Members Of Different Age Groups Research Articles

Onomastics of Age-Grade Names in the Igbo Community

Onomastics of Igbo age-grade names: a fundamental sub-category of African names is the act of naming a group of people that are born in a particular period of time. It is a cultural practice that has survived civilisation and urbanisation, as the Igbo worldwide now join age-grade activities of their hometown via various social media platforms. No previous study has investigated how age-grade names are acquired and classified. Therefore, this study aims to provide a better understanding of how names given to age grades in Igbo communities are created and classified. Qualitative data elicited through one-on-one interviews with 18 members of different age groups in Anam, an Igbo community, were subjected to descriptive and thematic analysis. Findings reveal that age-grade names are acquired during the teenage period mainly by boys (for both males and females) and maintained till death. The different categories of names acquired by members of age grades include testimonial, ideational, monumental, war historical, descendant, praise, and lexical matching names. The age-grade names, like Igbo personal names, reflect the distinctive experience of the bearers. They also serve as a collective identity for all members during social interactions and community engagements.

Unbranded Carcinogenic Products From Indian Terrain

Background: The burden of cancers caused due to tobacco-related carcinogenic products is increasing at an alarming rate in India. Unlike the western world, where cancer-causing products are mostly smoked (such as cigarettes), in India it is mostly consumed as such without combustion. Such products are produced for self-consumption or for selling in the local markets within specific geographical locations. There is very little information available in the public search engines (PubMed) about such products (i.e., dohra [mixture of areca nut, catechu, edible lime, peppermint, cardamom, and some flavoring agents], tuibur [tobacco water sipped and retained in mouth for 5-10 minutes and then spit out], kaddipudi [fine powder of tobacco plant used as such, or in processed form, as bricks and blocks made with jaggery and water], and hogesoppu [tobacco leaf used by women either as such or with betel]). Aim: To study the (i) geographical distribution, (ii) varieties, (iii) production and (iv) adverse health effects of unbranded chewable or drinkable carcinogenic products from India. Methods: The information on unbranded carcinogenic products was collected via study tour to different geographical areas of India, via group discussions or telephonic talks with community members of different age groups. Results: Dohra is found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It majorly contains areca nut which contains a carcinogenic compound - arecoline known for causing histologic changes in the oral mucosa. Tuibur is found in the state of Manipur and Mizoram. Evidence suggests that it contains tobacco which is rich in N-nitroso compounds known for causing systemic tumors. Kaddipudi and hogesoppu are found in the state of Karnataka. Both of them contain tobacco. Conclusion: Dohra, Tuibur, kaddipudi and hogesoppu are unbranded cancer-causing products used at specific geographical locations in India. Since these products contain carcinogenic compounds, their use should be avoided.

Investigating Knowledge Acquisition among Faculty Members

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the issue of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Background: The paper reports the use of knowledge acquisition tools and reading knowledge sources by faculty members. It also identifies demographic differ-ences among participants in using knowledge acquisition tools and reading knowledge sources. Methodology: The study used an online survey-based questionnaire tool for data collection. The participants consisted of 300 faculty members from 26 academic institu-tions in UAE. Statistical tests are used to verify and validate the hypotheses. Contribution: The paper represents one of the few empirical studies conducted on knowledge acquisition among faculty members in the GCC countries. Find-ings of the study may contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Findings: Findings of the study revealed that medical faculty members read knowledge acquisition sources more than other faculty members. Likewise, IT faculty members use knowledge acquisition tools more than other faculty members. Results of the study supported stage three of knowledge acquisition proposed in the “Stage Theory of Knowledge Consumption Growth” (Mathew, 1985). The study found that journals are the most sources read by the participants while web-based training (WBT) tools are the most used knowledge acquisition tools among faculty members. Results of the study indicated significant differ-ences among faculty members of different age groups, academic ranks, aca-demic specializations, and institutional affiliation in reading knowledge sources. Likewise, findings of the study revealed significant difference among partici-pants of different academic specializations in using knowledge acquisition tools. Recommendations for Practitioners: Results of the study could be extrapolated to other faculty members in the GCC countries. Recommendation for Researchers: More researches could be done to address different issues of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Impact on Society: Faculty reading of knowledge sources and use of knowledge acquisition tools may have direct or indirect positive impacts on innovation, creativity, and re-search productivity in any society. Future Research: It will be interesting to apply more than one data collection method in the future research.

