Lexical, Morphological, and Syntactic Characteristics of Verbs in the Spontaneous Production of Italian Children

This study investigates from a developmental point of view the lexical, morphological, and syntactic characteristics of verb production during the first stages of language acquisition. The spontaneous productions of children with different mean length of utterance (MLU) were analysed, examining the relative production of different types of verbs (transitive, intransitive, and mixed), the arguments expressed or omitted in the utterances containing a verb, the morphological inflections produced by the children for each verb, and the generalisation of the syntactic construction with which specific verbs were produced. Data are interpreted in support of the hypothesis that children have a limited abstract knowledge of verbs in the early period of multiword utterance production and that the process of abstractness and generalisation develops gradually on the basis of linguistic experience

Learning to play a musical instrument in the middle school is associated with superior audiovisual working memory and fluid intelligence: A cross-sectional behavioral study

Music training, in all its forms, is known to have an impact on behavior both in childhood and even in aging. In the delicate life period of transition from childhood to adulthood, music training might have a special role for behavioral and cognitive maturation. Among the several kinds of music training programs implemented in the educational communities, we focused on instrumental training incorporated in the public middle school curriculum in Italy that includes both individual, group and collective (orchestral) lessons several times a week. At three middle schools, we tested 285 preadolescent children (aged 10–14 years) with a test and questionnaire battery including adaptive tests for visuo-spatial working memory skills (with the Jack and Jill test), fluid intelligence (with a matrix reasoning test) and music-related perceptual and memory abilities (with listening tests). Of these children, 163 belonged to a music curriculum within the school and 122 to a standard curriculum. Significant differences between students of the music and standard curricula were found in both perceptual and cognitive domains, even when controlling for pre-existing individual differences in musical sophistication. The music children attending the third and last grade of middle school had better performance and showed the largest advantage compared to the control group on both audiovisual working memory and fluid intelligence. Furthermore, some gender differences were found for several tests and across groups in favor of females. The present results indicate that learning to play a musical instrument as part of the middle school curriculum represents a resource for preadolescent education. Even though the current evidence is not sufficient to establish the causality of the found effects, it can still guide future research evaluation with longitudinal data

Distance learning in Higher Education during the first pandemic lockdown : The point of view of students with special educational needs

The study investigates the perspective on distance learning (DL) of a sample of students with disability. Participants (N= 198; 62% females) completed an online questionnaire. The results highlight that students perceive both advantages and barriers, which vary as a function of the type of disability. This seems to suggest that DL potentials should be evaluated in relation to the specific vulnerabilities and educational needs associated with each type of disability, which might be accomplished by adopting the Universal Design for Learning framework. Also, it may be that the impact of DL depends on the discipline as well as on the teachers’ digital competences, which can make a great difference in the quality of the online lesson and in the overall didactic experience of students with SEN.Peer reviewe

Stati mentali in autori di crimini violenti. Dati preliminari di una ricerca clinico-forense con l'ausilio dell'adult attachment interview

Nota l’incidenza della qualità delle esperienze infantili sullo sviluppo psicologico dell’uomo (Bowlby, 1988) e nel coinvolgimento in attività devianti (Farrington, 1994), è stato ipotizzato che eventi sfavorevoli infantili possano favorire l’evoluzione di un percorso di vita segnato da condotte criminose. Lo studio ha considerato l’analisi dell’Adult Attachment Interview di 7 soggetti detenuti per reati violenti contro la persona (gruppo sperimentale) e 7 soggetti estranei al circuito giudiziario (gruppo di controllo), i cui dati derivano da uno studio che reclutava padri di bambini pretermine. I gruppi sono stati confrontati per esaminare l'incidenza dei modelli di attaccamento e le differenze rispetto a specifiche esperienze affettive con i caregiver. I risultati suggestivi sono da considerarsi preliminari. Infine, implicazioni per la pratica e input per studi futuri sono discussi

Short-Term Orchestral Music Training Modulates Hyperactivity and Inhibitory Control in School-Age Children: A Longitudinal Behavioural Study

