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Bilingual children with a limited command of the second language (L2) often yield unsatisfactory results in L2-based non-word repetition tasks (NWRT) for the assessment of working memory. In this study, monolinguals (MO) and bilinguals (BI) of preschool age acquiring German were compared in regard to their performance on German-based NWRT to choose test items that do not put BI at a disadvantage. Four-year-old children (N = 876) were tested with the German language screenings "Sprachscreening für das Vorschulalter" (SSV) and "Kindersprachscreening" (KiSS), including 38 non-words. BI scored significantly lower in NWRT than MO due to a limited command of German as well as a limited language input (e.g., length of kindergarten attendance). After the statistical deletion of children who did not speak German age-appropriately, BI outperformed MO on the SSV, without significant differences on the KiSS. Performance on NWRT depended on the children's command of the German vocabulary and phonotactics. Several relatively "culture-fair" NWRT items were identified.

Non-word repetition tasks are widely used to assess phonological short-term memory (PSTM). Results of previous research on the performance of monolingual and bilingual children in PSTM tasks are inconclusive. Although in some studies bilinguals did outperform monolinguals in the repetition of non-words, most studies reported comparatively weak results of bilingual children, especially when they were tested in their L2. In this study, four-year-old monolingual and bilingual children acquiring German (N = 1,441) were tested with both German-based (GBNW) and quasi-universal non-words (QUNW). It was hypothesized that bilinguals would outperform monolinguals both in (a) GBNW under the condition of comparable German language skills and (b) QUNW without any preconditions because QUNW do not presuppose a good command of German. Bilinguals yielded significantly lower results in GBNW, but not in QUNW. After the exclusion of children with limited German language skills from both groups, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in both tasks, especially in QUNW. It can be assumed that bilingualism puts higher demands on PSTM than monolingualism and thus contributes to its faster development. Unnecessary medical examinations and therapies that are sometimes prescribed to bilinguals due to a poor performance in German-based PSTM tasks can be avoided if QUNW are used instead of language-specific items.

The institution of the family and its importance have recently received considerable attention from political theorists. Leading views maintain that the institution's justification is grounded, at least in part, in the non‐instrumental value of the parent–child relationship itself. Such views face the challenge of identifying a specific good in the parent–child relationship that can account for how adults acquire parental rights over a particular child – as opposed to general parental rights, which need not warrant a claim to parent one's biological progeny. I develop a view that meets this challenge. This Project View identifies the pursuit of a parental project as a distinctive non‐instrumentally valuable good that provides a justification for the family and whose pursuit is necessary and sufficient for the acquisition of parental rights. This view grounds moral parenthood in a normative relation as opposed to a biological one, supports polyadic forms of parenting, and provides plausible guidance in cases of assisted reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies on plural acquisition in German have relied on small samples and thus hardly deliver generalizable and differentiated results. Here, overgeneralizations of certain plural allomorphs and other tendencies in the acquisition of German plural markers are described on the basis of test data from 7,394 3- to 5-year-old monolingual German and bi/multilingual immigrant children tested with a modified, validated version of the Marburger Sprachscreening (MSS) language test and 476 children tested with the SETK 3-5 language test. Classified correct and wrong answers to MSS and SETK 3-5 plural items were compared. The acquisition patterns of immigrants corresponded to those of younger German children. Both monolingual German and immigrant children demonstrated generally the same universal frequency and phonetically/phonologically based error patterns, irrespective of their linguistic background, but with different tendencies such as overgeneralization of "-s" by German children only.

We argue for asymmetries between positive and negative partiality. Specifically, we defend four claims: i) there are forms of negative partiality that do not have positive counterparts; ii) the directionality of personal relationships has distinct effects on positive and negative partiality; iii) the extent of the interactions within a relationship affects positive and negative partiality differently; and iv) positive and negative partiality have different scope restrictions. We argue that these asymmetries point to a more fundamental moral principle, which we call Morality's Harmonious Propensity. According to this principle, morality has a propensity toward preserving positive relationships and dissolving negative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document titled "SEA-ICE PHYSICS" provides an overview of the objectives and findings of the ArcWatch-1 expedition, which aimed to study the physical properties and processes of sea ice and its snow cover in the central Arctic. The expedition collected data on sea ice mass balance, energy budgets, optical properties, and ice floe dynamics. Some objectives could not be fully achieved due to unexpected ice conditions. The document also includes information on ice conditions, characteristics of each ICE station, and the accuracy and performance of a new instrument used for measuring sea ice thickness. Remotely operated vehicle operations were conducted, and data on light transmittance, sea-ice draft mapping, and biophysical properties of sea ice were collected. The data will be archived and published according to international standards. The research is supported by the Helmholtz Research Programme. [Extracted from the article]