Using Hebb’s (1961) paradigm, it has been shown that older adults (OAs) fail to learn recurrent visuospatial supra-span sequence information (Turcotte, Gagnon, & Poirier, 2005); a deficit which has not been demonstrated on verbal versions of the same task or in younger adults (YAs). Since the Hebb paradigm is thought to rely on working memory and thus attention (Conway & Engle, 1996), one interpretation concerns an OA’s capacity to allocate the necessary attentional resources to carry out the various components of the task. Five studies investigated this proposal. The first three (Article 1) examined attention in a general manner by reducing the amount of attentional resources that a YA could devote to carrying out the visuospatial Hebb supra-span sequence learning task through the implementation of a verbal dual task (DT) procedure. The fourth (Article 2) further investigated the role of attention by using a DT induced at retrieval that overlapped extensively with the requirements (spatial and response features) of the visuospatial Hebb task. The final study (Article 3) aimed to use our previous findings to demonstrate learning among OAs in a visuospatial Hebb learning paradigm in which the motor response was replaced by a verbal response. Our findings confirm that attentional resources employed at the retrieval phase of the task appear to be particularly important for the demonstration of visuospatial sequence learning. The inclusion of a spatial and motor based DT at recall eliminated learning of the repeated sequence in YAs. Interestingly, the learning deficit of OAs was partially eliminated when the motor and spatial requirements at retrieval were reduced. Our findings offer strong support to the contention that supra-span learning of the Hebb type is not altered by the effect of age. However, learning deficits can be observed among OAs when the retrieval component of the task overly taxes attention-related processes. In the case of the visuospatial sequences, the basis of the deficit likely concerns an individual’s capacity to discriminate between responses made to previously presented sequences versus those that need to be made in reaction to the just seen sequence.

The phenomenon of age-disparate relationships between younger men and older women is relatively under- researched and therefore open to misunderstanding. The common assumption is that the younger men enter these relationships with a view to benefiting in terms of money or material goods. This qualitative study explored the experiences of five young men from around Pretoria who are in relationships with older women to understand their motivations for entering into those relationships and their experiences in the relationships. The in-depth interviews were thematically analysed and themes that emerged indicated that, unlike what has previously been found among young women who are in relationships with older men (namely that the young women are often coerced and therefore do not have much power in their relationships), the young men entered the relationships willingly and rely on cultural norms that allow them to navigate and negotiate their roles in the relationships. It is therefore recommended that age-disparate relationships not be discouraged; instead, interventions should focus on assisting young people develop agentic power in such relationships. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Name: Development and comparison of performance in athletic disciplines in certain classes at primary school Author: Karolína Procházková Department: Department of Physical Education Supervisor: PhDr. PaedDr. Ladislav Kašpar, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The master thesis is about development and comparison pupil's athletic performance from 1st, 2nd and 3rd class at primary school. Performance is compared according to the results of athletic disciplines - 50 meters run, long jump and throw. The thesis compares performance in classes, looking for differences between boys and girls. It also focuses on differences between classes and other improvements. KEYWORDS Younger school age, primary school, athletics, athletic performance, athletic disciplines

This Master's thesis is focused on concept of a succsessful pupil at a primary school at inclusive education from the point of view of a teacher. Thesis is devided on a theoretic and practical part. First part of the thesis involves theoretical basis for concept of a successful student. Qualitative research was utilized to answer the research questions through interviews with a small group of respondents who were teachers from elementary school and were divided into two groups by teaching experience. The research was supplemented with questions about my self-reflection of developments regarding the concept of a successful student. It was found out how primary school teachers perceive a successful student and how strong the influence of the school environment on this conception. Keywords younger school age pupil, teacher, school success, school failure, inclusive education, inclusion

