Range Of Individual Differences Research Articles

One hundred malaria attacks since birth. A longitudinal study of African children and young adults exposed to high malaria transmission

Despite significant progress in malaria control over the past twenty years, malaria remains a leading cause of child morbidity and mortality in Tropical Africa. As most patients do not consult any health facility much uncertainty persists about the true burden of the disease and the range of individual differences in susceptibility to malaria. Over a 25-years period, from 1990 to 2015, the inhabitants of Dielmo village, Senegal, an area of intense malaria transmission, have been monitored daily for their presence in the village and the occurrence of diseases. In case of fever thick blood films were systematically examined through microscopy for malaria parasites and patients received prompt diagnosis and treatment. We analysed data collected in 111 children and young adults monitored for at least 10 years (mean 17.3 years, maximum 25 years) enrolled either at birth (95 persons) or during the two first years of life. A total of 11,599 episodes of fever were documented, including 5268 malaria attacks. The maximum number of malaria attacks in a single person was 112. Three other persons suffered one hundred or more malaria attacks during follow-up. The minimum number of malaria attacks in a single person was 11. The mean numbers of malaria attacks in children reaching their 4th, 7th, and 10th birthdays were 23.0, 37.7, and 43.6 attacks since birth, respectively. Sixteen children (14.4%) suffered ten or more malaria attacks each year at ages 1-3 years, and six children (5.4%) each year at age 4-6 years. Long-term close monitoring shows that in highly endemic areas the malaria burden is higher than expected. Susceptibility to the disease may vary up to 10-fold, and for most children childhood is an endless history of malaria fever episodes. No other parasitic, bacterial or viral infection in human populations has such an impact on health. The Pasteur Institutes of Dakar and Paris, the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, and the French Ministry of Cooperation provided funding.

Information searching activity based on the body's circadian rhythm (morning-evening)

Introduction: Organisms, including humans, have an internal biological clock that helps them adjust to the regular rhythm of the day. We aimed to study the effect of body's circadian rhythm (morning-evening), (biological clock) in searching for information on different people. Methods: The present study is of a fundamental applied type that has been performed by quasi-experimental method. The statistical population of the study consisted of 69 medical students of Qom University of Medical Sciences who were selected by purposive sampling method. The data of this study were used in two stages of completing the general health questionnaire, morning and evening sleep type, observing the behavior of completing search tasks and log analysis using collected images from users and then were collected in Camtasia studio software. Then, recorded data were collected and analyzed by Excel software and SPSS-24 software. Results: The results showed that people who slept in the evening had better information searching in a shorter time than people who slept in the morning and between. Analysis of the samples searching and retrieval behavior showed that they performed a total of 1574 strategies and techniques in the searching process. In fact, the samples chose their searching according to the type of their task. Conclusion: None of the sleeping types can affect the tests and cause cycles. Based on the genetic changes that occur, humans have different characteristics changing from time to time and create individual and functional differences. The range of individual differences is much wide.

Average and individual differences between the 12-item MOS Short-form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12 V.2) and the veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12) in the Chinese population

BackgroundThe 12-item MOS Short-form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) and the Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12) are generic health-related quality of life measures. They are fairly similar, but their differences in scores have not been assessed. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the differences between the SF-12v2 and the VR-12 in a Chinese population.MethodsWe conducted a household survey of 500 Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Both the SF-12v2 and the VR-12 were self-administered. The physical component summary score (PCS) and the mental component summary score (MCS) of each instrument were computed using well established algorithms. Their mean differences were assessed using 95% confidence interval (CI), and their individual differences were assessed by Bland–Altman analysis.ResultsThe participants had a mean age of 38 years (range: 18–80 years). The mean PCS and MCS scores of the SF-12v2 were 50.3 (SD = 6.5) and 49.0 (SD = 9.0), while those of the VR-12 were 49.6 (SD = 6.2) and 49.7 (SD = 8.8), respectively. The corresponding paired differences (SF-12v2—VR-12) of the PCS and MCS were 0.8, 95% CI (0.4–1.1) and − 0.7, 95% CI (− 1.2 to − 0.2), respectively. All confidence limits fell within the minimal clinical important difference (MCID) of 3. The 95% limits of agreement were − 7.0, 8.5 for PCS and − 11.2, 9.9 for MCS, which fell outside the corresponding MCID for individual responses.ConclusionThe SF-12v2 and the VR-12 reached mean equivalence at the group sample level, but there was a range of individual differences.

