Differential predictors for alcohol use in adolescents as a function of familial risk

Abstract: Traditional models of future alcohol use in adolescents have used variable-centered approaches, predicting alcohol use from a set of variables across entire samples or populations. Following the proposition that predictive factors may vary in adolescents as a function of family history, we used a two-pronged approach by first defining clusters of familial risk, followed by prediction analyses within each cluster. Thus, for the first time in adolescents, we tested whether adolescents with a family history of drug abuse exhibit a set of predictors different from adolescents without a family history. We apply this approach to a genetic risk score and individual differences in personality, cognition, behavior (risk-taking and discounting) substance use behavior at age 14, life events, and functional brain imaging, to predict scores on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) at age 14 and 16 in a sample of adolescents (N = 1659 at baseline, N = 1327 at follow-up) from the IMAGEN cohort, a longitudinal community-based cohort of adolescents. In the absence of familial risk (n = 616), individual differences in baseline drinking, personality measures (extraversion, negative thinking), discounting behaviors, life events, and ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, while the overall model explained 22% of the variance in future AUDIT. In the presence of familial risk (n = 711), drinking behavior at age 14, personality measures (extraversion, impulsivity), behavioral risk-taking, and life events were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, explaining 20.1% of the overall variance. Results suggest that individual differences in personality, cognition, life events, brain function, and drinking behavior contribute differentially to the prediction of future alcohol misuse. This approach may inform more individualized preventive interventions

Differential predictors for alcohol use in adolescents as a function of familial risk

Abstract: Traditional models of future alcohol use in adolescents have used variable-centered approaches, predicting alcohol use from a set of variables across entire samples or populations. Following the proposition that predictive factors may vary in adolescents as a function of family history, we used a two-pronged approach by first defining clusters of familial risk, followed by prediction analyses within each cluster. Thus, for the first time in adolescents, we tested whether adolescents with a family history of drug abuse exhibit a set of predictors different from adolescents without a family history. We apply this approach to a genetic risk score and individual differences in personality, cognition, behavior (risk-taking and discounting) substance use behavior at age 14, life events, and functional brain imaging, to predict scores on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) at age 14 and 16 in a sample of adolescents (N = 1659 at baseline, N = 1327 at follow-up) from the IMAGEN cohort, a longitudinal community-based cohort of adolescents. In the absence of familial risk (n = 616), individual differences in baseline drinking, personality measures (extraversion, negative thinking), discounting behaviors, life events, and ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, while the overall model explained 22% of the variance in future AUDIT. In the presence of familial risk (n = 711), drinking behavior at age 14, personality measures (extraversion, impulsivity), behavioral risk-taking, and life events were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, explaining 20.1% of the overall variance. Results suggest that individual differences in personality, cognition, life events, brain function, and drinking behavior contribute differentially to the prediction of future alcohol misuse. This approach may inform more individualized preventive interventions

Influence of dialect use on speech perception: a mismatch negativity study

Using an electroencephalography (EEG)-based mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm, we investigated whether higher familiarity with a dialectal variety of German (Swiss German (CHG) vs. Standard German (StG)) impacted speech perception at the neural and the behavioural level. Specifically, we examined 30 CHG- and StG-native adults, by contrasting a pseudoword containing an allophonic phoneme variant found in both dialects (i.e. standard) with 2 deviant stimuli encompassing allophonic phoneme variants, of which one was more familiar for CHG natives and the other was more familiar for StG natives. The same stimuli were used in a behavioural “same–different” discrimination task. Behavioural pseudoword differentiation was better for more familiar allophonic phoneme variants. MMN measures revealed significant fronto-central and temporal deviance-by-language-group interactions, primarily driven by larger MMN responses for less familiar deviants in StG natives. We conclude that a higher degree of familiarity with allophonic variants seems to impact neural processing efficiency, to the extent that less familiar variants demand more wide-spread activation processes

Neural Processes Associated with Vocabulary and Vowel-Length Differences in a Dialect: An ERP Study in Pre-literate Children

