Masculinity and femininity in twin children: genetic and environmental factors

Genetic and environmental origins of individual differences in masculine and feminine personality attributes were investigated in a sample of 38 monozygotic and 32 dizygotic twin pairs (total N = 140) during pre- and early adolescence. Self-report measures of both masculine and feminine characteristics were obtained for each child using 2 standardized instruments: the Children's Personality Attributes Questionnaire (CPAQ) and the Adolescent Self-Perception Inventory (ASPI). Multivariate biometrical analyses revealed significant genetic influences in all measures, accounting for 20%-48% of the observed variation in each. Environmental influences, which explained the remaining 52%-80% of variance in masculinity and femininity, were apparently specific to each individual and not shared by members of the same twin pair. The results underscore the importance of considering both genetic and environmental factors in gender-role development, particularly in studies of family resemblance.     

The relationship between achievement and IQ in students with learning disabilities

To investigate the relationship between achievement and IQ in the learning-disabled (LD) population, changes in the IQ scores of LD students from the early elementary grades to the high school grades were studied. The intercorrelations among those IQ scores and a variety of achievement scores were then explored for the purpose of ascertaining causal relationships. The results were interpreted as support for the contention that the underachievement of LD students (in particular, reading underachievement) plays a predominant causal role in the achievement-IQ relationship in this population.     

Mother-Toddler Problem Solving: Antecedents in Attachment, Home Behavior, and Temperament

In a widely cited study, Matas, Arend, and Sroufe showed that mother-toddler interaction during problem solving at age 2 years was related to the child's prior attachment security. The current study asked (1) whether an independent laboratory could replicate this attachment finding, and (2) whether problem-solving interactions relate to mother-child interactions observed at home and to child temperament measured at 6, 13, and 24 months. Replicating Matas et al., secure dyads worked more competently, and mothers showed better quality of assistance and supportive presence. Mother-child home interaction also predicted problem solving: positive involvement at home predicted effective, unconflicted problem solving. Negative control at home did not predict problem-solving interaction. Unadaptable temperament was generally related to dependency in problem solving. Several patterns of correlations appeared to be mediated by sex of child, e.g., difficult temperament in boys predicted more effective, unconflicted problem solving, while for girls it predicted more conflict.     

Salary comparisons: New methods for correcting old fallacies

Institutions of higher education place high priority on ensuring that their faculties are adequately paid. Since gauging the adequacy of compensation is a problem of relative measure, this assessment is usually performed by comparing university-level average salaries for a group of peer institutions. Often the potential distortions caused by differences in the rank mix of the faculty are forestalled by comparing average salaries for each of the four ranks. However, few if any institutions take similar steps to prevent the skewing of averages owing to differences in cost of living, differences in distribution of faculty in academic year and twelve-month appointments, and differences in the configuration of the faculty over disciplines. This paper shows that salary comparisons that do not compensate for these variation in staff mix are seriously flawed. A recommended methodology is demonstrated.     

Developing POPTRAN,a population modelling package

Collaboration between subject matter specialists, computer programmers and educational technologists has resulted in the production of POPTRAN, a computer assisted learning package designed to teach the basic concepts of population studies. Its evaluation in developing countries, with both naive and specialist users, and subsequent revision, has produced a package of both academic quality and teaching effectiveness.     

The instructional audit in urban school settings: A descriptive policy analysis of instructional delivery using signal-receptor assessment theory and information referenced testing

High levels of student absenteeism, low SES home environments, and a general lack of experienced teachers to service the school curriculum all contribute to difficulties in insuring the delivery of apriori school district defined instructional programs. The importance of urban school site educational evaluation is underscored by recent studies which show that the effectiveness of instructional delivery is an important predictor of student antisocial behavior such as drug abuse, gang activity, vandalism. This study examines some of the problems associated with instructional evaluation in urban school settings using signal-receptor assessment theory analysis and a new type of test scoring procedure called Modified Confidence Weighted-Admissible Probability Measurement (MCW-APM). With MCW-APM, school administrative personnel can simultaneously evaluate and obtain policy relevant information for instructional leadership concerning the signal (instruction as delivered), the reception (student learning as received), and the assessment instrumentation itself (sensitivity of the test). Additionally, this method of scoring permits individual student performance on school district developed CRTs to be referenced to an information based standard (informed, partially informed, uninformed, and misinformed) of mastery as a selection standard instead of a percent correct score.     

Increase in retention of a taste aversion by weanling rats after a long interval

Weanling rats were tested for retention of an aversion to a novel flavor (chocolate milk) that had been conditioned as a single-element conditioned stimulus (CS) or in compound with a novel ambient odor (banana). The presence of the ambient odor during conditioning had no effect on flavor aversion shortly thereafter, confirming previous results. The flavor aversion observed 21 days after conditioning, however, was significantly stronger for pups conditioned with the single-element CS than for those given the flavor-odor compound as the CS. This retention effect was due to a surprisingincrease in the conditioned aversion observed 21 days after conditioning with the single-element CS. A second experiment confirmed this paradoxical increase in retention of the aversion to chocolate milk. This experiment also verified that no such increase occurred in retention of the conditioned aversion to a different flavor (saccharin), whether the initial aversion was strong or weak. The results may be explained in terms of generalized latent inhibition from consumption of mother’s milk.     

Formula-based research incentive plans at colleges and universities

Financial problems at colleges and universities have led many institutions to initiate extra efforts to obtain extramural funds. One such effort has been the establishment of formula-based research incentive plans. These plans generally utilize the recovery of indirect costs as the basis for allocating additional incentive funds to various areas as an encouragement to obtain additional extramural funds. Data from surveys conducted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Ohio University were combined with National Science Foundation reports to provide information about this relatively recent phenomena. The increasing popularity of these plans was shown in that a majority of institutions had such plans in effect during FY 1979. Analyses of the effectiveness of these plans showed no statistically significant differences between institutions with incentive plans and those without such plans, although mean federal research expenditures were approximately 20% greater at those institutions without these incentive plans. The evidence presented indicates that the receipt of federal research funds is not associated with the use of a formula-based research incentive plan.     

Lack of reinstatement of an extinguished taste aversion

Three experiments with rat subjects were designed to investigate the possibility that an extinguished saccharin aversion might be reinstated if the animals are made ill with lithium chloride (in the absence of saccharin) following extinction. Although reinstatement can be obtained when the unconditioned stimulus is presented following the extinction of other kinds of conditioned behaviors, the present experiments provided no evidence that an extinguished taste aversion can be reinstated. No reinstatement was observed, even when the aversion had been only partially extinguished and when multiple injections of lithium chloride were administered in an attempt to reinstate the aversion.