Leukocyte telomere length and mortality among U.S. adults: Effect modification by physical activity behaviour

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mortality (outcome variable), with consideration by physical activity behaviour. Data from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were employed (N = 6,611; 20–85 yrs), with follow-up mortality assessment through 31 December 2006. DNA was extracted from whole blood to assess LTL via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Compared to those in the first LTL tertile, the adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality for those in the 2^nd and 3^rd LTL tertiles, respectively, was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.60–1.12; P = .22) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.50–1.14; P = .18). However, after adjustments, LTL tertile 3 (vs. 1) was associated with all-cause mortality (HR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.14–0.93; P = .03) for those who engaged in moderate-intensity exercise. Similarly, LTL was associated with CVD-specific mortality for those who engaged in moderate-intensity exercise (HR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.04–0.73; P = .02). Longer telomeres are associated with increased survival, particularly among men and those who are active, underscoring the importance of promotion of physical activity behaviour.     

Personality traits and intelligence predict academic school grades

This study examines the extent to which personality traits and intelligence scores predict school level academic performance (AP), (British GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education; America Grade 10) in different disciplines. The participant sample consisted of approximately 250 school pupils from three schools in the South East of England. A series of hierarchical regressions were performed with participant discipline-specific subject grades being the criterion variable and demographic, as well and intelligence and personality test scores, the predictor variables. For overall grade intelligence accounted for a fifth of the variance and personality an incremental validity of 8%. Whilst a combination of intelligence, personality and sex accounted for around a quarter of the variance in all four core subjects the pattern was rather different for elected subjects. The results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of psychometric assessments of candidates at selection.     

Recall of Descriptive Information: The Roles of Presentation Format, Annotation Strategy, and Individual Differences

The benefits of using a comprehensive annotation strategy (employing underlining/circling, making connections, asking questions, and making comments) with knowledge maps (spatial/verbal arrays) and traditional, linear text to improve free recall scores for learners with individual differences in vocabulary and comprehension ability were examined. Types and frequencies of annotations generated were also examined for each stimulus format condition. Multiple regression analyses indicate that the frequency of use of two component annotation strategies, asking questions and making connections, were significant predictors of recall scores, while frequency of underlining/circling and generating elaborations failed to predict recall scores. Text users generated more underlining/circling, while knowledge map users generated more connections between ideas, suggesting that knowledge maps may facilitate the application of more productive annotation strategies. Also examined were the interrelationships between vocabulary ability, comprehension ability, and free recall scores.     

Machine behaviourism: future visions of ‘learnification’ and ‘datafication’ across humans and digital technologies

ABSTRACT

This paper examines visions of ‘learning’ across humans and machines in a near-future of intensive data analytics. Building upon the concept of ‘learnification’, practices of ‘learning’ in emerging big data-driven environments are discussed in two significant ways: the training of machines, and the nudging of human decisions through digital choice architectures. Firstly, ‘machine learning’ is discussed as an important example of how data-driven technologies are beginning to influence educational activity, both through sophisticated technical expertise and a grounding in behavioural psychology. Secondly, we explore how educational software design informed by behavioural economics is increasingly intended to frame learner choices to influence and ‘nudge’ decisions towards optimal outcomes. Through the growing influence of ‘data science’ on education, behaviourist psychology is increasingly and powerfully invested in future educational practices. Finally, it is argued that future education may tend toward very specific forms of behavioural governance – a ‘machine behaviourism’ – entailing combinations of radical behaviourist theories and machine learning systems, that appear to work against notions of student autonomy and participation, seeking to intervene in educational conduct and shaping learner behaviour towards predefined aims.     

Talk and the Development of Social Understanding

Our theme is that parent-child talk about the mental world plays a central role in the development of children's social understanding. This view is supported by Wittgenstein's argument that public criteria are necessary for learning the meaning of mental state terms. We propose that children, mainly in talk, learn the patterns of interaction that are criterial for the use of mental state terms. Two examples of empirical research illustrate this proposal. The first, a qualitative analysis of how criteria for psychological terms are displayed in mother-child talk, revealed that criteria were variously displayed and were presented in temporal, cause and effect sequences. The second, a quantitative analysis of key elements for understanding false beliefs present in mother-child talk, compared dyads in which children Failed (N = 14) or Passed (N = 10) false belief tests. In both Fail and Pass dyads, mothers elicited the vast majority of elements but produced about the same number as children. Only Pass children produced elements without mothers eliciting them. There were no instances of child-elicited/mother-produced elements. Overall, Fail children were less competent at recognizing and commenting on important aspects of a situation of false belief. We conclude that the development of talk and social understanding are inextricably intertwined.     

Computer-mediated instruction: a comparison of online and face-to-face collaboration

This study investigated the effects of collaboration mode and group composition during a computer-mediated collaborative (CMC) program. Six intact sections of a computer literacy course were assigned to either a face-to-face or a virtual, online collaboration treatment condition. Groups consisted of homogeneous lower-ability, homogeneous higher-ability, or heterogeneous-ability pairs. The study examined the effects of collaboration mode and group composition on individual posttest performance, group project performance, collaborative interaction behavior, and attitudes towards the instruction. Results indicated that virtual dyads exhibited significantly more questioning behaviors and significantly better project performance than those who collaborated face-to-face. By comparison, students in the face-to-face condition performed significantly better on the individual posttest than those in the virtual online condition. Findings suggest that both virtual and face-to-face collaboration can be effective in achieving learning goals. However, consideration should be given to the collaborative structure of the lesson and the type of task in the design of CMC environments.

Touring Fantasyland: The “Maps of Imaginary Places” Collection and Exhibit at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives

The Maps of Imaginary Places Collection at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University (TAMU) is a singular collaborative effort between two library departments at creating a collection that not only appeals to a wide range of patrons but shows how maps, fantasy, and popular culture intersect. In 2017, the Cushing Library mounted a popular exhibit showcasing highlights from this collection in order to bring the emotional and imaginative power of maps to a wider audience. This article describes how both the collection and exhibit were developed, as well as how they have been received by different patron groups, and includes as future directions for the collection. The principles and procedures for development of such a collection and exhibit are also described.