Illness-induced taste aversion under states of deprivation and satiation

A taste aversion to saccharin was induced under conditions of satiation or deprivation. Subsequent testing occurred under the same or opposite conditions. A preference test yielded significant drug-placebo effects only under similar training and testing conditions. Ss trained and tested under satiation produced the greatest drug-placebo differences. The data are discussed in terms of state dependency and the procedures used to induce and measure the taste aversion.     

Perceiving school performance as instrumental to future goal attainment: Effects on graded performance

Three studies examined the perception among college students that school performance is instrumental to future goal attainment. Study 1, an exploratory study involving free report goal assessments, indicated that perceived instrumentality (PI) is a subjectively salient aspect of college students’ achievement motivation. Study 2 provided evidence for the structural distinctiveness of PI from self-efficacy, task value, and the achievement goals, and also demonstrated that PI prospectively predicts unique variance in graded performance beyond that accounted for by these motivational variables. Study 3 demonstrated that PI prospectively predicts unique variance in graded performance independently of future time orientation. We argue that a comprehensive understanding of the purposes underlying classroom achievement behavior requires consideration of how school performance may be perceived as instrumental to the attainment of valued life goals.     

The residual deprivation effect in instrumental conditioning as a function of deprivation level at the time of exposure to the reinforcer

The effect of food deprivation level at the time of initial exposure to a subsequent food reinforcer was investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, deprivation at the time of initial exposure influenced the subsequent acquisition and extinction of an instrumental response. In Experiment 2, the residual deprivation effect associated with a reduction in deprivation level occurred only when rats initially experienced the reinforcer at a high, as compared with a low, deprivation level. Results were discussed in terms of the assumption that the limits of incentive generated by a reinforcer are influenced by the deprivation state at the time of first exposure to that reinforcer.     

An item response theory and Rasch analysis of the NUDKS: a data literacy scale

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - There is an extensive need for school systems to reliably assess the data literacy and data use skills of their educators. To address this...     

Incentive learning and the motivational control of instrumental performance by thirst

The role of incentive learning in instrumental performance following a shift in the degree of water deprivation was analyzed in three experiments. In Experiments 1A and IB, rats trained to perform an instrumental action reinforced with either sucrose or maltodextrin solutions when in a high-deprivation state were subsequently shifted to a low-deprivation state and tested in extinction. This within-state shift in water deprivation reduced instrumental performance only when the animals had been exposed to the reinforcer in the low-deprivation state prior to instrumental training. In Experiment 2, a concurrent training procedure was used to assess whether the change in the value of the reinforcer brought about by preexposurewas mediated by the contingency between the instrumental action and the reinforcer. Preexposure to the reinforcer under the low-deprivation state produced a selective reduction of the performance of the action upon which it was contingent during training when testing was conducted in extinction following a shift from the high- to the low-deprivation state. These experiments provide evidence that animals have to learn about the incentive value of a reinforcer in a particular motivational state through exposure to the reinforcer in that state.     

Systems theory,generation theory,and the university: Some predictions

In order to have vigorous and adaptive academic disciplines it is imperative that there be a continual inflow of new generations of academicians into the university. It is noted that current socio-economic conditions in North America are such that young academicians are not entering the university. The predicted long-term undesirable effects of the above situation are arrived at by considering it in the light of both systems theory and generation theory. In considering the university as a system, it is argued that there must be a greater coordination between the university's goals and purposes and the needs of society if the university system is to regain critical inputs (students, staff, and funds) so necessary to maintain its functioning. Karl Mannheim's theory of generations and social change is applied to that predicted situation where there is no new generation of academicians flowing into the university system. Finally, it is recommended that the basic tenets underlying the discipline of the sociology of knowledge be transformed into normative statements, thereby providing the rationale for greater interaction between society and its institutions of higher learning.     

Maximalist Islamic Education as a Response to Terror: Some Thoughts on Unconditional Action

Inasmuch as Muslim governments all over the world dissociate themselves from despicable acts of terror, few can deny the brutality and violence perpetrated especially by those in authoritative positions like political governments against humanity. Poignant examples are the ongoing massacre of Muslim communities in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan by those government or rebel forces intent on eliminating the other whom they happen to find unworthy of living. This article attempts to map Islamic education’s response to violence and terror often perpetrated against people considered to be in vehement disagreement with another, for instance, Muslim rebel forces assassinating Christians in Syria and destroying ancient monasteries, Muslim jihadist fighters kidnapping and assassinating people in revengeful acts of terror and Muslim government militia quelling resistant forces that oppose the government’s so-called reformist agenda. In arguing against any form of violence, we show how Islamic education cannot and should not be associated with any act of violence. Put differently, we take issue with any act of violence even if minimally applied to disrupt acts of violence. On the contrary, we argue that Islamic education is intimately connected to the practice of public deliberation that engenders a community of becoming that will always undermine violence. We develop our argument in the following way: firstly, we give an account of a maximalist view of Islamic education in relation to the notion of a Muslim community in becoming; secondly, in relation to Agamben’s seminal thoughts on potentiality and becoming, we show that a Muslim community in becoming is averse to violence; finally, we argue as to how forgiveness, risk-taking and civility as instances of deliberation can counteract terror, more specifically on the part of a Muslim community in potentiality and becoming.     

