Interactions between number and space processing in adults with dyscalculia

Poster (2011, May 27)

A large body of evidence indicates clear relationships between number and space processing in healthy and brain-damaged adults, as well as in children. The present paper addressed this issue regarding ... [more ▼]

A large body of evidence indicates clear relationships between number and space processing in healthy and brain-damaged adults, as well as in children. The present paper addressed this issue regarding atypical math development. Adults with a diagnosis of dyscalculia (DYS) during childhood were compared to adults with average or high abilities in mathematics across two bisection tasks. Participants were presented with Arabic number triplets and had to judge either the number magnitude or the spatial location of the middle number relative to the two outer numbers. For the numerical judgment, adults with DYS were slower than both groups of control peers. They were also more strongly affected by the factors related to number magnitude such as the range of the triplets or the distance between the middle number and the real arithmetical mean. By contrast, adults with DYS were as accurate and fast as adults who never experienced math disability when they had to make a spatial judgment. Moreover, number-space congruency affected performance similarly in the three experimental groups. These findings support the hypothesis of a deficit of number magnitude representation in DYS with a relative preservation of some spatial mechanisms in DYS. Results are discussed in terms of direct and indirect number-space interactions. [less ▲]

Scrambling horizontal face structure: behavioral and electrophysiogical evidence for a tuning of visual face processing to horizontal information

Poster (2011, May)

Recent psychophysical evidence indicates that a central feature of human face processing is its tuning to horizontally-oriented information. Specifically, filtering faces to remove all but the horizontal ... [more ▼]

Recent psychophysical evidence indicates that a central feature of human face processing is its tuning to horizontally-oriented information. Specifically, filtering faces to remove all but the horizontal information largely preserves behavioral signatures of face-specific processing, including the face inversion effect (FIE). Conversely, preserving only vertical information abolishes these effects. The purpose of the present experiments was twofold. First, in contrast to previous studies which used filtering, we manipulated orientation content of face images by randomizing Fourier phase spectrum in a narrow horizontal orientation band (H-randomization) or vertical orientation band (V-randomization). Phase-randomization was performed on face images in which spatial frequency amplitude spectrum (SF-AS) was either left unaltered or equalized across all SF orientations. Second, we investigated the time course of tuning to horizontal information using event-related potentials (ERP). Picture-plane inversion was used to evaluate whether the effects of orientation of phase-randomization arise due to inherent stimulus properties or to face-specific perceptual biases. In two psychophysics experiments, we observed that (1) upright faces were best discriminated when the horizontal structure was preserved (i.e. V-randomization) compared to H-randomization. (2) This phase-randomization effect was eliminated by inversion, resulting in (3) a smaller FIE for H-randomized than V-randomized faces. Although this pattern was still present when SF-AS was equalized across SF orientations, it was less consistent, suggesting that SF-AS in horizontal orientation contributes to the horizontal tuning of face perception. Consistent ERP evidence of horizontal tuning for upright face processing was observed in the N170 time-window, a well-known face-sensitive electrophysiological component. The N170 was delayed for H-randomized compared to V-randomized faces. Additionally, and in line with behavioural data, face inversion increased N170 latency to a smaller extent for H-randomized compared to V-randomized faces. Altogether, our findings indicate that horizontal tuning is a robust property of face perception that arises early in high-level visual cortex. [less ▲]

O EFEITO DO NIVEL SOCIOECONÔMICO NO DESENVOLVIMENTO COGNITIVO INFANTIL

Poster (2011, May)

A inteligência humana pode ser dividida em dois tipos de inteligência: a cristalizada, a qual se baseia em habilidades adquiridas e aprendizado passado, e a fluida, que se refere à capacidade de ... [more ▼]

