Runway behavior of Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens,for aggressive display and food reinforcement

Learning & Behavior - Fish were allowed to choose, in a T-maze, between various combinations of goalboxes containing either food or a mirror, or nothing. Only food and a mirror maintained...     

Jail Pedagogy: Liberatory Education Inside A California Juvenile Detention Facility

Approximately 2 million juveniles are arrested each year. Half are sentenced to serve terms of incarceration. Although many scholars have written about teaching in detention facilities, few directly address how prisoners are being taught. This research explores the experiences, teaching philosophy, and practices of correctional educators. To learn what is taking place within these classrooms, I interviewed and observed instructors in 3 male juvenile detention facilities in California over the course of 15 months. Semistructured qualitative interviews looked in depth at their teaching techniques, finding that these teachers adopted a humanistic and liberatory approach to teaching behind the walls of juvenile detention facilities.     

Specific and general information sharing among competing academic researchers

We examine information sharing among academics during the research process and show it is context dependent because of differences in trade-offs. When researchers respond to specific requests for information or materials, potential future reciprocity is weighed against the current loss of competitiveness, while general sharing intermediate results in an open forum is driven by the need for feedback versus potential misappropriation. We formally model these trade-offs and empirically test for differences using a survey of German and UK bio-scientists. Increased competition has a negative impact on sharing in both contexts. But career stage has an effect only on specific sharing with untenured faculty less likely to share. Further, scientists in larger teams are more likely to share specifically, but less likely to share generally. The importance of patents for one's reputation reduces sharing in both contexts, but the effect is greater for general information sharing.     

Relationship between vertical stiffness and soft-tissue injuries in professional Australian football

ABSTRACT

Soft-tissue injuries are common in Australian football. Recently, literature has identified non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors, including vertical stiffness (K_vert). However, limitations regarding measurement frequency and duration exist; thus, further information is required about the role of K_vert as a modifiable risk factor for injury. This study examined the seasonal variation in K_vert and its relationship to soft-tissue injuries in professional Australian football. The mean K_vert and bilateral asymmetry were assessed and compared between injured and non-injured players. For the seasonal analysis, 56 players were tested across two seasons with no variation in bilateral asymmetry evident (p= 0.33). While there were generally no changes in K_vert, the value from the end of the second pre-season revealed 5% lower values than the mean of two seasons (p= 0.02). Considering the injury analysis, 21 lower-body soft-tissue injuries were recorded from 18 participants. No differences were recorded for mean K_vert between the injured and non-injured groups (p= 0.16–0.76). When assessing K_vert asymmetry, the injured group displayed a 4.5% higher value than the non-injured group at the end of the pre-season test (p= 0.03) but not at other time-points (p= 0.16–0.99). Higher K_vert bilateral asymmetry measures after the pre-season appear to be related to lower-body soft-tissue injury in professional Australian footballers. Medical and conditioning staff should consider this measure when trying to mitigate the onset of injury or identify at-risk players.     

Rehearsal Strategy Effects on Developmental Differences for Recall of a Movement Series

Abstract

When learning verbal information, an important aspect of practice is the method of rehearsal, which has been demonstrated to vary developmentally. A young child practices on an instance-by-instance basis (passive rehearsal), whereas older children and adults practice several items together (active rehearsal). This study investigated the effects of passive and active rehearsal on developmental processing differences for movement reproduction. Three methods of rehearsal were used at ages 5, 7, 11, and 19 years. A child-like strategy forced the subjects to practice location cues for each of eight movements, which were presented one at a time. The mature-strategy group practiced each new position presented with two previously presented positions. A subject-determined strategy group which allowed subjects to choose their own methods of rehearsal was included as a control. Significant ANOVAs supported the hypothesis that quality of rehearsal (active over passive) is important. For the 5- and 7-year-old children, a mature strategy facilitated performance over the child-like strategy, while the use of a child-like strategy hindered the performance when compared to a self-determined or mature strategy. The results of this study indicated the importance of active rehearsal for the younger child.