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Pitt B, Carstensen A, Boni I, Piantadosi ST, Gibson E. Different reference frames on different axes: Space and language in indigenous Amazonians. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabp9814. [PMID: 36427312 PMCID: PMC9699666 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abp9814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Spatial cognition is central to human behavior, but the way people conceptualize space varies within and across groups for unknown reasons. Here, we found that adults from an indigenous Bolivian group used systematically different spatial reference frames on different axes, according to known differences in their discriminability: In both verbal and nonverbal tests, participants preferred allocentric (i.e., environment-based) space on the left-right axis, where spatial discriminations (like "b" versus "d") are notoriously difficult, but the same participants preferred egocentric (i.e., body-based) space on the front-back axis, where spatial discrimination is relatively easy. The results (i) establish a relationship between spontaneous spatial language and memory across axes within a single culture, (ii) challenge the claim that each language group has a predominant spatial reference frame at a given scale, and (iii) suggest that spatial thinking and language may both be shaped by spatial discrimination abilities, as they vary across cultures and contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Pitt
- Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Isabelle Boni
- Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Edward Gibson
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
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5
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Levin SC, Crandall RM, Pokoski T, Stein C, Knight TM. Phylogenetic and functional distinctiveness explain alien plant population responses to competition. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201070. [PMID: 32605513 PMCID: PMC7423470 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several invasion hypotheses predict a positive association between phylogenetic and functional distinctiveness of aliens and their performance, leading to the idea that distinct aliens compete less with their resident communities. However, synthetic pattern relationships between distinctiveness and alien performance and direct tests of competition as the driving mechanism have not been forthcoming. This is likely because different patterns are observed at different spatial grains, because functional trait and phylogenetic information are often incomplete, and because of the need for competition experiments that measure demographic responses across a variety of alien species that vary in their distinctiveness. We conduct a competitor removal experiment and parameterize matrix population and integral projection models for 14 alien plant species. More novel aliens compete less strongly with co-occurring species in their community, but these results dissipate at a larger spatial grain of investigation. Further, we find that functional traits used in conjunction with phylogeny improve our ability to explain competitive responses. Our investigation shows that competition is an important mechanism underlying the differential success of alien species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam C. Levin
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Geobotany, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Raelene M. Crandall
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Tyler Pokoski
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Claudia Stein
- Department of Biology, Washington University of St Louis Tyson Research Center, 6750 Tyson Valley Road, Eureka, MO 63025, USA
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Auburn University at Montgomery, PO Box 244023, Montgomery, AL 36124-4023, USA
| | - Tiffany M. Knight
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Geobotany, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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6
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Koopman SE, Arre AM, Piantadosi ST, Cantlon JF. One-to-one correspondence without language. R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:190495. [PMID: 31824689 PMCID: PMC6837223 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
A logical rule important in counting and representing exact number is one-to-one correspondence, the understanding that two sets are equal if each item in one set corresponds to exactly one item in the second set. The role of this rule in children's development of counting remains unclear, possibly due to individual differences in the development of language. We report that non-human primates, which do not have language, have at least a partial understanding of this principle. Baboons were given a quantity discrimination task where two caches were baited with different quantities of food. When the quantities were baited in a manner that highlighted the one-to-one relation between those quantities, baboons performed significantly better than when one-to-one correspondence cues were not provided. The implication is that one-to-one correspondence, which requires intuitions about equality and is a possible building block of counting, has a pre-linguistic origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Koopman
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Boulevard, Rochester, NY, USA
- Author for correspondence: Sarah E. Koopman e-mail:
| | | | - Steven T. Piantadosi
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Boulevard, Rochester, NY, USA
- Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jessica F. Cantlon
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Boulevard, Rochester, NY, USA
- Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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7
