A VSE equation of state for normal liquids—I. n-Heptane

A volume—entropy—energy (VSE) equation of state, unlike a PVT equation of state, can be used to calculate “all conceivable” thermodynamic quantities, including specific heats, without supplemental calorimetric data. A VSE equation for liquids, based on simple theoretical concepts, is proposed and, in this paper, applied specifically to n-heptane. This equation of state requires only ten arbitrary parameters, seven of which may be calculated from data at but three temperatures, e.g., 25°, 50° and the normal boiling point. It yields calculated values of many thermodynamic properties nearly as accurate as the best experimental data, from a few degrees above the melting temperature all the way to the critical temperature. PVT equations of state of comparable accuracy over such broad ranges would require at least as many parameters, as well as supplemental calorimetric data, to calculate many thermodynamic quantities that are obtainable directly from our VSE equation.     

Operation ARA: A computerized learning game that teaches critical thinking and scientific reasoning

Operation ARA (Acquiring Research Acumen) is a computerized learning game that teaches critical thinking and scientific reasoning. It is a valuable learning tool that utilizes principles from the science of learning and serious computer games. Students learn the skills of scientific reasoning by engaging in interactive dialogs with avatars. They are tutored by avatars with tutoring sessions that vary depending on how well students have responded to questions about the material they are learning. Students also play a jeopardy-like game against a feisty avatar to identify flaws in research and then generate their own questions to determine the quality of different types of research. The research examples are taken from psychology, biology, and chemistry to help students transfer the thinking skills across domains of knowledge. Early results show encouraging learning gains.     

Cognitive Behavior Modification and Informed Teacher Treatments for Shy Children

Three levels of feed forward information and five levels of feedback information were administered during a 200 two-cue trial experiment to 150 subjects. The feed forward information consisted of instructions on correlative relationships and cue validities. The feedback information consisted of outcome feedback presented at different rates. Results indicated that: subjects provided with a psychologically relevant MCPL setting with labeled cues can perform at a very high level of proficiency without feed forward or feed-back information; statistically naive subjects are unable to use feed forward information to improve their performance; whether subject performance increases or decreases when provided with feedback information depends upon the performance index used; and withdrawal of feedback generally has little effect upon subject performance.