Cross-linguistic influence in simultaneous and early sequential bilingual children: A meta-analysis

Although cross-linguistic influence at the level of morphosyntax is one of the most intensively studied topics in child bilingualism, the circumstances under which it occurs remain unclear. In this meta-analysis, we measured the effect size of cross-linguistic influence and systematically assessed its predictors in 750 simultaneous and early sequential bilingual children in 17 unique language combinations across 26 experimental studies. We found a significant small to moderate average effect size of cross-linguistic influence, indicating that cross-linguistic influence is part and parcel of bilingual development. Language dominance, operationalized as societal language, was a significant predictor of cross-linguistic influence, whereas surface overlap, language domain and age were not. Perhaps an even more important finding was that definitions and operationalisations of cross-linguistic influence and its predictors varied considerably between studies. This could explain the absence of a comprehensive theory in the field. To solve this issue, we argue for a more uniform method of studying cross-linguistic influence

A novel data-driven approach to examine children’s movements and social behaviour in schoolyard environments

Social participation at schoolyards is crucial for children's development. Yet, schoolyard environments contain features that can hinder children's social participation. In this paper, we empirically examine schoolyards to identify existing obstacles. Traditionally, this type of study requires huge amounts of detailed information about children in a given environment. Collecting such data is exceedingly difficult and expensive. In this study, we present a novel sensor data-driven approach for gathering this information and examining the effect of schoolyard environments on children's behaviours in light of schoolyard affordances and individual effectivities. Sensor data is collected from 150 children at two primary schools, using location trackers, proximity tags, and Multi-Motion receivers to measure locations, face-to-face contacts, and activities. Results show strong potential for this data-driven approach, as it allows collecting data from individuals and their interactions with schoolyard environments, examining the triad of physical, social, and cultural affordances in schoolyards, and identifying factors that significantly impact children's behaviours. Based on this approach, we further obtain better knowledge on the impact of these factors and identify limitations in schoolyard designs, which can inform schools, designers, and policymakers about current problems and practical solutions.Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

Analysis and the descriptive approach

The rise of consciousness concerning the quality of working and living conditions has been a permanent though frequently underplayed theme in architecture and building since the reconstruction period. It has led to an explosive growth of programmatic requirements on building behaviour and performance, thus also stimulating the development of design analysis. The first stage of development was characterized by the evolution of prescriptive systems. These reversed the structure of pre-existing proscriptive systems into sequences of known steps that should be taken in order to achieve adequate results. Prescriptive systems complemented rather than replaced proscriptive ones, thereby creating an uncertain mixture of orthodoxy and orthopraxy that failed to provide design guidance for improving design performance and quality.The second stage in the development of design analysis focuses on descriptive methods and techniques for analyzing and supporting evaluation. Technologies such as simulation and scientific visualization are employed so as to produce detailed, accurate and reliable projections of building behaviour and performance. These projections can be correlated into a comprehensive and coherent description of a building using representations of form as information carriers. In these representations feedback and interaction assume a visual character that fits both design attitudes and lay perception of the built environment, but on the basis of a quantitative background that justifies, verifies and refines design actions. Descriptive analysis is currently the most promising direction for confronting and resolving design complexity. It provides the designer with useful insights into the causes and effects of various design problems but frequently comes short of providing clear design guidance for two main reasons: (1) it adds substantial amounts of information to the already unmanageable loads the designer must handle, and (2) it may provide incoherent cues for the further development of a design. Consequently the descriptive approach to analysis is always in danger of been supplanted by abstract decision making.One way of providing the desired design guidance is to complement the connection of descriptive analyses to representations of form (and from there to synthesis) with two interface components. The first is a memory component, implemented as case-bases of precedent designs. These designs encapsulate integrated design information that can be matched to the design in hand in terms of form, function and performance. Comparison between precedents with a known performance and a new design facilitate identification of design aspects that need be improved, as well as of wider formal and functional consequences. The second component is an adaptive generative system capable of guiding exploration of these aspects, both in the precedents and the new design. The aim of this system is to provide feedback from analysis to synthesis. By exploring the scope of the analysis and the applicability of the conclusions to more designs, the designer generates a coherent and consistent collection of partial solutions that explore a relevant solution space. Development of the first component, the design case-bases, is no trivial task. Transformability in the representation of cases and flexible classification in a database are critical to the identification and treatment of a design aspect. Nevertheless, the state of the art in case-based reasoning and the extensive corpus of analysed designs provide the essential building blocks. The second component, the adaptive generative system, poses more questions. Existing generative techniques do not possess the necessary richness or multidimensionality. Moreover, it is imperative that the designer plays a more active role in the control of the process than merely tweaking local variables. At the same time, the system should prevent that redesigning degenerates into a blind trial-and-error enumeration of possibilities. Guided empirical design research arguably provides the means for the evolutionary development of the second component.

Fuzzy Modelling for Early Architectural Design

Fuzzy modelling is simultaneously an extension of existing modelling approaches and a negation of one of their main aspects, the crispness of their definition. As a digital equivalent of analogue sketching it allows designers to register and manipulate imprecise and uncertain information. In the framework of design representations fuzzy modelling supports the development of conceptual design models characterized by flexible definition and interaction. The main advantages of such models are fluency, abstraction and continuity, at a level similar to that of analogue techniques. In addition to that they offer the possibility of local autonomy, i.e. segmentation of a representation into self-regulating and cooperating components. Three alternative forms of fuzzy modelling are proposed: (1) Canonical objects with tolerances, (2) objects described by minimal and maximal values, and (3) point sets comprising discrete, autonomous particles that describe the object by their spatial or structural relationships

Psychosocial consequences of adolescents’ online communication

As a crucial part of psychosocial development, adolescents need to acquire adequate levels of self-esteem and social competence. Both are largely shaped in adolescents’ social interactions with peers, of which a substantial part takes place through online communication. The overarching aim of this dissertation was to investigate possible consequences of adolescents’ online communication for their psychosocial development. More specifically, this dissertation examined (1) the longitudinal relationships between online communication and social competence and self-esteem, (2) the underlying processes that may explain these relationships, and (3) individual differences and precursors that may predict which adolescents are mostly likely to experience positive or negative consequences of their online communication. The findings suggest predominantly positive relations between online interactions and psychosocial development. Specifically, online communication can be a way for adolescents to practice social skills that can be used in offline situations. In addition, online communication seems positively related to adolescents’ self-esteem through the positive feedback they receive. Finally, while most adolescents receive predominantly positive online feedback, when they do receive negative feedback, online communication stimulates more assertive responses, which can increase self-esteem. However, a small group of adolescents may experience negative consequences of negative online feedback, including boys, older adolescents, those high in sensation seeking, low in inhibitory control, and high in peer problems and family conflict. The findings of this dissertation provide insight into how adolescents can benefit from online communication for their psychosocial development, and help intervention strategies to target adolescents who are most at risk of negative consequences