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• Clever Little Liars: Kids With the Best Lies Have the Best Memories

  Children lie. They lie to get out of trouble, they lie for fun, or they lie out of habit. Parents everywhere admonish their children to tell the truth, but lying has its benefits, according to a study conducted by the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. More than 100 6- and 7-year-old children were given tests to evaluate their verbal working memory, and then they were invited to play a trivia game consisting of three questions. Each question was written on an index card, along with four possible answers. The correct answer and a picture were placed on the back. The first two questions were easy to answer correctly; however, the third question was about a fake cartoon. The children were asked, “What is the name of the boy in the cartoon Spaceboy?” After posing the question, the researcher left the room, leaving the card with the correct answer face down on the table and instructing the children not to look at it. Video cameras recorded the children’s varying reactions, and approximately 25% of them peeked at the card even though they ...

• Same SDS Web site, new experience!

  The online experience of the Self-Directed Search (SDS) is now in line with the recently updated and revised StandardSDS and StudentSDS print materials. The new SDS Web site, which launched this week, features a look and feel that brings a contemporary touch to the gold-standard instrument for career assessment. It features interactive graphics, intuitive navigation, and a more user-friendly experience. Since it was released in 1971, the SDS has helped millions of people find jobs that match their personality. The SDS is based on Dr. John Holland’s theory, known as the RIASEC theory, that both people and working environments can be classified according to six basic types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. The theory is based on the idea that if your personality type (SDS Summary Code) matches your work environment type (Holland Occupational Code), you are more likely to find job fulfillment and career satisfaction. So if you are looking for a job, want a career change, or are searching for a program of study, knowing more about what types of potential careers fit your personality will greatly improve ...

• More than Six Years After Katrina, Trauma Remains

  According to a new study conducted at Princeton University, many survivors of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina are still struggling with poor mental health even today, years after the storm. Lead researcher Christina Paxson and her team began this project in 2003 as a study of low-income adults enrolled in community college. They used sites around the country for their research, three of those sites were located in New Orleans. Their original questionnaire asked participants for their opinions on topics related to education, income, families, and health. After Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, the researchers decided to continue to track the New Orleans-based participants because the type of information they had was very rare in disaster studies, as they already knew much about the individual’s mental and physical health. In most disaster studies, researchers are never able to determine if the participants are suffering because of the disaster or because they already had underlying conditions that would have led to poor mental health even before the disaster hit. With data collected one year before, 7-19 months after, and 43-54 months post-Katrina, they found ...

• Barbara Holty: Best wishes on your retirement

  

  After nearly 29 years of hard work and devoted service, Barbara Holty, senior AP/AR accountant, will be retiring from PAR this week. Barb’s attention to detail, willingness to put in extra time and effort, and commitment to excellence pale in comparison to her incredible thoughtfulness, unending kindness, and extreme warmth. Barb will truly be missed here at PAR. Below, we share a few stories as we send Barb on to her well-deserved next step.  Donna Drackett, executive vice president and chief financial officer: I have many stories about Barb, but two stand out. My very first day at PAR, I was sitting in my office reviewing some new employee documentation. Barb stepped in my office and shared with me, “Honey, the girls and I were talking and we wanted to let you know that amongst the five of us, we have over 75 years of experience at PAR.” Truth is, there is nothing I had to worry about in my new role, as my team had done it all and had everything covered! I was blessed beyond belief to come into a ...

• The Best Customer Service in the Test Publishing Industry… Seriously.

  You may know that PAR prides itself on providing the best Customer Service in the industry, but you may not know that this goes far beyond simply providing support when ordering! PAR’s Customer Support team prides themselves on going above and beyond. Every now and then, however, they truly outdo themselves. Here are a few examples of just how incredible our Customer Support team can be—and how seriously they take Customer satisfaction! Here are two recent stories from our Customer Support team. Baby on board Earlier this fall, a Customer called in with a question. During the conversation, she mentioned she was extremely pregnant. The Customer Support Specialist who took the call included a PAR bodysuit for the baby in the Customer’s package! Brazil and beyond At a recent convention, a Customer from Brazil came to the booth, hoping to take a copy of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children kit home with him. Because the Customer was concerned with the customs process and the cost of shipping to Brazil, the PAR representative was able to call the order in to our office ...

• Return to learn: Assess functioning after concussion

  

  Though commonly thought of as a sports injury, concussion can occur as the result of everyday play, too. Each year, more than 1 million children and adolescents are diagnosed with a concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).  About 30% of these injuries are non-sports related. When children and adolescents return to school following a diagnosis of concussion, they may have functional difficulties (like trouble concentrating, memory problems, and irritability) that can affect their ability to perform and learn in school. The new PostConcussion Executive Inventory™ is an evidence-based instrument for children ages 5 to 18 years used to assess functioning and monitor recovery following concussion. It measures change in cognitive and emotional regulation to determine if postconcussion-related behaviors are due to concussion or were present prior to injury. This information helps schools develop appropriate return-to-learn plans that address the student’s specific postinjury needs, which may include temporary accommodations and interventions. Items for the PostConcussion Executive Inventory, the first in a new ConcussTrack™ suite of products, were selected from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®, Second Edition, the gold-standard ...