Kjell Granström

Young drivers -- Reduced crash risk with passengers in the vehicle

Studies have shown that the effect of passengers on accident propensity among young drivers is ambiguous--in some cases positive and some negative. In Sweden, various kinds of information are compiled in registers, including a national accident database and exposure data collected in a national investigation of the driving habits of license holders. Access to such data offers a good opportunity to study crash risks related to driving with and without passengers. This was done for drivers in three different age groups (18-24, 25-64 and >65 years) accompanied by one, two or three or more passengers. Differences in crash risk were estimated using incidence density ratios (IDRs) and 95% confidence intervals. The results show that passengers had an overall protective effect, that is, the crash risk was higher for those who drove alone, regardless of their age or gender. This protective effect increased with every extra passenger (up to eight), indicating that the more passengers in the vehicle, the safer the driving. The influence of passengers was weakest (albeit still positive) among the youngest drivers (ages 18-24 years), especially the males in that group. The protective impact showed the same pattern on all days of the week, but was most marked from Friday to Sunday for most of the drivers, regardless of age.

Gender-biased Interaction in the Classroom: The influence of gender and age in the relationship between teacher and pupil

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether any signs of gender-biased provocation between teachers and pupils could be traced at the upper level of compulsory school. In order to examine whether any indications of such communication are present in the classroom situation, classroom observations were carried out in 40 lessons. The classroom observations revealed that boys, in general, are given more attention than girls. However, male teachers increase the attention paid to girls when the pupils get older, while female teachers always give more attention to boys. Gender is a universal frame factor that is inevitable in classroom interactions. The results indicate that teachers, as well as other professionals working with clients, could be involved in unconscious gender-related processes of an aggressive as well as libidinous nature. This subject is worth paying attention to, even though it is often considered to be taboo.

Reproduction and recognition in short-term visual memory

Reproduction and recognition in short-term visual memory was tested. In Experiment I, it was confirmed that the ability to reproduce visual figures in STM correlated with the ability to describe them. No such correlation was obtained when recall was by recognition. In Experiments II and III the mechanisms involved in the two types of recall were investigated by varying the character of the task interpolated in the retention interval. Results support the view that reproduction has a verbal component which is lacking in recognition.

Teachers' Leadership and Students' Experience of Group Work.

Group work is used as a means of learning at all levels of most educational systems. However, teachers often use group work without considering its ‘pros and cons.’ Such a mode of non-reflected application may sometimes end up in positive experiences and learning, but the likelihood is that the outcome will be the opposite. The aim of this qualitative study is to address students’ experiences of collaborative group work, that is, when working as a group. What features do students emphasise in their experiences and descriptions of constructive and destructive group work? A prime aim is to give the students a voice in the matter. Data were collected by means of six focus groups with students aged 13–16, and a qualitative content analysis was performed. The originality of this research is three-folded. First, it discloses what students consider as important requisites for a successful group work. Their inside knowledge about classroom activities end up in a list (a taxonomy) of crucial conditions for high-quality group work. Second, the conditions mentioned by the students have all been confirmed by recent scientific research. Thus, thirdly, the present study may provide teachers with evidence-based knowledge about successful group work.

Private communication between students in the classroom in relation to different classroom features

Private communication between students in the classroom in relation to different classroom features

Interpolated task and mode of recall as variables in STM for visual figures

Retention of visual figures in STM was studied by varying mode of recall and type of material interpolated during the retention interval. Reproduction (modified) was as good as recognition when the retention interval was empty, but was inferior when an interpolated learning task was introduced. The interpolated activity was a PA learning task involving either visual figures, auditory words or both. The data for the reproductive-memory conditions agree well with a limited channel-capacity model, whereas those for the recognition-memory conditions require an RI model. The conclusion is drawn that short-term reproductive memory is mainly verbal whereas short-term recognition memory is mainly nonverbal. This nonverbal type of memory does not exhibit the properties of a sensory visual trace, and is therefore postulated to be a third type of store, over and above the sensory visual and the auditory verbal ones.

Interactional Dynamics Between Teen-Age Leaders and Followers in the Classroom.

Abstract The interaction within 10 informal teen-age groups in classrooms were observed by two independent, nonparticipant observers. Every group in the study had a distinguishable leader. The hypothesis was that the hidden or “illegitimate” communication reflects basic assumptions, such as dependece on a leader or fight/flight movements within the group. The principal findings were the following: (a) The teen-age leaders dominated both the psychological space and the physical space. The leaders were treated differently by, and behaves differently toward, the followers. The pattern was found to suit an “object relations model”, in which the leader is used by the followers to serve as a container for unpleasant feelings and to express forbidden opinions. (b) The group movements in all 10 groups seemed to continously change during the school day and no group was either principally dependent or principally fighting/flighting. W.R. Bions findings (Experiences in Groups, New York, Basic Books, 1961) on group movements in adult groups, such as therapy groups and professional organizations, seem to be valid for the hidden interaction in teen-age groups in the classroom.

The role of verbalizing in the memorizing of conventional figures

The S s were first tested on their ability to reproduce briefly exposed stimulus figures and then on their ability to describe them. A significant positive correlation was found between these two abilities and this result was interpreted as supporting the view that verbalizing plays an important role in the memorizing of such figures. However, a more detailed analysis of the results suggested that verbalizing may be less important in the case of easily memorized figures than with more difficult ones.

Om tillförlitligheten i observationer inom forskning och psykologisk praktik

Granström, K. (2004): Psychological observations and their credibility. Nordisk Psykologi, 56, 4, 289–303. In this presentation observation as research method and clinical method is scrutinised and discussed. The aim of the article is to define and separate different types of observations, mainly with reference to the degree of awareness among the subjects of being observed. This implies that ethics of research and clinical interventions, constituted by observations, will be discussed and related to different approaches. Further, I will comment on the influence that researchers or psychologists may have on the situation and on the subjects observed. It is argued that even open observations can be valid if the observer considers in what way the situation, the arrangements and the participants are influenced by the data collection.

Accounts and Explanations in Group Decisions Concerning Students with Learning and Social Disabilities.

Accounts and explanations in group decisions concerning students with learning and social disabilities