Phthalates, chemicals found in a variety of consumer goods and personal care products, may adversely affect fetal neurodevelopment. Women are exposed to a mixture of phthalates during pregnancy because of the common presence of these chemicals in consumer goods. The aim of this study is to investigate potential associations between phthalate exposure during the first trimester of gestation and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores of 3-year old children.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar la relación que existe entre los episodios de Flow y las habilidades psicológicas para el rendimiento en un grupo de 156 nadadores de competencia con edades comprendidas entre los 10 y 29 años. Para este propósito se utilizó la escala de Flow (García-Calvo, Jiménez, Santos-Rosa y Cervelló 2008) y el Inventario de Ejecución Deportiva (IPED) traducida al castellano por Raimundi, Reigal y Hernández (2016). Los resultados muestran una correlación positiva (Rho= .41, p< .01) entre la actitud hacia las capacidades de la escala de Flow y los pensamientos positivos del IPED; y entre las sensaciones durante la competencia de la escala de Flow y los pensamientos negativos. Así mismo, una correlación positiva (Rho= .31, p < .01) entre pensamientos positivos y negativos del IPED, y actitud hacia las capacidades y sensaciones durante la competencia. / The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between the episodes of Flow and the psychological skills for performance in a group of 156 competitive swimmers aged between 10 and 29 years. The Flow scale (García-Calvo, Jiménez, Santos-Rosa y Cervelló 2008) and the Sports Execution Inventory (IPED) translated into Spanish by Raimundi, Reigal y Hernández (2016) was used for this purpose. The results show a positive correlation (Rho= .41, p < .01) between the attitude towards the capacities of the Flow scale and the positive thoughts of the IPED, and between the sensations during the Flow scale competition and the negative thoughts. Likewise, a positive correlation (Rho= .31, p < .01) between positive and negative thoughts of the IPED, and attitude towards abilities and feelings during the competition. / Tesis

TITLE: Effect of lenght of stretching on the strength and flexibility of kickboxers AUTHOR: Bc. Alexandra Nižníková DEPARTMENT: Department of physical education SUPERVISOR: Mgr. Lucie Kainová ABSTRACT: The main aim of the diploma thesis was to examine the effect of lenght of stretching on strength ability, and flexibility of kickboxers. The research lasted 12 weeks and was conducted in two research groups. People in the 19-40 age range did kick-boxing three times a week. The experimental group consisted of 25 kick-boxers who did 15 minutes stretching before and 30 minutes stretching after the training. The control group also consisted of 25 kick-boxers, but they did stretching only for 5 minutes before and after the training. In the research we used our own stretching program, that was applied before and after the training. Based on the results, we noticed an improvement in the experimental group in all tests. The control group showed an improvement in strength tests, but on the contrary, we noticed a deterioration in the flexibility tests. KEYWORDS: Stretching, kickbox, flexibility, strength ability

The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between the amount of time children spend in the block center and their spatial skills, as well as the gender differences in the amount of time children spend in the block center and in their spatial skills. In addition, other factors influencing spatial skills were examined (e.g. child’s age, parents’ level of education). Using a correlational quantitative design, 75 preschoolers in eight Head Start classrooms were observed three times during their free play time. An existing instrument was used (TOSA: Verdine & Golinkoff, 2018) to measure children’s spatial skills. In addition, children’s parents reported the amount of time children played with spatial toys at home. Boys spent more time playing in block center than girls, however, there was no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ spatial skills. Children who spent more time in the block center scored higher in the spatial test, and a trend emerged suggesting time in the block area might benefit girls more than boys. Child’s age and parents’ level of education were predictors of spatial skills, but they did not moderate the relationship between spatial skills and the amount of time children spent in block center. The findings highlight the potential of playing with blocks in developing and improving spatial skills. Teachers and administrators should provide more opportunities for children to improve their spatial skills, especially children who are from low SES families. This study had some limitations such as the small sample size and the limited observation time. There is a need for more investigations and experiment to find strategies to engage children in spatial play and support the improvement of their spatial skills.

