Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies.

Recent decades have seen a rapid acceleration in global participation in formal education, due to worldwide initiatives aimed to provide school access to all children. Research in high income countries has shown that school quality indicators have a significant, positive impact on numeracy and literacy-skills required to participate in the increasingly globalized economy. Schools vary enormously in kind, resources, and teacher training around the world, however, and the validity of using diverse school quality measures in populations with diverse educational profiles remains unclear. First, we assessed whether children's numeracy and literacy performance across populations improves with age, as evidence of general school-related learning effects. Next, we examined whether several school quality measures related to classroom experience and composition, and to educational resources, were correlated with one another. Finally, we examined whether they were associated with children's (4-12-year-olds, N = 889) numeracy and literacy performance in 10 culturally and geographically diverse populations which vary in historical engagement with formal schooling. Across populations, age was a strong positive predictor of academic achievement. Measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another, as were measures of access to educational resources and classroom experience and composition. The number of teachers per class and access to writing materials were key predictors of numeracy and literacy, while the number of students per classroom, often linked to academic achievement, was not. We discuss these results in the context of maximising children's learning environments and highlight study limitations to motivate future research. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We examined the extent to which four measures of school quality were associated with one another, and whether they predicted children's academic achievement in 10 culturally and geographically diverse societies. Across populations, measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another as were measures of access to educational resources to classroom experience and composition. Age, the number of teachers per class, and access to writing materials were key predictors of academic achievement across populations. Our data have implications for designing efficacious educational initiatives to improve school quality globally.

Effect of the Combination of Restorative Material and the Etching Protocol in Enamel Microleakage in Class II Cavities after Thermocycling.

This study is aimed at evaluating the marginal microleakage of bulk-fill class II restorations after thermocycling. Thirty-two human third molars received class II cavities prepared on mesial and distal faces. The cavities were bonded according to the adhesive protocol (total or self-etching). The cavities were then restored with composite and divided into 8 groups based on the composite combination: layering technique with Filtek Z350XT (G1 and G5), first layer with Filtek Z350 XT Flowable Restorative and then Filtek Z350XT (G2 and G6), bulk-fill technique with Filtek One Bulk Fill (G3 and G7), and first layer with Filtek One Bulk Fill Flow and Filtek Z350 XT (G4 and G8). The restorations were then subjected to thermocycling (2000 cycles, 5°C and 55°C, dwell time of 30 s). After aging, the restored teeth were immersed in methylene blue for 48 hours. The restorations (n = 32) were sectioned in the middle (two sections). The microleakage results were analyzed by two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test (α = 0.05). The groups did not differ statistically from each other in terms of marginal microleakage (p = 0.295). It can be concluded that there is no difference in the percentage of microleakage between conventional and bulk-fill resins on both consistencies, as well as there is also no statistically significant difference when the adhesive system is used in a conventional or self-etching mode.

The Benefits, Barriers, and Risks of Big-Team Science.

Progress in psychology has been frustrated by challenges concerning replicability, generalizability, strategy selection, inferential reproducibility, and computational reproducibility. Although often discussed separately, these five challenges may share a common cause: insufficient investment of intellectual and nonintellectual resources into the typical psychology study. We suggest that the emerging emphasis on big-team science can help address these challenges by allowing researchers to pool their resources together to increase the amount available for a single study. However, the current incentives, infrastructure, and institutions in academic science have all developed under the assumption that science is conducted by solo principal investigators and their dependent trainees, an assumption that creates barriers to sustainable big-team science. We also anticipate that big-team science carries unique risks, such as the potential for big-team-science organizations to be co-opted by unaccountable leaders, become overly conservative, and make mistakes at a grand scale. Big-team-science organizations must also acquire personnel who are properly compensated and have clear roles. Not doing so raises risks related to mismanagement and a lack of financial sustainability. If researchers can manage its unique barriers and risks, big-team science has the potential to spur great progress in psychology and beyond.

What Can Cognitive Science Do for People?

The critical question for cognitive scientists is what does cognitive science do, if anything, for people? Cognitive science is primarily concerned with human cognition but has fallen short in continuously and critically assessing the who in human cognition. This complacency in a world where white supremacist and patriarchal structures leave cognitive science in the unfortunate position of potentially supporting those structures. We take it that many cognitive scientists operate on the assumption that the study of human cognition is both interesting and important. We want to invoke that importance to note that cognitive scientists must continue to work to show how the field is useful to all of humanity and reflects a humanity that is not white by default. We wonder how much the field has done, and can do, to show that it is useful not only in the sense that we might make connections with researchers in other fields, win grants and write papers, even of the highest quality, but useful in some material way to the billions of non-cognitive scientists across the globe.