Reference growth curves for normal appendiceal diameter in childhood

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the appendiceal diameter (AD) and age, sex, height, and body weight in children and to verify how does the normal AD grows in childhood. We evaluated the AD of patients younger than 16 years of age who underwent laparoscopic surgery at our hospital. We statistically examined the relationship between the AD and the age, sex, height, and weight. A final cohort of 188 patients participated in the study. The median AD for the sample population was 5 mm (range, 3.2–8.1). There was no significant difference in the AD between males and females in the multivariate analysis (P = 0.500). There was a positive correlation between the age and the AD (R = 0.396, P < 0.001). The AD had a significant positive correlation with the height and weight (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). The reference curve with regard to the AD can be useful in clinical situations, although it should be kept in mind that the range of individual differences in AD is large, and the growth degree by age is not uniform during childhood.

Impact of a low-cost classroom dialogue-based intervention on preschool children’s emotion understanding

ABSTRACTChildren's emotion understanding has emerged as one of the best predictors of their psychological well-being, pro-social competences and school achievement. The main goal of this study was to evaluate for the first time the impact of an easy-to-use and not time-consuming classroom dialogue-based intervention (a) on preschool children's understanding of both simple and complex components of emotions and (b) on the range of individual differences in children's understanding of emotions. Participants were 112 typical 5-year-old children attending 10 different preschools in Canada and France. They were divided into an intervention group (N = 55, 7 classrooms) and a control group (N = 57, 7 classrooms). The intervention, The Tales of Audrey-Anne, lasted over 8–9 months (15 h in total) and was conducted in the classroom by the children's habitual teachers without previous training in using the intervention. Children were assessed before and after the intervention for their emotion understanding with the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). Four results were found. First, the intervention had a positive impact on children's both overall and specific levels of emotion understanding. Second, it did not change the hierarchical order of the specific levels (i.e. external, mental and reflective). Third, it did not have an impact on the range of individual differences (considerable both before and after the intervention). Fourth, it had a positive impact on the longitudinal stability of these differences (much smaller for the children in the experimental group after the intervention). These findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and applied implications.

Specific characteristics of special endurance of skilled kayakers at 1000 m distance

The new possibilities of estimating special endurance of rowers, specialize at 1000 m distance are shown. It is established that the assessment of special endurance requires a comparative analysis of the indices of cardiorespiratory system response and the energy supply of the athletes registered in the conditions of stable state of functional provision of special work capacity and in the conditions of latent (compensated) fatigue. Objective. To determine special endurance characteristics of skilled kayakers at 1000 m distance. Methods. Analysis of scientific literature, studies of ergometric and physiological indices, testing. Results. In the process of fatigue compensation, athletes with the highest indices of special work capacity (according to ergometric power of work in 90s test) increased consumption of O 2 and pulmonary ventilation response to the accumulation of C 2 (VE / CO 2 ); the ratio of O 2 intake and heart rate (O 2 / HR) decreased insignificantly. This indicates an increase in fatigue compensation response and its positive impact on the work capacity of rowers in the period of fatigue development. An increase in the range of individual differences in the indices of the responses of cardiopulmonary system and energy supply of work within the range of 31.0-55.1% indicates the need to search for rational ways of directed influence on functional capacities of rowers by training means. We are talking about the application of a system for monitoring and evaluating functional capacities of rowers to determine individual parameters of ergometric power and the duration of work under the conditions of latent (compensated) fatigue.

