Are there consistent markers of atypical prosody in speakers with high functioning autism (HFA) compared to typically-developing speakers? We examined: (1) acoustic measurements of pitch range, mean pitch and speech rate in conversation, (2) perceptual ratings of conversation for these features and overall prosody, and (3) acoustic measurements of speech from a structured task. Increased pitch range was found in speakers with HFA during both conversation and structured communication. In global ratings listeners rated speakers with HFA as having atypical prosody. Although the HFA group demonstrated increased acoustic pitch range, listeners did not rate speakers with HFA as having increased pitch variation. We suggest that the quality of pitch variation used by speakers with HFA was non-conventional and thus not registered as such by listeners.

This study uses integrated art and science events to explore a blended approach in improving public understanding of current scientific topics and widening participation within the local community. The events were a Halloween-inspired microbiology-themed series of interactive exhibitions hosted within a national museum as part of an existing series of adult education evenings. A representative sample of 102 mixed methods exit questionnaires, based on determining (i) audience diversity and (ii) understanding of scientific topics, were analysed by qualitative and quantitative approaches, and a post-attendance focus group was carried out to determine longer term impact of the event. Participants were grouped as 'Science', 'Arts', 'Both' or 'Neither', according to their past experience and engagement. These events welcomed more participants from the Arts and Neither subsections hence engaging a group of people who would not usually visit science public engagement events or comparative events hosted in traditional academic settings, highlighting the importance of venue choice in reaching new audiences and widening participation. An increase in perceived understanding of science was observed by all groups of participants with reported enjoyment focused around the science talks, presentations and blended art-science activities. A putative impact in science capital is observed with participants reporting an increased likelihood of attending science events in the future. Furthermore, increased discussion and awareness of science in society is evidenced by participants. Blended art and microbiology exhibitions enhance the accessibly of science public engagement events and is likely to increase science capital; the impact of this on cognitive polyphasia is also discussed.

Creative ways of delivering informal science events in community settings are viewed as key to engaging new audiences and participants whom scientists find hard to reach, however, the impact of 'formal' setting events is often overlooked. Here, through a mixed-methods approach, we analyse a large-scale family-focused public engagement event hosted within a university campus setting. We aimed to explore the profile of visitors attending together with the impact and perceived knowledge gained. Analysis from two consecutive years of data collection found that the university-based event attracted new visitors annually, with almost half having not attended other science events/ attractions within the last year. An increase in perceived knowledge was shown amongst all study participants, being significantly amplified in those from low progression to higher education postcode areas. Both immediate and longer-term positive impact was reported by participants with increases in components of science capital observed as well as enhanced positive perception of the university and its students. This data exemplifies the benefit of university-hosted events in widening participation and public understanding of science.

Within the present study, we investigate the lasting effect of laboratory peer group interactions on the end of year attainment of Biosciences and Chemistry students. By asking students to identify who they primarily work with within the laboratory environment and evaluating the interactions through cluster analysis, we identified two main categories of laboratory peer groups: the first long‐lived well‐established pairings of two students, ‘swans’, who work together for all or the majority of the laboratory sessions; and the second dynamic fluid groups, ‘dolphins’, of between three and nine students who work with each other interchangeably. Statistical analysis is presented, which demonstrates that individuals within each laboratory peer group were likely to achieve a similar average mark at the end of the first year of study on the course. We identified the driving factors for the formation of these groups as friendship and perceived work ethic. There is a preference for high‐achieving students to work with other high‐achieving students and lower‐achieving to group around a shared social background. Targeted interventions, in which pairings were selected by the tutor at the onset of the study, altered the ratio from long‐lived pairs to more dynamic groups and increased students’ willingness to work with others outside of their group but did not change the drivers of group formation or resulting pattern of achievement. We conclude with recommendations around group working within the laboratory environment.

The acoustic correlates of discourse prominence have garnered much interest in recent adult psycholinguistics work, and the relative contributions of amplitude, duration and pitch to prominence have also been explored in research with young children. In this study, we bridge these two age groups by examining whether specific acoustic features are related to the discourse function of marking contrastive stress by preadolescent speakers, via speech obtained in a referential communication task that presented situations of explicit referential contrast. In addition, we broach the question of listener-oriented versus speaker-internal factors in the production of contrastive stress by examining both speakers who are developing typically and those with high-functioning autism (HFA). Diverging from conventional expectations and early reports, we found that speakers with HFA, like their typically developing peers (TYP), appropriately marked prominence in the expected location, on the pre-nominal adjective, in instructions such as “Pick up the BIG cup”. [...