Memory suggestibility and metacognition in child eyewitness testimony: The roles of source monitoring and self-efficacy

Children can easily be made to believe that they have seen or experienced something that they never did. This phenomenon is called the misinformation effect. In this paper I examine the mechanisms underlying the misinformation effect in 6- and 9-year-old children, by investigating the influence of two metacognitive variables, source monitoring and self-efficacy, on child suggestibility (Experiment 1). Several investigations have reported that source monitoring is one factor at play in creating the misinformation effect. As for self-efficacy, this is the first attempt to investigate its relationship with memory suggestibility. It is demonstrated that source monitoring is related to memory suggestibility in younger children, whereas self-efficacy plays a role in suggestibility mainly in older children. This indicates that suggestibility may be due to two different mechanisms at the two ages examined. Experiment 2 was designed to test this age-interactive hypothesis. Results confirmed that the misinformation effect in younger children was mainly due to genuine memory errors, whereas in older children it was mainly due to acceptance of the misleading information.     

Nanolime suspensions applied on natural lithotypes: The influence of concentration and residual water content on carbonatation process and on treatment effectiveness

Ca(OH)2 particles with submicrometric dimensions (nanolimes) are recently introduced in cultural heritage conservation, in order to improve lime treatments. Lime nanoparticles are typically produced by a chemical precipitation process in supersaturated aqueous solutions of the reactants (calcium chloride [CaCl₂] and sodium hydroxide [NaOH]); water is then partially substituted with 2-propanol in order to improve stability and to reduce a random orientation of the particles. Aim of the present work is to analyse the influence of the nanolime suspensions concentration on the carbonatation process, in relation to the residual water content too. The obtained lime nanoparticles are characterised by X-rays diffraction (XRD) and profile analysis. Afterwards, the influence of the suspension concentration on stones protective treatments is evaluated: alcoholic nanolime suspensions, characterised by different concentration values, are applied on several natural lithotypes. Standard tests are performed to estimate the superficial consolidation and the protective treatment effectiveness: “Scotch tape test” (STT) and capillarity test. Porosimetric investigations are performed too.     

Fautley,Martin et al (2011) Remaking the curriculum Trentham (Stoke‐on‐Trent & Sterling VA) isbn 97 8‐1‐85856‐471‐5 116 pp £20.99http://trentham‐books.co.uk/acatalog/Remaking_the_Curriculum.html

This interesting book addressed to teachers and researchers committed to improve secondary education gives an account of how two schools in England successfully engaged in the development of a new curriculum apt to favour creative teaching, i.e. the use of imaginative approaches to make learning more interesting, effective, supportive of students’ growth and fostering their capacity to be creative. If the content of this book is likely to be relevant to you, I recommend that you borrow a copy. Giuliana Dettori     

Ribble,Mike (2011) Digital citizenship in schools ISTE & Eurospan (London) isbn 978‐1‐56484‐301‐2 166 pp $39.95 ($27.97 to members) http://www.iste.org/store/product.aspx?ID=2111

This interesting book, addressed to school teachers and technology leaders, aims to build awareness of what are inappropriate behaviours in technology use and why they are potentially dangerous. Digital citizenship—the application of norms for productive and appropriate technology use—is relevant to all in our technology‐rich society, and should be an integral part of technology education. If this book is likely to be relevant to you, I recommend you borrow a copy. Giuliana Dettori     

Family Predictors of Maternal and paternal Involvement in Programs for Young Children with Disabilities

The study of family variables has become increasingly critical in understanding outcomes typically considered program driven. Research linking family variables to parental involvement in early intervention programs for young children with disabilities is generally lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the combined influence and predictive ability of family characteristics on maternal and paternal involvement in early intervention programs. Service providers rated mothers' and fathers' involvement in early intervention programs Mother and fathers completed a battery of self-report questionnaires related to a variety of constructs, such as family functioning, marital adjustment, social supports, stress, coping, and parental involvement. Structural equating modeling was used to test the predictive ability of family variables. Two different models were developed for mothers and fathers. Results indicated significant outcomes for both group, largely supporting the proposed model. The coping variable emerged as a significant predictor of maternal and paternal involvement as well as a mediator variable between family functioning and parental involvement.     

Reciprocal teaching: Analyzing interactive dynamics in the co-construction of a text's meaning

Reciprocal teaching is one of the most successfully implemented cooperative learning practices, yet many aspects of the process it follows are still unclear. The authors' aim was two-fold: To analyze whether reciprocal teaching activates diversity in discourse moves, communicative functions, and interaction sequences; and to determine whether reciprocal teaching needs to be based on prior work on student collaboration and cooperation skills in order to be effective (context dependency vs. context independency). Two groups with a different instructional background were compared: one with a teacher-centered and one with a student-centered approach. Forty-three third-grade students were led through a reciprocal teaching reading activity. Video recordings of each group were transcribed and analyzed at the micro level. Frequencies for each category were described and interpreted. The two groups did not differ significantly in the processes followed, indicating that reciprocal teaching is context independent and able to create interaction-rich and diverse environment.