Specific characteristics of special endurance of skilled kayakers at 1000 m distance

The new possibilities of estimating special endurance of rowers, specialize at 1000 m distance are shown. It is established that the assessment of special endurance requires a comparative analysis of the indices of cardiorespiratory system response and the energy supply of the athletes registered in the conditions of stable state of functional provision of special work capacity and in the conditions of latent (compensated) fatigue. Objective. To determine special endurance characteristics of skilled kayakers at 1000 m distance. Methods. Analysis of scientific literature, studies of ergometric and physiological indices, testing. Results. In the process of fatigue compensation, athletes with the highest indices of special work capacity (according to ergometric power of work in 90s test) increased consumption of O 2 and pulmonary ventilation response to the accumulation of C 2 (VE / CO 2 ); the ratio of O 2 intake and heart rate (O 2 / HR) decreased insignificantly. This indicates an increase in fatigue compensation response and its positive impact on the work capacity of rowers in the period of fatigue development. An increase in the range of individual differences in the indices of the responses of cardiopulmonary system and energy supply of work within the range of 31.0-55.1% indicates the need to search for rational ways of directed influence on functional capacities of rowers by training means. We are talking about the application of a system for monitoring and evaluating functional capacities of rowers to determine individual parameters of ergometric power and the duration of work under the conditions of latent (compensated) fatigue.

Iranian EFL Learners' Cognitive Styles and Their Explanations of Conceptual Metaphors

The current study aims to investigate Iranian EFL learners' cognitive styles and their explanations of conceptual metaphors, offering a possible range of individual differences in metaphor processing. 71 participants were asked to explain some established conceptual metaphors that are commonly used in English. Then, their cognitive styles were classified into “analytic” or “holistic” and “imager” or “verbalizer” by means of cognitive styles test. Data analysis revealed that 29 participants (40.85%) explained the three conceptual metaphors by making structural correspondences between source and target domain. Moreover, 20 participants (28.17%) explained at least one of the metaphors by applying elements which were not part of the source domain. The results of the experiment revealed that learners with “holistic” cognitive styles were more likely to blend their conception of the target domain with the source domain in comparison to participants with “analytic” styles; also, “imagers” were more likely than “verbalizers” to refer to stereotypical images to explain the metaphors.

Evolution and development of handedness: An Evo-Devo approach.

Hand preference is a sensorimotor skill whose development both reflects and promotes the development of hemispheric lateralization for manual and cognitive functions. Extensive comparative, crosscultural, and paleoanthropological evidence demonstrates the prevalence of limb lateralized preferences across vertebrate species and the prevalence of right-handedness within hominid evolution. Many reviews of the evolution and development of human handedness have proposed adaptive explanations for its evolution. However, during the last 3 decades a new approach to understanding evolution (the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis-EES) provided a persuasive alternative to the conventional (Neo-Darwinian Synthetic Theory-ST) evolutionary and developmental accounts. EES combines modern evolutionary and developmental research (Evo-Devo) in ways that alter understanding of natural selection, adaptation, and the role of genes in development and evolution. These changes make obsolete all past accounts of the evolution and development of lateralization and handedness because EES/Evo-Devo requires new study designs. The developmental trajectories of any structural or functional trait must be specified so that it may be related to variations in the developmental trajectories of other traits. First, we describe how the EES/Evo-Devo differs from the conventional ST, particularly for understanding of how traits develop. Then, we apply Evo-Devo to the study of handedness development in infancy and its relation to the development of other cognitive functions. Finally, we argue that identifying the development of atypical traits would benefit from knowledge of the range of individual differences in typical developmental trajectories of hand-use preference and their relation to variations in the developmental trajectories of cognitive functions.

