Leveraging machine learning to study how temperament scores predict pre-term birth status.

Background: Preterm birth (birth at <37 completed weeks gestation) is a significant public heatlh concern worldwide. Important health, and developmental consequences of preterm birth include altered temperament development, with greater dysregulation and distress proneness. Aims: The present study leveraged advanced quantitative techniques, namely machine learning approaches, to discern the contribution of narrowly defined and broadband temperament dimensions to birth status classification (full-term vs. preterm). Along with contributing to the literature addressing temperament of infants born preterm, the present study serves as a methodological demonstration of these innovative statistical techniques. Study design: This study represents a metanalysis conducted with multiple samples (N = 19) including preterm (n = 201) children and (n = 402) born at term, with data combined across investigations to perform classification analyses. Subjects: Participants included infants born preterm and term-born comparison children, either matched on chronological age or age adjusted for prematurity. Outcome measures: Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form (IBQ-R VSF) was completed by mothers, with factor and item-level data considered herein. Results and conclusions: Accuracy estimates were generally similar regardless of the comparison groups. Results indicated a slightly higher accuracy and efficiency for IBQR-VSF item-based models vs. factor-level models. Divergent patterns of feature importance (i.e., the extent to which a factor/item contributed to classification) were observed for the two comparison groups (chronological age vs. adjusted age) using factor-level scores; however, itemized models indicated that the two most critical items were associated with effortful control and negative emotionality regardless of comparison group.

Disability terminology: the use of "disability," "disorder," and "illness" in academic writing.

PURPOSE: The ways in which words are used to describe and discuss people with disabilities has long been an area of social concern. Previous research has demonstrated that language can overtly and subtly influence cognitions and perceptions of individuals, but there is less research on how language relates to perceptions of individuals with disabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A content analysis of 236 peer-reviewed articles was performed to explore differences in the frequency of the use of "disability," "disorder," and "illness" in academic articles related to eight common conditions: deafness, blindness, multiple sclerosis, quadriplegia, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. RESULTS: Results indicated that there were differences in how disability language was used by academic writers. Specifically, "disability" appeared in the writing more frequently in articles related to physical disabilities, "disorder" appeared most frequently in articles related to anxiety and depression, and "illness" appeared most frequently in articles related to schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: This observed difference in frequency use could reflect differences in the context and meaning of the use of these conditions. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

The way individuals write and talk about conditions may indicate the way they think about the conditions.When compared to articles written about physical conditions, the term "disability" is used less by academic writers than when discussing mental conditions.This suggests that academic writers may view mental conditions as less "prototypical" disabilities (compared to physical conditions).Careful consideration should be given to the language used when discussing all types of disabilities.When writers, media professionals, policymakers, and the public are educated on the diverse range of conditions and the unique challenges they present to individuals, only then can rehabilitation be truly comprehensive and effective.

Time-of-day effects on speed and accuracy performance during simulated shiftwork.

Performance on tasks involving speed and accuracy fluctuate throughout the 24-h day negatively affecting shift workers and organizations. Two simulated work shifts common in occupational settings were used to assess performance on a vigilance and math task. In study 1, 33 sleep-deprived participants completed a nightshift. In study 2, 32 partially sleep-deprived participants completed a dayshift. These studies found that performance differed between the type of task and the type of simulated shift where performance during the nightshift was worse than during the dayshift. In addition, collapsing speed and accuracy on the math task into inverse efficiency scores provided a unique measure that captured the impact of circadian rhythms during shiftwork. The current study also indicated that participants adopted cognitive strategies including speed-accuracy tradeoff and regulatory foci regarding work motivation (prevention focus and promotion focus) when completing the tasks depending on time-of-day, type of shift, circadian rhythms, and amount of sleep deprivation. This suggests that researchers and organizations should consider cognitive strategies in addition to the physiological components of sleep deprivation and circadian rhythms when investigating and documenting the impact of time-of-day due to different types of shiftwork conditions on performance and safety.

Explicit stigma and implicit biases toward autism in South Korea versus the United States.

LAY ABSTRACT: How people report their feelings about autism may be different from how they actually think about autism because some people may not want to reveal their true feelings. People who value the group's goal tend to present themselves as more socially acceptable than people who value one person's interests. We studied how people in South Korea and the United States report their feelings about autism and think about autism. Koreans tend to value the group's goals. Americans tend to prefer one person's goals. Koreans reported that they wanted more space from autistic people than Americans did. Koreans were more likely to think about autism with negative words (and think more negatively about autism). How Koreans and Americans report their feelings about autism was not related to their thoughts about autism. People who knew about autism and liked meeting with autistic people wanted to get closer to autistic people in South Korea and the US, Koreans who had met autistic people and thought that people who newly came to Korea from abroad should be more like Koreans did not want to get very close to autistic people. This could be because very few foreign people live in South Korea compared to the United States. Teaching Koreans that all cultures have values and should be appreciated will help them like autistic people more.

The effect of compression on repetitive behaviors and task participation in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Compression clothes are marketed to relieve anxiety and decrease hyperactivity in children with autism. However, few studies have examined the impact of compression for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, nine children with autism were observed during Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy sessions while wearing compression clothing. The participants were randomly assigned to wear compression clothing for either their first five sessions or their last five sessions. Videos of the therapy sessions were reviewed and each child's "off task" behavior was identified in the following domains: motor, verbal, and visual. In addition, frequency of the child's repetitive behaviors and external visual stimuli were recorded. The compression clothes failed to increase task participation or reduce the participants' repetitive behavior suggesting that the clothing may not contribute to professional practice of ABA therapy.