Training effects on contrafreeloading in rats housed in operant chambers

Four rats were trained to press a bar for food pellets and then were housed in operant chambers for 6 continuous days of choice-testing between obtaining pellets freely or by barpressing. There were two additional 3-day choice periods following more barpress training. It was found that (1) animals preferred to secure food by barpressing when initially placed in the choice situation and immediately following additional barpress training; (2) there was a subsequent decrease to very low levels of response-dependent food taken during choice testing; and (3) opening the chambers for daily maintenance during choice-testing caused a temporary increase in barpressing for food. Thus the previously reported stability of high rates of barpressing in the presence of free food is, at least in part, dependent upon short testing sessions.     

Using Food Science Demonstrations to Engage Students of All Ages in Science,Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics (STEM)

Abstract: The overarching goal of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Initiative is to foster effective STEM teaching and learning throughout the educational system at the local, state, and national levels, thereby producing science literate citizens and a capable STEM workforce. To contribute to achieving this goal, we have assembled six food science demonstrations for use at all educational levels and have presented these lessons to students at the elementary through higher education levels. The focus of this article is to share these food science demonstrations and our experiences using them so that others can use them for engaging students in STEM disciplines, through food science, at any educational level. Featured demonstrations include: (1) liquid nitrogen ice cream: a matter of changing phases, (2) seeing our senses work together, (3) whipping up the cream, (4) milk versus dark: what is the difference?, (5) counting calories by burning them, and (6) culinary spherification: the wonders of cross‐linking. Overall, our experience with using these demonstrations has been very positive. Students appear engaged in the learning process and love to consume the demonstration end products. Downloadable handouts containing demonstration details for each demonstration are available as supporting information.     

Lifelong learning policy in two national contexts

This article describes and discusses the development of lifelong learning policy in two EU member states, Denmark and Portugal. The purpose is to show how different societal and historical contexts shape the development and implementation of lifelong learning policies, even though these policies have significant common elements. As a basis for the discussion an inventory of policy elements is presented. Denmark and Portugal have been chosen as examples of smaller EU member states with different historical, social and cultural characteristics. Developments and policies in the two countries, including the links with EU education policy, are described. The discussion includes comparison drawing on the inventory of policy elements. A main conclusion is that the different historical trajectories of the two countries remain very important for present-day education and for the advancement of lifelong learning policy. Early development of public primary education and popular adult education has provided a strong foundation for lifelong learning policy in Denmark while in Portugal not only institutional provision but also popular demand for lifelong learning has had to be built up relatively recently. EU education policy has had much more impact on lifelong learning policy in Portugal than in Denmark, because Portugal has had to depend much more on economic support from the EU social fund.     

A test of anxiety/uncertainty management theory: The intercultural adaptation context

Anxiety/Uncertainty Management theory, as formulated by Gudykunst and Hammer (1987a), proposes that intercultural adaptation outcomes are based on the two mediating dimensions of uncertainty reduction and anxiety reduction and sixteen secondary variables that systematically influence uncertainty and anxiety reduction. In this paper, the sixteen variables originally identified are categorized into four “fundamental factors”; (interpersonal saliencies, intergroup saliencies, communication message exchange, and host contact conditions). The present study examines this revised Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (AUM) theory of intercultural adaptation. A total of 291 international students at two universities in the United States participated in the study. The study found overall fit of the revised AUM theory vis‐a‐vis the two mediating factors of uncertainty and anxiety reduction, the importance of interpersonal saliencies for uncertainty reduction, and the importance of host contact conditions for facilitating feelings of comfort and reducing anxiety. Intergroup saliencies were significantly related to uncertainty reduction but not, contrary to expectation, to anxiety reduction. Communication message exchange (which consists of information gathering strategies and second language proficiency) was, again contrary to expectation, not significantly related to either uncertainty or anxiety reduction. Finally, cultural identity showed a small though significant negative relationship to intergroup saliencies, suggesting a stronger, ingroup identity was associated with increased uncertainty. The paper concludes by proffering explanations for the findings and suggestions for future research.     

