Verbal Instruments Research Articles

Evolution of verbal instruments of management communication in the context of the concept of diglossia

Methods. The results were obtained using a system of methods: method of logical analysis made it possible to build the logic of the study; structural analysis, grouping, decomposition and formalization made it possible to substantiate the sequence of stages in the implementation of the methodological approach to assessing the level of development of trade and economic relations; methods of statistical analysis were used to assess the dynamics of indicators of the influence of foreign markets; graphic method made it possible to visualize the results of the study. Results. The authors of the article substantiated practical recommendations regarding the implementation of the export potential in the trade and economic relations of Ukraine with the EU countries. A detailed description of the dynamics of the volume of exports and imports of goods in value terms between Ukraine and the EU was considered. To analyze the processes of activation of trade and economic relations in the aspect of the European integration processes of development of the Ukrainian state, the dynamics of the share of foreign trade turnover with the EU countries was studied. The dynamics of trade in services between Ukraine and the EU is analyzed. To calculate the degree of development of trade and economic relations of countries, the calculation of an integral index based on relative indicators is proposed. It is substantiated that this method makes it possible to classify the countries of the EU and Ukraine according to the degree of development of trade and economic relations. On the basis of the obtained results, a radar of the degree of development of trade and economic relations between the EU countries and Ukraine was built. The general tendencies of trade and economic relations of Ukraine with the EU countries are highlighted and it is determined that the foreign economic activity of Ukraine with the EU countries has a great potential for development. Based on the analysis, proposals were made to improve the export potential in Ukraine's trade and economic relations with the EU countries. Novelty. A set of measures is proposed to realize the export potential of Ukraine in trade and economic relations with the EU countries, in particular, a scientific and methodological approach is proposed for calculating the integral index of the development of trade and economic relations of countries, which allows classifying countries according to the degree of development; recommendations were given on the development of the export potential of Ukraine with the EU countries. Practical value lies in the possibility of using the developed methodological framework to assess the degree of development of trade and economic relations not only with European countries, but also with other countries of the world.

Accuracy and correlates of visual and verbal instruments assessing maternal perceptions of children's weight status: the Healthy Growth Study

To examine the accuracy of maternal ability to classify their children's weight status correctly using a verbal and a visual classification instrument and to detect significant correlates of maternal misperceptions. Cross-sectional study. Primary schools in four counties from north, west, central and south Greece. A representative sample of 1858 primary-school children aged 9-13 years was examined. Two different instruments to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status, i.e. a verbal and a visual one, were used. Verbal and visual maternal underestimation rates of children's weight status were 15·0 % and 41·3 %, respectively. The frequency of underestimation was much higher among overweight and obese children for both instruments. The highest underestimation rates of 87·9 % and 82·1 % in overweight and obese boys, respectively, were obtained with the visual instrument. Multiple logistic regression modelling revealed that the likelihood of both verbal and visual maternal underestimation of their children's weight status was significantly higher for overweight mothers and for those with a lower educational level. Furthermore, children's male gender and a nanny or someone other than the mother as the child's primary caregiver were found to increase the odds of visual and verbal maternal underestimation of children's weight status, respectively. The present study showed that the verbal instrument used to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status was more accurate compared with the visual one. However, both instruments showed that a considerable number of overweight and obese boys had their weight status underestimated by their mothers. Educating mothers to classify their children's weight status correctly might be a key factor for the implementation of successful childhood obesity prevention initiatives.

Las inteligencias y la evaluación: Interrogantes y tendencias actuales

Los últimos 50 años han sido testigo de múltiples aportes teóricos y fuertes contro-versias respecto de la estructura, naturaleza, y rasgos básicos del concepto de inteligencia. También han dado lugar a la aparición de nuevas técnicas de evaluación cognitiva basadas en los aportes de estas teorías. En un mercado competitivo, que tiende a la globalización, se observan actualmente dos tendencias disímiles: la actualización y ampliación de los tests tradicionales vs. el énfasis en la integración intertest, jerarquizando sub-tests pertenecientes a pruebas diversas. A su vez, en respuesta a la creciente demanda de evaluación multicultural, también predominan dos tendencias: la traducción y adaptación de los tests existentes, vs. la creación de nuevas técnicas de índole no-verbal. Se incluyen algunas sugerencias para la integración clínica de estos aportes en la práctica del quehacer profesional.

Pressure to change and resistance against it: consumer perceptions and acceptance of nutritionally modified foods

Sensory quality and pleasantness are important determinants of food choice. Nutritionally controversial foods, such as those high in fat or sodium, can be consumed excessively due to their sensory attractiveness. The present review addresses sensory and hedonic characteristics in such foods, focusing on Finnish research around the issue. Fat mainly affects the texture of foods, but also modifies flavor and aroma. The replacement of fat by other constituents remains a challenge. Achieving salty taste with substances other than sodium chloride has proven to be unsuccessful, but proper flavoring can improve the pleasantness of reduced-salt foods. The impact of nutritional information and health claims is greater when given for new foods, and to consumers who are concerned about their health. Multi-item verbal instruments have been developed and validated to characterize health and taste orientations among consumers. Identification of sensory and hedonic barriers to the acceptance of ‘healthful' alternatives among foods is important, even crucial, for targeting product development and nutritional counseling.;

Similarity of Friends in Three Countries: A Study of Children's Drawings

Similarity is a very basic feature of friendship; examining it through pictorial representation avoids many methodological problems that arise with verbal instruments. In this study we compared children's drawings of themselves with a friend, in order to determine whether or not children from different countries introduced the same amount of resemblance between the drawn figures. We also explored whether the pictorial strategies adopted to represent similarity were the same or not. We examined countries that differ along three large-scale dimensions (individuality vs. collectivism; peace vs. war; multiethnicity vs. ethnic homogeneity), each potentially relevant for the friends' similarity: Italy (100 Ss from Rome, 100 Ss from a smaller town), Bolivia (152 Ss from a town and 67 Ss from a forest village), and Lebanon (150 Ss from Beirut). Data were scored with a Similarity scale, which we created and validated as a part of an earlier study about friendship in Italian children. The scale compares the drawn f...

The Vocabulary Content of Compositions Written by College Students

That the written compositions of high-school students are character ized by a general lack of clear, forceful, and precise expression has been shown by several studies. OBrien points out that emphasis, precision, and style are conspicuously lacking in the written work of high-school students. He attributes this lack to the attempt of the students to com municate thought without an adequate command of the verbal instru ments needed.1 Although several studies have revealed the prevailing dearth of vocabulary in high-school students, few have dealt with the vocabulary development of college students. The following study seeks: (1) to determine the vocabulary em ployed by typical freshmen and upper-classmen in written work, and (2) to compare this vocabulary with the vocabulary manifested by the same students in reading.