Child adaptational development in contexts of interparental conflict over time

This multi-method study sought to identify parameters of developmental change and stability of child reaction patterns to interparental conflict in the context of family relations in a sample of 223 6-year-old children and their parents followed over the course of one year. Consistent with the sensitization hypothesis, interparental withdrawal and hostility each consistently and uniquely predicted child distress reactions to conflict even after analytically controlling for parental warmth. Associations were found across multiple domains of child responding (i.e., overt negative affect, subjective negative affect, internal representations) and both concurrent and prospective, autoregressive analyses. Results of the autoregressive path analyses indicated moderate stability in each of the domains of conflict reactivity over the 1-year longitudinal period.     

From American city to Japanese village: a cross-cultural investigation of implicit race attitudes

This study examined the development of implicit race attitudes in American and Japanese children and adults. Implicit ingroup bias was present early in both populations, and remained stable at each age tested (age 6, 10, and adult). Similarity in magnitude and developmental course across these 2 populations suggests that implicit intergroup bias is an early-emerging and fundamental aspect of human social cognition. However, implicit race attitudes toward favored outgroups are more positive in older than in younger participants, indicating that "cultural prestige" enjoyed by a group moderates implicit bias as greater knowledge of group status is acquired. These results demonstrate (a) the ready presence, (b) early cultural invariance, and (c) subsequent cultural moderation of implicit attitudes toward own and other groups.     

Determinants of range effects in face recognition

The effects of test stimulus range on generalization gradients in humans were assessed for discriminations between faces that varied in brightness, faces that varied in orientation in the picture plane, and morphed faces. In Experiment 1, significant range effects, predicted by adaptation level theory, occurred when faces varied along the brightness or orientation dimension, but not for morphed faces. Changing the difficulty of discrimination of both training and test stimuli for Experiment 2 produced range effects in morphed faces. Experiment 3 explored training and testing stimulus factors as determinants of range effects in morphed faces. The results suggest that sufficiently biased testing ranges create shifts in response distributions (generalization gradients), and this may be amplified by using relatively difficult discriminations between training stimuli.     

Attitudes and mainstreaming: A literature review for school psychologists

“Mainstreaming” legislation requires that special needs students participate in regular classroom activities to the extent possible. Studies indicate, however, that, neither parents, peers, nor professionals may be expected to hold positive attitudes toward these students or be competent providers of positive growth experiences. Existing evidence supports the need for comprehensive training programs for these groups which provide an interface between their experiences with special needs students and an introduction to new knowledge. School psychologists should assume a leadership role in development and implementation.     

Gaining and Sustaining TEL in a 1:1 Laptop Initiative: Possibilities and Challenges for Teachers and Students

The uptake and use of digital technologies is studied in Unos Umeå, a joint one-to-one (1:1) research project between Umeå University and the municipality of Umeå in Sweden. This article presents the results of the third phase of the classroom work with laptops. Using the ecology of resources model (Luckin, 2010), these possibilities and challenges can be interpreted as the manifestation of filters in the learning environment. Alleviating technical problems, targeting low student laptop use, teacher collaboration, and teacher professional development (TPD) may help teachers and students gain and sustain technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in this 1:1 initiative.     

Compliance with freedom of information legislation by public bodies in South Africa

In South Africa, freedom of information (FOI) is entrenched in section 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right of access to any information held by the state or by any other person that is to be used for the protection or exercise of any right. The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) is the law that gives effect to section 32 of the Constitution. Regardless of a remarkable trend towards the adoption of FOI laws, international trends have shown this does not automatically translate into fulfilment of people's right to information. This study utilised mixed method research through the explanatory sequential design to assess compliance with FOI legislation by public bodies in South Africa, with a view to develop a model for implementation of FOI. The study first conducted a quantitative study by analysing the reports of the South African Human Rights Commission from the reporting years 2006/07 to 2016/07 to assess compliance with sections 14, 15, 16, 17 and 32 of the PAIA. Thereafter, a qualitative study through interviews with purposively chosen participants was conducted to substantiate the findings of a quantitative study. Key results suggest that over the years, there were problems in the implementation of the FOI legislation in South Africa and its use was limited. Where implementation has taken place, it has been partial and inconsistent. The responsibility for the implementation of FOI legislation in most public bodies is assigned to legal departments that do not have knowledge of what records are created, and where and how they are kept. With regard to compliance, in terms of the degree of comparison, the situation was better in national departments, worse in provincial departments and worst in municipalities. The study recommends the establishment of an information governance unit to implement FOI in public bodies. Failure to assign responsibility to a relevant unit would perpetuate the non-compliance with FOI legislation by public bodies in South Africa. A model for the implementation of PAIA within a public body is suggested.