Variation in caregivers' references to their toddlers: child-directed speech in Vanuatu and Canada

Abstract The authors examined similarities and differences in Canadian and ni-Vanuatu caregivers' child-directed speech to their toddlers (N = 35, Mage: 21?months, 20 girls). Speech samples were collected (2013?2016) during free play and analyzed with a focus on describing parents' references to their toddlers. Canadian caregivers referred significantly more to toddlers' tangible characteristics (relative risk, RR = 2.12) and internal states (RR = 2.31), whereas ni-Vanuatu caregivers referred more to actions (RR = 2.04). When referring to internal states, Canadian mothers referred significantly more to mind-minded states, whereas ni-Vanuatu caregivers referred more to body-minded states (RR = 7.98). These findings are interpreted as capturing meaningful differences in toddlers' opportunities to attend to themselves. Implications for self-concept development are discussed

A digital long pulse integrator

A prototype digital integrator with very long integration capabilities has been developed and field tested on an inductive magnetic sensor on the DIII-D Tokamak. The integrator is being developed for use on ITER with a pulse length of 1000 s, and has direct applications for other long pulse Tokamaks. Inductive magnetic sensors are routinely used on existing Tokamaks, are well understood, and are extremely robust, however, they require integration of the signal to determine the magnetic field strength. The next generation of Tokamaks, will have pulse lengths of 1000 s or longer, require integrators with drift and noise characteristics compatible with the very long pulse lengths. This paper will discuss the architecture, algorithms, and programming of the Long Pulse Integrator (LPI). Of particular interest are the noise control and the built-in offset correction techniques used in this application

Bayaka adolescent boys nominate accessible adult men as preferred spear hunting = models les adolescents bayaka nomment les hommes adultes qui leurs sont accessibles comme modèles préférés pour l’apprentissage de la chasse à la lance

Data availability: data are available on request. The code used in the analysis can be found online at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/suppl/10.1086/716853/suppl_file/303893code.zip .Online enhancements: appendix, R code.Humans are selective social learners. In a cultural landscape with many potential models, learners must balance the cost associated with learning from successful models with learning from accessible ones. Using structured interviews, we investigate the model selection biases of Congolese BaYaka adolescent boys learning to hunt with spears (n = 24; mean age [mage] = 15.79 years; range, 12–20 years). Results from social relations models suggest that adolescents nominated accessible adult men (closely related kin and neighbors) as preferred spear hunting models. Direct cues for success were not strong predictors for adolescent nomination in the statistical models, despite learners justifying model selection according to teaching and spear hunting skill. Indirect cues including body mass index, age, and cross-domain prestige were weak predictors for adolescent nomination. We interpret these findings as suggesting that BaYaka spear hunting knowledge is widely shared in the community, with all adult men participating in spear hunting and therefore having the requisite experience to transmit this skill. This supports previous findings that in egalitarian societies with low rates of role specialization, prestige has limited importance for cross-domain learning. Les êtres humains sont des apprenants sociaux sélectifs. Dans un paysage culturel comportant de nombreux modèles potentiels, les apprenants doivent trouver un équilibre entre le coût associé à l’apprentissage à partir de modèles qui ont fait leurs preuves et celui à partir de modèles accessibles. À l’aide d’entretiens structurés, nous étudions les biais de sélection de modèles des adolescents congolais BaYaka qui apprennent à chasser à la lance (n = 24, âge moyen = 15,79 ans, intervalle: 12–20 ans). Les résultats des modèles de relations sociales suggèrent que les adolescents désignent des hommes adultes accessibles (parents proches et voisins) comme modèles préférés de chasse à la lance. Les indices directs de réussite ne constituaient pas des prédicteurs forts de nomination par des adolescents dans les modèles statistiques, bien que les apprenants justifiaient la sélection du modèle en fonction des habiletés d’enseignement et de la chasse à la lance. Les indices indirects, dont l’indice de masse corporelle, l’âge et le prestige inter-domaines, constituaient de faibles prédicteurs de la nomination par les adolescents. Ces résultats suggèrent que la connaissance de la chasse à la lance des BaYaka est largement partagée dans la communauté, puisque tous les hommes adultes participent à la chasse à la lance et ont donc l’expérience requise pour transmettre cette compétence. Ceci confirme les résultats de recherches antérieures selon lesquels dans les sociétés égalitaires, qui ont de faibles niveaux de spécialisation des rôles, le prestige a une importance limitée dans l’apprentissage inter-domaines.Funding for this research was provided by awards from the Wenner-Gren Foundation (no. 9789) and the Leakey Foundation to S. Lew-Levy and A. Milks. Research was also supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship (no. 756-2019-0102) to S. Lew-Levy

