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The new contexts of literary education allow for the creation of digital reading and writing practices related to what specialised literature calls digital literature. Among these practices and with an eminently theoretical content and with an example of this content, in this paper, we want to focus our gaze on cyberpoetry, conceived as an exercise in literary creativity that firstly involves use of technology and specific software for the digital creation of poetic texts and, last but not least, knowledge and mastery of poetic language and the literary conventions linked thereto. From this point of view, in initial teacher training, we work with future teachers to create cyberpoems with a dual purpose: on the one hand, to reflect on what literary reading in digital format entails and to rehearse reading mediation processes that can be carried out with this type of literature, and, on the other, to begin in the digital creation of cyberpoems that, later, may be presented and worked in a real context of the school classroom. In this paper, we present digital practices of literary reading that have been created by student teachers in initial training. The creation of these practices has been carried out with the Genially tool. For data collection, the URL of each creation is accessed in order to analyse them. The analysis of the data follows the parameters of the qualitative methodology, specifically based on three categories of analysis for each digital creation: multimodality, hypertextuality and the interaction of each digital reading proposal. The conclusions of all this allow us to affirm that the creation of cyberpoems is an exercise in literary creativity that has to take into account the digital dimension of the literary text and its reading comprehension in a multimodal environment. Thus, the teacher in initial training carries out a digital literary mediation exercise, of a creative type, which he will later carry out in his pedagogical practice.

The process of convergence with the European Higher Education Area led to the publication of the White Paper of the title of the Degree in Psychology (ANECA, 2005) in which an extensive analysis was carried out of the situation of the university studies in psychology in Spain and guidelines were produced to adapt the degree to the European requirements. Ten years later, the present paper aims to analyze the implementation rate of the guidelines included in the White Paper, as well as to develop prognostic models based on the observed trends through time series analyses. The results show a constant and progressive increase of the training programs offered, the number of new faculties, and other closely associated indicators in relation to these growth indicators. Different explanations and reasons for these results are discussed. We also reflect on the impact on job insecurity amongst psychologists, high unemployment rates, and the negative consequences for a sustainable model of professional development.

New Ukrainian and world realities set new tasks for the higher educational establishments, which are related to the search for new, modern methods that allow to increase the effectiveness of training. Currently, topical are the issues of not only professional but also the personal development of the student forming the priority in the implementation of educational activities in universities, preparation for future professional activities, as well as for successful interaction in society. The concept of «individual social competence» is an important factor in creating a system of educational process which takes into account aspects of professional development, and at the same time the peculiarities of the formation of the student personality. The author analyses the concept of «competence», considers the key competences for lifelong learning, identified by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, including social competence, studies the scientific achievements of Ukrainian and foreign scientists, including G. Gedviliene, H. S. Han, K. M. Kemple, U.P. Kanning, M. Horenburg, G.W. Ladd, H. K. Ma, K. Monahan, M. Monnier, O.V. Varetska, N.I. Hlebova, D.V. Hubareva, O.I. Hura, M.O. Doktorovych, I.B. Zarubinska, O.O. Subina, V.M. Shakhrai. They explored different aspects of social competence of different age categories. The author concludes that, despite different interpretations, all scientists agree that social competence is an acquired skill, it can be formed and developed throughout life. It was also determined that the developed social competence determines the status of the individual in society, it affects the success in professional activities. The high level of social competence allows a person not only to be realized in professional activities, but also to influence the processes in society, which in turn determines its stability. The author’s definition of the concept of «individual social competence» is given in the paper; the author concludes that social competence is an integrated ability that contains other competencies: spiritual, civic, communicative, linguistic; the concept of social competence is closely related to professional competence, without the successful interaction of the individual with society it is impossible to acquire the skills and abilities inherent in a qualified specialist. Thus, an important task for modern higher education is the formation and development of social competence of students, which is the key to successful implementation of the future specialist in professional activities. The educational process should be aimed at forming a system of knowledge about interaction in society, understanding the system of social values, ability to cooperate in society, the ability to communicate constructively, because only a socially competent person can.

