Developmental shifts toward structural explanations and interventions for social status disparities

As part of their early “essentialist” intuitions, young children view intergroup differences as reflecting groups’ intrinsic natures. In the present study, we explore the nature and development of “structural” reasoning, or view of intergroup differences as reflecting groups’ extrinsic circumstances. We introduced participants (n = 315; ages 5–6, 9–10, and adults) to novel intergroup status disparities that could be attributed to either personal or structural causes. Disparities were verbally framed in either intrinsic, neutral or extrinsic terms. We assessed attributions by asking participants to explain the disparities and to offer interventions for them. We also assessed participants’ status-based social preferences. We found that attributions shifted from personal to structural over development. Explanations and interventions for the disparities were correlated and related to the same predictors (framing and age) and outcomes (social preferences), although interventions were consistently more structural than explanations. Implications for essentialism, causal reasoning, and social development are discussed.

Developing Structural Reasoning with Diagrams

Advance students' strategies by highlighting properties, diverting attention away from procedures and algebraic skills to see the structures in expressions.

Looking For and Using Structural Reasoning

Examples of solving equations and inequalities, analyzing quadratic expressions, and reasoning with functions show three ways to engage students in this mathematical practice.

Synthesis of novel pyrazole derivatives using organophosphorus, stibine, and arsine reagents and their antitumor activities

The reactions of 5-azido-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (azidopyrazole) with several classes of organophosphorus reagents: phosphonium ylides, Wittig-Horner reagents, dialkylphosphonates, trialkylphosphites, tris(dialkylamino)phosphanes, triphenylstibane, triphenylarsane, and Lawesson’s reagent are reported. Structural reasoning for the new products was based on compatible analytical and spectral data. The cytotoxic activity of most of the new products was evaluated against human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF7) and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line(HepG2). Certain tested compounds showed promising results.