Sex-specific response strategies in mental rotation

The present study investigated whether the marked sex difference in the original mental rotation test (MRT) is simply a result of sex differences in response strategies. Thirty-four participants (17 males, 17 females) completed the revised Vandenberg and Kuse MRT [Peters, M., Laeng, B., Latham, K., Jackson, M., Zaiyouna, R., & Richardson, C. (1995). A redrawn Vandenberg & Kuse Mental Rotations Tests: Different versions and factors that affect performance. Brain and Cognition, 28, 39–58.] and a modified MRT. In the modified version, the number of matching figures varied from zero to four, so that participants had to match every single figure to the target, impeding leaps. Both men and women showed reduced performance in the modified version. However, men were clearly more affected than women. Although sex differences in the modified MRT were somewhat reduced, men still outperformed women (original MRT: d = .95, modified MRT: d = .76). The findings suggest that men rely more on a leaping response strategy than women, however, the robust sex differences in MRT was only marginally affected by sex differences in response strategies.     

Conscientiousness,achievement striving,and intelligence as performance predictors in a sample of German psychology students: Always a linear relationship?

Studies on the interface between cognitive ability (intelligence) and personality in the prediction of academic performance have yielded mixed results so far. Especially an interaction between conscientiousness (and its facet achievement striving) and intelligence has been investigated. The hypothesis is that conscientiousness enhances the impact of intelligence on performance. Based on findings supporting the idea of a non-linear relationship between conscientiousness and performance the present study aimed at a clarification of the mixed results. Given such a non-linear relationship, studies investigating a possible moderating effect should pay attention to the performance level. A sample of N = 271 students completed a conscientiousness and an intelligence measure. Moderated regression analyses revealed a moderation for conscientiousness but not its facet achievement striving in the total sample. However, splitting the sample into a low and a high performer group revealed an enhancing effect of achievement striving for low performers and a buffering effect for high performer. Practical as well as theoretical implications are discussed.     

Selektionsprozesse beim Übergang in die Sekundarstufe I und II

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of family environment, school grade, performance and social behavior of students on educational trajectory. The research project Family-School-Job (FASE B) utilized a representative longitudinal sample of 454 students and their primary reference persons in the canton of Bern (Switzerland). Using step-wise logistic regression analyses, the study investigated the predictive value of family-based and individual determinants at the end of primary school for the transition to lower secondary schooling and for the development at upper secondary education (academic education or vocational training). The transition to lower secondary education was more strongly influenced by grades than by results of standardized performance tests. Parental expectation, parents’ socio-economic background and by classroom misbehavior were also important predictors.Parental expectations predicted educational pathways into secondary education whereas grades in German andgender were partially significant only. Parental expectations permit precise predictions of educational pathways, even when controlling for students’ grades and performance.     

Innovation policy for system-wide transformation: The case of strategic innovation programmes (SIPs) in Sweden

The orientation towards grand societal challenges can be seen as a new wave or paradigm for innovation policy. Such policy aims at system-wide transformation and is often referred to as system innovation policy. While insights from transition studies have provided novel and useful rationales for innovation policy targeting system-wide transformation, it remains unclear how to design, implement and evaluate such policies. The contribution of this paper is to translate and concretize the challenges of system innovation policy towards scope for policy action and analysis. Building on insights from transition studies we group the challenges into four domains: directionality, experimentation, demand articulation, and policy coordination and learning. We relate challenges within the four domains to three generic features of innovation systems: interests and capabilities of actors, networks, and institutions. The derived framework is applied in a case study on the strategic innovation programmes, a recent policy initiative by Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency, targeting system innovation.     

