¿Soy un acosador? Relación entre las conductas agresivas y la autoadmisión de ser acosador en niños de primaria

The present research focuses on the self-admission of being a bully in primary school children who bully, and studies it in relation to sex, educational stage and type of bullying behavior. Our objective was to understand better the relationship between aggressive behaviors and bullying self-admission. We hypothesized aggressive behaviors would be related to bullying self-admission. A total of 4646 primary school students aged from 7 to 12 years participated in this correlational study. The EBIPQ questionnaire was administered to evaluate children’s aggressive behaviors, whereas bullying self-admission was evaluated through a direct question. From the total of participants, 14.9 % were considered bullies, and 4.4 % frequent bullies, according to their responses to the EBIPQ. Among bullies, 21.4 % admitted having bullied others, and this percentage increased to 32 % for frequent bullies. Self-admission of being a bully was independent of sex and educational stage. On the other hand, some aggressive behaviors were more associated than others to self-admission of being a bully. Results suggest reluctance in children to consider themselves as bullies, especially in some types of aggressive behaviors. Finally, we discuss the need to study further the factors influencing the self-admission of being a bully.La presente investigación se centra en la percepción de ser agresor en niños de primaria que acosan, y su relación con el sexo, la etapa educativa y el tipo de conducta agresiva. Nuestro objetivo fue comprender mejor la relación entre las conductas agresivas y la percepción de ser agresor. Se hipotetizó que los comportamientos agresivos estarían relacionados con la percepción de ser agresor. Un total de 4646 estudiantes de 7 a 12 años participaron en este estudio correlacional. Se administró el cuestionario EBIPQ para evaluar la agresividad, mientras que la percepción de ser agresor se evaluó con una pregunta directa. Un 14.9 % de los participantes se consideraron acosadores, y un 4.4 % acosadores frecuentes, según sus respuestas en el EBIPQ. Un 21.4 % de los acosadores y un 32 % de los acosadores frecuentes admitieron haber acosado. La percepción de ser agresor fue independiente del sexo y la etapa educativa. Por otra parte, algunas conductas agresivas se asociaron más que otras a la percepción de ser agresor. Los resultados sugieren una dificultad para considerarse acosador, especialmente en ciertas conductas agresivas. Finamente, se discute la necesidad de profundizar en los factores que influyen en la percepción de ser acosador

Let's Share Perspectives! Mentalistic Skills Involved in Cooperation

Previous research has found a link between theory of mind and cooperation. The aim of this study is to deepen into this relationship, to identify which theory of mind skills are more related to the cooperative ability on a referential communication task. A total of 50 children from first and fifth grade completed a battery of theory of mind tasks, and also a cooperative task where children worked in pairs to build block models. Each pair was composed by a builder and a guide, who gave instructions to his partner about how to build a replica of the model. The results show a significant relationship between the theory of mind skills and cooperation. Specifically, we found that the second-order false-belief task was the variable most related to cooperation after controlling the effect of age. In addition, we observed that the mentalist skills were more important for cooperation in the builders than in the guides. Finally, we discuss the findings of this study and make suggestions for the future

Adquisición del lenguaje y comprensión emocional en niños y niñas con sordera

La majoria d’infants amb sordesa fills de pares oients presenten mancances en l’àmbit lingüístic i comunicatiu, a causa d’un possible accés limitat al llenguatge i a un entorn conversacional empobrit. Aquestes dificultats lingüístiques i comunicatives dels infants amb sordesa, que poden existir malgrat la utilització d’ajudes auditives, poden repercutir en diversos aspectes del seu desenvolupament. En particular, poden influir negativament en la seva capacitat de comprendre les emocions pròpies i alienes, i en conseqüència, també el seu funcionament social, el seu benestar i l’èxit acadèmic. En aquesta línia, aquest article se centra en intentar explicar de quina manera les diferents característiques de la sordesa i del seu entorn, així com de la interacció entre ambdós, poden implicar deficiències en l’input lingüístic i conversacional que afecten les seves habilitats lingüístiques i comunicatives. A la vegada, pretenem mostrar com les mancances en aquestes habilitats lingüístiques poden implicar dificultats en diferents aspectes de la comprensió emocional dels infants amb sordesa, que poden allargar-se fins a l’etapa adulta. A més, es revisen algunes investigacions que aporten idees rellevants sobre com millorar la capacitat de comprensió emocional dels infants amb sordesa, que se centren sobretot en la utilització d’estratègies conversacionals per ajudar els infants a comprendre les emocions de les persones en diferents situacions.Most children with deafness born to hearing parents have language and communication impairments, as a result of a possible limited access to language and to an impoverished conversational environment. These linguistic and communicative difficulties, which may exist despite the use of hearing aids, can affect various developmental aspects of children with deafness. In particular, these difficulties may negatively affect their ability to understand their own and others' emotions, and consequently, their social functioning, their well-being and their academic success. Thus, this paper focuses on trying to explain how the different characteristics of deafness and environment, as well as the interaction between the two, can lead to deficiencies in linguistic and conversational input that affect children’s language and communication skills. At the same time, we aim to show how deficiencies in these linguistic skills can lead to difficulties in different aspects of deaf children’s emotional comprehension, which can extend into adulthood. In addition, we review some research that provides relevant ideas on how to improve deaf children’s emotional understanding, which focuses mainly on the use of conversational strategies to help children understand people’s emotions in different situations.La mayoría de los niños y niñas con sordera hijos de padres oyentes presentan carencias a nivel lingüístico y comunicativo, a causa de un posible acceso limitado al lenguaje y a un entorno conversacional empobrecido. Estas dificultades lingüísticas y comunicativas de los niños y niñas sordos, que pueden existir a pesar de la utilización de ayudas auditivas, pueden repercutir en varios aspectos de su desarrollo. En particular, pueden influir negativamente en su capacidad de comprender las emociones propias y ajenas, y en consecuencia, también a su funcionamiento social, su bienestar, y el éxito académico. En esta línea, este artículo se centra en intentar explicar de qué manera las diferentes características de la sordera y de su entorno, así como de la interacción entre ambos, pueden implicar deficiencias en el input lingüístico y conversacional que afectan a sus habilidades lingüísticas y comunicativas. A su vez, se pretende mostrar como las carencias en estas habilidades lingüísticas pueden implicar dificultades en diferentes aspectos de la comprensión emocional de los niños y niñas con sordera, que pueden alargarse hasta la etapa adulta. Además, se revisan algunas investigaciones que aportan ideas relevantes sobre cómo mejorar la capacidad de comprensión emocional de los niños y niñas con sordera, que se centran sobre todo en la utilización de estrategias conversacionales para ayudar a los niños y niñas a comprender las emociones de las personas en diferentes situaciones