The academic and psychological benefits of exercise in healthy children and adolescents

This review examines the psychological benefits exercise is connected to in healthy children and adolescents. Studies on the effect of exercise on academic performance, self-esteem, emotions, and mood were examined. Academic performance is found to be maintained when normal academic classes are reduced and replaced by an increase in exercise, physical activity, or physical education. Exercise seems to have a positive effect on several aspects of cognition and self-esteem in healthy children and adolescents. A positive connection between exercise and emotions and moods in children is found in the few studies that have been conducted.     

Creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities

The multidimensional concept of creativity has a much wider scope of application than disclosed by prevailing research on sporting creativity. In this area, creativity is mostly perceived, praised, and approached for its performative, in-game benefits. Pointing to the belief that creativity requires well-developed technical skills, this phenomenon is often treated as a performative end. When targeting creative match performances, the developmental and experiential benefits of creative activities may be neglected, and creativity may be reserved for the best offensive players. To nourish and nuance practical and scholastic dialogues, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities. This is accomplished by building on and articulating [Shilling, C. (2005). Body in culture, technology and society. London: SAGE] body-sociology, [Gl?veanu, V. P. (2012). What can be done with an egg? Creativity, material objects, and the theory of affordances. The Journal of Creative BehaviorJournal of Creative Behavior, 46(3), 192–208. doi:10.1002/jocb.13, Gl?veanu, V. P. (2016b). The psychology of creating: A cultural-developmental approach to key dichotomies within creativity studies. In The Palgrave handbook of creativity and culture research (pp. 205–223). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-46344-9_10] socio-cultural notions about creativity, and [Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education– an introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY: The Free Press.] educational philosophy. Based on these positions, creativity is treated as a dynamic quality of action that is located in the transaction between the player and the specific situation (i.e. affordances, intentions, and norms). Hence, creativity regards the exploratory and playful processes of discovering, exploiting, and originating unusual action possibilities (i.e. acting on unperceived, unexploited, and uninvented affordances). Grounded in these ideas, we argue for the stimulation of creative actions during training, which should not be forgotten when trying to nurture in-game creativity. Essentially, the developmental benefits (e.g. learning and enjoyment) of creativity could apply to all players, at all levels. Among others, creativity may enhance their situated potential (e.g. expanding the boundaries of usual actions; developing the capacity for novel actions). For instance, the exploration of unexploited affordances (i.e. actions normally avoided due to norms) entails broad experiences and may help the players discover novel actions. Moreover, creative activities may develop the players’ capacity to search for, handle, and/or create unexpected, unusual, and novel situations. This is vital for players’ development and performance.     

Student Perception and the Effectiveness of Kahoot!: A Scoping Review in Histology,Anatomy, and Medical Education

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has presented challenges in medical education particularly, with development of online learning in a short time period. Notably there has been a significant increase in the use of digital technology applications to meet this challenge. For instance, in the first quarter of 2020 the game-based software Kahoot! reported a threefold increase in players and a fivefold increase in asynchronous learning globally. However, there is limited research into the use of game-based digital technology applications such as Kahoot! and the associated learning theories, particularly in histology, anatomy, and medical education. This scoping review explored the utilization, outcome scores, and student perceptions of learning with the application of Kahoot! in histology, anatomy, and medical education. Online databases were used to identify articles published between 2013 and 2021 from which 12 articles were included in the review. The majority of articles supported positive student outcomes including improved collaborative learning, improved knowledge of content, attendance, and participation. Minor negative aspects included increased time on task, overwhelming learning content, and distractions due to gadgets. None of the articles included a control group. The main educational theories identified were active learning followed by social and constructivism learning theory. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic a rapid and fundamental shift in how digital applications are being used in educational institutions has evolved. Further research on learning frameworks and studies with control groups is required to evaluate Kahoot! as a potentially valuable online application in histology, anatomy, and medical education.