How do adult humans compare with New Caledonian crows in tool selectivity?

We examined humans’ tool selections on stick-and-tube tasks similar to those used to study crows’ and other avian species’ physical cognition. In Experiment 1, the participants selected a stick from a set of 10 to retrieve a candy placed in a horizontal tube. Although the stick that was selected depended on the distance to the candy, the participants generally did not select a stick whose length was the same as the candy’s distance from the open end of the tube nor did they select the longest stick in the set—two strategies that have been reported in crows. In Experiments 2 and 3, we used variations of the stick-and-tube task to determine what factors in addition to the candy’s distance influenced the participants’ selections. The results showed that tool selection depended on the stimulus context (i.e., the number and lengths of the alternative tools).     

Evaluation bias against work in progress: evidence from a Spanish marketing conference

Traditionally, the literature has analyzed the existence of bias in the evaluation of papers submitted to scientific journals, but it has not considered any possible bias in the evaluation of studies submitted to conferences. In this sense we can ask whether the conferences provide an adequate service for researchers. This study examines whether there is bias in the evaluation of work in progress submitted to a conference, and also examines the explanatory factors of the evaluation. To address these questions we use information from a marketing conference. The results show that completed work receives higher reviewer ratings than work in progress; a bias that is specifically present in the evaluation of information sources, methodology and results. This bias can be explained by the simple fact of being work in progress. Additionally, the results reveal that the number of references from journals listed in the Social Citation Index Report positively influences the evaluation of research studies.     

Physical activity among Spanish adolescents: relationship with their relatives' physical activity - the AVENA study

Identifying factors related to physical activity levels in young people is important for a more efficient health promotion. The aims of this study were to assess physical activity levels in a national sample of urban Spanish adolescents, and to examine the association between significant others' physical activity (father, mother, brother, sister, and close friends) and that of the adolescents. The present study comprised 2260 adolescents (1157 boys, 1103 girls) aged 13.0-18.5 years participating in the AVENA Study. Both the adolescents' physical activity and that of their relatives and close friends was assessed by questionnaire. The odds of being active were higher in boys than girls (odds ratio?=?2.79, 95% confidence interval?=?2.34-3.33) and tended to decrease across age groups in both boys and girls. Father's and older brother's physical activity was associated with boys' physical activity, while that of any significant other was associated with girls' physical activity. When both parents reported being active, boys had nearly two times higher odds of being active and girls had nearly three times higher odds of being active. The physical activity levels of Spanish adolescents are in line with those previously reported. Physical activity levels in girls are strongly related to the physical activity of any significant other, whereas physical activity levels in boys are only related to their male relatives' physical activity.     

对高水平乒乓球运动员腿部爆发力和弹跳力的评价

乒乓球运动是一项非周期性运动,对抗过程中涉及极其复杂的战术、心理和生理因素,球员面对对手的施压需要做出快速反应,其中速度和爆发力是基本的、必备的素质.研究目的探讨乒乓球运动员腿部爆发力的重要作用.研究方法本研究选用29名优秀运动员为实验对象,其中包括17名男性(年龄23.5±5.5岁)和12位女性(年龄20.8±2.9岁),均为西班牙国家乒乓球队成员.采用测力台(Ergotester Globus)、Acer笔记本电脑和一些登记册对运动员进行了全蹲跳(CMJ)和半蹲跳(SJ)测试,并对腿部爆发力和弹跳力进行了评价.实验数据的统计处理由SPSS v12.0和Excel v 10.2软件完成.研究结果在腿部爆发力和弹跳力方面,男女组存在显著性差异(p＜0.001),男运动员优于女性运动员.同样,不同打法的选手之间也存在差异,防守型打法的选手都低于进攻型选手.讨论和结论在CMJ和SJ测试中,防守型打法的选手腿部爆发力和弹跳力均低于进攻型选手.在实验中成绩较好的男女选手,排名均在西班牙前十二以内,进一步证实了腿部爆发力在此项运动中的重要性,尤其对进攻型打法的选手.其原因可归结为血液中所含睾丸激素水平的高低,男选手高于女选手,进攻型选手高于防守型.     

A phenomenology of learning large: the tutorial sphere of xMOOC video lectures

The current discourse surrounding Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is powerful. Despite their rapid and widespread deployment, research has yet to confirm or refute some of the bold claims rationalizing the popularity and efficacy of these large-scale virtual learning environments. Also, MOOCs’ reputed disruptive, game-changing potential for education remains unsubstantiated. A sober counterbalance is needed, in particular, via attending to students’ everyday accounts of the complex realities of learning in these massive online courses. This article reports on an exploratory, phenomenological study of the xMOOC learning experience. Our interest was not the xMOOC experience of students in general, but in its singular, lived particularities. What we discovered was a unique and intimate tutorial sphere that seemed to develop for some xMOOC students in the context of the video lectures, an experience sometimes marked by a sense of fandom surround.