To date, no measure of perceptions reflecting the view of childhood as a social construction exists within the fields of developmental psychology or education. The aim of this small-scale study was to develop items to assess beliefs about children along a spectrum -- at one end of the spectrum conceptualizing children as human "beings"…

Facial features are important sources of information about perceived trustworthiness. Masks and protective clothing diminish the visibility of facial cues by either partially concealing the mouth and nose or covering the entire face. During the pandemic, the use of personal protective equipment affected and redefined who trusts whom in society.…

Given the well-documented toll of gender-based violence on the wellbeing of women and girls, schools and universities can be key sites of advocacy and prevention. Peace educators have identified tackling gender-based violence as a priority for the field. Yet, two gaps persist. Firstly, the lived experiences of female survivors outside Europe and…

The Assessment of Language in Adults using Self-reported Skills (ALASS) is an online tool aimed at providing a rapid indication of language-related skills at two levels: basic performance and social use. In Study 1, we have developed and validated a new tool with two objective measures: a lexical decision test and a grammaticality judgement test,…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders typically exhibit reduced visual attention towards social stimuli relative to neurotypical individuals. Importantly, however, attention is not a static process, and it remains unclear how such effects may manifest over time. Exploring these momentary changes in gaze behaviour can more clearly illustrate…

The internet has considerably changed the landscape of communication in the 21st century. People no longer have to leave their homes to engage in meaningful interpersonal communication. More importantly, individuals who have an inherent fear of human interaction seek solace and comfort in communication technologies. This study investigated how…

Research conducted on online learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, clearly showed that a sense of community plays an integral part in creating a conducive learning environment. This has consequently influenced current perspectives on teaching practice and learning climate. From an African perspective, this is noteworthy as it…

While the economic benefits of education have been demonstrated in a number of areas, greater educational attainment is also positively associated with a variety of social outcomes that are important during the COVID-19 outbreak. Data collected before the outbreak show that people with a tertiary degree are less likely to report suffering from…

In two studies, the role of nature experiences and social norms during childhood is explored next to adulthood biospheric values, connectedness to nature, environmental identity, and objective knowledge in relation to pro-environmental behaviors. Study 1 (N = 185) tested the hypothesized model in the realm of general pro-environmental behaviors…

Contemporary youth are increasingly engaging in coming out prior to the formation of concrete sexual identities. They are coming out with an "affinity:" affirming to themselves and expressing to others that "I like girls" or "I like boys." This study centers on the experiences of 13 individuals who all came out with…

The present volume presents new 2020 findings from the U.S. national Monitoring the Future (MTF) follow-up study concerning substance use among the nation's college students and adults from ages 19 through 60. This volume reports 2020 prevalence estimates on numerous illicit and licit substances, examines how substance use differs across this age…

In this paper we report data, gathered in Madrid, Spain, from two groups aged 20-39: one group comprised pedestrians stopped in the City streets, the other consisted of university students, specifically prospective primary school teachers [PPST]. It was found that the PPST were generally more negative than members of the general public about…

The present volume presents new 2019 findings from the U.S. national Monitoring the Future (MTF) follow-up study concerning substance use among the nation's college students and adults from ages 19 through 60. This report includes 2019 prevalence estimates on numerous illicit and licit substances, examines how substance use differs across this age…

Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship that re-conceptualizes adolescence as a cultural construct, this article introduces a "Youth Lens." A "Youth Lens" comprises an approach to textual analysis that examines how ideas about adolescence and youth get formed, circulated, critiqued, and revised. Focused specifically on its…

This research examined the effect of concealment (environmental cues), presence or absence of people recreating (social cues), and gender on individuals' fear of crime in a community park setting. Using a 7-point single-item indicator, 732 participants from two samples (540 park visitors and 192 college students) rated their estimates of fear of…