La Maîtrise Intuitive des Relations entre Masse,Volume et Masse Volumique Chez des Elèves du Premier Cycle

Three experiments have been devoted to the application of the methodology developped by Anderson, N. H. (1981, 1982) in the framework of the Information Integration Theory to the problem of the mastery by children (14 old) of the relations between the notions of mass, volume and volumic mass. It appears that, having to judge of the mass values of diverses objects from given values of volume and volumic mass, a majority of pupils are able to take account of the positive link between the mass on the one part and the volume and the volumic mass on the other part but apply an additive type integration rule. However, a minority of pupils are able to apply a normatively correct multiplicative rule. Concerning the judgements of volume values from given mass and volumic mass values, and the judgements of volumic mass values from given mass and volume values, a majority of pupils apply a soustractive integration rule. In these two cases however the integration patterns are extremely variegated. The relation between the algebraic level of analysis of the judgement data and an information processing level of analysis of the same data is discussed. The use by teachers of the paradigm presented in the study with the aim of improving upon the current evaluation methods is proposed.     

Doing the right thing: infants' selection of actions to imitate from observed event sequences

Two studies were conducted to investigate how 14- to 16-month-old infants select actions to imitate from the stream of events. In each study, an experimenter demonstrated two actions leading to an interesting effect. Aspects of the first action were manipulated and whether infants performed this action when given the objects was observed. In both studies, infants were more likely to imitate the first action when it was physically necessary to generate the effect, and in Study 2 they were also more likely to imitate the action when it was socially cued. It seems that infants' own knowledge of space and causality as well as their sensitivity to others' social signals both contribute to their tendency to imitate actions.     

Factors associated with school psychologists' perceptions of campus violence

Recent concern about school violence has increased demands on school psychologists to respond to safety concerns on their school campuses. In this study, 123 school psychologists responded to a survey about their perceptions, experiences, and readiness to meaningfully address school violence. School psychologists reported that they do not worry about their personal safety at school (78%), but most felt unprepared to deal with school violence (73%) and had received no specialized training in this area (85%). A principal components analysis of the types of violence school psychologists perceived to occur on their campuses identified a range of incidents from bullying to antisocial behavior. School psychologists working in inner-city schools were more likely to believe that their schools had high levels of violence (45.6%) compared with those working in urban-not inner-city (14.3%), suburban (4.9%), or rural (0%) schools. Recommendations to prepare school psychologists to help prevent, reduce, and respond to campus violence are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Further validation of the Qualitative Scoring System for the modified bender-gestalt test

This study compared the Qualitative Scoring System for the modified version of the Bender-Gestalt Test and the Developmental Scoring System for the Bender-Gestalt Test in predicting performance on the Metropolitan Achievement Test. The subjects were 409 first through fourth graders from regular classes in a public elementary school. Both scoring systems correlated significantly with school achievement. However, the Qualitative system correlated higher than the Developmental system with all Metropolitan Achievement Test subscores. Tests for differences between correlations indicated that five of these comparisons were statistically significant.     

Measuring stability and change in WISC-R IQS

Webster (1988) assessed WISC-R IQ stability in samples of adolescents identified as EMR and LD. It is argued here that Webster used an inappropriate standard error of measurement in his study. This resulted in magnified estimates of the number of individuals who obtained significantly discrepant IQs from one test admnistration to the next. Webster's analyses therefore exaggerated the degree of test-retest instability inherent in WISC-R IQs.     

Finding Common Ground

Teen Tokyo, a 3,000-square-foot, $1-million long-term exhibition at The Children's Museum, Boston, opened in 1992. It was developed to complement the museum's permanent Japanese House exhibition and to further its commitment to teaching about cultural differences and similarities. Designed primarily, but not exclusively, for youngsters aged 10 to 15 years, it is about growing up in contemporary Japan and the international culture of youth. An international team of developers, designers, and consultants spent five years preparing and funding the exhibition, using formative evaluation throughout. The project also included publication of a 50-page catalogue/curriculum unit.