The CS− effect in simple conditioning and stimulus selection during development

Changes in affect toward a particular stimulus can take place very rapidly through Pavlovian conditioning, if presentation of the conditioned stimulus (CS+) paired with the unconditioned stimulus (US) is accompanied by presentation of a “CS?,” another value of the same dimension as the CS+ but not paired with a US. This effect has considerable generality. It has been observed in terms of both olfactory and visual CSs, in terms of appetitive as well as aversive conditioning, and for adult as well as infant rats. The CS? effect has seemed especially important for infants, which may be related to the general tendency for infants to exhibit less stimulus selection than older animals. Finally, the CS? effect has enabled the development of a simple test of short-term retention that can quite effectively assess memory for either incidental or target events. These tests so far have indicated a clear ontogenetic decrease in rate of forgetting over short intervals, corresponding to the well-known development-related decrease in forgetting over long intervals (infantile amnesia). The tests also have shown that short-term forgetting of intentional and target events is surprisingly similar, with some indication of more rapid forgetting for the incidental events. Alternative interpretations of the CS? effect and some preliminary tests of these interpretations are discussed.     

Supporting child and family resilience in the face of political violence: Evidence from a home visit parenting program

Political violence affects more than 25% of children globally, yet little is known about how to support positive adaptation among conflict-affected children. Using a sample of 3797 Nicaraguan child-caregiver dyads (M_AgeTime1 = 1.5 years, M_AgeTime2 = 5.9 years; 51% male), this registered report used a novel quasi-experimental approach to examine how exposure to political violence relates to child and caregiver outcomes, and to test three policy-relevant moderators: participation in a large-scale home visit parenting program, household economic disruption, and media exposure. Results revealed positive associations between political violence and harsh discipline practices (0.33 SD), but there was no evidence that political violence affected children's behavior, caregiver depressive symptoms, or responsive parenting practices, and there was no evidence of moderation.     

SCI-LINK: An innovative project linking research scientists and science teachers

Summary The major purpose of the SCI-LINK Projects was to explore ways of linking research scientists and school science teachers. Not only did the project provide these teachers with a better understanding of scientific environmental research and recent findings, but it allowed them to develop activities and other instructional materials they could use in their classrooms. Leadership skills also were developed as evidenced by the Master Teachers that evolved and the many professional activities in which they have been engaged since the first institutes. Many things were done during the course of the project in order to make the process more efficient. These include assistance to scientists in making their presentations and field trips more effective and helping teachers with their writing and library skills. Also explored were the nature and format for the activities the teachers developed and how they can best be evaluated and disseminated. Positive feedback from teachers and the continued interest of research scientists to participate has led to another project patterned after the model used in the SCI-LINK Project. This second generation project, GLOBE-NET, also supported by the National Science Foundation, involves scientists and teachers in the development of instructional materials on global change. At least some of the efforts to improve science education should include scientists and teachers as partners. The model used in the SCI-LINK Project provides one way of doing so.