No evidence of a positive effect of learning Chinese language as an L2 on spatial ability

Spatial ability (SA) was shown to be a robust predictor of success in various educational contexts, including STEM. Thus, ways to improve SA are of interest to educational psychology. There is some evidence that SA might be improved via learning character-based language, e.g. Chinese as a second language (CSL), however, the existing research is quite limited. The study aims to investigate an effect of CSL learning on SA in schoolchildren from Year 2 to Year 7. Current study employs a sample of Russian schoolchildren (N = 283), who learnt: English only, English and Spanish; or English and Chinese. Participants completed Raven’s progressive matrices and Mental rotation task at the age of 8 and again at the age of 14. Our data showed negligible group differences in the initial SA level at Year 2 (before learning second language). Similar negligible differences were found at Year 7. Regression analysis showed that SA was predicted by intelligence (Raven’s) and gender but not language learnt at both ages. This pattern of results indicates that learning a Chinese as a second language is unlikely to affect SA. Further research is needed to investigate whether other factors, such as length, intensity and context of learning, moderate this link

Consensus too soon: judges’ and lawyers’ views on genetic information use

Timely effective regulation of genetic advances presents a challenge for justice systems. We used a 51-item battery to examine views on major genetics-related issues of those at the forefront of regulating this area – Supreme Court judges (N = 73). We also compared their views with those of other justice stakeholders (N = 210) from the same country (Romania). Judges showed greater endorsement and less variability in views on the use of genetic data and technologies than the other groups. The agreement among the judges was strikingly strong for some controversial issues, including gene editing; patenting of genetic findings; and the State using genetic information for crime prevention. Judges and other lawyers recognized the need for amending the relevant laws. Without appropriate regulation, genetic science has a risk of propelling inequality rather than fulfilling its promise to improve people’s lives

Attitudes towards genetic testing: The role of genetic literacy, motivated cognition, and socio-demographic characteristics

Understanding reasons for why people choose to have or not to have a genetic test is essen tial given the ever-increasing use of genetic technologies in everyday life. The present study explored the multiple drivers of people’s attitudes towards genetic testing. Using the Interna tional Genetic Literacy and Attitudes Survey (iGLAS), we collected data on: (1) willingness to undergo testing; (2) genetic literacy; (3) motivated cognition; and (4) demographic and cultural characteristics. The 37 variables were explored in the largest to-date sample of 4311 participants from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds. The results showed that 82% of participants were willing to undergo genetic testing for improved treatment; and over 73%—for research. The 35 predictor variables together explained only a small propor tion of variance: 7%—in the willingness to test for Treatment; and 6%—for Research. The strongest predictors of willingness to undergo genetic testing were genetic knowledge and deterministic beliefs. Concerns about data misuse and about finding out unwanted health related information were weakly negatively associated with willingness to undergo genetic testing. We also found some differences in factors linked to attitudes towards genetic testing across the countries included in this study. Our study demonstrates that decision-making regarding genetic testing is influenced by a large number of potentially interacting factors. Further research into these factors may help consumers to make decisions regarding genetic testing that are right for their specific circumstances

Measuring Spatial Ability for Talent Identification, Educational Assessment, and Support: Evidence from Adolescents with High Achievement in Science, Arts, and Sports.

Background. Spatial ability (SA) is a robust predictor of academic and occupational achievement. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of 10 tests for measuring of SA in a sample of talented schoolchildren. Objective. Our purpose was to identify the most suitable measurements for SA for the purpose of talent identification, educational assessment, and support. Design. Our sample consisted of 1479 schoolchildren who had demonstrated high achievement in Science, Arts, or Sports. Several criteria were applied to evaluate the measurements, including an absence of floor and ceiling effects, low redundancy, high reliability, and external validity. Results. Based on these criteria, we included the following four tests in an Online Short Spatial Ability Battery “OSSAB”: Pattern Assembly; Mechanical Reasoning; Paper Folding; and Shape Rotation. Further analysis found differences in spatial ability across the three groups of gifted adolescents. The Science track showed the highest results in all four tests. Conclusion. Overall, the study suggested that the Online Short Spatial Ability Battery (OSSAB) can be used for talent identification, educational assessment, and support. The analysis showed a unifactorial structure of spatial abilities. Future research is needed to evaluate the use of this battery with other specific samples and unselected populations. ,

The Jack and Jill Adaptive Working Memory Task: Construction, Calibration and Validation

Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is essential to human cognitive abilities and is associated with important life outcomes such as academic performance. Recently, a number of reliable measures of VSWM have been developed to help understand psychological processes and for practical use in education. We sought to extend this work using Item Response Theory (IRT) and Computerised Adaptive Testing (CAT) frameworks to construct, calibrate and validate a new adaptive, computerised, and open-source VSWM test. We aimed to overcome the limitations of previous instruments and provide researchers with a valid and freely available VSWM measurement tool. The Jack and Jill (JaJ) VSWM task was constructed using explanatory item response modelling of data from a sample of the general adult population (Study 1, N = 244) in the UK and US. Subsequently, a static version of the task was tested for validity and reliability using a sample of adults from the UK and Australia (Study 2, N = 148) and a sample of Russian adolescents (Study 3, N = 263). Finally, the adaptive version of the JaJ task was implemented on the basis of the underlying IRT model and evaluated with another sample of Russian adolescents (Study 4, N = 239). JaJ showed sufficient internal consistency and concurrent validity as indicated by significant and substantial correlations with established measures of working memory, spatial ability, non-verbal intelligence, and academic achievement. The findings suggest that JaJ is an efficient and reliable measure of VSWM from adolescent to adult age

No spatial advantage in adolescent hockey players? Exploring measure specificity and masked effects

The study examines how intensive hockey training is linked with spatial ability and academic performance. Participants were hockey players from top junior teams (N = 225, mean age = 14.25, all boys) and their un- selected peers (N = 278, mean age = 15.47, all boys). Compared to the unselected group, hockey players showed lower results in 10 small-scale spatial tests (Cohen's d ranging from 0.42 to 1.04), Raven's Progressive Matrices (d = 0.41), and 12 school subjects (d for the sum of grades = 1.17). The differences in spatial ability remained significant after controlling for Raven's (d varying from 0.26 to 1.03). The absence of spatial advantage in athletes suggests that effects of sports on cognition are complex: spatial ability facet-specific, sport-specific, professional and intensity level-specific. Moreover, these effects might be confounded by differences in academic engagement, investment of effort and psychological and physiological effects of intensive sports engagement

Mathematical anxiety: etiology, development, and links with mathematical achievement.

Published in Russian (Russian abstract follows): Математическая тревожность –один из видов эмоциональных реакций, связанных с обучением. Феномен негативно соотносится с математическими способностями и уровнемдостижений в математике. В последнее времяколичество исследований тревожности,связанной с математикой, значительновозросло, что требует обобщенного методологического анализа полученных результатов. В данном обзоре анализируются наиболеезначимые современные исследования математической тревожности и особенностипроявления ее симптоматики. Показана ключевая роль рабочей памяти вфункционировании тревожности и представлен ряд связанных с ней эффектов: «эффект тревожностисложности», «эффект избегания» и «эффект различия». Представлены результаты исследований мозговых механизмов взаимодействия математической тревожности с когнитивными способностями. Исследования показали, что математическая тревожностьсвязана с активностью в областях мозга, связанных с переживанием физической боли,и влияет на эффективность мозговой обработки числовой информации.Показана генетическая и средовая этиология феномена: до 70 %индивидуальных различий в математической тревожности объясняютсясредовыми факторами. Представлены описания семейных, школьных исоциальных факторов, способствующих развитию математическойтревожности. Описаны теоретические представления и результаты экспериментальныхисследований связей конструкта с другими психологическими процессами: мотивацией, самооценкой способностей и др. В работе обсуждаются в том числе положительныеэффекты тревожности: тревожность может вызвать физиологическое состояние «вызов» и темулучшить продуктивность человека. Анализируются методы, используемыедля снижения математической тревожности: экспрессивное письмо, медитация,сменаустановки в отношении математической тревожности. Анализ современных данных показал необходимость дальнейших исследованийматематической тревожности и ее механизмов для разработки болееэффективных методов регуляции негативных эмоцийпо отношению к математике

Test-Retest Reliability of Behavioural and ERP Measures in Maths-Related Processing

Research into test-retest stability of emotional and cognitive responses has focused on behavioural and ERP components in relation to very well-established paradigms (such as oddball, mismatch negativity, continuous performance task, etc.). However, there is a lack of evidence for more integrative paradigms that contain a variety of tasks in a single paradigm. The aim of the present study was to investigate the test-retest reliability for behavioural and ERP components (cue-locked P300 and task-locked P600) in a paradigm composed of three different error-recognition tasks: lexical, arithmetic, and algebraic. Participants completed the paradigm on two occasions, two weeks apart on average. We examined the between-session correlations and mean-level differences. The results showed moderate-to-strong between-session stability for accuracies (r = [.29-.69]), reaction times (r = [.48-.81]), and ERP P300 and P600 responses (r = [.70-.79] and r = [.45-.85], respectively). Overall, results indicated that there was more homogeneity of the estimates at the ERP level than in stability estimates at the behavioural level. The study highlights the importance of studying neural mechanisms involved in emotional and cognitive processing in addition to studying behavioural output