A survey of liver ablation amongst UK interventional radiologists

AIM

To characterise training for, and conduct of, image-guided liver tumour ablation amongst UK interventional radiologists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A web-based survey of British Society of Interventional Radiology members was carried out between 31 August to 1 October 2022. Twenty-eight questions were designed, covering four domains: (1) respondent background, (2) training, (3) current practice, and (4) operator technique.

RESULTS

One hundred and six responses were received, with an 87% completion rate and an approximate response rate of 13% of society members. All UK regions were represented, with the majority from London (22/105, 21%). Seventy-two out of 98 (73%) were either extremely or very interested in learning about liver ablation during training, although levels of exposure varied widely, and 37/103 (36%) had no exposure. Performed numbers of cases also varied widely, between 1-10 cases and >100 cases per operator annually. All (53/53) used microwave energy, and most routinely used general anaesthesia (47/53, 89%). Most 33/53 (62%) did not have stereotactic navigation system, and 25/51(49%) always, 18/51 (35%) never, and 8/51(16%) sometimes gave contrast medium (mean 40, SD 32%) after procedures. Fusion software to judge ablation completeness was never used by 86% (43/55), sometimes used by 9% (5/55), and always used by 13% (7/55) of respondents.

CONCLUSION

Although there are high levels of interest in image-guided liver ablation amongst UK interventional radiologists, training arrangements, operator experience, and procedural technique vary widely. As image-guided liver ablation evolves, there is a growing need to standardise training and techniques, and develop the evidence base to ensure high-quality oncological outcomes.

A Systematic Review of International Affective Picture System (IAPS) around the World

Standardized Emotion Elicitation Databases (SEEDs) allow studying emotions in laboratory settings by replicating real-life emotions in a controlled environment. The International Affective Pictures System (IAPS), containing 1182 coloured images as stimuli, is arguably the most popular SEED. Since its introduction, multiple countries and cultures have validated this SEED, making its adoption on the study of emotion a worldwide success. For this review, 69 studies were included. Results focus on the discussion of validation processes by combining self-report and physiological data (Skin Conductance Level, Heart Rate Variability and Electroencephalography) and self-report only. Cross-age, cross-cultural and sex differences are discussed. Overall, IAPS is a robust instrument for emotion elicitation around the world.

Application of improved image restoration algorithm and depth generation in English intelligent translation teaching system.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2767322/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

The difficulty of English book translation lies in the need to recognize English characters in a complex background and perform accurate classification and translation. Based on the deep generative model, this paper constructs an intelligent translation system for English books based on machine learning and proposes an improved image restoration algorithm based on LSGAN on the basis of the image restoration algorithm based on DCGAN. Moreover, this paper optimizes the structure of the LSGAN network to a certain extent, improves the stability of the network, combines context loss and perceptual loss to find the most suitable generated image for filling. In addition, based on the VAE and GAN network structure, this paper proposes an improved image restoration algorithm based on VAE-GAN to improve the integrity of English characters and perform intelligent recognition. Finally, this paper analyzes through the experimental form, and after setting the identification object, the model constructed in this paper is used for translation, the translation accuracy and classification accuracy rate are calculated, and the performance analysis is performed after the statistical data. From the research results, it can be seen that the artificial intelligence model constructed in this paper has certain practical effects.

Adolescence in lockdown: The protective role of mentalizing and epistemic trust

OBJECTIVE

Mentalizing is the ability to interpret one's own and others' behavior as driven by intentional mental states. Epistemic trust (openness to interpersonally transmitted information) has been associated with mentalizing. Balanced mentalizing abilities allow people to cope with external and internal stressors. Studies show that social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic was highly stressful for most people, especially for adolescents. Here we examine whether mentalizing and epistemic trust were protective factors in relation to emotional distress during the lockdown.

METHOD

A total of 131 nonclinical adolescents, aged between 12 and 18 years, were evaluated during the lockdown using the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for Youth, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Perceived Stress Scale, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

RESULTS

Results from network analysis showed that epistemic trust and mentalizing were negatively associated with perceived stress and emotion dysregulation. Epistemic trust in fathers was associated with level of perceived stress, and epistemic trust in mothers with emotion dysregulation.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that epistemic trust and the capacity to mentalize were low in adolescents during lockdown, and this was associated with high levels of stress. However, robust levels of epistemic trust and mentalizing may have acted as protective factors that buffered individuals from the risk of emotional dysregulation during the lockdown.

Trait emotional intelligence and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: Dysmorphic concerns and general distress as mediators

OBJECTIVE

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women. It is characterised by a variety of symptoms that can seriously impair one's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Dysmorphic concerns and general distress appear to be related to the development of HRQoL issues, whilst trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) has been significantly linked to better adaptability to chronic conditions. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that an association between trait EI and HRQoL in individuals with PCOS would be mediated by dysmorphic concerns and to examine their relationship with general distress (depression, anxiety, and stress).

METHODS

Questionnaires were administered to 478 individuals with PCOS to analyse trait EI, dysmorphic concerns, general distress, and HRQoL.

RESULTS

The results indicated that trait EI was negatively associated with dysmorphic concerns and general distress; dysmorphic concerns were positively related to general distress; dysmorphic concerns and general distress were negatively related to HRQoL; and dysmorphic concerns and general distress had a mediating role in the relationship between trait EI and HRQoL.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that individuals with PCOS may have a lower HRQoL and high levels of trait EI may represent a protective factor against poor HRQoL. The implications for clinical practice are discussed.