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Ryan SF, Adamson NL, Aktipis A, Andersen LK, Austin R, Barnes L, Beasley MR, Bedell KD, Briggs S, Chapman B, Cooper CB, Corn JO, Creamer NG, Delborne JA, Domenico P, Driscoll E, Goodwin J, Hjarding A, Hulbert JM, Isard S, Just MG, Kar Gupta K, López-Uribe MM, O'Sullivan J, Landis EA, Madden AA, McKenney EA, Nichols LM, Reading BJ, Russell S, Sengupta N, Shapiro LR, Shell LK, Sheard JK, Shoemaker DD, Sorger DM, Starling C, Thakur S, Vatsavai RR, Weinstein M, Winfrey P, Dunn RR. The role of citizen science in addressing grand challenges in food and agriculture research. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181977. [PMID: 30464064 PMCID: PMC6253361 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The power of citizen science to contribute to both science and society is gaining increased recognition, particularly in physics and biology. Although there is a long history of public engagement in agriculture and food science, the term 'citizen science' has rarely been applied to these efforts. Similarly, in the emerging field of citizen science, most new citizen science projects do not focus on food or agriculture. Here, we convened thought leaders from a broad range of fields related to citizen science, agriculture, and food science to highlight key opportunities for bridging these overlapping yet disconnected communities/fields and identify ways to leverage their respective strengths. Specifically, we show that (i) citizen science projects are addressing many grand challenges facing our food systems, as outlined by the United States National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as broader Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations Development Programme, (ii) there exist emerging opportunities and unique challenges for citizen science in agriculture/food research, and (iii) the greatest opportunities for the development of citizen science projects in agriculture and food science will be gained by using the existing infrastructure and tools of Extension programmes and through the engagement of urban communities. Further, we argue there is no better time to foster greater collaboration between these fields given the trend of shrinking Extension programmes, the increasing need to apply innovative solutions to address rising demands on agricultural systems, and the exponential growth of the field of citizen science.
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Affiliation(s)
- S F Ryan
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - N L Adamson
- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation/USDA NRCS ENTSC, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - A Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - L K Andersen
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - R Austin
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - L Barnes
- Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina, NC, USA
| | - M R Beasley
- Knightdale High School of Collaborative Design, Knightdale, NC, USA
| | - K D Bedell
- School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - S Briggs
- NC Plant Sciences Initiative, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - B Chapman
- Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - C B Cooper
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - J O Corn
- William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - N G Creamer
- Department of Horticultural Science, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - J A Delborne
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - P Domenico
- Curriculum Enhancement Programs at Wake County Public School System, Cary, NC, USA
| | - E Driscoll
- Department of Horticultural Science, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - J Goodwin
- Department of Communication, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - A Hjarding
- North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Charlotte, NC, USA
- The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - J M Hulbert
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - S Isard
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - M G Just
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - K Kar Gupta
- Biodiversity Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - M M López-Uribe
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - J O'Sullivan
- Center for Environmental Farming Systems, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - E A Landis
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - A A Madden
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - E A McKenney
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - L M Nichols
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - B J Reading
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - S Russell
- Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - N Sengupta
- Consultant - Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainable Development, Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - L R Shapiro
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - L K Shell
- Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - J K Sheard
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D D Shoemaker
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - D M Sorger
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - C Starling
- Heritage High School, Wake Forest, NC, USA
| | - S Thakur
- College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - R R Vatsavai
- Department of Computer Science, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - M Weinstein
- Evaluation and Accountability Coordinator Extension Administration, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - P Winfrey
- Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - R R Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State Extension, Raleigh, NC, USA
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8
