Models for Aggressive Behavior: The Attributes of Violent Characters in Popular Video Games

Americans are increasingly concerned about video games, presumably due to the amount and graphicness of violence they contain. Social Cognitive Theory suggests that people are more likely to imitate characters they see as attractive or similar to self. To date, however, little research has examined attributes of violent characters in video games related to this issue. This content analysis examined 10 minutes of play from 60 of the most popular video games. Adapting the coding scheme from the National Television Violence Study (Smith et al., 1998 Smith, S. L., Wilson, B. J., Kunkel, D., Linz, D., Potter, W. J., Colvin, C. M. and Donnerstein, E. 1998. National Television Violence Study: Vol. 3. Violence in television programming overall: University of California, Santa Barbara study, 5–220. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.  [Google Scholar]; Wilson et al., 1997 Wilson, B. J., Kunkel, D., Linz, D., Potter, W. J., Donnerstein, E.Smith, S. L. 1997. National Television Violence Study: Vol. 1. Violence in television programming overall: University of California, Santa Barbara study, 3–268. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.  [Google Scholar], 1998 Wilson, B. J., Kunkel, D., Linz, D., Potter, W. J., Donnerstein, E.Smith, S. L. 1998. National Television Violence Study: Vol. 2. Violence in television programming overall: University of California, Santa Barbara, 3–204. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.  [Google Scholar]), various demographic and contextual features of violent characters and violent interactions were assessed. The results show that violent game characters have attributes that are likely to increase the extent to which some players perceive them as attractive and similar. Moreover, these violent characters engage in aggression that is presented as justified or graphic.     

On referee bias,crowd size,and home advantage in the English soccer Premiership

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the independent and combined effects of an inspiratory muscle warm-up and inspiratory muscle training on intermittent running to exhaustion. Twelve males were recruited to undertake four experimental trials. Two trials (Trials 1 and 2) preceded either a 4-week training period of 1 × 30 breaths twice daily at 50% (experimental group) or 15% (control group) maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (PImax). A further two trials (Trials 3 and 4) were performed after the 4 weeks. Trials 2 and 4 were preceded by a warm-up: 2 × 30 breaths at 40% PImax. Pre-training PImax and distance covered increased (P < 0.05) similarly between groups after the warm-up (～11% and ～5–7% PImax and distance covered, respectively). After training, PImax increased by 20 ± 6.1% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 26.7 ± 6.3% (P < 0.01; d = 3.1) when training and warm-up were combined in the experimental group. Distance covered increased after training in the experimental group by 12 ± 4.9% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 14.9 ± 4.5% (P < 0.01; d = 2.3) when training and warm-up interventions were combined. In conclusion, inspiratory muscle training and inspiratory muscle warm-up can both increase running distance independently, but the greatest increase is observed when they are combined.     

The Influence of Inquiry-Based Remote Observations via Powerful Optic Robotic Telescopes on High School Students’ Conceptions of Physics and of Learning Physics

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Since the 1980s, studies have increasingly shown that traditional teaching causes a deterioration in students’ conceptions of physics and of...     

The social and emotional functioning of students with an autistic spectrum disorder during the transition between primary and secondary schools

The transition from the primary to the secondary phase in education can be a pivotal moment for many students, but for students who have autism, their difficulties with socialisation and emotional regulation can make this time period especially challenging. This article explores the experiences of key stakeholders regarding the issue of students with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) transitioning from primary to secondary school. Five students with an ASD who were about to transfer to mainstream secondary schools, their parents and members of their primary and secondary school staff were invited to participate in the study. Using mixed methods of data collection, a complex picture of student experiences was discovered. The article highlights the need for further research in the field of school transitions for the student with ASD.     

CNI: Compelled Nonuse of Information

Purpose

The study reported in this paper reviewed the literatures of information science, psychology, sociology, political science, education, and communication science to analyze Compelled Nonuse of Information (CNI). This study of a behavior defined by its absence (i.e., the not using of information) involved the development of a methodology consisting of an iterative performance of a nine-step heuristic leading to a retroductive recognition of absence, here termed RRA.

Principal results

The study concluded with a hierarchical taxonomy of the mechanisms that compel a person not to use information. The six primary mechanisms are:

1.

Intrinsic somatic (bodily) conditions

2.

Socio-environmental barriers

3.

Authoritarian controls

4.

Threshold knowledge shortfall

5.

Attention shortfall

6.

Information filtering.

Major conclusions

The resultant taxonomy of CNI appears here as a comprehensive checklist with which information workers such as the teacher, librarian, advertiser, politician, or health care professional can respond efficiently and effectively to situations of nonuse of information. For example, a teacher might ask: “Why are students not responding to what I present?” Further, the social implications of any compelled behavior touch the very basis of the social contract, and this paper presents a first step toward understanding the compelled aspects of CNI.     

Student teachers' use of instructional choice in physical education

Guided by self-determination theory and research on teacher beliefs, we examined student teachers' (STs) use of instructional choices in teaching physical education classes. Participants included 131 STs (52 men and 79 women) from a major university in the United States. STs completed questionnaires assessing three types of instructional choices (cognitive, organizational, and procedural) they provided and their rationale for providing their students with choices. The STs reported they gave students cognitive, organizational, and procedural choices. They firmly believed instructional choice promotes students' motivation, autonomy, and engagement in physical education. They also believed teachers should consider factors such as student characteristics and the beneficial effects when implementing choice in their classes.     

改变的力量

对于马林·西里奇来说．2011年必将是全新的一年。在过去的一年里,西里奇不断挑战自己,将荣耀抛诸脑后．不断改进打法．而年底．他还签约了新赞助商——李宁。所有的一切都在告诉我们．新的赛季．我们将看到一个全新的西里奇,他将在福地墨尔本卷土重来．从澳网开启他全新的征程。