Sequences of reward magnitude and runway performance

Three groups of rats underwent 24 days of training and 12 days of extinction (three trials per day) in a runway under conditions of increasing (I), decreasing (D), and random (R) sequences of reward magnitudes (0, 45, and 500 mg). The I Ss ran faster over the daily trials, the D Ss slowed down, and the R Ss ran at approximately equal speeds on each trial. The patterned running observed in training persisted in extinction, with the R Ss running fastest and the I Ss next. The results were discussed in terms of Capaldi’s sequential theory and Amsel’s frustration theory.     

The Fallacy of Misplaced Concreteness: Its Importance for Critical and Creative Inquiry

In Science and the Modern World, Alfred North Whitehead (1925/1953) critically discusses the historical development of science and its larger impact on our civilization and culture today. The fallacy of misplaced concreteness (FMC) is a notion central to his analysis, both of the process of inquiry and to the general sustainability of quality of life. This paper is part of a panel of four presentations relevant to the theory, practice, and teaching of science. In this paper I identify the FMC as a set of variations on the central theme of misplacing concreteness, by mistaking the abstract for the concrete, and I define the component notions involved. More than half of the paper involves a representative range of concrete examples of the FMC. The realm of the aesthetic, of patient and sensitive attention, the full range of immediate bodily feeling, and the variety of real values revealed therein, turns out to be both the victim of and the remedy for the FMC. As Whitehead says: "Sensitiveness without impulse spells decadence, and impulse without sensitiveness spells brutality" (1925/1953, p. 200).     

Sex-role stereotyping by high school females in science

Although the participation by females in upper-level occupations and positions has expanded considerably in recent years, science is still considered a masculine career field. The results of this study show that only the physical sciences in particular (not science in general) are clearly viewed as masculine academic areas. Furthermore, the results suggest that the perception by girls of the physical sciences as masculine is much more likely to occur in coed classes than in all-female classes. The results can best be explained by two factors: (1) the attitudes conveyed by teachers and by society may predispose students toward a greater acceptance of women in biology than in the physical sciences; and (2) when girls perceive themselves as a deviant minority in physical science classes, their performance and preference for the physical sciences is reduced, perhaps because of competition and comparison with males. In all-female classes, however, girls are not a deviant minority, and therefore they are able to perform and develop preferences without inhibition.     

Working Together: Integrating Computational Modeling Approaches to Investigate Complex Phenomena

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Complex systems are made up of many entities, whose interactions emerge into distinct collective patterns. Computational modeling platforms can provide...     

Utilising mobile game based learning methods effectively to support education

Educational technology research and development - This paper is a response concerning the implications of scholarship of the article entitled "A critical review of 13 years of mobile...     

夏之眠(英文)

In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light.In summer,quite the other way,I have to go to bed by     

Learning for You and Learning for Me: Mentoring As Professional Development for Mentor Teachers

Professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers most commonly take place outside the classroom and are typically designed to address specific components of teachers’ instruction or curriculum. However, there are other activities that take place within the classroom that may have a profound impact on the PD of a teacher. We sought to gain a deeper understanding of the influence that placing a teacher in a mentor role can have on their PD and practice. Thus, we researched the influence of mentor teachers’ work with university-level STEM education majors by engaging in teaching a limited series of STEM inquiry-based lessons in the mentors’ classrooms. Surveys of the mentor teachers indicated that there were many positive benefits for mentors, including gaining new ideas, increased reflection on their practice, increased engagement of students, and in some cases shifts in practice.     

Temperamental Shyness,Frontal EEG Theta/Beta Ratio,and Social Anxiety in Children

The authors examined how children’s frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) theta/beta ratio—an index of neurocognitive control—changed from baseline to a social stressor, and whether these EEG changes moderated the relation between temperament and anxiety. Children (N = 152; M_age = 7.82 years, 52% male, 81% White) had their EEG recorded during a baseline and speech anticipation condition. Children’s frontal theta/beta ratio decreased from baseline to speech anticipation, and this baseline-to-task change moderated the relation between temperamental shyness and social anxiety. Temperamental shyness was related to higher state and trait social anxiety only among children with large baseline-to-task decreases in theta/beta ratio. Findings are consistent with theoretical models hypothesizing that temperamentally shy children with heightened neurocognitive control may be at greater risk for anxiety.     

Incorporating Uncertainty Into Parallel Analysis for Choosing the Number of Factors via Bayesian Methods

A number of psychometricians have suggested that parallel analysis (PA) tends to yield more accurate results in determining the number of factors in comparison with other statistical methods. Nevertheless, all too often PA can suggest an incorrect number of factors, particularly in statistically unfavorable conditions (e.g., small sample sizes and low factor loadings). Because of this, researchers have recommended using multiple methods to make judgments about the number of factors to extract. Implicit in this recommendation is that, when the number of factors is chosen based on PA, uncertainty nevertheless exists. We propose a Bayesian parallel analysis (B-PA) method to incorporate the uncertainty with decisions about the number of factors. B-PA yields a probability distribution for the various possible numbers of factors. We implement and compare B-PA with a frequentist approach, revised parallel analysis (R-PA), in the contexts of real and simulated data. Results show that B-PA provides relevant information regarding the uncertainty in determining the number of factors, particularly under conditions with small sample sizes, low factor loadings, and less distinguishable factors. Even if the indicated number of factors with the highest probability is incorrect, B-PA can show a sizable probability of retaining the correct number of factors. Interestingly, when the mode of the distribution of the probabilities associated with different numbers of factors was treated as the number of factors to retain, B-PA was somewhat more accurate than R-PA in a majority of the conditions.