A inteligência humana pode ser dividida em dois tipos de inteligência: a cristalizada, a qual se baseia em habilidades adquiridas e aprendizado passado, e a fluida, que se refere à capacidade de relacionar idéias e de resolver novos problemas. Esse estudo explora os efeitos do nível socioeconômico (NSE) no desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas fluidas e cristalizadas em crianças. A pesquisa contou com um total de 105 participantes de 6 a 8 anos, pertencentes a três diferentes níveis socioeconômicos (alto, médio e baixo) de acordo com o Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil (ABEP). Foram recrutadas crianças do primeiro e segundo ano do ensino fundamental de escolas particulares, de bairro e públicas em Salvador. Cada grupo continha 35 participantes equiparados em idade, sexo e ano de escolaridade. Os grupos não diferiram significativamente em aspectos nutricionais, estado emocional, peso ao nascer e tempo de gestação. As crianças foram avaliadas por uma extensa bateria de medidas comportamentais que exploraram a inteligência cristalizada (vocabulário, sintaxe e desempenho acadêmico) e a inteligência fluida (memória operacional e raciocínio indutivo). Os resultados apontaram que crianças inseridas em condições desprivilegiadas (baixo NSE) apresentaram desempenho significativamente pior nas medidas de inteligência cristalizada, quando comparadas às crianças que cresceram em ambiente mais favorável (alto NSE); com tamanho do efeito significativo. As crianças de baixo NSE apresentaram, também, um pior desempenho nos testes de inteligência fluida, que, embora significativo, foram menos expressivos que os efeitos correspondentes nas medidas de linguagem. Este estudo mostra que o crescimento em ambientes de baixo NSE constitui um sério fator de risco para o desenvolvimento cognitivo infantil. Sugere, ainda, que alguns sistemas neurocognitivos são mais sensíveis ao NSE que outros: o sistema de linguagem é fortemente impactado pelo NSE, enquanto a memória operacional e a resolução de conflitos são moderadamente influenciadas. Tais achados relacionados ao perfil neurocognitivo do NSE na infância são essenciais no sentido de testar hipóteses mais específicas sobre mecanismos causais e maximizar o efeito de intervenções. Deste modo, pais e escolas desempenham um papel fundamental em prover um ambiente cognitivo estimulante, a fim de otimizar o desenvolvimento intelectual infantil. [less ▲]

Toward a Revised Socioeconomic Index using the American Community Survey, 2000-2006

Poster (2011, April 13)

This report presents the application of a new set of socioeconomic indexes (SEIs) of occupations developed using the American Community Survey (ACS). In these analyses, the new SEIs are used to ... [more ▼]

This report presents the application of a new set of socioeconomic indexes (SEIs) of occupations developed using the American Community Survey (ACS). In these analyses, the new SEIs are used to characterize the socioeconomic standings of household heads and spouses associated with samples of children age 6-18 years. These children were extracted from two independent sources: the pooled 2000-2005 October Current Population Survey (CPS) and the 2005 ACS. We compared the new measures with the 1990-based measures from Hauser and Warren (1997) by performing correlation and regression analyses on the sample data to examine the relationships among three status-attainment variables -- education, occupation and income. Since the development of Duncan’s SEI (1961) for measuring the occupational attainment of individuals, subsequent measures have been updated not only to improve the validity of the measure but also to accommodate changes in the way occupation has been measured and classified. SEIs provide researchers with succinct and reliable measures for summarizing individuals’ or households’ positions in the socioeconomic hierarchy. With growing complexity and details in the new occupation classification system, many categories in the 2000 Census occupation codes, for example, cannot find their counterparts in the previous listings and thus the SEI is due for another update. The analyses presented in this report serve as a “test-drive” for the new SEIs. The results from our preliminary analyses indicate that despite the fact that the two pairs of occupational measures are not in the exact same metric, they behave very similarly in terms of their dependence on educational attainment, explanatory power on various earning and income measures and differentials across gender and race-ethnicity groups. [less ▲]

Shifts of spatial attention cued by irrelevant numbers: Electrophysiological evidence from a target discrimination task

Poster (2011, April)

Fischer et al. demonstrated that a centrally presented number can shift attention to the left/right when its magnitude is small/large. Two electrophysiological studies described these attentional effects ... [more ▼]

Fischer et al. demonstrated that a centrally presented number can shift attention to the left/right when its magnitude is small/large. Two electrophysiological studies described these attentional effects as event-related potentials (ERPs) at centro-parietal sites. Since both studies used target detection tasks, it remains currently unknown whether similar results would be obtained with a discrimination task. We used ERPs to test whether digit cues also induce attention shifts when participants perform a feature-discrimination task on targets. ERPs were recorded whereas subjects discriminated the colour of lateral targets that were preceded by a central non-predictive digit. Analysis of cue-locked controlateral vs. ipsilateral ERP activity showed the emergence of early preparatory attention-directing components in parietal and frontal regions. Moreover, target-locked P1 components at occipito-parietal sites were significantly modulated by digit magnitude-target side congruency. These results demonstrate that irrelevant digit cues also bias sensory processing when embedded in a feature-discrimination task. [less ▲]

