University of California Peer Review System and Post-tenure Evaluation

The peer review system at all campuses of the University of California is a long standing program of pre- and post-tenure evaluation. All faculty are reviewed on a schedule of 2 to 4 years by department colleagues, the dean, and a campus faculty committee which normally results in a merit increase. This system of pre- and post-tenure review throughout a faculty members' career poses a substantial workload for faculty, departments, and the campus; but it is regarded by faculty and campus administrators as crucial to maintaining a faculty of very high quality. This article describes the well-established review process, which may provide ideas for those institutions planning on enhancing their approaches to peer review .     

From Positive Reinforcement to Positive Behaviors: An Everyday Guide for the Practitioner

There are various opinions concerning the value of positive reinforcement when discussing modifying behaviors of young children. In some cases, individuals considered positive reinforcement difficult to implement and, in extreme cases, even felt it to be detrimental. Educators often use praise interchangeably with positive reinforcement when indeed an important distinction exists between the two. This paper discusses the differences between positive reinforcement and praise and demonstrates how to effectively apply positive reinforcement to help manage behavior of young children.     

Maternal Separation Anxiety: Its Developmental Course and Relation to Maternal Mental Health

Maternal separation anxiety is a construct that describes a mother's experience of worry, sadness, or guilt during short-term separations from her child. This investigation examined potential differences in psychological correlates between mothers with high and low levels of anxiety when their children were 8 months, 3 1/2 years, and 6 years of age. High levels of maternal separation anxiety had different psychological correlates contingent upon the age of the child. Depressive symptomatology and separation anxiety were unrelated at times 1 and 2, but when the children were 6 years old, mothers who had the highest levels of anxiety tended to have more depressive symptomatology, fewer coping skills, a more negative representation of self, and embraced more traditional sex-role values. Study findings are discussed with respect to their relevance to the mother's role as developmental partner to the child and linked to major theoretical perspectives that address the mother-child relationship.