Developmental Markers of Pre-schoolers' Temporal and Causal Connectivity in Two Discourse Contexts: Data from the French Language.

The goal of this study is to investigate the acquisition of causal relations with parce que 'because' and temporal relations with quand 'when' by children between age 3 and 5 We aim at identifying whether different discourse type, conversation and narration, allow children to use quand and parce que with different semantic functions and in different syntactic contexts. For this purpose, we conducted a corpus study on 90 children from the corpus TCOF. We extracted 330 utterances with parce que and 116 with quand produced by children. To compare whether the different syntactic and semantic properties of these utterances were due to a difference in their input, we also analyzed the utterances with quand and parce que produced by the adults. The semantic values were coded following the frameworks of Debaisieux (Revue Sémant Pragmatique 15:51-67, 2004; in: Debaisieux (ed) Analyses linguistiques sur corpus: subordination et insubordination en français, editions Lavoisier, Paris, 2013) and Benzitoun (in: Debaisieux (ed) Analyses linguistiques sur corpus: subordination et insubordination en français, editions Lavoisier, Paris, 2013). We found that (i) children produce quand and parce que in different syntactic contexts and different semantic values depending on the discourse type, (ii) there is a correlation between the properties of the child and adult utterances in both contexts and (iii) children's repetitions play an important role in the development of quand and parce que, and (iv) the number of identical repetitions is higher at age 5 in narrations than in younger age groups. We explain this result by narrative input being too complex for younger children to be able to actively use it for their own speech production. Narrative input is therefore more helpful for the language development of older children.

The Third Version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: A new third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) has been developed in response to trends in working life, theoretical concepts, and international experience. A key component of the COPSOQ III is a defined set of mandatory core items to be included in national short, middle, and long versions of the questionnaire. The aim of the present article is to present and test the reliability of the new international middle version of the COPSOQ III. METHODS: The questionnaire was tested among 23,361 employees during 2016-2017 in Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Turkey. A total of 26 dimensions (measured through scales or single items) of the middle version and two from the long version were tested. Psychometric properties of the dimensions were assessed regarding reliability (Cronbach α), ceiling and floor effects (fractions with extreme answers), and distinctiveness (correlations with other dimensions). RESULTS: Most international middle dimensions had satisfactory reliability in most countries, though some ceiling and floor effects were present. Dimensions with missing values were rare. Most dimensions had low to medium intercorrelations. CONCLUSIONS: The COPSOQ III offers reliable and distinct measures of a wide range of psychosocial dimensions of modern working life in different countries; although a few measures could be improved. Future testing should focus on validation of the COPSOQ items and dimensions using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Such investigations would enhance the basis for recommendations using the COPSOQ III.

[The Need for Recovery Scale: French adaptation and validation.] / L'échelle de besoin de récupération : adaptation et validation françaises.

OBJECTIVES: The study presents the French validation of the scale of Need for Recovery after work (Need for Recovery) as well as the average scores according to sex, age, occupation and branch of industry. METHOD: A representative sample of the French employees completed a questionnaire made up of the Need for Recovery Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey. Analyses of internal consistency led us to withdraw an item from original scale; validity as well as discriminating quality were evaluated with the adequate analyses. RESULTS: The French version of the Need for Recovery Scale has very good psychometric qualities. Internal consistency (evaluated by Alpha of Cronbach) is 0.86. This scale is correlated mainly with the ?emotional exhaustion? dimension of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (r = 0.68). The analysis highlighted groups of French employees having levels of high need for recovery: men of less than 25 years, women of more than 55 years and people practicing the profession of Teachers and equivalents'. CONCLUSIONS: Given its predictive value on the physical and psychological health of employees, we recommend an individual or collective use of the Need for Recovery Scale in order to set up preventive actions in the workplaces.

A validation study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in a large sample of French employees.

BACKGROUND: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a questionnaire widely used for detecting anxiety and depressive disorders. It is used extensively in France, but has never been the subject of a full study in a population at work. The objectives of this study were to present some psychometric properties of the HADS on a large sample of French employees. METHOD: The HADS questionnaire was given to salaried employees at 19 major French companies as part of their biennial occupational medical examination. In 2011, 20992 employees filled in the questionnaire. HADS's structure was studied first by exploratory, then confirmatory factorial analyses. RESULTS: The model selected was the original two-factor structure. The two subscales showed good internal consistency. Women scored higher than the men for anxiety and depression; the scores increased with age; engineers and managers had lower average scores than other occupational status (blue- or white-collar workers and technicians). CONCLUSION: The results of the analyses are consistent with those in literature relating to other populations studied in other countries. The HADS questionnaire is pertinent for detecting symptoms of anxiety and depression in a population of people at work.

[The COPSOQ: a new French questionnaire for psychosocial risk assessment]. / Le COPSOQ: un nouveau questionnaire français d'évaluation des risques psychosociaux.

The purpose of this study was to validate the French version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). The COPSOQ is used to assess psychosocial risk factors at work. The current French version comprises 46 items grouped in 24 scales and referring to six dimensions. The questionnaire was administered to 3,166 employees of a large French company based in ten cities of the Paris region and the provinces. The psychometric analyses (internal consistency analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and concurrent validity analysis) were satisfactory and demonstrated the validity of the French version of the COPSOQ. Large amounts of data are currently being collected with a view to making comparisons between occupations and between different types of companies.

Psychosocial risk assessment: French validation of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ).

AIMS: This study presents a French version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) and analyses its psychometric properties for the purpose of validation. The questionnaire assesses psychosocial risk factors at work. The French questionnaire (derived from the Danish short version) is composed of 32 items grouped into 17 scales measuring five domains and eight additional questions assessing aggressive behaviour at work. METHOD: The questionnaire was administered to 935 employees of a large firm in the Parisian area. RESULTS: All psychometric analyses performed (internal consistency of the scales, exploratory factor analysis, concurrent validity analysis) gave satisfactory results and demonstrated the validity of the French COPSOQ. CONCLUSIONS: A new questionnaire is now available in French. A large body of data is currently being gathered in view of comparing occupations and types of firms using this new instrument.

How do adults use repetition? A comparison of conversations with young children and with multiply-handicapped adolescents.

The aim of this research is to compare the types and functions of repetitions in two different corpora, one constituted of verbal interactions between adults and multiply-handicapped adolescents, the other between adults and young children of the same mental age as the adolescents. Our overall aim is to observe whether the communicative (linguistic and pragmatic) behaviour of adults varies according to the interlocutor and, if it does vary, in what ways. The main results show that adults do not use repetition strategy with the same aims according to the interlocutor. When interacting with a child, repetitions form part of a strategy of linguistic 'tutoring' which allow the child to take on board progressively more complex linguistic constructions; it also enriches exchanges from a pragmatic point of view. On the other hand, when adults communicate with multiply-handicapped adolescents, their main aim is the maintaining of dialogue.