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The role of cognitive flexibility in young children's potential for learning under dynamic testing conditions
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The aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent children's potential for learning is related to their level of cognitive flexibility. Potential for learning was measured through a dynamic testing procedure that aimed to measure how much a child can profit from a training procedure integrated into the testing process, including the amount and type of feedback the children required during this training procedure. The study followed a pre-test–training–post-test control group design. Participants were 153 6–7-year-old children. Half of this group of children were provided with a standardised graduated prompts procedure. The other half of the participants performed a non-inductive cognitive task. Children's cognitive flexibility was measured through a card sorting test and a test of verbal fluency. Results show that cognitive flexibility was positively related to children's performance, but only for children in the practice-only condition who received no training. These outcomes suggest that dynamic testing, and more in particular, the graduated prompting procedure, supports children's cognitive flexibility, thereby giving children with weaker flexibility the opportunity to show more of their cognitive potential as measured through inductive reasoning.
KeywordsDynamic testing Potential for learning Instructional needs Series completion Cognitive flexibility
For educational professionals, it is becoming increasingly important to address the needs of individual students, and teachers are more and more expected to differentiate their instruction and monitor children's progression more carefully (Bosma et al. 2012; Pameijer and Van Beukering 2015; Rock et al. 2008). When they encounter difficulties in meeting individual children's educational needs, they are often supported by educational or school psychologists. If a teacher or other educational professional has a question about a child's cognitive functioning, for instance in cases where a child cannot cope with every day classroom situations, a school or educational psychologist often administers a conventional, static test, for example, an intelligence or school achievement test. However, critics argue that most of these static instruments predominantly measure the effects of past learning experiences and do not result in sufficient information about underlying cognitive processes and strategies in relation to children's (potential for) learning, or instructional needs in order to provide in-depth input for educational interventions (e.g. Fabio 2005; Grigorenko 2009; Robinson-Zañartu and Carlson 2013). Nor do they provide in-depth information about the relationship between other aspects of a child's cognitive abilities, such as executive functions, and their relationship with the learning process. In response to these criticisms, dynamic forms of testing have been developed that incorporate training in the assessment process, aimed at both measuring children's progression in task solving (Sternberg and Grigorenko 2002) and gaining insight into the type of help a child needs in order to learn (e.g. Resing, 2013).
Previous research on dynamic testing has identified different measures of potential for learning, including the amount and the type of feedback received during training, performance after training, the change in performance from the pre-training to post-training stage, and the transfer of learned skills (e.g. Elliott et al. 2010; Sternberg and Grigorenko 2002). Outcomes of these studies have revealed large variability in children in relation to both their instructional needs and level of improvement (Bosma & Resing, 2006, Resing & Elliott, 2011; Fabio 2005; Jeltova et al. 2011). For educational practice, these testing procedures have been found effective in predicting future school achievements (e.g. Caffrey et al. 2008; Campione and Brown 1987; Kozulin & Garb, 2002), and exploring cognitive strategies children employ during the assessment process (e.g. Burns et al. 1992; Resing & Elliott, 2011).
Dynamic testing often employs general inductive reasoning tasks because they are found to play a fundamental role in cognitive development, learning, and instruction (Csapó 1997; Goswami 2001; Klauer and Phye 2008). Inductive reasoning is often defined as the process of moving from the specific to the general, or as the generalisation of single observations and experiences in order to reach general conclusions or derive broad rules and is considered to be a general thinking skill (e.g. Pellegrino, 1985; Holzman et al. 1983), which is related to almost all higher-order cognitive skills (Csapó 1997).
In the current study, we sought to examine potential for learning with a dynamic test of pictorial series completion, utilising graduated prompting techniques during training. Solving pictorial series completion tasks, such as the one used in the present study, requires children to search for different patterns of repeating elements, while at the same time identifying unknown changes in the relationship between these elements (e.g. Resing et al. 2012b; Sternberg & Gardner, 1983).
An important aspect in the potential for learning of individual children is their executive functioning. Executive functioning refers to various inter-related cognitive processes that enable goal-directed behaviour and that are necessary in modulating and regulating thinking and acting (Miller and Cohen 2001; Miyake et al. 2000). In her review, Diamond (2013) describes a frequently proposed three-component model that distinguishes working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. With regard to the relationship between executive functioning and dynamic testing, previous studies have demonstrated that dynamic test outcomes, such as progression after training and instructional needs, are related to children's executive function skills (Ropovik 2014; Stevenson et al. 2013; Swanson 2006, 2011). However, the majority of these studies focus on the role of working memory and inhibitory control in potential for learning (e.g. Resing et al. 2012b; Swanson 2011; Stevenson et al. 2013; Tzuriel, 2001). In these studies, it appeared that the feedback and help provided during the training procedures of dynamic testing supported the use of working memory and inhibitory control, thereby facilitating children in using and showing more of their potential for learning. However, studies examining the role of cognitive flexibility in children's potential for learning remain relatively sparse.
Therefore, in the current study, we sought to explore to what extent different aspects of cognitive flexibility are related to children's potential for learning as assessed by a graduated prompting procedure. Cognitive flexibility has been defined as a cognitive system that underpins the ability to change perspective, shift attention between tasks or mental sets, and adjust to changing demands and problems. Furthermore, it has been described as the ability to learn from mistakes and feedback, devise and select alternative learning strategies and responses, and form plans and simultaneously process information from multiple sources (Anderson 2002; Deak and Wiseheart 2015; Diamond 2013; Ionescu 2012; Miller and Cohen 2001). In terms of specific classroom behaviour, cognitive flexibility in children is often considered to be the opposite of rigidity, i.e. difficulties in changing between activities, adjusting previously learned behaviours, and learning from mistakes. Previous research has shown that cognitive flexibility plays a considerable role in learning in childhood (e.g. Bull and Scerif 2001; Ropovik 2014), and especially in math-related subjects. These subjects require efficient switching between different task aspects or arithmetical strategies (e.g. Agostino et al. 2010; Yeniad et al. 2013). In addition, cognitive flexibility might be particularly important in the assessment of young children's potential for learning because significant developmental changes of this particular function occur around 6–7 years of age (e.g. Davidson et al. 2006; Gupta et al. 2009).
Our study aimed to focus on different elements of flexibility in order to expand our understanding of the relationship between this particular executive function and children's potential for learning. Examining flexibility with different performance measures was expected to provide us with more in-depth understanding of how these flexibility aspects might contribute to the ability to profit from dynamic training, to respond to feedback (e.g. Crone et al. 2004a; Miyake et al. 2000), or to effectively switch between different problem-solving strategies (e.g. Hurks et al. 2004; Troyer et al. 1997).
In conclusion, the main aim of the current study was to analyse whether children's potential for learning was related to two aspects of cognitive flexibility: (a) children's cognitive flexibility performance as examined with a card sorting test, measuring children's ability to efficiently respond to feedback (e.g. Berg, 1948; Cianchetti et al. 2007), and (b) children's cognitive flexibility examined with a verbal fluency test, measuring children's ability to efficiently switch between different verbal cognitive clusters (e.g. Troyer et al. 1997; Troyer 2000). By examining performance on these two flexibility aspects, and their relationship with children's performance on the dynamic test, it was expected to gain a better understanding of how both children's responsiveness to feedback and their ability to efficiently switch between different cognitive clusters would contribute to children's potential for learning.