De senaste 25 åren har synen på styrketräning för barn förändrats. På 80-talet ansågs styrketräning hos växande individer ha negativa effekter och inte vara lämpligt för barn då tillväxtzoner, muskler och skelett kan ta skada. Det ansågs även att styrketräning kan ge negativa effekter på hjärt- och kärlsystemets funktion samt påverka mognaden, tillväxten, rörligheten och den motoriska funktionen hos växande individer (Peterson & Eriksson, 1986). Ungefär 25 år senare ses styrketräning, som utförs på ett korrekt sätt, som en trygg och säker träningsform som inte medför några negativa effekter på barnets utveckling och hälsa. Det bör därför betraktas som en naturlig del i en allsidig och balanserad träning för barn (Tonkonogi, 2009). Frågan återstår om inställningen och kunskapen om styrketräning för barn har nått fram till föräldrar eller om de lever kvar i att styrketräning är skadligt för växande individer. Syfte Syftet med undersökningen är att undersöka föräldrars inställning och upplevda kunskap om styrketräning för barn i åldrarna 7-9 år. Övergripande metod Studien som har gjorts är en tvärsnittsstudie med en kvantitativ ansats. Urvalet var föräldrar till barn i åldrarna 7–9 år vilka nåddes via lågstadieskolor i mellansverige samt att en spridning av enkäten gjordes på sociala medier. Datainsamlingen skedde med hjälp av online-enkäter vilka skapades och samlades in i programmet Survey & Report och kunde därefter direkt överföras till analysprogrammet IBM SPSS Statistics Data Editor. Huvudresultat och slutsats Föräldrar har en relativt positiv inställning till styrketräning för barn men endast ett fåtal upplever att de har en god kunskap kring ämnet. Däremot visar resultatet att en god upplevd kunskap går hand i hand med en positiv inställning samt omvänt; vid en upplevd bristfällig kunskap uppvisas även en negativ inställning. Vidare anses även kunskapen i samhället vara bristfällig. / In the last 25 years, the view of strength training for children has changed. In the 80's, strength training in growing individuals was considered to have negative effects and not be suitable for children as growth zones, skeletal muscles and bones can be damaged. It was also considered that strength training can have negative effects and influence on the function of the cardiovascular system, maturity, growth, mobility and motor function (Peterson & Eriksson, 1986). Approximately 25 years later, strength training, when performed correctly, is seen as a safe and secure form of training that does not have any negative effects on the child's development and health. It should therefore be considered a natural part of a versatile and balanced exercise for children (Tonkonogi, 2009). The question remains whether this knowledge and attitude has reached parents or if they live in outdated knowledge that strength training is harmful to the growth of individuals. Aim The purpose of the survey is to find out parents' attitudes towards and perceived knowledge about strength training for children aged 7-9 years. Overall parts about method The study that has been done is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample was parents of children aged 7-9 years who were reached via primary schools in central Sweden and via dissemination on social media. The data collection was done with the help of online surveys which were created and collected in the program Survey & Report and could then be directly transferred to the analysis program IBM SPSS Statistics Data Editor. Main results and conclusion Parents have a relatively positive attitude towards strength training for children, but only a few feels that they have a good knowledge of the subject. The results also show that a good perceived knowledge goes hand in hand with a positive attitude and vice versa; in the event of a perceived lack of knowledge, a negative attitude is also shown. Furthermore, knowledge in society is considered to be deficient.

Sediments of Bohemian Forest lakes are important natural archives. Their sedimentary record covers postglacial history of the lakes as well as history of natural processes in a wider region. It also documents local settlements and changes in landscape management. The lake sediments have attracted the interest of the scientific community since the end of the 19th century. Despite of the fact that modern paleolimnological and paleoecological investigations were already performed in the second half of the 20th century in the Bohemian Forest Mts., the great potential of the lake sediments was not fully utilized in scientific research so far. The ultimate objective of this thesis is to deepen knowledge of these natural archives and support their utilization in future studies. Several specific objectives have been set to achieve the ultimate objective: i) to compare age of the Bohemian Forest lake sediments with the recent knowledge of local deglaciation at the end of the last ice age, ii) to integrate chronostratigraphic marker horizons as one of the tools of Late Glacial sediment dating, iii) to assess the role of bioerosion in chitinous subfossil freshwater invertebrate remains on the record representativeness, and iv) to prove the presumed dystrophic nature of the lakes during the Holocene using...

