Response strategies in the radial arm maze: Running around in circles

The effects of the size of the central arena on the use of response strategies by rats on an eight-arm elevated maze were examined. The size of the central arena had no effect on accuracy, but the use of adjacent arms increased significantly with a larger central arena, regardless of the size of arena to which rats were first exposed. These results are interpreted in terms of foraging efficiency.

     

Associative learning and elemental representation: II. Generalization and discrimination

This paper follows on from an earlier companion paper (McLaren & Mackintosh, 2000), in which we further developed the elemental associative theory put forward in McLaren, Kaye, and Mackintosh (1989). Here, we begin by explicating the idea that stimuli can be represented as patterns of activation distributed across a set of units and that different stimuli activate partially overlapping sets (the degree of overlap being proportional to the similarity of the stimuli). A consequence of this view is that the overall level of activity of some of the units representing a stimulus may be dependent on the nature of the other stimuli present at the same time. This allows an elemental analysis in which provision for the representation of configurations of stimuli is made. A selective review of studies of generalization and discrimination learning, including peak shift, transfer along a continuum, configural discrimination, and summation, suggests that the principles embodied in this class of theory deserve careful consideration and will form part of any successful model of associative learning in humans or animals. There are some phenomena that require an elemental/associative explanation.     

Genetic basis of heterosis and inbreeding depression in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The genetic basis of heterosis was studied through mid-parent, standard variety and better parent for 11 quantitative traits in 17 parental lines and their 10 selected hybrids in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The characters were plant height. days to flag leaf initiation, days to first panicle initiation, days to 100% flowering, panicle length, flag leaf length. days to maturity, number of fertile spikelet/panicle, number of effective tillers/hill, grain yield/10-hill, and 1000-grain weight. In general the hybrids performed significantly better than the respective parents. Significant heterosis was observed for most of the studied characters. Among the 10 hybrids, four hybrids viz., 17A×45R, 25A×37R, 27A×39R, 31A×47R, and 35A×47R showed highest heterosis in 10-hill grain yield/10-hill. Inbreeding depression of F₂ progeny was also studied for 11 characters of 10 hybrids. Both positive and negative inbreeding depression were found in many crosses for the studied characters, but none was found significant. Selection of good parents was found to be the most important for developing high yielding hybrid rice varieties. Project supported by the Foundation of Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, People's Republic of Bangladesh     

Children involved in bullying: psychological disturbance and the persistence of the involvement

OBJECTIVE: This follow-up investigation studied the extent of bullying among children aged 8 (Study 1) and 12 (Study 2), and measured the persistence of this behaviour. The relationship between bullying and psychological disturbance at these two time points was also studied. Furthermore, the relationships between bullying and some background factors were investigated. METHOD: 1268 children were studied at two time points using three different questionnaires. Parents filled out the Rutter A2 Scale, teachers the Rutter B2 Scale and children themselves the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). RESULTS: Males outnumbered females at both time points among bullies, bully-victims (children who both bully and are victims) and victims. There was a clear difference between the genders among bullies and bully-victims, but the difference was quite minimal among victims. The number of children involved in bullying declined somewhat during the 4-year follow-up period, and a substantial number of children changed status, bullies became bully-victims for example. Nearly half the children involved in bullying in Study 2 had been involved 4 years earlier. Those children who were bully-victims in Study 1 were most commonly found to be still involved in bullying 4 years later. At both time points, children involved in bullying were found to have significantly more psychiatric symptoms than other children, and to be psychologically disturbed. Males and children from low SES families were more prone to continue to be involved in bullying over a 4-year period. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying is common among children, and in many cases lasts for years. Bully-victims are particularly at risk of remaining involved in bullying over longer periods. Also, children involved in bullying often have psychiatric problems and are disturbed.     

Residents' attitudes toward the legal system and court testimony in child abuse

Resident physicians' contacts with the legal system during management of abused children may influence their attitudes, which were evaluated in a pilot survey completed by 42 pediatric and medicine/pediatric residents. Although negative attitudes toward attorneys were common, almost all of the residents considered general and hearing-specific legal training to be a legitimate part of their residency program. They reported lower levels of stress of court testimony than expected by the authors. Most who had testified in court believed their testimony had been needed and helpful, but all who believed their testimony had been a waste of time were senior-level residents. Although most residents believed the laws and courts usually work for protecting children, only 8 of the 20 residents who had previously testified in court responded affirmatively, and none of the 10 senior residents who had previously testified held this belief. The disillusionment of senior-level residents appeared to affect attitudes toward patient care less than expected, in that 90% of those who planned to enter private practice indicated they would perform physical abuse evaluations and 70% planned to perform sexual abuse evaluations. Only one resident who did not expect to perform the evaluations gave as a reason the prospect of having to testify in court.     