Based on previous research utilising the dynamic series completion test (e.g. Resing & Elliott, 2011, Resing et al., 2012b), it was hypothesised that the graduated prompts training would significantly improve children's series completion performance from pre- to post-test as compared to non-trained children (1). Given earlier reported relationships between cognitive flexibility and static inductive reasoning tasks (Roca et al. 2010; Van der Sluis et al. 2007), we expected (2) initial differences in static inductive reasoning performance to be related to cognitive flexibility, where children with better performance on the card sorting test and the verbal fluency test would perform better on the static pre-test as compared to children with lower flexibility performances. Regarding the relationship with the dynamic measures of inductive reasoning, it was expected that (3a) the training procedure would attenuate the individual differences in cognitive flexibility skills through the graduated prompts provided. Previous research has shown that dynamic testing, at least partially, supported weaker working memory skills (e.g. Resing et al., 2012b; Stevenson et al., 2013; Swanson 1992, 2006), thereby increasing these children's opportunity to show their potential for learning during the assessment process. More specifically, we expected that children with lower flexibility scores in the practice-only condition would show less progression from pre- to post-test than children with better flexibility scores, but that this difference would not be found for children in the graduated prompt training condition because the graduated prompts provided during training would partially compensate for differences in flexibility.
In addition, because the prompts in the training procedure were argued to support weaker cognitive flexibility, it was expected that children with weaker flexibility scores required more prompts during training and, moreover, also needed more detailed help in the form of the specific cognitive and step-by-step prompts. With regard to card sorting performance, we expected (3b) that weaker performance—i.e. more perseverative behaviour—would predict a weaker ability to profit from the feedback in the training procedure. This would be reflected by a need for more and more specific prompts. In addition, it was also expected (3c) that children's verbal fluency performance would be related to the instructional needs during training. The ability to efficiently switch between different problem-solving strategies was expected to result in better access to, and application of, several learned problem-solving strategies, causing the child to need less specific feedback during the training procedure.
Participants included 156 6–7-year-old children (73 boys and 83 girls; M = 81.0 months, SD = 6.9 months). The children were selected from nine elementary, middle class schools and were all native Dutch speakers. Written informed consent was obtained from all parents and schools. The results of three of these children were excluded from our data file as they did not participate in one or more of the sessions after the pre-test.
Experimental design
Baseline tasks
Dynamic training session 1a
Dynamic training session 2a
Instead of participating in the training procedure, the children in the practice-control group individually solved in the same time frame a number of visual-spatial, non-inductive connect-the-dot tasks. Prior to the pre-test, all children were administered a modified version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST; Nelson 1976; Schretlen 2010) and a test of verbal fluency (RAKIT Ideational Fluency; Resing et al., 2012a) to obtain measures of children's cognitive flexibility (see Table 1).
All sessions lasted approximately 30 min and took place individually, at a quiet location in the child's school. Administration of materials was done by psychology master's students who received extensive training in advance in all testing and training procedures.
Baseline tasks
Visual exclusion (blocking procedure)
In order to measure children's initial inductive reasoning ability, the visual exclusion subtest of the Revised Amsterdam Children's Intelligence Test (RAKIT-2; Resing et al., 2012a) was used. The subtest measures visual-spatial inductive reasoning ability. In this test, children have to solve 65 items, consisting of four abstract geometric figures, by choosing which of the figures does not belong to the other three. Children are to determine which figure ought to be excluded by reasoning inductively, and applying the exclusion rule to the four figures provided in each item. The visual exclusion subtest is reported to have high reliability (Cronbach's α = .89; Resing et al., 2012a).
Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (cognitive flexibility)
The Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (Nelson 1976; Schretlen 2010) was utilised to measure children's cognitive flexibility performance. In this card sorting test, inflexibility is reflected by the amount of perseverative behaviour a child displays, i.e. when a child persists in sorting cards according to a previously incorrect sorting rule (Nelson 1976). Perseverative errors are argued to be most indicative for children's cognitive flexibility as the shift from perseveration to flexible behaviour is commonly considered the key transition in the early development of cognitive control (e.g. Garon et al., 2008; Zelazo, 2006). Based on four stimulus cards, children are asked to sort 48 response cards according to three sorting rules, namely colour, shape, or number. These rules are not counterbalanced, as in this modified version of the card sorting test, children determine the first sorting criterion themselves. The children are not offered a practice-test (Schretlen 2010). Based on the correctness of their sort, the children are informed whether or not they have applied the correct rule. The M-WCST was administered according to Nelson's criteria (1976) which meant that after six consecutive correct sorts the child was explicitly told that the sorting criterion had changed. The child determined the first and second sorting criteria (e.g. number and shape), automatically leaving colour (the remaining criterion in this scenario) to be the last sorting criterion. After completing the three sorting criteria, the three criteria were requested again and in the same order. After completing the three criteria twice or after sorting all 48 cards, the procedure was completed. An error was defined as perseverative when (1) the child persisted sorting according to the same rule as that of the previously incorrect response and (2) the child did not switch rules after being told that the rules had changed (Nelson 1976; Obonsawin et al. 1999).
Verbal fluency (cognitive flexibility)
Cognitive flexibility was also measured with a test of semantic verbal fluency (RAKIT Ideational Fluency; Resing et al., 2012a). The children were given five semantic categories for which they were instructed to generate as many items as possible in 60 s. For the first two categories, the children were instructed to 'name all the things that you can pick up' and to 'name all the things that you can drink'. For the third category, the children were asked to 'name all the places that you can use to hide yourself' whereas the fourth category was linked to the question 'name all the things that you can find in the supermarket'. For the fifth and final category, the children were asked to 'name all the things that you can do on the streets'. To examine flexibility performance, the number of clusters and switches were calculated according to the scoring system as proposed by Troyer and colleagues (Troyer et al. 1997; Troyer 2000). The output of each category was organised in clusters (successively generated words belonging to the same semantic subcategory) and cluster size was counted from the second word of each cluster. The number of switches as index for cognitive flexibility (Hurks et al. 2010; Troyer et al. 1997; Troyer 2000) was calculated as the number of times a child changed from one cluster to another.
Series completion test
Test description
Series completion: pre- and post-test
The pre- and post-test consisted of 12 items, ranging from easy to difficult. In order to create equal item difficulty levels for pre- and post-test and the two training sessions, fully equivalent items were used that differed only in gender, colour, or design, but not in periodicity or the number of recurring pattern transformations. In other words, pre- and post-test items did not differ in difficulty, but did differ in the specific items used: Changes were made to the gender, colour, and design of the puppets, in order to avoid identical items and with that a repeated practice effect. During pre- and post-test, the children did not receive any feedback regarding their performance.
Series completion: dynamic training
For examining dynamic test scores at the group level, pre-test and post-test accuracy scores were used. In addition, the number of hints children were provided with, and the type of hints they utilised were analysed. For the analyses requiring measures of children's individual changes in performance as a result of cognitive training, a typicality analysis was used categorising participants as 'non-learners', 'learners' or 'high scorers'. This typicality analysis enabled subgroup-wise comparison of individual gains in performance. A pragmatic 1.5 standard deviation rule of thumb was used in order to classify participants according to their learner status (e.g. Waldorf et al., 2009; Wiedl et al., 2001). The overall pre-test performance was used to calculate the 1.5 SD value. Participants were classified as learners if they improved their performance from pre-test to post-test by at least 1.5 SD. Participants who scored between the pre-test upper level minus 1.5 SD on the pre-test were identified as high scorers. Participants who did not meet either of these criteria were classified as non-learners. Multinomial logistic regression models were used in the analyses due to the categorical nature of the learner status variable. We did not make use of individual gain scores because these have often been criticised as not sufficiently reflecting children's pre-test scores, and accounting for regression to the mean (e.g. Guthke & Wiedl, 1996).
