Research productivity in animal learning from 1953 to 2000

Searches conducted with Medline and PsycInfo showed that the number of publications dealing with learning in animals increased between 1975 and 2000 and that the increase was substantially greater in Medline than in PsycInfo. An examination of major journals dealing with behavioral studies of conditioning and learning for the years 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, and 2000 revealed a different pattern of results. The number of papers published in these journals increased from 1953 to 1973 but has been declining steadily since then. However, this decline was partially offset by an increase in the number of experiments published in each paper. Substantially more experiments were published in 2000 than in 1963 or 1953. The number of core authors in the field also peaked in 1973 and has been declining since. However, there were only seven fewer core authors in 2000 than in 1983, and 1983 had as many core authors as 1963. These data suggest that pessimism about the status of behavioral studies of learning is not warranted if research activity is considered over a 40-year period. Furthermore, increased interest in the neural and biological mechanisms of learning should bode well for the status of behavioral research, because one cannot examine the physiological mechanisms of a behavioral process without first clearly understanding the phenomenon at the behavioral level.     

Reactions to “barriers to the implementation of career education for special education”

Journal of Career Development -     

The Community Domain in Practicum Experiences: evidence from the South Pacific

This article reports the outcomes of practicum placement of University of Sydney students in Western Samoan schools. The placement was directed specifically towards examining community domain factors in the practicum. It links the results of an earlier Cook Islands practicum with two subsequent practica held in Western Samoa. The three practica indicate that the levels of learning, enthusiasm and enjoyment which have resulted make the experience valuable for both the teacher education students involved and the teachers and pupils of the host schools.     

‘Young Europeans’: Widening horizons for educare workers

The development of a 30‐hour module for inclusion in professional development programmes for Educare workers is described. The module was composed of contributions from seven EU countries. The contents of each session and the responses of a pilot group of students to it are analysed and the implications for future work discussed. It is concluded that the module proved an effective way of encouraging students to reflect on the dilemmas implicit in all early years work and to be open to a far wider range of possible philosophies and practices.