Behavioral Readiness Research Articles

Parenting, childcare, and children’s pre-kindergarten skills: exploring moderation by race and ethnicity

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated whether parenting and childcare experience across infancy and toddlerhood were associated with children’s reading, math, and social–behavioural skills prior to kindergarten entry. Analyses also examined whether race or ethnicity moderated associations. A representative sample of Hispanic, Black, and White children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (N = 4550) was used. Parents’ responsiveness in infancy and supportiveness in toddlerhood, as well as the home learning environment in toddlerhood, related to academic and social–emotional and behavioural readiness. Associations between certain parenting behaviours and child outcomes varied as a function of race. Additionally, compared to parent-only childcare, attendance in centre-based care at two years of age related to higher early math skills. Findings highlight the need for culturally specific early intervention to support parents in shaping early social–emotional skills in children, and suggest that exposure to centre-based childcare in the toddler years may benefit math readiness.

The utility of single-item readiness screeners in middle school

This study examined the benefit of utilizing one-item academic and one-item behavior readiness teacher-rated screeners at the beginning of the school year to predict end-of-school year outcomes for middle school students. The Middle School Academic and Behavior Readiness (M-ABR) screeners were developed to provide an efficient and effective way to assess readiness in students. Participants included 889 students in 62 middle school classrooms in an urban Missouri school district. Concurrent validity with the M-ABR items and other indicators of readiness in the fall were evaluated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, with the academic readiness item having medium to strong correlations with other baseline academic indicators (r=±0.56 to 0.91) and the behavior readiness item having low to strong correlations with baseline behavior items (r=±0.20 to 0.79). Next, the predictive validity of the M-ABR items was analyzed with hierarchical linear regressions using end-of-year outcomes as the dependent variable. The academic and behavior readiness items demonstrated adequate validity for all outcomes with moderate effects (β=±0.31 to 0.73 for academic outcomes and β=±0.24 to 0.59 for behavioral outcomes) after controlling for baseline demographics. Even after controlling for baseline scores, the M-ABR items predicted unique variance in almost all outcome variables. Four conditional probability indices were calculated to obtain an optimal cut score, to determine ready vs. not ready, for both single-item M-ABR scales. The cut point of “fair” yielded the most acceptable values for the indices. The odd ratios (OR) of experiencing negative outcomes given a “fair” or lower readiness rating (2 or below on the M-ABR screeners) at the beginning of the year were significant and strong for all outcomes (OR=2.29 to OR=14.46), except for internalizing problems. These findings suggest promise for using single readiness items to screen for varying negative end-of-year student outcomes.

Co-constructing Appreciative Inquiry across disciplines: A duo-ethnography

Orientation: Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has become increasingly popular as a tool for change management in the world of business and is spilling over into a range of contexts, linking a diversity of disciplines. However, instances where management has used AI in consultation with education for collaborative purposes could not be traced as yet.Research purpose: The aim of this study was for two AI practitioners, one in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology and one in Education, to partake in a collaborative study proceeding from reflection on the said researchers’ experiences with facilitating AI in different contexts.Motivation for the study: With social constructionism as a core principle underlying AI, it is argued that sharing experiences across disciplines could enrich the literature and the application of AI in different contexts.Research design, approach and method: The research is based on a qualitative, empirical, duo-ethnography using self-reflective narratives of the experiences of facilitating AI in cross-disciplinary contexts.Main findings: Reflecting on experiences in various disciplines lead to the co-construction of new knowledge. Not only were similar experiences supported, validated and extended, thus affirming the strength-based principle of AI, but it also provided the opportunity for disciplinary cross-fertilisation by combining different perspectives regarding the formality of the AI process and the extent of the facilitator’s and participants readiness to work with AI methodology.Practical/managerial implications: The formality of the AI process and hence the extent of the facilitator’s involvement (signalling his or her readiness to participate actively and take the lead in co-creating a new reality) must be tempered by due allowance for the participant’s readiness to work with AI methodology. Furthermore, participants should be accommodated within the psychological space where they find themselves at the moment when the intended intervention is initiated.Contribution/value-add: Duo-ethnography provided the researchers with the opportunity to challenge the ‘other’ to reflect on their own discipline-related AI experiences, in a deeper, more relational and authentic way. The voices and ideas identified and presented counter narratives, also blended in unique ways to augment the definition of AI as a multidisciplinary force to co-create a better society. More specifically, the ‘readiness’ of the facilitator for an AI encounter was conceptualised and applied to the psychological and behavioural readiness of not only the participants, but also the facilitators of AI workshops.