Language acquisition in a post-pandemic context: the impact of measures against COVID-19 on early language development

Language acquisition is influenced by the quality and quantity of input that language learners receive. In particular, early language development has been said to rely on the acoustic speech stream, as well as on language-related visual information, such as the cues provided by the mouth of interlocutors. Furthermore, children's expressive language skills are also influenced by the variability of interlocutors that provided the input. The COVID-19 pandemic has offered an unprecedented opportunity to explore the way these input factors affect language development. On the one hand, the pervasive use of masks diminishes the quality of speech, while it also reduces visual cues to language. On the other hand, lockdowns and restrictions regarding social gatherings have considerably limited the amount of interlocutor variability in children's input. The present study aims at analyzing the effects of the pandemic measures against COVID-19 on early language development. To this end, 41 children born in 2019 and 2020 were compared with 41 children born before 2012 using the Catalan adaptation of the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs). Results do not show significant differences in vocabulary between pre- and post-Covid children, although there is a tendency for children with lower vocabulary levels to be in the post-Covid group. Furthermore, a relationship was found between interlocutor variability and participants' vocabulary, indicating that those participants with fewer opportunities for socio-communicative diversity showed lower expressive vocabulary scores. These results reinforce other recent findings regarding input factors and their impact on early language learning

L'estructura de la comunicació dels ajuntaments d'Osona: Gabinets de comunicació i interrelació amb l'entorn

Aquest article radiografia l’estat de la comunicació dels 51 ajuntaments de la comarca d’Osona, amb la voluntat de suggerir quins canvis es poden portar a terme per millorar la seva eficiència i eficàcia i reforçar la seva imatge institucional. Aquest article és fruit d’un acord entre la Universitat de Vic i el Consell Comarcal d’Osona. Mitjançant enquestes, el buidatge dels webs municipals i una mostra tipològica de corporacions on aplicar la metodologia qualitativa (entrevistes semiestructurades i grups de discussió) es radiografia el funcionament de la comunicació informativa, institucional i persuasiva de les diverses corporacions municipals, a partir de dades recollides en el període comprès entre setembre de 2011 i desembre de 201

Maestros y maestras ante situaciones de acoso y ciberacoso escolar

The objective of this study is to learn about the point of view and behavior of teachers of nursery school and primary education in situations of bullying. A total of 220 teachers participated in the study (182 women and 38 men; average age = 42.24 years) responding to an online questionnaire about some aspects related to bullying. The results show that only 24.1% consider themselves prepared to face situations of bullying or cyberbullying. In addition, a 45.2% of the teachers say they have observed situations of bullying or cyberbullying in their classrooms. In these cases, the actions they carry out most often involve talking with the aggressor and the victim, with classmates, with the school management team and with the families of the aggressor and of the victim. The least frequent behaviors involves punishing the aggressor and talking with the other professionals who work in the center, such as the psychologist. Finally, teachers believe that the actions that would most help to prevent and reduce bullying and cyberbullying are: raising awareness about the consequences of bullying, encouraging students to report bullying situations, implement adequate programs and protocols, and training teachers and families. These results are discussed in the framework of other studies focused on the perception and actions of teachers in situations of bullying and cyberbullying, and on research about the most effective practices for their prevention and reduction.El objetivo de este estudio se centra en conocer el punto de vista y comportamiento de los maestros y maestras de educación infantil y primaria en situaciones de acoso escolar. Un total de 220 docentes han participado en el estudio (182 mujeres y 38 hombres; edad media = 42.24 años), respondiendo a un cuestionario en línea sobre algunos aspectos relacionados con el acoso escolar. Los resultados muestran que solo un 24.1 % se consideran preparados para afrontar situaciones de acoso o ciberacoso. Además, un 45.2 % afirma haber observado situaciones de acoso o ciberacoso en las aulas donde ha realizado docencia. En estos casos, las acciones que más frecuentemente llevan a cabo implican hablar con el agresor y la víctima, los compañeros de clase, el equipo directivo y las familias del agresor y de la víctima. Los comportamientos menos frecuentes implican castigar al agresor y hablar con los profesionales del centro, como por ejemplo, el psicólogo. Finalmente, los maestros y maestras consideran que las acciones que ayudarían más a prevenir y reducir el acoso y el ciberacoso son: concienciar sobre las consecuencias del acoso, animar a los alumnos y alumnas a informar de las situaciones de acoso, implementar programas y protocolos de actuación adecuados y formación a los docentes y a las familias. Estos resultados se discuten en el marco de otros estudios sobre la percepción y las actuaciones de los maestros y maestras en situaciones de acoso y ciberacoso escolar, así como dentro de las prácticas más efectivas para su prevención y reducción

