which is still under excavation and study. The fact that the sculptures, chariots and weapons of the First Chinese Emperor's Terracotta Army were originally all painted in bright colours is still not widely known. The chemical characterisation of the paint medium was performed through an analytical procedure based on GC-MS. The proteinaceous binder was identified for the first time through a desalting procedure used in proteomics. The identification of egg as a paint binder is extremely interesting in terms of the historical significance of the work of art itself and important in terms of the method of conservation. Moreover it represents one of the first steps towards an understanding of the painting technique used on ancient sculptures in China, of which – despite their fame – nothing is yet known.     

A Multisystem Psycho-Biological Approach to the Understanding of Parental Dispositions

SYNOPSIS

Does work-family conflict influence parental behaviors and parenting-related emotional states? Through an experimental research approach, River and colleagues showed that work-family conflict influences both emotions and parental behaviors, but the effect is moderated by the quality of the intimate relationship. In this commentary, we offer an interpretation of the results congruent with the recent theoretical approaches that stress the need for a multisystem psycho-biological approach to studying the factors that regulate parenting behaviors. In this perspective, we provide complementary explanations of the observed results and suggest possible future directions for research on these topics.     

Quantitative assessment of developmental levels in overarm throwing using wearable inertial sensing technology

Motor proficiency in childhood has been recently recognised as a public health determinant, having a potential impact on the physical activity level and possible sedentary behaviour of the child later in life. Among fundamental motor skills, ballistic skills assessment based on in-field quantitative observations is progressively needed in the motor development community. The aim of this study was to propose an in-field quantitative approach to identify different developmental levels in overarm throwing. Fifty-eight children aged 5–10 years performed an overarm throwing task while wearing three inertial sensors located at the wrist, trunk and pelvis level and were then categorised using a developmental sequence of overarm throwing. A set of biomechanical parameters were defined and analysed using multivariate statistics to evaluate whether they can be used as developmental indicators. Trunk and pelvis angular velocities and time durations before the ball release showed increasing/decreasing trends with increasing developmental level. Significant differences between developmental level pairs were observed for selected biomechanical parameters. The results support the suitability and feasibility of objective developmental measures in ecological learning contexts, suggesting their potential supportiveness to motor learning experiences in educational and youth sports training settings.     

Innovation in scheming Maslow＇s hierarchy of basic needs

Almost all schemes that have been issued by scholars or researchers to present Maslow＇s hierarchy of basic needs include a pyramid （triangle） in which the physiological needs are in the base and the self-actualization needs are in the top of the triangle. Although this scheming is inspiring to some results, basic needs have more characteristics that are significant however, this scheming is not able to inspire. Based on elaborating Maslow＇s theory and research＇s findings, this study aims to disclose weaknesses and strengths of traditional scheme （triangle）, and develop two innovated schemes of basic needs, which are more close to Maslow＇s ideas and more inspiring to realize the actuality of this hierarchy.     

Social Cognition,Language, and Prosocial Behaviors: A Multitrait Mixed-Methods Study in Early Childhood

Research Findings: In this study, we investigated associations among social cognition skills (specifically, emotion knowledge and theory of mind), language abilities, and 3 varieties of prosocial behavior (helping, sharing, and comforting) in early childhood. The effects of age and gender were also taken into account. Participants were 149 Italian children between 24 and 47 months of age (M = 35.6 months, SD = 6.77 months). We adopted a multitrait mixed-methods research design, using direct measures of emotion knowledge, theory of mind, and language as well as naturalistic observations of children’s free play with peers to detect the frequency with which they engaged in prosocial behaviors. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that helping behaviors were especially accounted for by emotion knowledge and gender, whereas variance in sharing behaviors was mostly explained by theory-of-mind ability and language. Practice or Policy: The findings encourage those involved in early childhood education to develop training and intervention programs to enhance children’s emotional, linguistic, and cognitive skills. Given that these results were obtained with children as young as 2 and 3 years, preventive intervention should be implemented during the earliest years of life.