The Kindergarten Academic and Behavior Readiness Screener: The utility of single-item teacher ratings of kindergarten readiness.

The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a brief, feasible, and cost-effective universal screener for kindergarten readiness. The study examined whether teacher ratings of kindergarteners' academic, behavioral, and overall readiness at the beginning of the year were predictive of academic, emotional, and behavioral outcomes at the end of the year. Participants included 19 kindergarten teachers and their students (n = 350) from 6 urban elementary schools; all teachers were female and the majority of children were African American (74%) or White (23%). Thirty-six percent of children qualified for free or reduced lunch. Teachers completed single-item ratings of student readiness as well as full scale ratings of student prosocial skills, disruptive behaviors, and academic competence. Students also completed a standardized academic achievement test. Independent observers rated disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Readiness items had statistically significant relations with a range of academic, emotional, and behavior indicators. Hierarchical linear regression analyses found that readiness items predicted end-of-year outcomes when controlling for baseline covariates. Items also predicted higher likelihood of negative academic and behavior categorical outcomes and demonstrated classification utility. Schools need universal screening options that are feasible and easy to implement school-wide. The screening tool presented in this study offers a viable, psychometrically strong option for school teams and professionals interested in universal screening.

Neuroimaging studies on recognition of personally familiar people

From an evolutionary viewpoint, readiness to engage in appropriate behavior toward a recognized person seems to be inherent in the human brain. In support of this hypothesis, functional neuroimaging studies have demonstrated activation in regions relevant to relationship-appropriate behavior during the recognition of personally familiar (PF) people. Recognition of friends and colleagues activates regions involved in real-time communication, including the regions for inference about the other's mental state, autobiographical memory retrieval, and self-referential processes. Recognition of people related by romantic love, maternal love, and lost love induces activation in regions involved in motivational, reward, and affective processes, reflecting behavioral readiness for mating, caretaking, and yearning, respectively. The involvement of motor-associated cortices during recognition of a personal enemy may reflect readiness for attack or defense. Self-recognition in a body-related modality uniquely activates sensory and motor association cortices reflecting the sensorimotor origin of the bodily self-concept, with social cognitive processes being suppressed or context dependent. Issues and future directions are also discussed.

Oxytocin shapes parental motion during father–infant interaction

An infant-oriented parental repertoire contributes to an infant's development and well-being. The role of oxytocin (OT) in promoting affiliative bonds and parenting has been established in numerous animal and human studies. Recently, acute administration of OT to a parent was found to enhance the carer's, but at the same time also the infant's, physiological and behavioural readiness for dyadic social engagement. Yet, the exact cues that are involved in this affiliative transmission process remain unclear. The existing literature suggests that motion and vocalization are key social signals for the offspring that facilitates social participation, and that distance and motion perception are modulated by OT in humans. Here, we employed a computational method on video vignettes of human parent-infant interaction including 32 fathers that were administered OT or a placebo in a crossover experimental design. Results indicate that OT modulates parental proximity to the infant, as well as the father's head speed and head acceleration but not the father's vocalization during dyadic interaction. Similarly, the infant's OT reactivity is positively correlated with father's head acceleration. The current findings are the first to report a relationship between the OT system and parental motion characteristics, further suggesting that the cross-generation transmission of parenting in humans might be underlaid by nuanced, infant-oriented, gestures relating to the carer's proximity, speed and acceleration within the dyadic context.

Being Black, Male, and Gifted in Miami: Prevalence and Predictors of Placement in Elementary School Gifted Education Programs

Although it is well established that Black male students are underrepresented in gifted educational programs in the United States, due to a scarcity of longitudinal prospective research, little is known about the protective factors at the child, family, and school level that increase the probability of Black male students being identified as gifted during early elementary school. Using data from the Miami School Readiness Project, we followed 6,926 low-income Black males from preschool through 5th grade to describe trajectories for the 453 Black males (6.5 %) who were identified as gifted, and examined child, family, and preschool variables associated with gifted classification. Boys were most commonly identified as gifted in first and second grade, and 15 % of the identified boys did not appear to be receiving gifted courses. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that being classified as gifted in early elementary school was more likely for Black males who (a) attended public school pre-K programs at age four, (b) had higher cognitive, language, fine motor, behavioral, and emergent literacy school readiness skills before entering kindergarten, (c) spoke a language other than English at home, (d) were older upon entering kindergarten, (e) received higher grades in school, and (f) scored higher on standardized tests of math and reading. Predictors of gifted identification in the kindergarten year were different and weaker compared to identification in later years. Implications for early identification and intervention for talented Black males are discussed.