“Unpredictable Stress”: Ambiguity of Stress Reactivity in Studies of Long-Term Plasticity

Data on the influences of stress on the function of long-term synaptic plasticity are analyzed. Using longterm potentiation (LTP) as an example, stress has been shown to have both stimulatory and inhibitory influences on the effectiveness of the induction of long-term modifications, the effect depending on the nature, duration, and intensity of the stress, the observation time point, the brain structure being studied, and, thus, the involvement in the stress response of the different mechanisms underlying LTP. Stress-induced increases in glucocorticoid levels did not obligately correlate with changes in long-term plasticity, while application of corticosterone in vivo and in vitro could lead to both activation and inhibition of LTP. Existing data provide evidence that changes in LTP are determined by the ratio of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors, activation of the latter not so much impairing the mechanisms of generation as increasing the threshold of induction of LTP, regulating the metaplasticity of synapses. The unpredictability of the effects of stress is related in particular to the involvement of other transmitter systems regulating metaplasticity whose actions depend on the animal’s individual experience in the stress reaction. The range of individual differences stimulates the ongoing search for significant factors determining the stress reactivity of longterm plasticity underlying stress resistance or susceptibility to its pathological consequences. Differences in the processing of signals arriving at neurons and their molecular mediation may constitute such a factor.

Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests

This study assesses the reliability 1 of the LLAMA aptitude tests (Meara, 2005). The LLAMA tests were designed as shorter, free, language-neutral tests loosely based on the MLAT tests (Carroll & Sapon, 1959). They contain four sub-components: vocabulary acquisition, sound recognition, sound-symbol correspondence and grammatical inferencing. Granena (2013) and Rogers et al. (2016) provided initial results regarding factors which might influence LLAMA test scores. This paper develops this previous work by examining some of issues raised with a larger cohort and focuses on the following research questions. 1. Are the LLAMA tests language neutral? 2. What is the effect of bilingualism on LLAMA test scores? 3. What is the effect of age on LLAMA test scores? 4. How much variance can background factors account for in the LLAMA test results? Data were collected from 240 participants aged 10–75 for RQ1–3. We found no significant differences in terms of language background (RQ1) but instructed second language learners significantly outperformed monolinguals (RQ2). For RQ3 we found that the younger groups were outperformed by all the other groups. For RQ4, we investigated how much variance in LLAMA test results six individual background factors could explain. We combined data from Rogers et al. (2016) and this study giving 404 participants in total. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found that prior L2 instruction predicted more of the variance (6%) than any other factor. We suggest that when using the LLAMA tests, researchers should consider controlling for language learning experience. This study scrutinises the components of the LLAMA tests with a large set of data. We conclude that the results are robust across a range of individual differences but suggest that different norms may be needed for younger age groups and those who have received prior L2 instruction.

Has the science of mindfulness lost its mind?

The excitement about the application of mindfulness meditation in mental health settings has led to the proliferation of a literature pervaded by a lack of conceptual and methodological self-criticism. In this article we raise two major concerns. First, we consider the range of individual differences within the experience of meditation; although some people may benefit from its practice, others will not be affected in any substantive way, and a number of individuals may suffer moderate to serious adverse effects. Second, we address the insufficient or inconclusive evidence for its benefits, particularly when mindfulness-based interventions are compared with other activities or treatments. We end with suggestions on how to improve the quality of research into mindfulness interventions and outline key issues for clinicians considering referring patients for these interventions.

Effect of Neurocognitive Intervention Strategies on Enhancing Teaching Competency among Graduate Teacher Trainees

This research examined the effect of neurocognitive intervention strategies on enhancing teaching competency in pre-service graduate teacher trainees. The most important task of education for the future is to improve the professional competence of the teachers. Only competent teachers will be able to relate theoretical insight to practice and to improve teacher preparation (B.Ed. course) programme. They will be effective practitioners in their profession also. Teacher education seeks to develop such competencies in the prospective teachers, It intends to increase the ability of the teachers to deal with a range of individual differences. Teachers’ can facilitate a life time of successful learning by equipping students with a repertoire of strategies and tools for learning. Effective teaching depends upon the evolution of innovative strategies and also the methodology of teaching. As we gain a more scientifically based understanding about today’s novel brain and how it learns, we must rethink about what we do in the classroom and school. Neuro scientists are mapping the pathways between body and brain, providing tangible evidence of the benefits of hands-on, experimental learning. Neurocognitive process includes a number of human functions through neuronal networks. The present study is undertaken to enhance core teaching competencies through neurocognitive intervention strategies.