Macro and micro-mechanics behavior of stifness in alkaline treated hemp core fibres polypropylene-based composites

[EN] Traditionally, glass fibre has been used as plastic reinforcement whenever mechanical properties of a matrix, like stiffness, do not meet the specifications. However, current tendencies try to replace glass fibres by more sustainable fibres to obtain eco-friendlier products. Natural fibres show comparatively good physical and mechanical properties and, unlike glass fibres, come from renewable resources and are recyclable and sustainable. In this work, hemp straw discarded from hemp manufacturing was used as reinforcement in polypropylene composites. One drawback associated to hemp straw is its high lignin content that reduces its reinforcing potential. Therefore, a soft alkaline treatment was employed to adjust the lignin contents. In this work, the evolution of the Young's modulus with the NaOH treatment is assessed and discussed. Intrinsic Young's moduli of hemp straw fibres at different alkaline conditions were determined by Hirsch model. Finally, Tsai-Pagano and Halpin-Tsai equations allowed the prediction of the theoretical Young's modulus of the composites. The results showed the competitiveness of a by-product reinforced composite in front of commodity materials.Vilaseca, F.; Rey Tormos, RMD.; Serrat, R.; Alba Fernández, J.; Mutje, P.; Espinach, FX. (2018). Macro and micro-mechanics behavior of stifness in alkaline treated hemp core fibres polypropylene-based composites. Composites Part B Engineering. 144:118-125. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.02.029S11812514

Language acquisition in a post-pandemic context: the impact of measures against COVID-19 on early language development

Language acquisition is influenced by the quality and quantity of input that language learners receive. In particular, early language development has been said to rely on the acoustic speech stream, as well as on language-related visual information, such as the cues provided by the mouth of interlocutors. Furthermore, children’s expressive language skills are also influenced by the variability of interlocutors that provided the input. The COVID-19 pandemic has offered an unprecedented opportunity to explore the way these input factors affect language development. On the one hand, the pervasive use of masks diminishes the quality of speech, while it also reduces visual cues to language. On the other hand, lockdowns and restrictions regarding social gatherings have considerably limited the amount of interlocutor variability in children’s input. The present study aims at analyzing the effects of the pandemic measures against COVID-19 on early language development. To this end, 41 children born in 2019 and 2020 were compared with 41 children born before 2012 using the Catalan adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs). Results do not show significant differences in vocabulary between pre- and post-Covid children, although there is a tendency for children with lower vocabulary levels to be in the post-Covid group. Furthermore, a relationship was found between interlocutor variability and participants’ vocabulary, indicating that those participants with fewer opportunities for socio-communicative diversity showed lower expressive vocabulary scores. These results reinforce other recent findings regarding input factors and their impact on early language learning

Catatonia and Cognitive Impairments : A Systematic Review

Catatonia is an underdiagnosed and undertreated neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by catalepsy, negativism, mutism, muscular rigidity, and mannerism, often accompanied by autonomic instability and fever. Although there is growing interest in studying cognitive impairments before and after catatonia, little is known about the cognitive features of the syndrome. This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022299091). Using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, and PsycArticles using a combination of the terms "Catatonia" and "Cognitive impairment" and "Executive function" and "Frontal lobe" and "Parietal lobe." Studies included original research articles enrolling patients with catatonic syndrome according to specified criteria. Fourteen studies were deemed relevant for inclusion. The abstraction form included age, assessment during acute episode, associated diagnosis, assessment procedure, and cognitive domains. Outcome measures were extracted. Executive functions and visuospatial abilities proved to be the most investigated domains. A great heterogeneity has been observed in the assessment tools used among the 14 evaluated studies. Findings showed that catatonic patients had worse performance than healthy and non-catatonic psychiatric patients in frontal and parietal cortical functions. Because of the small number of studies in such heterogeneous areas and significant methodological limitations, the results should be regarded with caution. Future research assessing cognitive impairments on catatonic patients is needed. [], identifier [CRD42022299091]