Attitudinal effects as a function of undergraduate statistics course design: Personalized (self-directed) vs. traditional

Two undergraduate statistics course designs were compared for their effects on attitudes involving perceived competency with respect to course content, the concept of psychology as a science, the social atmosphere within a course and the interest and value in the area of statistics and research design. One design involved the traditional format of lecture-laboratory-discussion while the other was modeled after Keller's personalized program involving the application of principles of behavioral analysis. The Keller design produced more positive attitudes with respect to perceived competency and the notion of psychology as a science. The attitudes toward the social atmosphere and the interest and value in the course were higher at the beginning of the personalized design and did not change as a result of the students' experiences in the courses. The outcomes seem to be a result of both the specific course design and the context or learning system in which the student functions.     

PRIORITIES OF TEST PUBLISHERS

The profiles of seven major publishers of elementary-level tests were prepared from systematic ratings of the qualities of their tests. Meaningful rating differences among the publishers' priorities were found and three types of publishers could be identified and described.     

Several factors influencing web-spinning activity in the common house spiderAchaearanea tepidariorum Koch

Web-spinning activity ofAchaearanea tepidarortum (Koch) was observed in relation to amount of prior feeding, hours of food deprivation, and the number of flies (Drosophila melanogaster) available in the animal’s environment. Web spinning was positively related to the number of flies consumed in a 24-h period prior to testing, but did not vary significantly between 24 and 72 h of food deprivation. The amount of available food in the environment was positively related to web-spinning activity during a 48-h test period.