Although familiarity with a language impacts how phonology and semantics are processed at the neural level, little is known how these processes are affected by familiarity with a dialect. By measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) in kindergarten children we investigated neural processing related to familiarity with dialect-specific pronunciation and lexicality of spoken words before literacy acquisition in school. Children speaking one of two German dialects were presented with spoken word-picture pairings, in which congruity (or the lack thereof) was defined by dialect familiarity with pronunciation or vocabulary. In a dialect-independent control contrast, congruity was defined by audio–visual semantic (mis)match. Congruity effects and congruity-by-dialect group interactions in the ERPs were tested by data-driven topographic analyses of variance (TANOVA) and theory-driven focal analyses. Converging results revealed similar congruity effects in the N400 and late-positive-complex (LPC) in the control contrast for both dialect groups. In the dialect-specific vocabulary contrast, topographies of the N400- and LPC-effects were reversed depending on familiarity with the presented dialect words. In the dialect-specific pronunciation contrast, again a topography reversal was found depending on dialect familiarity, however, only for the LPC. Our data suggest that neural processing of unfamiliar words, but not pronunciation variants, is characterized by semantic processing (increased N400-effect). However, both unfamiliar words and pronunciation variants seem to engage congruity judgment, as indicated by the LPC-effect. Thus, semantic processing of pronunciation in dialect words seems to be rather robust against slight alterations in pronunciation, like changes in vowel duration, while such alterations may still trigger subsequent control processes

Erste Erkenntnisse zur Wirksamkeit früher obligatorischer Sprachdiagnostik- und Sprachfördermassnahmen bei Kindern mit Deutsch als Zweitsprache. Überprüfung mittel- und langfristiger Effekte der flächendeckenden Sprachstanderfassung vor und nach der obligatorischen Sprachförderung im Kanton Basel-Stadt im Hinblick auf schulische Entwicklungsverläufe zwischen 2009 und 2018

Im vorliegenden Bericht wird (1) der prädiktive Wert eines Deutschsprach-Screenings für Kinder mit nicht-deutscher Familiensprache im Kanton Basel-Stadt 18 Monate vor Kindergarteneintritt und (2) der Effekt einer Deutschförderung von Kindern mit nicht- deutscher Familiensprache und geringen Deutschkenntnissen auf ausgewählte Indikatoren der schulischen Entwicklung untersucht. Hintergrund hierzu stellt das seit 2013 im Kanton Basel- Stadt umgesetzte selektive Obligatorium dar. Gemäss diesem besuchen jene Kinder, die 18 Monate vor Kindergarteneintritt über nicht ausreichende Deutschkenntnisse verfügen, an zwei Halbtagen pro Woche verpflichtend eine frühe Bildungseinrichtung mit integrierter Sprachförderung. Die aufgrund des frühen Sprachstands vorherzusagenden Bildungsparameter sind rechtzeitiger resp. verspäteter Primarschuleintritt, verstärkte heil- und sonderpädagogische Fördermassnahmen im Verlaufe des Schulalters sowie die Schulnoten der 5. Klasse in ausgewählten Fächern. Die Wirkung der Sprachförderung wird anhand der Veränderung des Zusammenhangs des frühen Sprachstands mit schulischen Laufbahnparametern vor und nach Einführung des selektiven Obligatoriums geprüft. Ein geringer Screeningwert nach Einführung des selektiven Obligatoriums sollte für die schulische Karriere weniger ins Gewicht fallen als ein ebensolcher Wert vor der Einführung. Zur Prüfung dieser Fragen wurden die Screeningdaten zu den Deutschkenntnissen von 4'278 Kindern mit einer nicht-deutschen Familiensprache aus den Jahre 2009-2016 mit den Schuldaten des Erziehungsdepartementes Basel-Stadt zusammengeführt. Hierbei waren gemäss der Punktzahl im Screening sowohl in den Jahren vor als auch nach der Einführung des selektiven Obligatoriums mehr als die Hälfte der Kinder sprachförderbedürftig (52% bzw. 58%). Von den untersuchten Kindern wurden 103 (3%) verspätet eingeschult; 243 (6%) Kinder erhielten verstärkte heil- oder sonderpädagogische Massnahmen. Die Analysen zeigen, dass die Deutschkenntnisse 18 Monate vor Kindergarteneintritt die mittel- und langfristigen schulischen Variablen vorherzusagen vermögen. Geringe Werte im Sprachscreening können einen um mindestens ein Jahr verspäteten Primarschuleintritt und den Erhalt von verstärkten heil- und sonderpädagogischen Fördermassnahmen vorhersagen. Kinder, die um eine Standardabweichung unter dem Gesamtmittelwert aller Kinder im Sprachscreening lagen, wiesen ein um ein Drittel erhöhtes Risiko auf, verspätet eingeschult zu werden, und wiesen ein doppelt so hohes Risiko auf, verstärkte heil- oder sonderpädagogische Massnahmen zu erfahren. Weiter konnte sowohl die Art als auch die Dauer der heil- oder sonderpädagogischen Massnahmen durch den Wert des Sprachscreenings vorhergesagt werden. In Bezug auf die Schulnoten in der 5. Klasse, die bislang nur für die frühesten Screeningkohorten vor Einführung des selektiven Obligatorium vorlagen, zeigt sich nach 8,5 Jahren ein Effekt der frühen Deutschkenntnisse auf die Noten in den Fächern Deutsch und Englisch. Hingegen war kein Effekt für die Fächer Französisch, Mathematik sowie das Fach Natur-Mensch-Gesellschaft feststellbar. Der Vergleich der prädiktiven Effekte der frühen Deutschkenntnisse vor und nach Einführung der obligatorischen Deutschförderung ergab in keinem der für diese Analysen relevanten schulischen Parameter (späte Einschulungen, verstärkte Massnahmen) bedeutsame Unterschiede. Die Analysen bestätigen den Wert eines flächendeckenden frühen Sprachscreenings für Kinder mit nicht-deutscher Familiensprache. Die Wirksamkeit der obligatorischen Deutschförderung kann aufgrund der zu geringen Dauer seit Einführung des selektiven Obligatoriums anhand der untersuchten schulischen Entwicklungsparameter noch nicht nachgewiesen werden. Aussagekräftige Wirksamkeitsprüfungen werden zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt möglich sein, wenn für Kohorten nach Einführung des selektiven Obligatoriums Schulnoten vorliegen. Dennoch ergeben sich aufgrund der vorliegenden Befunde bedeutsame Implikationen für die Praxis, die Bildungspolitik und die Forschung

