An Investigation of First- versus Third-Person Risk Narrative Processing Through the Lens of the Heuristic-Systematic Model

This online experiment analyzed the effect of first- versus third-person risk narratives on 235 female college students’ affect, attitudes, risk perceptions and thoughts regarding tanning beds through the lens of the heuristic-systematic model. Participants receiving a third-person narrative reported a greater number of systematic thoughts as compared to those receiving a first-person narrative. Regardless of condition, participants reported significantly more systematic thoughts as compared to heuristic thoughts. Narrative researchers should take note that not all narratives may be processed in a heuristic manner as largely proposed by past research. Future research should delve further into the reasons why third-person messages may be processed higher along the heuristic-systematic continuum.     

The Human Figure Drawings of Normal Children and Those with Mild Learning Difficulties

The human figure drawings of 18 children with mild learning difficulties (MLD) were compared with those of 18 children with the same chronological age (mean 10 years, 4 months) and those of 18 children with the same mental age (mean 6 years, 0 months). The MLD children's drawings were similar to those of the 6‐year‐olds in terms of the number of developmental items they displayed; both these groups scored significantly lower than the 10‐year‐olds. Teachers could easily distinguish the 10‐year‐olds’ figures, but not those drawn by the MLD children and the 6‐year‐olds; they routinely confused the two. These findings suggest that, although their development is slower, MLD children follow a normal rather than a deviant developmental pattern.     

Influence of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on running and jumping performance during early morning soccer scrimmaging

Carbohydrate mouth rinse (CMR) is a novel method proposed to enhance endurance performance lasting ≤ 60 min. The current study examined the influence of CMR on anaerobic performance tasks in 11 collegiate female soccer players after an overnight fast. Athletes completed two experimental sessions, during which carbohydrate (CHO; 6% maltodextrin) or taste- and colour-matched placebo (PLA) mouth-rinse solutions were administered in a counterbalanced, double-blinded design. Three rounds of a 5-min scrimmage bout and series of performance tests including a single countermovement vertical jump (1VJ), a set of four consecutive vertical jumps, a 72-m shuttle run (SR72) and 18-m sprint comprised each trial. Thirst sensation (TS), session TS, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and session RPE were assessed as secondary outcomes. The first SR72 approached significance (p = 0.069), but no significant between-trials differences were observed for any of the mean performance tasks. The highest 1VJ scores did not differ for the first (CHO = 47.3 ± 3.4, PLA = 47.7 ± 3.5 cm; p = 0.43), second (CHO = 48.0 ± 4.1, PLA = 47.9 ± 3.5 cm; p = 0.82) or third bout (CHO = 47.4 ± 3.9, PLA = 48.1 ± 3.9 cm; p = 0.26). TS approached significance (p = 0.053) during the first bout. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found for any of the perceptual variables. Current results fail to support ergogenic influence of CMR on anaerobic performance tasks in collegiate female athletes.     

Travelling Stories: Selling Translation Rights of Afrikaans Fiction to Dutch Publishers

Publications in minority languages have a very limited audience. Their reach can be extended through the sales of translation rights. This article reports on the results of an exploratory study conducted on the selling of translation rights of Afrikaans fiction to Dutch publishers [3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 22]. Using case studies of two bestselling Afrikaans authors, we identified a set of non-literary factors influencing the selling of translation rights from a South African trade publisher’s perspective. Attention is paid to the criteria for selecting books with translation rights potential. This area of publishing is still in its development stage in South Africa, and a lack of human resources, financial resources and support infrastructure are evident. These factors inhibit the visibility of Afrikaans literature world-wide. However, it is argued that awareness and training in this field, as well as revised strategies, could extend the reading and buying market of Afrikaans popular fiction authors over time.     

University alumni mentoring programs: a win-win?

Alumni-student mentoring programs have become commonplace at many universities, and yet, scholarly research has rarely explored the impact of these programs on participating students and alumni. To address this, we investigated three alumni mentoring programs at a large research-intensive university in Australia. Using a mixed methods approach (a web based survey and interviews), we sought both students' and mentors' perceptions of their alumni mentoring program and how their involvement may have impacted their perceptions of the university (n=197). The findings highlight that alumni mentoring programs provide distinct benefits to both students and alumni and may result in improved university engagement. Our results also indicate new revelations about alumni mentoring programs, including the challenges associated with mentoring postgraduate students and recommended best practice to ensure the success of alumni mentoring programs.     

Helicopter Parenting: The Effect of an Overbearing Caregiving Style on Peer Attachment and Self‐Efficacy

Helicopter parenting, an observed phenomenon on college campuses, may adversely affect college students. The authors examined how helicopter parenting is related to self‐efficacy and peer relationships among 190 undergraduate students ages 16 to 28 years. Helicopter parenting was associated with low self‐efficacy, alienation from peers, and a lack of trust among peers. Implications are provided for counselors and psychologists in college‐ and university‐based counseling centers to help them to understand and provide assessment and treatment for adult children of helicopter parents.