The effect of bilingualism on executive functions when languages are similar: a comparison between Hungarian-Serbian and Slovak-Serbian young adult bilinguals

Among the factors argued to contribute to a bilingual advantage in executive function (EF), the combination of languages spoken by the bilingual is often overlooked. In this study, we explored the role of language similarity on memory and EF task by comparing performance of three groups of young adults-Hungarian-Serbian and Slovak-Serbian early balanced bilinguals, and Serbian-speaking monolinguals. Slovak is typologically related to Serbian, which are both Slavic, in contrast to Hungarian, which is Finno-Ugric. On the computerized tasks from the CANTAB battery (CANTAB Cognition, 2016, www.cantab.com), differences between monolinguals and bilinguals emerged on the EF tasks: Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) and Attentional Set Shifting (AST), but not the memory tasks: Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS), Paired Associate Learning (PAL), Spatial Working Memory (SWM). Both Hungarian-Serbian and Slovak-Serbian bilinguals outperformed the monolinguals on the more difficult SOC tasks, solved using more than a minimally required number of moves. This is in line with reports that bilinguals perform better under more complex conditions that require more monitoring and switching. However, bilinguals speaking Hungarian and Serbian spent less time preparing to execute the simpler SOC tasks, which can be solved in a minimum of two or three moves; they also exhibited reduced local switching cost and were faster overall on AST than both the Slovak-Serbian bilinguals and Serbian monolinguals. The advantageous performance of speakers of the typologically unrelated languages in our study suggests that these bilinguals may have more efficient attention switching and inhibition systems than bilinguals who speak typologically similar languages.

Lower Mindfulness is Associated with Problematic Social Media Use: A Meta-Analysis

Problematic social media use consists of use that interferes with individuals’ functioning, such as for example in failing to complete important tasks. A number of studies have investigated the association of trait mindfulness with problematic social media use. This meta-analysis synthesised research from 14 studies and a total of 5355 participants to examine the association between mindfulness and problematic social media use across studies. A lower level of mindfulness was associated with more problematic social media use, with a weighted effect size of r = -.37, 95% CI [-.42, -.33], k = 14, p < .001.

“Integrative learning” promotes learning but not memory in older rats

Background

We had previously advanced the concept of “Integrative Learning”, that is, “under the role of ‘meta-learning self’, learners actively integrate learning materials to achieve rapid and in-depth understanding of knowledge”, and designed an animal behavioral model to compare the effects of “Integrative Learning” (IL) vs. “Progressive Learning” (PL) in young rats. It was found that IL is more advantageous than PL. Here, we aim to examine whether the same phenomenon persist in older rats.

Methods

Fifteen 12-month-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were selected as subjects and randomly divided into the IL group and the PL group, and a 14-unit integrative T-maze was constructed for the study. Training and testing procedures contained three stages: the learning stage, the memory retention test stage and the Gestalt transfer learning stage. Data on young rats (1-month-old) from the previous study were also drawn here for comparisons on learning performance.

Results

(1) The 12-session learning stage can be divided into three sub-stages as each sub-stage represented the new opening of one third of the whole path in the PL group. There were significant interactions in total errors made between groups and sessions: the PL group had significantly fewer errors during Sub-stage One due to a much shorter path to be learned, however, the IL group’s errors made sharply dropped as learning progressed into Sub-stage Two and Three, and were maintained at a significantly lower level than the PL group during Sub-stage Three. (2) When compared with young rats, age had a main effect on the number of errors made—the 1-month-old groups learned overall better and faster than the older groups, whereas the pattern of group differences between the IL and PL learning modes remained consistent across young and older groups. (3) Unlike young rats, during the memory retention test stage and the Gestalt transfer learning stage, the IL group did not perform better than the PL group in older rats.

Conclusions

(1) “Integrative Learning” promotes learning but not memory in older rats. (2) Higher-order cognitive abilities that support meta-cognition, long-term retention and knowledge transfer might be deteriorating in older rats.

The psychological future of unemployed individuals and workers: invariance measurement model and mean differences

This study compared the psychological future of unemployed individuals and workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. It used the data from two previous data collections, one with unemployed individuals and another with workers. Participants from the two datasets were paired considering the same gender and similar age and education degree. The analyzed sample consisted of 352 participants, of which 176 were unemployed individuals and 176 were workers. The psychological future was measured by the Future Time Orientation Scale and the Life Project Scale. Both scales fit the sample of unemployed individuals and were invariant at the metric level across occupation status. Partial scalar model met good fit after freeing the intercepts of one item in each scale. In contrast to the hypothesis, compared to workers, unemployed individuals did not have lower rates in the assessed features of their psychological future. Conversely, for some variables, the rates were even higher among unemployed individuals. Unexpected results and limitations are discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04565-6.

Psychometric Properties of the Serbian Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) and Validation of the English Version Among Non-native English Speakers

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Serbian Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) and the original English version of the same scale administered to a Serbian-speaking sample. In Study 1, 599 participants completed Serbian SABAS, with 189 having both test and retest data. Results suggested good internal consistency (α = .81) and test–retest reliability (ICC = .795, p < .001, 95% CI [.731, .844], rtest-retest = .803) of the scale. Convergent validity of the SABAS was evaluated through correlations with the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV), as well as with anxiety, depression, worry, duration, and purpose of smartphone use. Divergent validity of the SABAS was evaluated through comparing the correlations with entertainment and productive smartphone use. The modified CFA model showed an acceptable fit (χ2(8) = 25.53, p = .001, CFI = .961, TLI = .926, RMSEA = .096, SRMR = .042), confirming the unidimensionality of the SABAS. In the second study, the English SABAS, completed by 335 non-native speakers from Serbia, also showed a good fit of the single-factor model (χ2(9) = 12.56, p = .184, CFI = .990, TLI = .984, RMSEA = .036, SRMR = 0.026), and good psychometric features. Based on the study’s findings, the Serbian version of SABAS is a reliable and valid measure for screening the risk of smartphone addiction. Moreover, the English version can be used among non-native Serbian English speakers.

Determination of the psychometric properties of the digital addiction scale for children

AIM

To determine the psychometric properties of the Digital Addiction Scale for Children.

DESIGN AND METHOD

This methodological study included 506 children aged 9-12 years. Data were collected using the child and family information form, the digital addiction scale for children and the digital game addiction scale for children. The data were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis Cronbach's alpha, convergent validity, and gender-based measurement invariance analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied using Mplus 8.7 with robust maximum likelihood estimation procedures.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor were performed for construct validity. The scale was found to have good model fit indicators. The factor loadings of all the components were found to be >0.40. Convergent validity of Digital addiction scale for children and digital game addiction scale showed a significant positive high correlation. The total Cronbach alpha value of the scale was determined as 0.94, and the Cronbach alpha values of the subscales as Interpersonal 0.89, and Intrapersonal 0.91.

