Neighborhood Physical Activity Opportunity: A Multilevel Contextual Model

Purpose: The aims of this study were to analyze the intensity of emotions (positive, negative, or ambiguous) produced when players took part in traditional games with a different social structure and to examine the explanations given by those participants for these emotional experiences. Method: Participants (N = 556) were recruited from 4 Spanish universities. After taking part in each of the games, they were asked to complete the Games and Emotions Questionnaire to indicate the intensity of their emotional experiences and to explain what, in their view, had led to the strongest emotion felt. Results: The application of a mixed-methods approach identified statistically significant differences in relation to 3 variables. These were (a) the type of emotion, (b) motor domain, and (c) type of result (win, loss, and noncompetitive). The intensity of positive emotions was higher in cooperative games and lower in individual games. Comments referring to negative emotions were more frequent as the social structure of games became more complex (minimal presence of individual games and predominance of cooperation-opposition games). Winning was associated with the highest intensity ratings of positive and ambiguous emotions, whereas being defeated produced the highest values for negative emotions. The intensity ratings for negative emotions were lower in noncompetitive games than in games where players lost. Conclusion: The results confirm that traditional games can play a key role in relation to the emotional facets of physical education.     

Archival science and postmodernism: new formulations for old concepts

Process rather than product, becoming rather than being, dynamic rather than static, context rather than text, reflecting time and place rather than universal absolutes—these have become the postmodern watchwords for analyzing and understanding science, society, organizations, and business activity, among others. They should likewise become the watchwords for archival science in the new century, and thus the foundation for a new conceptual paradigm for the profession. Postmodernism is not the only reason for reformulating the main precepts of archival science. Significant changes in the purpose of archives as institutions and the nature of records are other factors which, combined with postmodern insights, form the basis of the new perception of archives as documents, institutions, and profession in society. This essay explores the nature of postmodernism and archival science, and suggest links between the two. It outlines two broad changes in archival thinking that underpin the archival paradigm shift, before suggesting new formulations for most traditional archival concepts.     

Qualitatively different reinforcers and parameters of Herrnstein’s (1970) response-strength equation

Previous research that compared the estimated parameters (i.e.,k andR _e) from Herrnstein’s (1970) hyperbolic matching law equation within the same individuals responding for qualitatively different consummatory reinforcers (i.e., water and sucrose solution) found similar asymptotic response rates (k). The present study compared these parameters within subjects responding on levers for consummatory and nonconsummatory reinforcers. Male Wistar rats responded on a lever in a running wheel on a series of tandem FR 1 VI schedules for either 0.1 ml of a 15% sucrose solution or the opportunity to run for 15 sec. Herrnstein’s hyperbola was fit to response and reinforcement rates from each session. Results showed thatk values were significantly higher for sucrose than for wheel-running reinforcement. On average,R _e was lower for sucrose than for wheel-running reinforcement, though not significantly lower. The results of the present study appear to violate the assumption of the constancy ofk in Herrnstein’s matching law analysis.     

The WISC-R verbal comprehension,perceptual organization,and freedom from distractibility deviation quotients: Data for practitioners

Utilizing data from the WISC-R standardization sample (Wechsler, 1974), Gutkin (1978) presented formulae to calculate factorially pure verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, and freedom from distractibility deviation quotients. Data are presented concerning standard errors of measurement and the score discrepancies that are required for statistical significance between these WISC-R scores.     

Resistance to school-based consultation: A behavioral analysis of the problem

When attempting to consult with school personnel, psychologists frequently encounter various forms of resistance. This paper conceptualizes resistance to consultation services within a behavioral/cognitive behavioral framework, and discusses how resistance can result from contingencies operating at both the system and the building levels.     

Expediency‐based practice? Medical students' reliance on Google and Wikipedia for biomedical inquiries

Internet usage logs captured during self‐directed learning sessions were used to determine how undergraduate medical students used five popular sites to locate and access biomedical resources. Students' perceptions of each site's usefulness and reliability were determined through a survey. Google and Wikipedia were the most frequently used sites despite students rating them as the least reliable of the five sites investigated. The library—the students' primary point of access to online journals—was the least used site, and when using Google less than 40% of pages or resources located by students were from ‘high’ quality sources. Students' use of all sites' search tools was unsophisticated. Despite being avid users of online information and search tools, the students targeted in this study appeared to lack the requisite information‐seeking skills to make the most of online resources. Although there is evidence that these skills improved over time, a greater emphasis on information literacy skills training may be required to ensure that graduates are able to locate the best available evidence to support their professional practice.