Vor nicht einmal vier Jahren schien der weltweite Konjunktureinbruch auch die Automobilindustrie in eine tiefe Krise zu stürzen. Die Zahl der verkauften Fahrzeuge ging v.a. in Europa und Nordamerika dramatisch zurück und eine Botschaft war in unterschiedlichen Variationen in der Presse und in Fachdiskussionen zu vernehmen: Junge Menschen verlieren die Lust am privaten Pkw. Gestern noch Status- und Freiheitssymbol, wird das Auto morgen nur noch reines Funktionsgut sein, so die oft formulierte These. Vor allem in Großstädten sei der junge Mensch heute pragmatischer unterwegs und sehe das Auto insgesamt differenzierter. Anekdotische Beweise und Gegenbeweise für diese These waren seitdem vielfach zu vernehmen. Eine tiefergehende wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Trends fehlt jedoch bisher. Dies verwundert, könnte doch gerade dieser Bewusstseinswandel in einer jungen Zielgruppe einen wichtigen Impuls für die Gestaltung eines nachhaltigeren Mobilitätssystems darstellen. Dieser Text liefert die Grundlage für eine notwendige wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit dem o.g. Trend zur pragmatischen Verkehrsmittelnutzung bei jungen Menschen. Ziel ist es, auf wichtige unbearbeitete Fragestellungen hinzuweisen und ein Überdenken bisheriger Kommunikationsstrategien anzuregen. Zunächst stehen zwei Fragen im Mittelpunkt. Zum einen, welchen Einfluss haben überhaupt Einstellungen und Werte auf das Mobilitätsverhalten junger Menschen? Die Bedeutung des Automobils mag schwinden, doch sind es nicht vielmehr strukturelle Zwänge, die eine Nutzung des Pkw begründen? Und zum anderen: Inwiefern wird das Mobilitätsverhalten in Kindheit und Jugend geprägt? Ist tatsächlich von einer „Erziehung zur Automobilität“ auszugehen oder spielt die Sozialisation im Mobilitätsbereich nur eine untergeordnete Rolle? An die Aufbereitung des Forschungsstandes schließt sich eine Zusammenstellung empirischer Hinweise für geänderte Mobilitätsmuster junger Menschen an. Auf Basis nationaler und internationaler Studien können mehrere Trends identifiziert werden: ein leichter Rückgang des Führerscheinbesitzes, eine Abnahme der Pkw-Verfügbarkeit, ein Rückgang der Pkw-Nutzung und ein Trend zur Multimodalität. Sie sind v.a. bei jungen Männern nachzuweisen. Die betrachteten Studien stützen sich überwiegend auf nationale Verkehrserhebungen, die nur wenige Indikatoren zur Verfügung stellen, mit denen Ursache-Wirkungs-Beziehungen analysiert werden können. Deshalb wurden auf Basis einer Literaturrecherche mögliche Ursachen veränderter Mobilitätsmuster junger Menschen bestimmt und in fünf Thesen zusammengefasst. Es wird beschrieben, dass sich Biographien in jungen Alterskohorten verändern. Weiterhin wird auf das Zusammenspiel von Mediennutzung und Mobilität eingegangen. Es werden Aspekte eines möglichen Wandels von Wertorientierungen dargestellt und auf stärker ökonomisch-strukturelle Ursachen eingegangen. Zu diesen Ursachen zählen Budgetumschichtungen und Änderungen im Verkehrssystem selbst, die eine multimodale Verkehrsmittelnutzung fördern. Trends und Ursachen werden in einer Bewertungsmatrix gegenübergestellt und hinsichtlich ihrer Wirkung beurteilt. / Not even four years ago, the global economic crisis seemed to toss also the automotive industry into a deep struggle. The number of distributed vehicles decreased especially in Europe and North America dramatically and the variously phrased message in media and scientific discussions was that young people lose interest in a privately owned vehicle. A status symbol and metaphor for freedom yesterday, tomorrow just a mean to an end is the often repeated assumption. Primarily in agglomerations, young people tend to be more and more pragmatic in their travel behaviour or might even show a reserved attitude towards cars. Anecdotal examples and contrary evidence for the assumption could be registered many times ever since. However, a deeper scientific debate regarding this matter is still missing. An irritating state, since an attitude change within a young target group could deliver an important impulse for the creation of a sustainable mobility system. This paper delivers the basis for a sound scientific discussion on the observed trend regarding a more pragmatic travel behaviour within younger age groups. It is the aim to point out important unaddressed research questions and to stimulate a reassessment of the current marketing strategies. Current studies are evaluated and empirical clues for changed travel behaviour of younger people are collectively displayed. The state of research for two main assumptions is reviewed. On the one hand, which impact do attitudes and values have on mobility of younger people? Maybe the importance of the car is diminishing, but are not structural constraints rather the reasons for a possible change of usage? On the other hand, how far is the individual travel behaviour influenced by childhood and coming of age? Is a “breeding toward a car society” existent or is the socialization just a minor aspect regarding mobility? The preparation of the state of research is followed by a collection of empirical clues for changed travel behaviour of young people. Five trends can be identified on the basis of German and also international studies regarding the mobility of young people: a slight decline in the ownership of driver licences, a decreased car ownership as well as a decreased car usage and a trend towards multi-modal travel patterns. Finally, the four trends can be primarily observed for young males. The studies regarded are mainly based on national travel surveys, which usually only include a limited number of indicators necessary for an assessment of cause and effect relations. Hence, possible causes were identified based on the literature research and aggregated into five theses. It is described, that biographies of younger age groups are changing. The usage of new communication technologies and its influence on mobility is mentioned. Aspects of a possible change in the value orientation are responded, too. Finally, economic and structural causes are analysed. Budget shifts and changes in the transportation system itself are examples of such causes, which may lead to a more multi-modal usage. Trends and theses are systematically assessed regarding the strength of influence.

