Change Factors Influencing the Diffusion and Adoption of Green Building Practices

This study aims to improve how human performance improvement (HPI) practitioners manage attributes of change. While there have been numerous studies addressing various aspects of change management, few have examined how the characteristics of the change itself contribute to adoption. This study addresses a change scenario of current importance and interest. Researchers coded applicable survey responses from a previous study and performed factor analysis to identify barriers and incentives to green building, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, for construction industry professionals in the Pacific Northwest, and how those professionals feel about adopting “green” building practices—among them, the LEED rating system. Findings suggest that (a) the qualities of some changes have far more influence on adoption than others, such as difficulty of transition, and (b) other characteristics combine to exert their influence in concert with one another. Finally, a user's perception of the value of the change was significant. The article's conclusion addresses how HPI practitioners can integrate the findings into green building adoption specifically, as well as within the greater context of change management and implementation practices in general.     

FROM COVERT PROCESSES TO OVERT OUTCOMES OF REFUTATION TEXT READING: THE INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE TEXT STRUCTURE AND WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY THROUGH EYE FIXATIONS

This study extends current research on the refutation text effect by investigating it in learners with different levels of working memory capacity. The purpose is to outline the link between online processes (revealed by eye fixation indices) and off-line outcomes in these learners. In science education, unlike a standard text, a refutation text acknowledges readers’ alternative conceptions about a topic, refutes them, and presents scientific conceptions as viable alternatives. Lower and higher memory span university students with alternative conceptions about the topic read either a refutation or a non-refutation text about tides. Off-line measures of learning revealed that both groups of refutation text readers attained higher knowledge gains. During the reading process, refutation text readers fixated for longer on the refutation segments while reading the parts presenting the scientific information (look-froms). Non-refutation text readers looked back to the informational parts for longer. Look-froms (positively) and reading time (negatively) predicted learning from refutation text, indicating that the quality, not quantity, of reading was related to it. In contrast, learning from non-refutation text was predicted only by working memory capacity. The refutation effect is discussed and educational implications are drawn.     

Popular Structural Equation Modeling Programs for Behavior Genetics

Behavior genetic modeling is a prominent application of multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM). It decomposes phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental sources by leveraging the covariation within and between kin pairs. Although any SEM program with multi-group capabilities can be employed, the software program, Mx, has dominated behavior genetics research. Indeed, even though Mx has not been maintained since 2011, it remains the most popular SEM program in Behavior Genetics articles published in 2016 and 2017. Given the persistence of Mx, the aim of this article is to understand Mx’s performance relative to other popular behavior genetic programs. Through this process, programs employed in behavior genetics research are identified, and their relevant technical features and accessibility are compared. Finally, the relative strengths and limitations of the programs are discussed, and recommendations are provided for behavior genetics researchers.     

Association of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Perinatal Maternal Depression with Early Childhood Behavioral Problems: An Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study

This study examined the association of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), prenatal, and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms with externalizing, internalizing, and autism spectrum problems on the Preschool Child Behavior Checklist in 2379 children aged 4.12 ± 0.60 (48% female; 47% White, 32% Black, 15% Mixed Race, 4% Asian, <2% American Indian/Alaskan Native, <2% Native Hawaiian; 23% Hispanic). Data were collected from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program from 2009-2021. GDM, prenatal, and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were each associated with increased child externalizing and internalizing problems. GDM was associated with increased autism behaviors only among children exposed to perinatal maternal depressive symptoms above the median level. Stratified analyses revealed a relation between GDM and child outcomes in males only.