When numbers act as attentional cues: behavioral and fMRI investigations

Poster (2011, February 11)

Santé et contexte de travail. Construction d’un inventaire de contexte de travail

Poster (2011, January)

Le travail est non seulement composé des différentes tâches à effectuer et de l’activité nécessaire pour les réaliser, mais aussi du « contexte de travail » regroupant à la fois les ... [more ▼]

Le travail est non seulement composé des différentes tâches à effectuer et de l’activité nécessaire pour les réaliser, mais aussi du « contexte de travail » regroupant à la fois les caractéristiques de l’environnement et les conditions spécifiques dans lesquelles se déroule cette activité (Pignault, 2007). Relativement peu de recherches se sont penchées sur l'impact des caractéristiques du contexte de travail sur la santé, réelle et/ou perçue, des salariés. Seules certaines études mettent en évidence le fait que ces éléments de contexte de travail peuvent être considérés comme contraintes ou ressources dans l’activité de travail (Chatigny, 2001) ou insistent sur la nécessité de créer un « contexte éthique » en entreprise (Pastoriza, Arino & Ricart, 2009). Cette communication affichée présente la première étape d'une recherche plus vaste portant sur l'impact du contexte de travail sur le bien-être et la santé des salariés et se centre sur la construction d'un inventaire de contexte de travail puisque, à notre connaissance, aucun outil francophone n'est à notre disposition. Notre recherche a été menée au sein de 9 entreprises appartenant à trois secteurs d’activité différents (l’industrie, la logistique et les services). Le repérage des éléments de contexte a nécessité diverses étapes : 1/ observations ouvertes et systématiques (menées à l’aide des outils F-Jas (1992) et PAQ (1999)) des situations de travail, 2/ entretiens semi- directifs auprès des opérateurs et des supérieurs et 3/ élaboration d’une liste d’éléments de contexte propres aux emplois-métiers d’un même secteur. Nous avons ensuite retenu les éléments de contexte observés et cités par l’ensemble des salariés, quel que soit le secteur, ce qui nous a permis de repérer sept dimensions contextuelles : l’organisation temporelle, la structure organisationnelle et le rapport aux autres, le degré de variété ou de « routine », le degré de prescription ou d’autonomie, le degré de complexité, les sources de pression, l’environnement physique et matériel et sécurité et de construire un inventaire de 39 items. Les analyses factorielles exploratoires menées auprès de 271 salariés nous permettent de retrouver cette structure. Par ailleurs, les alphas de Cronbach apparaissent comme satisfaisants (entre .68 et .74). Ces premiers résultats nous incitent à poursuivre le processus de validation de cet Inventaire de Contexte de Travail (ICT). Références: Chatigny, C. (2001). Les ressources de l’environnement: au cœur de la construction des savoirs professionnels en situation de travail et de la protection de la santé. PISTES, vol.3, n°2, 19p. Pastoriza, D., Arino, M.A., Ricart, J.E. (2009). Creating an Ethical Work Context: A Pathway to Generate Social Capital in the Firm. Journal of Business Ethics. 88:477-489. Pignault, A. (2007). Contexte de travail et analyse de l’expérience. Conception d’une méthode d’aide à l’analyse de l’expérience en contexte. Thèse de Psychologie du travail, Université Paris X [less ▲]

Number sense and mathematical expertise: The strategic view.

Poster (2011)

Simulation Studies of Hard Sphere Suspensions Exposed to various Flow Dynamics

Poster (2011)

Differential classical conditioning of heterotopic noxious counterstimulation-induced hypoalgesia

Poster (2011)

An Action-Research project on the School/Family relationship in Luxembourg.

