Report of a psychological assessment in a school setting

Guidelines are provided for the effective writing of psychoeducational reports based on a review of the literature and logical analysis. The literature on psychological assessment was selectively reviewed in terms of implications for effective writing of reports in a school setting. The literature reviewed consists of three broad areas: (a) surveys of consumers' opinions regarding various aspects of assessment reports; (b) research studies examining the content, format, and clarity of assessment interpretations; and (c) a number of “how to” books and articles describing the mechanics of report writing.     

Parenting and development of one-year-olds: links with parental, contextual, and child characteristics

A set of hypotheses derived from Belsky's process model of the determinants of parenting was tested in a sample of 129 Dutch parents with their 15-month-old infants. Parental ego-resiliency and education, partner support, and infant social fearfulness were found to explain significant and unique portions of variance in the observed quality of parental behavior, which, in turn, was linked to the infants' attachment security and cognitive development. Parental intelligence was both indirectly--through parenting--and directly related with infant Bayley Mental Developmental Index, whereas parental ego-resiliency was both indirectly and directly linked with infant Attachment Q-Set security. Belsky's claim that parents' personal resources are most effective and child characteristics are least effective in buffering the parenting system was not empirically confirmed.     

Evolution of human parenting: Canalization,new types of learning,and mother-infant conflict

Human infancy is the mammalian extreme of an evolutionary trend towards a long, drawn-out life history. An extreme form of parental care and investment co-evolved. This is a drain on the mother’s resources and, consequently, a conflict results between the interests of the mother and the infant. It is in the interest of the mother to reduce her care as soon as possible. This is not done all at once, but in steps. The timing of these steps is dictated by the highly canalized infant development. Every time a new type of learning (preadapted responsiveness to certain learning opportunities) emerges in the infant, the mother withholds a related type of privilege/care. Consequently, mother-infant conflict results, until the infant gives in and reaches a new level of independence. Mother’s behaviour in a conflict period is of paramount importance: on the one hand it is mother’s role to sense the infant’s new educability and to (force) teach it how to use the newly emerged abilities it might not, or not fully, have used otherwise. On the other hand, mother-infant conflict may escalate and become pathogenic. Mother is bound to stay within limits dictated by the canalized abilities and interests of the infant. A deepened knowledge of the new types of learning is helpful in education during infancy. Control Systems Theory (CST) is useful in understanding the new types of learning and in bringing order in many new infant developments in various functional domains.     

Reflecting geometrical shapes: approaches of primary students to reflection tasks and relations to typical error patterns

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Students’ issues dealing with reflection tasks, especially with inclined mirror lines, are widely known. Previous research conducted with primary school...