Children who have a good relationship with their teacher
may be protected from expressing aggression and being the target of
aggression at school. That's the key finding in a new study of Canadian
first graders that appears in the journal Child Development.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Quebec
at Montreal, Laval University, the University of Alabama, the University
of Montreal, and University College Dublin.
"Aggressive behavior in middle childhood is at least partly explained
by genetic factors, but genetic influences on behavior usually don't
operate independently of environmental influences," notes Mara Brendgen,
professor of psychology at the University of Quebec at Montreal, who
led the study.
October 27, 2011
August 23, 2011
Two-Year-Old Children Understand Complex Grammar
Psychologists at the University of Liverpool have found
that children as young as two years old have an understanding of complex
grammar even before they have learned to speak in full sentences.
Researchers at the University's Child Language Study Centre showed children, aged two, sentences containing made-up verbs, such as 'the rabbit is glorping the duck', and asked them to match the sentence with a cartoon picture. They found that even the youngest two-year-old could identify the correct image with the correct sentence, more often than would be expected by chance.
The study suggests that infants know more about language structure than they can actually articulate, and at a much earlier age than previously thought. The work also shows that children may use the structure of sentences to understand new words, which may help explain the speed at which infants acquire speech.
Researchers at the University's Child Language Study Centre showed children, aged two, sentences containing made-up verbs, such as 'the rabbit is glorping the duck', and asked them to match the sentence with a cartoon picture. They found that even the youngest two-year-old could identify the correct image with the correct sentence, more often than would be expected by chance.
The study suggests that infants know more about language structure than they can actually articulate, and at a much earlier age than previously thought. The work also shows that children may use the structure of sentences to understand new words, which may help explain the speed at which infants acquire speech.
August 14, 2011
Like Humans, Chimps Are Born With Immature Forebrains
In both chimpanzees and humans, portions of the brain that
are critical for complex cognitive functions, including
decision-making, self-awareness and creativity, are immature at birth.
But there are important differences, too. Baby chimpanzees don't show
the same dramatic increase in the volume of prefrontal white matter in
the brain that human infants do.
"One of the most marked evolutionary changes underlying human-specific cognitive traits is a greatly enlarged prefrontal cortex," said Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University in Japan. "It is also one of the latest-developing brain regions of the cerebrum."
That built-in developmental delay, now shown to be shared with chimps, may provide an extended period of plasticity, allowing both humans and our closest evolutionary cousins to develop complex social interactions, knowledge and skills that are shaped by life experiences, the researchers say.
"One of the most marked evolutionary changes underlying human-specific cognitive traits is a greatly enlarged prefrontal cortex," said Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University in Japan. "It is also one of the latest-developing brain regions of the cerebrum."
That built-in developmental delay, now shown to be shared with chimps, may provide an extended period of plasticity, allowing both humans and our closest evolutionary cousins to develop complex social interactions, knowledge and skills that are shaped by life experiences, the researchers say.
January 21, 2011
Learning Science : Actively Recalling Information from Memory Beats Elaborate Study Methods
Put down those science text books and work at recalling
information from memory. That's the shorthand take away message of new
research from Purdue University that says practicing memory retrieval
boosts science learning far better than elaborate study methods.
"Our view is that learning is not about studying or getting knowledge 'in memory,'" said Purdue psychology professor Jeffrey Karpicke, the lead investigator for the study that appears January 20 in the journal Science. "Learning is about retrieving. So it is important to make retrieval practice an integral part of the learning process."
Educators traditionally rely on learning activities that encourage elaborate study routines and techniques focused on improving the encoding of information into memory. But, when students practice retrieval, they set aside the material they are trying to learn and instead practice calling it to mind.
"Our view is that learning is not about studying or getting knowledge 'in memory,'" said Purdue psychology professor Jeffrey Karpicke, the lead investigator for the study that appears January 20 in the journal Science. "Learning is about retrieving. So it is important to make retrieval practice an integral part of the learning process."
Educators traditionally rely on learning activities that encourage elaborate study routines and techniques focused on improving the encoding of information into memory. But, when students practice retrieval, they set aside the material they are trying to learn and instead practice calling it to mind.
January 11, 2011
Math That Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad
A growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the iPad
as the latest tool to teach Kafka in multimedia, history through
“Jeopardy”-like games and math with step-by-step animation of complex
problems.
As part of a pilot program, Roslyn High School on Long Island handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the students and teachers in two humanities classes. The school district hopes to provide iPads eventually to all 1,100 of its students.
The iPads cost $750 apiece, and they are to be used in class and at home during the school year to replace textbooks, allow students to correspond with teachers and turn in papers and homework assignments, and preserve a record of student work in digital portfolios.
As part of a pilot program, Roslyn High School on Long Island handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the students and teachers in two humanities classes. The school district hopes to provide iPads eventually to all 1,100 of its students.
The iPads cost $750 apiece, and they are to be used in class and at home during the school year to replace textbooks, allow students to correspond with teachers and turn in papers and homework assignments, and preserve a record of student work in digital portfolios.
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