Blocking in eyelid conditioning: Effect of changing the CS-US interval and introducing an intertriai stimulus

Kamin’s three-stage blocking paradigm was investigated in rabbit eyelid conditioning, Two manipulations were examined. A change in the CS-US interval from Stage 1 to Stage 2 did not attenuate blocking. The introduction of a salient stimulus during the intertriai interval in Stage 2 also failed to attenuate blocking. The first result is not consistent with Kamin’s interpretation of the blocking effect in terms of US surprisingness. The second resuit is inconsistent with a prediction based on the Rescorla-Wagner model.     

The effect of overtraining on a visual discrimination on transfer to a spatial discrimination

Rats were first either trained to criterion or given overtraining on an orientation discrimination and then were given an extradimensional shift to a position discrimination. Overtraining on the visual discrimination facilitated performance on the position discrimination. Implications for mediational theories of discrimination learning were indicated.     

Using stakeholder feedback to improve online professional development opportunities

Abstract

Traditional professional development is often characterized as being expensive, time consuming, and lacking impact. In contrast, online professional development provides greater flexibility and is becoming increasingly popular for school personnel. In this article, we report the process and outcomes of gathering feedback to adapt traditional in-person to online training differentiated for the participants to maximize utility, efficiency, and effectiveness in meeting the needs of key stakeholders. Focus groups were conducted with teachers, administrators, and other specialists to gather feedback on content as well as how online learning modules (OLMs) could be tailored to meet specific school site and team needs. We discuss our findings in the context of continuing efforts to improve general and specific professional development opportunities.     

Approaches to Studying and Perceptions of the Academic Environment in Students Following Problem-Based and Subject-Based Curricula

To investigate the effects of different kinds of curriculum, the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and a short form of the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) were administered to 225 2nd-year students at six different schools of occupational therapy. Their curricula were classified as problem-based, subject-based or hybrid. Their scores on the scales of the CEQ and ASI were closely related, insofar as they shared more than half of their respective variance. Problem-based curricula were associated with higher scores on the scales of the CEQ concerned with appropriate assessment and emphasis on independence. With the ASI, problem-based curricula were associated with lower scores on all of the scales concerned with a reproducing orientation, and with higher scores on the scale concerned with a deep approach. These findings suggest that the implementation of a problem-based curriculum has desirable effects on the quality of learning, and these are at least in part mediated by students' perceptions of their academic environment.     

Nobel Prize in Physics 2006

The discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation in 1965 was a defining moment in the history of cosmology — the science that deals with the universe as a whole, its origin, evolution and future. This discovery was recognized with Nobel Prizes to Penzias and Wilson in 1978. The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2006 further acknowledged the importance of the study of this background radiation. The precise measurement of the spectrum of this radiation and its variation across the sky have helped our understanding of the evolution of structures in the universe. This article explains these discoveries and their importance. T Padmanabhan is a professor at IUCAA, Pune. He is interested in all aspects of theoretical physics, and especially in those in which gravity plays a role.