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The impact of a previously successful or unsuccessful experience on the subsequent acquisition of a related task is not well understood. The nature of past experience may have even greater impact in individuals with learning deficits, as their cognitive processes can be easily disrupted. Mice with a targeted disruption of the [alpha] and [delta] isoforms of the cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) gene (CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice) have a genetic vulnerability to impaired learning and memory that is highly influenced by experimental conditions. Thus, we studied the impact of prior successful and unsuccessful experiences on the degree to which CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice exhibit impaired spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze (MWM). In Experiment 1, we replicated the cognitive deficit of CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice when given two trials per day with a 1-min intertrial interval (MWM2), and labeled this experience as a "failure." We rescued the deficit using four trials per day with a 3- to 5-min intertrial interval (MWM4) and labeled this experience a "success." In Experiment 2, a new, naive set of wild-type (WT) and CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice were randomly assigned to one of two sequence protocols to assess the influence of a success or a failure on subsequent performance. In Group 1, mice were first exposed to the MWM4 condition, followed by the more difficult MWM2 task. As expected, CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice performed well in the MWM4; they also performed well during reversal testing (MWM4R) where the goal location is changed. With this initial successful learning experience, the CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice then performed as well as WT mice in the MWM2, the condition in which they are known to be impaired. In contrast, CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice in Group 2 had an unsuccessful experience when first exposed to the MWM2 condition, and then also showed impairment in the MWM4, the condition in which they would normally perform well. This deficit was amplified when CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice were then tested in the reversal test. Sex differences in learning among CREB[superscript [alpha][delta-]]-deficient mice were amplified upon exposure to an unsuccessful learning experience. These data indicate that, under conditions of cognitive impairment, past experience can--depending on its nature--significantly facilitate or hinder future performance. (Contains 5 figures.)

Holy matrimony, nuclear family, attending church, education and good manners are typical markers of respectability. These Victorian middle-class ideological values were transported to the British Caribbean region after emancipation of slavery by missionaries and priests aiming to “civilize” the ex-slaves. As social values they were often transformed or met in opposition with a more complex set of cultural and social values within Caribbean creole communities. Over time, however, some individuals adopted these Eurocentric values, thus prescribing to a form of racialized citizenship. Upon migration to Britain in the 1960s, some migrant mothers endeavoured to transmit these values among their children, in an effort to integrate and develop a sense of identity and belonging, but also as modes of resistance to experiences of racism and discrimination. This paper illustrates the tensions experienced by two migrant Caribbean mothers, and their concerns that the social values of respectability are being lost among their offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Working in groups is increasingly regarded as fruitful for the process of analyzing qualitative data. It has been reported to build research skills, make the analytic process visible, reduce inequalities and social distance particularly between researchers and participants, and broaden and intensify engagement with the material. This article contributes to the burgeoning literature on group qualitative data analysis by presenting a worked example of a group data analysis of a short extract from an interview on serial migration from the Caribbean to the UK. It describes the group's working practices and the different analytic resources drawn upon to conduct a narrative analysis. We demonstrate the ways in which an initial line-by-line analysis followed by analysis of larger extracts generated insights that would have been less available to individual researchers. Additionally, we discuss the positioning of group members in relation to the data and reflect on the porous boundary between primary and secondary analysis of qualitative data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language brokering is an activity whereby children interpret and translate for their migrant parents who have not yet learned the language of the new country. The majority of the studies have been conducted among children and adolescents, primarily exploring the psychological and emotional impact on the child and the development of the parent–child relationship resulting from the activity. These studies report mixed results ranging from negative to positive outcomes. Largely unexplored, however, is the practical contributions children make to their families and to their communities in their activities as language brokers. This article uses data from a UK Economic and Social Research Council Professorial Fellowship programme of work entitled ‘Transforming experiences: Re-conceptualising identities and “non-normative” childhoods’ to explore the retrospective childhood experiences of adults from migrant families who have grown up interpreting and translating for their parents in sometimes complex and sensitive situations where adults are usually in control. It examines some of the consequences of the activity in terms of the benefits and drawbacks. It also highlights how from both practical and cultural perspectives, child language and cultural brokering could be understood as one of the many ways that children of migrants contribute to the settlement and functioning of their families, and in the process, practice and learn about kinship care at an early age. Thus, although there may be some limitations to the activity, there are also significant benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]