Réactions des enfants à une pièce de théatre: Elaboration d'une méthode de recherche.

Presents a research technique for studying children's reactions at different times during their viewing of a play. A videotape reproduction of the play was presented to 713 children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th years of school, and after each scene, the video presentation was interrupted and Ss had to answer 3 questions on the scene just presented. Results show high correlations between the Ss reactions to the play reproduction on a videotape and their reactions to the real play. It is concluded that the technique used is valid and can provide useful information for play writers and children's theater groups. Further research is proposed to improve validation and to increase applications of the technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowledge, strategy, and motivational contributions to preschool children's object recall.

This study examined the contributions of four individual difference predictors to preschool children's recall for object names. Measures of object knowledge (the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test [PPVT]), conceptual tempo (the Kansas Reflection-Impulsivity Scale for Preschoolers [KRISP] error scores), strategic study period activities, and teacher ratings of children's mastery motivation were used to predict recall scores of 3- and 4-year-old children. KRISP-error scores, strategic study activities, and motivation ratings were found to be significant correlates of recall. Motivation ratings entered a regression prediction equation first, followed by the strategic study activity measure, yielding a multiple correlation of .62. These predictors were unrelated, suggesting that motivational factors contributed to young children's recall proficiency directly, perhaps through greater task involvement and analysis and more effortful retrieval activity, and do not mediate strategic study behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Object interactions in juvenile rats (Rattus norvegicus): Effects of different experiential histories.

Examined the spontaneous ways in which an individual rat gathers information about its environment and the extent to which this information-gathering strategy is modified by experience. 30 male rats of the Berkeley S? strain were placed at weaning in enriched, group-housed, or impoverished conditions. After 30 days, they were placed individually in a dimly illuminated arena with several objects and videotaped for 10-min periods on 2 successive days. Analysis of the videotaped records showed no significant differences among the groups in locomotion, investigation of the arena, defecation, grooming, or total amount of object contact, but it showed significant differences in behaviors used during interactions with objects. Ss from the enriched condition showed significantly more diversity of behavior related to those objects that were small enough to be moved, without intergroup differences in amount of object contact. These experience-dependent changes in strategies for exploration may have widespread functional consequences. The procedure for videotape analysis presented here may be useful in studying many problems of animal behavior. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Willingness to work with and sympathy for HIV-positive coworkers: an experimental examination of mode of transmission concern, and knowledge

This study investigated concern about HIV infection, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and mode of transmission on willingness to work with and sympathy expressed towards a coworker with AIDS. 120 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of 12 groups in a 3 x 4 between-subjects design. Subjects viewed one of three 12 min. videotapes, including one videotape designed to increase concern, one designed to increase information, and a control videotape of music. Participants then read one of four scenarios about training a new employee. The scenarios varied the mode of HIV transmission (unknown, heterosexual contact, homosexual contact, or blood transfusion). Analysis showed that the ratings of willingness to work with or sympathy toward the HIV-positive coworker made after the videotape were not higher than those of other groups; however, significantly greater sympathy was reported for coworkers with unknown means of transmission than for coworkers who had contracted the virus through homosexual activity and more sympathy was also shown for coworkers who had contracted AIDS through blood transfusion than for employees who became infected through any type of sexual activity. Findings are discussed in terms of the AIDS literature and suggestions for employers.     

Young children's acquisition of the location aspect of American Sign Language signs: parental report findings

The acquisition of the location aspect of American Sign Language signs was examined in 9 young children of deaf parents. In monthly home visits, the parents demonstrated on videotape how their children formed each newly-acquired sign in their lexicons; these videotaped records served as the basis for the present analyses. Sign locations, overall, were produced with relatively high accuracy: 83.5% were correct on average across the different signs in the children's early lexicons. Certain sign locations were found to be more easily or readily acquired than others. Highly contrasting locations (forehead, chin, on and in front of the trunk) were acquired first. Among the locations typically acquired later were those that involved complex handshapes, provided a small area for a point of contact, or required the active signing hand to cross the body's midline. The location aspect was interpreted as playing a central role in young children's early sign language acquisition.     

