Mental disability law veRsus fault in the history. A study of gender

In this article we make a logical historical analysis of the legal treatment of women’s behavior, which differs markedly from that given to male behavior, which always appeals mentally handicapped women to develop their activities but that is ignored in the criminal law.En el presente artículo se realiza un análisis histórico lógico del tratamiento jurídico de la conducta de las mujeres, que difiere notablemente del que se da al comportamiento masculino, en el que siempre se apela a una discapacidad psíquica de la mujer para el desarrollo de sus actividades, pero que se deja de lado en el derecho penal

Habilidad aritmética y estrategias de cálculo: No todos los cerebros suman igual

Numerosas investigaciones han revelado que para resolver operaciones aritméticas podemos utilizar dos estrategias: la recuperación directa del resultado en memoria o el uso de procedimientos. La selección de la estrategia está relacionada con la magnitud de los operandos y el nivel de habilidad aritmética. En un estudio reciente hemos examinado la actividad eléctrica cerebral de individuos con habilidad alta y baja mientras verificaban sumas de diferente tamaño. Las diferencias encontradas en el patrón de actividad cerebral según la magnitud del problema y la habilidad aritmética revelan la utilidad de esta medida como indicador válido del uso diferencial de estrategias de cálculo

Rúbricas y feedback en clase en un curso con contenido estadístico en educación superior

INTRODUCCIÓ: Amb aquest estudi es va analitzar la influència de dos tipus de feedback (a través de rúbriques i a classe) sobre el rendiment acadèmic en una assignatura amb contingut estadístic. També es va examinar l’opinió dels estudiants sobre la utilitat d’aquests dos tipus de feedback. MÈTODE: Després de validar les rúbriques amb una mostra de 100 estudiants, es va utilitzar una altra mostra de 135 estudiants per a l’objectiu principal de l’estudi. Les mostres estaven formades per estudiants de Dissenys de Recerca del grau de Psicologia de la Universitat de Barcelona. RESULTATS: La majoria d’estudiants va valorar positivament la utilitat dels dos tipus de feedback. No es van observar diferències en el rendiment acadèmic entre els estudiants que van utilitzar les rúbriques, els que van assistir a les classes de feedback i els que van utilitzar els dos tipus de feedback. No obstant això, es va observar una associació positiva entre la freqüència d’assistència a les classes de feedback i el rendiment. Finalment, els estudiants que van percebre que l’ús de les rúbriques o de les classes de feedback ajudaven a reduir la seva ansietat davant els exàmens van obtenir millors notes. DISCUSSIÓ: Aquest estudi mostra que els processos d’ensenyament amb feedback poden portar els estudiants a tenir una visió més favorable del seu aprenentatge, especialment quan el feedback es dona a classe de manera personalitzada.INTRODUCTION: This study analyzed the influence of two types of feedback (via rubrics and in-class) on students’ academic achievement in a higher education course with statistical content. Students’ views regarding the usefulness of these types of feedback were also examined. METHODS: After validating the rubrics in a sample of 100 students, a sample of 135 students was used to address the main objective of the study. The samples comprised undergraduates from the University of Barcelona who were taking a course called Research Designs as part of the Universiy of Barcelona’s Degree in Psychology. RESULTS: The majority of students regarded both types of feedback as being useful. Academic achievement did not differ according to whether students used rubrics, attended feedback classes, or made use of both types of feedback. However, there was a positive association between the frequency of attendance at feedback classes and academic performance. Finally, the students who reported feeling less anxious about exams as a result of using rubrics or attending feedback classes obtained better exam grades. DISCUSSION: This study shows that teaching approaches which include feedback may lead students to have a more favourable view of their learning, especially when the feedback is more personalized and given in class.INTRODUCCIÓN: Este estudio analiza la influencia de dos tipos de feedback (a través de rúbricas y en clase) sobre el rendimiento académico en una asignatura con contenido estadístico. También se examinó la opinión de los estudiantes sobre su utilidad. MÉTODO: Después de validar las rúbricas con una muestra de 100 estudiantes, se utilizó otra muestra de 135 estudiantes para el objetivo principal del estudio. Las muestras estaban formadas por estudiantes de Diseños de Investigación del grado de Psicología de la Universidad de Barcelona. RESULTADOS: La mayoría de estudiantes valoró positivamente la utilidad de ambos tipos de feedback. No se observaron diferencias en el rendimiento académico entre los estudiantes que utilizaron las rúbricas, los que asistieron a las clases de feedback y los que usaron ambos tipos de feedback. Sin embargo, se observó una asociación positiva entre la frecuencia de asistencia a las clases de feedback y el rendimiento. Finalmente, los estudiantes que percibieron que el uso de las rúbricas o las clases de feedback ayudaban a reducir su ansiedad ante los exámenes obtuvieron mejores notas. DISCUSIÓN: Este estudio muestra que los procesos de enseñanza que incluyen feedback pueden llevar a los estudiantes a tener una visión más favorable de su aprendizaje, especialmente cuando el feedback se da de manera más personalizada, en clase

Processing of ordinal information in math-anxious individuals

This study aimed to investigate whether the ordinal judgments of high math anxious (HMA) and low math-anxious (LMA) individuals differ. Two groups of 20 participants with extreme scores on the Shortened Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (sMARS) had to decide whether a triplet of numbers was presented in ascending order. Triplets could contain one-digit or two-digit numbers and be formed by consecutive numbers (counting condition), numbers with a constant distance of two or three (balanced) or numbers with variable distances between them (neutral). All these triplets were also presented unordered: sequence order in these trials could be broken at the second (D2) or third (D3) number. A reverse distance effect (worse performance for ordered balanced than for counting trials) of equal size was found in both anxiety groups. However, HMA participants made more judgment errors than their LMA peers when they judged one-digit counting ordered triplets. This effect was related to worse performance of HMA individuals on a symmetry span test and might be related to group differences on working memory. Importantly, HMAs were less accurate than LMA participants at rejecting unordered D2 sequences. This result is interpreted in terms of worse cognitive flexibility in HMA individuals

