From the Mozart effect to educational videos, many parents want to
aid their infants in learning. New research out of North Dakota State
University, Fargo, and Texas A&M shows that something as simple as
the body position of babies while they learn plays a critical role in
their cognitive development.
The study shows that for babies,
sitting up, either by themselves or with assistance, plays a significant
role in how infants learn. The research titled “Posture Support
Improves Object Individuation in Infants,” co-authored by Rebecca J.
Woods, assistant professor of human development and family science and
doctoral psychology lecturer at North Dakota State University, and by
psychology professor Teresa Wilcox of Texas A&M, is published in the
journal Developmental Psychology®.
The
study’s results show that babies’ ability to sit up unsupported has a
profound effect on their ability to learn about objects. The research
also shows that when babies who cannot sit up alone are given posture
support from infant seats that help them sit up, they learn as well as
babies who can already sit alone.
December 11, 2012
Reports assess global student achievement in math, science and reading literacy
Students from East Asian countries, in addition to a select group of
European countries, outperformed students around the world in
mathematics, science and reading at both the fourth and eighth grades,
according to results released Dec. 11 by Lynch School of Education
Professors Ina V.S. Mullis and Michael O. Martin, executive directors of
the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the first global assessment of mathematics and science to provide data about trends over time, measuring achievement in these subjects every four years at the fourth and eighth grades since 1995. Performance on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) represents the "gold standard" internationally for reading comprehension at the fourth grade, measuring trends every five years since 2001.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the first global assessment of mathematics and science to provide data about trends over time, measuring achievement in these subjects every four years at the fourth and eighth grades since 1995. Performance on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) represents the "gold standard" internationally for reading comprehension at the fourth grade, measuring trends every five years since 2001.
Read more
December 10, 2012
Environment-genetics combination appears linked to children’s early antisocial behavior
Both nature and nurture appear to be significant factors in early
antisocial behaviors of adopted children, a Wayne State University
researcher believes.
In “Examining the Interplay of Birth Mothers’ and Adoptive Parents’ Antisocial Behavior in Predicting Growth in Externalizing Problems During Early Childhood,” adoptive parents’ antisocial behavior played an important role in the development of children’s externalizing problems.
That finding may not come as a surprise to researchers who have studied environmental precursors to such behavior. However, Trentacosta said a great deal of other research that examined sets of twins holds that genetic factors play a role as well.
In “Examining the Interplay of Birth Mothers’ and Adoptive Parents’ Antisocial Behavior in Predicting Growth in Externalizing Problems During Early Childhood,” adoptive parents’ antisocial behavior played an important role in the development of children’s externalizing problems.
That finding may not come as a surprise to researchers who have studied environmental precursors to such behavior. However, Trentacosta said a great deal of other research that examined sets of twins holds that genetic factors play a role as well.
Understanding How Children Develop Empathy
The capacity to notice the distress of others, and to be moved by it,
can be a critical component of what is called prosocial behavior,
actions that benefit others: individuals, groups or society as a whole.
Psychologists, neurobiologists and even economists are increasingly
interested in the overarching question of how and why we become our
better selves.
How do children develop prosocial behavior, and is there in fact any way to encourage it? If you do, will you eventually get altruistic adults, the sort who buy shoes for a homeless man on a freezing night, or rush to lift a commuter pushed onto the subway tracks as the train nears?
How do children develop prosocial behavior, and is there in fact any way to encourage it? If you do, will you eventually get altruistic adults, the sort who buy shoes for a homeless man on a freezing night, or rush to lift a commuter pushed onto the subway tracks as the train nears?
Violent Video Games: More Playing Time Equals More Aggression
A new study provides the first experimental evidence that the
negative effects of playing violent video games can accumulate over
time.
Researchers found that people who played a violent video game for three consecutive days showed increases in aggressive behavior and hostile expectations each day they played. Meanwhile, those who played nonviolent games showed no meaningful changes in aggression or hostile expectations over that period.
Researchers found that people who played a violent video game for three consecutive days showed increases in aggressive behavior and hostile expectations each day they played. Meanwhile, those who played nonviolent games showed no meaningful changes in aggression or hostile expectations over that period.
December 5, 2012
Fit kids finish first in the classroom
Fit kids aren’t only first picked for kickball. New research from
Michigan State University shows middle school students in the best
physical shape outscore their classmates on standardized tests and take
home better report cards.
Published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, it’s the first study linking children’s fitness to both improved scores on objective tests and better grades, which rely on subjective decisions by teachers.
The study also is among the first to examine how academic performance relates to all aspects of physical fitness – including body fat, muscular strength, flexibility and endurance – according to lead researcher Dawn Coe.
Published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, it’s the first study linking children’s fitness to both improved scores on objective tests and better grades, which rely on subjective decisions by teachers.
The study also is among the first to examine how academic performance relates to all aspects of physical fitness – including body fat, muscular strength, flexibility and endurance – according to lead researcher Dawn Coe.
Read more
Creativity and linguistic skills important for immersion in World of Warcraft
The sense of immersion in role-play and computer games is sometimes
viewed as dangerous, as players’ strong perceptions of fictional worlds
are assumed to make them lose contact with reality.
On the other hand, players’ immersion also implies a potential for improved learning, since it enables them to ‘experience’ new places and historical eras. Yet a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that immersion in online role-play games requires a lot of hard work.
Gaming researcher Jonas Linderoth, at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning, University of Gothenburg, followed a group of players in the world’s largest online role-play game World of Warcraft for a period of ten months. He observed the players almost daily in their fictional online lives and also filmed and interviewed them.
‘They are not your ordinary gamers – they are role-players who really want to feel like they are in a different world,‘ says Linderoth.
On the other hand, players’ immersion also implies a potential for improved learning, since it enables them to ‘experience’ new places and historical eras. Yet a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that immersion in online role-play games requires a lot of hard work.
Gaming researcher Jonas Linderoth, at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning, University of Gothenburg, followed a group of players in the world’s largest online role-play game World of Warcraft for a period of ten months. He observed the players almost daily in their fictional online lives and also filmed and interviewed them.
‘They are not your ordinary gamers – they are role-players who really want to feel like they are in a different world,‘ says Linderoth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)