Tests of a Dynamic Systems Account of the A-not-B Error: The Influence of Prior Experience on the Spatial Memory Abilities of Two-Year-Olds

Recently, Smith, Thelen, and colleagues proposed a dynamic systems account of the Piagetian "A-not-B" error in which infants' errors result from general processes that make goal-directed actions to remembered locations. Based on this account, the A-not-B error should be a general phenomenon, observable in different tasks and at different points in development. Smith, Thelen, et al.'s proposal was tested using an A-not-B version of a sandbox task. During three training trials and three "A" trials, 2-year-olds watched as a toy was buried in a sandbox at Location A. Following a 10-s delay, children searched for the object. Across five experiments, children's (total N = 92) performance on the A trials was accurate. After the A trials, children watched as a toy was hidden at Location B, 8 to 10 inches from Location A. In all experiments, children's searches after a 10-s delay were significantly biased in the direction of Location A. Furthermore, this bias toward Location A decreased with repeated trials to Location B, as well as when children completed fewer trials to Location A. Together, these data suggest that A-not-B-type errors are pervasive across tasks and development.     

A comparative study of occupational stress among African American and white university faculty: A research note

This paper is a comparison of levels of occupational stress among African American and white college and university faculty members in U.S. institutions. Using survey data collected from a national sample of faculty, an analysis of reported occupational stress levels was undertaken to determine if issues raised in previous research regarding extra-academic assignments given to African American faculty limits their access to the more traditional faculty roles, creating pressure to perform in ways not expected of white faculty. To test these assertions, scales measuring stress from teaching, research, and service activities were constructed for African American and white faculty from a larger faculty stress index. Results of the analysis indicate that African American faculty report generally higher levels of occupational stress than their white counterparts, especially in the areas of research and service activities.     

Analysis and behaviour of FRP-confined short concrete columns subjected to eccentric loading

Fibre-reinforced polymer （FRP） composites were widely utilized in civil engineering structures as the retrofit of reinforced concrete （RC） columns. To design FRP jackets safely and economically, the behaviour of such columns should be predicted first. This paper is concerned with the analysis and behaviour of FRP-confined RC circular and rectangular short columns subjected to eccentric loading. A simple design-oriented stress-strain model for FRP-confined concrete in a section analysis was first proposed. The accuracy was then proved by two test data. Following that, a parametric study including amount of FRP confinement, FRP strain capacity, unconfined concrete strength and shape of column section is provided. Some conclusions were obtained at the end of the paper. The work here will provide a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of FRP-confined concrete columns. The simplicity of the model also enables a simple equivalent stress block to be developed for direct use in practical design.     

The relationship among prior knowledge,accessing learning supports,learning outcomes,and game performance in educational games

Educational technology research and development - In-game learning supports aim to help students solve game levels (i.e., game-related supports), and connect to underlying content (i.e.,...     

The Communicative Work of Biology-Journal Captions: Lessons for Technical and Professional Communication

The authors examined a corpus of figure captions from technical and professional communication (TPC)-journal articles to test their sense that TPC captions do not fulfill their communicative potential as well as, they sensed, journals in science often do. The authors performed a content analysis on captions from biology-journal articles and iteratively tested a coding scheme of caption content. The resulting scheme can help in analyzing caption content, developing captions, and imparting a variety of TPC-related skills to students.     

Reading with vocabulary intervention: evaluation of an instruction for children with poor response to reading intervention

Interventions combining phonically based reading instruction with phonological training are generally effective for children with reading (decoding) difficulties. However, a minority of children respond poorly to such interventions. This study explored the characteristics of children who showed poor response to reading intervention and aimed to improve their literacy and language skills via a new theoretically motivated intervention. Twelve 8‐year‐old treatment poor responders with severe and persisting reading difficulties participated. A 9‐week reading intervention incorporating reading, phonological and vocabulary training was implemented. Before the intervention began the children showed almost no progress over 6 months of regular classroom education, on measures of oral language and literacy. Over the intervention period improvements were made on measures of reading, phonological awareness and language skills, which were maintained 6 months later. Although the intervention was effective, it should be noted that most children remained poor readers and require ongoing remediation.     

Building effectiveness in teaching through targeted evaluation and response: connecting evaluation to teaching improvement in higher education

This paper describes the development of a model for integrating student evaluation of teaching results with academic development opportunities, in new ways that take into account theoretical and practical developments in both fields. The model is described in terms of five phases or components: (1) the basic student evaluation system; (2) an interpretive guidance system that helps lecturers understand and interpret their results; (3) a longitudinal reporting system that initiates opportunities for staff to engage in personal and professional development in the context of a learning community; (4) a structured professional development programme that builds a faculty learning community, in which the members utilise extended cycles of evaluation based on (5) a comprehensive evaluation model designed to develop and encourage the collection of evaluation data from a variety of sources concerning the quality and impact of teaching: the teacher; student learning outcomes; student experience; and the teacher’s peers.