Older workers’ representation and age-based stereotype threats in the workplace

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which negative age-based metastereotypes mediate the relationship between the representation of older workers and two forms of stereotype threat in the workplace: own-reputation and group-reputation. Adopting a social identity perspective, this paper also explores whether age diversity beliefs moderate the relationship between negative age-based metastereotypes and stereotype threats.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional design was adopted with bootstrapped mediation and moderation analyses. The data were collected from 567 older workers working in 15 manufacturing companies.FindingsThe analyses provide support for partial mediation and for a moderation effect of age diversity beliefs in the relationship between negative age-based metastereotypes and own-reputation threat. The results hold while controlling for age, objective organizational age diversity, and organizational tenure.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study include its cross-sectional nature and the need for further work regarding older workers’ metastereotypes about middle-aged workers.Practical implicationsFor stereotype threat interventions to be effective they must identify beforehand the target and the source of the threat. Moreover, interventions should aim for the development of a sense of identity on the organization as it may pave the way for members of different age groups to build bonds and for intergenerational boundaries to be blurred.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by showing the importance of negative age-based metastereotypes in workplace age dynamics. It also provides further support for a multi-threat approach to the experience of age-based stereotype threats in the workplace.

Intergenerational Space

Book Reviews 187 Intergenerational Space Robert M. Vanderbeck and Nancy Worth, Editors (2015) London: Routledge, 342 pages $171.00 (hardback); ISBN 978-0-415-85531 Quoting the introduction of Intergenerational Space, this book aims to offer insight into the transforming relationships between younger and older members of society (p. 0). The book reveals how different generations negotiate access to each other’s lives, the tendencies toward increasing age segregation, and the ways that members of different age groups could be encouraged to keep in touch. The majority of contributions to the book come from the UK, with chapters from the US, Africa and Asia. No less than 35 authors are engaged in this volume. The collection originates from the conference Intergenerational Geographies: Spaces, Identities, Relationships Encounters at the University of Leeds (UK) in May 2012. In their introduction, the editors explain the urgency of the book. They refer to a widespread discussion on the “clashing’’ of the older and the younger generation. Worries about the lack of intergenerational solidarity are mentioned in reference to issues like social welfare, climate change and the housing market. In Geography, research thus far has mainly been focused on specific age groups, with the field of children’s geographies likely the most advanced. In addition, the number of studies on the elderly has increased. According to the editors, this “bookend” focus makes adulthood as a position and life stage somewhat underconceptualized , and more importantly the interrelationships between different age groups have been only marginally explored. Most of the geographical literature does not combine an interest in both the young and the old. This volume is meant to change that situation. The first of the book’s five sections starts with a focus on intergenerational spaces. How are intergenerational spaces experienced by both young and old, what problems occur, and how can these spaces be better designed? One of the empirical examples comes from a high-rise public housing estate in Singapore where shared venues for children and older people were built that stimulated new encounters between children and their grandparents. The second section treats intergenerational relationships through the lens of memories. Adults’ memories contain many examples of intergenerational contacts when they were young, but also of “missed” chances and barriers to meet people from another generation. Part three considers the negotiation of values and beliefs between different generations. This is, of course, daily practice in families, where parents and children are in a constant process of redefining each other’s positions. When children grow older they often “accuse” adults of “living in different times,” which can create some level of misunderstanding and prejudice. One of the book’s chapters concludes that it can be helpful to start dialogues between generations as this often reduces mutual prejudgments. Section four focuses on issues around education and care. These are domains in life where different generations meet and where the younger generations are frequently confronted with asymmetrical power relations. In their Book Reviews 188 position as adults, caretakers and educators are typically the ones who determine what has to be done by the youngest generation. However, it is also increasingly the case that younger people are taking care of their parents and other older members of society, which is accompanied by shifting power relations between age groups. The last section of this volume focuses on the world-wide process of aging. Elderly people are growing in numbers in many countries, which is challenging people to create better environments for the elderly. Like children, however, the elderly are often defined as out of place. They feel vulnerable in a world that places the greatest value on “being young.” The chapters in this last section reveal diverse solutions to the marginalization of aged people in today’s society from technology to housing. The book by Vanderbeck and Worth shows that it can be valuable to connect different age groups both in research and policies. It is empirically rich and offers some interesting theoretical concepts. It opens the reader’s eyes to the benefits of an intergenerational approach in urban planning. Building a child-friendly city can be very favorable for many older people as well as the other way around...