Poster (2011)

健康情報ＩＣカードの緊急医療支援機能

Poster (2011)

Facilitation and inhibition of return using numbers as attentional cues

Poster (2011)

Behavioural studies have shown a relation between numbers and space (DeHevia et al., 2008). Fischer and colleagues (2003) showed that digits can act as central spatial cues in a target detection task ... [more ▼]

Behavioural studies have shown a relation between numbers and space (DeHevia et al., 2008). Fischer and colleagues (2003) showed that digits can act as central spatial cues in a target detection task, resulting in shorter reaction times (RT) for left-sided targets when preceded by small numbers and for right-sided targets when preceded by large numbers. This facilitation effect indicates that numbers orient visuo-spatial attention to the left or right hemifield, depending on their magnitude. To date no studies investigated whether this facilitation is followed by inhibition of return at longer intervals, as could be expected with visuo-spatial attention shifts. To this aim, we designed an analogous paradigm to Fischer et al.’s, introducing additional longer intervals. Participants (n=25) were presented a task irrelevant digit (1,2 vs. 8,9) for 400ms and had to detect a brief (100ms) lateral target appearing after a variable interval (100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1250ms). A 2x6 repeated measures ANOVA of mean RT, with congruency and interval as within-subject variables yielded a significant interaction (F(5,24)=2.3, p<0.05). As expected, targets were detected faster when appearing in the congruent (small-left, large-right) hemifield after 250ms. Using the regression method proposed by Lorch and Myers (1990), the slope at this interval was significantly negative (t(24)=1.70, p=0.05); indicating a facilitation for the detection of targets in the congruent hemifield) (cf. Fischer et al., 2003). At the 1250ms interval, targets were detected significantly slower when they appeared in the congruent compared to the incongruent hemifield (yielding significantly positive slopes at 1250ms: t(24)=2.68, p=0.007). These findings provide the first evidence that digits not only produce facilitation effects at shorter intervals, but also induce inhibitory effects at longer intervals, confirming the visuo-spatial nature of the attention shifts associated with Arabic digits. [less ▲]

Developing number-space associations: SNARC effects in a color discrimination task in 11-year-olds

Poster (2011)

Behavioural studies show a relation between numbers and space in adults (DeHevia et al., 2008) and this association arises early in development (Opfer et al., 2010). The SNARC (Spatial Numerical ... [more ▼]

Behavioural studies show a relation between numbers and space in adults (DeHevia et al., 2008) and this association arises early in development (Opfer et al., 2010). The SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect consists in faster reaction times (RTs) responding to small/large digits with the left/right hand respectively (Dehaene et al. 1993). It is thought to reflect the automaticity of the number-space link, since it arises not only during explicit magnitude judgment tasks, but also during magnitude-independent parity judgment tasks. Using a parity task Berch et al. (1999) found a SNARC effect in children of 9.2 years onwards, but not in younger children (7.8 years). One major issue raised was that parity judgments might be too difficult and therefore problematic to test young children (VanGalen&Reitsma, 2008). Hence, we designed a color judgment instead of a parity judgment task and tested 33 children from Grade 6 (mean age 11.4 years, SD 0.6). We also assessed number magnitude access using a magnitude judgment task. The results revealed a significantly negative slope in the color task [t(32)=2.47, p<0.01] and in the magnitude task [t(33)=1.75, p<0.05], reflecting a SNARC effect in both tasks (regression method by Lorch&Myers, 1990). A correlation analysis of the slopes of both tasks revealed a positive relationship (r=0.33, p<0.05) indicating that they partly measure the same processes. These results confirm the presence of robust SNARC effects in 6th-graders and indicate that they occur even using a simple color discrimination task that is strictly independent of semantic number processing. [less ▲]

Isolation of biomolecules from a single sample: the first step towards integrated omic analyses

Poster (2011)

Numerische Aspekte bei der Berechnung von GRACE Schwerefeldern mit Hilfe des Ansatzes der differentiellen Gravimetrie

Poster (2010, October)

Alters- und Bereichsunterschiede in der Erwartung und Beeinflussbarkeit von Verlusten

Poster (2010, September)

Once unfairly treated, always angry? The long-lasting effect of university staff's unfairness on alumni's tendency for aggressive retaliation

Poster (2010, July)

Validity of the GSOEP short scale for the Locus of Control

Poster (2010, July)

Measuring Schwartz‘ second order value orientations using a new scale for survey research

Poster (2010, July)

New Metropolitan Mainstream: RhineRuhr

Poster (2010, June)

Computer Analysis of (Scottish) Songs. Towards a Catalogue of European Folksongs

Poster (2010, February)

