This study investigated the shortand long-term effects of a high variability perceptual training on the production of three English vowel contrasts (/i//ɪ/; /ɛ/-/æ/; /u/-/ʊ/) by Portuguese learners. The perceptual training consisted of five sessions divided into two blocks that included both discrimination and identification tasks followed by immediate feedback with natural stimuli produced by ...

The authors investigated the relation between mental rotation (MR) and computer game-playing experience. Third grade boys (n = 24) and girls (n = 23) completed a 2-dimensional MR test before and after playing computer games (during 11 separate 30-min sessions), which either involved the use of MR skills (the experimental group) or did not involve the use of MR skills (the control group). The ex...

In an intervention aimed at showing students the amount of responsibility involved in caring for an infant, 353 predominantly ninth-grade and Latino students carried the Baby Think It Over simulation doll in an intervention and completed matched pre- and posttest measures. Statistically significant gains were found on the total score and the impact of having a baby on academics, social life, an...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Individuals with Alzheimer disease (IwAD) experience more frequent and more injurious falls than their cognitively intact peers. Evidence of balance and gait dysfunction is observed earlier in the course of Alzheimer disease (AD) than once believed. Balance training has been demonstrated to be effective in improving balance and decreasing falls in cognitively intact older...

In this study, we tested 77 undergraduates who were randomly assigned to play either a popular video game (Portal 2) or a popular brain training game (Lumosity) for 8 h. Before and after gameplay, participants completed a set of online tests related to problem solving, spatial skill, and persistence. Results revealed that participants who were assigned to play Portal 2 showed a statistically si...

The main purpose of the study was to assess experimentally the effects of an antibullying program (Cyberprogram 2.0) on behaviors of victimization due to “face-to-face” bullying and on diverse social behaviors. The sample comprised 176 adolescents, aged 13-15 years, grouped into 93 experimental subjects and 83 control subjects. The study used a repeated measures pretest-posttest design with a c...

BACKGROUND Early in the postpartum period, mothers are often nervous and tired from the delivery, breast-feeding and caring for a new-born. The aim of this study was to evaluate the process and outcome of using aromatherapy treatments to increase relaxation and decrease fatigue for mothers during the first to the seventh day of the postpartum period. METHODS This non-randomized controlled stu...

This study investigated the effects of a 16-week reading instruction program with discourse structure graphic organizers (DSGOs) on the development of English reading comprehension among college-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. A total of 340 first and third semester students of non-English majors at a Chinese university participated in this study. A DSGO completion test and ...