The Pandemic as a Portal: Reimagining Psychological Science as Truly Open and Inclusive.

Psychological science is at an inflection point: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities that stem from our historically closed and exclusive culture. Meanwhile, reform efforts to change the future of our science are too narrow in focus to fully succeed. In this article, we call on psychological scientists-focusing specifically on those who use quantitative methods in the United States as one context for such conversations-to begin reimagining our discipline as fundamentally open and inclusive. First, we discuss whom our discipline was designed to serve and how this history produced the inequitable reward and support systems we see today. Second, we highlight how current institutional responses to address worsening inequalities are inadequate, as well as how our disciplinary perspective may both help and hinder our ability to craft effective solutions. Third, we take a hard look in the mirror at the disconnect between what we ostensibly value as a field and what we actually practice. Fourth and finally, we lead readers through a roadmap for reimagining psychological science in whatever roles and spaces they occupy, from an informal discussion group in a department to a formal strategic planning retreat at a scientific society.

Examining relations between performance on non-verbal executive function and verbal self-regulation tasks in demographically-diverse populations.

Self-regulation is a widely studied construct, generally assumed to be cognitively supported by executive functions (EFs). There is a lack of clarity and consensus over the roles of specific components of EFs in self-regulation. The current study examines the relations between performance on (a) a self-regulation task (Heads, Toes, Knees Shoulders Task) and (b) two EF tasks (Knox Cube and Beads Tasks) that measure different components of updating: working memory and short-term memory, respectively. We compared 107 8- to 13-year-old children (64 females) across demographically-diverse populations in four low and middle-income countries, including: Tanna, Vanuatu; Keningau, Malaysia; Saltpond, Ghana; and Natal, Brazil. The communities we studied vary in market integration/urbanicity as well as level of access, structure, and quality of schooling. We found that performance on the visuospatial working memory task (Knox Cube) and the visuospatial short-term memory task (Beads) are each independently associated with performance on the self-regulation task, even when controlling for schooling and location effects. These effects were robust across demographically-diverse populations of children in low-and middle-income countries. We conclude that this study found evidence supporting visuospatial working memory and visuospatial short-term memory as distinct cognitive processes which each support the development of self-regulation.

Identifying Resilience Factors of Distress and Paranoia During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Five Countries.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has affected all countries with more than 100 million confirmed cases and over 2.1 million casualties by the end of January 2021 worldwide. A prolonged pandemic can harm global levels of optimism, regularity, and sense of meaning and belonging, yielding adverse effects on individuals' mental health as represented by worry, paranoia, and distress. Here we studied resilience, a successful adaptation despite risk and adversity, in five countries: Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Israel, and Norway. In April 2020, over 2,500 participants were recruited for an observational study measuring protective and obstructive factors for distress and paranoia. More than 800 of these participants also completed a follow-up study in July. We found that thriving, keeping a regular schedule, engaging in physical exercise and less procrastination served as factors protecting against distress and paranoia. Risk factors were financial worries and a negative mindset, e.g., feeling a lack of control. Longitudinally, we found no increase in distress or paranoia despite an increase in expectation of how long the outbreak and the restrictions will last, suggesting respondents engaged in healthy coping and adapting their lives to the new circumstances. Altogether, our data suggest that humans adapt even to prolonged stressful events. Our data further highlight several protective factors that policymakers should leverage when considering stress-reducing policies.

Perceived efficacy of COVID-19 restrictions, reactions and their impact on mental health during the early phase of the outbreak in six countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to drastically change their social life habits as governments employed harsh restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. Although beneficial to physical health, the perception of physical distancing and related restrictions could impact mental health. In a pre-registered online survey, we assessed how effective a range of restrictions were perceived, how severely they affected daily life, general distress and paranoia during the early phase of the outbreak in Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Norway and USA. Most of our over 2000 respondents rated the restrictions as effective. School closings were perceived as having the strongest effect on daily life. Participants who believed their country reacted too mildly perceived the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 to be higher, were more worried and expressed reduced beliefs in the ability to control the outbreak. Relatedly, dissatisfaction with governmental reactions corresponded with increased distress levels. Together, we found that satisfaction with one's governmental reactions and fear appraisal play an important role in assessing the efficacy of restrictions during the pandemic and their related psychological outcomes. These findings inform policy-makers on the psychological factors that strengthen resilience and foster the well-being of citizens in times of global crisis.

