Children’s Memory: A Primer for Understanding Behavior

This paper provides the opportunity to understand children’s behavior from a memory viewpoint. For the last three decades, cognitive developmentalists have been asking the question, “what develops in children’s memory?” Four answers to this question are presented, complete with explanations, examples, and possible applications where appropriate. The purpose of the paper is to provide early childhood educators and other practitioners who work with children a different lens through which to view children’s behavior. The memory view is compatible with current best practices in early childhood education, and may provide practitioners an additional viewpoint from which to draw when implementing developmentally appropriate practice.     

Usefulness of cognitive intervention programmes for socio-emotional and behaviour problems in children with learning disabilities

Behavioural and emotional problems occur more frequently in children with learning problems than in a cross-section of the general population, both at home and at school. While behaviour problems reportedly are a key obstructive factor impeding inclusive education, children with both behavioural and learning disabilities carry a high risk of social exclusion and school dropout when they are in mainstream environments. Meta-analyses indicated only a moderate impact of social skills training. To see what kind of intervention programme would be effective in modifying cognitive as well as socio-emotional behaviour and at the same time focusing on contextual interaction and intervention, a pilot study has been carried out in Belgium with 11–13-year-old students with learning disability and behaviour problems in special schools. A total of 24 children in the experimental group were matched against a control group of 24. Children in the experimental group, after having received 14 lessons of FIE (Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Programme), showed a marked increase in some cognitive functions (hypothetical thinking, perception and understanding of humour) but not in others. A significant effect on socio-emotional behaviour could not be shown quantitatively, but was evident from qualitative interviewing. The mediating attitude of the teachers was a key influencing factor in producing lasting changes. Programmes such as FIE, provided they address children as well as teachers in a comprehensive way, focusing on cognitive as well as socio-emotional behavioural changes, may become powerful instruments to help children as well as teachers in a highly differentiated inclusive school environment.     

小学生自我概念训练的实验研究

通过Piers-Harris儿童自我概念量表筛选出三至五年级低自我概念的学生,实验组接受认知训练,控制组不接受训练。认知训练以后,三个年级的实验组的自我概念水平提高的幅度均比控制组的幅度要大,经统计检验,差异都非常显著。这表明:(1)认知训练可提高学生的自我概念水平;(2)小学三到五年级自我概念水平的训练效果不存在年龄差异;(3)小学三到五年级自我概念的训练效果不存在性别差异。     

Promoting cognitive and social aspects of inquiry through classroom discourse

We investigated how Chinese physics teachers structured classroom discourse to support the cognitive and social aspects of inquiry-based science learning. Regarding the cognitive aspect, we examined to what extent the cognitive processes underlying the scientific skills and the disciplinary reasoning behind the content knowledge were taught. Regarding the social aspect, we examined how classroom discourse supported student learning in terms of students' opportunities to talk and interaction patterns. Our participants were 17 physics teachers who were actively engaged in teacher education programs in universities and professional development programs in local school districts. We analyzed one lesson video from each participating teacher. The results suggest both promises and challenges. Regarding the cognitive aspect of inquiry, the teachers in general recognized the importance of teaching the cognitive processes and disciplinary reasoning. However, they were less likely to address common intuitive ideas about science concepts and principles. Regarding the social aspect of inquiry, the teachers frequently interacted with students in class. However, it appeared that facilitating conversations among students and prompting students to talk about their own ideas are challenging. We discuss the implications of these findings for teacher education programs and professional development programs in China.     

图形—背景理论解读英语中动结构的语义基础

从认知语言学的视角探讨英语中动结构的认知语义基础,运用“图形—背景理论”对中动结构及其相应的被动语态进行比较分析。本文认为两种句型结构虽都表达了被动意义,但由于某种原因1)即使图形相同,充当的角色也不同;2)背景不同,凸显程度及其所起作用亦不同;3)后景的凸显程度也不同这三种情形而导致两种句型结构的语义并不相同。     

组成于平行机和批处理机的二阶段混合流水作业问题

A hybrid two-stage flowshop scheduling problem was considered which involves m identical parallel machines at Stage 1 and a burn-in processor M at Stage 2, and the makespan was taken as the minimization objective. This scheduling problem is NP-hard in general. We divide it into eight subcases. Except for the following two subcases： （1） b≥ an, max{m, B} 〈 n; （2） a1 ≤ b ≤ an, m ≤ B 〈 n, for all other subcases, their NP-hardness was proved or pointed out, corresponding approximation algorithms were conducted and their worst-case performances were estimated. In all these approximation algorithms, the Multifit and PTAS algorithms were respectively used, as the jobs were scheduled in m identical parallel machines.     

An Examination of Text Complexity as Characterized by Readability and Cohesion

To better understand dimensions of text complexity and their effect on the comprehension of adolescents, 103 high school seniors were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Each group read versions of the same 2 informational passages and answered comprehension test items targeting factual recall and inferences of causal content. Group A passages had a challenging readability level and high cohesion; Group B passages had an easier readability and low cohesion; Group C passages had a challenging readability level and low cohesion; and Group D passages had an easier readability and high cohesion. Students in Group D significantly outperformed students in Group C (g = 0.78). Although the effect sizes of comparisons among all groups ranged from g = 0.13 to 0.73, no other comparisons were statistically significant. Results indicate that adolescents’ reading comprehension is dually influenced by a text's readability and cohesion. Implications for matching readers to instructional text are discussed.     

论认知语境与英语多媒体教学的整合与同构

自上世纪末,我国语言学界掀起了研究认知语言学热潮,尤其是对认知语境与关联理论在对语言教学的指导方面推崇备致,而多媒体在语言教学中的作用却受到了某些人士的质疑。本文的目的在于揭示认知语境和关联理论在指导教学中的局限性,并通过多媒体与传统教学手段进行比照,说明多媒体教学比传统教学更能有效地解决认知语境与关联理论的这一局限性。     

认知语境及其与传统语境的比较

认知语境在传统语境的概念上发展而来。是在研究语境问题时。把人的认知能力和语境结合起来。认知语境把传统语境所包含的内容结构化和认知化。它不但包含了传统语境研究的内容，而且包含语言使用者大脑中所有关于世界的假设以及认知处理能力。形成一个心理建构体，为语用推理提供了一个平台。和传统语境相比。认知语境更清楚、更有说服力地解释了语境对于语篇理解的作用机制。     

认知语境下动态介词to和from的解析

介词虽是虚词,在句子中不作任何独立成分,但有些介词具有动态意义,可表现出动作的过程、趋向等。以to和from两个方向性运动介词为例,运用语用学和认知语言学有关理论成果——认知语境,对其进行阐释。