This study investigated the functional significance of cerebral asymmetries. Width measurements of the human brain were derived from computerized tomographic (CT) films and related to intellectual variables as determined by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (WAIS-R). Subjects were adults of both sexes who had been referred for neurologic examination and were diagnosed as having no abnormalities (N=28). Reasons for referral included headache, dizziness, or to rule out central nervous system damage following various types of trauma. The asymmetry of hemispheric widths (left minus right) in the frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital areas was correlated with Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ scores within subjects. The difference between verbal and performance IQ scores was used because it reflected an IQ imbalance (IQ-I). Correlations obtained were -.30, -.26, and .06 (respectively). None of these correlations were significant by means of a two-tailed test. There were relationships between particular width asymmetries and individual subtest scores (p≤.05). The Verbal 1 (V1) subtest (Information) was correlated -.50, -.39 and -.47 with brain width asymmetries at 25%, 33% and 50% of the AP distance respectively. V1 correlated .39 with width asymmetry at 80%. Verbal 3 (Vocabulary), verbal 4 (Arithmetic) and verbal 5 (Comprehension) correlated .53 .38, and .39 with width asymmetry at 60% of the AP distance. Performance 1 (Picture Completion) correlated .46 with the width asymmetry at 20% of the AP length. In summary, there does appear to be some specific correlation between individual variation in brain asymmetry and cognitive processing. Relative size of the area of the brain that is involved in a key aspect of a particular cognitive processing may be a factor in the effectiveness of that processing. Further research appears warranted to confirm and clarify a possible relation between anatomical asymmetry and patterns of intellectual ability.

The disproportionate number of American Indian students receiving special education services indicates an ongoing need for research leading to improved assessment and placement practices with this population. Standardized tests are most often used to screen and select students for special education services. However, not all intelligence tests have been normed for use with all populations, especially where minority groups have been concerned. While the merits of traditional intelligence tests must not be discounted, the emergence of new tests and assessment measures is encouraging, particularly for the assessment of American Indian students. A natural next step is to consider a traditional measure of intelligence, a more "culture fair" measure of intelligence, and behavioral indicators in the assessment of children to determine their utility with minority, in this case American Indian students. Thus, the present study investigated the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition and the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-Third Edition as measures of intelligence for American Indian children receiving special education services, gifted and talented services, and those attending regular education classes. The current study also examined whether two psychosocial variables, academic achievement and behavioral incidents, were predictive of group membership. The sample for this study consisted of 90 American Indian children from the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in northeastern South Dakota. The results indicated that there were differences in how American Indian students performed on the various measures of intelligence. Youths in the special education group tended to have more severe behavioral incidents than the other two groups. Youths in the gifted group were more likely to have exceptional achievement than individuals in the other two groups. Examining the means on the six measures of intelligence for the three groups indicated that gifted students had the highest scores, followed by regular education students, and then special education students. Academic achievement and behavioral incidents differentiated between the three groups in the expected manner. Therefore, teachers and administrators should be mindful of the fact that the three groups of students do not differ solely in terms of intelligence.

Play is necessary for the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of all children. Although playgrounds are designed to support the play of children, children with disabilities are often unable to fully participate in play on playgrounds. As a result, children with disabilities experience fewer opportunities to participate in play, and hence have fewer developmental opportunities. Because of the lack of awareness of evidence-based practices supporting the play of children with disabilities, playground designers continue to perpetuate this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the evidence-based practices for inclusive playground design that support peer interaction between children of all abilities, and to demonstrate how they can be implemented into a playground design. Through a systematic literature review and design implementation, 10 evidence-based practices of inclusive playground design were determined and then implemented into a playground design located on the Utah State University campus. The design for this inclusive playground was evaluated, analyzing the ease and difficulty of including each of the 10 practices of inclusive playground design. The results of this study provide designers with a concise list of 10 practices that, if implemented, should create an inclusive playground setting. These practices also have research-based evidence to support their effectiveness in facilitating peer interactions between children of all abilities. As our society strives to make various environments and built structures more inclusive, the results of this study provide a helpful resource to guide designers, administrators, businesses, city councils, and many more organizations in their work to create inclusive playgrounds.

