A large body of research shows that vocabulary does not develop independently of grammar, representing a better predictor of the grammatical complexity of toddlersʼ utterances than age. This study examines for the first time the characteristics of vocabulary and grammar development in Slovenian-speaking infants and toddlers using the Slovenian adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). The sample included 512 Slovenian-speaking infants and toddlers aged 0;8 to 2;6. The findings suggest that between age 0;8 and 2;6 the development of vocabulary is best described using a quadratic function. The results also show that nouns predominate in the vocabularies of infants and toddlers of various ages; as they age and with the increasing size of their vocabularies, the share of interjections decreases and the share of verbs and adjectives increases. The size of vocabulary was also found to be related to the grammatical structure of toddlersʼ utterances.
COBISS.SI-ID: 49586786
In two experiments the neuronal mechanisms of sex differences in mental rotation were investigated. In Experiment 1 cortical activation was studied in women and men with similar levels of mental rotation ability (high, and average to low), who were equalized with respect to general intelligence. Sex difference in neuroelectric patterns of brain activity were observed only in participants with high mental rotation ability. Females displayed more theta synchronization, especially in frontal brain areas. In the second experiment we examined whether training can increase mental rotation performance in females and change their brain activity patterns measuredwith neuroelectric and hemodynamic imaging techniques. In a parallel group experimental design, respondents fromthe origami group (rotation training), after 18 h of training, significantly increased their performance on a test of mental rotation. Females' brain activation patterns on a posttest, as compared with apretest, showed decreased frontal brain activity. Parallel to this, increased activity in parietal brain areas was observed. By contrast, respondents from the active control group (participating in 18-hour communication training) showed no improvements in performance and no pre-/posttest differences in cortical activity.
COBISS.SI-ID: 18998792
In order to examine whether theta-gamma cross-frequency relates to intelligence, two EEG experiments were conducted on healthy participants. In the first experiment, theta-gamma functional coupling was determined based on resting (eyes closed) EEG data of 100 participants. Twenty participants with either low or high theta-gamma correlation coefficients were asked to participate in the second experiment in which they were presented with a test of fluid intelligence. The results showed that: (1) resting-state theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling in bilateral frontal and parieto-occipital areas negatively correlated with IQ scores and (2) theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling in frontal areas correlated with performance on the test of fluid intelligence. Individuals with low theta-gamma coupling during rest showed an increase in theta-gamma functional coupling in frontal areas as task difficulty increased, which was associated with better performance on the test. These findings demonstrate for the first time that theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling in frontal areas, and partly also in parietal areas (Experiment 1), relates to the level of intelligence
COBISS.SI-ID: 20771592
Objective: This exploratory study examined the role that illness representations and personality play in the various adherence behaviors of adolescents diagnosed with essential hypertension. Methods: The participants were 97 hypertensive adolescents. They completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to (1) demographic and medical data, (2) adherence, (3) illness representations, and (4) personality. Medical charts were also assessed. Results: The hierarchical regression analyses indicated that: (1) conscientiousness, agreeableness, and perception of treatment effectiveness account for a significant amount of variance in general adherence; (2) perception of treatment effectiveness is predictive of overall specific adherence; and (3) for adherence to most of the individual specific regimen recommendations, illness representations are more predictive compared to personality dimensions. Conclusions: The personality domains of conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and illness representation dimensions (treatment control, concern, and emotional burden) were shown to predict adherence behaviors in adolescent hypertensive patients differentially. Study implications and limitations are discussed.
COBISS.SI-ID: 42292578
This article presents the construction, exploratory dimensionality analysis (Study 1), and validation (Study 2) of the self-report and 36-item Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (ITEA). It is the first instrument to measure different aspects of individuation (in relation to mother and father) specifically in emerging adulthood. The construct validity of the final 5-factor structure (Support Seeking, Connectedness, Intrusiveness, Self-Reliance, and Fear of Disappointing the Parent) was satisfactory. The results of multigroup analyses demonstrated that the factor structure is stable across male and female emerging adults for ITEA assessments in relation to both mother and father. The ITEA scales also show good internal consistency and concurrent validity against Emotional, Conflictual, and Functional Dependence scales of the Psychological Separation Inventory.
COBISS.SI-ID: 53323106