Knowledge base combinations and firm growth

The link between knowledge and firm growth has been a core topic in economics of innovation for a long time. However, despite strong theoretical arguments, empirical evidence remains inconclusive. One important reason for this conundrum may be the failure of standard indicators to capture firm innovation activities comprehensively. We contribute to overcoming this limitation by looking in the knowledge processes that drive variegated forms of innovation and aim thereby to establish a solid relationship with firm growth in more detail. Our arguments draw on the differentiated knowledge base approach, distinguishing between analytical, synthetic, and symbolic knowledge. We measure the three types of knowledge bases with detailed longitudinal linked-employer-employee micro-data from Sweden. Econometric findings based on a very large sample of small and medium-sized firms indicate significantly positive effects of the three knowledge types, and in particular combinations thereof, on firm growth. In addition, we show that not only high-growth but also slow-growth firms benefit immensely from the use of combinatory knowledge bases. We find evidence on a curvilinear relation between knowledge bases and growth of firms. Beyond certain thresholds increasing the knowledge bases further results in decreasing firm growth. Our results remain robust in a wide range of specifications and econometric models.     

On the use of negation in Boolean IR queries

The negation operator, in various forms in which it appears in Information Retrieval queries, is investigated. The applications include negated terms in Boolean queries, more specifically in the presence of metrical constraints, but also negated characters used in the definition of extended keywords by means of regular expressions. Exact definitions are suggested and their usefulness is shown on several examples. Finally, some implementation issues are discussed, in particular as to the order in which the terms of long queries, with or without negated keywords, should be processed, and efficient heuristics for choosing a good order are suggested.     

Die intrinsische Motivation zu wissenschaftlicher Arbeit als Problem von Universitätsorganisation und Leistungsmessung

Dieser Beitrag hat die organisatorischen Veränderungen an Österreichs Universitäten während der letzten 40 Jahre zum Gegenstand. Der Weg von der Ordinarienuniversität zur unternehmerischen Universität wird nachgezeichnet und die Chancen und Risiken einer Vermarktlichung der Koordinationsmechanismen an der Universität werden diskutiert. Probleme werden insbesondere bei der Messung und Steuerung wissenschaftlicher Leistung geortet. Als besonderes Risiko der unternehmerischen Universität wird die Verdrängung innerer Motivation durch äußere Motivation im Handeln von WissenschafterInnen gesehen.     

The contribution of higher education to the development of objective and subjective judgment in day‐to‐day decision‐making

In order to make effective decisions based on probability, one must be able to distinguish between the objective‐factual aspects of the decision and the subjective aspects. This study examines the hypothesis that academic studies contribute to the development of the ability to make such distinctions in day‐to‐day decision‐making. Some 940 subjects, including some holding Bachelor's degrees and others with Master's degrees in the Exact Sciences, the Social Sciences, and the Humanities, responded to a questionnaire on decision‐making situations which examined the degree of their awareness of the objective and subjective elements of decisions. It was found that the respondents made the distinction in the situations with which they were presented. A rise in academic level from the Bachelor's degree to the Master's Degree led to increased awareness of the objective aspect of decisions among scholars in the Exact Sciences and the Humanities. Holders of Master's degrees in all of the fields of specialty showed a greater awareness of the subjective aspect than did holders of Bachelor's degrees. The application of these insights in the field of education is discussed.     

The effect of computer-mediated collaborative learning on solving III-defined problems

The positive effects of collaborative learning in a face-to-face environment are well known. However, little empirical research exists to determine if such effects transfer to a computer-mediated environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of computer-mediated collaboration on solving ill-defined problems. Participants first worked through a Web-based instructional program that taught them a four-step problem-solving process. Then they worked in computer-mediated dyads or alone to apply the steps to solve a realistic problem scenario. Results indicated that participants who worked in computer-mediated collaborative dyads performed significantly better than did participants who worked alone. The results also indicated that dyads spent significantly more time than participants in the individual treatment. Both treatment groups had positive attitudes toward working collaboratively, Internet-based instruction, and transfer of problem-solving skills. Implications for the implementation of computer-mediated collaboration in distance learning are discussed. During article preparation, he was a PhD student at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United States government.