developmental and educational psychology

Reading and lexical-decision tasks generate different patterns of individual variability as a function of condition difficulty

We reanalyzed previous experiments based on lexical-decision and reading-aloud tasks in children with dyslexia and control children and tested the prediction of the difference engine model (DEM) that mean condition reaction times (RTs) and standard deviations (SDs) would be linearly related (Myerson et al., 2003). Then we evaluated the slope and the intercept with the x-axis of these linear functions in comparison with previously reported values (i.e., slope of about 0.30 and intercept of about 300 ms).

Quality of life and burden in family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer in active treatment settings and hospice care. A comparative study

The aim of this study was to evaluate caregiver burden and quality of life (QoL) in active treatment settings and hospice care for 76 family caregivers of advanced cancer patients, using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form and the Caregiver Burden Inventory. Compared to the active group, the hospice group reported significantly lower QoL scores in mental component summary score and higher scores in general health subscale and in physical component summary score.

Are belief-based justifications associated with metalinguistic awareness? A cross-sectional study in school-age children

Previous research has consistently demonstrated that false-belief (FB) understanding correlates with and predicts metalinguistic ability in preschoolers. Surprisingly, however, there is scant evidence on the question of whether this relation persists at later ages. The present cross-sectional study sought to fill this gap by examining the association between FB understanding, belief-based justifications and metalinguistic awareness.

Collaboration in implicit memory. Evidence from word-fragment completion and category exemplar generation

Recent studies have begun to investigate the effects of collaboration on explicit tests such as free recall, cued recall, and recognition. In contrast, little is known about the impact of this variable on implicit memory. To bridge this gap, the present study compared the performance of nominal and collaborative groups in two implicit memory tasks-word-fragment completion (WFCT) and category exemplar generation (CEGT).

‘Mixed blessings’: parental religiousness, parenting, and child adjustment in global perspective

Background: Most studies of the effects of parental religiousness on parenting and child development focus on a particular religion or cultural group, which limits generalizations that can be made about the effects of parental religiousness on family life. Methods: We assessed the associations among parental religiousness, parenting, and children's adjustment in a 3-year longitudinal investigation of 1,198 families from nine countries.

Reward sensitivity, impulse control, and social cognition as mediators of the link between childhood family adversity and externalizing behavior in eight countries

Using data from 1,177 families in eight countries (Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States), we tested a conceptual model of direct effects of childhood family adversity on subsequent externalizing behaviors as well as indirect effects through psychological mediators. When children were 9 years old, mothers and fathers reported on financial difficulties and their use of corporal punishment, and children reported perceptions of their parents' rejection.

Sexting as the mirror on the wall. Body-esteem attribution, media models, and objectified-body consciousness

Sexting motivations during adolescence are related to developmental dimensions—such as sexual identity and body-image development—or harmful intentions—such as aggression among peers and partners. Sociocultural and media models can affect explorations of sexuality and redefinitions of body image, which in turn are related to sexting behaviors and motivations.

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