Theory of Mind and Young Children's Behaviour: Aggressive, Victimised, Prosocial, and Solitary.

Theory of mind (ToM) undergoes significant developments during childhood, particularly between the ages of four and seven years. A growing body of research has indicated that children's social understanding may be related to their social behaviour with peers, in line with Theory Theory which proposes that children's social cognition is influenced by and influences their peer interactions. The current study examined the relationship between ToM and behaviour among 193 children aged 4-7 years. Children carried out a battery of ToM tasks, and teaching staff reported on children's aggressive, prosocial, and solitary behaviour and victimisation experiences. Aggression was not directly related to ToM; prosocial behaviour was positively associated with ToM for girls but not boys. Solitary behaviour and victimisation were negatively related to ToM. When this was broken down by gender, there was only a significant association between solitary behaviour and ToM for boys. When controlling for the relationship between behaviours, the only significant predictor of ToM was solitary behaviour for boys. ToM was also a significant predictor of solitary behaviour for boys, demonstrating that there is a bidirectional relationship at play. The findings highlight the importance of looking across these four behaviour types and understanding the relationship between behaviour profiles and ToM for boys and girls separately.

The emergence of cyberbullying in childhood: Parent and teacher perspectives / La aparición del cyberbullying en la infancia: la perspectiva de padres y profesores

This study examined the awareness and perceptions of parents/guardians and school staff regarding cyberbullying among primary school-aged pupils. Eight focus groups (total sample size N = 41) explored the emergence of cyberbullying, characteristics of cyberbullies and cybervictims, the impact of cyberbullying, and the role of adult supervision. Participants were generally aware of cyberbullying and its various forms and felt that it could occur among primary school-aged pupils. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes emerging from the focus groups. Relating to the emergence of cyberbullying, themes included children's ability (literacy and computer skills), access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and external factors such as peer pressure. When asked about the characteristics of children involved in cyberbullying, themes included the relationship between involvement in cyberbullying and traditional bullying, the role of gender, and different motivations for cyberbullying. None of the groups felt that cyberbullying was less upsetting for victims than traditional bullying and themes surrounding the impact of cyberbullying referred to the nature of cyberbullying and discussions relating to the characteristics of the victim were raised. When talking about the role of adult intervention, participants mentioned the use of rules/restrictions and the perceived generation gap in ICT skills. Participants agreed that supervision of Internet and mobile phone use at home would be beneficial, but was less in accord regarding the usefulness of supervision at school. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for research and interventions

El estudio analiza la conciencia y la percepción de padres/tutores y personal del colegio en relación al cyberbullying en alumnos de la escuela primaria. Ocho grupos focales (con una muestra total de N=41) exploraron la aparición del cyberbullying, las características de los ciberacosadores y de las cibervíctimas, la repercusión del cyberbullying y el papel que juega la supervisión adulta. Los participantes por lo general eran conscientes del cyberbullying y de sus variadas formas y pensaban que podría darse en los alumnos de primaria. Se utilizó el análisis temático para detectar los temas que surgían de los grupos focales. Relacionados con la aparición del cyberbullying, los temas incluían las abilidades de los niños (conocimientos y destrezas informáticas), el acceso a las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) y factores externos como la presión de compañeros. Cuando se les preguntaba por las características de los niños que se veían afectados por el cyberbullying, entre los temas estaba la relación entre implicación en el cyberbullying y el bullyingtradicional, el papel del género y la motivación por el cyberbullying. Ninguno de los grupos creyó que el cyberbullying fuese menos molesto para las víctimas que el bullying tradicional y los temas alrededor del impacto del cyberbullying aludían a la naturaleza del cyberbullying, suscitándose debates relativos a las características de la victima. Cuando se hablaba del papel de la intervención adulta, los participantes mencionaban la utilización de reglas/restricciones y de la brecha generacional que se percibía en las destrezas en el uso de las TIC. Los participantes estaban de acuerdo en que la supervisión del uso de Internet y móvil en casa sería beneficiosa, pero estaban menos de acuerdo en la utilidad de la supervisión en el colegio. Se comentan los resultados en cuanto a su implicación para la investigación y las intervenciones

Isothiocyanato boron dipyrromethenes--the first BODIPY analogues of fluorescein isothiocyanate.

Two boron complexes of 5-phenyldipyrromethenes bearing isothiocyanate groups on the phenyl ring have been synthesized for the first time. The utility of these new fluorescence probes for labeling biologically relevant proteins is demonstrated on two monoclonal antibodies that bind to antigens overexpressed on cancer cells. Spectral comparison of the two structures reveals significant photophysical differences, including bathochromically shifted excitation and emission bands, increased molar absorptivity and a large increase in fluorescence quantum yield of approximately 10 times. Differences in photophysical parameters are linked to hindered rotation of the phenyl ring in one of the probes.