Measure Of Responsiveness Research Articles

Reduced reward responsiveness and depression vulnerability: Consideration of social contexts and implications for intervention.

Depression is a prevalent, heterogeneous, and debilitating disorder that often emerges in adolescence, and there is a need to better understand vulnerability processes to inform more targeted intervention efforts. Psychophysiological methods, like event-related potentials (ERPs), can offer unique insights into the cognitive and emotional processes underlying depression vulnerability. I review my and others' research examining ERP measures of reward responsiveness in youth depression and present a conceptual model of the development of low reward responsiveness, its role in depression vulnerability, and potential windows for targeted intervention. There is evidence that ablunted reward positivity (RewP) is observable in children at risk for depression, appears to be shaped in part by early social experiences, and predicts later depressive symptoms in combination with other risk factors like stress exposure. Further, a component consistent with RewP is reliably elicited in response to social acceptance feedback in computerized peer interaction tasks and demonstrates unique associations with social contextual factors and depressive symptoms, supporting the utility of developing psychophysiological tasks that may better capture youths' real-world experiences and social risk processes. In addition, I address the translational implications of clinical psychophysiological research and describe a series of studies showing that a reduced RewP predicts greater reductions in depressive symptoms with treatment but is not modifiable by current treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy. Finally, I describe our preliminary efforts to develop a positive emotion-focused intervention for the offspring of depressed mothers, informed by the RewP literature, and describe future directions for translating psychophysiological research to intervention and prevention.

Firm performance and perceptions of market orientation

ABSTRACT This article investigates the relationship of the internal perception of market orientation by managers and salespeople, as well as the external perspectives of customers, across varying levels of company performance in the context of business-to-business (B2B) interactions. Market orientation was measured on cultural and operational dimensions of intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination, and responsiveness. Performance was measured across quartiles of both actual and perceived performance. ANOVA was employed to assess differences among respondent categories, with Bonferroni post hoc tests revealing significant distinctions between them. Across actual performance levels, managers and salespeople indicated no differences in any measures of market orientation whereas customers exhibited a difference in cultural market orientation. Across perceived performance levels, salespeople and customers displayed differences in all measures of market orientation. Managers, on the other hand, revealed differences in the operational measures of intelligence generation and responsiveness. The research is based on 111 business units of a B2B Fortune 500 company. This study contributes to existing literature on market orientation by exploring a previously unreported area, shedding light on the relationship between internal and external perspectives of market orientation in the B2B domain.

Home-based video assessment of children's autism-related behaviours: Psychometric analysis and linkages with parental responsiveness and context.

Assessment of autism-related behaviours (ARBs) in children has generally been limited to direct observations in clinical settings or informant-based reports. The widespread availability of video-streaming devices has made home observations of children's ARBs feasible. This approach could enable assessment of the generalization and durability of interventions and may be able to overcome methodological limitations of predominant current assessment approaches (response biases, limited sensitivity to treatment). Forty-four autistic children and their families participated in a repeated-measures study with a correlational design. Approximately 10 hr of unprompted behaviour at home were videorecorded over the course of a week (2 hr per day) for each participant. Gold standard measures of ARBs were also administered (ADOS-2 and ADI-R). Two home-based observational measures of ARBs utilizing streaming video were developed and evaluated: the ARCHER and the CHEERS. Trained independent evaluators made ratings on the ARCHER, CHEERS and an observational measure of parental responsiveness. Correlations with the ADOS-2 and ADI-R were .47 and .34 for ARCHER scores and .51 and .48 for CHEERS scores, respectively. In linear mixed models, more responsive parenting was associated with fewer ARBs on a daily basis. Children spent their afternoons engaged in many typical activities including electronics, homework and games with family members, and ARBs were more prominent in some of these contexts (e.g., electronics) than others (e.g., family games). Home-based observational assessment of ARBs may be useful for clinical and descriptive research.

