Children's Judgments about Psychological Harm in Social Context

72 children, ages 6 to 11 years, were presented with a series of stories involving psychological harm (name-calling) in a game context. Situations were presented in which intentions, consequences, and game context were varied, along with order of story presentation. Comparisons between acts of physical and psychological harm were also conducted. Although responses in some conditions were influenced by order of presentation, age differences were found in children's evaluations of agents' actions and recipients' reactions for psychological harm in game contexts. Younger children were more likely to ignore intentions and consequences or the recipient's perspective and to focus on contextual features (e.g., game rules). Older children were more likely to base their evaluations on intentions, or both intentions and consequences, and to take into account the recipient's perspective. Game context interacted differentially with psychological and physical harm at all ages. Evaluations of acts of physical harm were more likely than acts of psychological harm to be transformed by game context.     

Multivariate Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Parenting in Early Childhood

Objective. Caregivers play an important role in child development; in addition to instilling their norms and values in their children through socialization, caregivers modify their parenting practices in response to children’s characteristics. Previous studies have documented child genetic effects on parenting behaviors, but multivariate behavioral genetic examinations of parenting are scarce. Design. The current study examined the multivariate structure of child genetic and environmental influences on parenting in a sample of 236 individual twins aged 0–5 years, providing a total of 542 observations. Results. “Shared environments” (between-family environmental differences that are shared by twins reared in the same home, including parental characteristics, family socioeconomic status, and neighborhood characteristics) account for the majority of variation in parenting practices, whereas child genetic effects are more modest and occur more on specific parenting practices. Conclusion. Caregivers generally engage in similar parenting across children reared together and, at the same time, adjust their broad parenting approach and particularly their specific practices in response to genetically driven child characteristics. Future research may benefit from using a multidimensional framework to examine the different components and age-related transformations in these parent-driven and child-driven processes.     

How Do You Know You're Old? Gender Differences in Cues Triggering the Experience of Personal Aging

In order to evaluate the gender differences on the experience of aging, 142 individuals 50 years of age and older completed an interview regarding experiences with another individual conveying the message that they were “old.” Interviewees were asked about the type of situation, the age and gender of the response person, and the perceived intent and feelings associated with the experience. Results showed that 72.3% of the experiences could be classified into one of three categories: discount/benefit, physical features/appearance, and performance. While no gender differences were found in the location/setting of the incident, the response person, or the age of the response person, findings indicated that for men, the incident was classified as a “benefit/discount,” while for women it was classified as “physical features/appearance.” In addition, the presumed intent of the situation was viewed as negative and hurtful by women, and both genders reported that the incident made them feel self-conscious and/or elicited a negative self-assessment. These results illustrate that the self-reported experiences that make one feel old and potentially change an individual's identity are important to understand in the context of growing older as a gendered experience.     

Using Biomedically Relevant Multimedia Content in an Introductory Physics Course for Life Science and Pre-health Students

We will describe a one-quarter pilot algebra-based introductory physics course for pre-health and life science majors. The course features videos with biomedical experts and cogent biomedically inspired physics content. The materials were used in a flipped classroom as well as an all-online environment where students interacted with multimedia materials online and prior to engaging in classroom activities. Pre-lecture questions on both the medical content covered in the video media and the physics concepts in the written material were designed to engage students and probe their understanding of physics. The course featured group discussion and peer-lead instruction. Following in-class instruction, students engaged with homework assignments which explore the connections of physics and the medical field in a quantitative manner. Course surveys showed a positive response by the vast majority of students. Students largely indicated that the course helped them to make a connection between physics and the biomedical field. The biomedical focus and different course format were seen as an improvement to previous traditional physics instruction.     

Dominance, Subordination, and Concepts of Personal Entitlements in Cultural Contexts

In 2 studies, we assessed concepts of personal entitlements in more and less hierarchically organized cultures. Study 1 assessed the judgments of 88 adolescent and adult males (mean ages 17-6 and 34-7) from Druze and Jewish communities in Israel. Subjects were presented with conflict situations in which a person in a dominant position (husband, father) objects to the activities of a family member in a subordinate position (wife, daughter, son), and vice versa. Druze subjects attributed more power than Jewish subjects to husbands and fathers over wives and daughters, but concepts of personal entitlements were prominent in both groups. Study 2 assessed the judgements of Druze females (mean ages 12-10, 17-5, and 38-6). Results show that females accept the legitimacy of males' power and personal autonomy, recognize the consequences for those in subordinate positions, and regard the existing social arrangements as unfair. Overall, the findings indicate that social reasoning is heterogeneous in different types of cultures.     

Images and stories: through the eyes of at-risk college learners

In a study with at-risk Scottish college learners (n?=?81), a participatory action research method called Photovoice was strategically employed. Participant-driven photographs were used to access learners’ intimate thoughts and emotions while photograph-inspired stories were used to understand further their views and experiences. This photo-elicitation method provided access to rich and informative findings and enhanced the overall research process where photographs and narratives encouraged reciprocal validation. The study uncovered four key aspects in supporting at-risk learners: (a) overcoming psychological barriers; (b) addressing physical barriers; (c) providing adequate social support; and (d) assistance through suitable support for learning. This led to three pragmatic results: it (a) raised awareness about the plight of vulnerable learners, (b) afforded them a coordinated voice and (c) brought real benefits to both at-risk and other college learners alike. The implications of the study findings were discussed using the Human Capital Theory.     

Artistry in Education

This paper argues that the primary mission of education is the preparation of artists. The concept of artistry used here is not limited to the fine arts, but to everything made well. Well-made objects, processes and ideas, whether practical or theoretical, require aesthetic judgement, depend upon technical skill, reflect attention to proportion and depend upon imagination. The paper argues that these cognitive processes, so important in the arts, are critically important in all walks of life today. As schools are impacted by well-intentioned but often ill-informed policies that standardise and homogenise the process of schooling, artistry can serve as an important remedy to its mechanisation.     

Formative Peer Assessment of Academic Writing Between Postgraduate Students

Reciprocal paired qualitative formative peer assessment of academic writing was undertaken by 12 postgraduate students of educational psychology. Overall, staff and peer assessments showed a very similar balance between positive and negative statements, but this varied according to assessment criterion. However, only half of all detailed formative assessment statements made showed some degree of correspondence between staff and peers. Nevertheless, there was very little evidence of conflict between the views of staff and peers-rather, they focused on different details. Subjective feedback from students indicated that most found the process time consuming, intellectually challenging and socially uncomfortable, but effective in improving the quality of their own subsequent written work and developing other transferable skills. The reliability and validity of this type of peer assessment thus appeared adequate, and the partiality of overlap in detail between staff and peer assessments suggested that the triangulation peer assessment offers is likely to add value. However, caution is indicated regarding the generalisation of this finding. Implications for action are outlined.