Suppression of decorin expression and partial induction of anchorage-independent growth by the v-src oncogene in human fibroblasts

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test the intra-rater reliability of an interview-administered questionnaire that assesses lifetime patterns of total physical activity including occupational, household, and exercise/sports activities. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed and pretested using cognitive interviewing techniques on a sample of women with and without previous breast cancer diagnoses. A pilot study was conducted with 115 women who were interviewed twice, 6 to 8 wk apart by interviewers trained in cognitive interviewing methods. Respondents used recall calendars to record their education, occupations, life events, and physical activity patterns before the interviews. Interviewers helped respondents recall their lifetime exposures, including their occupational, household, and exercise/sports activities, using these calendars and memory-probing strategies. Activity levels were estimated as the average number of hours of activity per week over different time periods. Means and correlation coefficients were estimated and compared for the two time periods. RESULTS: The questionnaire was found to be highly reliable. The test-retest correlations for hours per week spent in total lifetime physical activity was 0.74, for lifetime occupational activity was 0.87, for household activity was 0.77, and for exercise/sports activities was 0.72. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first questionnaire to measure lifetime physical activity by collecting data on each type of physical activity separately over lifetime and by measuring frequency, intensity, and duration of each activity. It is also the first physical activity questionnaire to be developed, refined, and administered using cognitive-based methods employed in survey research. Respondents were able to reliably recall their lifetime physical activity patterns. This instrument can be used for any disease outcome for which physical activity may be a risk factor.     

Accelerating language development through picture book reading: Replication and extension to a videotape training format.

G. J. Whitehurst et al (see record 1989-02401-001) taught mothers specific interactive techniques to use when reading picture books with their preschool-age children. This intervention program, called dialogic reading, produced substantial effects on preschool children's language development. However, the costs of one-on-one training limit the widespread use of dialogic reading techniques. In this study the authors aimed to replicate and extend the results of the original study of dialogic reading by developing and evaluating an inexpensive videotape training package for teaching dialogic reading techniques. Mothers were randomly assigned to receive no training, traditional direct training, or videotape training. Results supported the conclusions of Whitehurst et al: Dialogic reading had powerful effects on children's language skills and indicated that videotape training provided a cost-effective, standardized means of implementing the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The significance of children's age in estimating the effect of maternal time use on children's well-being

The women's initiative launched by the United Nations Decade for Women has sparked unresolved controversy over the consequences of mothers' increased participation in economically productive activities on children's well-being. Clearly, in many developing countries, poor mothers face stringent time constraints requiring trade-offs in time allocated to various activities, including child caregiving. However, the impact of these trade-offs on children's well-being remains unclear. The effect of maternal time use on children's nutrition and health status requires more rigorous examination. In particular, the role of children's age in this relationship is critical. Although children's requirement for maternal care varies with factors such as their age (a proxy for stage of psychobiological and sociocultural development), season of year and family size and structure, children's age has not been highlighted in the debate or in the relevant research. This paper documents children's age as a critical factor in the relationship between maternal patterns of time use and the well-being of children 18-30 months of age in peri-urban Egypt. It describes differences in maternal patterns of daily time use according to children's age and illustrates the differential associations between maternal daily activity patterns and children's well-being by children's age. Quantitative data collected on 161 mother-toddler pairs included information on maternal daily time allocation, children's dietary energy intake and diarrheal morbidity, maternal hemoglobin, and household and individual sociodemographics. Data were stratified by children's age at 24 months and were analyzed cross-sectionally using multiple linear and logistic regression. Results indicated that the age of two is critical in Kalama. At this age, toddlers begin to receive less time-intensive care freeing mothers for economic and self production. With respect to children's well-being prior to age two, frequency of feeding was positively related to their energy intake and more time spent in household sanitation activities reduced children's risk of diarrhea (during the diarrhea season). After two years of age, the maternal behaviors measured did not affect children's energy intake; however, children's diarrheal risk was reduced (during the diarrhea season) when mothers held them more and allocated more time to household sanitation year-round. We recommend that other investigators carefully examine the relationships between children's well-being according to developmentally-defined child age intervals and maternal patterns of time use. Results will help to resolve concern over the effect of maternal participation in economically productive activities on children's well-being.     

The incredible (and sometimes incredulous) child witness: Child eyewitnesses' sensitivity to source credibility cues.

Witnesses who receive misleading postevent information usually perform more poorly on memory tests than do witnesses who receive only unbiased information. This effect is especially pronounced for young children. For adults, the credibility of the source of the misleading information moderates this effect; misinformation presented by a credible source impairs performance to a greater degree than does misinformation presented by a noncredible source. In the present experiment, preschool children listened to a story accompanied by several illustrations. Later, they watched a videotape of a child, a credible adult, or a discredited adult answering questions about the story. For some children, the person in the videotape provided misleading information. The children's memory reports were impaired only when misinformation was presented by the credible adult, indicating that even young children are sensitive to source credibility cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Site and parameters of microstimulation: evidence for independent effects on the properties of saccades evoked from the primate superior colliculus