"Are vocabulary tests measurement invariant between age groups? An item response analysis of three popular tests": Correction to Fox, Berry, and Freeman (2014).

Reports an error in "Are vocabulary tests measurement invariant between age groups? An item response analysis of three popular tests" by Mark C. Fox, Jane M. Berry and Sara P. Freeman (Psychology and Aging, 2014[Dec], Vol 29[4], 925-938). In the article, unneeded zeros were inadvertently included at the beginnings of some numbers in Tables 1–4. In addition, the right column in Table 4 includes three unnecessary zeros after asterisks. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2014-49140-001.) Relatively high vocabulary scores of older adults are generally interpreted as evidence that older adults possess more of a common ability than younger adults. Yet, this interpretation rests on empirical assumptions about the uniformity of item-response functions between groups. In this article, we test item response models of differential responding against datasets containing younger-, middle-aged-, and older-adult responses to three popular vocabulary tests (the Shipley, Ekstrom, and WAIS–R) to determine whether members of different age groups who achieve the same scores have the same probability of responding in the same categories (e.g., correct vs. incorrect) under the same conditions. Contrary to the null hypothesis of measurement invariance, datasets for all three tests exhibit substantial differential responding. Members of different age groups who achieve the same overall scores exhibit differing response probabilities in relation to the same items (differential item functioning) and appear to approach the tests in qualitatively different ways that generalize across items. Specifically, younger adults are more likely than older adults to leave items unanswered for partial credit on the Ekstrom, and to produce 2-point definitions on the WAIS–R. Yet, older adults score higher than younger adults, consistent with most reports of vocabulary outcomes in the cognitive aging literature. In light of these findings, the most generalizable conclusion to be drawn from the cognitive aging literature on vocabulary tests is simply that older adults tend to score higher than younger adults, and not that older adults possess more of a common ability.

Are vocabulary tests measurement invariant between age groups? An item response analysis of three popular tests.

Relatively high vocabulary scores of older adults are generally interpreted as evidence that older adults possess more of a common ability than younger adults. Yet, this interpretation rests on empirical assumptions about the uniformity of item-response functions between groups. In this article, we test item response models of differential responding against datasets containing younger-, middle-aged-, and older-adult responses to three popular vocabulary tests (the Shipley, Ekstrom, and WAIS-R) to determine whether members of different age groups who achieve the same scores have the same probability of responding in the same categories (e.g., correct vs. incorrect) under the same conditions. Contrary to the null hypothesis of measurement invariance, datasets for all three tests exhibit substantial differential responding. Members of different age groups who achieve the same overall scores exhibit differing response probabilities in relation to the same items (differential item functioning) and appear to approach the tests in qualitatively different ways that generalize across items. Specifically, younger adults are more likely than older adults to leave items unanswered for partial credit on the Ekstrom, and to produce 2-point definitions on the WAIS-R. Yet, older adults score higher than younger adults, consistent with most reports of vocabulary outcomes in the cognitive aging literature. In light of these findings, the most generalizable conclusion to be drawn from the cognitive aging literature on vocabulary tests is simply that older adults tend to score higher than younger adults, and not that older adults possess more of a common ability.