Initial group comparisons
Basic statistics of age, exclusion, and cognitive flexibility per condition (graduated prompts and practice-control)
Graduated prompts (N = 79)
Practice-control (N = 74)
Age in months
Visual exclusion
M-WCST performance
VF performance
Psychometric properties
Cronbach's alpha was used as a measure for internal consistency of the series completion pre- and post-test. A Cronbach's α of .74 was found for pre-test and a Cronbach's α of .78 was found for both conditions of the post-test, practice-control, and training. Regarding the measures of cognitive flexibility, prior research demonstrated that moderate stability estimates were obtained for the M-WCST (number of perseverative errors = .64) (Lineweaver et al. 1999). The interrater consistency was examined for the number of switches on the test of verbal fluency by calculating a two-way random average intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and was found to be .81.
Effect of dynamic testing at the group level
Mean scores and standard deviations of pre-test and post-test scores per condition (graduated prompts and practice-control)
Graduated prompts
Static inductive reasoning performance
We expected initial differences in static inductive reasoning performance to be related to cognitive flexibility, where children with better performance on the card sorting test and the verbal fluency test would perform better on the static pre-test as compared to children with lower flexibility performances (hypothesis 1). We expected initial variability in performance on the series completion pre-test to be related to cognitive flexibility performance. We examined the relationship between the pre-test scores and the two measures of cognitive flexibility, the percentage of perseverative errors on the M-WCST, and the total number of switches on the verbal fluency task. It was found that the correlation between static inductive reasoning performance and percentage of perseverative errors was significant but modest (r = − .19, p = .017), whereas no significant correlation was found with number of switches (r = − .09, p = .27). The results supported our hypothesis partially.
Learning potential indices
To inspect the relationship between cognitive flexibility and children's dynamic test performance, we analysed the predictive value of cognitive flexibility on two indices of potential for learning: learner status and instructional needs. Regarding the relationship with the dynamic measures of inductive reasoning—learner status and instructional needs during training—it was expected that the training procedure would attenuate the individual differences in cognitive flexibility skills through the graduated prompts provided (hypothesis 2a). In addition, because the prompts in the training procedure were argued to support weaker cognitive flexibility, it was expected that children with weaker flexibility scores required more prompts during training, and also more detailed help in the form of the cognitive-detailed and step-by-step prompts (hypothesis 2b and 2c).
Learner status
Mean scores and standard deviations of pre-test and post-test performance per condition and learner status
Learner status
Graduated prompts (N = 79)
Practice-control (N = 74)
Total (N = 153)
The outcome of the regression analysis showed that the prediction model was significant (χ2(1) = 5.82, p = .016). Condition significantly predicted whether children were classified as learner or non-learner (b = .93 Wald χ2(1) = 5.52, p = .00). The odds ratio showed that as condition changed from practice-control (0) to graduated prompts (1), the change in the odds of a child being a non-learner to being a learner was 2.53. This indicated that the odds of a child in the graduated prompts condition being a learner were 2.53 times more likely than those of a child in the practice-control condition, supporting the effectiveness of the training.
Next, the predictive value of cognitive flexibility on children's learner status was examined. The regression analysis was conducted separately for children in the practice-control and training condition, because we wanted to explore potential differences in the relationship between learner status and flexibility. For the children in the practice-control condition, M-WCST performance predicted children's learner status (χ2(1) = 4.53, p = .03), but this effect was not found for verbal fluency (VF) performance (χ2(1) = 0.14, p = .71). For the children in the graduated prompts condition, neither M-WCST performance (χ2(1) = .66, p = .42) nor VF performance (χ2(1) = 2.19, p = .14) added significantly to the initial model. In other words, better levels of cognitive flexibility as measured with the M-WCST predicted significantly greater progression from pre- to post-test for children in the practice-only condition, but not for children in the graduated prompts condition. These results partially supported the expectation of an attenuating effect of training on the influence of cognitive flexibility.
Number of prompts
Mean scores and standard deviations of the required graduated prompts per training session
Metacognitive prompts
Cognitive prompts
Step-by-step prompts
Training 1
Training 2
The overall regression model for training 1 appeared not significant (F(2, 77) = .65, p = .52), and none of the predictors added significantly to the model (M-WCST p = .48; VF p = .32). The overall model for training 2 however was significant (F(2,77) = 2.90, p = .04). Number of perseverative errors on the M-WCST contributed significantly to the prediction model (b = .23, t = 2.00, p = .05), but this was not the case for number of switches on the VF task (b = − .19, t = − 1.68, p = .09). This result indicated that the number of prompts required during training session 2 was, modestly, related to children's flexibility skills, partly supporting our hypothesis.
Types of prompts
Lastly, in addition to the number of prompts required during training, we also examined whether children with different flexibility scores would require different types of prompts during training. More specifically, we expected that children with lower flexibility scores would require more detailed cognitive and step-by-step prompts, as compared to children with higher flexibility scores. We conducted multiple regression analyses for children in the training condition with the cognitive flexibility variables as predictors and the number of times a child required a particular prompt as dependent variable. Again, all analyses were conducted separately for training sessions 1 and 2.
For the first set of analyses, we included the number of times a child required a metacognitive prompt as dependent variable, reflecting the child's need for this particular type of help. The results showed that the models for both sessions 1 and 2 were non-significant (F(2, 77) = 2.03, p = .14; F(2, 77) = 1.31, p = .28) and that none of the cognitive flexibility measures was a significant predictor of the number of metacognitive prompts during the training sessions (session 1, M-WCST p = .09, VF p = .91; session 2, M-WCST p = .57, VF p = .78). Similar results were found in the second set of analyses in which the number of required (more detailed) cognitive prompts was included as the dependent variable. The models for both sessions 1 and 2 were non-significant (F(2, 77) = .45, p = .64; F(2, 77) = 2.30, p = .11) and none of the flexibility measures added significantly to the prediction model (session 1, M-WCST p = .44, VF p = .19; session 2, M-WCST p = .38, VF p = .23).
The last set of analyses, with the number of times a child required the step-by-step prompt as dependent variable, showed a non-significant model for session 1 (F(2, 77) = 03, p = .97) and non-significant additional predictive values for the flexibility measures (M-WCST p = .85; VF p = .86) as well. However, a significant model was found for training session 2 (F(2, 77) = 5.45, p = .01) in which both flexibility measures significantly contributed to the prediction. A higher percentage of perseverative errors on the M-WCST (representing less flexibility) was found to predict a greater use of the step-by-step prompts (b = .30, t = 2.76, p = .01). The same result was found for the number of switches on the VF task where fewer switches made (representing less flexibility) predicted a greater use of the step-by-step prompt (b = − .25, t = − 2.27, p = .03).
In conclusion, the results indicated that children with lower flexibility scores did not need significantly more detailed metacognitive or cognitive prompts as compared to children with higher flexibility scores, but that they did require more step-by-step prompts. These results partly support our hypothesis.
In the present study, dynamic testing principles were applied to assess young children's potential for learning. To increase our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in children's ability to learn from feedback and instruction, the role of cognitive flexibility was examined. As an ultimate goal, the study aimed to provide suggestions for creating a better match between children's individual patterns of abilities and the way they are taught in the classroom.
It was found that performances on the different measures of cognitive flexibility were related to different measures of potential for learning. Fewer perseverative errors on a modified version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST) were related to better static inductive reasoning performance, but this was not found for more efficient switching behaviour on a task of VF. Better performance on the M-WCST did predict a more efficient learner status—i.e. learner vs. non-learner—for children in the practice-only condition, but not for children in the graduated prompts condition. Additionally, differences in cognitive flexibility predicted different instructional needs during training. Scores on both measures of cognitive flexibility were found to be related to the types of prompts children needed most during the graduated prompts training, but only M-WCST performance was found to be related to the number of prompts children required. These results will now be discussed in greater detail.
Regarding the effectiveness of the training, it was found that the graduated prompts training led to a larger improvement in children's series completion skills. Supported by previously reported results regarding the effectiveness of the training in improving children's inductive reasoning skills (e.g. Resing and Elliott 2011; Resing et al., 2012b; Resing et al., 2017), we can conclude that the training increased children's likelihood to be classified as learner over non-learner. Apparently, providing children with prompts during training, tapping into their zone of proximal development (Tunteler & Resing, 2010; Sternberg and Grigorenko 2002) helped children to move beyond their actual level of development towards their level of potential development. Considering that these prompts are metacognitive, targeted to the task approach, or cognitive, tailored to the specific items to be solved, provision of the prompts might have an activating effect on children's metacognition, and possibly other aspects of their executive functioning, helping them structure their task approach. In earlier studies, for example, it has been shown that providing graduated prompts led children to shift from using more heuristic to more analytical strategies (Resing et al., 2012b, 2017).
With regard to the relationship between cognitive flexibility and the indices of potential for learning, it was revealed that cognitive flexibility as measured with the M-WCST was related to learner status of the untrained children, whereas this was not the case for the children trained with the graduated prompts procedure. This indicated that the graduated prompts provided during training compensated for lower cognitive flexibility. Earlier research findings showed that the graduated prompts training changed the relationship between working memory and performance from pre- to post-test (e.g. Swanson 1992) and that the intervention phase during dynamic testing contributed to comparable progression lines for children with lower and higher working memory skills (e.g. Stevenson et al., 2013; Resing et al., 2012b). The results of the current study seem to indicate that the graduated prompts training also compensated for lower cognitive flexibility skills, and perhaps for executive functioning in general. Of course, these findings need to be further investigated in future research, but they provide us with a first indication that deficits in cognitive flexibility can, partially, be compensated for by providing children with, tailored, training, which has ample potential for usage in educational practice.
In this light, the attenuating effect of training was supported by the finding that children with weaker flexibility skills required significantly more prompts during training as compared to the children with better flexibility skills, enabling the children with weaker flexibility skills to achieve the same level of learning as children with better skills. More specifically, children's cognitive flexibility performance was related to both the number and type of prompts children required. The higher-level prompts—metacognitive and detailed cognitive—were equally required by children with higher and lower cognitive flexibility scores, but the step-by-step prompt proved to be particularly needed by children with weaker flexibility skills. This type of prompt, which aimed to guide the children towards the correct solution through a step-by-step procedure, best aided task performance for children with relatively lower flexibility scores. This finding was supported by previously conducted research amongst children with autism spectrum disorder, who, it is argued, experience more difficulties in their flexibility skills (e.g. Shu et al. 2001; Nelson 1976). They often show a rigidity towards routines, problems in the ability to shift to a different thought or action, and problematic behaviours in response to failure or novel tasks (Corbett et al. 2009; Mueller et al. 2007). In addition, previous research on the effect of verbal strategy instruction in executive functioning tasks, amongst which a task of cognitive flexibility, revealed that the application of verbal strategies had an enhancing or facilitating effect on cognitive flexibility performance (e.g. Cragg and Nation 2009; Fatzer and Roebers 2012; Kray et al. 2008). These findings appear to support the outcomes of our study. During the training procedure, the children were explicitly primed to verbalise their solution strategies. In line with these previous studies, it seems likely that our verbal strategy instructions supported children's cognitive flexibility and, as a result, facilitated their inductive reasoning processes during the training phase.
A point for discussion concerns the finding that children's performance on the verbal fluency task was not significantly related to static inductive reasoning performance or to the number of prompts required during training. We expected the number of switches—the index for cognitive flexibility derived from the verbal fluency test—to be related to children's static inductive reasoning performance because cognitive switching has been argued to reflect the ability to efficiently switch attention—a relatively effortful process—between different task demands, and to adequately employ (newly acquired) different problem-solving strategies (e.g. Hurks 2012; Troyer 2000; Troyer et al. 1997). One explanation for this non-significant result might concern the validity of the verbal fluency task. Although widely used in the assessment of executive functioning, not much is known about its predictive validity, especially not for the relatively new measures derived from this instrument such as number of switches or number of clusters.
An alternative, or additional explanation, might be found in the suggestion that cognitive flexibility reflects a multi-faceted construct that includes the ability to shift between sets, maintain set, divide attention, learn from previously made mistakes, and show knowledge transfer (e.g. Anderson 2002; Crone et al. 2004b; Diamond 2013). Supported by the finding that M-WCST performance was related to static inductive reasoning performance, we might argue that cognitive switching as measured by the VF task did not sufficiently reflect the flexibility skills that were demanded during the static test of series completion performance.
In addition, it appeared that VF task performance was not related to children's instructional needs during training, whereas M-WCST performance was found to significantly predict both the number of and types of prompts required during training. A plausible explanation might be that children's ability to utilise prompts given during training—a core component of cognitive flexibility—is a rather important part of the M-WCST as children are explicitly informed about a change in categories. It seems plausible that children's ability to respond to the switch cue of the M-WCST—i.e. whether or not they were able to switch between sets after they were told that the sorting rules had changed—related to their ability to directly apply new strategies learned from the prompts given during the training phase of the dynamic test. However, the VF was considered a non-cued task (Crone et al. 2004a, 2004b)—children were not told to switch between clusters—which might offer an explanation for why this flexibility task reflected different components of flexibility than those needed during training.
Although the literature supports the assessment of flexibility through card sorting tests and verbal fluency tests (e.g. Diamond 2013; Miyake et al. 2000; Troyer 2000), we would suggest to include a more differentiated pallet of cognitive flexibility in future research, because cognitive flexibility is often argued to consist of multi sub-processes (e.g. Anderson 2002; Ionescu 2012), such as a non-verbal Stroop test (e.g. Diamond and Taylor 1996).
Additionally, the series completion measures we used to obtain information about the potential for learning were dynamic, whereas the measures of cognitive flexibility were not. It appears that supporting children's cognitive flexibility during dynamic testing can be important in facilitating the potential for learning. However, a more valid understanding of this supportive relationship might be improved in future studies by applying dynamic versions of measures of cognitive flexibility.
Finally, it is suggested that a more explicit assessment of cognitive flexibility in dynamic testing procedures might increase the predictive validity of dynamic test results for the planning of successful learning at school. Including in the training phase feedback and prompts that explicitly target cognitive flexibility will hopefully optimise children's potential for learning under dynamic testing conditions.
Nevertheless, less perseverative behaviour on the M-WCST was found, although only modestly, to be related to better static inductive reasoning performance and fewer prompts required during training, and weaker performance as measured by the M-WCST or the VF task predicted the need for more low-level prompts. In addition, the graduated prompts training attenuated the effect of cognitive flexibility performance, thereby increasing children's learning opportunities.
The practical implications of this study for the field of educational psychology suggest that cognitive flexibility represents a cognitive skill with links to young children's potential for learning. This result has important implications for teaching and instruction. In the classroom, children frequently rely on their cognitive flexibility to perform a range of activities. Weaker flexibility skills lead to failures in simple tasks that require switching between different task demands or strategies (e.g. switching between 'minus' and 'plus' sums) or between different classroom and learning activities (e.g. switching between math and spelling activities) (for a review, see Diamond 2013). Because learning is a process that builds gradually over time, any weakness in learning that results from poor cognitive flexibility skills may negatively affect subsequent learning successes. Supporting cognitive flexibility skills relies on an early detection of weaknesses or deficits, and on an effective intervention by the teacher or other educational professional. The finding that children with weaker cognitive flexibility skills have different instructional needs, and that some of them seem to benefit more from low-level step-by-step instruction, contributes to our understanding of effective teaching methods that might facilitate the unfolding of young children's potential for learning. Additionally, the fact that children were asked to verbalise their problem-solving strategies during the training phase of the dynamic test could have had an enhancing effect on children's dynamic test performance. We, however, did not further analyse this, but in future will analyse whether explicitly prompting the children to verbalise their problem-solving strategies would support executive functioning and, as a result, enhance measures of the potential for learning.
More importantly, the results underline the importance of dynamic testing for children who seem to be hindered by their difficulties in switching between different task or cognitive demands, in learning from feedback or previously made mistakes. Dynamic testing with a graduated prompts procedure appears to support at least some of these children in taking a step towards showing their actual potential for learning. Dynamic testing, moreover, seems to be less biased towards children with executive functioning deficits than more traditional instruments. Therefore, the present study reminds us that it is important to consider testing children dynamically rather than statically, especially when difficulties with their executive functions are expected.
Compliance with ethical standards
Written informed consent was obtained from all parents and schools. All procedures, including the informed consent and the recruitment of participants, were reviewed and approved by the institutional Committee Ethics in Psychology (CEP).
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Unmasking Hidden Facial Messages
Unmasking Hidden Facial Messages
Imagine the advantage of being able to read the hidden emotions on the face of others. What if you had the tools to dramatically improve your ability to assess the credibility of others. Irvine Nugent & Associates is excited to offer a new one-day workshop based on the scientific research of Dr. Paul Ekman. Unmasking Hidden Facial Messages promises to take your leadership to the next level by expanding your emotional and nonverbal intelligence. Stand out with your ability to connect, influence and assess credibility in any situation.
Program Highlights
- Understand how and why emotions occur.
- Recognize and identify the seven universal emotions.
- Detect when emotions are hidden on the face to give you a distinct leadership advantage in negotiations, meetings, sales, hiring, and employee satisfaction.
- Separate the myths from the science in truth/lie detection
- Improve your ability to discriminate truth from lies
- Learn some of the science behind the TV hit show "Lie to Me".
- Practice these skills in a safe and fun environment with a Paul Ekman approved associate.
This highly interactive workshop does not assume previous knowledge. During the session, attendees will test their ability to read hidden emotions using a special tool developed by Dr. Paul Ekman. Video clips and live scenarios will also be used to practice your new skills. Learn from cutting-edge scientific research which is available only from Paul Ekman approved associates and has been condensed into this half or one-day workshop.
Unmasking Hidden Facial Messages will help:
- Executives who are seeking to have the edge in the boardroom, negotiations and high-stake interviews.
- Emerging leaders who want to stand out by being able to read people and assess the creditability of others.
- Sales professionals who want to read and assess their clients.
- Human resource and hiring managers who want to assess the credibility of potential hires and existing employees.
About Irvine Nugent, Ph.D.
Dr. Irvine Nugent is the first authorized Paul Ekman International associate in the United States. He specializes in helping leaders expand their emotional and nonverbal intelligence, so they are better able to make deeper connections, influence and assess credibility.
About Paul Ekman, Ph.D.
Dr. Paul Ekman, has devoted his career, spanning over 40 years, to a deeper understanding of human emotions and deception detection. He pioneering scientific research is at the core of our understanding of emotional intelligence and credibility assessment. This same science was used on the hit TV series 'Lie to Me' for which Dr. Ekman served as a scientific advisor. The contents of this course draws entirely from his science-based research, unlike other courses in this area which include unproven theories and myths.
Don't Do It Yourself!
We have all heard the expression, "if you want something done right, then do it yourself." We all know people who follow this mantra and are tireless workers. They get things done and they get it done right. These are the people who stand out and often are marked for promotion. However, therein lies the problem because the skills that a manager or supervisor needs are very different.
When a staff member gets promoted and becomes a supervisor the transition period is critical. They need to press the reset bottom and be prepared to learn a whole new set of skills. The danger is that they will fall into their default mode of "doing" it themselves. Unfortunately "doers" seldom make good supervisors.
A supervisor leads a team and the team will perform at its best if each member is reaching their potential. That entails an investment of time with each of the team that at first might be considered a waste of time by the new supervisor. Rather than a waste of time if structured properly this can be one of the most important things that a supervisor "does".
There are three essential steps in becoming a good supervisor.
1. Plan
If adequate time is spend on planning then a supervisor and their team can act proactively rather than react to situations as they arise. When a supervisors is reacting then its more likely they will fall into the temptation to do the job themselves. Good planning enables a team to look at the week, month, quarter or year ahead and highlight important tasks and events.
2. Set Goals
Setting goals are vital because they define priorities and expectations. Good planning highlights significant upcoming events and goal setting orders them and assigns a team member to achieve them. Goal setting should be a collaborative process with each team member giving input on how best to use each person. If goals are self identified rather than imposed the team member is going to take much more ownership for their achievement.
3. Assess Performance
The third step is timely and ongoing feedback. An effective supervisor is willing to invest time coaching and mentoring team members. They should know how each team member is performing and act proactively if there are performance issues.
Of course each of these steps can be unpacked further but they are essential to becoming highly effective supervisor. Good management stresses the importance of adequate training for new supervisors. It's a good investment whose return will be seen many times over.
Use Your Senses
I read an article in the London Times a few days ago that referenced a recent report, which found that professionals are suffering from "burnout" at an alarming scale. The primary cause was increased workplace stress and its impact.
Benjamin Franklin once famously said that the only two things that were certain in life were death and taxes. Workplace stress should be added to his list. The impact of stress is felt physically, emotionally and mentally and seriously impacts our workplace performance. It's vital therefore that we learn how to address our levels of stress and learn practical methods to help us reduce it.
As I reflect on how I deal with work stress I am drawn to a lesson I was taught in grade school that has impacted me through the years. I was in fourth grade and one day when we entered the classroom the teacher had set up five different areas. She told us that we were going to spend the day exploring our senses. The first area had jars with different scents, some were sweet and pleasant and others were pungent. The second station had pictures of nature and we were asked to focus on all the details of the picture. The third station had five boxes and we were invited to put our hand thought a hole in the box and feel what was inside. At the fourth station we were blind folded and asked to taste three different things and guess what it was. Finally there was a tape recorder and headphones. It played five different sounds that we had to guess.
I learned that day that my dominant sense was sound. It was an important lesson as I use that sense often to help reduce my level of stress. When I feel my tell tale signs of stress, increased heart beat, tense muscles and a growing agitation, I turn to sound to help me refocus and reduce my level of stress. For me it's a small table fountain. I turn it on and concentrate on the gentle sound for a few minutes. I shut everything else out and I find it calms me down and helps me refocus. At other times I turn on some gentle music, which has the same impact.