Cognitive estimation in the ideation phase of engineering design

Poster (2010)

Estimation in its diverse forms is assumed to be relevant for problem solving in engineering design due to the inherent deficiencies in information availability and reliability. Nevertheless aside from ... [more ▼]

Estimation in its diverse forms is assumed to be relevant for problem solving in engineering design due to the inherent deficiencies in information availability and reliability. Nevertheless aside from some exception estimation as a method is hardly mentioned in standard literature on systematic approaches to engineering design like Pahl and Beitz. As well it is rarely deliberate addressed in engineering education. Engineering designers are expected to gain estimation competence by experience. Good performance in estimation and the development of estimation competence by hat is left to chance. Estimation as a problem solving strategy covers a wide range of activities on a continuous spectrum between the extremes of random guesses and highly mathematical statistics based approaches. Our research addresses estimation activities which are solely based on cognitive performance, without using specific mathematical procedures or technological support. Our current study is an explorative, qualitative protocol analysis of two idea creation meetings addressing different problems in the early phases of a technology-driven innovation project recorded by the DTRS7 organisation. The addressed research questions are: Where, how, why and what for is estimation used in engineering design? This analysis should give further insight in the not widely delineated topic of estimation in engineering design. [less ▲]

On soft iterative decoding for ternary recording systems with RLL constraints

Poster (2010)

In this paper, we investigate the soft iterative decoding technique for ternary recoding systems with run-length-limited (RLL) constraints. We employ a simple binary-to-ternary RLL encoder following the ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we investigate the soft iterative decoding technique for ternary recoding systems with run-length-limited (RLL) constraints. We employ a simple binary-to-ternary RLL encoder following the LDPC (low density parity check) encoder. In the decoder, the iteratively passing of soft information between the LDPC decoder and a detector is used, where the detector is constructed for a combination of the RLL encoder, PLM (pulse length modulation) precoder and the partial response channel. We provide two different decoding algorithms. For one of the decoding algorithm, we are able to obtain bit-error-rate performance which is inferior to the comparable system without considering the RLL constraint for the high sign-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime and is better for the low-to-moderate SNR regime. [less ▲]

The effect of viruses on phytoplankton and prokaryotic nutrient assimilation: A single cell approach

Poster (2010)

When small is left and large is right : Behavioural evidence for attentional shifts due to irrelevant numerical cues

Poster (2010)

Numerous behavioural studies indicate the existence of a link between numerical representations and visuo-spatial processes (for review see DeHevia et al., 2008). A striking demonstration of this link was ... [more ▼]

Numerous behavioural studies indicate the existence of a link between numerical representations and visuo-spatial processes (for review see DeHevia et al., 2008). A striking demonstration of this link was provided by Fischer and colleagues (2003), who reported that participants detect a target faster in the left hemifield, if preceded by a small number (e.g. 2 or 3) and faster in the right hemifield if preceded by a large number (e.g. 8 or 9). This is strong evidence that numbers orient visuo-spatial attention to the left or right hemifield, depending on their magnitude (e.g., small and large, respectively) (see also Galfano et al., 2006; Ristic et al., 2006). We designed a modified version of this target detection paradigm, by replacing the detection task with a target discrimination task (cf. Hommel et al., 2001). The participants (n=16) were presented 1 task irrelevant digit (1,2 vs. 8,9) for 400ms. After a variable inter-stimulus interval (500, 1000 or 2000ms), they had to discriminate the colour of a brief (100ms) lateral target. We hypothesized that the centrally presented numbers would induce an orientation of attention, in the same direction as the initial observations by Fischer et al. (2003). The current results indicate a significant effect, but only for the shortest digit-target interval (500ms). We observed a significant interaction between number magnitude (small/large) and side of target presentation (left/right) (F1,15 =7.784, p<0.014). These findings indicate that the attentional shifts induced by irrelevant numerical material are independent of the exact nature of target processing (discrimination vs. detection). [less ▲]

Students in Anger - How do teachers' provocations influence anger regulation?

