Motivational specificity of the signal value of odor cues

The performance of the laboratory rat in the enclosed maze apparatus is profoundly influenced by subject-generated cues that seem to be olfactory. The present experiment investigated the specificity of these cues. Odor cues produced by odor-donor rats placed in the startbox were ineffective determinants of the behavior of runway-trained rats when the deprivation states of these two groups differed. However, when the deprivation states of these two groups coincided, the odor cues produced by the odor-donor rats became effective determinants of performance. Thus, it would appear that even though odor cues are influential in determining the runway performance of the rat subject, their effectiveness may well be drive-state dependent.     

First-time mothers' selection of infant supine sleep positioning

The incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has decreased dramatically since the inception of the "Back to Sleep" campaign initiated by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1992. However, that decrease has leveled off and many new parents cease to follow the recommendation to place their infants in the supine position for sleep between 1 and 3 months of age, the peak age for the incidence of SIDS. Shortened hospital stays for new mothers and the overwhelming amount of required patient teaching dictate the need to find the best method of instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine if a one-on-one teaching intervention improved the effectiveness of patient education and led to an increase in the desired behavior of placing the infant to sleep in the supine position. A quantitative experimental approach was used to examine the difference in compliance of supine infant positioning. Participants were drawn from a convenience sample of 61 primiparous women between the ages of 18 and 35 years with random assignment to either the experimental or control group. Compared to mothers in the control group, mothers in the experimental group demonstrated greater compliance in selecting supine sleep position in the first week home from the hospital and on the day of follow-up 6 weeks later. However, no difference in "usual position" was reported at 6 weeks and for the night previous to follow-up.     

Women and science education in Cameroon: Some critical reflections

Ten Cameroonian women were interviewed in order to find out how they had managed to become scientists and science educators. We talked to them about the kinds of support they had been given by their families, how science was taught in schools both in the past and at present, and whether or not they thought it possible to integrated science and African traditional thought in schools and universities. We used a framework incorporating the concepts of gender and social class in order to interpret their views. On this basis, we understood why these women tended to underestimate the importance of institutional discrimination in science and to conceive of the norms of professionalism as unsurpassable. In contrast, we suggest that women in Cameroon will only be able to participate fully when their own experience and ways of knowing are incorporated into the teaching and structures of science.     

In response to David Greenwood’s ‘Place mobility and faculty life: mindfulness through change’ through the lens of science teacher education programs

In writing this review, I draw on the experience of David Greenwood (Cult Stud Sci Educ 10:5–16, 2015) whose ethnographic study sheds light on his growth as a faculty member who has taught in various settings that are quite different from the culture that he grew up with. I extend his thoughts on ecological mindfulness to encompass a culturally aware method of teaching based on place sensitized more to the needs of science teacher preparation programs. The methods used in writing the review included literature searches for articles that incorporate ecological mindfulness and culturally responsive teaching in science teacher preparation programs and reflected ideas voiced in Greenwood’s article. Although he seems that he is primarily addressing other faculty members, his experiences can be used as lifelong lessons for preservice teachers entering a primarily homogeneous workforce expected to teach an increasingly diverse student population. His humor, use of Haiku, poetry and mindfulness as a way of becoming one with a culture that he is not accustomed has many lessons that prove useful in training more culturally responsive teachers. In light of an increasingly diverse US student population versus a stagnantly homogeneous teaching workforce, his reflective practice will prove useful to teachers who are expected to teach students with cultures different from their own.     

The Teacher Research Update Experience: Perceptions of Practicing Science, Mathematics, and Technology Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine how the practicing science and mathematics teachers participating in the University of Florida's Teacher Research Update Experience (TRUE) perceived their experiences in Summer 2000. We conducted in-depth interviews and collected data from survey questionnaires and addressed research in the following areas: How do participants perceive their experiences during the 7-week program designed to enhance science, mathematics, and technology knowledge and skills? How have these experiences contributed to their professional and personal growth and development, and how will they influence teaching and student learning? Findings from interviews provided insights into the thoughts, motivations, and, in some cases, insecurities of these adult learners. Follow-up studies are indicated on long-term impact of immersion professional development programs.     

Alterations in the memory code for temporal events induced by differential outcome expectancies in pigeons

The effect of differential outcome expectancies on memory for temporal and nontemporal information was examined. Pigeons were trained to match short (2-sec) and long (8-sec) sample durations to red and green comparison stimuli, and vertical and horizontal lines to vertical and horizontal comparison stimuli. In Experiment 1, one differential outcome (DO) group received food for correct choices on short-sample trials, whereas another received food for correct choices on long-sample trials. On line-orientation trials, half of each DO group received food for correct responses following vertical samples, whereas the other half received food for correct responses following horizontal samples. Overall retention was greater in the DO groups than in a nondifferential (NDO) group that received either food or no food for correct responses on a random half of all trials. Furthermore, although the NDO group displayed a choose-short bias for temporal samples, both DO groups displayed equivalent biases to select the comparison stimulus associated with food. In Experiment 2, differential outcome expectancies were extinguished off-baseline. Subsequently, in the first nondifferential outcome test session, the. DO groups performed less, accurately than the NDO group. These findings indicate that temporal samples are not retrospectively and analogically coded when they are differentially associated with food and no food. Instead, they are remembered in terms of the corresponding outcome expectancies.     

Examining the Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program: Integration of Educational Robotics into Science and Mathematics Curricula

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study describes a professional development (PD) program designed to support middle school teachers in effectively integrating robotics in science...     

Improving Elementary Grade Students’ Science and Social Studies Vocabulary Knowledge Depth,Reading Comprehension,and Argumentative Writing: a Conceptual Replication

Educational Psychology Review - This experimental study aimed to replicate and extend a previous efficacy study of an elementary grade content literacy intervention that demonstrated positive...     

Indicators for national science and technology policy: how robust are composite indicators?

This article addresses a set of issues that were central to Keith Pavitt's research, that is, the construction and use of tools to measure national innovative performance and to design national policies relating to innovation. It presents an overview of the development of science and technology (S&T) indicators and their use in national policy making and provides evidence of the vulnerability of composite S&T indicators to manipulation. A brief history of the development of S&T indicators begins with the role of the United States followed by their worldwide diffusion with particular emphasis on Europe. Newer developments towards composite indicators, benchmarking and scoreboarding are discussed. To investigate the robustness of innovation scoreboards empirically, a sensitivity analysis of one selected case is presented. It is shown that composite scores and country rank positions can vary considerably depending on the selection process. Thus, the use of scoreboards leaves room for manipulation in the policymaking system. Further research is needed on alternative methods of calculation to prevent their misuse and abuse.