Comparison of usefulness between the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test and the Berg Balance Scale for measuring balance in patients with subacute stroke: a prospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical applicability of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test and the Berg Balance Scale for measuring balance in inpatients with subacute stroke. This was a prospective observational study which included 58 consecutive patients admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation hospital with a first-ever stroke and who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test and the Berg Balance Scale were used to assess patient balance at admission and discharge. The ceiling and floor effects and responsiveness of each balance score were examined. In addition, receiver operating characteristic analysis based on each balance score at admission was used to examine its discriminative power to predict ambulatory independence and falls during hospitalization. The mean (standard deviation) change between admission and discharge for each balance scale was 4.4 (4.7) for the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test and 8.3 (10.0) for the Berg Balance Scale, with standard response means, a measure of responsiveness of 0.9 (large) and 0.8 (medium), respectively. Each balance score at admission almost equally predicted gait independence and fallers during hospitalization. On the contrary, only the distribution of scores on the Berg Balance Scale at discharge showed a ceiling effect, with 25 patients (43%) obtaining a perfect score. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test may be useful as a balance measure for inpatients with subacute stroke because it is less susceptible to ceiling effects and more responsive than the Berg Balance Scale.

Responsivität im polarisierten Pluralismus – Teil 2: Die Rolle der Parteien

In empirical research on political representation, the congruence between the attitudes of voters and those elected is considered a good measure of political responsiveness . Using the example of four selected political orientations, this article examines the congruence between the preferences of the candidates nominated by the six parties represented in the Bundestag and the population for the election years 2009 to 2021 . Different findings emerge for the four attitudes . Across all parties, there are large similarities between the political preferences of voters and politicians . The positions of voters and politicians on the left-right scale and their attitudes towards climate protection are rather similar, while a more marked difference characterizes the attitudes towards controlling migration . The preference for higher social spending or tax cuts lies somewhere in between . The differences between the political con- victions of SPD and Linke voters and politicians are more pronounced than those of the other parties . In addition to party preference, the level of education has the strongest influ- ence on the distance between voters and politicians .

Best Practice Recommendations for Conducting and Reporting Controlled Trials in Clinical Hypnosis Research.

There is an abundance of outcomes research for clinical hypnosis showing promising results. Nonetheless, hypnosis is still underutilized in clinical care. For a behavioral intervention to enter mainstream clinical care, efficacy needs to be demonstrated with exceptionally high quality of evidence, and its reporting needs to be complete and sufficiently clear to enable replication and clinical use. The present article provides best practice guidelines formulated by the Task Force for Establishing Efficacy Standards for Clinical Hypnosis for conducting and reporting clinical hypnosis research.The recommendations are presented in two tiers. Tier I recommendations include essential best practices, such as a call for the use of detailed research and intervention manuals, plans for and reporting of participant-education about hypnosis, the use of hypnotizability scales with good psychometric properties, and clear reporting of the hypnotizability measurement. Tier I also includes the sharing of intervention manuals, the reporting of the induction procedure, the labeling of the intervention for participants, and the definition of hypnosis used. Tier II includes preferred recommendations, calling for measurement of adherence to home practice, measurement of hypnotizability using scales with both subjective and behavioral measures of responsiveness, and the involvement of participants from the full hypnotizability spectrum. Tier II also includes the assessment of variables related to proposed mechanisms of action, the reporting of participants prior hypnosis experiences, and the relationship of expectancies and treatment outcomes.This list of recommendations will be useful for researchers, reviewers, and journal editors alike when conducting, reporting, or evaluating studies involving clinical hypnosis.

Psychometric analysis of the body responsiveness questionnaire in the Portuguese population

Body responsiveness refers to the tendency to be attuned to the body’s needs and use interoceptive information to guide behavior. Despite its potential beneficial effect on the development of positive body image, this construct is currently understudied. To boost research in this area, we examined the factor structure, gender invariance, and psychometric properties of a Portuguese translation of the Body Responsiveness Questionnaire (BRQ). A total of 650 men and women (aged 18–80 years) completed the Portuguese BRQ. To assess its convergent validity, participants also completed measures of body appreciation, emotion regulation, depression symptoms, and psychological quality of life. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a two-factor structure of the BRQ, which was upheld using confirmatory factor analysis: “Importance of Interoceptive Awareness” (ω = .85–.87) and “Perceived Connection” between body and mind (ω = .71–.74). BRQ scores had partial scalar invariance across gender, and no significant gender differences. Convergent and known-groups validity was supported. Participants with overweight/obesity (vs. normal weight) and middle-aged adults (vs. young adults) assigned higher importance to body signals to guide behavior. The Portuguese version of the BRQ is a psychometrically sound measure of body responsiveness and it may contribute to a comprehensive assessment of positive body image to guide intervention.