Poster (2009, November)

Banning solves the problem? Effects of banning mobile phone use in schools on cyber bullying

Poster (2009, November)

Working memory and fluid intelligence

Poster (2009, November)

The present study investigates how working memory and fluid intelligence are related in young children and which aspect of working memory span tasks– short-term storage or controlled attention - might ... [more ▼]

The present study investigates how working memory and fluid intelligence are related in young children and which aspect of working memory span tasks– short-term storage or controlled attention - might drive the relationship. A sample of 119 children were followed from kindergarten to 2nd grade and completed assessments of working memory, short-term memory, and fluid intelligence. The data showed that working memory, verbal short-term memory, and fluid intelligence were highly related but separate constructs in young children. The results further showed that when the common variance between working memory and short-term memory was controlled, the residual working memory factor manifested significant links with fluid intelligence whereas the residual short-term memory factor did not. These findings suggest that in young children the executive demands rather than the storage component of working memory span tasks are the source of their link with fluid intelligence. [less ▲]

Association between goal orientation and the means as well as the outcomes of a goal

Poster (2009, October)

Do anger expression and emotional distress affect diabetes patients' well-being?

Poster (2009, September)

Preliminary results demonstrated that anger coping style is linked to mental and physical health in diabetes (Kolbasovsky, 2004; Yi et al., 2008). The present study examined the effect of anger expression ... [more ▼]

Preliminary results demonstrated that anger coping style is linked to mental and physical health in diabetes (Kolbasovsky, 2004; Yi et al., 2008). The present study examined the effect of anger expression and emotional distress on well-being of diabetics. A sample of diabetic patients (n1⁄488 type I, n1⁄4111 type II) completed the WHO-five well-being index, the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale and the State-Trait-Anger-Expression-Inventory. Results showed that diabetics with type I demonstrated significantly more emotional distress than type II patients and that well-being was negatively correlated with emotional distress and anger in. Regression analyses showed that well-being was predicted for both types of diabetes by emotional distress. In addition, type II patients’ well-being could be explained by anger in. These findings confirmed anger in as a risk factor of type II diabetics’ mental health. Considering these results, anger-management interventions may be useful in particular for type II diabetics’ patients. [less ▲]

Formation throughout the life and space practices of the students in the town of Paris

Poster (2009, July)

Does goal orientation affect the salience of the means or the outcomes of a goal - Preliminary results

Poster (2009, April)

Entwicklung eines Fragebogens für die Peer-Evaluation von studentischen Referaten

Poster (2009, March)

MC simulations regarding the melting transition in a 2d hard disc fluid

Poster (2009)

Techniques avancées de data mining pour l’optimisation énergétique

Poster (2009)

Developing Europe’s Rural Regions in the Era of Globalization (DERREG): An Interpretative Model for Better Anticipating and Responding to Challenges for Regional Development in an Evolving Internationalisation- Vorstellung eines Projektes im 7. EU-Forschungsrahmenprogramm

Poster (2009)

Mental Arithmetic: Eye Movement Correlates of Calculation Strategies

Poster (2009)

Working memory and language: A latent variable longitudinal study

Poster (2008, November)

The relationship between working memory, phonological awareness, and developing language skills was explored longitudinally in children growing up in a multilingual society. A sample of 121 children from ... [more ▼]

The relationship between working memory, phonological awareness, and developing language skills was explored longitudinally in children growing up in a multilingual society. A sample of 121 children from Luxembourg were followed from kindergarten to first grade, and completed multiple assessments of working memory, phonological awareness, native and foreign vocabulary knowledge, language comprehension, and reading. Relations between the measures were best characterized by a model consisting of two related but separable constructs—corresponding to verbal short-term memory and the central executive—that were distinct from phonological awareness. Assessments of verbal short-term memory in kindergarten significantly predicted vocabulary knowledge and comprehension in native and foreign languages 1 year later: Central executive and verbal short-term memory measures in kindergarten were significantly associated with reading in first grade, and phonological awareness did not predict any of the language constructs. [less ▲]

Does goal orientation affect the salience of the means or the outcomes of a goal

Poster (2008, October)

Schwierigkeit in Problemlöseszenarien. Was ist das und was macht es aus?

Poster (2008, August 26)

Complex problem solving as competence: Ideas and general approach.