The article discusses the implementation of the "constructivist approach" in ESP teaching to university students. This approach creates opportunities for students to "construct" their own target language communication skills meant for use in their professional intercourse. The way of achieving such an effect can be seen in professionalizing ESP teaching and learning through modeling professional interaction in ESP classrooms. The learning activities that are suggested for implementing such modeled professional interaction are interactive ones in which students: 1) orally interact in English with each other on professional issues; 2) use outside sources of professional information in English and prepare different professionally-oriented written papers in English on the basis of the data obtained during their interaction with these professional information sources; and 3) do project work in English summarizing everything that they have learned both professionally and from the point of view of ESP acquisition. The article is illustrated with examples from ESP teaching to university students of psychology, as well as business and economics. The analyzed learning activities are interpreted as representing "experiential learning", which is considered to be the principal practical implementation of the constructivist approach in the ESP teaching/learning process.

Abstract. This article explains how papers should be structured to guide the preparation of papers to be submitted to Psychological Test Adaptation and Development. Each submission should adhere as strictly as possible to the following structure. If, for any reason, certain aspects cannot be provided, this should be explained and considered in the limitations and recommendations. The outline in Table 1 is followed by a detailed explanation for each section. Table 1Content required in papers given by section [Graphic: see text] [Table: see text]

The academic and administrative problems involved in the quest to integrate the language sciences are reviewed. It is claimed that the explanatory power of a truly interdisciplinary approach to language can only be achieved on a meta-paradigmatic level. This failure to consider the disparities in theoretical persuasions, it is noted, is a major factor in the demise of the task force approach to problem solving. Two meta-paradigmatic models are introduced and it is argued that the phenomenological approach to language research provides a basis for greater insights about the nature of language than the traditional positivistic model. What is significant about this investigation is that it not only advocates a more sophisticated analysis of the various schools of thought within the language sciences, but it also demonstrates the fact that discrepancies in language theory and practice can only come about if the various scholars of the language sciences are willing to make a concerted effort to transcend the traditional boundaries of their academic training by resolving language-related issues and sharing powerful insights within the broad dimension of interdisciplinary linguistics. (Author)

ObjectiveTo highlight the opportunities and challenges of developing and implementing performance outcome measures in rheumatology for accountability purposes.MethodsWe constructed a hypothetical performance outcome measure to demonstrate the benefits and challenges of designing quality measures that assess patient outcomes. We defined the data source, measure cohort, reporting period, period at risk, measure outcome, outcome attribution, risk adjustment, reliability and validity, and reporting approach. We discussed outcome measure challenges specific to rheumatology and to fields where patients have predominantly chronic, complex, ambulatory care-sensitive conditions.ResultsOur hypothetical outcome measure was a measure of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity intended for evaluating Accountable Care Organization performance. We summarized the components, benefits, challenges, and tradeoffs between feasibility and usability. We highlighted how different measure applications, such as for rapid cycle quality improvement efforts versus pay for performance programs, require different approaches to measure development and testing. We provided a summary table of key take-home points for clinicians and policymakers.ConclusionPerformance outcome measures are coming to rheumatology, and the most effective and meaningful measures can only be created through the close collaboration of patients, providers, measure developers, and policymakers. This study provides an overview of key issues and is intended to stimulate a productive dialogue between patients, practitioners, insurers, and government agencies regarding optimal performance outcome measure development.

A new Windows-based word processor for preparing journal articles and student papers is described. In addition to standard features found in word processors, the present word processor provides specific help in preparing manuscripts. Clicking on "Reference Help (APA Form)" in the "File" menu provides a detailed help system for entering the references in a journal article. Clicking on "Examples and Explanations of APA Form" provides a help system with examples of the various sections of a review article, journal article that has one experiment, or journal article that has two or more experiments. The word processor can automatically place the manuscript page header and page number at the top of each page using the form required by APA and Psychonomic Society journals. The "APA Form" submenu of the "Help" menu provides detailed information about how the word processor is optimized for preparing articles and papers.

