Behavioral Sciences

In Chinese, intransitive verbs can take direct objects in certain constructions, and transitive verbs can also be used without objects. These characteristics have long sparked debates about whether verbs can be divided into intransitive and transitive verbs in Chinese. Using E-Prime software (3.0 version) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, we investigated the behavioral responses and neural activities of native speakers when processing Chinese intransitive and transitive verbs. Behavioral data showed that the accuracy rate for Chinese intransitive verbs was significantly higher than that for transitive verbs, while the reaction time was significantly shorter. fMRI data revealed that compared with Chinese intransitive verbs, transitive verbs elicited significantly stronger activation in brain regions such as the bilateral angular gyri (BA39), left supramarginal gyrus (BA40), and left inferior frontal gyrus (BA44). The bilateral angular gyri and left supramarginal gyrus may be associated with more intricate argument semantic representation of the Chinese transitive verb, while the left inferior frontal gyrus may reflect their more complex syntactic structure representation. The above experimental results indicate that processing Chinese transitive verbs requires greater cognitive effort and involves more complex neural activities compared to intransitive verbs, which demonstrates that verbs in Chinese should be subdivided into intransitive and transitive verbs.

Objective: Adolescence is a high-risk period for problematic eating behaviours, including overeating. However, few studies have explored adolescent perceptions of these eating behaviours and whether there is a shared understanding between adolescents and parents. This study aimed to investigate perceptions of eating behaviours, focusing on overeating, in Australian adolescents and parents. Method: Adolescents aged 13–19 years, and parents of adolescents, participated in two interviews for exploration and thematic deepening of participant perceptions, underpinned by Integrated Knowledge Translation Framework principles. Interviews explored perceptions of overeating and other eating behaviours, including help-seeking and stigma. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Twelve adolescents (59% female) and seven parents (100% female) participated in the interviews, with three major themes emerging. In theme 1, “perceptions of overeating”, interpretations of overeating varied; however, both adolescents and parents associated problematic overeating with increased frequency and impacts on functioning. Discrepancies between adolescent and parent perceptions of overeating terms such as binge eating were present. In theme 2, “beliefs about overeating”, adolescents felt that broaching the topic of overeating and help-seeking for overeating to be more challenging than restrictive eating disorders due to stigma. In theme 3, “perceptions of other eating behaviours”, there were differences between how adolescents perceived healthy eating and dieting compared to parents. Discussion: Differences in adolescent and parent understanding of eating behaviour terminology highlights a need for a shared language to support appropriate detection of problematic eating behaviours. There is a need for prevention and early intervention approaches that promote awareness and accessible support pathways for overeating to prevent progression to an eating disorder.

Job crafting has become an essential strategy for kindergarten teachers to cope with increasing job demands and sustain professional engagement. Drawing on the proactive motivation model, this study examines whether and how principals’ servant leadership exerts cross-level effects on teachers’ approach and avoidance job crafting. Data were collected from 1724 teachers nested within 150 kindergartens, and hypotheses were tested using multilevel modeling. The results indicated that principals’ servant leadership had significant cross-level effects on teachers’ approach and avoidance job crafting, positively predicting approach job crafting and negatively predicting avoidance job crafting. In addition, organizational identification functioned as a cross-level mediator in this relationship, through which servant leadership further enhanced approach job crafting and reduced avoidance job crafting. These findings extend the literature by revealing the motivational pathway linking servant leadership to distinct forms of job crafting and highlight the importance of cultivating a servant leadership climate to foster proactive behaviors among kindergarten teachers.