Rats in a levered T-maze task show evidence of time–place discriminations in two different measures

It is difficult for rats to learn to go to an arm of a T-maze to receive food that is dependent on the time of day, unless the amount of food in each daily session is different. In the same task, rats show evidence of time–place discriminations if they are required to press levers in the arms of the T-maze, but learning is only evident when the first lever press is considered, and not the first arm visited. These data suggest that rats struggle to use time as a discriminative stimulus unless the rewards/events differ in some dimension, or unless the goal locations can be visited prior to making a response. If both of these conditions are met in the same task, it might be possible to compare time–place learning in two different measures that essentially indicate performance before and after entering the arms of the T-maze. In the present study, we investigated time–place learning in rats with a levered T-maze task in which the amounts of food varied depending on the time of day. The first arm choices and first lever presses both indicated that the rats had acquired time–place discriminations, and both of these measures became significantly different from chance during the same block. However, there were subtle differences between the two measures, which suggest that time–place discrimination is aided by visiting the goal locations.     

The Development and Correlates of Gender Role Orientations in African‐American Youth

This study charted the development of gendered personality qualities, activity interests, and attitudes across adolescence (approximately ages 9–18) among 319 African‐American youth from 166 families. The relations between daily time spent with father, mother, and male and female peers—the gendered contexts of youth's daily activities—and (changes in) these gender role orientations were also assessed. Boys and girls differed in their gender role orientations in stereotypical ways: interest in masculine and feminine activities, and attitude traditionality generally declined, but instrumentality increased across adolescence and expressivity first increased and later decreased. Some gender differences and variations in change were conditioned by time spent with same‐ and other‐sex gender parents and peers. The most consistent pattern was time with male peers predicting boys' stereotypical characteristics.     

Matching/mismatching revisited: an empirical study of learning and teaching styles

This paper presents results of a research project that explored the relationship between matching and mismatching instructional presentation style (breadth-first and depth-first) with students' cognitive style (field-dependence/-independence) in a computer-based learning environment. 73 postgraduate students were asked to create Web pages using HTML, using instructional materials that were either matched or mismatched with their cognitive styles. Significant differences in performance on a multiple choice test of conceptual knowledge were found for students learning in matched and mismatched conditions. Performance in matched conditions was significantly superior to that in mismatched conditions. However, significant effects were found for gender, matching mainly affecting male students. Performance on a practical test of Web page creation was not linked to matching or mismatching, but was linked to an interaction between gender and instructional presentation style. The findings provide support for the notion that matching and mismatching can have significant effects on learning outcomes. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.     

Microbial control of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L.(Lepidoptera:Yponomeutidae) using bacteria (Xenorhabdus nematophila) and its metabolites from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae

Cells and cell-free solutions of the culture filtrate of the bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus nematophila taken from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in aqueous broth suspensions were lethal to larvae of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. Their application on leaves of Chinese cabbage indicated that the cells can penetrate into the insects in the absence of the nematode vector. Cell-free solutions containing metabolites were also proved as effective as bacterial cells suspension. The application of aqueous suspensions of cells of X. nematophila or solutions containing its toxic metabolites to the leaves represents a possible new strategy for controlling insect pests on foliage.     

Wellbeing in schools: what do students tell us?

Until recently, children and young people’s perspectives have been largely overlooked in considering optimal approaches to supporting their wellbeing at school. This article reports student views on the meaning of ‘wellbeing’ and how this is best facilitated, gathered as part of a large, national research project aimed at understanding and improving approaches to wellbeing in schools. The data reported here were gathered through 67 focus groups, involving 606 primary and secondary school students, across three Catholic school regions in different Australian states. Students provided rich accounts of how they view their wellbeing, conceptualised across three interconnected themes of ‘being’, ‘having’ and ‘doing’. They identified relationships with self, teachers, friends, peers and significant others, as central to their wellbeing. The findings point to immense potential in accessing and utilising children and young people’s views for change and reform in schools in the area of student wellbeing.     

The role of amount consumed in flavor preexposure effects and neophobia

Rats received either a small or a large amount of a novel saccharin solution prior to a conditioning episode in which the saccharin flavor was paired with lithium-induced toxicosis. When the time between the preexposure and the conditioning episode was 3.5 h, both the small and large amounts of saccharin decremented conditioning. However, when the time between the preexposure and the conditioning episode was 23.6 h, only the consumption of a large amount of saccharin decremented conditioning. In a second experiment, rats received either a short or a long exposure to the novel saccharin solution and were then given a choice test between the saccharin and water. Rats given the choice test immediately following their preexposure to saccharin avoided consuming it. If they received the choice test 4 h later, they consumed more of the saccharin irrespective of the length of the preexposure. In contrast, when they were given a choice test 24 h after the preexposure, only rats that had received a long preexposure displayed a significant preference for the saccharin. The present results demonstrate that the flavor preexposure effect and the attenuation of neophobia are both determined by the time between preexposure to the novel flavor and the conditioning episode or choice test and the amount of preexposure to the novel flavor. These findings are discussed in relation to the information-processing model developed by Wagner (1976, 1978) and are used to provide an account, in terms of this model, of the delay-gradient seen in flavor-aversion learning.     

Educational Psychology and Curriculum Design: a child‐centred approach

The links between curriculum design and educational psychology are, in principle, strong but are, in practice, becoming increasingly tenuous particularly with the apparent preference of the Department of Education and Science for a curriculum based upon certain ‘core’ subjects. A framework for a curriculum based upon the five communication skills of literacy, oracy, numeracy, graphicacy and physiognomacy is proposed. These are ‘basics’ yet represent the essentials of aesthetic education; their use ‘across the curriculum’ could lead to the establishment of ‘whole school’ curriculum policies. Some consideration is made of the relationship of educational psychology, and of Gardner's ‘multiple intelligences’, to the five forms of communication, with particular emphasis on graphicacy (spatial ability) and on physiognomacy (physical ability) which are skills commonly neglected in curriculum planning.