The work aims to map the curriculum of nutrition and its anchoring in educational programs and through a questionnaire survey to find out whether the content of the curriculum is sufficiently developed for primary school teachers, i.e. whether it is effective in their practice. The theoretical part summarizes the information concerning the nutrition of children of younger school age, focusing mainly on the principles of proper nutrition, building healthy eating habits, which significantly contribute to their future health and may have a preventive character from development of diseases. One of the many possible ways of prevention is teaching nutrition in primary schools with the help of appropriate teaching methods, activities, and the use of nutritional lecture programs, which this work mentions. The practical part contains a questionnaire survey, in which it examines the relationship of teachers to the teaching of nutrition, focusing mainly on their views on the anchoring of the curriculum in educational programs. The resulting data are recorded in tables and graphs, which are accompanied by a commentary. Based on the results of the questionnaire survey, verified website was recommended, from which teachers can draw methodological material. These materials were the inspiration for the creation of...

The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of physical activity levels in younger and older school-age children. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to defining the concept of physical activity and other basic concepts related to it. It deals in more detail with the importance of physical activity for human health and proper development. It mentions the danger of physical inactivity and summarises the current valid knowledge regarding the recommended amount of physical activity. The theoretical part also contains the definition of the school-age period and characterises its specifics, regarding the content of thesis, especially in the field of physical development, which occurs in the younger and older school-age period. Important determinants affecting the state of physical activity are also discussed. The research part of the thesis then focuses on monitoring and subsequent analysis and comparison of the level of exercise in younger and older school-age children in a selected primary school. The research sample, methods used, and survey procedure are described. The obtained data is analysed and summarised in the results used to determine the level of physical activity in children in the given age groups and its comparison with health-oriented recommendations and among themselves....

This master's thesis deals with problematics of healthy food, healthy lifestyle and sports activities of pupils et early school age. The aim of this work is to observe and evaluate eating habits of pupils of the target group. We research to what extent the children consume and know about the healthy lifestyle in connection with sports activities. We used the questionnaire survey as the main method. Then, we analyse sports results of these pupils on the basis of particular disciplines of UNIFITTEST. Key words: Sports activities, nutrition, eating habits, healthy lifestyle, child of early school age