Mood responses to athletic performance in extreme environments

Competition at elite level can require athletes to perform optimally in extreme environmental conditions. This review focuses on mood responses in such conditions and proposes practical guidelines for those working with athletes. Different environments are considered, including altitude and extreme heat and cold. Performing in extreme heat, cold or at altitude can produce a stress response characterized by increased negative mood and relatively poor performance. Positive adaptations to extreme conditions can be accelerated, but the rate of adaptation appears to be highly individualized. Monitoring mood responses to training under normal conditions provides a basis for identifying the psychological effects of extreme conditions. It is suggested that practitioners carefully monitor the interplay between vigour, fatigue and depressed mood. Reductions in vigour and increases in fatigue are normal responses to hard training, but other aspects of mood disturbance, especially symptoms of depressed mood--however small--may be indicative of a maladaptive response, and practitioners should consider intervening when such symptoms first appear.     

Still Too Much of a Good Thing? The Replication of Tong,Van Der Heide,Langwell, and Walther (2008)

Tong, Van Der Heide, Langwell, and Walther (2008) tested the relationship between the number of Facebook friends and impressions of the profile owner. They found the number of Facebook friends a person had influenced impressions of social attractiveness and extraversion, but not physical attractiveness, of the profile owner. The current study replicates their original study by experimentally testing for differences when the Facebook profile owner has 102, 302, 502, 702, or 902 friends. Results of the replication indicated no significant effect of the number of Facebook friends and impressions of social attractiveness or physical attractiveness. However, results did indicate significant differences in impressions of extraversion. Warranting theory is applied to aid in interpretation of results.     

Fifty-one families with computers: A study of children's academic uses of microcomputers at home

This paper examines the extent to which children in a 51-family, qualitative study used their home microcomputers for learning school subjects such as reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. Logs and analytic documents gathered over two years were content analyzed. This analysis revealed that most of the children who used their home microcomputers were not using them for academic learning. The absence of home academic microcomputing by children was found to be associated with a set of factors which included the lack of parental pressure and support for home academic microcomputing, the schools' emphasis on programming and computer literacy, the unreceptivity of the children and their peers to home academic microcomputing, and the dearth of academic software in the homes. The implications of these findings for the fostering of home academic microcomputing are discussed.     

Understanding student engagement with research: a study of pre-service teachers’ research perceptions,research experience,and motivation

This study reports on findings from a research project that investigated the extent to which pre-service teachers at a major metropolitan Australian university engage with research, and the factors that influence their level of engagement or disengagement. Results from survey responses (n = 235) and focus group interviews suggest that attitudes towards research are more positive among pre-service teachers who possess research experience and those who are intrinsically motivated with respect to their university studies. The article discusses the implications of these results for the effective organisation and promotion of research activities for pre-service teachers.     

The Influence of First‐Hand Testimony and Hearsay on Children's Belief in the Improbable

Children (3.5–8.5 years; n = 105) heard claims about the occurrence of improbable or impossible events, then were asked whether the events could really happen. Some claims were based on informants' first‐hand observations and others were hearsay. A baseline group (n = 56) reported their beliefs about these events without hearing testimony. Neither first‐hand claims nor hearsay influenced beliefs about impossible events, which remained low across the age range. Hearsay (but not first‐hand claims) did influence beliefs about improbable events. Preschoolers expressed greater belief following hearsay, compared to their beliefs following first‐hand claims and compared to the baseline group's beliefs. By contrast, older children expressed less belief following hearsay, compared to their beliefs following first‐hand claims and compared to the baseline group's beliefs.     

Automated Selection of Robust Individual-Level Structural Equation Models for Time Series Data

In order to analyze intensive longitudinal data collected across multiple individuals, researchers frequently have to decide between aggregating all individuals or analyzing each individual separately. This paper presents an R package, gimme, which allows for the automatic specification of individual-level structural equation models that combine group-, subgroup-, and individual-level information. This R package is a complement of the GIMME program currently available via a combination of MATLAB and LISREL. By capitalizing on the flexibility of R and the capabilities of the existing structural equation modeling package lavaan, gimme allows for the automated specification and estimation of group-, subgroup-, and individual-level relations in time series data from within a structural equation modeling framework. Applications include daily diary data as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging data.     

摆脱枷锁:圣卢西亚教育改革的问题与策略

加勒比海岛国圣卢西亚的殖民主义传统与种种社会问题的挑战使教育事业的发展面临重重困难。摆脱枷锁,使教育走上自由民主之路成为圣卢西亚教育改革的必由之路。诸如加强教育管理制度改革、推进教育管理机构重组、重视考试研究与考试制度改革、促进边远地区的教育发展、为受教育者提供更多的受教育机会、不断提高教师专业水平、促进课程与教学改革、保障学生身心健康发展等种种追求自由的教育改革实践,赋予了圣卢西亚“摆脱枷锁”的教育改革主题以摆脱制度束缚、实现个人潜能的新意义。     

Postgraduate taught students and preparedness for Master’s level study: polishing the facets of the Master’s diamond

Transitions are increasingly recognised as difficult, and less has been written about transitions to postgraduate taught programmes than about transitions into undergraduate or doctoral study. A Scotland-wide project found that new taught Post-graduate (PG), and staff teaching them, can be unclear about what is expected at Master’s level, and proposed a framework of seven facets that indicate how students are expected to engage with Master’s study. The facets and accompanying resources were designed to be discussion tools, to promote staff and student discussion of what is expected in their programme and subject. In a follow-up project at one university, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to postgraduate students asking them to rate their current level of ability against the skills and capabilities identified as facets for Master’s level study. The project found students felt ill-prepared for particular aspects of Master’s level study, with sub-group differences between disciplines. Master’s courses are intensive and fast-moving, so this has implications for students’ preparedness for successfully navigating through their programmes. Some suggestions on how students can be better briefed on what to expect are made.     

How should I regulate my emotions if I want to run faster?

The present study investigated the effects of emotion regulation strategies on self-reported emotions and 1600?m track running performance. In stage 1 of a three-stage study, participants (N?=?15) reported emotional states associated with best, worst and ideal performance. Results indicated that a best and ideal emotional state for performance composed of feeling happy, calm, energetic and moderately anxious whereas the worst emotional state for performance composed of feeling downhearted, sluggish and highly anxious. In stage 2, emotion regulation interventions were developed using online material and supported by electronic feedback. One intervention motivated participants to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel more angry and anxious). A second intervention motivated participants to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel less angry and anxious). In stage 3, using a repeated measures design, participants used each intervention before running a 1600?m time trial. Data were compared with a no treatment control condition. The intervention designed to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions resulted in higher anxiety and lower calmness scores but no significant effects on 1600?m running time. The intervention designed to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions was associated with significantly slower times for the first 400?m. We suggest future research should investigate emotion regulation, emotion and performance using quasi-experimental methods with performance measures that are meaningful to participants.     

A Historical Perspective and Current Views on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing

The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing have evolved in the breadth and depth of coverage of issues in educational testing and measurement since their first publication in 1954. There were a number of substantive changes in the 1999 revision that addressed validity, fairness, accommodations, and compliance with the Standards. In addition, there was nearly a 50% increase in the number of standards contained in the last revision. The next revision of the Standards may be initiated in 2007 and there are remaining concerns about access and awareness by non-measurement professionals, compliance by test publishers and users, relevance in addressing mandates for accountability, and substantive areas of educational assessment. This review of major changes to the Standards and discussion of future topics is designed to inform the next revision.