Forming a stable memory representation in the first year of life: Why imitation is more than child's play.

Although 9-month-old infants are capable of retaining temporally ordered information over long delays, this ability is relatively fragile. It may be possible to facilitate long-term retention by allowing infants to imitate event sequences immediately after their presentation. The effects of imitation on immediate and delayed recognition and on long-term recall were investigated using event-related potentials (ERPs) and elicited imitation, respectively. Mnemonic facilitation resulting from the opportunity to imitate was apparent using both assessments. ERP assessments at immediate and delayed recognition tests suggested that infants who were allowed to imitate had stronger memory representations of familiar stimuli relative to infants who only viewed the presentation of the events. In addition, infants who were allowed to imitate evidenced higher levels of ordered recall after 1 month relative to infants who only watched the experimenter’s demonstration. Therefore, imitation proved to have beneficial effects on explicit memory in 9 1 / 2 -month-olds, providing evidence of its effectiveness as a tool to augment mnemonic capabilities in infancy

Letter from J.C. Haight to Brigham Young, March 19, 1855

PaiuteLetter from J. C. Haight to Brigham Young discussing a gift of black lead from the local Indians

Moral injury experienced by emerging adults with child welfare histories in developmental and sociocultural contexts: “I knew the system was broken.”

This mixed methods research examines moral injury in childhood and adolescence as described by emerging adults with histories of child welfare involvement. Twenty-eight emerging adults (18–25 years) with foster care histories participated in life story interviews, and assessments of exposure to potentially morally injurious events (Moral Injury Events Scale, MIES; Nash et al., 2013). Participants reported on the MIES exposure to potentially morally injurious events during their involvement in the child welfare system as children and adolescents. The most common events described by participants were child maltreatment (82%), adults’ failure to protect them (75%), and injury to their identities as individuals worthy of respect, and as members of particular groups (families, ethnic communities) (39%). In addition, most participants reported multiple moral injuries, and moral injuries that were sustained across months or years. Participants’ reported responses to these events included: rage, shame, guilt, and feelings of betrayal, vulnerability, confusion and worthlessness. Longer term responses included relationship problems, mental health and substance abuse disorders. Perpetrators of moral injury included parents, substitute caregivers, and child welfare professionals. Events occurred in birth homes, but also in out-of-home placements and social service settings. This study contributes to child welfare by highlighting the voices of young people, and identifying moral as an issue for practice and policy intervention. In so doing, this research also contributes to the literature on moral injury by examining the lived experiences of individuals reporting moral injury, by extending the concept to emerging adults with child welfare histories, and by considering moral injury in developmental and sociocultural contexts

A mixed methods study of Black Girls\u27 vulnerability to out-of-school suspensions: The intersection of race and gender

Although the disproportionate suspension of Black boys has been a longstanding issue, the apparent vulnerability of Black girls to harsh disciplinary practices is of recent concern to educators and researchers (see Crenshaw, Ocen, & Nanda, 2015). We used a sequential (qual → QUANT) mixed methods design to examine the out-of-school suspension (OSS) of Black girls. In-depth, qualitative interviews explored the experiences of 10 Black middle-school girls with OSSs, their caregivers and educators to generate hypotheses for, and then expand, statewide quantitative analyses. Participants described that Black girls were sanctioned more frequently and more harshly than were whites for the same behaviors. Quantitative analysis of cross-system, administrative data of 7th grade students in the state of Minnesota found that Black girls were overrepresented in OSS relative to white, Asian, and Hispanic boys and girls, and Native girls. Furthermore, Black girls were sanctioned more harshly than were white students for disruptive, disorderly and violent behaviors. Finally, qualitative data suggested strategies to reduce disproportionality in the frequency and severity of OSSs for Black girls. Educators, especially those in leadership roles, can work to eliminate sexual harassment and bullying experienced by Black girls; and create programs to build upon their self-advocacy such as developing supportive communities of other Black girls and trusted adults at school

Re-orienting narratives of moral injury towards positive development: The experiences of emerging adults with child welfare histories

This paper is the second in a series of papers from a mixed methods study examining moral injury in childhood and adolescence as described by emerging adults with histories of child welfare involvement. This paper focuses on the ways emerging adults may alleviate their moral injury, grow and develop. Twenty -eight emerging adults (18–26 years) who reported exposure to morally injurious events during childhood or adolescence on a modified version of the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES; Nash et al., 2013) participated in life story interviews. Life story analyses of psychosocial contexts considered resiliency, especially any re-orientation of participants’ narratives of moral injury away from the anomie, guilt, shame, and rage characteristic of moral injury, and towards themes such as hope, forgiveness, and gratitude. In addition, psychosocial-spiritual contexts that may support these shifts in meaning were explored through thematic analyses. Findings indicate that supportive relationships, especially with caring adults, engagement with spirituality, and access to prosocial activities provide foster youth with opportunities to re-orient their moral injury narratives, and provide a foundation on which to build towards recovery. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed