REACTION TIME AND INTELLIGENCE

The limited capacity theory is often cited to account for negative correlations between choice reaction time and different IQ measures. It is claimed, since working memory has strictly limited capacity to process a great amount of vital information and STM information decays if not rehearsed, that speed is an indispensable condition of efficient dealing with cognitive tasks. It ensures good performance before important information is forgotten. In the present experiment a special kind of task was applied‐one which supposedly puts a substantial load on the system of working memory. It was hypothesized that subjects dealing well with this task would also obtain high scores on general ability tests. The data obtained from 48 psychology students in the self‐paced, computer assisted study did not confirm this hypothesis. The data are interpreted as posing a challenge for the limited capacity theory, which must either be reformulated or replaced by better elaborated theoretical constructions.

     

LEVELS OF MIND: A MULTILEVEL MODEL OF INTELLECT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF THE GIFTED

Contemporary theories of intelligence seek to relate certain behavioral or psychometric traits to information processing. It is believed that the study of basic information processing characteristics will enhance understanding of more complex behavioral traits. The present paper presents a new theoretical framework which should help to interpret findings obtained within this approach. The proposed model assumes that human intellect is determined by elementary cognitive functions that operate at four distinct levels: biological, formal, heuristic, pragmatic. Thus, the question of what intelligence is (or creativity, etc) may be answered in four different ways, depending on the level under consideration. At present, numerous incomplete theories that refer only to one particular level are competing with each other. Consequently, it is not possible to agree upon concepts and instruments suitable for identification of the gifted. The aim of the proposed framework is to provide a theoretical background for future reconciliation and synthesis. Apart from this, some practical suggestions concerning identification of the gifted are proposed and evaluated.

     

Does grade inflation affect the reliability of grades?

Two studies were conducted to examine the effect of grade inflation on the piling up of grades in fewer grade categories and on the reliability of grade point averages (GPAs). In all comparisons, grades were more bunched after grade inflation, which in turn, was associated with only slight, nonsignificant decreases in GPA reliability. As expected, grades were more bunched when the traditional 5-point letter scale was used than when plus and minus grades were also allowed. In the latter case as well, grade inflation seemed to have had very little effect on the reliability of GPAs. GPA reliability began to suffer, however, for graduate programs in which almost all grades were placed into just two categories, A and B.     

Effects of signaled retention intervals on pigeon short-term memory

In three delayed matching-to-sample experiments, pigeons were given distinctive stimuli that were either correlated or uncorrelated with the scheduled retention intervals. Experiment 1 employed a single-key, go/no-go matching procedure with colors as the sample and test stimuli; lines of differing orientations signaled short or long delays for one group, whereas the lines and the delays were uncorrelated for the other group. The function relating discriminative test performance to delay length was steeper in the correlated group than in the uncorrelated group. In addition, the line orientation stimuli controlled differential rates of sample responding in the correlated group, but not in the uncorrelated group. In Experiment 2, subjects extensively trained with correlated line orientations were exposed to reversed cues on probe trials. Miscuing decreased discriminative test responding at the short delay, but enhanced it at the long delay. As in the correlated group of the first experiment, rates of sample keypecking were higher in the presence of the “short” time tag than in the presence of the ”long” time tag. Experiment 3 used a three-key choice-matching procedure and a within-subjects design, and equated reinforcement rate at the short and long delays. When auditory stimuli were correlated with delay length, the function relating choice accuracy to delay was steeper than when the stimuli and the delays were uncorrelated. The consistent effects of signaled retention intervals on memory performance may be understood in terms of differential attention to the sample stimuli.     

金无足赤,大器晚成

当每一年稍纵即逝的时候,我们常常纠结我们理应做过什么,或者我们期望自己做过什么。这些可以是任何一件小事儿,从上课不迟到,保持卧室整洁乃至花多点时间去练习一门乐器,都是可能的。但当我们年少时,我们中的大多数都     

The influence of student experience with word processors on the quality of essays written for a direct writing assessment

Although prior research has identified general procedural and qualitative differences between word-processed and pen and paper writing, little attention has been directed toward identifying how these differences relate to the prior word processing experiences of individual students. Additionally, few researchers have addressed the issue of fairness when discussing the use of word processors in writing assessment. This study investigates this relationship by comparing essays composed with pen and paper for a direct writing assessment to those composed with a word processor by students having different levels of experience with using word processors for writing.We observed differences between the two composition media similar to differences observed in previous studies of word-processed writing. That is, our results show that, overall, word-processed essays are neater and longer than were pen and paper essays. Word-processed essays also have a more formal tone and a weaker voice than their pen and paper counterparts. No composition medium differences were observed for the number of mechanical errors.In terms of how word processor experience interacts with writing quality, we found that word processors use neither improved nor worsen the quality of essays produced by students who have medium to high levels of experience using computers for writing. On the other hand, the word processor essays produced by students with a low level of experience writing with computers were scored, on a six-point scale, almost an entire point lower than those produced with pen and paper by these same students. Groups with high and medium levels of experience with word processors wrote slightly more words with a word processor than with pen and paper. On the other hand, the group with a low level of experience with using computers for writing wrote over 100 words fewer on word processors than with pen and paper. As for the number of simple sentences, groups with high and medium levels of comfort and experience with computers for writing wrote fewer simple sentences with a word processor than with pen and paper, while the group with a low level of comfort and experience with computers for writing wrote more simple sentences with word processors than with pen and paper. There were no group by media interactions for the number of mechanical errors.     

Aspects of quality in Greek day care centres

The quality of the caregiving environment for young infants in day care centres in Athens was evaluated with 3 global measures; ITERS (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 1989), PROFILE (Abbott-Shim & Sibley, 1987a), CCFS (Dragonas, Tsiantis & Lambidi, 1995); and I measure of adult-child interaction (Arnett, 1989). Comparisons between the measures revealed great similarity of between the three global measures, but that the specific adult-child interaction measure appeared to be measuring a different aspect of quality of care. The general quality of care was low, lower than for other countries with similar research, and suggests the need for substantial improvement.     

‘Doing well’ and ‘being well’—secondary school teachers’ perspectives

The mental health and wellbeing of young people is increasingly a concern in schools. This study explores how English secondary school teachers perceive and engage with the concept of wellbeing. By asking teachers to reflect on their practice, we can draw out their relational experience and knowledge about wellbeing in the classroom. Twenty teachers were interviewed about their practice in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and during the academic year 2020–21. Reflexive thematic analysis reveals the challenges experienced by teachers. Specifically, we find a perceived role conflict for teachers between giving care and purveying knowledge. We draw on recent policy research and the work of Nel Noddings to account for this conflict in terms of conceptualisations of teaching practice and purpose. We illustrate how an emphasis within schools on ‘doing well’ academically undermines and marginalises a more holistic sense of ‘being well’, which contributes to a set of strains on teachers personally, professionally and relationally in terms of their interactions with students and colleagues. We propose that ‘doing well’ arises out of ‘being well’, rather than the converse, and should hence be an educational policy priority. Finally, we offer implications for how wellbeing may be woven into school culture.     

Fear of the CS and of the context in two-way avoidance learning: Between- and within-subjects manipulations

The roles of CS fear and of context fear in signaled two-way avoidance learning were examined in two experiments in which shock intensity was manipulated either between or within subjects. For each subject, two discrete CSs, a light and a white noise, were used. For between-subjects comparisons, both CSs were paired with the same shock intensity, weak or strong. Under this condition, in which fear of the CSs and the context was greater with strong than with weak shock, avoidance performance varied inversely with shock intensity. For within-subjects comparisons, the light was paired with strong shock and the white noise with weak shock, or vice versa. In this case, context fear was constant during presentation of each CS, and avoidance performance varied directly with shock intensity. Additionally, intertrial responding was directly related to the amount of context fear. These results support effective reinforcement theory, an extension of two-factor theory, which acknowledges the contribution to avoidance learning both of CS fear and of context fear. The interchangeable effectiveness of visual and auditory stimuli as CSs is discussed with regard to stimulus specificity in avoidance learning.