Antecedents of TQM implementation capability: a review with a conceptual model

Despite a large body of knowledge on total quality management (TQM), there is hardly any research undertaken on the capability of an organisation to implement this important tool. This paper attempts to fill this gap, and thus, proposes a conceptual framework of TQM implementation capability. This framework includes integrated relationships based on several constituent models, that is, management commitment, affective communication, person–environment fit and organisational support. The seven propositions, derived from these elements, highlight the dynamic relationship between the antecedents of TQM implementation capability. Different human resource concepts such as management commitment towards customers and organisation, quality team development through behavioural change and readiness to learn, person–environment fit, affective commitment and organisational support in the form of contextual support and structural support are used as antecedents for this purpose. The proposed framework can help organisations make the process of TQM implementation effective through developing or enhancing their TQM implementation capability.

Links Between Preschoolers' Behavioral Regulation and School Readiness Skills: The Role of Child Gender

Research Findings: We examined relations among preschoolers' behavioral regulation, gender, and school readiness outcomes in preacademic and classroom skills using a sample of South Korean preschoolers aged 3–5 (N = 229). Behavioral regulation was assessed using a direct measure, the Head–Toes–Knees–Shoulders task, which requires children to switch rules by responding in the opposite way to 4 different oral commands. Results demonstrated nonsignificant gender differences in behavioral regulation and academic skills but significant gender differences in classroom work-related skills and social skills, with higher scores for girls. Multilevel path modeling revealed that behavioral regulation predicted none of the preacademic skills and classroom behaviors after child age, gender, verbal intelligence, maternal education, and classroom nesting were controlled. However, there was an interaction effect of behavioral regulation and gender for early reading; the contribution of behavioral regulation to early reading was positive and stronger for boys. Practice or Policy: These results suggest that behavioral regulation is not an overall strong predictor of school readiness in South Korean children. Early educators need to support the development of behavioral regulation skills, especially for boys, as these skills may work as an important path to school readiness when children lack other classroom social strategies and resources.

Early Predictors of Urban Adolescents’ Community Violence Exposure

This study examined the extent to which individual, peer, and family factors predicted the onset of community violence exposure in middle and high school, as well as the indirect effects of early factors. We were particularly interested in the timing of exposure to community violence during adolescence, and thus conducted survival analyses on data from 632 urban youth, followed from first grade through high school. Early aggressive behavior and poor academic readiness were associated with an earlier onset of community violence exposure in adolescence. The effects of early aggression on community violence exposure and victimization were accounted for, in part, by peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation; there was no evidence of moderation by gender or parental monitoring. Findings highlight potential targets for preventive interventions with youth at risk of community violence exposure.

Majoring course and grade 3 high school enrollment of students with Mental Retardation, the relationship between Adaptive Behavior and Job Readiness Skills

Majoring course and grade 3 high school enrollment of students with Mental Retardation, the relationship between Adaptive Behavior and Job Readiness Skills

Oxytocin Administration to Parent Enhances Infant Physiological and Behavioral Readiness for Social Engagement

The social milieu provides the context for the organism's survival, endurance, and adaptation. In mammals, social participation originates within the parent-infant bond and is supported by the oxytocin (OT) system, whose functioning is transmitted from parent to child through patterns of parental care. Human studies indicate that OT administration increases affiliative behavior, including trust, empathy, and social reciprocity. Here, we examine whether OT administration to parent can enhance physiological and behavioral processes that support parental social engagement but, moreover, can have parallel effects on the infant. Utilizing a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 35 fathers and their 5-month-old infants were observed twice following administration of OT or placebo to father in the face-to-face still-face paradigm. Parent and infant salivary OT were assessed at multiple time points, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured in the three face-to-face still-face episodes, and social behaviors of the parent and child were micro-coded for indices of social engagement. Oxytocin administration increased father salivary OT, RSA during free play, and key parenting behaviors that support parental-infant bonding. Parallel increases were also found in the infant's salivary OT, RSA response, and engagement behavior, including social gaze, exploration, and social reciprocity. Results are the first to demonstrate that OT administration to one attachment partner can have parallel effects on the other and underscore the role of OT in the cross-generation transmission of human social participation. Findings have translational implications for conditions associated with early risk for social-emotional growth, including autism and prematurity, without the need to administer drugs to young infants.