Influence of dialect use on early reading and spelling acquisition in German-speaking children in Grade 1

During literacy acquisition, children learn to match written and spoken language. Little is known about how this is achieved by children who grow up speaking a dialect. The present study examined literacy-related skills before school in 71 children (meanage: 7.61y) with a differing degree of exposure to Swiss-German (SwissG) dialect and tested their reading and spelling skills at the end of Grade 1. No differences in Grade 1 reading and spelling were found between groups of children with different SwissG exposure. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed that SwissG exposure was negatively associated with Grade 1 spelling and reading, when statistically controlling for early literacy-related-skills. At the same time, SwissG exposure was positively associated with early literacy-related skills that drive reading and spelling development. Thus, literacy acquisition in children speaking a dialect is characterised by disadvantages due to a linguistic mismatch, but also by compensatory advantages of higher metalinguistic skills

Need for Cognition, Cognitive Load, and Forewarning do not Moderate Anchoring Effects. A Replication Study of Epley & Gilovich (Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 2005; Psychological Science, 2006)

Anchoring, the assimilation of numerical estimates toward previously considered numbers, has generally been separated into anchoring from self-generated anchors (e.g., people first thinking of 9 months when asked for the gestation period of an animal) and experimenter-provided anchors (e.g., experimenters letting participants spin fortune wheels). For some time, the two types of anchoring were believed to be explained by two different theoretical accounts. However, later re- search showed crossover between the accounts. What now remains are contradictions between past and recent findings, specifically, which moderators affect which type of anchoring. We conducted three replications (𝑁total = 657) of seminal studies on the distinction between self-generated and experimenter-provided anchoring effects where we investigated the moderators need for cognition, cognitive load, and forewarning. We found no evidence that either type of anchoring is moderated by any of the moderators. In line with recent replication efforts, we found that anchoring effects were robust, but the findings on moderators of anchoring effects should be treated with caution