Background: Physical activity has been positively linked to quality of life (QOL) in older adults. Measures health status and global well-being represent common methods assessing QOL outcomes, yet little done determine the nature relationship these outcomes with physical activity. Purpose: We examined roles played by activity, status, self-efficacy (satisfaction life) a sample Black White women. Method: Participants (N = 249, M age 68.12 years) completed multiple indicators self-efficacy, at...

The role of experience in the development pictorial competence has been center substantial debate. four studies presented here help resolve controversy by systematically documenting and examining manual exploration depicted objects infants. We report that 9-month-old infants manually investigate pictures, touching feeling as if they were real even trying to pick them up off page. same behavior was observed babies from two extremely different societies (the United States Ivory Coast). This...

Recent research shows that preschool children are skilled classifiers, using categories both to organize information efficiently and extend knowledge beyond what is already known. Moreover, by 2 1/2 years of age, sensitive nonobvious properties assume category members share underlying similarities. Why do expect have this rich structure, how appropriately limit expectation certain domains (i.e., animals vs. artifacts)? The present studies explore the role maternal input, providing one first...

Becoming a proficient symbol user is universal developmental task in the first years of life, but detecting and mentally representing symbolic relations can be quite challenging for young children To test extent to which reasoning per se problematic, we compared performance 2 1/2-year-olds nonsymbolic versions search task. The had use their knowledge location toy hidden room draw an inference about where find miniature scale model (and vice versa) Children condition believed shrinking...

Beliefs about naturally occurring transformations were examined in children aged 3 to 6 years 4 experiments. Experiment 1 tested children's understanding that animals (but not artifacts) predictably get larger over time. 1a whether the results obtained first experiment could be attributed an added memory component on artifact task. 2 further beliefs aging of artifacts. In 3, color and shape (metamorphosis) changes investigated. At all ages, appeared understand smaller with age. While older...

We report a perception-action dissociation in the behavior of normally developing young children. In adults and older children, perception an object organization actions on it are seamlessly integrated. However, as documented here, 18- to 30-month-old children sometimes fail use information about size make serious attempts perform impossible miniature objects. They try, for example, sit dollhouse chair or get into small toy car. interpret scale errors reflecting problems with inhibitory...

This study examined the role of self-efficacy and physical function performance in relationship between activity functional limitations. Older women (age, M = 68.2 years) completed measures activity, self-efficacy, performance, limitations at baseline an ongoing study. Analyses indicated that was associated with for exercise, efficacy gait balance, performance. Both were Demographic health status variables did not differentially influence these relationships. Although cross-sectional nature,...

This study examined relationships among physical activity patterns, self-efficacy, balance, and fear of falling in older adults. Fifty-eight adults (52-85 years) completed measures activity, falling. Subjects then performed the items found Berg Balance Scale (Berg, Wood-Dauphinee, Williams, & Maki, 1992). More physically active were less fearful falling, had better stronger perceptions efficacy. Those with balance females more than males. self-efficacy significant independent effects on...

<i>Background:</i> Muscle mass, strength and fitness play a role in lower-extremity physical function (LEPF) older adults; however, the relationships remain inadequately characterized. <i>Objective:</i> This study aimed to examine between leg mineral free lean mass (MFLM<sub>LEG</sub>), muscle quality (leg normalized for MFLM<sub>LEG</sub>), adiposity, aerobic LEPF community-dwelling healthy elderly subjects. <i>Methods:</i>...

The recent development of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LL-FDI) was an important contribution to measurement function disability in older adults. present study examined psychometric properties construct validity LL-FDI measure a sample women.Older black (n = 81) white 168) women completed LL-FDI, several measures physical function, activity measures, had their body mass index assessed at baseline ongoing prospective study. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) correlational...

Three studies are presented which examine the degree to children engage in magical thinking. We suggest that this is not a monolithic question can be answered by simple ‘yes' or ‘no’, but involves number of different facets, including parental input, children's spontaneous beliefs and responses events. Conceptions about fantasy figures were assessed means parent survey. Parents reported believe reality parents encourage these some degree. In Study 2,4‐ 5‐year‐old made clear distinction...

BackgroundIn spite of consistent evidence to suggest that being more physically active is associated with enhanced quality life (QOL), there have been remarkably few attempts determine the possible underlying mechanisms in this relationship.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the hypothesis that changes in self‐efficacy and functional performance mediate, part, beneficial effect of physical activity on limitations over time. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Community‐based. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred forty‐nine community‐dwelling older women. MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed measures self‐reported activity, limitations, self‐efficacy. Four function were also assessed. Measures at baseline 24 months. Data analyzed using...

The present study re-evaluated several hypotheses concerning the selfregulatory nature of children's private speech. It was hypothesised that if speech is self-regulatory, it should differ systematically as a function child's age, task difficulty, and presence another in situation, be positively related to performance. Twenty-four children at each three age levels (2, 31/2, 5 years) were videotaped while working alone with parent on different sets 3 puzzles varied difficulty. Children's...

The air bottle configuration (mass and size) used with a firefighter's self-contained breathing apparatus may affect functional gait performance slip/trip/fall risk, contributing to one of the most common costly fire ground injuries this population. To examine potential effect mass size on firefighter performance, four 30-min configurations were tested. quantify biomechanical kinetic kinematic data collected 24 male firefighters while walking at normal fast speeds during three conditions (no...

In Brief Objective: To determine the sex-specific relationships between physical activity, aerobic fitness, adiposity (%Fat), mineral-free lean mass (MFLM), and balance gait performance in older adults. Methods: Eighty-five female 49 male sedentary, healthy, community-dwelling adults (mean [SD] age, 69.6 [5.4] 70.3 [4.7] years, respectively) were evaluated on habitual activity via questionnaire, fitness by a maximal oxygen consumption treadmill test, whole regional body composition...