Cultural Components of Sex Differences in Color Preference

Preferences for pink and blue were tested in children aged 4–11 years in three small-scale societies: Shipibo villages in the Peruvian Amazon, kastom villages in the highlands of Tanna Island, Vanuatu, and BaYaka foragers in the northern Republic of Congo; and compared to children from an Australian global city (total N = 232). No sex differences were found in preference for pink in any of the three societies not influenced by global culture (ds − 0.31–0.23), in contrast to a female preference for pink in the global city (d = 1.24). Results suggest that the pairing of female and pink is a cultural phenomenon and is not driven by an essential preference for pink in girls.     

Sexual history-taking: using educational interventions to overcome barriers to learning

Sexual history-taking is a basic medical skill that is traditionally taught poorly in medical school. Practising medical professionals have frequently reported feeling inadequately trained at taking these histories or discussing sexual risk. In order to promote and enhance the learning of this basic skill, those who teach sexual history-taking need to understand how it is that learners learn to take sexual histories and, crucially, the barriers that stand in the way of this being effectively done. This paper is therefore firstly concerned with identifying the barriers that health professionals in training might face when learning how to take a sexual history and, secondly, with proposing the use of well-recognised educational interventions, such as constructivist and experiential learning theories, to overcome these barriers and facilitate appropriate learning.     

Appropriate high tech: Scientific communication options for small third world countries

Abstract

Information and communication technologies have transformed the nature of scientific communication. This article examines the suitability of print, microform, online, and CD'ROM technologies for providing access to scientific serials by Third World scientists. Findings from an investigation of the technological and institutional options available to the scientific information system of Sri Lanka, a small country with a poor telecommunications infrastructure, are reported. Online is found most appropriate, principally due to the presence of a small number of scientists with a broad range of interests which makes the fixed‐price regimes of the other modes disadvantageous. Policy responses, including the setting up of an online information bureau to gradually build up domestic and international communication levels to justify the introduction of internal and external data communication facilities, are discussed. The recommendations are user‐centered and emphasize the need for continuous monitoring of technological and market options and flexibility of response on the part of peripheral players in the information market.     

Impact of cultural background on fundamental movement skill and its correlates

Children’s fundamental movement skill levels (FMS) predict moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Asian children have been reported as less active than English-Europeans, possibly due to poorer skills. This study compared the FMS of children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds and examined FMS correlates. A total of 261 children (122 males) aged 9-to-11 years were divided based on language spoken at home: English-European (n = 105) and Asian (n = 156). Height, mass, FMS (Test of Gross Motor Development-2), MVPA (accelerometer) and cardio-respiratory fitness (20m multistage shuttle run) were directly measured. Sex, age, language and perceived sport competence (CY-PSPP) were self-reported. Independent sample t-tests assessed age, BMI, FMS and perception by CALD group. Linear mixed models examined FMS correlates. Asian-speaking children had lower object control skill (35.5 v 37.2; CI [0.17, 3.18]; p < 0.03) compared to English-European- children, but no between-group differences in locomotor skills were observed. Fitness, physical activity and sport competence perception were positively associated with object control, yet adjusting for these variables (and age and BMI) did not remove the CALD effect (B = ?2.02, SE = 0.69, p = 0.004). Cultural factors may affect object control competence in Asian-Australian children.     

From Scholarship Boy to Social Historian: J.F.C. Harrison (1921-2018): An Appreciation

ABSTRACT

John F. C. Harrison, who has recently passed away, was one of the founders of British social and labour History. Along with figures such as E.P. Thompson and Asa Briggs, Harrison put nineteenth-century social history on the scholarly map. He traced the histories of adult education, Owenism and popular millenarianism. Many came to Victorian history through his textbooks about the period. This appreciation traces his life and work, attempting to establish what was distinctive about his work. Harrison eschewed theory but built important bridges between social, labour and intellectual history which give his work an enduring importance.     

Regulation of on‐line content in the new trade environment: NAFTA and communication policy

Trade agreements are constitution‐like in that they constrain action at “lower” or national and sub‐national levels (Jackson, 1988). This article examines some constitution‐like effects of telecommunication provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement on U.S. policies regulating pornography. Recent U.S. actions to regulate on‐line pornography, through amendments to the Communications Act and the Comstock Act, and relevant cases, including the recent Amateur Action decision, are discussed. The relevant provisions in the NAFTA are outlined. The paper concludes that U.S. efforts to regulate content of on‐line services which appear to fall within the category of enhanced/value‐added telecommunication services would not be strictly “NAFTA‐legal” under the telecommunication chapter, but could be made so utilizing the privacy, consumer protection or cultural‐industries exceptions which were not intended for this purpose nor were advocated by the U.S. The broader implications for the future of the nation state and for a possible international regime governing offensive speech are discussed.