Sexuality Information Needs of Latino and African American Ninth Graders: A Content Analysis of Anonymous Questions

This study used qualitative content analysis to examine anonymous questions about sex and sexuality submitted by Latino and African American adolescents in Los Angeles, California, classrooms. The majority of questions asked about sexuality and sexual behavior, or anatomy and physiology, with fewer questions about pregnancy and pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections, and condoms. Overall, a notable mix was found of questions implying exposure to or awareness of a wide range of sexual activities, together with questions demonstrating fundamental misunderstandings or confusion about some of the most basic aspects of sex and sexuality. Gender differences emerged across topics, subtopics, and question types. The results of this study suggest that differences exist between what Latino and African-American teens yearn to know about sex and sexuality, and what information they are getting on these topics from other sources. This reinforces the importance of considering the concerns and needs of the intended audience in designing and evaluating health education programs.     

Pass me the ball: narcissism in performance settings

The performance arena provides a multitude of opportunities for lionizing the self. Narcissistic individuals crave admiration and glory, and thus the performance domain constitutes an ideal medium for researchers to explore narcissistic behavior. However, despite its potential relevance and substantial research history within mainstream psychology, narcissism is only now starting to receive interest from researchers in the sport and performance domain. In this article, we aim to raise the relevance of narcissism (and more generally personality) within performance settings and provide a platform for future research in the area. We review research on the relation between narcissism and performance and conclude that narcissists’ performance is contingent upon perceived opportunities for glory. We also offer suggestions for explanatory mechanisms. Further, we examine factors that may influence narcissistic behavior in environments that vary in their opportunity for glory. In addition, as leadership positions present opportunities for glory, we ask whether narcissists make effective leaders. We propose theoretical extensions of the narcissism literature to the performance domain, and we close with a call for greater consideration of the role of personality in performance contexts.     

Stable denominators for the simplification of z-Transfer Functions

A well-known discrete stability test is used to derive from the denominator D(z) of a given stable high-order transfer function G(z), the denominator of a low-order approximant of G(z). The proposed method, based on the truncation and inversion of a continued fraction formed with the coefficients of D(z), yields a reduced denominator d(z) of degree, say m, which is always stable. Furthermore, depending on the neglected parts of the continued fraction, d(z) approximates m₁ and m₂ = m−m₁ zeros of D(z), located very near the points z=1 and z=-1, respectively. In the special case m₁=m, d(z) is identical to the polynomial obtained by applying to D(z) the indirect technique, which combines the bilinear transformation with the Routh or the Schwarz approximation method.     

Child care quality matters: how conclusions may vary with context

Three studies examined associations between early child care and child outcomes among families different from those in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network study. Results suggest that quality is an important influence on children's development and may be an important moderator of the amount of time in care. Thus, the generalizability of the NICHD findings may hinge on the context in which those results were obtained. These studies, conducted in three national contexts, with different regulatory climates, ranges of child care quality, and a diversity of family characteristics, suggest a need for more complete estimates of how both quality and quantity of child care may influence a range of young children's developmental outcomes.     

A Holistic Approach Toward Motivation to Learn in the Workplace

The purpose of this study was to identify key variables within and outside the learning context that could affect motivation to learn during training. Aside from research on motivation to learn, the theoretical framework of this study was also based on sociotechnical systems, total quality management, and training transfer theories which in turn furnished the training and organizational variables projected to have an influence on employee and organizational performance. Task autonomy, extrinsic rewards when applying newly learned skills and knowledge, organizational orientation toward quality improvement, and a work environment within which people live up to high ethical standards were found to be the most important predictors for motivation to learn during training.     

Effort Self-Talk Benefits the Mathematics Performance of Children With Negative Competence Beliefs

Children with negative competence beliefs often achieve below their potential in school. This randomized field experiment tested whether engaging in positive self-talk may benefit these children’s mathematics performance. Participants (N = 212, Grades 4–6, M_age = 10.6) worked on the first half of a standardized mathematics test, engaged in effort self-talk (“I will do my very best!”), ability self-talk (“I am very good at this!”), or no self-talk, and worked on the second half of the test. Compared to both the conditions, effort self-talk benefited the performance of children holding negative competence beliefs: It severed the association between negative competence beliefs and poor performance. By internally asserting that they will deliver effort, children with negative competence beliefs can optimize their achievement in school.     

Mother-child bookreading in low-income families: correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life

About half of 2,581 low-income mothers reported reading daily to their children. At 14 months, the odds of reading daily increased by the child being firstborn or female. At 24 and 36 months, these odds increased by maternal verbal ability or education and by the child being firstborn or of Early Head Start status. White mothers read more than did Hispanic or African American mothers. For English-speaking children, concurrent reading was associated with vocabulary and comprehension at 14 months, and with vocabulary and cognitive development at 24 months. A pattern of daily reading over the 3 data points for English-speaking children and daily reading at any 1 data point for Spanish-speaking children predicted children's language and cognition at 36 months. Path analyses suggest reciprocal and snowballing relations between maternal bookreading and children's vocabulary.     

Geographic dispersion and co-location in global R&D portfolios: Consequences for firm performance

We examine how the ways in which firms geographically configure their global portfolios of R&D units influence the effectiveness of firms’ own R&D investments and of external technical knowledge in enhancing firm performance. Our analysis indicates that the strength of these effects depends on the extent to which firms spread their R&D units across countries (geographic dispersion of R&D) and the extent to which firms establish multiple R&D units within each country (co-location of R&D). We show that geographic dispersion and co-location are associated with distinct value creation and value capture mechanisms and in turn lead to different performance outcomes. Although geographic dispersion enhances the effects of a firm’s own R&D on its performance, R&D co-location limits such effects. These relationships are reversed when we consider the effects of external technical knowledge on firm performance. R&D co-location, rather than geographic dispersion, is what renders the exploitation of external knowledge more effective in enhancing firm performance. Our results suggest that future research should shift its focus from the degree of R&D globalization to how a portfolio is globalized and geographically structured.