Absolute versus relative class conceptual behavior in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

A theoretical scheme was suggested which distinguished between absolute and relative class concepts and differentiated class from relational concepts. Four monkeys were trained to respond differentially to green and nongreen objects (absolute class) and four responded differentially to odd and nonodd objects (relative class). All monkeys met stringent criteria of performance on their respective tasks, the green-nongreen group in a median of 600 trials and the odd-nonodd group in a median of 1,600 trials (p = .014). Possible explanations for the performance differences and some implications of the theory for comparative, nonhuman conceptual research were discussed.     

An assessment of the recidivism rates of substantiated and unsubstantiated maltreatment cases.

OBJECTIVE: This study assembles information about the large number of maltreatment reports that are determined by social services to be unsubstantiated. Specifically, we assess whether the status of a maltreatment case (substantiated vs. unsubstantiated) has implications for recidivism. Recidivism rates for substantiated and unsubstantiated maltreated juveniles were also compared to juvenile offenders. METHOD: Juvenile court records for 15,812 juveniles were assessed over a 3 year period. The data included 2558 maltreatment cases. Fifty-four percent of these cases were unsubstantiated. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the probability of recidivism based on time one referral status. RESULTS: Youth whose maltreatment allegations were unsubstantiated had significantly lower odds of recidivating than abused youth. Having a case recorded as unsubstantiated lowered a youth's odds of subsequent offending by 55% relative to being abused. The probability of recidivating was highest for juvenile offenders, followed in order by maltreated youth and youth whose reports were unsubstantiated. DISCUSSION: This is one of the first studies to examine the court histories of substantiated and unsubstantiated maltreatment cases. If the subsequent outcomes following maltreatment investigations are used as an indicator of seriousness, our results suggest that assessment caseworkers are successfully sorting out the serious from the less serious cases.     

Interactive health-hygiene education for early years: the creation and evaluation of learning resources to improve understanding of handwashing practice

ABSTRACT

This study reports the findings of a mixed method research study (qualitative and quantitative) on the effectiveness of specifically developed learning resources and workshops on handwashing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in the UK. The A Germ’s Journey educational resources were developed to aid both young children’s understanding and engagement with microbiology and hand hygiene, currently there are limited learning resources that teach young children about the cause and effect of germs. The methods used to evaluate the resources in this study include: questionnaires (completed by parents and teachers), observations of the children during the workshops using the resources and follow-up interviews with teachers. The data was collected in six individual case studies (three in inner city locations and three in rural locations) consisting of EYFS classes in primary schools and nurseries. Results found that the developed learning resources were successful in aiding children in EYFS’s knowledge of germs and related health issues (80–100% (p?<?0.05) of parents and teachers strongly agreeing/agreeing), with teachers reporting that they had seen an increased understanding in their pupils since participating in the workshops.     

Academic achievement among a sample of youth in foster care: The role of school connectedness

Research shows that youth in foster care experience poor academic performance and disciplinary actions in school more frequently than do non-foster care youth. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to further examine youth in foster care and the relationship between individual/intrapersonal factors (future orientation and school connectedness) and exosystem factors (number of placement and school moves) and academic performance (grades) and disciplinary referrals among 363 youth (9–11 years of age; males = 52.9%). Controlling for key variables, hierarchical linear regression analysis was utilized to understand how well students' school connectedness, future outlook, number of placement changes, and number of school moves predicted academic and disciplinary outcomes. Beyond the variance explained by control variables, school connectedness made a significant contribution to this model. Results are discussed in the context of implementing interventions that foster school connectedness among this vulnerable population.     

Web site credibility: Why do people believe what they believe?

This research investigates university students’ determinations of credibility of information on Web sites, confidence in their determinations, and perceptions of Web site authors’ vested interests. In Study 1, university-level computer science and education students selected Web sites determined to be credible and Web sites that exemplified misrepresentations. Categorization of Web site credibility determinations indicated that the most frequently provided reasons associated with high credibility included information focus or relevance, educational focus, and name recognition. Reasons for knowing a Web site’s content is wrong included lack of corroboration with other information, information focus and bias. Vested interests associated with commercial Web sites were regarded with distrust and vested interests of educational Web sites were not. In Study 2, credibility determinations of university students enrolled in computer science courses were examined for 3 provided Web sites dealing with the same computer science topic. Reasons for determining Web site inaccuracy included own expertise, information corroboration, information design and bias. As in Study 1, commercial vested interests were negatively regarded in contrast to educational interests. Instructional implications and suggestions for further research are discussed. Preliminary results from Study 1 were presented as a poster entitled “Users’ Confidence Levels and Strategies for Determining Web Site Veracity” (Iding et al. 2002a) and appeared in associated proceedings for The WWW 2002: The Eleventh International World Wide Web Conference, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Preliminary results from Study 2 were presented as a paper entitled, “Judging the Veracity of Web Sites” (Crosby et al. 2002) and appeared in associated proceedings for the International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2002) in Auckland, New Zealand.     

Report: Curriculum Reconstruction and Community Resources EDUCATION COMES OF AGE

Education: Algebra and Its Uses. By Nathan Silberstein, Marquis J. Newell and George A. Harper. Art Work by Ernest E. King. Books One and Two. Revised Edition. Row, Peterson &; Company. 432 and 423 pp. $1.24 each.

