Correlates of Attachment at School Age: Maternal Reported Stress, Mother-Child Interaction, and Behavior Problems

The contribution of attachment, maternal reported stress, and mother-child interaction to the prediction of teacher-reported behavior problems was examined for a French-Canadian sample of 121 school-age children. Attachment classifications were assigned on the basis of reunion behavior with mother when the children were between 5 and 7 years of age. Maternal reported stress and mother-child interaction patterns were assessed concurrent to the attachment measure, whereas behavior problems were evaluated both at ages 5 to 7 and 7 to 9 years. Security of attachment significantly predicted the likelihood of school-age behavior problems: Controlling/other children were most at risk for both externalizing and internalizing problems across both age periods. Younger ambivalent children presented clinical cut-off levels of externalizing problems, and older avoidant boys had higher internalizing scores. Patterns of maternal-reported stress and mother-child interaction differed across attachment groups and contributed to prediction of school-age behavior problems, partially mediating the relation between attachment and adaptation. Results support the importance of attachment in explaining school-age adaptation and validity of attachment coding for children of this age.     

Reward contrast in delay and probability discounting

In this study, we examined whether reward contrast influences choice between delayed and probabilistic outcomes. Specifically, we predicted that the subjective value of an intermediate reward would seem relatively larger or smaller, respectively, if it followed choices involving a smaller or larger reward and would produce corresponding changes in rates of delay and probability discounting. In Experiment 1, subjects made choices about hypothetical 5,000 or5,000 or 50 outcomes and then made choices about 500 outcomes. Delay-discounting rates for the500 outcomes. Delay-discounting rates for the 500 outcome were larger for Group 5,000 than for Group5,000 than for Group 50, whereas the opposite result was obtained for probability-discounting rates. In Experiment 2, we used a design that allowed for contrast effects to be assessed within subjects. Two groups made choices about delayed or probabilistic rewards. After completing question blocks in which the amount was 5,000 or5,000 or 50, subjects responded to questions with an intermediate amount (475/475/525). For Group Delay, the present value of the intermediate reward was greater after the 50 block than after the50 block than after the 5,000 block, whereas the opposite was obtained for Group Probability. The results from both experiments confirmed the predictions of reward contrast and suggested that the subjective value of a monetary reward varies inversely with the prior reward amount.     

A participatory approach to the identification of measures of number sense in children prior to school entry

The research reported in this paper used a modified Delphi procedure in an attempt to establish a consensus on tasks proposed to assess components of number sense identified as essential for early mathematics success by a broad range of academics with expertise in the area of early mathematics. Tasks included as measures of these components were based on assessment tasks developed by early mathematics researchers. Eighteen questionnaires were returned by academics from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, The Netherlands and the USA, all with published work in the areas of early mathematics and/or number sense. Both the proposed components and tasks in the questionnaires were limited to the number domain. The study revealed considerable agreement with a number of the proposed tasks and thus provided a way forward for the development of an early number sense assessment to be trialled with young children prior to their first year of formal schooling.     

Optimising the use of note-taking as an external cognitive aid for increasing learning

Taking notes is of uttermost importance in academic and commercial use and success. Different techniques for note-taking utilise different cognitive processes and strategies. This experimental study examined ways to enhance cognitive performance via different note-taking techniques. By comparing performances of traditional, linear style note-taking with alternative non-linear technique, we aimed to examine the efficiency and importance of different ways of taking notes. Twenty-six volunteer adult learners from an information management course participated in this study. Cognitive performance scores from a traditional linear note-taking group were compared with another group by using a commercially available non-linear note-taking technique. Both groups were tested in two settings: after a classroom lecture and a panel forum discussion. Tasks included measures on story comprehension, memory, complexity of mental representations and metacognitive skills. Data analysis revealed that the non-linear note-takers were significantly better than the linear group both in terms of the quantity and the quality of the learned material. This study demonstrates the importance of using cognitively compatible note-taking techniques. It identifies the cognitive mechanisms behind effective note-taking and knowledge representation. Using such techniques enables deeper understanding and more integrated knowledge management.     

A Review of Collegiate Recovery Communities and Recommendations for Implementation on a Small Residential Campus

Although the Collegiate Recovery Community is increasingly seen as the treatment modality of choice for students in recovery, relatively few such programs have been established on small residential campuses. In this article we examine the possible reasons for this reluctance and suggest ways in which the standard model for a Collegiate Recovery Community, as represented by its three benchmark programs, can be modified and adapted to better fit the small residential campus environment. We summarize the problem and review the concept of a Collegiate Recovery Community, and we then explain and recommend 1) a bottom-up initiative for planning and 2) scaled-down resource demand and utilization. We provide a 5-point plan for a “bottom-up, scaled-down” Collegiate Recovery Community on a small residential campus.     

The Psychometric Properties of the Short and Long Versions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire

The Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire was developed to effectively measure affective, cognitive, and behavioral aspects, represented by the interpersonal constructs of closeness, commitment, and complementarity, of the quality of the relationship within the context of sport coaching. The current study sought to determine the internal reliability and factorial validity of the long (the 29-item Long Version Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire) and short (11-item Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire and 13-item Greek Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire) versions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire with a sample of 800 Chinese coaches and athletes. Results supported the internal reliability across all Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire versions examined, while confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) only supported the factorial validity of the three-factor first-order model of the 11-item Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory, research, and practice.     

Teacher attributions for children's attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder behaviors predict experiences with children and with classroom behavioral management in a summer program practicum

Elementary school teachers often implement classroom behavioral management systems to address student misbehavior. Common problems targeted by these systems are the inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors characteristic of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined teachers' attributions for why children display ADHD behaviors, and how such attributions affect their experiences with children in the context of interventions to manage these behaviors. Participants were 32 preservice teachers undertaking a practicum in a summer program for 137 children (Grades 1–3), some of whom had ADHD. Teachers were trained to implement classroom‐wide behavioral management. Teachers' attributions for children's ADHD behaviors were assessed using a vignette measure, before teachers had met their students or begun training on intervention techniques. When controlling for attributions regarding oppositional behavior, teachers' initial attributions for ADHD behaviors as less internal/controllable predicted children reporting more positive relationships with that teacher during the summer program. Teachers' initial attributions for ADHD behaviors as less stable predicted teachers' greater satisfaction with the intervention techniques during the summer program and their greater attunement to children's social networks. Cognitions about the causes of children's ADHD behaviors held by preservice teachers may relate to their subsequent experiences with children in the context of implementing classroom behavioral management.