Educational ethology and experiments in vacuo: Some implications for research and education 1

Course memories and careful observation in the field are both important if researchers are to come to grips with the problems in the real world of the public schools. We should keep in mind that our goal is the production of causal statements which potentially make some educationally significant difference. Using “experiments in vacuo”; a la Galileo is one way for researchers to keep themselves oriented toward the production of causal statements. “Experiments in vacuo” are also a means to avoid overlooking obvious simplicities or appraising nonevents. The examples given in this article illustrate the operation of causal events operating in chains and in parallel and some pitfalls of not examining, at least hypothetically, such causal chains or of distinguishing between causal events operating in series or in parallel. Avoiding such pitfalls is one way to prevent the pessimistic view that research tells us nothing and education makes no difference.     

The role of fantasy figures in the regulation of young children's behavior: Santa Claus,the Easter Bunny,and donations

The present study examined the influence of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny on children's donations near the Easter season. Kindergarten and first-grade children were asked to tell stories about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or pets, for which they received nine pieces of gum. They were then encouraged to donate any amount of their gum to handicapped children. Main effects were found only for grade, with first-grade children donating significantly more than kindergarten children. In addition, a significant interaction was obtained between grade and type of story elicited from the child. This interaction revealed that for kindergarten children, the type of story failed to influence donations, whereas for first-grade children, stories referring to Santa Claus increased donations relative to stories told about the Easter Bunny or pets.     

A quiver full of arrows: recommended Web-based tutorials for PubMed,PowerPoint, Ovid MEDLINE,and FrontPage

Librarians often are responsible for instructing their patrons in the use of various databases and popular software packages. When this instruction can't be provided through face-to-face contact, Web-based tutorials can be useful tools to bridge the information gap. This article recommends Web-based tutorials for PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.     

PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL, PARTISANSHIP AND THE ECONOMY: EVIDENCE FROM THE 1984 CONTINUOUS MONITORING SURVEY IN THE US

This paper examines several key debates in the literature onthe effects of economic performance on political support, usingthe Continuous Monitoring Survey of the 1984 CPS American nationalelection study. Box-Jenkins time-series analyses show that theelectorate operates in terms of a reward-punishment model whichis asymmetrical and sociotropic in its effects. In the modelsdeveloped party identification and economic evaluations Granger–causepresidential approval, the effects of the former being strongerthan those of the latter. Partisanship and economic evaluationsform two independent streams of influence on presidential approval,casting doubt on some revisionist interpretations in the votingliterature, i.e., that party identification is simply a runningtally of voters' judgments about party performance on economicand other issues. In addition, the results suggest that popularityfunctions which omit party identification are theoreticallymisspecified.