Sample duration and type of stimuli in delayed matching-to-sample in rhesus monkeys

Two experiments were performed to determine the effect of sample duration (0.1, 2, and 4 sec), delay interval (.03, 4, 8, 16, and 32 sec), and type of stimulus (color and shape) on the matching performance of rhesus monkeys. In Experiment 1, the 15 possible delay-duration combinations were randomly presented in blocks of 15 trials. In Experiment 2, each duration was held constant and the five delays randomly presented. Then each delay interval was held constant with the three durations randomly varied. Matching performance increased as sample duration increased (ps < .01 and .005), while length of delay did not significantly affect performance. The type of stimuli paired in the matching test significantly affected performance (ps < .05 and .10) with the shape/shape choices leading to the poorest performance. Stimulus discriminability and amount of training with brief sample durations were implicated as significant determinants of matching performance.     

Compatibility and Complementarity of Classroom Ecology and Didactique Research Perspectives in Physical Education

ABSTRACT

A large diversity of theoretical frameworks exists in the physical education literature. This article focuses on two of those frameworks to examine their compatibility and their complementarity. The classroom ecology paradigm concentrates on the balance between three task systems, two vectors, and programs of actions proposed by the physical education teacher and negotiated by students. The didactique research program studies the teaching and learning processes using the concepts of didactic contract and didactic milieu that focus on how the knowledge content emerges within teacher and students’ joint action. The article underlines the complementarity and the compatibility of the two frameworks when analyzing teaching and learning in physical education. It argues that the gray areas left by the classroom ecology paradigm could be filled with the insights of the didactique research program. A concise example of how the two frameworks have already been utilized is presented.     

Cabinetmakers’ Workplace Mathematics and Problem Solving

This study explored what kind of mathematics is needed in cabinetmakers’ everyday work and how problem solving is intertwined in it. The informants of the study were four Finnish cabinetmakers and the data consisted of workshop observations, interviews, photos, pictures and sketches made by the participants during the interviews. The data was analysed using different qualitative techniques. Even though the participants identified many areas of mathematics that could be used in their daily work, they used mathematics only if they were able to. The cabinetmakers’ different mathematical skills and knowledge were utilized to their skill limit. Cabinetmakers were found to constantly face problem solving situations along with the creative processes. Being able to use more advanced mathematics helped them to solve those problems more efficiently, without wasting time and materials. Based on the findings, the paper discusses the similarities and differences between problem solving and creative processes. It is suggested that the combination of craftsmanship, creativity, and efficient problem solving skills together with more than basic mathematical knowledge will help cabinetmakers in adapting and surviving in future unstable labour markets.     

Transmission line realization of subwavelength resonator formed by a pair of conventional and LHM slabs

INTRODUCTION Left-handed materials (LHMs), first investigated theoretically by Veselago (1968), have received sub- stantial attention in the scientific and engineering communities. The unique properties of these meta- materials are promising for a diversity of microwave applications, such as new types of beam steerers, modulators, filters, superlens (Pendry, 2000), cou- plers and antenna radoms (Smith et al., 2004). Re- cently, a transmission line (TL) approach has been successfully in…     

中国商业银行利率竞争分析

1　Introduction　Theobjectiveofthisstudyistoexaminecompeti tionenvironmentforinterestrateandtopreviewthecompetitiontrendsaftertheinterestratehasbeenful lyliberalizedinChina .Underthedominantfixedin terestrate ,almostnorealcompetitionregardingin terestratehadeveroccurredamongcommercialbanksinChinauntilveryrecentlywhentheinterestratelib eralizationreformhasbeenunderwaysince 2 0 0 0 .Tostudythecompetition ,thepaperisstructuredasfol lows .Section 2 providesaquantitativeexaminationoftheenvironment…     

The vicissitudes of measurement: a confirmatory factor analysis of the Emotional Autonomy Scale

This study examined the factor structure of the Emotional Autonomy Scale (EAS) as proposed by Steinberg and Silverberg. Participants were from three independent samples of adolescents in grades 6 (n = 1,842), 8 (n = 1,769), and 10 (n = 1,232), with each sample consisting of three ethnic groups: African American, European American, and Mexican American. None of the confirmatory factor analyses for these samples supported the factor structure proposed by Steinberg and Silverberg. From the three models tested, the EAS is best described by the four originally proposed factors, combined with two method factors, one consisting of the positively worded scale items and one consisting of the negatively worded scale items. Results show that the EAS exhibits poor construct validity and behaves quite differently for the different grade and ethnic groups. The strong impact of method variance on the factor structure is discussed. Although various alternative solutions to the psychometric problems in the EAS are proposed, the most credible solution may be to reexamine the conceptual foundations of emotional autonomy and develop better measures of those concepts for adolescents.     

The dynamics of “tokenism”: How college students are affected by the proportion of women in their major

This study provides an empirical test of Kanter's theory of tokenism (1977a,b)—that individuals will be affected adversely by declining representation of their own gender within an environment. Using students' college major as the environmental backdrop, this study examines how the proportion of women in a major affects students' college grades, academic self-concept, mathematical self-concept, social selfconcept, satisfaction with the major, and persistence in the major. Data are drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's 1985 Freshman Survey and 1989 Follow-Up Survey. The sample includes 7,641 women and 5,074 men in 344 fouryear colleges and universities. Regression results indicate that the proportion of women in the major has essentially no impact on the cognitive and affective development of college students. Instead, this study illustrates how the relationship between the gender composition of the major and student outcomes can be accounted for by characteristics of students, aspects of the college environment, and the effects of major field.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1994 Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in New Orleans, Louisiana.     

优化问题的新步长法则

The step-size procedure is very important for solving optimization problems. The Armijo step-size rule, the Armijo-Goldstein step-size rule and the Wolfe-Powell step-size rule are three well-known line search methods. On the basis of the above three types of line search methods and the idea of the proximal point methods, a new class of step-size rules was proposed. Instead of a single objective function f, f ＋1/2（x - xk）^TBk（x-Xk） was used as the merit function in iteration k, where Sk is a given symmetric positive definite matrix. The existence of the steplength for the new rules was proved. Some convergence properties were also discussed.     

The effects of combining simulations and laboratory experiments on Zimbabwean students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits

ABSTRACT

Background

Information Communication Technologies are increasingly present in the African educational system at all educational levels. However, their integration into pedagogical practices to improve the quality of teaching and learning across disciplines remains the exception.