Sticking to Syntax: The Reflection of Story Grammar in Children's and Adult's Recall of Radio and Television Shows

Two studies were conducted to determine how well story grammar predicted recall of televised stories. In Experiment 1, preschoolers viewed a non-narrated televised story from "Sesame Street." In Experiment 2, preschoolers and adults were administered a narrative via television or radio. In both studies, subjects' retention reflected recall of nodal information, regardless of medium of input.

Europa hat keine belastbare Identität: Radio SRF 1, Tagesgespräch über Wahlen zum Europäischen Parlament (Radiointerview)

Ende Mai 2014 wählt Europa ein neues Parlament. Klaus Armingeon kann mitwählen. Der Direktor des Instituts für Politikwissenschaft an der Universität Bern ist Schweizer, Deutscher und EU-Bürger und heute Gast von Susanne Brunner.

Physical activity in schizophrenia is higher in the first episode than in subsequent ones

Schizophrenia is frequently associated with abnormal motor behavior, particularly hypokinesia. The course of the illness tends to deteriorate in the first years. We aimed to assess gross motor activity in patients with a first episode (n = 33) and multiple episodes (n = 115) of schizophrenia spectrum disorders using wrist actigraphy. First episode patients were younger, had higher motor activity and reduced negative symptom severity. Covarying for age, chlorpromazine equivalents, and negative symptoms, first episode patients still had higher motor activity. This was also true after excluding patients with schizophreniform disorder from the analyses. In first episode patients, but not in patients with multiple episodes, motor activity was correlated with antipsychotic dosage. In conclusion, after controlling for variables related to disorder chronicity, patients with first episodes were still more active than patients with multiple episodes. Thus, reduced motor activity is a marker of deterioration in the course of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Theaterumbauten in der Schweiz (Radio-Interview von Dagmar Walser)

Reflexe, Radio SRF2Kultur Interview, Dagmar Walser, 31. Oktober 2014 Ausgangslage: Es häufen sich derzeit die Umbauten, die notwendigen Renovationen von Theaterhäusern, die in die Jahre gekommen sind. Das Theater Solothurn wird im Januar nach einem längeren Umbau fertig, in Bern endet die Spielzeit nächsten Frühling früher wegen der Renovationen, in Baden am Kurtheater wurde der längst notwendige Umbau wieder einmal verschoben Wie hängen Architektur und Ästhetik zusammen? Wie spielt man in einem historischen Ambiente zeitgenössische Stoffe? Weshalb werden Volksabstimmungen für den Erhalt der Theater jeweils hoch angenommen, und klagen die Theater doch über Publikumsschwund? Fragen, die ich dem Professor für Theaterwissenschaft Andreas Kotte in Bern stellen will.

Ethnically-based rejection sensitivity and academic achievement: The danger of retracting into one’s heritage culture

This study examined the relation between ethnically based rejection sensitivity and academic achievement in a sample of 936 immigrant students in Germany and Switzerland. The theory of race-based rejection sensitivity that originated in North America was extended to immigrant students in Europe. The rough political climate against immigrants in Europe makes it probable that immigrant youth face particular difficulties and are affected by ethnically based rejection sensitivity, at least as much as—or even more than—minority youth in the United States. Using a standardized literacy performance test and multilevel analyses, we found that ethnically based rejection sensitivity was negatively related to academic achievement for immigrant students. This relation was partially mediated by a strong contingency of the students' self-worth on the heritage culture, as well as by a low number of native German or Swiss majority-group friends. We interpret these processes as immigrant students' efforts to cope with ethnically based rejection sensitivity by retracting into their heritage culture and avoiding majority-group contact, which unfortunately, however, at the same time also results in lower academic achievement. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.