CONCLUSION

The use of the digital addiction scale for children was determined to be a valid and reliable scale for the screening of digital device use and digital addiction in a Turkish sample.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nurses and other health professionals have an important role in detecting situations that put children's health at risk and promoting positive behaviors. It is especially important that school health nurses use valid and reliable tools that can determine children's digital addictions. Since this scale is easy and practical, it is thought that it will contribute significantly to the literature.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between university students' anxiety and academic performance during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health and academic performance of university students worldwide. Anxiety is one of the most commonly reported mental health issues among this population, but its relationship with academic performance during the pandemic has not been fully explored.

Methods

A meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA-P guidelines to synthesize existing research on the relationship between anxiety and academic performance in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four databases were searched (PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus) for articles published between December 2019 and June 2022, and studies from five different countries were included in the analysis. A heterogeneity test was performed, and a fixed-effects model was used to calculate the main results.

Results

The meta-analysis revealed a negative correlation between university students' anxiety and academic performance (r = −0.211, k = 5, N = 1,205). Subgroup analysis found no significant regulatory effects for the year of publication, country development level, student type, or anxiety type. The results suggest that negative emotions induced by the pandemic are the most significant factor linking anxiety to poor academic performance.

Discussion

During pandemics with severe global consequences, such as COVID-19, interventions against and for the prevention of university students' negative emotions are important ways to improve university students' mental health and academic achievement.

The role of early attachment experiences in modulating defensive peripersonal space

Selecting appropriate defensive behaviours for threats approaching the space surrounding the body (peripersonal space, PPS) is crucial for survival. The extent of defensive PPS is measured by recording the hand-blink reflex (HBR), a subcortical defensive response. Higher-order cortical areas involved in PPS representation exert top-down modulation on brainstem circuits subserving HBR. However, it is not yet known whether pre-existing models of social relationships (internal working models, IWM) originating from early attachment experiences influence defensive responses. We hypothesized that organized IWM ensure adequate top-down regulation of brainstem activity mediating HBR, whereas disorganized IWM are associated with altered response patterns. To investigate attachment-dependent modulation on defensive responses, we used the Adult Attachment Interview to determine IWM and recorded HBR in two sessions (with or without the neurobehavioral attachment system activated). As expected, the HBR magnitude in individuals with organized IWM was modulated by the threat proximity to the face, regardless of the session. In contrast, for individuals with disorganized IWM, attachment system activation enhances HBR regardless of the threat position, suggesting that triggering emotional attachment experiences magnifies the threatening valence of external stimuli. Our results indicate that the attachment system exerts a strong modulation on defensive responses and the magnitude of PPS.

Emotions in social anxiety disorder: A review

Extant cognitive behavioral models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) have primarily focused on cognitions and behaviors that maintain the disorder. Emotional aspects of SAD have been investigated but have not been sufficiently integrated into current models. To facilitate such integration, we reviewed the literature on emotional constructs (emotional intelligence, emotional knowledge, emotional clarity, emotion differentiation, and emotion regulation), and discrete emotions (anger, shame, embarrassment, loneliness, guilt, pride, and envy) in SAD and social anxiety. We present the studies conducted on these constructs, summarize the main findings, suggest areas for future research, discuss the findings in the context of existing models of SAD and attempt to integrate the findings into these existing models of the disorder. Clinical implications of our findings are also discussed.

Associations of personality traits with night eating among students in health sciences who live in a post-conflict setting

The intake of food later in the evening can have harmful health consequences. Some researchers suggest that having certain personality characteristics may be associated with the onset of eating disorders. There is a lack of studies on personality traits and night eating in a complex socio-political setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between personality traits and more intense night eating among students in northern Kosovo. A cross-section study was conducted in a population of health science students at the University in Kosovska Mitrovica. Students completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), HEXACO-60 personality inventory, Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The independent variables (exposures) were the six domains of the HEXACO-60 (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience). The study outcome was the NEQ score. The study sample consisted of 534 students. The prevalence of night eating syndrome was 3.0%. The multivariate linear regression model suggested that stronger Extraversion and Openness to Experience were associated with more frequent night eating. Additionally, later bedtime, poorer sleep quality and higher scores on BDI and BAI were associated with more frequent night eating across all six models of models of personality traits. In a population of health science students who live in a complex socio-political environment, extraversion and openness to experience traits were associated with more frequent night eating. These findings could help researchers and clinicians tailor specific behavioral therapies to match the personality traits of people with night eating issues.

Aggressive behaviour in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls

AIM

While patients with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of aggressive behaviour, prior research has shown increased rates of aggressive behaviours in these patients that appear very early in the course of illness. We aimed to assess aggression in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients, their healthy siblings, and controls; and to investigate correlates of aggression in the patients group.

METHODS

Patients (N = 55), siblings (N = 55) and healthy controls (N = 71) were evaluated on Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), Life History of Aggression (LHA), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale. Age, gender and substance use were regarded as covariates, and differences between the three groups were evaluated using analysis of covariance. Hierarchical regression was performed to determine which variables were associated with aggression level in the patients group.

RESULTS

The Tukey multiple comparison test showed that both patients (p < .001) and siblings (p = .023) scored higher on the LHA Aggression than controls. Siblings scored higher than controls (p = .010) for the Anger subscale of the AQ. Patients scored significantly higher than controls in the three impulsiveness dimensions; whereas siblings scored higher than controls in the motor (p = .023) and non-planning (p = .004) dimensions. Multivariate analyses showed that, after controlling for confounders, only attentional impulsiveness (β = .446, p = .0244) and psychopathy traits (β = .359, p = .010) helped predict AQ total scores among patients.

CONCLUSION

Aggression and some of its risk factors including impulsiveness are likely to be trait variables that might provide important vulnerability markers for people at heightened risk of developing psychosis.