Cultural interconnectedness and in-group cooperation as sources of innovation.

I argue that the increased rate of innovation in eighteenth-century England cannot be understood without accounting for the unprecedented level of contact between England and other societies as a consequence of sixteenth-century colonialism. I propose cultural interconnectedness and in-group cooperation as two potential alternative explanations for the psychological changes and innovative behavior described by Baumard.

Adult criticism and vigilance diminish free riding by children in a social dilemma.

In cooperative situations, individual interests can be in conflict with those of the group, creating a social dilemma in which one must choose whether to cooperate or not. Sensitivity to social stimuli is an important factor influencing cooperative behavior in such dilemmas. The current study investigated the influence of verbal feedback and vigilance by adults on children's donating behavior in a public goods game. The participants were 739 public school children, between 5 and 12 years of age, who were divided into 34 groups. Each group was assigned to one of four experimental conditions: control, positive feedback (praise), negative feedback (criticism), or vigilance. Participants then played eight rounds of the game. The children's donations were greater in the feedback and vigilance conditions, but the effects were mediated by age and rounds. The results are most likely related to concerns about reputation, which tend to become stronger with age. Older children are better at self-presentation and understanding social norms. Thus, compared with younger children, they seemed more concerned with appearing to be generous, but only when they could get credit for it. Nevertheless, children's donations still decreased across the rounds. Although adult vigilance and feedback influence children's cooperation among peers, other mechanisms are necessary to stabilize their behavior over time.

Stickers versus wafers: The value of resource in a public goods game with children / Adesivos versus wafers: O valor do recurso em um jogo de bens públicos com crianças / Pegatinas versus obleas: El valor del recurso en un juego de bienes públicos con niños

Abstract We investigated how the type of resource, food (wafer) or non-food (sticker), age and sex influence cooperation in children. 251 children were tested in a public goods game during eight rounds in two experimental conditions: wafer or sticker condition. Wafers were all of the same kind but stickers were varied. The results indicated that 1) older children donated more stickers than younger children, but they did not differ in relation to wafer donations; and 2) sticker donations remained high along the rounds, while wafer donations decreased. We propose that different strategies may be adopted according to the quality, particularly to the diversity of the resource used, and the cost of cooperation may be overcome when it is more advantageous to wait for a future reward.

Resumo Investigamos como o tipo de recurso, alimentar (wafer) ou não-alimentar (adesivo), a idade e o sexo influenciam a cooperação em crianças. Foram testadas 251 crianças em um jogo de bens públicos durante oito rodadas, em duas condições experimentais: condições wafer ou adesivo. Os wafers eram todos iguais, mas os adesivos eram variados. Os resultados indicaram que 1) as crianças mais velhas doaram mais adesivos do que as crianças mais jovens, mas elas não diferiram em relação às doações de wafers; e 2) as doações de adesivos mantiveram-se elevadas ao longo das rodadas, enquanto as doações de wafers diminuíram. Propomos que diferentes estratégias podem ser adotadas de acordo com a qualidade, particularmente quanto à diversidade do recurso utilizado, e o custo de cooperar pode ser superado quando é mais vantajoso esperar por uma recompensa.

Resumen Investigamos como el tipo de recurso, alimentar (oblea) o no alimentar (pegatina), la edad y el género influyen en la cooperación de los niños. 251 niños fueron investigados en ocho partidos de un juego de bienes públicos, en dos condiciones experimentales: oblea o pegatina. Las obleas eran todas iguales, pero las pegatinas eran variadas. Los resultados indicaron que 1) los niños mayores donaron más pegatinas que los niños más pequeños, pero no difieren con respecto a las donaciones de obleas; y 2) las donaciones de pegatinas se mantuvieron altas durante las rondas, mientras que las donaciones de obleas disminuyeron. Proponemos que diferentes estrategias pueden ser adoptadas de acuerdo con la calidad, particularmente con respecto a la diversidad de los recursos utilizados, y el costo de la cooperación puede ser superado cuando es más ventajoso esperar por una recompensa futura mejor.