A new approach to increasing diversity in engineering at the example of women in engineering

A new initiative to incorporate diversity issues into the common engineering curriculum at the University of Wollongong (UoW) in Australia is outlined and the effect on student awareness quantified. The diversity issues were illustrated in the example of women in engineering, seeing that the numbers of women in engineering have dropped drastically over the last five years at UoW. However, the methodology applied can be adjusted to any diversity group to suit the needs of the institution performing the activity. The method is based on the hypothesis that raising awareness and understanding across the entire student body will be a first step to change. The approach is different to the traditional recruitment and marketing approach of convincing women to try engineering with little follow up support and subsequently often low retention. The initiative involves a diversity lecture delivered to all fourth year engineering students as part of a compulsory management subject. It is anticipated that with the current approach all students are made aware of the problems that women expect to face in the engineering profession. This awareness is hoped to bring about some of the required change in culture and prepare women to draw on available support. The strategy does not exclude men, but includes them as instruments for positive change through an understanding of the benefits of a gender-balanced and diverse work environment on everyone. The initiative is popular with students who through their feedback are requesting more such activities, in particular in early years of engineering education.     

Regulation, emotionality, and preschoolers' socially competent peer interactions

In this study, the relations of regulatory control to the qualities of children's everyday peer interactions were examined. Effortful control (EC) and observations of peer interactions were obtained from 135 preschoolers (77 boys and 58 girls, mean ages = 50.88 and 50.52, respectively). The results generally confirmed the prediction that children who are high in EC were relatively unlikely to experience high levels of negative emotional arousal in response to peer interactions, but this relation held only for moderate to high intense interactions. Socially competent responding was less likely to be observed when the interaction was intense or when negative emotions were elicited. Moreover, when the interactions were of high intensity, highly regulated children were likely to evidence socially competent responses. The relation of EC and intensity to social competence was partially mediated by negative emotional arousal. The results support the conclusion that individual differences in regulation interact with situational factors in influencing young children's socially competent responding.     

The impact of trial stage,developer involvement and international transferability on universal social and emotional learning programme outcomes: a meta-analysis

Abstract

This study expands upon the extant prior meta-analytic literature by exploring previously theorised reasons for the failure of school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes to produce expected results. Eighty-nine studies reporting the effects of school-based, universal SEL programmes were examined for differential effects on the basis of: (1) stage of evaluation (efficacy or effectiveness); (2) involvement from the programme developer in the evaluation (led, involved, independent); and (3) whether the programme was implemented in its country of origin (home or away). A range of outcomes were assessed including: social-emotional competence, attitudes towards self, pro-social behaviour, conduct problems, emotional distress, academic achievement and emotional competence. Differential gains across all three factors were shown, although not always in the direction hypothesised. The findings from the current study demonstrate a revised and more complex relationship between identified factors and dictate major new directions for the field.     

Developmental practicum experiences of preservice teachers in deaf education: implications for practicum placement and faculty-student collaborative research

The study examined the developmental practicum experiences of second-year graduate students in deaf education. Participants in the study consisted of a convenient sample of five practicum students. Triangulated data for the study came from the researcher's observational notes, e-mail correspondence with participants, and participants' journals. Inductive analysis was used to analyze the data. Results of the study evinced developmental experiences that are different from those reported in previous studies. The results of the study have significant implications for (a) practicum placement of graduate students in deaf education in terms of site-based orientation, use of the clinical model of supervision, opportunities for self-reflection, and periodic practicum seminars; and (b) faculty-student collaborative research in terms of planning, ethical issues, students' time needs, and training.     

The science-technology-society movement in science education: A critique of the reform process

Changes in society and in science and technology have forced a rethinking of what is “basic” in science education. A perceived disjuncture between school science and the realities of a scientifically and technologically oriented society has resulted in proposals for new directions in science teaching. It appears that science education is about to undergo another paradigm shift. One particularly visible movement, the “Science-Technology-Society” (STS) movement, exemplifies how such directional shifts tend to occur within the field of science education. This article critically examines the program and professional development process that has characterized past and current science curriculum reform effort in an attempt to illustrate fundamental educational reform problems. The need for new directions in science education is uncontested here. The issue is the problematic nature of the reform process itself. The article contends that new methods of reform must be researched— methods that directly involve practitioners in critical reflection, participatory research, and science curriculum development.