The Revised Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8): Evidence for Validity across Four Countries

Subclinical sadism, characterized by infliction of cruelty, aggression, or humiliation on another for subjugation or pleasure, provides important information in the prediction of aversive behaviors that have implications for individuals' and society's well-being worldwide. Given sadism's universal relevance, it is imperative that researchers ensure valid and reliable trait measurement not only among English-speaking individuals, but also cross-nationally among countries in which sadism remains relatively understudied. The objective of the current research was to validate the revised version of the Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8) (Plouffe et al., 2017) across samples of Russian (n = 1087, M_age = 37.36, SD = 10.36), Greek (n = 1195, M_age = 35.64, SD_age = 13.08), Serbian (n = 443, M_age = 28.10, SD_age = 6.60), and British (n = 511, M_age = 28.50, SD_age = 11.62) adults. Overall, results supported the reliability, dimensionality, and scalar/partial scalar measurement invariance of the ASP-8 across cross-national samples. Convergent and discriminant validity were mostly supported through correlations with general personality traits, the Dark Triad, emotional intelligence, mental toughness, depression, anxiety, stress, satisfaction with life, aggression, and attitudes toward social groups. Based on our findings, we recommend the use of the ASP-8 in future investigations of aversive traits.

Self-objectification and its biological, psychological and social predictors: A cross-cultural study in four European countries and Iran

Although scholars started investigating self-objectification more than twenty years ago, only a few studies focused on men and even fewer have taken into account the cross-cultural dimension. Our study focused on the antecedents of self-objectification paying attention to the role of biological and sociodemographic variables (gender, BMI), psychological characteristics (self-esteem, perfectionism) together with social and cultural factors (internalization of media standards, influence of family and friends). Self-objectification was operationalized as Body Shame and Body Surveillance. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to 2165 adults living in four European countries (UK, Italy, Poland and Romania) and Iran. Ten regression models were performed (2 per country) to analyse the correlates of self-objectification. Overall, self-objectification emerged as a process affected by factors entrenched in psychological, biological, social and cultural domains, partially different for Body Shame and Body Surveillance. Findings showed the key role of self-esteem as a protective factor against Body Shame across countries. On the other hand, the internalization of media standards emerged as risk factor for both Body Shame and Body Surveillance in the five countries. Taken together, these results underline the complexity of self-objectification and the need to deepen research on this topic among non-Western countries.

The Effects of Subjective Social Class on Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health: A Moderated Mediation Model

In recent decades, China's rapid economic growth has substantially improved average living standards; however, this has not been accompanied by greater happiness among the Chinese population. This phenomenon is known as the Easterlin Paradox (i.e., there is no link between a society's economic development and its average level of happiness) in Western countries. This study examined the effects of subjective social class on subjective well-being and mental health in China. Consequently, we found that individuals in a relatively low social class had lower levels of subjective well-being and mental health; self-class discrepancy partially explains the relationship between subjective social class and subjective well-being and fully explains the relationship between subjective social class and mental health; and subjective social mobility moderates the path from self-class discrepancy to subjective well-being and mental health. These findings suggest that enhancing social mobility is an important method for reducing class differences in subjective well-being and mental health. These results have important implications, indicating that enhancing social mobility is an important method for reducing class differences in subjective well-being and mental health in China.

Measuring the suicidal mind: The 'open source' Suicidality Scale, for adolescents and adults

Clinicians are expected to provide accurate and useful mental health assessments, sometimes in emergency settings. The most urgent challenge may be in calculating suicide risk. Unfortunately, existing instruments often fail to meet requirements. To address this situation, we used a sustainable scale development approach to create a publicly available Suicidality Scale (SS). Following a critical review of current measures, community input, and panel discussions, an international item pool survey included 5,115 English-speaking participants aged 13-82 years. Revisions were tested with two follow-up cross-sectional surveys (Ns = 814 and 626). Pool items and SS versions were critically examined through item response theory, hierarchical cluster, factor and bifactor analyses, resulting in a unidimensional eight-item scale. Psychometric properties were high (loadings > .77; discrimination > 2.2; test-retest r = .87; internal consistency, ω = .96). Invariance checks were satisfied for age, gender, ethnicity, rural/urban residence, first language, self-reported psychiatric diagnosis and suicide attempt history. The SS showed stronger psychometric properties, and significant differences in bivariate associations with depressive symptoms, compared with included suicide measures. The 'open source' Suicidality Scale represents a significant step forward in accurate assessment for people aged 13+, and diverse populations. This study provides an example of sustainable scale development utilizing community input, emphasis on strong psychometric evidence from diverse samples, and a free-to-use license allowing instrument revisions. These methods can be used to develop a wide variety of psychosocial instruments that can benefit clinicians, researchers, and the public.

Sex-specific mechanisms for eating disorder risk in men and women with autistic traits: the role of alexithymia

BACKGROUND

A poorly understood relationship exists between eating disorders (ED) and autism spectrum conditions (ASC: henceforth 'autism'). ED are more prevalent in autistic people and people with high autistic traits, and autistic features are prognostic of longer illness. Aiming to understand what increases the risk of ED in relation to autism and autistic traits, previous research has implicated alexithymia as a causal mechanism in this relationship. These studies could not, however, disentangle whether alexithymia explains the relationship between ED pathology and autistic traits directly or through its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms, which in turn result in higher ED symptomatology. Moreover, despite evidence for sex differences in the aetiology of ED, little research has examined the impact of sex on these relationships.

METHODS

Focusing on the association between autistic traits and ED psychopathology, we examined independent mediating effects of alexithymia and anxious/depressive symptoms, as well as sequential mediation effects where alexithymia affects ED psychopathology via its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms. Participants were 198 men and 265 women with formally diagnosed and suspected ED, who completed an online survey of standardised scales.

RESULTS

In men, higher autistic traits were associated with ED psychopathology sequentially via greater alexithymia and through that, greater depressive/anxious symptoms. In women, alexithymia mediated the relationship between autistic traits and ED psychopathology both directly and sequentially through its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms. Interestingly, depressive/anxious symptoms also mediated that relationship independently from alexithymia.

CONCLUSIONS

While cross-sectional, these findings suggest that the relationship between autistic traits and ED symptomatology is mediated by other variables. In support of its proposed role in the aetiology of ED, alexithymia was directly associated with ED symptoms in women. It also affected ED symptoms indirectly, in all participants, via its effect on depressive/anxious symptoms. Interventions focusing on alexithymia may facilitate recovery not only via their effect on ED, but via their effect on other forms of state psychopathology which contribute to the maintenance and development of ED. Sex differences, however, reflect that alternative therapeutic targets for men and women may be beneficial.