Eiders in offshore pack ice show previously unknown courtship behavior: acceleration of readiness for a constrained breeding period?

Migratory birds that nest in the Arctic must be prepared to complete breeding within the brief polar summer, but must also have means of adjusting their physiological and behavioral readiness under widely variable environmental conditions. For Arctic breeding sea ducks, which may start laying within a week of accessing nest sites, hormonal status needed for courtship, pairbonding, and ovarian development must be achieved before arrival, often in the context of extreme and rapidly changing weather. Spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) winter in pack ice, migrate to offshore openings in ice to await snowmelt on nest sites, and then move rapidly inland to start nesting. Using a camera that can film from a helicopter at high altitudes, we recorded behavior of spectacled eiders wintering in flocks containing tens of thousands of individuals within openings in Bering Sea pack ice, 70–90 km offshore. Rather than typical courting parties of single females pursued by a few males, the eiders formed crowded swarms of up to hundreds of birds in which males and females intermingled excitedly while performing courtship displays. In these “courtship scrums,” which occurred in patches throughout very large flocks, it did not appear possible for one individual to track other individuals to assess their characteristics for mate selection. Instead, this previously unreported behavior, which occurred near the seasonal onset of courtship, may provide visual and auditory stimuli that accelerate hormonal development for rapid transition from harsh winter conditions to breeding readiness. Such deviations from typical behavior may facilitate adaptation to advanced phenologies in a warming climate.

Cycle commuting and perceptions of barriers: stages of change, gender and occupation

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate perceptions of cycle commuting barriers in relation to stage of change, gender and occupational role. Stage of change is a key construct of the transtheoretical model of behaviour change that defines behavioural readiness (intentions and actions) into five distinct categories.Design/methodology/approachA cross‐sectional online questionnaire was completed by staff and PhD students (n=831) based in cycle‐friendly buildings in a large UK university. The questionnaire included questions relating to demographics, stages of behaviour change and 18 potential barriers. Data were analysed using t‐tests, one‐way ANOVAs and two‐way ANOVAs.FindingsOverall, environmental factors were perceived as the biggest barriers to cycle commuting. However, perceptions of cycle commuting barriers significantly differed between stages of change, genders and occupational roles. Precontemplators, females and support staff commonly perceived greater barriers to cycle commuting compared to maintainers, males and academic staff.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that tailored individual‐level behaviour change interventions focusing on reducing perceptions of barriers that take into account stage of change, gender and occupational differences may play a role in encouraging people to cycle to work.Originality/valueThe study reveals evidence of a significant subjective element involved in perception formation of some potential barriers associated with cycle commuting. Women not only hold stronger perceptions compared to males of risk‐orientated barriers but also of more general barriers associated with cycle commuting. The findings also suggest that occupational roles may influence an individual's perceptions of cycle commuting barriers.

Effects of awareness interventions on children's attitudes toward peers with a visual impairment

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of two awareness programs (6-day vs. 1-day programs) on children's attitudes toward peers with a visual impairment. Three hundred and forty-four Spanish physical education students (164 girls and 180 boys) aged 10-15 years, took part in the study. A modified version of the Attitudes Toward Disability Questionnaire (ATDQ) was used, which includes three sub-scales: (i) cognitive perceptions, (ii) emotional perception, and (iii) behavioral readiness to interact with children with disabilities. The questionnaire was filled out during the regular physical education class before and immediately after the awareness activity. The 6-day didactical unit included a lecture on visual impairments and a video describing visual impairments and the game of 5-a-side soccer (first lesson), sensibilization activities toward visual impairment (second and third lessons), training and competitive 5-a-side soccer tasks using blindfolded goggles (fourth and fifth lessons), and a sport show and chat with soccer players with a visual impairment (sixth lesson). The 1-day awareness unit only included the final session of the didactical activity. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant time effects in the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral subscales. Sex also was found to demonstrate significant effects, in which women showed more favorable results than men. A time-by-group intervention effect was only demonstrated in the cognitive sub-scale, and the 6-day didactic intervention was more effective than the 1-day awareness unit.

Relationships among health perceptions vary depending on stage of readiness for colorectal cancer screening.