Poster (2008, July 21)

Mathematics teacher development and technology: towards an International GeoGebra Institute

Poster (2008, July 09)

Research indicates that despite the numerous benefits of using technology in mathematics education, the process of embedding technology in classrooms is slow and complex. Most teachers need more than just ... [more ▼]

Research indicates that despite the numerous benefits of using technology in mathematics education, the process of embedding technology in classrooms is slow and complex. Most teachers need more than just being provided with technology if the benefits of technology are to be substantially realized. It has been suggested that adequate training and collegial support boost teachers' willingness to integrate technology into their teaching and to develop successful technology-assisted teaching practices. GeoGebra is free open-source dynamic software for mathematics teaching and learning that offers geometry and algebra features in a fully connected software environment. Its pool of free interactive materials and user forum are examples of online collaboration of a world-wide community of mathematics educators. In this poster presentation, we will outline the emergence of the software GeoGebra and its recent developments as well as the first steps towards (using present tense to show that work has already been done) International GeoGebra Institute to be able to offer structured training and support for teachers who are ready to integrate GeoGebra into their classrooms. In addition, we will organize and coordinate research projects in relation to GeoGebra to enhance the development of training and support materials. While our initial plan is to establish an IGI site at Florida Atlantic University (USA), in the long run our goal is to collaborate with colleagues and set up other institutes in various locations around the world. [less ▲]

Working memory, phonological awareness, and developing language skills

Poster (2008, July)

The relationship between working memory, verbal short-term memory, phonological awareness, and developing language skills was explored longitudinally in children growing up in a multilingual society. A ... [more ▼]

The relationship between working memory, verbal short-term memory, phonological awareness, and developing language skills was explored longitudinally in children growing up in a multilingual society. A sample of 121 children from Luxembourg were followed from the end of Kindergarten to 1st Grade, and completed multiple assessments of verbal short-term memory, complex working memory, phonological awareness, native and foreign vocabulary knowledge, language comprehension, and reading. Results indicate that relations between the measures were best characterized by a model consisting of two related but separable constructs – corresponding to verbal short-term memory and the central executive – that were distinct from phonological awareness. The data further showed that assessments of verbal short-term memory in Kindergarten significantly predicted vocabulary knowledge and comprehension in native and foreign languages one year later: Central executive and verbal short-term memory measures in Kindergarten were significantly associated with reading in 1st Grade and phonological awareness, indexed by rhyme detection, did not predict any of the language constructs one year later. The findings lend strong support to the position that verbal short-term memory is one of the main contributors to new word learning in both native and non-native languages by supporting the formation of stable phonological representations of new words in long-term memory. Verbal short-term memory also seems to play a significant role in the syntactic comprehension of sentences. The heard material might be kept active in verbal short-term memory while the child is listening to the sentence and processing it for comprehension. Finally working memory appears to make significant contributions to reading development. One explanation of these findings is that literacy classroom activities often impose heavy demands on working memory, the capacity of which therefore has a direct effect on the frequency of task failure or success in these classroom activities which consequently influences the rate of learning. [less ▲]

Wanting more is not always better: Associations of goal-orientation with age, outcome vs. process focus, and subjective indicators of well-being

Poster (2008, July)

Selbststeuerung und der Erwerb individualtaktischer Kompetenz: Eine Grundlagenstudie

Poster (2008, May)

Language use and multilingual interaction among young people with different migration backgrounds in Luxembourg

Poster (2008)

Using the LLTM to determine an item-generating system for reading comprehension

Poster (2008)

Due to inconclusive findings concerning the components responsible for the difficulty of reading comprehension items, this paper attempts to set up an item-generating system using hypothesis-driven ... [more ▼]

Due to inconclusive findings concerning the components responsible for the difficulty of reading comprehension items, this paper attempts to set up an item-generating system using hypothesis-driven modeling of item complexity applying Fischer’s (1973) linear logistic test model (LLTM) to a German reading comprehension test. This approach guarantees an evaluation of the postulated item-generating system; moreover construct validity of the administered test is investigated. Previous findings in this field are considered; additionally, some text features are introduced to this debate and their impact on item difficulty is discussed. Results once more show a strong influence of formal components (e.g. the number of presented response options in a multiple-choice-format), but also indicate how this effect can be minimized. [less ▲]

Partizipative Evaluation als Grundlage der Strategieentwicklung am Beispiel einer sozialen Einrichtung für Wohnungshilfe in Luxemburg

Poster (2008)

Time variable gravity field recovery in local areas by means of Slepian functions

Poster (2007, July)