The Role of Cognitive Appraisal and Friendship Provisions in Adolescents' Affect and Motivation toward Activity in Physical Education

Abstract

This study investigated the mediational role of affect in the influence of perceived success, causal attributions, and friendship provisions on choice and future expectancies for success and enjoyment, using a multi-sample structural equation modeling approach. Subjects were 422 seventh- and eighth-grade students participating in physical education classes. Higher levels of perceived success, personally controllable attributions, companionship, and esteem support were found to positively influence levels of affect experienced, which in turn enhanced future expectancies for success and enjoyment in physical education and choices to participate in physical activity outside of school. Furthermore, participation experience outside of school influenced, adolescents' perceptions within the physical education setting and their consequent affect and motivation.     

Validation of Criterion-Referenced Standards for Tests of Arm and Shoulder Girdle Strength and Endurance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish criterion-referenced standards for selected tests of arm and shoulder girdle strength and endurance for college females. Several popular tests of arm and shoulder girdle strength and endurance were administered to equal numbers of trained and untrained college females (N = 92) to generate data for the analysis. The contrasting groups method (Berk, 1976; Safrit & Wood, 1990) yielded the following criterion cutoff scores that classified college females as trained or untrained on the basis of regular upper arm and shoulder girdle resistance training: pull-ups = .5 repetitions (reps), 90° push-ups = 16 reps, flexed arm hang = 5s, seated chest press = 24.5 kg, seated biceps curl = 16.4 kg, seated lat pull (latissmus dorsi pull-down) = 38.2 kg, absolute strength index = 86.4 kg, and relative strength index = .6 kg per kg of body weight. Cross-validation of the standards on an independent sample of college females (N = 112) suggested stability of the cutoff scores for pull-ups, flexed arm hang, and relative strength.     

Enhancing Motor Learning Through Dyad Practice

Abstract

It has been shown that practice in dyads, as compared to individual practice, can enhance motor learning and increase the efficiency of practice (as two participants can be trained at the same time; Shea, Wulf, &; Whitacre, 1999). The dyad practice protocol used by Shea et al. included both observation and dialogue between partners. Thus, it was not clear whether the learning benefits of dyad practice were due to observation, dialogue, or both. The present study examined the individual and interactive effects of observation and dialogue. The task used was speed cup stacking. Participants practiced under one of four conditions: observation/dialogue, observation/no dialogue, no observation/dialogue, and no observation/no dialogue. The two conditions that included observational practice were more effective (i.e., produced faster movement times) than the two conditions without it, both during practice and on a retention test performed under individual performance conditions. This suggests that the learning advantages of dyad practice are primarily due to the opportunity to observe another learner.     

辨析中国专利制度中的禁止反悔规则 《最高人民法院关于审理侵犯专利权纠纷案件应用法律若干问题的解释》中关于“无效宣告程序中放弃的技术”的规定及相关案例分析

我国现在的专利制度似乎正在实施所谓的全面禁止反悔规则。一方面,在专利侵权诉讼中,专利权人可因专利申请过程中或者专利无效宣告程序中所作的限缩性修改和陈述而被禁止反悔,另一方面,在专利无效宣告程序和专利无效诉讼程序中,他又可因自己在专利侵权法律程序中的陈述而被禁止反     

Phonological recoding,orthographic decoding,and comprehension skills during reading acquisition

To become skillful readers, children have to acquire the ability to translate printed words letter by letter into phonemic representations (phonological recoding) and the ability to recognize the written word forms holistically (orthographical decoding). Whereas phonological recoding is the key for learning to read and useful for recognizing unknown or low-frequent words, orthographical decoding is often more efficient and takes less time, thus facilitating reading processes on the sentence and text level. Several studies with English-speaking children provided evidence for the relevance of the two routes but the question whether and to what extent both word recognition skills contribute to reading comprehension in young German readers requires further clarification. Based on data from a cross-sectional study with German primary school children we investigated whether and to what extent both types of word recognition skills are associated with sentence (N = 666) and text comprehension skills (N = 149) and how these relationships develop from Grade 2 to 4. The results indicate that both phonological recoding skills and orthographical decoding skills are important for reading comprehension skills. Their relative weight does not change across grade levels.     

Two Are Better Than One: The Joint Influence of Maternal Preparedness for Parenting and Children's Self-Esteem on Academic Achievement and Adjustment

Research Findings: This study investigated the joint influence of maternal cognitive readiness to parent and children's self-esteem on children's academic achievement and behavioral adjustment in the classroom at age 10. Participants were 153 adolescent mothers and their firstborn children. Findings indicated that low levels of prenatal maternal cognitive readiness to parent were associated with impairments in children's achievement and adjustment at age 10, regardless of the children's level of self-esteem. Among dyads in which mothers were more cognitively prepared for the parenting role, however, children with higher self-esteem showed notably better achievement and adjustment compared to those with lower self-esteem. These results illustrate the joint influence of mothers' preparedness for parenting and children's self-esteem on the school performance of children who are generally considered to be at high risk for impairments in achievement and adjustment. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed in terms of the enduring impact of cognitive readiness to parent and self-esteem on the academic achievement and behavioral adjustment of at-risk children, with a focus on implications for intervention and prevention based on the specific findings from this study.     

Acquisition and extinction of runway performance under escape,avoidance, and partial-avoidance procedures

The acquisition and extinction of locomotor responses of rats in a straight alley were examined for groups trained under escape, partial-avoidance, and avoidance procedures. During acquisition, one group (escape) received a 0-sec delay between being dropped into the alley and the onset of shock; two groups (partial avoidance) had 0.5- and 1-sec delays; and two groups (avoidance) had delays of 2 and 4 sec. On the final day of acquisition, the partial-avoidance rats displayed higher running speeds than either the escape- or avoidance-trained animals. The 4-sec avoidance group was consistently slower than all other groups. Speeds for all groups decreased during extinction, with rate of decline showing some relation to terminal acquisition level. Relative group performance levels proved to be consistent with a simple arithmetic model based on the assumption that changes in running speeds affect the aversiveness of the situation by altering US duration, CS duration, and effective US length.     

On modeling and analyzing multi-agent systems using n-calculus

Dynamic architecture of multi-agent systems （MAS） is important for critical systems. As the existing formal specifications of MAS cannot describe its dynamic architecture, a formal approach using n-calculus is presented, which is suited for the describing and analyzing of concurrent MAS with dynamic topology, n-calculus describes the belief-desireintention （BDI） model that represents agent＇s mental states and provides many useful facilities to analyze MAS model such as deadlock, behavior equivalence, and model checking. To illustrate the favorable representation capability of n-calculus, an example of dynamic multi-agent systems in e-commerce is provided. Finally, by using an existing n-calculus supporting tool, MAS model and some key behaviors properties are analyzed and verified.