Differences in School Performance Between Only Children and Non-only Children: Evidence From China

This study aimed to investigate the features of only child status related to physical health, mathematics achievement, and school feelings and expectations from a different perspective. A representative sample of 91,619 Grade 4 students with an average age of 10.4 ± 0.7, among which 28,631 were only children, were assessed. We used propensity score matching (PSM) and the average treatment effects on the treatment to analyze data. The treatment was the only child of a family. The results indicated that only children have better academic achievement and school feelings (only for urban only child girls), while non-only children have better physical status and anaerobic fitness (AF). In addition, gender and rural vs. urban areas differences were also explored. The adverse situation for rural only boys is emphasized for families, researchers, and governments to focus on. Some suggestions are given under the Two- and Three-Child Policy.

Further tests of the scarcity and luxury hypotheses in dispositional greed: Evidence from two large-scale Dutch and American samples

A recent, large-scale study among Chinese adolescents found that childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) was positively related to dispositional greed (i.e., the “luxury hypothesis”), instead of negatively related (i.e., the “scarcity hypothesis”; Liu et al., 2019c). This relationship was found for only-children, not for children with siblings. The generalizability of these findings may be limited, due to China’s one-child policy and socioeconomic policies which may have led to fewer differences in wealth. We replicated this research in two other cultural contexts that represent markedly different socioeconomic policies in order to test its generalizability: the Netherlands (Study 1, N = 2367, 51.3% female, Mage = 54.06, SD = 17.90), and the USA (Study 2, N = 999, 50.1% female, Mage = 33.44, SD = 12.28). Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test the association between CSES and greed. We mostly replicated the findings by Liu et al. (2019c): CSES was positively related to greed in both studies (“luxury hypothesis”) and there was a moderating effect of siblings in Study 1, but not in Study 2. Implications for theories on greed as well as future research on the association between CSES and greed are discussed.

Worse Theory of Mind in Only-Children Compared to Children With Siblings and Its Intervention

The purpose of this study was to explore theory of mind (ToM) differences in children with different birth orders (only-children, first-born children, and second-born children), and further explore the effect of cognitive verb training for only-children’s ToM. Adopting the paradigm of false belief, Study 1 was conducted in which a sample of 120 children aged 3–6, including first-born children, second-born children (siblings aged 1–13 years), and only-children were tested. The results showed that (1) children aged 3–6 had significantly higher scores on first-order false-belief than second-order false-belief. (2) Controlling for age, the only-children scored significantly lower than the first-born children. In Study 2, 28 only-children aged 4–5 (13 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) who initially failed in false-belief tasks were trained with the cognitive verb animations. Significant post-training improvements were observed for only-children who received training of animations embedded with cognitive verb. Those findings indicated that ToM of only-children was significantly worse than first-born children of two-child families, and linguistic training could facilitate ToM of only-children whose ToM were at a disadvantage.

Using Images to Help Children Talk About Their Experiences

<p>Prior research evaluating the effect of Human Figure Diagrams (HFDs) on the nature of children’s recall of touch related information has yield mixed findings. We examined the nature of information elicited by 9-11 year old children (n=55) following participation in a scripted event that incorporated instances of physical contact/touch. We examined the amount and accuracy of information reported under the following conditions; with the aid of a HFD, a photograph of the child, or verbal prompts only. Children presented with HDFs or photographs reported significantly more information following an exhaustive verbal interview, than children provided with verbal prompts only. The accuracy of reports was high overall and did not differ significantly by condition. When children were asked focussed questions about instances of both true and false touch that was not reported during the verbal interview, the accuracy of their accounts reduced significantly compared to phases of the interview that were predominantly child-led. This suggests that visual aids may be safe to use to clarify/elaborate on already reported information, at least with this age group. Specific questions about instances of unreported touch should be avoided.</p>

Using Images to Help Children Talk About Their Experiences

<p>Prior research evaluating the effect of Human Figure Diagrams (HFDs) on the nature of children’s recall of touch related information has yield mixed findings. We examined the nature of information elicited by 9-11 year old children (n=55) following participation in a scripted event that incorporated instances of physical contact/touch. We examined the amount and accuracy of information reported under the following conditions; with the aid of a HFD, a photograph of the child, or verbal prompts only. Children presented with HDFs or photographs reported significantly more information following an exhaustive verbal interview, than children provided with verbal prompts only. The accuracy of reports was high overall and did not differ significantly by condition. When children were asked focussed questions about instances of both true and false touch that was not reported during the verbal interview, the accuracy of their accounts reduced significantly compared to phases of the interview that were predominantly child-led. This suggests that visual aids may be safe to use to clarify/elaborate on already reported information, at least with this age group. Specific questions about instances of unreported touch should be avoided.</p>

Alterations in brain morphology by MRI in adults with neurofibromatosis 1

Objective Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a rare autosomal dominant disease that causes the dysregulated growth of Schwann cells. Most reported studies of brain morphology in NF1 patients have included only children, and clinical implications of the observed changes later in life remain unclear. In this study, we used MRI to characterize brain morphology in adults with NF1. Methods Planar (2D) MRI measurements of 29 intracranial structures were compared in 389 adults with NF1 and 112 age- and sex-matched unaffected control subjects. The 2D measurements were correlated with volumetric (3D) brain measurements in 99 of the adults with NF1 to help interpret the 2D findings. A subset (n = 70) of these NF1 patients also received psychometric testing for attention deficits and IQ and was assessed for clinical severity of NF1 features and neurological problems. Correlation analysis was performed between the MRI measurements and clinical and psychometric features of these patients. Results Four of nine corpus callosum measurements were significantly greater in adults with NF1 than in sex- and age-matched controls. All seven brainstem measurements were significantly greater in adults with NF1 than in controls. Increased corpus callosum and brainstem 2D morphology were correlated with increased total white matter volume among the NF1 patients. No robust correlations were observed between the 2D size of these structures and clinical or neuropsychometric assessments. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that dysregulation of brain myelin production is an important manifestation of NF1 in adults.

Birth order revelations about managers

Purpose This paper aims to reveal the effects of birth order in decision-making style, conflict handling style and propensity for participative decision-making. The intention is to open the perspective of birth order research in organizational studies, as an important individual difference of managers. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 230 managers from different industries in Kosovo. Self-report measures were used for decision-making style, conflict handling style and participatory decision-making constructs. Findings Results indicate that only children are more avoidant and spontaneous decision-makers. Firstborns are rational in decision-making and prefer problem-solving in conflict handling. Middleborns are intuitive decision-makers and use compromising in conflict handling. Lastborns make decisions rationally and use both compromising and problem-solving in conflicting situations. In addition, lastborns appeared to have a more positive attitude toward participative decision-making, followed by middleborns, firstborns and only children. Research limitations/implications Birth order affects managers’ behaviors in decision-making and conflict situations. Relationship dynamics in sibships are reflected in organizational settings, affecting how people behave in decision-making and conflict handling. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to attest how birth order influences the ways managers make decisions, handle conflicts and involve others in decision-making. As birth order cannot be changed, such knowledge is critical.