Age related factors and l2 learning: Implications for selecting an appropriate L2 programme

This paper has been inspired by Dimroth and Stephany's longitudinal study (Dimroth, 2008) on the acquisition of German by two Russian girls, members of different age groups (8 and 14). Both girls were subjected to the same type of second language program called 'submersion and withdrawal', but showed different progress. Whilst the 8-year old became fluent in German, the 14-year old had difficulty expressing herself in her second language. This paper considers various theoretical approaches and research findings in order to account for the differences between the two learners. By all accounts there may be no single factor responsible for their individual success rates.

Assessment of the classification capability of prediction and approximation methods for HRV analysis

The goal of this paper is to examine the classification capabilities of various prediction and approximation methods and suggest which are most likely to be suitable for the clinical setting. Various prediction and approximation methods are applied in order to detect and extract those which provide the better differentiation between control and patient data, as well as members of different age groups. The prediction methods are local linear prediction, local exponential prediction, the delay times method, autoregressive prediction and neural networks. Approximation is computed with local linear approximation, least squares approximation, neural networks and the wavelet transform. These methods are chosen since each has a different physical basis and thus extracts and uses time series information in a different way.

Gender Portrayals Across the Life Span: A Content Analytic Look at Broadcast Commercials

This study investigated the role that age plays in gender portrayals in contemporary television commercials. A content analysis of 2,315 characters appearing in commercials aired during a composite week of prime-time programming on 6 major broadcast networks was conducted. The study compared images of female participants from childhood through the senior years to identify the extent to which female members of different age groups replicate conclusions drawn about images of females-in-general in advertising. The study also contrasted images of female characters from different age groups with their same-age male counterparts to shed additional light on the complexity of gender portrayals in prime-time commercials. The findings indicate significant differences among same-age gender portrayals and same-gender age portrayals. Results are interpreted within a social cognitive theory framework and directions for future research are articulated.

Influences on meat consumption in Australia

In a study of influences on meat consumption, over 700 South Australians answered questions on frequency of meat consumption, beliefs about meat and nutrition, perceived difficulties with and benefits of vegetarian diets, personal values, number of vegetarian significant others, use in and trust of health/nutrition/food information sources, and demography. Perceived difficulties with vegetarian diets, the number of vegetarian significant others and beliefs about meat were important predictors of meat consumption. There were differences between men and women and members of different age groups, which should be taken into account when attempts are made to influence meat consumption. For example, health promotion campaigns that focus on whether or not meat is necessary in the diet may influence meat consumption, but would be most successful if directed predominantly at older people and men. In contrast, the meat consumption of women and younger people was strongly associated with more specific concerns about lack of iron and protein in the vegetarian diet. Some of the difficulties people find with vegetarian diets will also apply to plant-based diets generally, and such diets are becoming more widely acknowledged as providing health benefits. Therefore, the findings have important implications for public health.

CHANGES IN ATTITUDES AMONG CHILDREN AND ELDERLY ADULTS IN INTERGENERATIONAL GROUP WORK

Negative attitudes among members of different age groups interfere with intergenerational communication. Changes in intergenerational attitudes in 32 8- to 11-year-old children and 20 elderly adults were investigated using activity groups. Applying the theory of realistic intergroup conflict, we varied the amount of joint activity between groups. In the experimental group, joint activities (e.g., writing stories, making glove puppets, performing a puppet show) were organized by the researcher. In the control group, although there was visual contact among them, the children and elderly participants worked alone. The elderly adults ratings of the participating children became more positive only in the experimental group. However, children's ratings of the elderly participants improved regardless of the experimental condition. Seven weeks after the end of the intervention, only the children s changes in attitudes toward the elderly participants remained significant. Improvements in intergenerational attitudes during group activities were associated with increased frequency of intergenerational contact outside the group.

The computer simulation of the life cycle of the Florida bald eagle

A computational simulation model of the life cycle of bald eagles is considered. The life cycle depends on many parameters, such as human population growth, environmental factors, mortality rate and others. In addition to incorporating these parameters, the model also treats the eagles individually so that the habitual differences between the male and the female and the members of different age groups can be simulated. The model is used, in conjunction with the current available data on the eagle population, to predict the future population of the bald eagle through the year 2000.