For others a different sense may work. I have a friend who when stressed goes to a window and focuses all her attention on a tree. She looks at how it's shaped and the number of branches and leaves. It might sound strange but it works for her and helps in reducing the immediate feeling of stress. There are endless possibilities, smelling a favorite sent or candle or squeezing a ball. All it takes is a little experimentation and find what works for you.
Stress is a killer and unaddressed it can consume us. Maybe its time we all spent a little more time and explore our senses so we have another weapon in dealing with stress.
Are you expecting a burglar?
The story is told of a couple sleeping soundly one night when suddenly they were awakened by some strange sounds from the downstairs. The wife insisted that her husband go downstairs to check things out. The husband arose and went downstairs reluctantly, armed with a putter, grumbling all the way. To his surprise he found a burglar in the dining room busy emptying the drawer with all the silverware. "Stay right where you are," he said to the burglar. "I want to run upstairs to get my wife. She's been expecting you for the last thirty years!"
If we are honest many of us are just like the wife in this story, we are expecting buglers in our professional and personal lives all the time. Psychologist Albert Ellis coined the term "awfulizing" to express the reality that at times we can get caught up in exaggerating a feared outcome or seeing minor setbacks as catastrophes. He notes that a possible outcome is the creation of a chain of negative thoughts, feelings and actions.
How often has something happened to us and we have created our own story around it which raises our stress and anxiety level but which is simply not based in reality. Perhaps we are giving a presentation at work and one of the attendees is yawning and fidgeting. We interpret it personally as reflecting that we are boring and not connecting with our colleagues. That's only the beginning. From there we begin to make judgments about our ability to competently give a presentation and if we cannot do that what hope is there for a promotion. Before long we have 'awfulized" a situation without even considering the possibility that our colleague was up all night with a sick child and they are just exhausted and need some sleep.
When we are on edge expecting the burglar we are not living in the present. Our energy is poured into a future event of our own creation or is dwelling on a past event we cannot change. It is in the present that we find our most creative and productive selves. The next time we find ourselves expecting a burglar just BREATHE. Acknowledge that we are dreaming up a scenario that is robbing us of being our best and return to the present.


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Sun-dried cherries and Snowcones
Sometimes you just don't have time to make it yourself.
This month: summer fruit favorites
As soon as the sun starts shining, my son sets in motion his campaign for snow cones.
Truth be told, he's never had an actual snow cone ~ the kind with sugared, flavored syrup poured over a conical block of shaved ice. Yet he has been to a Portlandia party or two where the shave ice device was used with the option of a homemade honey lemon syrup.
And from there a thirst for the refreshing and icy sweet treat was born.
This past week, with my niece visiting for a week of what we call 'Camp Auntie', I've been trying my hand (and my blending devices) at a variety of snow cone options.
First I took the tea lemonade popsicles I had made from the freezer, unleashed them from their holders and chopped them carefully before placing the frozen chunks in the Vitamix ~ blending, tamping, blending, tamping until we had some semblance of shaved ice.
But the best results came from the Four Season's Gourmet Food Blueberry Syrup I found, and poured over ice cubes I had pulsed, repeatedly, in the food processor.
I can think of a million and one things to do with that syrup! How about you?
But truth be told, I'm not a snow cone fan like my boy. My candy land came yesterday, on a lastpit stop (pun intended), to a an organic U-Pick Cherry Farm in the Hood River Fruit Loop, after a windy hike and organic blueberry picking during our Camp Auntie afternoon.
Yes, I'll admit that I love my cherries. But there weren't many plump bulbs left hanging from the trees at this point in the season. Instead what we found were little dried nuggets, dangling from stems, naturally dehydrated by the sun.
What was initially disappointment turned to sheer glee as we sampled the flavors of these sun wrinkled gems. Wow! Nothing short of candy land.
Savoring the flavors of the season and releasing to the purity of its offerings for healing at the core are one of the simple pleasures of life. Enjoy every nutrient-dense sun-sweet morsel.
And be sure to check out the opportunity to experience more seasonal remedy, refreshment and recipes in the TrulyFood Cleanse of the season, Refresh: A TrulyFood Summer Cleanse, where the summer's medicinals are in full bloom.
Refresh: A TrulyFood Summer Cleanse
Are you thirsting for your summer recharge?
August 5th – August 11th
Let us guide you through a TrulyFood refreshing and healing summer cleanse with over 40 delicious recipes and full-on cleansing support!
"Live" (online teleseminar) on Saturday August 3rd
mark your calendar and reserve your refreshment now!
click here to learn more!


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Category uncategorized:
The Long Pause
posted November 4, 2014
Posted by Thomas Riggs in uncategorized
In 2009 and 2010 TRC wrote about four posts a week. We talked about the publishing industry, literature, social media, virtual offices, book design, translations, and even French pop songs. The blog revealed our interests at the time. Although we stopped blogging, we kept the posts on our site. They continued to express our outlook on the changing world of publishing.
Now THAT Is What I Call a Book Trailer
posted August 16, 2010
Posted by Mariko Fujinaka in Bookselling authors books marketing publishing social media uncategorized
I have to confess that I have not really understood the point of book trailers. It seems counterintuitive to market a book with a video, but perhaps I just need to rewire my brain. Well, if more book trailers were like the one above for Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story, then I would completely be on board. It's clever! Funny! Heart warming! Of course, not all authors are connected enough to have celebrity authors and famous actors appear in their book trailers, but I think there's a lesson in the trailer nonetheless: it's okay to have some fun.
Gone 2 Paris–for the Shakespeare and Company Literary Festival
posted June 16, 2010
Posted by Erin Brown in Bookselling events literary awards uncategorized world literature
This weekend (June 18-20) in Paris, the much-venerated Shakespeare and Company bookstore is holding its fourth literary festival. Inaugurated in 2003, the festival has since settled into a biannual schedule, running in 2006, 2008, and now 2010. Each festival has centered on a different theme, including "Lost, Beat & New: Three Generations of Writers in Paris"; "Travel in Words: Celebrating Travel Literature"; and "Real Lives: Exploring Memoir and Biography."
This year's theme is "Storytelling & Politics"—appropriate, given that Shakespeare and Company founder George Whitman (now in his nineties) has always seen his bookstore as a political vehicle, even describing it as "a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore." Check out this video to get a sense of the unique literary atmosphere he created.
French Pop Song of the Week: "Mystery Train," La Féline
posted May 18, 2010
Posted by Thomas Riggs in music translation uncategorized world literature
According to its MySpace page, La Féline is "a trio that likes pop, epic folk, beauty, strangeness, instrumental music, and B movies" ("un trio qui aime la pop, le folk épique, le beau, le bizarre, la musique instrumentale et les séries B"). But I prefer this description that lead singer Agnès Gayraud gave in an English-language interview.
We're three people. A dark-haired girl, Agnès. who sings and plays guitar, gently leading the band, a grey-haired boy, Xavier, who plays keyboards, and a brown-haired boy, Stéphane, playing drums. We all live in Paris. We're all looking for something—without knowing exactly what. We only agree on the fact we're looking for it.
La Féline's music is sometimes in French, sometimes in English. This song is in both, creating a Franco-American mélange in which French pop tradition wanders freely in the folksy, Wild West.