Psychotherapy as it is implemented today, can be seen as the composition of unconnected groups of practitioners and scientists pursuing different theories. The idea of finding a common “umbrella” for all evidence-based treatments in the field of psychotherapy is gaining more interest. Based on this background, experts in clinical psychology from various backgrounds led a fundamental discussion about modern psychotherapy and its basic mechanisms. Process-Based Therapy (PBT) was presented by Stefan Hofmann as a possible novel approach to clinical research and practice. In this article we present the different perspectives of the four panelists on PBT and in how far the model builds a common ground for different treatment approaches. Learning mechanisms and the therapeutic alliance were almost unanimously considered as indispensable factors in a global model of psychotherapy. In conclusion, the panelists emphasized a much-needed focus on characteristics and competencies of therapists themselves e.g., in communication, listening and empathy. These core competencies should be trained and promoted independently of the therapeutic approach.

Abstract Background As yet, little is known about the effects of mental health stigma on sustainable employment. This is surprising, as mental health stigma is common, and because people with severe and common mental disorders are 7 and 3 times more likely to be unemployed, respectively, than people with no disorders. As the global lifetime prevalence of mental disorders is 29%, the high unemployment rates of people with these health problems constitute an important and urgent public health inequality problem that needs to be addressed. Main text The aim of this position paper is to illustrate the assumption that stigma contributes to the unemployment of people with mental illness and mental health issues with evidence from recent scientific studies on four problem areas, and to provide directions for future research. These four problem areas indicate that: (1) employers and line managers hold negative attitudes towards people with mental illness or mental health issues, which decreases the chances of people with these health problems being hired or supported; (2) both the disclosure and non-disclosure of mental illness or mental health issues can lead to job loss; (3) anticipated discrimination, self-stigma and the ‘Why Try’ effect can lead to insufficient motivation and effort to keep or find employment and can result in unemployment; and (4) stigma is a barrier to seeking healthcare, which can lead to untreated and worsened health conditions and subsequently to adverse occupational outcomes (e.g. sick leave, job loss). Conclusions The paper concludes that stigma in the work context is a considerable and complex problem, and that there is an important knowledge gap especially regarding the long-term effects of stigma on unemployment. To prevent and decrease adverse occupational outcomes in people with mental illness or mental health issues there is an urgent need for high quality and longitudinal research on stigma related consequences for employment. In addition, more validated measures specifically for the employment setting, as well as destigmatizing intervention studies are needed.

The long-term consequences of exposure to excess stress, particularly during sensitive developmental windows, on the initiation and progression of many complex, common physical and mental disorders that confer a major global burden of disease are well established. The period of intrauterine life represents among the most sensitive of these windows, at which time the effects of stress may be transmitted inter-generationally from a mother to her as-yet-unborn child. As explicated by the concept of fetal or developmental programming of health and disease susceptibility, a growing body of evidence supports the notion that health and disease susceptibility is determined by the dynamic interplay between genetic makeup and environment, particularly during intrauterine and early postnatal life. Except in extreme cases, an adverse intrauterine exposure may not, per se, 'cause' disease, but, instead, may determine propensity for disease(s) in later life (by shaping phenotypic responsivity to endogenous and exogenous disease-related risk conditions). Accumulating evidence suggests that maternal psychological and social stress during pregnancy represents one such condition that may adversely affect the developing child, with important implications for a diverse range of physical and mental health outcomes. In this paper we review primarily our own contributions to the field of maternal stress during pregnancy and child mental and physical health-related outcomes. We present findings on stress-related maternal-placental-fetal endocrine and immune/inflammatory processes that may mediate the effects of various adverse conditions during pregnancy on the developing human embryo and fetus. We enunciate conceptual and methodological issues related to the assessment of stress during pregnancy and discuss potential mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of the effects of stress. Lastly, we describe on-going research and some future directions of our program.

