Stability of Inhibition in a Swedish Longitudinal Sample

2 of the major questions prompted by recent research on inhibition are: (1) Should inhibition be considered a trait dimension, or do those who manifest extreme inhibition constitute a discrete personality type? (2) Are there sex differences in stability of inhibition? We addressed these questions using mothers' ratings over 16 years and psychologists' ratings over 6 years of a Swedish longitudinal sample. From the mean of mothers' 18- and 24-month ratings and the mean of psychologists' 18- and 24-month ratings, we predicted later ratings through 16 years. We performed these analyses for children constituting the extreme 10%–15% from each end of the distribution and then for children not rated as extreme. Ratings were more stable for children in the extreme groups than for those in the nonextreme groups through 6 years; however, only for the inhibited girls did early inhibition predict inhibition into adolescence. We conclude that culturally shared notions of gender-appropriate behavior influence the stability of inhibition.     

Examining the impact of the Respect in Sport Parent Program on the psychosocial experiences of minor hockey athletes

ABSTRACT

Models of positive youth development suggest that athletes may be influenced by parent education programmes; however, there is little research examining the impact of such programmes on athlete outcomes. This study examined the impact of the Respect in Sport Parent Program on athlete outcomes among minor hockey players over three years. This study consisted of cross-sectional and longitudinal online surveys measuring athletes’ positive and negative developmental experiences, prosocial and antisocial behaviours, parental support and pressure, and sport enjoyment and commitment. Athletes completed at least one online survey during the study period (N = 366; 84.2% males; 14–19 years of age; M = 15.4 years), and 83 athletes completed multiple surveys for longitudinal analyses. Cross-sectional results comparing athletes in leagues adopting the programme at different time points indicated significant differences in prosocial behaviours towards teammates. Multilevel longitudinal analyses revealed improvements in athletes’ antisocial behaviours towards opponents, initiative, goal setting, and cognitive skills over time, regardless of whether they were in a league that implemented the programme. However, athletes in leagues that implemented the programme during the study reported greater improvements in antisocial behaviours towards opponents, and there were trends with respect to improved personal and social skills. These findings provide suggestions to improve the delivery and impact of parent education programmes in youth sport.     

Olympic lightweight and open-class rowers possess distinctive physical and proportionality characteristics

Rowers competing at the 2000 Olympic Games were measured for 38 anthropometric dimensions. The aim was to identify common physical characteristics that could provide a competitive advantage. The participants included 140 male open-class rowers, 69 female open-class rowers, 50 male lightweight rowers, and 14 female lightweight rowers. Body mass, stature, and sitting height were different (P < 0.01) between the open-class and lightweight rowers, as well as a comparison group of healthy young adults ("non-rowers", 42 males, 71 females), for both sexes. After scaling for stature, the open-class rowers remained proportionally heavier than the non-rowers, with greater proportional chest, waist, and thigh dimensions (P < 0.01). Rowers across all categories possessed a proportionally smaller hip girth than the non-rowers (P < 0.01), which suggested the equipment places some constraints on this dimension. Top-ranked male open-class rowers were significantly taller and heavier and had a greater sitting height (P < 0.01) than their lower-ranked counterparts. They were also more muscular in the upper body, as indicated by a larger relaxed arm girth and forearm girth (P < 0.01). For the male lightweight rowers, only proportional thigh length was greater in the best competitors (P < 0.01). In the female open-class rowers, skinfold thicknesses were lower in the more highly placed competitors (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the rowers in this sample demonstrated distinctive physical characteristics that distinguish them from non-rowers and other sports performers.     

Knowledge management support for teachers

Business organizations worldwide are implementing techniques and technologies to better manage their knowledge. Their objective is to improve the quality of the contributions people make to their organizations by helping them to make sense of the context within which the organization exists; to take responsibility, cooperate, and share what they know and learn; and to effectively challenge, negotiate, and learn from others. We consider how the concepts, tools, and techniques of organizational knowledge management can be applied to the professional practices and development of teachers. We describe a framework for knowledge management support for teachers where the sharing of concrete knowledge scaffolds the attainment of more abstract levels of knowledge sharing. We describe the development of a knowledge management support system emphasizing long-term participatory design relationships between technologists and teachers, regional cooperation among teachers in adjacent school divisions, the integration of communication and practice, synchronous and asynchronous interactions, and multiple metaphors for organizing knowledge resources and activities. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, REC-0106552.     

Growth in Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in Childhood: A Prospective Study of Psychopathology Across Three Generations

Three generations of participants were assessed over approximately 27 years, and intergenerational prediction models of growth in the third generation’s (G3) externalizing and internalizing problems across ages 3–9 years were examined. The sample included 103 fathers and mothers (G2), at least 1 parent (G1) for all of the G2 fathers (99 mothers, 72 fathers), and 185 G3 offspring (83 boys, 102 girls) of G2, with prospective data available on the G2 fathers beginning at age 9 years. Behavior of the G2 mother, along with father contact and mother age at birth were included in the models. Intergenerational associations in psychopathology were modest, and much of the transmission occurred via contextual risk within the family of procreation.     

Broadcasting Education and Children's Programming

Wilbur Schramm (ed.) Quality in Instructional Television (Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1973 - $5.00, paper)

Ralph M. Jennings, Marcella Kerr and Truman E. Parker's Public Television Station Employment Practices and The Composition of Boards of Directors: The Status of Minorities and Women (Office of Communications, United Church of Christ, 289 Park Ave. South, New York 10010, January 1973 - $10.00, but free on request to poverty organizations and citizen-action groups)

I. Keith Tyler and Catharine M. Williams (eds.) Educational Communication in a Revolutionary Age (Worthington, Ohio: Charles A. Jones, 1973 - $7.95)

Dennis Benson's Electric Evangelism (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1973 - $3.95)

G. William Jones' Landing Rightside Up in TV and Film (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1973 - price not known, paper)

Radical Software which is entitled “The TV Environment.”

Children's Television: Economics and Public Policy by William Melody (142 pp. spiral bound, $15.00)

Network Programming and Advertising in the Saturday Children's Hours: A June and November Comparison by F. Earle Barcus (32 pp., spiral bound, $5.00)

Network Children's Programming: A Content Analysis of Black and Minority Treatment on Children's Television by Gilbert Mendelson and Morrissa Young (of Best), (20 pp., $5.00)