Below are the lyrics and a translation of the French.
HibOO d'Live : La Féline "Mystery Train" from Le-HibOO.com on Vimeo.
Spreading the Translated Word: JLPP
posted May 14, 2010
Posted by Mariko Fujinaka in books marketing publishing technology translation trends uncategorized world literature
I just learned about this really interesting project, the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP), that promotes Japanese literature to a number of foreign countries. Sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, JLPP has been around since 2002 and has so far been behind the publication of 34 Japanese titles translated into English. JLPP selects about 10 books per year, and the titles are translated into several languages, including English, French, German, and Russian. It then promotes the translated works to publishers, and following publication, JLPP buys a good number of the translated titles and distributes them to libraries. What a good way to increase access to translated works!


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The Police are looking for the man shown in the image below to assist with investigations into a case of Criminal Misappropriation of Property which occurred at Blk 457 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, on 25 June 2017.
Anyone with information is requested to call the Police Hotline at 1800-2550000 or submit information online via i-Witness at http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Source: Singapore Police Force


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CINCINNATI--Wondering if a hearing aid would be right for you? Or perhaps you already use a hearing aid, but would like to take advantage of advances in technology over the past few years.
If so, you could benefit from an informational seminar on hearing loss and hearing aids Thursday, Sept. 18, at University Pointe in West Chester.
The event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and includes lunch, is free and open to the public. It will include a presentation lasting about 30 minutes, plus a question-and-answer session, says Stephanie Lockhart, MA, director of audiology in the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Otolaryngology�Head and Neck Surgery. Lockhart and audiologist Keryn Maionchi, AuD, will lead the discussion.�There are two groups of people who could benefit from this,� says Lockhart. �The first is people considering hearing aids for the first time. But people who already have hearing aids could benefit too, because we�ll also be talking about what�s new in hearing aid technology.
�The hearing aids that are coming out now are quite different from the ones that were around even five years ago,� Lockhart adds. �So if people want to learn about technology advancements, we�ll talk about that as well.�
For example, if you�ve avoided hearing aids because of the way they look, this might be a good time to reconsider, Lockhart says.
�We know that much younger people have hearing loss than ever before,� she says. �We�re starting to see patients in their 40s and 50s, and they want something that�s cosmetically appealing.
�The hearing aid companies have been able to miniaturize a lot of the technology, so we�re seeing a lot more interesting, small hearing aids that work really well.�
Also, Lockhart says, hearing aids are doing a better job of differentiating between speech and background noise.
�Most hearing aids are digital, so as the sound is coming into the hearing aid it�s analyzed so the device can figure out what is speech and what is noise and treat those things differently,� she says.
�It still doesn�t exist that a hearing aid can always tell speech from noise and just amplify the speech. But we can make hearing aids a lot more comfortable in ambient noise than before.
�Also, a lot of advances have been made with directional microphones in hearing aids, meaning that as you focus on the person in front of you in a restaurant, for example, you won�t hear as much from the people behind you.�
In addition to the Sept. 18 seminar, free demonstrations of new hearing aid technology will be held Oct. 3 at the Medical Arts Building in Corryville (all day) and University Pointe in West Chester (morning only) as part of National Hearing Aid Awareness Week Sept. 28�Oct. 4. This event is geared toward people who already have hearing aids or know that they need them.
�Hearing aids on average last five to seven years, or at least that�s when people tend to replace them,� Lockhart says. �So in that time, the product cycles have turned over a couple of times�there have been a lot of improvements in those years.�
Additionally, people who bring their existing hearing aids to the Oct. 3 event can have them cleaned and checked at no charge.
Reservations are required for the Sept. 18 Lunch & Learn Seminar at University Pointe. Call Angie Keith at (513) 475-7366 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. For the Oct. 3 Hearing Aid Demo Day, reserved free consultations can be made by calling Jen Ujvary at (513) 475-8453 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Recently Coldplay have been using wristbands which are controlled through radio signals as part of their show at arena gigs, shown below in use at Wembley during the X Factor final and in the video, an audience member at the Glasgow concert demonstrates how the audience experience is enhanced by the bands which create a sense of togetherness and interaction with the show.
An interesting and novel way of creating participation and a communal feel for audience members. This technology could be pushed further to react with all notes and beats automatically, or through tracking of position and different colours implanted within the lights could be used to display images when filmed from above.


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School food service is no longer identified by square pepperoni and olive colored green beans; farm to school and scratch made dishes are making their way to the serving line. However, today's students are still closely tied to chicken nuggets and chocolate milk. To Taste feels a responsibility to help broaden the taste buds of tomorrow. With over fifteen years of combined school food service experience, To Taste can offer recipe development, student led taste tests or even culinary boot camps. We promise to make your district the most talked about while staying in compliance with USDA.
Working with two professionals who make nutrition fun and yummy is such a treat. They both have made our culinary trainings for school nutrition staff throughout ESC Region 12 not only informative but entertaining and inspiring. We can't wait to have them back for another event very soon!


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Ricky McCormick's encrypted notes are two hand-written documents found in the pockets of murder victim Ricky McCormick when his body was discovered in a field in St. Charles County, Missouri, on June 30, 1999. Attempts by the FBI's Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU) and the American Cryptogram Association failed to decipher the meanings of those two coded notes, which are listed as one of the CRRU's top unsolved cases. On March 29, 2011, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation issued an appeal for help from the public in obtaining the meaning of the messages. A few days later, they updated their website to note the "outpouring of responses", and established a separate page where the public can offer comments and theories.
More information on the Wikipedia page [1]


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You have no items in your shopping cart.
This merchandiser is specifically designed to promote your brand, increase recognition, and encourage customers to look at the bright, eye-catching display. It's perfect for candy, beverages, and snacks as well as branded toys and other special items. This merchandiser features four 21.5" wide by 16 deep shelves that can be arranged at the appropriate height for the items you're displaying, thanks to the accessory holes spaced 2" apart on the upright tubes. It includes a sign header that measures 9.06" high and 21.85" wide and two 11.73" wide by 62.8" high side panes to display your merchandise to full advantage. This merchandiser measures 20" deep by 75" high, including the sign header, by 24" wide.


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Students in the MS in Biotechnology program must complete the Biotechnology Capstone Internship course (BIOT-502, 4 credits) as part of the degree requirement. This is the capstone course in which students work to pursue defined objectives at companies in the biotechnology industry, at government agencies or at institutions in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Internship projects can be in basic research, business operations, industrial and biomedical sciences, law or finance.
General Information
Who is eligible to enroll in the Biotechnology Capstone Internship course?
Students in the MS in Biotechnology program are eligible to enroll in the course (BIOT-502) after they have completed 15 credits and maintained a 3.0 grade point average.
Do I need to find an internship for myself?
- The course director meets with all students to learn more about their background and goals in order to help find the internship that will best meet their professional needs.
- Students are encouraged to network to find internships on their own and are also provided leads from the course director.
Does the Biotechnology program offer interview or resume prep?
- Support in updating resume/CV, writing cover letters, and practicing for interviews are provided by the Biomedical Graduate Education Office of Career & Professional Development.
How does scheduling for internships work?
- Generally, the schedule for most second semester students are such that they will be able to spend two full days at the internship site. A half day may be done remotely subject to the mentor's approval.
Are internships paid?
Internships are unpaid and last 13-14 weeks at 20 hours per week. Students receive 4 credits and provide deliverables which are used to arrive at final grades.