A comprehensive review on emerging trends in the dynamic evolution of digital addiction and depression

Introduction

Using digital addiction as an umbrella term to cover any type of addictions to digital technologies such as the internet, smartphones, social media, or video games, the current study aimed to reveal the intellectual structure and evolution of research addressing digital addiction-depression relationship.

Methods

The study combined bibliometric and science mapping analysis methods for this purpose. Data for the study was gathered from Web of Science Core Collection after a comprehensive process of data search/extraction, and 241 articles were included in the final data set. A period-based, comparative science mapping analysis was performed using the SciMAT software.

Results

The analysis of data over three periods, Period 1 (1983-2016), Period 2 (2017-2019), and Period 3 (2020-2022) showed that internet addiction was the most significant theme across all three periods, which was followed by social media addiction. Depression, which emerged as a significant theme during Period 1, was later covered under anxiety disorder theme. Research interest was mostly on factors related to both addiction and depression such as cognitive distortion, insomnia, loneliness, self-esteem, social support, alexithymia, as well as cybervictimization or academic performance.

Discussion

The results suggested that much research is warranted on the digital addiction-depression relationship in different age cohorts, especially children and elderly. Similarly, the current analysis showed that this line of research particularly focused on internet, gaming and social media addiction, and evidence with regard to other types of digital addiction or related compulsive behaviors was almost absent. In addition, research was mostly inclined to understanding cause-effect relationships, which is significant, but preventive strategies seemed to be barely addressed. Likewise, the smartphone addiction-depression relationship arguably garnered less research interest, so future research would contribute to the field in this respect.

Handwriting kinematics during learning to write with the dominant left hand in converted left-handers

Converting left-handers to their non-dominant right hand was previously widespread, particularly for handwriting. The present study aimed to explore the extent to which adult, converted left-handers can learn writing with their dominant left hand during a 2-year training program. Eleven converted left-handers participated in the training. Handwriting kinematics were assessed at regular intervals (seven sessions) and compared to those of 11 innate left-handed controls matched for age, gender, and overall handedness score for basic (Finger, Wrist, Circle) and complex (Sentence, Copy) handwriting tasks. Regarding basic tasks in the training group, we found rapid increases in left and right-hand frequency and no significant differences between both hands at any time point, indicating successful hand transfer. After 24 months, training participants significantly surpassed controls for writing frequency in basic tasks with their left hand. For complex tasks, we identified significant increases in the training groups' left-hand writing frequency and duration between the first and last session. While training participants' left-hand writing remained significantly slower than their right-hand writing, statistics confirmed final differences between hands only for the duration of the Sentence task. Importantly, left-hand writing in the training group was characterized by lower frequency, lower automaticity, and prolonged duration after 24 months compared to innate left-handers. With training participants' left-hand writing skills significantly increasing for complex tasks and no final statistically significant differences between hands for frequency and automaticity, the program was considered effective. Nevertheless, within 2 years, training participants did not reach innate left-handers handwriting proficiency for complex tasks. Underlying reasons may be various, such as a non-optimal training program, a sensitive period for learning to write, irreversible neural changes during conversion in childhood, age-related decline of motor learning capacity, or retrograde interference between right- and left-hand writing.

Effects of Emotional Intelligence Training on Symptom Severity in Patients With Depressive Disorders

Depressive disorders affect individual's thoughts, feelings, and social interactions. Enhancing emotional competencies of depressed individuals may alleviate their suffering. Purpose: This study aimed to compare depression severity and emotional intelligence before and after emotional intelligence training in patients with depressive disorders. Methods: A nonrandomized trial (one-group pretest-posttest) research design was applied to 69 patients purposively recruited. The patients' sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The Beck Depression Inventory-II and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form were completed before and immediately after an 8-weeks of focused weekly group training. Results: A significant improvement in the scores of well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability; total emotional intelligence scores; and total depression scores was perceived after training (Z = 5.601, 4.398, 5.686, and 3.516; 4.943; and 2.387, respectively). Implications for Nursing Practice: As emotional intelligence can be learned; it may be a target for interventions when dealing with patients with depressive disorders by strengthening their emotional intelligence.

Impaired emotional intelligence is related to symptoms severity and suicidal attempts in depression

OBJECTIVE

Few studies demonstrated the impairment of perceived emotional intelligence 'EI' among depressed patients. This study aimed to assess the perceived EI in a group of depressed patients, and its association with different clinical characteristics.

METHODS

Forty-five patients diagnosed with depression were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and compared to 45 controls that were assessed by the Arabic version of General Health Questionnaire to exclude Psychiatric disorders. The Arabic version of Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) is used to evaluate EI in both groups.

RESULTS

Patients with depression showed significantly lower EI scores in the three parts of TMMS (repair, clarity and attention) compared to the controls (p < .001). Patients showed significant difference in clarity subscale (p = .005) and attention regarding severity of depression (p < .001). Clarity of feelings was significantly higher in patients who suffered more than two episodes (p = .012). Depressive patients with suicidal attempts showed significantly lower scores of repair (p = .044) and attention (p = .016) subscales. There were no significant differences of TMMS subscales between patients with and without suicidal ideation, sleep disturbance and somatic symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study demonstrates impaired perceived EI among patients with depression that is correlated with symptom severity and suicidal attempts.

Measurement invariance in the social sciences: Historical development, methodological challenges, state of the art, and future perspectives

This review summarizes the current state of the art of statistical and (survey) methodological research on measurement (non)invariance, which is considered a core challenge for the comparative social sciences. After outlining the historical roots, conceptual details, and standard procedures for measurement invariance testing, the paper focuses in particular on the statistical developments that have been achieved in the last 10 years. These include Bayesian approximate measurement invariance, the alignment method, measurement invariance testing within the multilevel modeling framework, mixture multigroup factor analysis, the measurement invariance explorer, and the response shift-true change decomposition approach. Furthermore, the contribution of survey methodological research to the construction of invariant measurement instruments is explicitly addressed and highlighted, including the issues of design decisions, pretesting, scale adoption, and translation. The paper ends with an outlook on future research perspectives.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of migrants and refugees settled in Spain

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health inequalities worldwide, having a disproportionately harsh impact on unprivileged populations such as migrants and refugees. These populations are often more exposed to the virus, but less protected, while at the same time being at higher risk of suffering from poor living and working conditions, limited access to healthcare, and discrimination by the host society, all of which is challenging to their mental health. Empirical evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting migrants and refugees is required to design effective actions aimed at ensuring health equity. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse how the pandemic has impacted the psychological well-being of migrants and refugees living in Spain.