Emotion dysregulation and reward responsiveness as predictors of autonomic reactivity to an infant cry task among substance-using pregnant and postpartum women.

Maternal substance use may interfere with optimal parenting, lowering maternal responsiveness during interactions with their children. Previous work has identified maternal autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity to parenting-relevant stressors as a promising indicator of real-world parenting behaviors. However, less is known about the extent to which individual differences in emotion dysregulation and reward processing, two mechanisms of substance use, relate to maternal ANS reactivity in substance-using populations. The current study examined associations among emotion dysregulation, reward responsiveness, and ANS reactivity to an infant cry task among 77 low-income and substance-using women who were either pregnant (n=63) or postpartum (n=14). Two indicators of ANS functioning were collected during a 9min computerized infant cry task (Crybaby task): respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period. Mothers also completed self-reported measures of emotion dysregulation and reward responsiveness. Analyses revealed that trait emotion regulation was associated with RSA reactivity to the Crybaby task, such that greater emotion dysregulation was associated with greater RSA reduction during the infant cry task than lower emotion dysregulation. Reward responsiveness was not significantly associated with either indicator of ANS reactivity to the task. Findings revealed distinct patterns of associations linking emotion dysregulation with ANS reactivity during a parenting-related computerized task, suggesting that emotion regulation may be a key intervention target for substance-using mothers.

Designing a sustainable, resilient, and responsive wheat supply chain under mixed uncertainty: A multi-objective approach

The stability and long-term viability of agri-food supply chains are at risk due to factors such as rapid population growth and global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. This study develops a multi-objective robust fuzzy stochastic programming model to integrate sustainability, resilience, and responsiveness in designing agri-food supply chains operating under uncertain conditions. The sustainability-related objectives of the proposed model aim to reduce the overall cost and negative environmental and social effects. The resilience-related objectives in this model focus on decreasing the node criticality, complexity, and customer dissatisfaction. Additionally, minimizing the total delivery time serves as a measure of responsiveness. In this study, the Torabi and Hassini (TH) interactive fuzzy programming method and the Best-Worst Method (BWM) are applied as a solution approach to handle the multi-objective model. The proposed multi-objective model is applied to a Canadian wheat supply chain, considering its distinct features like blending, wheat quality, weather, and intermodal transport. Moreover, comprehensive sensitivity analyses are carried out to examine the effects of changing the model's parameters on the objective functions. Finally, the performance of the presented model is evaluated by conducting a comparative analysis. The results demonstrate the model's ability to handle hybrid uncertainty and provide tradeoffs between various objectives, which can benefit decision-makers.

Why Similar Policies Resulted In Different COVID-19 Outcomes: How Responsiveness And Culture Influenced Mortality Rates.

In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, per capita mortality varied by more than a hundredfold across countries, despite most implementing similar nonpharmaceutical interventions. Factors such as policy stringency, gross domestic product, and age distribution explain only a small fraction of mortality variation. To address this puzzle, we built on a previously validated pandemic model in which perceived risk altered societal responses affecting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Using data from more than 100 countries, we found that a key factor explaining heterogeneous death rates was not the policy responses themselves but rather variation in responsiveness. Responsiveness measures how sensitive communities are to evolving mortality risks and how readily they adopt nonpharmaceutical interventions in response, to curb transmission. We further found that responsiveness correlated with two cultural constructs across countries: uncertainty avoidance and power distance. Our findings show that more responsive adoption of similar policies saves many lives, with important implications for the design and implementation of responses to future outbreaks.