The purpose of this series of studies is to test a paper-and-pencil procedure adapted from a computerized Implicit Association Test: the SC-IAT-P (Personalized Single Category Implicit Association Test, Bardin, et al. 2014). This adaptation combines the advantages of SC-IAT (Karpinski & Steinman, 2006), IAT-P (Olson & Fazio, 2004) and paper-and-pencil IAT (Lemm, Lane, Sattler, Khan & Nosek, 2008). It is capable of measuring implicit attitude toward a single object, limits the influence of extrapersonal associations, and is unquestionably easy to administer. The tool was used in three studies with two different goals. Study 1 highlights a link between paper-and-pencil SC-IAT-P and a computerized corollary in the field of tobacco-smoking. Study 2 reveals the ability of the tool to distinguish smokers from non-smokers according to their score and smokers who have already considered quitting from those who have never considered it. Finally, Study 3, carried out between the two rounds of the French presidential elections in 2012, highlights the difference of attitude between supporters on the Left and Right but also an effect of indecision. The discussion deals with the prospects offered by this tool and its limitations. Résumé: Cette série d’études teste une adaptation en procédure papier crayon d’un test d’association implicite informatisé : le SC-IAT-P (Single Category Implicit Association Test Personalized, Bardin, Perrissol, Py, Launay, & Escoubès, 2014). Cette adaptation allie les avantages du SC-IAT (Karpinski & Steinman, 2006) de l’IAT-P (Olson & Fazio, 2004) et de l’IAT format papier crayon (Lemm, Lane, Sattler, Khan, & Nosek, 2008). Il mesure l’attitude implicite envers un unique objet, limite la contamination de la mesure par des associations extra-personnelles et son administration est d’une facilité indéniable. L’outil a été mis en oeuvre dans trois études portant sur deux objets. L’étude 1 permet de mettre en évidence un lien entre le SC-IAT-P papier crayon et son corollaire informatisé dans le domaine du tabac. L’étude 2 révèle la capacité de l’outil à discriminer les fumeurs des non-fumeurs en fonction de leur score au SC-IAT-P papier crayon mais également les fumeurs qui ont déjà envisagé d’arrêter de fumer de ceux qui n’ont jamais envisagé. Enfin, l’étude 3, réalisée pendant l’entre deux tours des élections présidentielles françaises de 2012, met en évidence une différence d’attitude entre les sympathisants de gauche et de droite mais également un effet de l’indécision. La discussion porte notamment sur les perspectives offertes par cet outil et ses limites.

The IPD-Work (individual-participant data meta-analysis of working populations) Consortium has published several papers on job strain (the combination of low job control and high job demands) based on Karasek's demand-control model (1) and health-related outcomes including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, obesity, diabetes as well as health-related behaviors, utilizing meta-analyses of a pooled database of study participants from 17 European cohorts. An IPD approach has some advantages over typical meta-analyses, eg, having access to all the data for each individual allows for additional analyses, compared to typical meta-analyses. However, such an approach, like other meta-analyses, is not free from errors and biases (2-6) when it is not conducted appropriately. In our review of the IPD-Work Consortium's (hereafter called the Consortium) publications of the last two years, we have identified and pointed out several conceptual and methodological errors, as well as unsubstantiated conclusions and inappropriate recommendations for worksite public health policies (6-15). However, the Consortium has not yet appropriately addressed many of the issues we have raised. Also several major errors and biases underlying the Consortium IPD meta-analysis publications have not been presented in a comprehensive way, nor have they been discussed widely among work stress researchers. We are concerned that the same errors and biases could be repeated in future IPD Consortium meta-analysis publications as well as by other researchers who are interested in meta-analyses on work stressors and health outcomes. It is possible that the inappropriate interpretations in the Consortium publications, which remained uncorrected to date, may have a negative impact on the international efforts of the work stress research community to improve the health of working populations. Recently, Dr. Töres Theorell, a principal investigator of the Consortium, responded in this journal (16) to some of our criticisms on the Consortium papers (17, 18). The purpose of this article is to discuss the methodological and substantive issues that remain to be resolved and how they could be addressed in future analyses. We provide recommendations for future IPD or typical meta-analyses on work stressors and health outcomes. Finally, we discuss the inappropriate conclusions and recommendations in the Consortium publications and provide alternative recommendations, including a comprehensive perspective on worksite intervention studies.