1. Microstimulation is used to investigate how activity in the superior colliculus (SC) contributes to determining the properties of primate saccadic eye movements. The site of collicular stimulation, the duration of the stimulation train, and the frequency of the stimulation train are each varied to examine the relative contributions of the locus, duration, and level of collicular activity to determining saccade amplitude, direction, duration, and velocity. 2. For any given site of stimulation, a relationship between movement amplitude and train duration can be demonstrated. Movement amplitude is a monotonically increasing, but saturating, function of increasing train duration. The size of the largest movement is dictated by the site of stimulation. Within the range over which amplitude can be modulated, movement offset is linked to the offset of the stimulation train. As a result, each decrement or increment in train duration produces a corresponding decrement or increment in movement duration. 3. The peak velocity of an evoked movement is influenced by the frequency of stimulation; a higher frequency of stimulation produces a movement of higher velocity. 4. The effects of train duration and frequency can be traded to produce movements that have comparable amplitudes but different dynamic characteristics; high-velocity movements of short duration and low-velocity movements of long duration can be produced by stimulating with high-frequency, short-duration, and low-frequency, long-duration trains, respectively. Across stimulation frequencies, the amplitude of an evoked movement is best related to the total number of pulses in the stimulation train. 5. Because it is possible to compensate for reduced velocity by increasing the duration of the stimulation train, the same site-specific maximum amplitude can be attained with different frequencies of stimulation. 6. Small, but significant, changes in movement direction occur as a result of varying train duration or train frequency. 7. The latency to movement onset (i.e., interval from stimulation onset to movement onset) depends upon the frequency of stimulation. A higher frequency of stimulation produces a movement of shorter latency. 8. These data demonstrate that both the site of stimulation and the parameters of stimulation contribute to determining the properties of a movement evoked from the primate SC. In doing so, they contradict the results of early microstimulation studies that suggest that the properties of eye movements evoked from the primate SC are determined solely by the site of stimulation. The findings conflict with the traditional view of collicular function that suggests that the collicular motor representation is purely anatomic. Rather, these data support a revised view whereby the locus, duration, and level of collicular activity contribute to determining the properties of a primate saccadic eye movement. According to this view, independent information relating to desired displacement and saccade velocity are extracted from the spatiotemporal profile of collicular activity.     

Teaching the mentally retarded job interviewing skills.

Examined the most effective usage of videotape in job interview skill training for 24 mentally retarded young adults utilizing the microcounseling model of instruction. Seven (e.g., open- and closed-ended questions and reflection of content) skill areas were modeled to 3 experimental groups for 6 sessions where the method of videotape utilization differed for each group. Data reveal that the microcounseling model is most effective with the 2 skill areas of eye contact and body posture regardless of the method of videotape utilization. Significant differences occurred in both of these skill areas after modeling Session 2 and remained significant throughout the study. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Driven and synchronized brain activities in the alpha band: a neuromagnetic test for frequency responsiveness

A new procedure to study cortical rhythmical activity, which includes stimulation paradigm, data analysis, and data presentation, is proposed. It enhances several features of the rhythmical responses while allowing for very short measurement sessions. This procedure permits us to classify activities within the frequency window studied on the basis of their responsiveness to scanned rhythmical stimulation. It can be used to recognize functional and pathological indicators linked to such activities. When used in conjunction with the identification of functional correlates of the same activities, it may bring useful information for their modelling.     

Necessity of spatial pooling for the perception of heading in nonrigid environments.

This study examined whether the perception of heading is determined by spatially pooling velocity information. Observers were presented displays simulating observer motion through a volume of 3-D objects. To test the importance of spatial pooling, the authors systematically varied the nonrigidity of the flow field using two types of object motion: adding a unique rotation or translation to each object. Calculations of the signal-to-noise (observer velocity-to-object motion) ratio indicated no decrements in performance when the ratio was .39 for object rotation and .45 for object translation. Performance also increased with the number of objects in the scene. These results suggest that heading is determined by mechanisms that use spatial pooling over large regions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of exposure to a punished model and verbal prohibitions on children's toy play.

Studied the effects of exposure to a punished model on children's toy play. 72 of 108 kindergartners and 1st graders in the sample watched a videotape of a girl model punished for touching toys. In prior research, punishment of a model was confounded with verbal prohibitions; in the present study, the problem was controlled by giving 3 levels of prohibition: strong, mild, or none. Seeing a model punished significantly inhibited the Ss, but this effect was masked with Ss who received strong prohibitions. Ss who saw the videotape maintained their inhibitions over time and generalized them to an unfamiliar adult. Kindergartners who received only strong prohibitions did not remain inhibited over time. It is concluded that viewing social consequences to others can play a significant role in the socialization of children. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective information use in the development of search behavior.

