Cluster analyses and hierarchical linear modeling were used to investigate the impact of perceptions of connectedness to family, school, and neighborhood contexts on academic and psycho-social outcomes for 437 urban ethnically diverse adolescents. Five profiles of connectedness to family, school, and neighborhood were identified. Two profiles were characterized by reports of either strong or weak connectedness to all contexts. The other three profiles were anchored by reports of low family connectedness, low neighborhood connectedness, or average connectedness. Race=ethnic differences were found in profiles and outcomes. Hierarchical linear models showed that each profile of connectedness was significantly associated with adolescents' self-report of grades, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms after adjusting for correlates, suggesting that the domain and number of contexts matter for positive youth development. These analyses underscore the importance of considering the independent and joint effects of family, schools, and neighborhoods on adolescent well-being. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.

Although there are an increasing number of youth development programs that aim to empower young people, there is a dearth of psychometrically sound measures that can be used to assess flexible youth-led organizing and participatory research approaches that tackle a wide range of social and community problems. This study developed and tested measures of psychological empowerment (PE) and self-efficacy for research and action among a sample of 439 ethnically diverse adolescents primarily recruited from public high schools in an urban center. Items for the PE measure were generated through an iterative combination of conducting formative research with our target population while also drawing on existing theory and measures in the field. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the PE measure, testing four factors: adolescents' motivation to influence their school and community settings; participatory behavior; sociopolitical skills; and perceived control. Psychometric analyses for the PE scales and their correlation with adolescents' report of self-esteem, academic achievement, caring relationships with adults at school, and social support from peers are reported; the implications of the present study for research and practice in the youth development and adolescent psychology field are considered.

Objective: Neuroscience is often considered too advanced of a subject to teach young children; however, helping children to understand the connection between their body and brain can promote a positive attitude towards proper care of the brain. This study investigated if playing a computer game increased knowledge and interest in the brain compared with more traditional methods of learning. Subjects and Methods: Participants included 169 children, 4-6 years old, attending either preschool or an afterschool program. Comparisons were made among computer game, story, and control groups. Outcomes included knowledge about brain function and interest in learning about the brain. Students were assessed after a single exposure and after multiple exposures to the game. Results: Results indicated that the computer game generated greater knowledge gains and higher levels of interest compared with both the story and control groups. Results were consistent across single exposure and multiple exposure data. Students in the game condition had significantly higher posttest knowledge scores compared with students in both the story (b = -0.40, t 163 = -5.450, P < 0.001) and control condition (b = -0.57, t 163 = -7.812, P < 0.001). For general interest items, students in the game condition reported higher levels of interest compared with the control group (b = -0.24, t 164 = -2.82, P < 0.01). For content-specific interest, students in the game condition reported higher levels compared with the story group (t 109 = 2.05, P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study highlights the potential value computer games play in presenting scientific and healthrelated content about the brain to young children.

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