The present study was conducted to examine the usefulness of peer feedback on APA-style research papers in a writing-intensive class. Subsequent to APA training, students were asked to review and provide feedback on a classmate's APA-style research report for both content and formatting. Performance on this research report was then compared to performance on a previous semester's written assignment, where the instructor provided feedback rather than peers. No statistical differences were found in the grades of the two sets of assignments, suggesting that feedback from trained peers could be as valuable as instructor feedback. Students were pleased with the peer feedback process as it not only gave them a chance to demonstrate competency in their newly acquired writing skills, but also provided an opportunity to receive insightful feedback from their peers.

Abstract Early intervention is important to minimize persistent difficulties in language and its related domains in preschool children with or at-risk of language impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of shared story reading program on the development of language skills of preschool children of low socioeconomic status. This study adopted a quasi- experimental research design with pretest-posttest-follow-up and a control group. From two preschool centers in Ahmadabad Mostofi town during a multi-level screening process, 30 children whose language test scores were below the standard deviation (70-85) were selected, being diagnosed for language problems. They were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Subjects in the experimental group (n=15) were further divided into four smaller groups, received 30 shared story reading program intervention sessions, each session lasting 45 minutes three days a week. Data were collected through Test of Language Development and Narrative. Data analysis was performed by using the Repeated Measures MANOVA. The results indicated a significant effect (P=0/001) of the program on increase of semantic knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and language development in general, and improvement of narrative writing in the experimental group. Post-test and follow-up differential scores also approved the effectiveness of the shared story reading program. Accordingly, the shared story reading program is recommended as a preventive program, potentially bridging the word gap for at-risk children.

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is an ongoing, longitudinal, multicenter study designed to develop clinical, imaging, genetic, and biochemical biomarkers for the early detection and tracking of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The initial study, ADNI-1, enrolled 400 subjects with early mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 200 with early AD, and 200 cognitively normal elderly controls. ADNI-1 was extended by a 2-year Grand Opportunities grant in 2009 and by a competitive renewal, ADNI-2, which enrolled an additional 550 participants and will run until 2015. This article reviews all papers published since the inception of the initiative and summarizes the results to the end of 2013. The major accomplishments of ADNI have been as follows: (1) the development of standardized methods for clinical tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in a multicenter setting; (2) elucidation of the patterns and rates of change of imaging and CSF biomarker measurements in control subjects, MCI patients, and AD patients. CSF biomarkers are largely consistent with disease trajectories predicted by β-amyloid cascade (Hardy, J Alzheimer's Dis 2006;9(Suppl 3):151-3) and tau-mediated neurodegeneration hypotheses for AD, whereas brain atrophy and hypometabolism levels show predicted patterns but exhibit differing rates of change depending on region and disease severity; (3) the assessment of alternative methods of diagnostic categorization. Currently, the best classifiers select and combine optimum features from multiple modalities, including MRI, [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, amyloid PET, CSF biomarkers, and clinical tests; (4) the development of blood biomarkers for AD as potentially noninvasive and low-cost alternatives to CSF biomarkers for AD diagnosis and the assessment of α-syn as an additional biomarker; (5) the development of methods for the early detection of AD. CSF biomarkers, β-amyloid 42 and tau, as well as amyloid PET may reflect the earliest steps in AD pathology in mildly symptomatic or even nonsymptomatic subjects and are leading candidates for the detection of AD in its preclinical stages; (6) the improvement of clinical trial efficiency through the identification of subjects most likely to undergo imminent future clinical decline and the use of more sensitive outcome measures to reduce sample sizes. Multimodal methods incorporating APOE status and longitudinal MRI proved most highly predictive of future decline. Refinements of clinical tests used as outcome measures such as clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes further reduced sample sizes; (7) the pioneering of genome-wide association studies that leverage quantitative imaging and biomarker phenotypes, including longitudinal data, to confirm recently identified loci, CR1, CLU, and PICALM and to identify novel AD risk loci; (8) worldwide impact through the establishment of ADNI-like programs in Japan, Australia, Argentina, Taiwan, China, Korea, Europe, and Italy; (9) understanding the biology and pathobiology of normal aging, MCI, and AD through integration of ADNI biomarker and clinical data to stimulate research that will resolve controversies about competing hypotheses on the etiopathogenesis of AD, thereby advancing efforts to find disease-modifying drugs for AD; and (10) the establishment of infrastructure to allow sharing of all raw and processed data without embargo to interested scientific investigators throughout the world.

When academics’ opinions, which are published in academic journals as letters to the editor or commentaries, are retracted based on sensitivities and objections that are raised for example on social media, there needs to be a reflection on what this might represent. On one hand, an opinion is precisely that, i.e., a subjective and biased view about an issue. Those views might even be radical, unpopular, or insensitive, but ultimately approved by editors for publication nonetheless. To maintain a truly sustainable scholarly discourse, the best academic way to counter such opinions is by allowing disagreeing voices to express themselves, also as letters to the editor or commentaries. Pressure-induced retractions of opinions not only stifle academic debate, they send the message that opinions need to be moderated and standardized to meet a publishing market that is being increasingly driven by legal parameters, political correctness, as well as business and commercial values rather than academic ones. In an environment of restrictive academic freedom, what emerges is an academia in which the way things are said, tone, and the sensitivity of those that might be affected are given greater weight than the message itself. By cherry-picking parts of the message that detractors or critics might disagree with, the original message may be drowned out by the noise of the objectors. The struggle of academics to liberally voice their opinions in the scholarly publishing realm, and to preserve those opinions, has never been more acute in this age of misinformation and radicalism fueled by polarized social and mass media. Is the politicization and/or commercialization of academia, alongside the retraction of opinions, stifling open and healthy academic debate, or expressing itself as the retraction of opinions, and does this represent a distinct form of “cancel culture” in academia and academic publishing?

This paper aims to describe the core components of a cross-disciplinary team science training offered in a Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) program delivered to 17 doctoral scholars in CSD, education, special education, psychology, and social work. The team science training model is offered as one approach to consider in preparing pre-service leaders and faculty in CSD to engage in scientific collaboration with other researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds. In addition to an overview of training, the paper includes preliminary data on participants' perceptions of team science training and recommendations for future offerings. [For corresponding grantee submission, see ED628524.]

Unique music therapy interventions are discussed from a clinical educational and research perspective, demonstrating a current position on music therapy for people living with dementia and their carers. The position paper, adapted from the keynote lecture given at the workshop “Music Selves and Societies” at Cambridge University in 2018, outlines current research and practice across music and music therapy fields, focussing upon embedding music in daily life and care for people living with dementia. Worldwide, around 50m people have dementia; this is estimated to increase to 75.6m in 2030 and 135.5m in 2050. This results in increased demand for long-term care and a need for heightened awareness and capacity for home care in local settings. Distinctions between interventions delivered by music therapists (direct music therapy) and interventions delivered by musicians or carers arising from training from music therapists (indirect music therapy) are discussed. Political and strategic developments for music and dementia are summarized, highlighting the need for increased training in the field and access to music at all stages of dementia. Case study examples are presented to highlight emerging practices and research; for example, couples attending music therapy groups in a rural community setting (Together in Sound) improved relationships and attitudes for people living with dementia. An international trial investigating reading and music interventions for people living with dementia and their homebased family carers (Homeside) is introduced, alongside practice and research in care homes where music therapy had been found to reduce agitation and improve carers’ well-being. Research shows music therapy interventions address personalized needs linked to daily lived experiences. However, indirect music therapy is needed to reach all who can benefit from music and are living with dementia. It is concluded that high quality, accessible music interventions should be embedded in care, and further research is needed to ascertain best practice.

Conjecture about the weak replicability in social sciences has made scholars eager to quantify the scale and scope of replication failure for a discipline. Yet small-scale manual replication methods alone are ill-suited to deal with this big data problem. Here, we conduct a discipline-wide replication census in science. Our sample (N= 14,126 papers) covers nearly all papers published in the six top-tier Psychology journals over the past 20 y. Using a validated machine learning model that estimates a paper's likelihood of replication, we found evidence that both supports and refutes speculations drawn from a relatively small sample of manual replications. First, we find that a single overall replication rate of Psychology poorly captures the varying degree of replicability among subfields. Second, we find that replication rates are strongly correlated with research methods in all subfields. Experiments replicate at a significantly lower rate than do non-experimental studies. Third, we find that authors' cumulative publication number and citation impact are positively related to the likelihood of replication, while other proxies of research quality and rigor, such as an author's university prestige and a paper's citations, are unrelated to replicability. Finally, contrary to the ideal that media attention should cover replicable research, we find that media attention is positively related to the likelihood of replication failure. Our assessments of the scale and scope of replicability are important next steps toward broadly resolving issues of replicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract concepts are relevant to a wide range of disciplines, including cognitive science, linguistics, psychology, cognitive, social, and affective neuroscience, and philosophy. This consensus paper synthesizes the work and views of researchers in the field, discussing current perspectives on theoretical and methodological issues, and recommendations for future research. In this paper, we urge researchers to go beyond the traditional abstract-concrete dichotomy and consider the multiple dimensions that characterize concepts (e.g., sensorimotor experience, social interaction, conceptual metaphor), as well as the mediating influence of linguistic and cultural context on conceptual representations. We also promote the use of interactive methods to investigate both the comprehension and production of abstract concepts, while also focusing on individual differences in conceptual representations. Overall, we argue that abstract concepts should be studied in a more nuanced way that takes into account their complexity and diversity, which should permit us a fuller, more holistic understanding of abstract cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the relation between generic competencies of students of Psychology and their academic performance and employability. A sample of 43 students of Psychology in a Spanish university was used to measure their generic competencies, academic performance and employability. Correlational and regression tests were conducted to evaluate the relation between the variables. The generic competence 'adhering to principles and values' is positively related to employability, while the competencies 'achieve results/client satisfaction' and 'socialise and create networks' are positively related to academic performance. No significant relationship was found between academic performance and employability. Generic competencies favour both academic performance and employability. The competencies which influence only one of these aspects are different. Our research offers insights to teacher learning communities to engage in a profound reflection on the inclusion of methodologies that facilitate the development of competencies related to academic performance and those most in demand in the labour market within the field of Psychology. Generic competencies are essential part of the education of students of Psychology. These competencies are institutionally developed with the aim of orienting the education of psychologists towards their future professional practice. It is essential to understand how the development of generic competencies may facilitate academic performance and employability of graduates in Psychology.

ObjectivesThis article presents an overview of the current literature on biological markers for alcoholism, including markers associated with the pharmacological effects of alcohol and markers related to the clinical course and treatment of alcohol-related problems. Many of these studies are well known, while other studies cited are new and still being evaluated.MethodsIn this paper we first describe known biomarkers of alcohol-related disorders, review their features and the problems involved in their use. We then consider future developments on biomarkers and their possible impact on the field.ResultsMore recent findings cited include the work on type 7 adenylcyclase (AC) polymorphism and its lower expression levels in female alcoholics. Neuroimaging studies involving biomarkers have also reported brain volume reductions of gray and white matter, including amygdala and subcortical regions in alcoholic patients, while a high association between the copy number variations (CNVs) in 6q14.1/5q13.2 and alcohol dependence has more recently been identified in genetic studies.ConclusionsIn addition to their possible importance for diagnosis, biomarkers may have utility for predicting prognosis, progression of the disorder, the development of new treatments, and monitoring treatment effects. Although such findings should be verified in independent studies, the search for new biomarkers is continuing. Several potential candidate biomarkers have been found recently in blood, imaging, and genetic studies with encouraging results.