Retrieval-Based Learning: Positive Effects of Retrieval Practice in Elementary School Children.

A wealth of research has demonstrated that practicing retrieval is a powerful way to enhance learning. However, nearly all prior research has examined retrieval practice with college students. Little is known about retrieval practice in children, and even less is known about possible individual differences in retrieval practice. In three experiments, 88 children (mean age 10 years) studied a list of words and either restudied the items or practiced retrieving them. They then took a final free recall test (Experiments 1 and 2) or recognition test (Experiment 3). In all experiments, children showed robust retrieval practice effects. Although a range of individual differences in reading comprehension and processing speed were observed among these children, the benefits of retrieval practice were independent of these factors. The results contribute to the growing body of research supporting the mnemonic benefits of retrieval practice and provide preliminary evidence that practicing retrieval may be an effective learning strategy for children with varying levels of reading comprehension and processing speed.

A trait profile of top and middle managers

Although trait leadership theory has been widely criticized by scholars over the past century (Stogdill, 1948; Mann, 1959) employers always want to know what kind of abilities and psychological traits distinguish their future employees. The trait approach plays an important part in human resource management practices for selecting, developing and planning the career paths of managers (Armstrong, 2010). Interestingly, Zaccaro (2007) points out that even Stogdill (1948) review, although cited as evidence against leader traits, contains conclusions suggesting that individual differences can still predict leader effectiveness. Trait leadership is defined as integrated patterns of personal characteristics that reflect a range of individual differences and foster consistent leader effectiveness across a variety of group and organizational situations (Zaccaro et al., 2004). Top and middle level managers play different roles in organizations and therefore require different skills (Koźminski, 2011, 2013; Griffin, 2013). In many studies, top managers are shown to differ from middle managers in terms of (1) analytical mental ability (Jensen, 1998; Schmidt and Hunter, 1998; Judge et al., 2004; Sternberg, 2007; Caruso et al., 2013); (2) emotional intelligence (Miller, 1999; Barling et al., 2000; Palmer et al., 2001; Gardner and Stough, 2002; Goleman et al., 2002; Goleman, 2006; Boyatzis, 2011; Caruso et al., 2013); and (3) personality (Judge et al., 2002; Hogan and Holland, 2003; Bono and Judge, 2004). Other results underline that mental ability and personality together play a significant role in management (Lepine et al., 2000).

Germination of embryos from stratified and non-stratified seeds and growth of apple seedlings (Malus domestica Borkh cv. "Antonówka")

The germination of whole seeds, the seeds without coat and isolated embryos of apple cv. "Antonówka Zwykła" after 90 days of cold-stratification was compared with the germination of embryos isolated from non-stratified seeds. They were germinated under 16hrs during a day at temperature 25°C and 20°C during the night. It has been found that after 2 weeks whole stratified seeds germinated in 5 per cent, seeds without coat in 25 per cent and isolated embryos in 98 per cent. Isolated embryos from nun-stratified seeds, after 2 weeks, germinated in the range from 75 to 88 per cent. The results indicate the similar germination ability of embryos isolated from nun-stratified seeds. The seedling populations obtained from embryo's stratified and non-stratified seeds were fully comparable and they evaluated: 1) a wide range of individual differences within population, 2) a similar number of seedlings in each class of shoot length, 3) a similar morphological habitus in each class of shoot length, 4) a similar fresh leaf weight and whole plant increment.

