Acute effects of passive muscle stretching on sprint performance

The results of previous research have shown that passive muscle stretching can diminish the peak force output of subsequent maximal isometric, concentric and stretch-shortening contractions. The aim of this study was to establish whether the deleterious effects of passive stretching seen in laboratory settings would be manifest in a performance setting. Sixteen members (11 males, 5 females) of a Division I NCAA track athletics team performed electronically timed 20 m sprints with and without prior stretching of the legs. The experiment was done as part of each athlete's Monday work-out programme. Four different stretch protocols were used, with each protocol completed on a different day. Hence, the test period lasted 4 weeks. The four stretching protocols were no-stretch of either leg (NS), both legs stretched (BS), forward leg in the starting position stretched (FS) and rear leg in the starting position stretched (RS). Three stretching exercises (hamstring stretch, quadriceps stretch, calf stretch) were used for the BS, FS and RS protocols. Each stretching exercise was performed four times, and each time the stretch was maintained for 30 s. The BS, FS and RS protocols induced a significant (P < 0.05) increase (approximately 0.04 s) in the 20 m time. Thus, it appears that pre-event stretching might negatively impact the performance of high-power short-term exercise.     

The 4 Dimensional Language of Infancy: The Interpersonal Basis of Art Practice

Using studies made in London, England, plus recent research conducted in Singapore, this paper investigates the roots of aesthetic and design sensibilities in the symbolic play and drawing of early infancy. This study supports Colwyn Trevarthen’s [1996] theory that in an interpersonal space formed between caregiver and infant, facial expression, gesture and vocalisations of each partner are orchestrated together and are given powerful expressive and representational values. Microanalysis of video recordings shows that exploratory actions impelled by the infant are organised by patterned bursts of emotions. The rhythmic periodicities of these actions form the structure of later art-making and design, including early drawing, painting and dance. There are important pedagogical implications concerning the optimal conditions required to promote art and design understandings in childhood. The Congress presentation of this paper was illustrated by video-recorded observations, made in London and Singapore, of the beginnings of expression, representation and design.     

A subtraction experiment with six and seven year old children

This paper gives an account of an experiment involving 176 children of 6 and 7 years and their difficulties with subtraction problems. By using two screening questions, four levels of attainment were established and two teaching programmes were then devised to help the children forward to their next level. The results show that it is possible to assess a level of understanding in subtraction quickly and accurately and that, through the teaching programmes, pre-requisite skills needed to establish a sound foundation for subtraction can be taught. The experiment indicates, however, that an attempt to symbolise too soon is a danger to be avoided.     

Efforts to control by children and adults with the type A coronary-prone behavior pattern.

Glass and his colleagues have suggested that the type A coronary-prone behavior pattern, which is characterized by competitiveness, aggressiveness, and impatience, is a response style aimed at maintaining and asserting control over poentially uncontrollable events. The present investigation examined the initial reactions of type A and type B boys and men to uncontrollable events. Children and adults pressed a button to earn nickels on one of the following schedules of reinforcement: a variable ratio of 7 or a fixed ratio of 7. The variable ratio schedule was assumed to appear less controllable than the fixed ratio schedule. The task was either of high or low salience (prominence). Results replicated previous research that type A's initially respond to highly salient uncontrollable events with more vigorous efforts to assert control than type B's. More importantly, the findings provided the first evidence that (1) the initial response to loss of control of type A and type B boys parallels that of their adult counterparts; and (2) the boys' response to the salience of the task is similar to that of their adult counterparts. Implications of the children's responses to uncontrollable events for the maintenance of type A behavior into adulthood and for the etiology of heart disease are discussed.     

Covering Mass Shootings

Using data from a national survey of US newspaper journalists (N?=?1318), this study examines attitudes toward news coverage of mass shootings. Following Shoemaker and Reese’s hierarchical model, the analysis also considers how individual characteristics, journalistic practices, and organizational factors influence these attitudes. Participants generally agreed that coverage had become routine. Journalists were largely supportive of coverage of perpetrators and were ambivalent about acknowledging a relationship between media coverage and a contagion, or “copycat,” effect. A participant’s age was generally the strongest predictor of attitudes toward media reporting on mass shootings. Findings also indicate differences in attitude according to job title, role perception, and whether or not a journalist had covered a mass shooting. A majority of respondents appeared to favor traditional, “neutral” approaches to coverage of mass shootings; however, journalists also wanted to see more comprehensive reporting, including coverage of solutions and community resilience.