The Uses and Gratifications of Media Migration: Investigating the Activities,Motivations, and Predictors of Migration Behaviors Originating in Entertainment Television

Increasingly, media consumers follow entertainment across media; migrating from one medium to the next seeking to fulfill different needs. Using survey methods (N = 444), this exploratory research examines the underlying elements of media migration by studying the uses and gratifications of migration behavior. Specifically, findings of this survey identify migration activities, motivations, and predictors of migration. Results suggest that several of the top migration activities are strongly tied to Internet use. Findings indicate that media migration is motivated by different needs, including entertainment, escape, enlightenment, and more content-congruent exposure. Finally, amidst various predictors, the need for content-congruent exposure emerged as a strong predictor of migration.     

Oral communication skills assessment in a synchronous hybrid MBA programme: does attending face-to-face matter for US and international students?

The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill for graduates of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programmes; however, as synchronous hybrid learning becomes more common, business schools may find it challenging to assess students’ proficiency in this core area. An additional layer of complexity is added by the burgeoning enrolment of international students in this technology-enriched learning environment. The objective of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships among attendance mode (online vs. on-campus), student nationality (domestic vs. international) and oral communication assessment scores in a synchronous hybrid MBA programme. Quantitative data from 202 hybrid MBA students collected over 12 semesters revealed domestic students were rated as more proficient orators than international students when assessed face-to-face. These results, however, were not replicated when students were assessed in a synchronous online environment. Furthermore, the results indicated that international students received higher scores when their oral communication skills were assessed online compared to face-to-face. Conversely, domestic students who were assessed face-to-face had higher mean scores than the domestic students who were assessed online. The findings are discussed with respect to teaching and learning in hybrid environments, technology-mediated assessment design and accreditation practices in non-traditional programme delivery modes.     

Short‐Term Second Language and Music Training Induces Lasting Functional Brain Changes in Early Childhood

Immediate and lasting effects of music or second‐language training were examined in early childhood using event‐related potentials. Event‐related potentials were recorded for French vowels and musical notes in a passive oddball paradigm in thirty‐six 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children who received either French or music training. Following training, both groups showed enhanced late discriminative negativity (LDN) in their trained condition (music group–musical notes; French group–French vowels) and reduced LDN in the untrained condition. These changes reflect improved processing of relevant (trained) sounds, and an increased capacity to suppress irrelevant (untrained) sounds. After 1 year, training‐induced brain changes persisted and new hemispheric changes appeared. Such results provide evidence for the lasting benefit of early intervention in young children.     

Examining Change in Cortisol Patterns During the 10‐Week Transition to a New Child‐Care Setting

The transition to out‐of‐home child care brings a number of challenges for children, including complex peer interactions and extended separations from parents. Children often show a midmorning to afternoon rise in cortisol on child‐care days, compared to the typical diurnal decline seen at home. Changes in cortisol were examined in a wide age range of children (N = 168; 1.2 months to 8 years, M = 3.27 years) during the 10‐week transition to a new child‐care setting. Structural equation modeling using latent change scores showed that children experienced an increase in the cortisol rise at child care across the 10‐week transition. Furthermore, child age moderated the difference between home‐ and child‐care cortisol patterns. Findings are placed in a developmental context, and potential implications and future directions are discussed.     

Invisible Colleagues: The Informal Organization of Knowledge Production in Criminology and Criminal Justice

This study seeks to shed light on the informal process of knowledge production in criminology and criminal justice by examining acknowledgements in journal publications. Studying the structure of research collaboration among scholars may enhance our understanding of the discipline’s organization. We test hypotheses derived from prior research by analyzing acknowledgements in 786 articles from five journals in criminology and criminal justice over the last five years. As anticipated by the “invisible college” hypothesis, criminology and criminal justice scholarship contains a small group of individuals who receive a disproportionate share of acknowledgements. Additionally, we find that higher ranked and more productive scholars are awarded more acknowledgements than their lower ranked and less productive counterparts. Integrating acknowledgements as an unofficial assessment tool may improve the collective endeavor of contemporary science in our field. Overall, the influence of the “invisible colleagues,” measured by acknowledgements, demonstrates the value of collaboration in the process of knowledge production.