Schedule control of eating by fixed-time schedules of water presentation

Eating was measured in water-deprived rats when water was presented at regular intervals ranging from 30 to 240 sec. The temporal patterning of eating resembled that of schedule-induced behavior in that the probability of eating was high early in the interval and declined in the end of the interval. Additionally, (a) the number of pellets consumed was controlled by relative time in the interwater interval, (b) the pellets consumed per water presentation was inversely related to water rate, and (c) food-ingestion rate was directly related to water rate. These relationships parallel those found with behavior regarded as schedule induced.     

Social capital and relationship maintenance: uses of social media among the South Asian Diaspora in the U.S.

This study uses the framework of bridging and bonding social capital to explore how South Asian immigrants to the U.S. negotiate relationships amongst three social groups: their ties in their home country, their ties to Americans, and their ties to other South Asian immigrants living in the U.S. In so doing, it develops a model for immigrant social media use that contributes to an ongoing reassessment of the notion of community.     

Birth and Adoptive Parent Antisocial Behavior and Parenting: A Study of Evocative Gene–Environment Correlation

Negative parenting is shaped by the genetically influenced characteristics of children (via evocative rGE) and by parental antisocial behavior; however, it is unclear how these factors jointly impact parenting. This study examined the effects of birth parent and adoptive parent antisocial behavior on negative parenting. Participants included 546 families within a prospective adoption study. Adoptive parent antisocial behavior emerged as a small but significant predictor of negative parenting at 18 months and of change in parenting from 18 to 27 months. Birth parent antisocial behavior predicted change in adoptive father's (but not mother's) parenting over time. These findings highlight the role of parent characteristics and suggest that evocative rGE effects on parenting may be small in magnitude in early childhood.     

Working against globalisation: the role of the media and national education in Singapore

This article discusses how the media and schools are used as disciplinary apparatuses to resist and work against globalisation in Singapore. Aihwa Ong calls the deployment of state ideological apparatuses, such as the media and schools, acts of ‘reassemblage’, when technocrats resort to assemble institutions, diverse Government practice and political values to engage in citizenship production. The National Education curriculum package introduced to Singapore schools is one example of ‘reassemblage’, which aims to reinvent subject‐citizens who are perceived as lacking cultural mooring and a national identity. I argue that in the context of globalisation, this cultural experimentation of constructing a national identity and creating a sense of belonging is fraught with ruptures, as ‘youthscapes’ and new communication technologies are potentially the liminal spaces where other sources of identities are up for grabs. These liminal spaces further allow youths to perform ‘elective belonging’ rather than a sense of belonging bound by the ‘national’ and ‘local’.     

Specific spelling disability: Factual or artifactual?

The research reported in this paper attempted to find whether the so called poor spellers who are good readers are indeed good readers or if this impression is misleading. Three college students who appeared to be poor spellers but good readers were tested using a variety of techniques. It was found that the three subjects were indeed inefficient readers who committed numerous errors in reading function words, low frequency and unfamiliar words, and pronounceable nonwords. Not being proficient in the phonological conversion of print, these subjects depend excessively on an orthographic sight reading strategy which hinders accurate reading. There appears to be a trade off between speed and comprehension in reading and by slowing down considerably, the poor spellers but good readers attain an acceptable level of comprehension. It was concluded that reading aloud and spelling involve phonological mediation and, therefore, are not completely dissociable.     

Using asynchronous discussion to support preservice teachers’ practicum experiences

Conclusion This multi-genre writing, multimedia, co-inquiry project produced successful end products. The middle school students gained experience in writing in a variety of genres, communicating through multiple media, and using education technology to do so. Likewise, the pre-service teachers developed their skills in these same areas. More importantly for our preservice teachers they gained teaching experience and had a chance to interact with students in the role of the teacher. This success would not have been achieved without the collaboration and cooperation of many individuals as well as access to the required technologies. The asynchronous discussion board was an important part of that success. This mode of telecommunications facilitated increased social and substantive interactions between the middle school students and the preservice teachers from the beginning to the end of the project. With careful consideration of the points and questions we present here, we hope that you will be able to adopt or adapt this mode of telecommunications to add value to your pre-service teachers’ teaching experiences and interactions with K-12 students.     

A longitudinal examination of students’ health behaviours during their first year at university

During the transition from school to higher education, young adults experience a substantial amount of change where they progress from the highly controlled setting of school to the autonomous and self-motivated environment of university. Time spent at university is considered a critical period during which young adults establish a clear sense of identity, which can include forming positive health behaviours such as regular physical activity. The transition from school to university also involves a number of changes that can impact on the mental well-being of students including financial concerns, academic pressures and a lack of social support. Our aim was to longitudinally examine the physical activity levels and mental well-being of Scottish students during their first year at university. Participants were 48 first-year students (males, n = 24; females, n = 24) aged 18–19 years enrolled at two Scottish universities in the UK. At entry to university (semester 1) participants completed a validated self-report measure of physical activity and measures of anxiety and depression. Participants’ physical activity levels were assessed for seven days via accelerometry. Participants completed the same measures six months later (semester 2). Daily moderate physical activity levels decreased across the semesters yet perceptions of mental well-being remained stable. There was a significant increase in hip and waist circumferences across the semesters. The first year of university is a critical period for establishing positive health behaviours and there is a need for universities to actively encourage physical activity as an integral part of university life.     

Radicalizing the college classroom

Peter Shaw is editor ofAcademic Questions and, most recently, Will and Ariel Durant Professor of Humanities at Saint Peter's College.