The determinants of research performance: A study of Australian university economists

In this article, the relationship between individual productivity in research, as measured by an index of publications produced, and their preferences and perceptions about research-related issues is explored. A sample of 134 Australian university economists were classified as low, average and high in respect of their publication performance using cluster analysis. Discriminant analysis was then used to see whether membership of these groups was associated with items representing individuals' preferred research approach, their involvement in a range of research-related activities, the things which they felt constrained their research and their perceptions of the benefits of their position which might be conducive to research.Our results show that there was a relationship between these items and group membership, and therefore productivity. Highly productive researchers made deliberate choices about the type of research they undertook in order to enhance their career advancement; they were heavily involved in a number of areas of research activity; they felt relatively few constraints on their research by comparison with low producers; and they enjoyed the freedom and challenge of their positions. These results imply that research performance is more a function of individual motivation than resource support.The authors would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of two anonymous referees.     

高校思想政治理论课成绩评价体系探析

成绩评价是高校思想政治理论课教育教学的重要环节和提高教学实效性的重要手段,当前高校思想政治理论课学习成绩评定方式中存在着一些弊端导致了考核结果失真,激励机制失效,影响了该课程的教学效果.创新思想政治理论课评价体系,应以学生为主体,多渠道的评价方式相结合.按照思想政治理论课的内在规律性来构建综合评价体系,这对于提高思想政治理论课的实效性具有重要意义.     

Contesting learning theory: a response to Entwistle and Ekeblad

The responses to the original paper by Webb (1997) are evaluated. It isargued that important arguments in that paper have not been addressed. Theissues which are considered lead to criticisms which are refuted.     

Licking one saccharin solution for access to another in rats: Contingent and noncontingent effects in instrumental performance

Separation of the contingent and noncontingent effects of a schedule on amount of instrumental responding is desirable but difficult in schedules that involve instrumental and contingent responses that are either highly probable or very similar. Three studies in which rats were required to lick a solution of .1% saccharin for access to a preferred solution of .4% saccharin showed that neither single nor paired operant baselines of the instrumental response allowed accurate separation of the contingent and noncontingent effects of a fixed-ratio schedule. Two within-subject yoking procedures provided the best baselines of noncontingent effects: the massed baseline measured amount of .1% licking when each subject received free access to the total amount of .4% licking it obtained at asymptote under the schedule; the matched baseline measured .1% licking when each subject received the same access to the .4% solution, but presented in the intermittent pattern obtained during the schedule. Of the three algebraic models used to predict noncontingent effects, the substitution model was most promising, but still not adequate. The procedure of a between-subjects yoked control was also not effective.     

Some Achilles' Heels of Thinking Skills: a Response to Higgins and Baumfield

Steven Higgins and Vivienne Baumfield have recently attempted to defend the much discussed idea of general thinking skills against attacks from three quarters: what they regard as a priori objections, which they liken to Zeno's paradox that Achilles will not catch the tortoise; domains theories of knowledge, which oppose the idea of thinking skills being general and transcending domains; and the claim that experts use subject specific knowledge, and don't use general thinking skills. We examine these defences and find them flawed and worrying. We conclude that this is a domain in serious need of a priori approaches.     

Beyond teaching practice: Exploring individual determinants of student performance on a research skills module

The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which intrinsic student factors such as cognitive learning style, learning strategies, motivation and statistics anxiety, as well as certain demographic factors, predict performance on a research design and analysis course (RDAIIA) in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, with a view to developing future interventions for improving student performance. Using a sample of eighty students, it was established that the factors most predictive of RDA performance were secondary school performance (p < 0.0001) and age (p = 0.0106). Excluding demographic factors, self-efficacy (p < 0.0001), help-seeking (p = 0.0531) and a reflective learning style (p = 0.0071) were also found to be predictive. Performance also differed between students who had completed Mathematics on the higher grade in secondary school and those who had completed standard grade (p = 0.016). These findings present both possible directions and substantial challenges for future performance-intervention strategies.     

高等学校教师绩效评价的理论与实践研究

高等学校教师绩效评价是教育系统人事决策,大多数研究者探讨了大学生评价教师教学效能的问题,却忽视了另一种非常重要的行为,如工作的主动性、工作中的合作、对工作的反思等。     

作为哲学理论的历史唯物主义和作为社会历史理论的历史唯物主义辨析

本文通过论述马克思关于哲学理论的历史唯物主义以及其与作为社会历史理论的历史唯物主义的异同性进行两者关系分析。     

Curriculum theory and the question of knowledge: a response to the six papers

In this paper, following some brief introductory remarks, I provide a context to this Symposium by presenting a brief autobiographical account explaining how I became involved in curriculum theory and the idea of a knowledge-led curriculum and how I was led to write the paper under discussion. I then make brief comments on each of the six papers individually, concluding with some thoughts about the implications of the collection of papers as a whole for the future of curriculum theory.     

Novelty and partibility as determinants of hoarding in the albino rat

Experiments on object preferences indicate that there are at least two characteristics that induce albino rats to hoard inedible objects: partible objects are hoarded in preference to nonpartible objects, and novelty results in hoarding when other object-characteristics are controlled. In addition, novel objects may be hoarded by food-deprived rats in preference to food pellets. Hoarding can therefore be integrated into a number of other motivational systems. It is suggested that an incentive concept is necessary to explain hoarding preferences in this species.