We explored whether relationships among health perceptions differ depending on individuals' stage of readiness for colorectal cancer screening (CRCS). Data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) were used to stage adults over 50 years of age (N = 2324) using a modified version of the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) staging algorithm. Health perceptions examined included perceived risk of cancer, worry about cancer, fatalism, and beliefs about ambiguity of cancer prevention recommendations. Meaningful differences in patterns of relationships among health perceptions by stage were found. The nonlinear patterns that emerged indicate support for the role of these health perceptions in screening, the idea that behavioral readiness may moderate the relationship between important health perceptions, and the use of the stage construct in this context.

Family Concerns Surrounding Kindergarten Transition: A Comparison of Students in Special and General Education

Kindergarten transition is considered an important developmental milestone for children and families. Children with disabilities may be especially vulnerable during transition and may lack academic and behavioral readiness skills essential for kindergarten. Family concerns surrounding children’s transition were explored in 132 students (n = 29 special education; n = 103 general education) preparing to enter kindergarten. Caregivers responded to a survey on family experiences and involvement in transition and reported on the degree to which they were concerned about kindergarten transition. Caregivers of special education students reported significantly more concerns surrounding their child’s behavior, communication, academic readiness, and overall readiness for kindergarten than did caregivers of general education students. Implications for supporting children and families during transition are discussed.

Mechanisms of gene-environment interaction in schizophrenia

Environmental factors and both common and rare genetic variants increasing risk for schizophrenia are being discovered, but the neural mechanisms that mediate their impact are only now coming into focus. We discuss work from a translational genetics approach, with a focus on neuroimaging, delineating mechanisms of genetic risk through interaction of prefrontal cortex with striatum, midbrain and hippocampus. Using social status as an example, we identify dissociable neural responses to perceived social rank using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an interactive, simulated social context. In both stable and unstable social hierarchies, viewing a superior individual differentially engaged perceptual-attentional, saliency, and cognitive systems, notably dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the unstable hierarchy setting, additional regions related to emotional processing (amygdala), social cognition (medial prefrontal cortex), and behavioral readiness were recruited. Furthermore, social hierarchical consequences of performance were neurally dissociable and of comparable salience to monetary reward, providing a neural basis for the high motivational value of status. Finally, we discuss GEI impacting on these circuits, with a focus on validating epidemiologically identified GEI on the neural circuit level.

Neural Processing of Stable and Unstable Social Hierarchy in Humans

Event Abstract Back to Event Neural Processing of Stable and Unstable Social Hierarchy in Humans Caroline F. Zink1, Yunxia Tong1, Qiang Chen2, Danielle S. Bassett1, Jason L. Stein1 and Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg1, 2, 3* 1 NIMH, NIH, Unit for Systems Neuroscience in Psychiatry, United States 2 NIMH, NIH, Neuroimaging Core Facility, United States 3 Central Institute of Mental Health, Germany Social hierarchies guide behavior in many species, including humans, where status also has an enormous impact on motivation and health. However, little is known about the underlying neural representation of social hierarchies in humans. In a recently published study [1], we identify dissociable neural responses to perceived social rank using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an interactive, simulated social context. In both stable and unstable social hierarchies, viewing a superior individual differentially engaged perceptual-attentional, saliency, and cognitive systems, notably dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the unstable hierarchy setting, additional regions related to emotional processing (amygdala), social cognition (medial prefrontal cortex), and behavioral readiness were recruited. These regions showed overlap with those responsive to candidate gene variation in the serotonergic system that have again been associated with hierarchical status. Furthermore, social hierarchical consequences of performance were neurally dissociable and of comparable salience to monetary reward, providing a neural basis for the high motivational value of status. These results identify neural mechanisms that may mediate the enormous influence of social status on human behavior and health.

Know Your Place: Neural Processing of Social Hierarchy in Humans

Social hierarchies guide behavior in many species, including humans, where status also has an enormous impact on motivation and health. However, little is known about the underlying neural representation of social hierarchies in humans. In the present study, we identify dissociable neural responses to perceived social rank using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an interactive, simulated social context. In both stable and unstable social hierarchies, viewing a superior individual differentially engaged perceptual-attentional, saliency, and cognitive systems, notably dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the unstable hierarchy setting, additional regions related to emotional processing (amygdala), social cognition (medial prefrontal cortex), and behavioral readiness were recruited. Furthermore, social hierarchical consequences of performance were neurally dissociable and of comparable salience to monetary reward, providing a neural basis for the high motivational value of status. Our results identify neural mechanisms that may mediate the enormous influence of social status on human behavior and health.