DESIGN

This study was carried out within the framework of the ApartTogether study sponsored by the World Health Organization. Data collection was carried out during March-November 2020, through an online survey completed by 241 participants (age: M = 37 years; 129 women).

RESULTS

The results indicate that 78.7% of participants had suffered a decrease in their psychological well-being since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with number of difficulties and worries experienced being the best individual predictors of this outcome. Enjoying social connections and perceiving positive treatment from the host society were positively associated with psychological well-being at a relational and community level, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Based on these findings, we outline priority areas of psychosocial interventions aimed at guaranteeing the mental health of migrants and refugees in the face of the pandemic in Spain.

The Dispositional Essence of Proactive Social Preferences: The Dark Core of Personality vis-à-vis 58 Traits

Individuals differ in how they weigh their own utility versus others'. This tendency codefines the dark factor of personality (D), which is conceptualized as the underlying disposition from which all socially and ethically aversive (dark) traits arise as specific, flavored manifestations. We scrutinize this unique theoretical notion by testing, for a broad set of 58 different traits and related constructs, whether any predict how individuals weigh their own versus others' utility in proactive allocation decisions (i.e., social value orientations) beyond D. These traits and constructs range from broad dimensions (e.g., agreeableness), to aversive traits (e.g., sadism) and beliefs (e.g., normlessness), to prosocial tendencies (e.g., compassion). In a large-scale longitudinal study involving the assessment of consequential choices (median N = 2,270; a heterogeneous adult community sample from Germany), results from several hundred latent model comparisons revealed that no meaningful incremental variance was explained beyond D. Thus, D alone is sufficient to represent the social preferences inherent in socially and ethically aversive personality traits.

Psychometric properties of the perceived stress scale (pss-10) with breast cancer patients

Breast cancer diagnosis is one of the most difficult events that a woman can experience during her life and it usually produces high levels of stress. Global measures of perceived stress are useful for screening and for comparing stress levels between cancer patients and other clinical and nonclinical populations. One such instrument that is widely used is the Perceived Stress Scale (pss-10), but its psychometric properties have scarcely been analysed with breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to provide validity evidence regarding the use of the 10-item version of the pss-10 as a tool for measuring perceived stress in this context. Participants were 215 Spanish breast cancer patients who completed the PSS-10 and the DASS-21, a measure of affective distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). The internal structure of the PSS-10 was examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the reliability of test scores was estimated using McDonald's omega coefficient. Validity evidence based on relationships with other variables was also obtained using correlation analysis. The CFA supported a correlated two-factor structure: perceived helplessness (six negatively worded items) and perceived self-efficacy (four positively worded items). Reliability coefficients for scores on these two factors were 0.87 and 0.73, respectively. Scores on affective distress (DASS-21) were strongly and positively correlated with perceived helplessness and moderately and negatively correlated with perceived self-efficacy. The PSS-10 is an adequate tool for measuring perceived stress in the breast cancer context and it may be useful for identifying women at risk of psychological maladjustment.

The development of Hebrew zero and pronominal subject realization in the context of first and second person

The study investigates the acquisition of Hebrew zero and pronominal subjects in the context of first and second person. We provide distributional evidence relative to verb tense, number, person, and conversational utterance type, in a peer-talk corpus (2;0-8;0 years). Findings show that acquisition starts early on, that verb inflectional morphology is crucial for the development of pronominal subjects, and that communicative contexts affect subject realization. Zero and pronominal subjects are not evenly distributed relative to the study variables, and cannot be treated as an alternation. A cluster analysis shows that each realization is linked to a distinguishable usage pattern, corresponding with particular discursive and communicative functions. These are defined as three Discourse Profile Constructions: (A) "calling for action" by 1st.Pl.Fut zero subjects (3;0 year olds); (B) "commenting on the interlocutor's actions" by 2nd.Sg.Past zero subjects (ages 4;0-6;0); and (C) "planning one's own actions" by 1st.Sg.Fut pronominal subjects (7;0-8;0 year olds).

Do Youth Dream of Gender Stereotypes? The Relationship among Gender Stereotyping, Support for Feminism, and Acceptance of Gender-Based Violence

Although gender roles have continued to evolve, stereotypical perceptions about men and women persist. From a traditional perspective, men are viewed as aggressive, competitive, and dominant, whereas women are expected to be pretty, affectionate, and passive. The relevance of gender stereotypes lies in the way such expectations reinforce gender inequality and discrimination. Gender stereotyping is also linked to an increased acceptance of gender-based violence, as such conceptions are based on the premise that women are subordinate to men. The current study uses data from the Barometer on Youth and Gender, conducted by the Centro Reina Sofía in 2021 (N = 1201), to analyze the potential associations among gender stereotyping, support for feminism, and acceptance of gender-based violence among young people in Spain (15-29 years old). The results show that young people ascribe, to some extent, stereotypical characteristics to women and men and point to the existence of gender-based occupational stereotypes. Our results shed light on the role that gender stereotyping plays in support for feminism and the acceptance of gender-based violence. They also provide valuable information about the magnitude of gender-stereotypical perceptions among young men and women.

Mediating and moderating effects of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between social media addiction and phubbing

Presently, social media is widely used worldwide among different populations. Therefore, phubbing rapidly became a popular phenomenon in our daily life. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism and interaction between social media use and phubbing. Therefore, this research examines the mediating and moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the association between social media addiction and phubbing. Participants were 385 university students (280 females) studying at a state university in eastern Turkey and completed the self-reported measures of cognitive flexibility, social media addiction, and phubbing. The results showed that cognitive flexibility mediated and moderated the effect of social media addiction on phubbing. These findings may contribute to the discussion around the psychological consequences of using social media alongside increasing awareness about factors affecting and explaining the association between social media use and phubbing, which have important implications for research and practice.

