Relational Reasoning and Its Manifestations in the Educational Context: a Systematic Review of the Literature

Relational reasoning, the ability to discern meaningful patterns within otherwise unconnected information, is regarded as central to human learning and cognition and as particularly critical for those functioning in today’s information age. However, the literature on this foundational ability is currently housed within a range of domains of inquiry, where divergent terminology and methodologies are commonplace. This dispersion has made it difficult to harness the power of existing work to inform future research or guide educational practice. In order to address this lack of consolidation, a systematic review of relational reasoning was undertaken. Specifically, 109 empirical studies dealing with relational reasoning in general or one of four manifestations (i.e., analogy, anomaly, antinomy, and antithesis) were analyzed. Resulting data revealed trends across fields of inquiry, including a degree of conceptual ambiguity, conceptual and operational misalignment, and a lack of ecological validity in certain research paradigms. There were also particular forms and measures of relational reasoning that were more commonly investigated, as well as certain domains that were more often studied. Implications for how future research can examine relational reasoning as a multidimensional construct within educational contexts are also discussed.     

Motor Proficiency Traits of Deaf Children

Abstract

This study examined the physical, psychological and perceptual/visual variables related to elite archers' shooting performance. Complete data on 62 variables were obtained on male (n = 44) and female (n = 35) archers, who were tested during the years 1982-1984. In order to reduce the number of variables, only those that correlated significantly with performance (r > .25, p < .005) were retained. This yielded seven variables. These variables were then combined into an overall hierarchical regression model. The overall model was significant (p <.001, adjusted R² = .53). This analysis indicated that relative leg strength, reaction time, depth perception, endomorphy, imagery usage, confidence, and focus on past mistakes were variables associated with archery performance. Finally, the total sample was classified into two groups on the basis of the shooting scores. Discriminant function analysis indicated that 81% of the archers were classified correctly on the basis of these significant predictors.     

The conception of simulacrics

In this paper, the author presents a concept he calls“simulacrics” and suggests its development into a future science of lifelike representation in motion picture films. C. Denis Pegge formerly taught in the engineering department of Cambridge University, having organized its Educational Film Council. He is now engaged in writing.     

Angle between choice alleys as a critical factor in spontaneous alternation

Rats were tested for spontaneous alternation in a variety of mazes differing in the angle between choice alleys. Uniformly high alternation rates were found at all angles from 330 down to 90 deg. At 45 or 0 deg, the rates approximated a chance 50%, and at angles between 45 and 90 deg the alternation rates were also intermediate. The hypothesis that the spatial distance between goal regions is the critical factor was rejected, and it was concluded that the angle between alleys is the principal factor determining alternation under these conditions. The results support the idea that alternation in the rat is basically a vestibular phenomenon.     

Development of a research specialty: Instructional psychology portrayed in The Annual Review of Psychology

The relatively new research specialty, instructional psychology, has been the topic of five chapters in the Annual Review of Psychology. Development of this specialty is studied through content analysis and citation analysis of these chapters. Cognitive structure of the field is found to be more converging than diverging and more conforming than radical. Social structure shows growth without divergence and a close fit with established institutions. The field would be enriched through greater attention to research being conducted outside the United States and to research reflecting conceptions and methods in addition to those from the experimental-quantitative tradition.     

The Virtual Naval Hospital: the digital library as knowledge management tool for nomadic patrons.

OBJECTIVE: To meet the information needs of isolated primary care providers and their patients in the US Navy, a digital health sciences library, the Virtual Naval Hospital, was created through a unique partnership between academia and government. METHODS: The creation of the digital library was heavily influenced by the principles of user-centered design and made allowances for the nomadic nature of the digital library's patrons and the heterogeneous access they have to Internet bandwidth. RESULTS: The result is a digital library that has been in operation since 1997, continues to expand in size, is heavily used, and is highly regarded by its patrons. CONCLUSIONS: The digital library is dedicated to delivering the right information at the right time to the right person so the right decision can be made, and therefore the Virtual Naval Hospital functions as a knowledge-management system for the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.     

NEW PERSPECTIVES ON ACADEMIC EXCHANGE BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN EUROPE

The author begins with a consideration of the meaning of academic mobility and academic exchange and why it is desirable. He reflects on various spin‐off effects and on the motives of students and faculty members who involve themselves in mobility and exchange programmes. With regard to mobility and academic exchange between the countries of eastern and western Europe, he examines the context of academic relations between the two regions, the role of conventions and agreements, and the volume and characteristics of exchanges in recent years. Among the problems and obstacles which crop up, he cites questions of lack of knowledge of the “other” and the resulting mistrust, problems of language, administrative rigidity, and financial difficulties. But the author concludes that with the new attitudes and the environment of co‐operation created by the “glasnost” and the “perestroika” phenomena, the perspectives for increased East‐West academic mobility and exchange are greatly improved.