Survey studies have shown that participating in music groups produces several benefits, such as discipline, cooperation and responsibility. Accordingly, recent longitudinal studies showed that orchestral music training has a positive impact on inhibitory control in school-age children. However, most of these studies examined long periods of training not always feasible for all families and institutions and focused on children’s measures ignoring the viewpoint of the teachers. Considering the crucial role of inhibitory control on hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, we wanted to explore if short orchestral music training would promote a reduction of these impulsive behaviors in children. This study involved 113 Italian children from 8 to 10 years of age. 55 of them attended 3 months of orchestral music training. The training included a 2-hour lesson per week at school and a final concert. The 58 children in the control group did not have any orchestral music training. All children were administered tests and questionnaires measuring inhibitory control and hyperactivity near the beginning and end of the 3-month training period. We also collected information regarding the levels of hyperactivity of the children as perceived by the teachers at both time points. Children in the music group showed a significant improvement in inhibitory control. Moreover, in the second measurement the control group showed an increase in self-reported hyperactivity that was not found in the group undergoing the music training program. This change was not noticed by the teachers, implying a discrepancy between self-reported and observed behavior at school. Our results suggest that even an intense and brief period of orchestral music training is sufficient to facilitate the development of inhibitory control by modulating the levels of self-reported hyperactivity. This research has implications for music pedagogy and education especially in children with high hyperactivity. Future investigations will test whether the findings can be extended to children diagnosed with ADHD

The mental state in perpetrators of violent crime: a short case report regarding preliminary investigation with the adult attachment interview

Given the influence of the quality of childhood experiences upon psychological development (Bowlby, 1988) and its role in the involvement in criminal activities (Farrington, 1994), it has been hypothesized that adverse childhood events could facilitate a life path marked by criminal offences. This study in-volved the analysis of the Adult Attachment Interview of 7 offenders convicted for violent crimes against the person (experimental group) and 7 official non-offenders (control group), whose data came from a study that recruited fathers of preterm infants. The groups were matched for socio-demographic variables (e.g. age and level of education) and for attachment patterns. The results of this study are preliminary. Implications for practice, also within the criminal justice system, are discusse

Abuses and Distortions in Emotional Processes as Risk Factors for Parricide

Parricide is a rare case of murder having a strong emotional impact on public opinion, especially when it is heinous and perpetrated by minors. Based on the analysis of the judicial files archived at the Minor Penal Institute "N. Fornelli" of Bari, the authors will report three impressive cases perpetrated by minors, by focusing on their emotional features. Differences between the crimes of parricide committed by adults and minors will be highlighted, by analyzing the peculiar relations between the problems underlying parricide and the role played by abuses and maltreatments experienced by minors perpetrating such crime. In particular, attention will be paid to the emotional processes aroused in minor parricide offenders

The role of late adolescents' emotion regulation in the experience of COVID-19 lockdown: A longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic may be considered a unique mass-trauma experience. This study examined the relations between Italian late adolescents' emotion regulation strategies, their anxiety states, and their experience of the lockdown (in terms of discomfort related to restrictions, capacities to create new functional daily routines, and to find positive changes in one's own life) during the first wave of this pandemic. We analysed how participants' reports of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were associated with anxiety states during the 2020 Italian COVID-19 lockdown (large scale physical distancing and movement restrictions) and one month after the lockdown restrictions had been removed. We also examined how cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and anxiety states were linked to late adolescents' experience of lockdown. The participants were 497 Italian adolescents, aged from 17 to 24 years (Mage  = 21.11, SD = 1.83). A longitudinal structural equation modelling showed that emotion regulation strategies and anxiety states were not associated across time. Cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with routine reorganization and positive changes. In contrast, participants' expressive suppression was negatively related to their discomfort related to restrictions, ability to functionally reorganise their daily routine, and ability to find positive changes related to the COVID-19 emergency. Anxiety was positively linked to discomfort related to restrictions. The findings are discussed in light of the current literature related to emotion regulation and anxiety. Limitations and implications for practice are presented