Centerville. Illustrated. By Paul R. Hanna, Genevieve Anderson and William S. Gray. Scott, Foresman and Co. 288 pp. $.92.

Developing Teacher Personality That Wins. By Chester M. Sanford. Row, Peterson &; Company, 160 pp. $1.60.

Improving Instruction. By Thomas H. Briggs. The Macmillan Company. 579 pp. $2.50.

Modern Education In the Small Rural School. By Kate V. Wofford. The Macmillan Company. 567 pp. $2.75.

The Activity Concept: An Interpretation. By Lois Coffey Mossman. With an Introduction by William H. Kilpatrick. The Macmillan Co. 107 pp. $1.50.

The Day Nursery School. By Ethel S. Beer. Introduction by Patty Smith Hill. E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc. 215 pp. $1.60.

The Psychology of Early Growth. By Arnold Gesell, Helen Thompson, and Catherine Strunk Amatruda. The Macmillan Company. 278 pp. $4.00.

The Study Hall. By Hannah Logasa. Introduction by Alfred L. Hall-Quest. The Macmillan Company. 180 pp. $2.00.

What A University President Has Learned. By A. Lawrence Lowell. 150 pp. $1.75.

Fiction: Little Steel. By Upton Sinclair. Farrar and Rinehart Inc. 308 pp. $2.50.

The House of Tavelinck. By Jo van Ammers-K$uUller. Translated by A. v. A. van Duym and Edmund Gilligan. Farrar and Rinehart, 738 pp. $3.

The Land Is Large. By Emerson Waldman. Farrar and Rinehart. 379 pp. $2.50.

General Literature: Shakespeare's Philosophical Patterns. By Walter Clyde Curry. Louisiana State University Press. 244 pp. $2.75.

Western World Literature. Edited by Harry Wolcott Robbins and William Harold Coleman. The Macmillan Co. 1422 pp. $3.50.

History: The Colonial Period of American History: the Settlements. Vol. 3. By Charles M. Andrews. Yale University Press. 354 pp. $4.00.

The Defence of Democracy. By F. Elwyn Jones. New York: E. P. Dutton &; Co., 1938. Pp. 352. $2.50.

Women In the Wilderness. By Margaret Bell. E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc. 384 pp. $3.50.

Philosophy: Great Thinkers: the Quest of Life For Its Meaning. By Trumbull G. Duvall. Oxford University Press. 320 pp. $3.00.

Social Studies: Money Without Men: A Guide To Feminine Finance. By Ruth MacKay. Illustrated. Farrar and Rinehart. 239 pp. $1.90.

Skyways. By Charles Gilbert Hall. Illustrated. The Macmillan Company. 141 pp. $1.32.

The Mail Comes Through. By Charles Gilbert Hall. Illustrated. The Macmillan Company. 135 pp. $1.32.

The March Op the Iron Men: A Social History of Union Through Invention. By Roger Burlingame. Illustrated. Charles Scribner's Sons. 500 pp. $3.75.

The Social Life of Animals. By W. C. Allee. Illustrated. W. W. Norton and Co. 293 pp. $3.00.     

Two studies concerning the predictive validity of the personal report of communication apprehension in employment interviews

Two studies were conducted to provide evidence concerning the predictive validity of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension in Employment Interviews (PRCAEI). The first study, conducted in a laboratory setting, indicated that those who scored relatively high on the PRCAEI were recommended to be hired less often than those with relatively low PRCAEI scores. High PRCAEIs were also seen as less trustworthy, less task oriented, and less socially attractive than low PRCAEIs. The second study, conducted in the field, found a negative relationship (‐.84) between candidates’ scores on the PRCAEI and the rank they were given by an interviewer. That is, the higher one's PRCAEI score, the lower interviewers ranked him or her relative to others interviewing for the position. These studies offer strong support for the predictive validity of the PRCAEI and suggest CA is an extremely important variable in job interviews.     

Sexual victimization and adolescent weight regulation practices: a test across three community based samples

OBJECTIVE: This study had four objectives: 1) to examine the association between sexual victimization and weight regulation across three samples of adolescent girls, 2) to assess whether sexual victimization is associated with more extreme forms of weight regulation in girls, 3) to discern whether sexual victimization has implications for the use of multiple forms of weight regulation, and 4) to address the role of physical victimization in explaining these relationships. METHOD: Data from three separate samples of 9th-12th graders were used to test these hypotheses. Girls from the upper Midwest responded to survey questions related to victimization and weight regulation in a largely urban sample (N = 2,086), a rural sample (N = 2,629), and a statewide sample (N = 966). RESULTS: Logistic regression revealed that sexual victimization was consistently associated with weight regulation in adolescent girls, independent of the effects of physical victimization. In the urban sample, being sexually victimized was associated with an increase in the probability of purging by 18% relative to not being sexually victimized. Sexual victimization was associated more strongly with extreme forms of weight regulation and significantly discriminated whether girls would choose multiple weight regulation forms. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual victimization contributes unique variance to the probability that girls will practice weight regulation techniques. Data from three independent samples confirms that being violated sexually places girls at risk for various health compromising eating behaviors.