Out of the empirical box: A mixed-methods study of tool innovation among Congolese BaYaka forager and Bondongo fisher–farmer children

© 2021 The Authors. Tool innovation has played a crucial role in human adaptation. Yet, this capacity seems to arise late in development. Before 8 years of age, many children struggle to solve the hook task, a common measure of tool innovation that requires modification of a straight pipe cleaner into a hook to extract a prize. Whether these findings are generalizable beyond postindustrialized Western children remains unclear. In many small-scale subsistence societies, children engage in daily tool use and modification, experiences that theoretically could enhance innovative capabilities. Although two previous studies found no differences in innovative ability between children from Western and small-scale subsistence societies, these did not account for the latter’s inexperience with pipe cleaners. Thus, the current study investigated how familiarity with pipe cleaners affected hook task success in 132 Congolese BaYaka foragers (57 girls) and 59 Bondongo fisher–farmers (23 girls) aged 4–12 years. We contextualized these findings within children’s interview responses and naturalistic observations of how pipe cleaners were incorporated into daily activities. Counter to our expectation, prior exposure did not improve children’s performance during the hook task. Bondongo children innovated significantly more hooks than BaYaka children, possibly because they participate in hook-and-line fishing. Observations and interviews showed that children imagined and innovated novel uses for pipe cleaners outside the experimental context, including headbands, bracelets, and suspenders. We relate our findings to ongoing debates regarding systematic versus unsystematic tool innovation, the importance of prior experience for the ontogeny of tool innovation, and the external validity of experimental paradigms

A hybrid digital-analog long pulse integrator

A digital-analog integrator has been developed for use with inductive magnetic sensors in long-pulse tokamaks. Continuous compensation of input offsets is accomplished by alternating analog-to-digital convertor samples from the sensor and a dummy load, while an RC network provides passive integration between samples. Typically a sampling rate of 10 kHz is used. In operational tests on the DIII-D tokamak, digital and analog integration of tokamak data show good agreement. The output drift error during a 1200 s integration interval corresponds to a few percent of the anticipated signal for poloidal field probes in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and bench tests suggest that the error can be reduced further

Real time software for the control and monitoring of DIII-D system interlocks

This paper describes the real time, multi-tasking, multi-user software and communications of the E-Power Supply System Integrated Controller (EPSSIC) for the DIII-D tokamak. EPSSIC performs the DIII-D system wide go/no-go determination for the plasma sequencing. This paper discusses the data module handling, task work load balancing, and communications requirements. Operational experience with the new EPSSIC and recent improvements to this system are also described

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

Copyright © 2020 The Authors. The intensifying pace of research based on cross-cultural studies in the social sciences necessitates a discussion of the unique challenges of multi-sited research. Given an increasing demand for social scientists to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations, there is an urgent need for transdisciplinary conversations on the logistical, scientific and ethical considerations inherent to this type of scholarship. As a group of social scientists engaged in cross-cultural research in psychology and anthropology, we hope to guide prospective cross-cultural researchers through some of the complex scientific and ethical challenges involved in such work: (a) study site selection, (b) community involvement and (c) culturally appropriate research methods. We aim to shed light on some of the difficult ethical quandaries of this type of research. Our recommendation emphasizes a community-centred approach, in which the desires of the community regarding research approach and methodology, community involvement, results communication and distribution, and data sharing are held in the highest regard by the researchers. We argue that such considerations are central to scientific rigour and the foundation of the study of human behaviour.Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; French National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future (Investissements d'Avenir) programme (ANR-17-EURE-0010)