Stickers versus wafers: the value of resource in a public goods game with children / Adesivos versus wafers: o valor do recurso em um jogo de bens públicos com crianças / Pegatinas versus obleas: el valor del recurso en un juego de bienes públicos con niños

We investigated how the type of resource, food (wafer) or non-food (sticker), age and sex influence cooperation in children. 251 children were tested in a public goods game during eight rounds in two experimental conditions: wafer or sticker condition. Wafers were all of the same kind but stickers were varied. The results indicated that 1) older children donated more stickers than younger children, but they did not differ in relation to wafer donations; and 2) sticker donations remained high along the rounds, while wafer donations decreased. We propose that different strategies may be adopted according to the quality, particularly to the diversity of the resource used, and the cost of cooperation may be overcome when it is more advantageous to wait for a future reward.

Investigamos como o tipo de recurso, alimentar (wafer) ou não-alimentar (adesivo), a idade e o sexo influenciam a cooperação em crianças. Foram testadas 251 crianças em um jogo de bens públicos durante oito rodadas, em duas condições experimentais: condições wafer ou adesivo. Os wafers eram todos iguais, mas os adesivos eram variados. Os resultados indicaram que 1) as crianças mais velhas doaram mais adesivos do que as crianças mais jovens, mas elas não diferiram em relação às doações de wafers; e 2) as doações de adesivos mantiveram-se elevadas ao longo das rodadas, enquanto as doações de wafers diminuíram. Propomos que diferentes estratégias podem ser adotadas de acordo com a qualidade, particularmente quanto à diversidade do recurso utilizado, e o custo de cooperar pode ser superado quando é mais vantajoso esperar por uma recompensa.

Investigamos como el tipo de recurso, alimentar (oblea) o no alimentar (pegatina), la edad y el género influyen en la cooperación de los niños. 251 niños fueron investigados en ocho partidos de un juego de bienes públicos, en dos condiciones experimentales: oblea o pegatina. Las obleas eran todas iguales, pero las pegatinas eran variadas. Los resultados indicaron que 1) los niños mayores donaron más pegatinas que los niños más pequeños, pero no difieren con respecto a las donaciones de obleas; y 2) las donaciones de pegatinas se mantuvieron altas durante las rondas, mientras que las donaciones de obleas disminuyeron. Proponemos que diferentes estrategias pueden ser adoptadas de acuerdo con la calidad, particularmente con respecto a la diversidad de los recursos utilizados, y el costo de la cooperación puede ser superado cuando es más ventajoso esperar por una recompensa futura mejor.

Avaliação neuropsicológica de habilidades atentivas em pacientes com transtorno depressivo maior / Neuropsychological evaluation of attention skills in patients with major depressive disorder / Evaluación neuropsicológica de las habilidades de atención en pacientes con transtorno depresivo mayor

O Transtorno Depressivo Maior (TDM) é um transtorno de humor que frequentemente cursa com prejuízos cognitivos. Estudos têm demonstrado que déficits cognitivos persistem mesmo após a melhora ou remissão total dos sintomas depressivos. Entretanto, pouco se sabe sobre o funcionamento da atenção concentrada e difusa após a fase aguda do transtorno. O presente estudo objetivou realizar uma avaliação neuropsicológica dessas habilidades atentivas em pacientes ambulatoriais com TDM, em fase de continuação ou manutenção do tratamento, comparando dois grupos: 1 – Grupo Diagnosticado (GD), constituído por pacientes ambulatoriais com diagnóstico de TDM, e 2 – Grupo Controle (GC), formado por indivíduos sem diagnóstico para TDM. Participaram 26 indivíduos, de ambos os sexos, com idades entre 20 e 55 anos, avaliados através da Bateria Geral de Funções Mentais 1 e 2. Os resultados demonstraram prejuízo da atenção concentrada e difusa entre os membros do GD. Os achados sugerem comprometimento da rede neural fronto-parietal.(AU)

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder that evolves to cognitive impairment. Studies have shown that cognitive deficits persist even after an improvement or total remission of depressive symptoms. However, little is known about the functioning of sustained and divided attention after the acute phase of the disorder. The aim of this study was to perform a neuropsychological evaluation of these attentional skills in MDD outpatients, in continuation or maintenance phases of treatment, comparing two groups: 1 – MDD Group (GD), consisting of outpatients with a MDD diagnosis, and 2 – Control Group (GC), consisting of individuals with no diagnosis of MDD. Participants included 26 (GD, n=12 and GC, n=14) individuals of both sex whose ages were between 20 and 55 years, assessed by the Battery General Mental Functions 1 and 2. Results showed loss of sustained and divided attention among the members of the MDD group. These findings suggest alteration of the fronto-parietal neural network.(AU)

