Thinking about Fantasy: Are Children Fundamentally Different Thinkers and Believers from Adults?

Young children are often viewed as being unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. This article reviews research on both children's and adults beliefs about' fantasy as well as their tendency to engage in what is thought of as "magical thinking." It is suggested that children are not fundamentally different from adults in their ability to distinguish fantasy from reality: Both children and adults entertain fantastical beliefs and also engage in magical thinking. Suggestions are offered as to how children and adults may differ in this domain, and an agenda for future research is offered.     

The Privileged Status of Knowing Mechanistic Information: An Early Epistemic Bias

Four studies with 180 5–7 year olds, 165 8–11 year olds and 199 adults show that young children appreciate the distinctive role played by mechanistic explanations in tracking causal patterns. Young children attributed greater knowledge to individuals offering mechanistic reasons for a claim than others who provide equally detailed nonmechanistic reasons. In Study 1, 5–7 year olds attributed greater knowledge to those offering mechanistic reasons. In Studies 2 and 3, all ages (5–7 and adults for Study 2; 5–7, 8–11 and adults for Study 3) assigned greater knowledge to those offering mechanistic reasons about causally central features than those offering nonmechanistic reasons. In Study 4, all ages (5–7, 8–11, adults) modulated the epistemic bias as a function of embedding goals.     

Mobility as a Mediator of the Effects of Child Maltreatment on Academic Performance

This study examined the role of residential and school mobility as a mediator between child maltreatment and academic outcomes. Using a sample of 711 maltreated and nonmaltreated children ranging from 5 to 15 years old matched on gender, grade, school, and socioeconomic status, path analytic techniques were employed to assess direct and indirect effects of maltreatment on recent achievement test scores, current grades, and grade repetitions. The results indicated that mobility did help account for the effects of maltreatment on each of the outcomes. For grades in English/reading, 32.7% of the effect of maltreatment was accounted for by amount of mobility, while for test scores and grade repetitions the numbers were 14.6% and 19.1%, respectively.     

A pedagogical alliance for trust,wellbeing and the identification of errors for learning and formative assessment

Formative assessments and feedback are vital to enhancing learning outcomes but require that learners feel at ease identifying their errors, and receiving feedback from a trusted source – teachers. An experimental test of a new theoretical framework was conducted to cultivate a pedagogical alliance to enhance students’ (a) trust in the teacher, (b) well-being in the learning environment and (c) identification of confusion and errors for the purpose of learning, assessment and feedback. A sample of 101 undergraduate students was randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 51) or control (n = 50) condition in Elementary Statistics. Results indicated that a pedagogical alliance could be created to enhance student trust in the instructor, leading students to report greater well-being and a higher number of potential areas of confusion in their understanding of new content material relative to a control group. These results have implications for formative feedback, assessments, and by extension learning outcomes.     

An exposure effect opposes flavor-nutrient learning

When a caloric substance is followed by a flavored substance, preference for the flavor that followed the calories can increase because of a flavor-nutrient association. We showed here that this effect is opposed by a fullness effect: consuming the caloric substance itselfreduces-consuniption of the flavor that follows. Because consumption of this flavor was less than consumption of a flavor that was given alone, there was a reduced preference for the flavor that followed the calories—an effect opposing flavor-nutrient learning. The preference for the flavor that was given alone and consumed in greater amounts seems to be due to exposure per se and is not a result of contrast. When the amount of the flavor given alone was directly controlled so that it was one half the amount of the flavor that followed the calories, preference for the flavor following the calories was no higher than when consumption of the two flavors was equal. Thus, exposure can interfere with flavor-nutrient learning, but does not enhance it.     

Obtaining more out of less text in CBI: Effects of varied text density levels as a function of learner characteristics and control strategy

Learning from expository text in computer-based instruction (CBI) was examined as a function of text density level (high, low, or learner-controlled) and learner characteristics in achievement, attitudes, and reading ability. Low-density text was found to be as effective for learning as high-density text, but was more popular among students and also reduced completion time. The highest achievement was obtained in the learner-control condition, with low-ability readers showing a greater tendency to select high-density text than did high-ability readers. Reading ability was also positively related to achievement in learning from high-density computer text and to preferences for learning from CBI relative to print. Based on the resulte, use of low-density text is suggested as a standard feature or learner-control option for CBI lessons.     

Development and evaluation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) best care practices in long-term care online training program

ABSTRACT

We developed online training modules focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) designed to improve best care practices in long-term care settings, such as nursing homes, as a part of a federal grant focused on improving geriatric education for interprofessional (collaboration among different professions providing patient care) team members working in primary care settings. Faculty and clinicians with ADRD-expertise created and implemented an online asynchronous “ADRD Best Care Practices in Long-Term Care” program that includes audio-visual recorded presentations, a threaded case study, and supplemental information. Prior to enrolling in the course, participants complete a demographic survey and a modified 15-item version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale. After completing the modules, participants complete a satisfaction survey and the ADKS. A total of 94 participants completed both the pre- and post-surveys. Satisfaction evaluation data showed that the majority of participants reported that the information presented was very clear (74.5%), was useful for their work (88.3%), and would improve the care that they provide to their geriatric patients (93.6%). Out of 15 possible.