Gender Stereotype Threat Undermines Dance Performance and Learning in Boys

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of gender stereotype on the performance and learning of a classical ballet pirouette in 11-year-old boys. Participants in the stereotype threat (ST) group were informed that, in general, boys tend to show worse results when completing the pirouette task in comparison to girls. Participants in the stereotype lift (SL) group were told that girls tend to show worse results in comparison to boys. The control group did not receive stereotype instructions. The results demonstrated worse performance during practice and retention (next day) for the ST group relative to the SL and control groups; the SL and control groups did not differ. The findings indicate that gender stereotype threat can undermine motor performance and learning in boys.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure personality in adolescence: The HEXACO Medium School Inventory Extended (MSI-E)

In this paper, we aimed at developing and validating a novel instrument to evaluate personality in 10-14 years old adolescents with six basic traits, with two dedicated studies. In Study 1, we generated a large pool of items (384 items) from three basic items sources, which we administered to 714 Italian adolescents. Using principal component analysis (PCA) and extension factor analysis, we selected the best eight items for each facet, and so the best 32 items for each factor, except for the Unconventionality facet of Openness to Experience (O) for which we selected the best six items. This resulted in a total of 190 items. The 190-item HEXACO-MSI had very good levels of dimensional validity and reliability, but it fell short in containing 8 items for each facet (i.e., for Unconventionality) and in balancing normal and reversed items within each facet. Therefore, in a second study we added items to the scale and verified again the dimensionality and reliability with the goal of developing a final version of the scale. In Study 2, we administered a version of the HEXACO-MSI consisting of 219 items to 1175 Italian adolescents. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we selected the best eight items for each facet equally balanced between normal and reversed items within each facet and factor. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the six-factor structure and its invariance. The results showed that the HEXACO-MSI-E had a clear six-factor structure in adolescents, that was invariant across gender and across the three middle school classes, and was reliable. Finally, we established temporal stability of each factor in two measurements after one year. Together with the positive results of this contribution, we discussed some aspects for future studies.

Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of COVID-19 Patients with Omicron Variant Admitted in a Tertiary Care Center, South India

Background and Objectives

Omicron, a variant of SARS COV2, is looming large as a cause of global concern. Its high transmissibility can pose challenges in healthcare allocation in a highly populous country like India. Studying the behaviour of the virus among the Indian population will definitely help in planning for the impending omicron surge, so we conducted a preliminary analysis of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the suspected omicron cases in the early part of the surge.

Methodology

The study was conducted in the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, from 17th December 2021 to 11th January 2022. A total number of 159 consecutive patients ≥18 years of age with the S gene target failure were enrolled and clinically followed up during hospitalisation.

Results

Nearly half (n = 79, 49.7%) were aged between 18 and 30 years and the mean (SD) age of the patients was 35.1 (14.9); 52.8% (n = 84) were males and 54.7% (n = 87) were healthcare workers. The NLR ratio and CRP were raised in unvaccinated individuals. Out of 159 patients, only 4 patients required oxygen and all the others showed a mild course of illness and there was no mortality.

Conclusion

The clinical course of suspected omicron patients was mild in those who were vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals with comorbid illness need to be closely monitored for prompt referral for acute care. Further studies are needed in the high-risk group with omicron.

Loneliness in sports active and non-active school-age children: Can sport protect children against loneliness?

Introduction

This study aims to examine can sport protect children against loneliness and, if yes, whether this relationship depends on gender and/or sports-related variables.

Methods

The sample includes 762 10-year-old children (414 boys). The total score of The Children's Loneliness Scale is a dependent variable in the study, while sports participation (sports active-individual or team sports, or non-active) and level/duration of sports participation are independent variables.

Results

Obtained results indicate that the degree of loneliness differs depending on gender and whether the children are in sports activities or not. Unlike the level of sports participation, the duration of sports participation is relevant to the loneliness degree in both boys and girls.

Discussion

This research results could represent the right direction for educators and/or parents in their endeavor to preserve and develop school-age children's mental health.

Challenging social media threats using collective well-being-aware recommendation algorithms and an educational virtual companion

Social media have become an integral part of our lives, expanding our interlinking capabilities to new levels. There is plenty to be said about their positive effects. On the other hand, however, some serious negative implications of social media have been repeatedly highlighted in recent years, pointing at various threats to society and its more vulnerable members, such as teenagers, in particular, ranging from much-discussed problems such as digital addiction and polarization to manipulative influences of algorithms and further to more teenager-specific issues (e.g., body stereotyping). The impact of social media-both at an individual and societal level-is characterized by the complex interplay between the users' interactions and the intelligent components of the platform. Thus, users' understanding of social media mechanisms plays a determinant role. We thus propose a theoretical framework based on an adaptive "Social Media Virtual Companion" for educating and supporting an entire community, teenage students, to interact in social media environments in order to achieve desirable conditions, defined in terms of a community-specific and participatory designed measure of Collective Well-Being (CWB). This Companion combines automatic processing with expert intervention and guidance. The virtual Companion will be powered by a Recommender System (CWB-RS) that will optimize a CWB metric instead of engagement or platform profit, which currently largely drives recommender systems thereby disregarding any societal collateral effect. CWB-RS will optimize CWB both in the short term by balancing the level of social media threats the users are exposed to, and in the long term by adopting an Intelligent Tutor System role and enabling adaptive and personalized sequencing of playful learning activities. We put an emphasis on experts and educators in the educationally managed social media community of the Companion. They play five key roles: (a) use the Companion in classroom-based educational activities; (b) guide the definition of the CWB; (c) provide a hierarchical structure of learning strategies, objectives and activities that will support and contain the adaptive sequencing algorithms of the CWB-RS based on hierarchical reinforcement learning; (d) act as moderators of direct conflicts between the members of the community; and, finally, (e) monitor and address ethical and educational issues that are beyond the intelligent agent's competence and control. This framework offers a possible approach to understanding how to design social media systems and embedded educational interventions that favor a more healthy and positive society. Preliminary results on the performance of the Companion's components and studies of the educational and psychological underlying principles are presented.

