Preschoolers use intentional and pedagogical cues to guide inductive inferences and exploration

Children are judicious social learners. They may be particularly sensitive to communicative actions done pedagogically for their benefit, as such actions may mark important, generalizable information. Three experiments (N = 224) found striking differences in preschoolers’ inductive generalization and exploration of a novel functional property, depending on whether identical evidence for the property was produced accidentally, intentionally, or pedagogically and communicatively. Results also revealed that although 4‐year‐olds reserved strong generalizations for a property that is pedagogically demonstrated, 3‐year‐olds made such inferences when it was produced either intentionally or pedagogically. These findings suggest that by age 4 children assess whether evidence is produced for their benefit in gauging generalizability, giving them a powerful tool for acquiring important kind‐relevant, generic knowledge.     

Developing the reflective practitioner: placement and the ways of knowing of business and accounting undergraduates

This study aims to identify how students' epistemological beliefs or ways of knowing (comprising cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects) develop during work-based placement. Data comprise 32 semi-structured interviews with 17 business and accounting students at a UK university. Findings show that the taking of responsibility is the key stimulus for development: intrapersonally through a changing sense of self and interpersonally though changing relationships with others. A lack of cognitive development appears to arise from a student focus on how they participate within the workplace, rather than on their workplace practice. These findings support the need for a connective view of the curriculum: strengthening connections between formal (university) learning and informal (placement) learning, and between ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ development. In particular, there should be an emphasis on the student's ability to identify relationships between work experience, the knowledge and skills that underpin practice, as well as the context of participation.     

The Modern Olympic Games: Fanfare and Philosophy, 1896–1972

Women attained leadership roles within the American Physical Education Association much earlier than in organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Physiological Society. Women also were members of the American Academy of Physical Education before its official founding in 1930. Archival records and responses by current members suggest that, for most part, they believe that their experiences have been positive. Since 1941, 18 women have been elected AAKPE president. Between 1951, when the publishing of papers/responses at annual meetings began, and 1979, contributions by women ranged from about 33-44%. Since 1980, the percentage has declined as has the number of women elected to Academy membership. This paper presents a brief history of women within the AAKPE and suggests possible reasons for the recent decline.     

A Prelude to the Rise of Sport: Ante-bellum America, 1850–1860

This paper analyzes the Olympic dilemma from the perspective of social psychology. Specifically, the contact theory is applied to the interaction of organizers, athletes, and spectators at the Olympic Games. The literature investigating the relationship between interaction and the development of positive feelings among participants is reviewed and, where possible, hypotheses based upon the contact theory are developed. Finally, changes are suggested in the Olympic format which would increase the opportunities for positive outcomes from interaction.     

Young Children’s Thinking About Decomposition: Early Modeling Entrees to Complex Ideas in Science

This study was part of a multi-year project on the development of elementary students’ modeling approaches to understanding the life sciences. Twenty-three first grade students conducted a series of coordinated observations and investigations on decomposition, a topic that is rarely addressed in the early grades. The instruction included in-class observations of different types of soil and soil profiling, visits to the school’s compost bin, structured observations of decaying organic matter of various kinds, study of organisms that live in the soil, and models of environmental conditions that affect rates of decomposition. Both before and after instruction, students completed a written performance assessment that asked them to reason about the process of decomposition. Additional information was gathered through one-on-one interviews with six focus students who represented variability of performance across the class. During instruction, researchers collected video of classroom activity, student science journal entries, and charts and illustrations produced by the teacher. After instruction, the first-grade students showed a more nuanced understanding of the composition and variability of soils, the role of visible organisms in decomposition, and environmental factors that influence rates of decomposition. Through a variety of representational devices, including drawings, narrative records, and physical models, students came to regard decomposition as a process, rather than simply as an end state that does not require explanation.     

State-Space Modeling of Dynamic Psychological Processes via the Kalman Smoother Algorithm: Rationale,Finite Sample Properties,and Applications

This article presents a state-space modeling (SSM) technique for fitting process factor analysis models directly to raw data. The Kalman smoother via the expectation-maximization algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood parameter estimates is used. To examine the finite sample properties of the estimates in SSM when common factors are involved, a Monte Carlo study is conducted. Results indicate that the estimates of factor loading matrix, transition matrix, and unique variances were asymptotically normal, accurate, precise, and robust, especially for moderate and long time series. The estimates of state residual variances were positively biased for shorter time series, but as the length of series increased, these estimates became accurate and precise. To illustrate the application of SSM the technique is applied to empirical multivariate time-series data on daily affect collected from 2 individuals in a dating couple.     

PART III: KINANTHROPOMETRY

Whole-body bone mineral density and bone mineral mass in young adult rugby union players.     

The control of keypecks during automaintenance by prekeypeck omission training

Measures of pigeons’ prekeypecking (pecking in front of the response key) during automaintenance sessions with keypeck omission contingencies indicate that prekeypecks occur frequently and are often followed by grain delivery. When the omission procedure is extended to prevent food delivery following any trial on which prekeypecks occur within 2 in. of the response key, keypecking is not maintained. These results are taken to suggest that the automaintenance keypeck is part of a sequence of approach behaviors, including prekeypecks. The persistence of keypecking during automaintenance schedules appears to result from the adventitious reinforcement of prekeypecks close to the response key, and the effectiveness of the omission procedure seems to depend upon the extent of the approach behaviors which result in omission.