One Data Indonesia Policy Adoption for Telkom University Data Warehouse Framework

The Indonesian government has implemented a data warehouse named One Data (Satu Data) Indonesia (ODI) to support its operations since 2019. However, the implementation of this concept in universities has been limited, with only a few universities adopting it. Telkom University is one of the few universities in Indonesia that has already taken steps to implement ODI at the university level. The adoption of ODI at Telkom University is known as the One Data Telkom University (ODTU) project. This project aims to create a platform for universities to share data and collaborate more effectively. This paper thoroughly examines the implementation of the ODI policy and data warehouse framework at Telkom University, focusing on the ODTU data warehouse design and architecture. This paper discusses the implementation of ODTU into several applications, including the One Data Portal, One Data Dashboard, and One Data Market. Moreover, it identifies the challenges encountered during the implementation process, such as data integration, data privacy and security, standardized data models, and the promotion of a shared vision among stakeholders with varying levels of data literacy. Our analysis results demonstrate the effectiveness of the ODTU framework in improving data management practices at Telkom University. The customer satisfaction index (CSI) shows that across key reliability, assurance, and responsiveness measures, Telkom University experienced average score improvements of 3-6% after implementing ODTU. This study contributes to the existing literature on ODI policy adoption in the context of higher education institutions, providing insights for institutions seeking to improve their data management practices.

Characterizing uterine responsiveness to oxytocin augmentation across four labor patterns in maternal obesity.

Optimizing care during labor protraction is a key strategy for reducing cesareans, especially among people with obesity. The pathophysiology of labor dystocia remains poorly understood, limiting precise interventions targeting the cause of protraction. In this secondary analysis of nulliparas (n = 92) with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and spontaneous labor onset, we classified labor into four phenotypes based on duration of protraction and birth route: (1) no protraction, (2) short protraction and vaginal birth, (3) extended protraction meeting criteria for labor arrest, but with eventual progression and vaginal birth, and (4) extended protraction meeting criteria for labor arrest and cesarean birth. Across these phenotypes, we compared MVU, oxytocin dose, and novel measures of uterine responsiveness to oxytocin augmentation (MVU to oxytocin dose ratios). In our sample, phenotype group 1 comprised 14.1% (n = 13); group 2 comprised 30.4% (n = 28); group 3 comprised 34.8% (n = 32); and group 4 comprised 20.7% (n = 19). Uterine responsiveness to oxytocin, but not MVU, decreased with each labor phenotype. Participants with cesarean birth had the lowest uterine responsiveness to oxytocin. Labor and birth outcomes were associated with measures of uterine responsiveness to oxytocin rather than MVU alone, and thus these may be more clinically appropriate measures for guiding clinical decision-making. Current criteria for labor arrest are likely too stringent for nulliparas with obesity, many of whom appear to progress to safe vaginal birth after longer labor durations. Differences in uterine responsiveness to oxytocin augmentation across the groups suggests underlying physiologic differences in the labor phenotypes, which should drive future research targeting pathophysiology.

Сardiac index and stroke volume variation estimated by the pulse wave transit time analysis in comparison with variables derived by pulse contour analysis after coronary revascularization on a beating heart

The objective was to validate cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume variation (SVV) measured by pulse wave transit time (PWTT) technology using estimated continuous cardiac output (esCCO) technique, with pulse contour analysis (PCA) after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB)Materials and methods. The study involved 21 patients after elective OPCAB. In all patients, CI and SVV were measured with both esCCO technique (CIesCCO and esSVV) and PCA (CIPCA and SVVPCA). The agreement between methods was analyzed using correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. In addition, the trending ability of esCCO technique to control changes in CI during dynamic tests was investigated. Results. During the study, 178 pairs for CI and 174 pairs for SVV were collected. The mean bias between CIesCCO and CIPCA was 0.06 L·min–1 m–2 with limits of agreement of ± 0.92 L·min–1 m–2 and a percentage error of 35.3%. The concordance rate of CIesCCO was 70%. The mean bias between esSVV and SVVPCA achieved – 6.1% with limits of agreement of ± 15.5% and percentage error of 137%.Conclusions. The coherence of CIesCCO and esSVV based on PWTT in comparison with PCA is not appropriate. Further development of this monitoring algorithm may be required for more correct measurement of cardiac output and fluid responsiveness

Development and validation of the Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM): A self-reflection tool for mental health practitioners when working with First Nations people.