Simulation-Based Training for Project Management Education: Mind the Gap, As One Size Does Not Fit All

AbstractProject management training is an important component in engineering education; in particular, simulation-based training (SBT) is considered a valuable teaching strategy. However, the effectiveness of SBT in project management education has not been empirically examined and it remains unclear in the literature why some trainees benefit from SBT more than others. To address this gap, the authors conducted two pre-/post-test experimental design studies, involving area experts and graduate students with a range of individual differences in two project management courses in the United States and Australia. The results suggest that SBT (1) enhances trainees’ declarative knowledge only in cases of successful performance in the simulation, and the existence of an appropriate gap (discussed in the paper) between the trainees’ prior knowledge and the challenges presented by the simulator; and (2) energizes trainees’ learning processes only in cases of success in the simulation, high prior knowledge level, ...

Examining the role of memory in social cognition

Examining the role of memory in social cognition

Accounting for individual differences in human associative learning.

Associative learning has provided fundamental insights to understanding psychopathology. However, psychopathology occurs along a continuum and as such, identification of disruptions in processes of associative learning associated with aspects of psychopathology illustrates a general flexibility in human associative learning. A handful of studies have looked specifically at individual differences in human associative learning, but while much work has concentrated on accounting for flexibility in learning caused by external factors, there has been limited work considering how to model the influence of dispositional factors. This review looks at the range of individual differences in human associative learning that have been explored and the attempts to account for, and model, this flexibility. To fully understand human associative learning, further research needs to attend to the causes of variation in human learning.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: Importance of Sampling Rate and Duration—48 Versus 24 Hours—on the Accurate Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk

Independent prospective studies have found that ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) is more closely correlated with target organ damage and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than clinic BP measurement. This is based on studies in which BP was sampled every 15–30 min for ≤24 h, without taking into account that reproducibility of any estimated parameter from a time series to be potentially used for CVD risk assessment might depend more on monitoring duration than on sampling rate. Herein, we evaluated the influence of duration (48 vs. 24 h) and sampling rate of BP measurements (form every 20–30 min up to every 2 h) on the prognostic value of ABPM-derived parameters. We prospectively studied 3344 subjects (1718 men/1626 women), 52.6 ± 14.5 yrs of age, during a median follow-up of 5.6 yrs. Those with hypertension at baseline were randomized to ingest all their prescribed hypertension medications upon awakening or ≥1 of them at bedtime. At baseline, BP was measured at 20-min intervals from 07:00 to 23:00 h and at 30-min intervals at night for 48 h, and physical activity was simultaneously monitored every min by wrist actigraphy to accurately derive the awake and asleep BP means. Identical assessment was scheduled annually and more frequently (quarterly) if treatment adjustment was required. ABPM profiles were modified to generate time series of identical 48-h duration but with data sampled at 1- or 2-h intervals, or shorter, i.e., first 24 h, time series with data sampled at the original rate (daytime 20-min intervals/nighttime 30-min intervals). Bland-Altman plots indicated that the range of individual differences in the estimated awake and asleep systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) means between the original and modified ABPM profiles was up to 3-fold smaller for data sampled every 1 h for 48 h than for data sampled every 20–30 min for the first 24 h. Reduction of ABPM duration to just 24 h resulted in error of the estimated asleep SBP mean, the most significant prognostic marker of CVD events, in the range of −21.4 to +23.9 mm Hg. Cox proportional-hazard analyses adjusted for sex, age, diabetes, anemia, and chronic kidney disease revealed comparable hazard ratios (HRs) for mean BP values and sleep-time relative BP decline derived from the original complete 48-h ABPM profiles and those modified to simulate a sampling rate of one BP measurement every 1 or 2 h. The HRs, however, were markedly overestimated for SBP and underestimated for DBP when the duration of ABPM was reduced from 48 to only 24 h. This study on subjects evaluated prospectively by 48-h ABPM documents that reproducibility in the estimates of prognostic ABPM-derived parameters depends markedly on duration of monitoring, and only to a lesser extent on sampling rate. The HR of CVD events associated with increased ambulatory BP is poorly estimated by relying on 24-h ABPM, indicating ABPM for only 24 h may be insufficient for proper diagnosis of hypertension, identification of dipping status, evaluation of treatment efficacy, and, most important, CVD risk stratification. (Author correspondence: rhermida@uvigo.es)