Assessment of Cancer Patients' Mental Health during the Coronavirus Pandemic in Serbia

This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of cancer patients in Serbia. Data were collected between April-May 2021 using an online questionnaire, which estimated depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of 221 cancer patients. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Assessment Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the cancer patients' affective status. The T test of independent samples and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), as well as multiple linear regression analysis, have been used as well. The results showed that moderate to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were present in 33.9%, 21.2%, and 26.7% of patients, respectively. Older patients and those who assessed their socioeconomic and health status as better were less anxious, depressed, and stressed. The study shows that the patients who have stated that medical help has been available significantly differ from those patients who have not had available medical help, meaning that they have shown lower scores on the scales of depression and stress. When it comes to the availability of medical help during the pandemic, statistically significant differences among patients on the scale of anxiety have not been proven. It has been determined that statistically important differences exist between patients who have needed psychological help and those who have not needed it when it comes to the results on all of the three subscales. The patients who have expressed the need for psychological help have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The patients who have not had available psychological help have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress when compared to the patients who have had available psychological help.

Effects of syllable boundaries in Tibetan reading

Interword spaces exist in the texts of many languages that use alphabetic writing systems. In most cases, interword spaces, as a kind of word boundary information, play an important role in the reading process of readers. Tibetan also uses alphabetic writing, its text has no spaces between words as word boundary markers. Instead, there are intersyllable tshegs (" "), which are superscript dots. Interword spaces play an important role in reading as word boundary information. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate the role of tshegs and what effect replacing tshegs with spaces will have on Tibetan reading. To answer these questions, Experiment 1 was conducted in which 72 Tibetan undergraduates read three-syllable-boundary conditions (normal, spaced, and untsheged). However, in Experiment 1, because we performed the experimental operations of deleting tshegs and replacing tshegs, the spatial information distribution of Tibetan sentences under different operating conditions was different, which may have a certain potential impact on the experimental results. To rule out the underlying confounding factor, in Experiment 2, 58 undergraduates read sentences for both untsheged and alternating-color conditions. Overall, the global and local analyses revealed that tshegs, spaces, and alternating-color markers as syllable boundaries can help readers segment syllables in Tibetan reading. In Tibetan reading, both spaces and tshegs are effective visual syllable segmentation cues, and spaces are more effective visual syllable segmentation cues than tshegs.

Self-Structure in Persecutory Delusions

There is currently limited research examining self-structure in clinical groups and no current data on the extent to which self-structure is amendable to change following psychological therapy. We address this important gap by examining self-structure in individuals with persecutory delusions using the card sort task, an established paradigm measuring key self-structure indices, including the degree to which self-structure is compartmentalized (characterized by primarily positive or negative attributes, as opposed to a mix of both), and the proportion and importance of negative attributes. In Study 1, individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis with current persecutory delusions (clinical group, n = 27) and a healthy control group (n = 47) were compared on self-structure indices. In Study 2 (n = 27), the clinical group also completed the card sort task before and after randomization to either a 12-week mindfulness-based psychological therapy or treatment-as-usual control. In Study 1, self-structure differed significantly between the clinical and control groups. The clinical group had a greater proportion of negative attributes, assigned more importance to negative self-aspects, and had more compartmentalized self-structures compared with controls. In Study 2 there were no associations between delusion severity and self-structure. Large effect sizes for reductions in compartmentalization and proportion of negative attributes across self-aspects were found following mindfulness therapy. The findings highlight key differences in self-structure between individuals with persecutory delusions and healthy controls, and suggest that it might be possible to change self-structure following psychological therapy. These data support the central role of the self in theoretical models of paranoid thinking.

The mediating effect of geospatial thinking on the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography

Purpose

Family environment has the major impact on children's academic development. The aim of this study was to research the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography. Further, geospatial thinking, as a form of spatial thinking focusing on the scale of the geographical environment, is closely related to family environment and academic achievement in geography. Thus, the study was more specifically to apply a mediation model to explore the potential mediating role of geospatial thinking.

Methods

A total of 1,037 upper-secondary-school students in Western China were surveyed using t the Family Capital Questionnaire and the Geospatial Thinking Test Questionnaire. SPSS (version 26.0) was used for descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis. The PROCESS plug-in (version 4.0) was used to test the mediating effect of geospatial thinking.

Results

(1) The correlation analysis showed that family capital has a positive effect on academic achievement in geography and is related to geospatial thinking. Moreover, geospatial thinking exerts a positive effect on academic achievement in geography. (2) The results of mediation analysis indicated that geospatial thinking plays mediating and buffering roles in the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography after controlling for family residence and gender. The direct and indirect effects accounted for 75.32% and 24.68% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion

The results indicated that family capital not only affected academic achievement in geography directly but also indirectly through geospatial thinking. This finding provides some ideas for the development of geography education, which suggests that geography educators need to pay more attention to the influence of the family environment on students' geography learning in curriculum design and teaching processes. Also, the mediating role of geospatial thinking further uncovers the mechanisms underlying the academic achievement in geography. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on both students' family capital and geospatial thinking in the process of geography learning, and carry out more geospatial thinking training to improve academic achievement in geography.

Irrelevant speech impairs serial recall of verbal but not spatial items in children and adults

Immediate serial recall of visually presented items is reliably impaired by task-irrelevant speech that the participants are instructed to ignore ("irrelevant speech effect," ISE). The ISE is stronger with changing speech tokens (words or syllables) when compared to repetitions of single tokens ("changing-state effect," CSE). These phenomena have been attributed to sound-induced diversions of attention away from the focal task (attention capture account), or to specific interference of obligatory, involuntary sound processing with either the integrity of phonological traces in a phonological short-term store (phonological loop account), or the efficiency of a domain-general rehearsal process employed for serial order retention (changing-state account). Aiming to further explore the role of attention, phonological coding, and serial order retention in the ISE, we analyzed the effects of steady-state and changing-state speech on serial order reconstruction of visually presented verbal and spatial items in children (n = 81) and adults (n = 80). In the verbal task, both age groups performed worse with changing-state speech (sequences of different syllables) when compared with steady-state speech (one syllable repeated) and silence. Children were more impaired than adults by both speech sounds. In the spatial task, no disruptive effect of irrelevant speech was found in either group. These results indicate that irrelevant speech evokes similarity-based interference, and thus pose difficulties for the attention-capture and the changing-state account of the ISE.