The reading abilities of trade and industrial education students enrolled in the six trade and industrial education courses of automotive mechanics, building construction , drafting, electronics , machine shop, and welding in the six high school s of Granite School District were studied in relation to the rated readability of basic textbooks used in those courses . Additional relationships were studied between student reading abilities and intelligence, between course grades and intelligence, and between course grades and reading abilities. The mean reading ability of the 388 trade and industrial education students included in the study assessed by administering the California Reading Test for grades nine through 14 , was found to be 10.8 for the eleventh grade students, 11. l for the twelfth grade students, and 11.0 for all students included in the study . These abilities ranged from ~grade six to grade 15. Electronics students had the highest average reading ability measured at 12. 4, while the average welding student was reading at grade 10 . 3. Thece weJ' <= h4 . -J percent or 87 eleventh grade students reading below their assigned grade level and 60. 1 percent or 137 twelfth grade students reading below their assigned grade level. Little relationship was found between average student grades and their intelligence quotients, or between average student grades and reading level , while the correlation between Intelligence quotient and average reading ability was relatively high. The rated readability of basic textbooks used by the students in the six courses was obtained through the application of both the Dale -Chall, and the SMOG formulas. A significant difference was found between the average reading ability of students and the readability of the basic textbook they were using. Reading abilities of average students in automotive mechanics, electron ics, and welding courses were below the rated readability of the corresponding textbooks . Reading abilities of average students in building construction, draft ing, and machine shop courses were above the rated readability of each of the corresponding textbooks . The following conclusions were drawn from the data analyzed In the study: 1. The reading grade level of students in trade and industrial educ ation courses is more important as a factor in determining a suitable level of read ability for a basic textbook than the usual criterion of the assigned grade level of a course or a student's grade placement. 2. A basic textbook should have the capacity to interest the more able students as well as the slower readers . 3. More effort must be expended to help less able readers understand and relate the vocabulary of a technical type course . 4. Teachers should take into consideration the individual reading ability of students in planning their instruction rather than assume all students to be read ing at grade level. 5. Of the factors used in assessing the rated readability of textbooks, vocabulary was more important than sentence length. 6. None of the basic textbooks analyzed exhibited a progression of read ing difficulty from easy material at the beginning of the textbook to more difficult material towards the end of the textbook. 7. Although there was a wide variation in the mental abilities of students, generally students with high mental ability had a high reading ability. 8. The results of applying a one-way analysis of variance to student reading data from two of the courses , building construction and electronics , which were taught in a ll six high schools, indicated the reading grade level of students was not affected by the geographical area in which the student resided.

The purpose of this study was to compare language performance on three subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) of a Black population of children ages three years six months through six years in Portland, Oregon, with the standardizing population of the ITPA. These subtests are Auditory Reception, Grammatic Closure, and Verbal Expression. The null hypotheses tested were: There is no difference in scores on the Auditory Reception subtest of the ITPA between the standardizing test population and that of Black children ages three years six months through six years in Portland, Oregon. There is no difference in scores on the Grammatic Closure subtest of the ITPA between the standardizing test population and that of black children ages three years six months through six years in Portland, Oregon There is no difference in scores on the Verbal Expression subtest of the ITPA between the standardizing test population and that of Black children ages three years six months through six years in Portland, Oregon.

The rise of competitive e-sports and its increasing popularity with several million players worldwide across various games has sparked an interest in the cognitive abilities associated with it. This study aimed to investigate if there is a relationship between competitive play and an increase in cognitive ability, as measured by performance in cognitive tasks. The research question focuses on whether or not players who dedicate a significant amount of time playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) to compete on a higher level will perform better in cognitive tasks than non-competitive players. In this differential study with a between-group design, a total of 24 participants participated, with 12 in each group. Data for cognitive abilities were measured by performance across a battery of cognitive tests consisting of the Iowa Gambling Task, Inhibition of Return, Multitasking, and the Tower of Hanoi, with the latter acting as a control for general cognitive ability. All data were gathered online. Results show that competitive players performed significantly better in the multitasking task than their non-competitive counterparts. Furthermore, there seems to be no significant difference overall in general cognitive ability or for the other tasks. This finding suggests that the competitive environment of CSGO may be effective for increased performance in some cognitive tasks like multitasking. However, this might not be true regarding other cognitive abilities such as decision-making.