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Dare EA, Ellis JA, Roehrig GH. Understanding science teachers' implementations of integrated STEM curricular units through a phenomenological multiple case study. Int J STEM Educ 2018; 5:4. [PMID: 30631694 PMCID: PMC6310395 DOI: 10.1186/s40594-018-0101-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current reforms in K-12 STEM education call for integration between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Such integration of STEM disciplines at the K-12 level offers students an opportunity to experience learning in real-world, multidisciplinary contexts; however, there is little reported research about teachers' experiences in engaging in integrated STEM instruction. The purpose of this phenomenological multiple case study is to understand nine science teachers' first-time experiences in implementing integrated STEM curricular units in their middle school physical science classrooms. This study draws upon both classroom implementation data and teacher reflective interviews to illustrate different degrees of integrated STEM instruction and to understand teachers' challenges and successes with these varying approaches. RESULTS Our results indicate three distinct cases of integration within our sample that represent low, medium, and high degrees of STEM integration throughout curriculum implementations. Interviews with teachers from each case revealed three themes that varied across teachers' experiences: the nature of integration, choosing between science and engineering, and student engagement and motivation. Teachers in all three cases were challenged to make explicit connections between science, engineering, and mathematics while simultaneously maintaining a motivating and engaging context for their students throughout their instruction. Further, it appears that the degree of STEM integration that occurs in instruction may be related to teachers' ability to make explicit connections between the disciplines. CONCLUSIONS The work presented here informs educational researchers, policy makers, and K-12 STEM educators that there are several challenges when it comes to implementing new STEM initiatives in K-12 education. Although this work is limited to middle school physical science teachers' experiences with first-time STEM instruction, many of the identified themes are not content-specific; therefore, this work may shed light on general struggles that are common to educators who are integrating across content disciplines for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A. Dare
- Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 USA
| | - Joshua A. Ellis
- Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 USA
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9
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Cannady MA, Moore D, Votruba-Drzal E, Greenwald E, Stites R, Schunn CD. How personal, behavioral, and environmental factors predict working in STEMM vs non-STEMM middle-skill careers. Int J STEM Educ 2017; 4:22. [PMID: 30631678 PMCID: PMC6310473 DOI: 10.1186/s40594-017-0079-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Much of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) education policy and research centers around developing the upper levels of the STEMM workforce sector. However, there are many positions in this workforce, "middle-skill careers," that are largely responsible for executing the innovations and are largely ignored in STEMM education research. RESULTS Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, we found differences in what predicts STEMM-related vs. non-STEMM careers across skill-level. For instance, underrepresented minorities and those exhibiting school transgressions are more likely to be working in middle-skill STEMM fields than in middle-skill non-STEMM fields as adults; the same is not true of the high-skill workforce. CONCLUSIONS One-size-fits-all policies for broadening participation in the STEMM workforce across skill-level are unlikely to be successful. Further, programs that are designed to generate wonder and fascination with STEMM content may be successful in attracting more girls. However, to promote greater participation of individuals from traditionally underrepresented ethnic minority groups in STEMM, programs that support choices toward higher educational attainment, specifically four-year college degree attainment, are more likely to be successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Cannady
- Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
| | - Debra Moore
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | | | - Eric Greenwald
- Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
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10
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Marušič F, Žaucer R, Plesničar V, Razboršek T, Sullivan J, Barner D. Does Grammatical Structure Accelerate Number Word Learning? Evidence from Learners of Dual and Non-Dual Dialects of Slovenian. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159208. [PMID: 27486802 PMCID: PMC4972304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
How does linguistic structure affect children’s acquisition of early number word meanings? Previous studies have tested this question by comparing how children learning languages with different grammatical representations of number learn the meanings of labels for small numbers, like 1, 2, and 3. For example, children who acquire a language with singular-plural marking, like English, are faster to learn the word for 1 than children learning a language that lacks the singular-plural distinction, perhaps because the word for 1 is always used in singular contexts, highlighting its meaning. These studies are problematic, however, because reported differences in number word learning may be due to unmeasured cross-cultural differences rather than specific linguistic differences. To address this problem, we investigated number word learning in four groups of children from a single culture who spoke different dialects of the same language that differed chiefly with respect to how they grammatically mark number. We found that learning a dialect which features “dual” morphology (marking of pairs) accelerated children’s acquisition of the number word two relative to learning a “non-dual” dialect of the same language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franc Marušič
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
| | - Rok Žaucer
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Vesna Plesničar
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Tina Razboršek
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Jessica Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, United States of America
| | - David Barner
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Linguistics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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