Age differences in children's use of various sources of information about object location were examined in a study of search behavior in 3-, 4-, and 7-yr-olds. The 2 principal sources of information were general associative knowledge about the typical locations of objects (location specificity) and explicit verbal statements about object location. Age differences in the results reflected increasing utilization of the 2 sources of information when each was considered separately. More importantly, the design allowed consideration of Ss' ability to combine the information to limit search. In this respect, the findings reveal sophisticated information integration on the part of even the youngest Ss tested. At all ages, Ss were able to combine both sources of information when both were relevant and to ignore irrelevant location-specificity information when the verbal information was logically superordinate. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concentration–Duration–Frequency Curves for pH in a Stream in the Great Smoky Mountains

Multiparameter monitors (sondes) were installed at four sites in a stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These sondes recorded pH, turbidity, and other parameters every 15?min. The data were analyzed to determine the time-connected duration of excursions below various pH levels (pH 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5). The durations for excursions below each pH level were assigned probability quantiles and plotted. This created a concentration–duration–frequency curve similar to precipitation intensity–duration–frequency curves. The pH excursion events appear to follow a Poisson arrival process and were fitted to a corresponding exponential distribution. The mean event duration for each pH level is the fitting parameter, μ, for the exponential distribution, and μ followed an exponential trend with pH. The characteristics of the concentration–duration–frequency family of curves capture the information contained in the original data and potentially allow comparisons with toxicity data as well as a temporal and spatial comparison.     

Children's early interest-based activities in the home and subsequent information contributions and pursuits in kindergarten.

This study examined the early interests of 109 children and their subsequent information contributions and pursuits in kindergarten. Four groups of children with similar interests were identified on the basis of the children's profiles of activities in the home, tracked bimonthly for over a year. Activity patterns reflected conceptual, social, procedural, or creative interests. The role of early interests in understanding academic engagement was investigated, with gender, cognitive skill, and temperament statistically controlled. Observational data from throughout the school year revealed differences in the types of information that children contributed to discussions and pursued in class related to children's early interests. Findings enrich understanding of young children's academic behaviors and extend theoretical models of academic self-instruction behaviors such as information exchanges and pursuits in classrooms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's use of the temporal dimension of gaze for inferring preference.

This study examined 4- and 5-year-olds' ability to spontaneously use the relative duration and frequency of another's object-directed gaze for inferring that person's preference. In Experiment 1, analysis revealed a strong age effect for judgment accuracy, which could not be accounted for by cue-monitoring proficiency. Reducing the saliency of the objects in Experiment 2 yielded significant improvement in the younger children's performance. Thus, at 4 years, children already show signs of attending to the temporal dimension of gaze for making mentalistic inferences of preferential liking, but their competence may be undermined by the object choices themselves. By 5 years, they appear to overcome this competition. The obtained developmental difference is discussed in terms of concurrent transitions in attention regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary report of data collection in hospital quality assurance programs--a project of the Association of Hospitals of the Czech Republic

OBJECTIVES: This was the first attempt of the association representing all acute care hospitals in the Czech Republic to collect mutual data which might be used for quality assurance (QA) purposes and which might lead to the development of national standards of care which could be used for hospital accreditation. Data collected included information which was available universally and which could be measured; in addition, information was intended to be similar in each hospital. In most cases, the data collection systems were based on financial information and data had to be identified which might be used for QA purposes, rather than being able to design a system specific for QA purposes. DESIGN: Since the hospital payment system was established in 1992, hospitals have had to develop data collection systems to measure clinical activity; this current study was based on this data collection, adapted to QA purposes. SETTING: The Executive Committee of the Hospital Association agreed to a pilot study of hospitals in 1993; data were collected from approximately 40 hospitals, beginning in 1994. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: Hospitals were chosen based on their ability to collect data and participate in the program, and it was determined that there should be variability in the hospitals, in size, location and activities, but that the data collected should be generic. INTERVENTIONS: Raw data included 33 different items, most of which were irrelevant to QA. Using a computer program, various combinations of data were reviewed and evaluated to ascertain the most appropriate for QA purposes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were chosen for study which included (a) data from the largest departments in the individual hospitals; (b) length of stay for patients hospitalized in these departments; (c) number of occupied beds/physician in the department and (d) mortality/1000 admissions to the department. RESULTS: The combination of (1) a long length of stay; (2) a high occupied bed/doctor ratio; and (3) a high mortality rate/1000 admissions might be indicators of poor quality. Additional factors to consider include: the type of department-emergency, cancer, geriatric, etc.; the nature of the medical activity-acute, referral, primary care, etc.; whether or not "social" beds are included and, generally, comparability among departments. However, as a pilot study, certain indicators can be determined which then can be used for future study to determine quality of care. The ability to cooperate and collect seemingly comparable data indicates reason for optimism in the future; more detailed and accurate studies can be carried out which will enable assessment of the quality of care given in comparable situations in hospitals throughout the Czech Republic.