Effect of implicit theories on judgement of cheating acceptability in physical education: The mediating role of achievement goals

Abstract

We tested a hypothetical model that examined both the effects of implicit theories of ability on the judgement of cheating acceptability in a physical education context and the mediating role of the achievement goals defined in the social-cognitive model of achievement motivation. Data were collected from 477 middle-school students, who completed measures of implicit theories of ability, achievement goals, and judgement of cheating acceptability in team sports within a cross-sectional design. The results indicated that performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals mediated the relationships between entity theory and the judgement of cheating acceptability, and mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals mediated the relationships between incremental theory and the judgement of cheating acceptability. Further research is needed to determine whether these results would be replicated with other moral variables and other contexts.     

Spatial learning by rats across visually disconnected environments

Experiments were designed in which some properties of spatial representations in rats could be examined. Adult subjects were trained to escape through a hole at a fixed position in a large circular arena (see Schenk, 1989). The experiments were conducted in the dark, with a limited number of controlled visual light cues, in order to assess the minimal cue requirement for place learning. Three light cues identical in shape, height, and distance from the table were used. Depending on the condition, they were either permanently on or alternatively on or off, contingent on the position of the rat in the field. Two questions were asked: (1) How many identical visual cues were necessary for spatial discrimination in the dark, and (2) could rats integrate the relative positions of separate cues, under conditions in which the rat was never allowed to perceive all three cues simultaneously. The results suggest that rats are able to achieve a place discrimination task even if the three cues necessary for efficient orientation can never be seen simultaneously. A dissociation between the discrimination of the spatial position of the goal and the capacity to reach it by a direct path suggests that, with a reduced number of cues, prolonged locomotion might be required for accurate orientation in the environment.     

“I’m not scientifically gifted,I’m a girl”: implicit measures of gender-science stereotypes – preliminary evidence

Students often have a negative view on science, particularly women. Furthermore, academic level in math and science is usually considered as an innate ability. The aims of the study were to create an Implicit Association Test (IAT) in order to highlight the stereotype that science is innate, to identify if the gender of the participants impacts the results of this implicit measure and to compare self-report and implicit measures. Results showed that (1) science and innate are more easily associated in the IAT than liberal arts and innate, (2) women have a higher association of science and innate than men in the IAT (that is not the case in self-report measures).     

Why Does Infant Stepping Disappear and Can It Be Stimulated by Optic Flow?

Two independent experiments (n = 22 and n = 22) showed that 2‐month‐old infants displayed significantly more stepping movements when supported upright in the air than when supported with their feet contacting a surface. Air‐ and surface‐stepping kinematics were quite similar (Experiment 2). In addition, when data were collapsed across both experiments, more air steps and more donkey kicks were seen when infants were exposed to optic flows that specified backward compared to forward translation. The findings challenge the currently accepted heavy legs explanation for the disappearance of stepping at 2 months of age and raise new questions about the visual control of stepping.     

'A Quiet Place' Project: an of Early Therapeutic Intervention within Mainstream Schools

This paper discusses the nature of the therapeutic intervention provided by A Quiet Place project, outlining its aims, objectives, philosophy and intervention protocol. In line with the requirements of the action research paradigm according to which the project was established, this article evaluates the changes and developments that have occurred since its inception. Noting the strengths and weaknesses of the pilot study, the present study reports on the internal and external monitoring procedures, extending the latter via the development of observation scales specific to the nature of the intervention. Participants (N=54) were matched with a non–participant control group on variables of gender, age and background. Data were collected before and after the six week intervention period, producing an index of change on a bipolar scale of positive and negative behaviours. An independent samples t–test revealed that the overall change observed was statistically significant (p<0.001), while analysis by behaviour category, gender, age and reason for referral provided greater detail for the meaningful interpretation of results. Fran Renwick, a lecturer at the University of Liverpool Department of Education, and Bob Spalding, senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool Department of Education, conclude that these overwhelmingly positive results need to be treated with cautious optimism, pending longer–term follow–up data to determine the degree to which gains are maintained over time.