The purpose of this study was to develop and to validate a measure of cultural responsiveness that would assist mental health practitioners across a range of disciplines, in Australia, to work with Indigenous clients. The Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM) was developed to provide a tool for practitioners and students to evaluate their own culturally responsive practice and professional development. Following expert review for face validity the psychometric properties of the measure were assessed quantitatively, from the responses of 400 mental health practitioners. Confirmatory Factor Analysis yielded a nine factor, 36 item instrument that demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity as well as test-retest reliability. It is anticipated that the CRAM will have utility as both a learning tool and an assessment measure, for mental health practitioners to ensure that services are culturally responsive for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Behavioral and neural measures of infant responsivity increase with maternal multisensory input in non-irritable infants.

Parents often use sensory stimulation during early-life interactions with infants. These interactions, including gazing, rocking, or singing, scaffold child development. Previous studies have examined infant neural processing during highly controlled sensory stimulus presentation paradigms. In this study, we investigated infant behavioral and neural responsiveness during a mother-child social interaction during which the mother provided infant stimulation with a progressive increase in the number of sensory modalities. We prospectively collected and analyzed video-coded behavioral interactions and electroencephalogram (EEG) frontal asymmetry (FAS) from infants (n=60) at 2-4 months born at ≥34weeks gestation. As the number of sensory modalities progressively increased during the interaction, infant behaviors of emotional connection in facial expressiveness, sensitivity to mother, and vocal communication increased significantly. Conversely, infant FAS for the entire cohort did not change significantly. However, when we accounted for infant irritability, both video-coded behaviors and EEG FAS markers of infant responsiveness increased across the interaction in the non-irritable infants. The non-irritable infants (49%) demonstrated positive FAS, indicating readiness to engage with, rather than to withdraw from, multisensory but not unisensory interactions with their mothers. These results suggest that multisensory input from mothers is associated with greater infant neural approach state and highlight the importance of infant behavioral state during neural measures of infant responsiveness.

Micronutrient Supplementation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Open-Label Trial

Aim: To investigate the change in core and associated behaviours of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following micronutrient supplementation. Methods: Adolescents and adults with ASD (N=16, aged 11-22) participated in an 8-week open label study of micronutrients supplements. Measures of behaviour and social responsiveness, using Autism Behaviour Inventory – Short (ABI-S) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) respectively, were completed by parents and teachers at baseline and end of the study. Paired t-tests were used to compare the pre- and post-treatment mean scores. Results: Eleven participants completed the study. Mean scores on both clinical outcomes showed improvements (decreases) over the study period, but none were statistically significant. Parent-reported ABI-S scores decreased (improved) by 11.5% (effect size=-0.52, p=0.08), teacher-reported ABI-S scores improved by 3.7% (effect size=-0.16, p=0.31), and parent-reported SRS scores improved by 8.6% (effect size=-0.56, p=0.05). There were no adverse events reported. Conclusion: This study adds to the mixed findings of micronutrient supplementation in individuals with ASD, consistent with previous studies. Micronutrients were safely tolerated. In the future, randomized controlled trials with a larger sample size are needed to provide more insight on the potential benefits of micronutrients in ASD.

Race, ovarian responsiveness, and live birth after in vitro fertilization

To determine if ovarian responsiveness to gonadotropin stimulation differs by race/ethnicity and whether this predicts live birth rates (LBRs) in non-White patients undergoing invitro fertilization (IVF). Retrospective cohort study. Academic infertility center. White, Asian, Black, and Hispanic patients undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF. Self-reported race and ethnicity. The primary outcome was ovarian sensitivity index (OSI), defined as (the number of oocytes retrieved ÷ total gonadotropin dose) × 1,000 as a measure of ovarian responsiveness, adjusting for age, body mass index, infertility diagnosis, and cycle number. Secondary outcomes included live birth and clinical pregnancy after first retrievals, adjusting for age, infertility diagnosis, and history of fibroids, as well as miscarriage rate per clinical pregnancy, adjusting for age, body mass index, infertility diagnosis, duration of infertility, history of fibroids, and use of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. The primary analysis of OSI included 3,360 (70.2%) retrievals from White patients, 704 (14.7%) retrievals from Asian patients, 553 (11.6%) retrievals from Black patients, and 168 (3.5%) retrievals from Hispanic patients. Black and Hispanic patients had higher OSIs than White patients after accounting for those with multiple retrievals and adjusting for confounders (6.08 in Black and 6.27 in Hispanic, compared with 5.25 in White). There was no difference in OSI between Asian and White patients. The pregnancy outcomes analyses included 2,299 retrievals. Despite greater ovarian responsiveness, Black and Hispanic patients had lower LBRs compared with White patients, although these differences were not statistically significant after adjusting for confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-1.09, for Black; adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.61-1.43, for Hispanic). Ovarian sensitivity index was modestly predictive of live birth in White and Asian patients but not in Black (area under the curve, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.38-0.64) and Hispanic (area under the curve, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.37-0.63) patients. Black and Hispanic patients have higher ovarian responsiveness to stimulation during IVF but do not experience a consequent increase in LBR. Factors beyond differences in responsiveness to ovarian stimulation need to be explored to address the racial/ethnic disparity established in prior literature.