Processing of multi-digit additions in high math-anxious individuals: psychophysiological evidence

We investigated the time course of neural processing of multi-digit additions in high- (HMA) and low-math anxious (LMA) individuals. Seventeen HMA and 17 LMA individuals were presented with two-digit additions and were asked to perform a verification task. Behavioral data showed that HMA individuals were slower and more error prone than their LMA peers, and that incorrect solutions were solved more slowly and less accurately than correct ones. Moreover, HMA individuals tended to need more time and commit more errors when having to verify incorrect solutions than correct ones. ERPs time-locked to the presentation of the addends (calculation phase) and to the presentation of the proposed solution (verification phase) were also analyzed. In both phases, a P2 component of larger amplitude was found for HMA individuals than for their LMA peers. Because the P2 component is considered to be a biomarker of the mobilization of attentional resources towards emotionally negative stimuli, these results suggest that HMA individuals may have invested more attentional resources both when processing the addends (calculation phase) and when they had to report whether the proposed solution was correct or not (verification phase), as compared to their LMA peers. Moreover, in the verification phase, LMA individuals showed a larger late positive component (LPC) for incorrect solutions at parietal electrodes than their HMA counterparts. The smaller LPC shown by HMA individuals when verifying incorrect solutions suggests that these solutions may have been appeared more plausible to them than to their LMA counterparts

¿Dividir? No, gracias. El miedo a los números y el bajo rendimiento en matemáticas

Las personas que temen a los números suelen tener menos habilidades matemáticas. ¿Podría estar relacionado con pensamientos intrusivos generados por la ansiedad ante las matemáticas? ¿Se trata, más bien, de una mayor dificultad para procesar las cantidades en la línea numérica mental? ¿Existe alguna huella fisiológica de dicha dificultad? Entender cómo la ansiedad matemática afecta a la realización de operaciones numéricas puede permitir a las instituciones educativas y a la sociedad abordar este frecuente fenómeno de una manera más adecuada y eficiente, evitando las consecuencias negativas que acaba teniendo a largo plazo. En el presente artículo repasamos recientes hallazgos a este respecto

Desarrollo y Validación de la Brief Math Anxiety Scale (BMAS) en Estudiantes Universitarios

Background: This study developed the Brief Math Anxiety Scale (BMAS), a brief version of the Shortened Math Anxiety Rating Scale (sMARS), maintaining its original three-factor structure, by applying item response theory. Method: The sMARS was administered to 1,349 undergraduates, along with other questionnaires to measure their math ability, trait and test anxieties, and attitudes toward mathematics. Results: Results showed that the original scale could be reduced to nine items (three for each subscale). We provided evidence of good psychometric properties: strong internal consistency, adequate 7-week test-retest reliability, and good convergent/discriminant validity. Conclusions: In conclusion, the BMAS provides valid interpretations and reliable scores for assessing math anxiety in university students, and is especially useful in situations with time constraints where the longer form is impractical

Rubrics and in-class feedback on a higher education course with statistical content

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzed the influence of two types of feedback (via rubrics and in-class) on students' academic achievement in a higher education course with statistical content. Students' views regarding the usefulness of these types of feedback were also examined. METHODS: After validating the rubrics in a sample of 100 students, a sample of 135 students was used to address the main objective of the study. The samples comprised undergraduates from the University of Barcelona who were taking a course called Research Designs as part of the Universiy of Barcelona's Degree in Psychology. RESULTS: The majority of students regarded both types of feedback as being useful. Academic achievement did not differ according to whether students used rubrics, attended feedback classes, or made use of both types of feedback. However, there was a positive association between the frequency of attendance at feedback classes and academic performance. Finally, the students who reported feeling less anxious about exams as a result of using rubrics or attending feedback classes obtained better exam grades. DISCUSSION: This study shows that teaching approaches which include feedback may lead students to have a more favourable view of their learning, especially when the feedback is more personalized and given in class

β-Conglutins’ Unique Mobile Arm Is a Key Structural Domain Involved in Molecular Nutraceutical Properties of Narrow-Leafed Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.)

European Research Program MARIE CURIE (FP7-PEOPLE- 2011-IOF), grant ref. PIOF-GA-2011-301550The Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Ramon y Cajal Research Program)Grant ref. RYC-2014-16536The CSIC intramural research program, grant ref. 202240I002The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant ref. number CPP2021-00898

Less precise representation of numerical magnitude in high math-anxious individuals: An ERP study of the size and distance effects

Numerical comparison tasks are widely used to study the mental representation of numerical magnitude. In study, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while 26 high math-anxious (HMA) and 27 low math-anxious (LMA) individuals were presented with pairs of single-digit Arabic numbers and were asked to decide which one had the larger numerical magnitude. The size of the numbers and the distance between them were manipulated in order to study the size and the distance effects. The results showed that both distance and size effects were larger for the HMA group. As for ERPs, results showed that the ERP distance effect had larger amplitude for both the size and distance effects in the HMA group than among their LMA counterparts. Since this component has been taken as a marker of the processing of numerical magnitude, this result suggests that HMA individuals have a less precise representation of numerical magnitude