How will students be evaluated in the Biotechnology Capstone Internship course?
- Students must submit a) objectives form b) midterm progress report and timesheet c) abstract d) poster e) final paper f) final timesheet, and g) mentor's evaluation.
- Students must present the project in a judged poster presentation format.
- The final grade depends on the mentor's evaluation, timely submission of all items due and the quality of the paper and poster presentation.
Available Internships
We have affiliations with several national agencies and laboratories, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many biotechnology companies in the area participate in mentoring our students. See samples of posters.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Summer Internship Opportunity
Summer internships are available at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA.


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Whose side are you on? That seems to have been mighty important in all the wrangling over who'll be the next president. It's taking quite a while to figure out who that will be, but it's the work of a moment to see there are serious problems in our politics. The sense of legitimacy that serves to unite Americans of differing views just isn't there.
A big part of the reason is that partisanship is playing a large and corrosive role from administrative officials to court justices. How many Republicans feel comfortable about the election boards in overwhelmingly Democratic Florida counties making decisions about the intent of voters ala dimpled or pregnant chads? And who can blame Democrats for suspecting that the Republican Secretary of State might perceive her discretion through a partisan lens?
For years Americans have supported term limits feeling that over time career politicians tend to put their political party and their personal careers ahead of their public duties. Madison, chief architect of the Constitution, warned against factions, his term for groups that pursue their special interests at the expense of the common interest.
Rep. Steve Largent of Oklahoma is an NFL Hall-of-Famer who has term-limited himself in Congress. He says, ". . . I wasn't elected to represent just the Republican or Democratic teams . . . the team that we're all on is the American team." Let's end the partisan stranglehold on our government.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.


text: We gather for worship every Sunday at 8:15a and 10:45a. Every worship includes preaching, Holy Communion, prayers, Scripture, and singing. The first and third Sunday of the month at 10:45a the music is lead by our Revive Praise Band. Every 8:15a worship and the rest of the 10:45a worship services use the organ and piano. While a staffed nursery is available for children up to five years old, we encourage you to bring your children - no matter what the age - to worship. It is important for families to worship together!


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As it turned out, there is more to Bali for me than just the beach. First, is the Amorsolo (Philippine National Artist) painting in its museum. It is the first time I saw one of his works in my life and it is an impressive piece. I wonder where to find his collections in the Philippines.
In the museum, there is also an exhibit of what looks like the Balinese version of our 'Manananggal', a mythical Vampire-like creature capable of separating its torso and flying. It preys on unborn fetuses of pregnant women. In the old days, miscarriages are sometimes blamed on 'Manananggals.' The weakness of these creatures is said to be in the lower torso left somewhere while they hunt for food. To kill these creatures, salt should be sprinkled in the lower torso. It is interesting to know that although we're separated by oceans and have different religions, histories and language we actually have more in common with our Asian neighbours than we think.


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The Taipei Representative Office in the UK has now made the same mistake twice by issuing documents to Andrew Wang (
Tien and Chien are senior political officials, and both have served as foreign minister. They both heard President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) express his determination to get to the bottom of Yin's murder and the frigate scandal, even if it rocked the nation. As part of the government's leadership, Tien and Chien should have exerted their greatest effort to prevent this latest incident from happening. Sadly, the major criminal suspect, Andrew Wang, has twice escaped through the loopholes of Taiwan's diplomatic system. In the face of this incident over document verification, Tien and Chien can only accept the blame, without having the opportunity to provide any explanation.
Chang Chia-hua (張家華) -- the official in the UK office who issued the documents to Wang -- has already made the same administrative mistake twice. This not only shows her lack of vigilance, but also demonstrates the flaws in the document verification system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its offices abroad. However, although Premier Yu Shyi-kun and the public severely condemned this mistake, ministry officials -- and Chang herself -- seemed to believe that the mistakes were insignificant. They claimed they did not violate any laws, and that it was merely an administrative flaw, since the UK office failed to immediately report Yeh's application to the ministry. These administrative officials also blamed Yu and his Cabinet for making a fuss over a trifling matter and criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for passing the buck to others.
Whether these officials have violated the law will be decided later in the investigation by our judicial agencies. What we are concerned about now is their attitude. In any efficient and successful private enterprise, employees are dismissed if they break the law. Even if they only break internal regulations, they face serious punishment. Surprisingly, these government officials did not view their administrative mistakes seriously, and did not mind damaging the government's image and reputation. They did not even admit their mistakes. This is why the ministry should be criticized as muddleheaded and careless, and why it is unable to deal with today's rapidly-changing international situation.
On Sunday night, when Tien arrived in Taipei, he made a five-point statement, asking the ministry to "act according to the law and guarantee individual rights" by giving officials involved in the case a chance to present their side of the story. Tien emphasized that representative offices, in conducting their consular duties, must follow instructions from their superiors. In saying this, Tien is underlining the fact that the representative office may not be solely to blame for the mistake over document verification. The ministry may be an accomplice in the case.


text: P a g e | 44 Methodological Report In 2015, the UIS Survey Research Office (SRO) became a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinions Research's Transparency Initiative (TI). By joining the TI, the SRO is supporting broader and more effective disclosure of research methods by all organizations. The Transparency Initiative provides formal public recognition by AAPOR of an organization's voluntary commitment to abide by the disclosure standards in the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices, while benefiting the public by providing more information with which to evaluate the quality of individual surveys. As part of SRO's continued investment in this initiative, it has committed to providing a detailed methodological report of all of its survey projects. For more information on the TI, please visit http://www.aapor.org/AAPORKentico/Trans parency-Initiative.aspx. Transparency Initiative Methodological Report The 2015 Sangamon County Citizen Survey is sponsored by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, United Way of Central Illinois, and the University of Illinois Springfield's Center for State Policy and Leadership. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Springfield's Survey Research Office. A steering committee assisted with questionnaire development (listed on the following page). The topline report includes actual question wording and frequencies for each answer category as well as all open-ended responses. Sample and Methodology The survey is representative of Sangamon County, Illinois and the data was weighted for probability sampling and to match the most recent population estimates as provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Both of these weighting procedures are done in order for the survey to be demographically representative of the County. The results include 576 completed telephone interviews (32% completed by landline numbers and 68% completed by cell phones) of Sangamon County residents. The overall response rate for the survey is 13.2%, the cooperation rate is 23.2%, and the margin of error is +/- 4.08 percentage points. Telephone interviews began on April 15, 2015 and concluded on May 18, 2015. Interviews were conducted between the hours of 9am and 9pm, Monday through Friday, and 1-5pm on Sunday. All respondents were contacted at least once with the average number of attempted phone calls of 4. The maximum number of attempts for a respondent is 10 attempts. For more information on this study, please contact SRO Director, Dr. Ashley Kirzinger at email@example.com, or 217-206-6591.


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The Bone Marrow (Stem Cell) Transplantation Center of Anadolu Medical Center features a Bone Marrow Outpatient Clinic, Bone Marrow Inpatient Clinic, HLA Typing Laboratory, Hemapheresis Laboratory, Cryopreservation and Stem Cell Processing Laboratory
Once you enter the room, your nurse and patient floor consultant will tell you about the room and the objects in the room, and demonstrate how the objects are used.
Please try not to keep any food in the room for infectious control and safety purposes. You can use the fridge for your drinks.
We pay attention to your opinions, suggestions and comments to improve the quality of service you receive at our hospital.