Performance of Tools and Measures to Predict Fluid Responsiveness in Pediatric Shock and Critical Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis we asked: Do predictors of fluid responsiveness in children perform comparably: 1) in the PICU as in non-PICU settings? 2) in shock states compared with nonshock states? Additionally, 3) is there an association between preload responsiveness and clinical response? Ovid Medline, PubMed, and Embase databases were searched from inception through May 2022. Included studies reported physiological response to IV fluid administration in humans less than 18 years. Only studies reporting an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were included for descriptive analysis. Only studies for which a se could be estimated were included for meta-analysis. Title, abstract, full text screening, and extraction were completed by two authors (S.B.W., J.M.W.). Variables extracted included predictors ("tools") and outcome measures ("reference tests") of fluid responsiveness, demographic, and clinical variables. We identified 62 articles containing 204 AUROCs for 55 tools, primarily describing mechanically ventilated children in an operating room or PICU. Meta-analysis across all tools showed poor predictive performance (AUROC, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.63-0.69), although individual performance varied greatly (range, 0.49-0.87). After controlling for PICU setting and shock state, PICU setting was associated with decreased predictive performance (coefficient, -0.56; p = 0.0007), while shock state was associated with increased performance (0.54; p = 0.0006). Effect of PICU setting and shock state on each tool was not statistically significant but analysis was limited by sample size. The association between preload responsiveness and clinical response was rarely studied but results did not suggest an association. Ultrasound measurements were prone to inherent test review and incorporation biases. We suggest three opportunities for further research in fluid responsiveness in children: 1) assessing predictive performance of tools during resuscitation in shock states; 2) separating predictive tool from reference test when using ultrasound techniques; and 3) targeting decreasing time in a shock state, rather than just increase in preload.

Older Adults' Quality of Life in Long-Term Care: A Cross-Sectional Comparison Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aims to assess changes in long-term care (LTC) residents' quality of life (QoL) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A pre-test post-test study of 49 QoL measures, across four dimensions from the interRAI self-reported QoL survey, was conducted. Secondary data from 2019 (n = 116) and 2020 (n = 128) were analysed to assess the change in QoL. A significant decline in 12 measures was observed, indicating a change in QoL of LTC residents during the pandemic. Social life was the dimension mostly affected with residents reporting less opportunities to spend time with like-minded residents, explore new skills and interests, participate in meaningful religious activities, and have enjoyable things to do in the evenings. Several measures of personal control, staff responsiveness and care, and safety also demonstrated a significant change. The results can inform future strategies for pandemic and outbreak preparedness. Balancing the safety of residents with attention to their QoL should be a priority moving forward.

A digital game-based training improves spelling in German primary school children – A randomized controlled field trial

Despite its potential to support reading and spelling development in children with or without dyslexia, research on the effectiveness of digital trainings carried out at home is scarce. This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel digital game-based spelling training for unassisted use at home (Prosodiya). The pedagogical approach differs from similar approaches as it systematically teaches orthographic knowledge in combination with syllable stress awareness. A sample of 116 German second- to fourth-grade children with mainly poor spelling skills participated in a randomized two-period, wait-list controlled field trial, in which children practiced at home over 9–10 weeks with Prosodiya. Results showed high participant engagement, as indicated by behavioral measures of student responsiveness, and they validate our novel pedagogical approach. Most importantly, results revealed significant training effects on syllable stress awareness and spelling abilities in trained and untrained domains. This training may thus expand the traditional pool of training methods.