Trastorno Depresivo Mayor (TDM) es un transtorno del humor que a menudo conduce a un deteriolo cognitive. Los estudios han demonstrado que los déficits cognivos persisten incluso después de la mejoría o remisión total de los síntomas depresivos. Sin embargo, poco se sabe sobre el funcionamiento de la atención sostenida y dividida tras la fase aguda de la enfermedad. Este estudio había como objetivo de lograr una evaluación neuropsicológica de estas habilidades atento en pacientes ambulatorios con trastorno depresivo mayor, en la fase de continuación o de mantenimiento del tratamiento, comparando dos grupos: 1 – Grupo de Diagnóstico (GD), que consta de los pacientes ambulatorios diagnosticados con trastorno depresivo mayor, y 2 – Grupo Control (GC), integrado por personas sin diagnóstico de trastorno depresivo mayor. Los participantes incluyeron 26 indivíduos de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre 20 y 55 años, evaluado por la Batería Funciones Generales Mental 1 y 2. Los resultados mostraron que la pérdida de la atención sostenida y se dividen entre los miembros de GD. Los hallazgos sugieren la implicación de la red fronto-parietal neural.(AU)

Avaliação neuropsicológica de habilidades atentivas em pacientes com transtorno depressivo maior / Neuropsychological evaluation of attention skills in patients with major depressive disorder / Evaluación neuropsicológica de las habilidades de atención en pacientes con transtorno depresivo mayor

O Transtorno Depressivo Maior (TDM) é um transtorno de humor que frequentemente cursa com prejuízos cognitivos. Estudos têm demonstrado que déficits cognitivos persistem mesmo após a melhora ou remissão total dos sintomas depressivos. Entretanto, pouco se sabe sobre o funcionamento da atenção concentrada e difusa após a fase aguda do transtorno. O presente estudo objetivou realizar uma avaliação neuropsicológica dessas habilidades atentivas em pacientes ambulatoriais com TDM, em fase de continuação ou manutenção do tratamento, comparando dois grupos: 1 – Grupo Diagnosticado (GD), constituído por pacientes ambulatoriais com diagnóstico de TDM, e 2 – Grupo Controle (GC), formado por indivíduos sem diagnóstico para TDM. Participaram 26 indivíduos, de ambos os sexos, com idades entre 20 e 55 anos, avaliados através da Bateria Geral de Funções Mentais 1 e 2. Os resultados demonstraram prejuízo da atenção concentrada e difusa entre os membros do GD. Os achados sugerem comprometimento da rede neural fronto-parietal...

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder that evolves to cognitive impairment. Studies have shown that cognitive deficits persist even after an improvement or total remission of depressive symptoms. However, little is known about the functioning of sustained and divided attention after the acute phase of the disorder. The aim of this study was to perform a neuropsychological evaluation of these attentional skills in MDD outpatients, in continuation or maintenance phases of treatment, comparing two groups: 1 – MDD Group (GD), consisting of outpatients with a MDD diagnosis, and 2 – Control Group (GC), consisting of individuals with no diagnosis of MDD. Participants included 26 (GD, n=12 and GC, n=14) individuals of both sex whose ages were between 20 and 55 years, assessed by the Battery General Mental Functions 1 and 2. Results showed loss of sustained and divided attention among the members of the MDD group. These findings suggest alteration of the fronto-parietal neural network...

Trastorno Depresivo Mayor (TDM) es un transtorno del humor que a menudo conduce a un deteriolo cognitive. Los estudios han demonstrado que los déficits cognivos persisten incluso después de la mejoría o remisión total de los síntomas depresivos. Sin embargo, poco se sabe sobre el funcionamiento de la atención sostenida y dividida tras la fase aguda de la enfermedad. Este estudio había como objetivo de lograr una evaluación neuropsicológica de estas habilidades atento en pacientes ambulatorios con trastorno depresivo mayor, en la fase de continuación o de mantenimiento del tratamiento, comparando dos grupos: 1 – Grupo de Diagnóstico (GD), que consta de los pacientes ambulatorios diagnosticados con trastorno depresivo mayor, y 2 – Grupo Control (GC), integrado por personas sin diagnóstico de trastorno depresivo mayor. Los participantes incluyeron 26 indivíduos de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre 20 y 55 años, evaluado por la Batería Funciones Generales Mental 1 y 2. Los resultados mostraron que la pérdida de la atención sostenida y se dividen entre los miembros de GD. Los hallazgos sugieren la implicación de la red fronto-parietal neural...