Effects of reward amount and reward omission on short-term retention

A series of four experiments studied the retention of the response made on a just-preceding trial as a function of the presence, and amount, of food reward given on that trial. Rats were trained to alternate arm choices in a T-maze, and then were tested for alternation with 5- or 30-sec delays between runs. When the subjects had received prior experience with the reward amounts used in testing, larger rewards led to better retention than did small or no rewards. However, when reward omission first occurred during the test phase, it produced more alternation on the following trial than did reward presence. The results suggest that both reward amount and surprisingness determine short-term retention of responses paired with the rewards.     

Attitudes of Business Faculty Towards Two Methods of Collecting Teaching Evaluations: Paper vs. Online

Business professors were surveyed to determine their attitudes towards two methods of collecting students' teaching evaluations of faculty--the traditional paper-and-pencil method conducted in class and the online method conducted via the Internet. Faculty preferred the traditional paper method, mainly because they believed it would produce a higher and more accurate response than the online method. Faculty characteristics were examined to determine whether they were related to attitudes towards the online method of collecting teaching evaluations. No characteristics were found to be significantly associated with attitudes towards the online method. Suggestions for future researchers are offered.     

Collaborative Development and Evaluation of an Online Nursing Course

Institutions of higher education acknowledge that online learning represents a growing segment of the modern learning environment, and most students have mastered basic computer skills. However, reluctance to engage in online learning remains among both faculty and students. This article presents a case study of three schools of nursing that collaboratively developed and implemented an online undergraduate-nursing course. The article discusses the challenges that were encountered by faculty and students. The faculty used the distance education literature to address these challenges related to technological, institutional, and pedagogical aspects of online learning, as well as the recruitment and retention of online learners. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. The paper concludes with suggestions to overcome the challenges of online learning, such that faculty and students receive the inherent rewards.     

Educating the Child‐centred Practitioner: Innovations and dilemmas

The education of child‐centered early childhood practitioners involves issues of content, pedagogy, relationships and context. Recent insights on the nature of child‐centered teaching generated by collaborative research with teachers, has highlighted its complexity and suggests that new ways of thinking about teacher education are needed. But developing a more learner‐centered approach to early childhood teacher education will be difficult, given the instrumentalist orientation in many institutions and in societies at large. This paper discusses the broad issues surrounding the development of a more learner‐centered approach to early childhood teacher education and describes several initiatives the authors have been involved in, in Australia and the United States.     

Toward cultural competency in diagnosis

Most counselors recognize the importance ofcultural competence in their work. As part ofeffective treatment, skills in accuratelydiagnosing clients from diverse backgrounds areessential, yet specific techniques addressingcultural differences to aid in the diagnosisprocess are underrepresented in the counselingliterature. The purpose of this article is tooffer one step toward the development ofdiagnostic methods suitable for an increasinglydiverse client base. The importance ofcultural competency during the diagnostic phaseof counseling is discussed, the nature ofculture and its influence on diagnosis isreviewed, and a practical conceptual frameworkthat can assist counselors in makingsystematic, culturally sensitive diagnosis ispresented.     

Identification of Alcohol by Smell among Preschoolers: Evidence for Early Socialization about Drugs Occurring in the Home

This study tested preschoolers' ability to provide accurate verbal associations to alcoholic beverage odors and whether this ability was related to parental drinking patterns and motivations. Older preschoolers performed better than younger preschoolers; photographic cues improved performance; children who correctly identified a substance by smell had socially appropriate knowledge of the culturally appropriate users of the substance; children reported liking substances that are used mainly by children and adults, and generally reported disliking substances whose use is legally limited to adults only; children were better at identifying substances they commonly use, but success at recognition of alcoholic beverages was related to heavier parental drinking and use of alcohol for escape reasons. Findings have implications for theories of socialization to drug use and for models of prevention.     

The Experience and Expression of Homesickness in Preadolescent and Adolescent Boys

This study is the first prospective longitudinal and clinical investigation of homesickness in children. The moods of 329 boys ages 8–16 were assessed on a daily basis during either a 2- or 4-week period of separation from primary caregivers. Results supported 4 hypotheses: (1) homesickness was prevalent and varied in intensity. 83% of the boys reported some homesickness on at least 1 day during their stay, and 5.8% experienced severe depression and anxiety; (2) homesickness was experienced as a combination of depression and anxiety, particularly the former; (3) younger boys were at greater risk for homesickness than older boys; and (4) homesickness presented most often as internalizing behavior and was sometimes detectable to observers who knew the boys. 63% of the boys who self-reported moderate or high levels of homesickness were judged by observers to be homesick. Inconsistent with popular notions, the most homesick boys became progressively more homesick over the course of their separation, experiencing a significant drop in homesickness just before reuniting with parents. The phenomenology of homesickness is discussed, as are issues of simultaneous depression and anxiety in children.     

Activity of metalloproteinases and adiponectin in obese patients— a possible factor of incisional hernias after bariatric procedures

Purpose

Metalloproteinases are a key component of the pathogenesis of abdominal hernias. Obesity is considered a risk factor in herniogenesis and hernia recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum concentrations of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, MMP-13, and adiponectin in morbidly obese and nonoverweight controls.

Materials and methods

The participants were recruited from among patients undergoing bariatric and non-bariatric surgery and divided into two groups: I (body mass index (BMI)≥35 kg/m², n=40) and II (BMI<25 kg/m², n=30). Serum concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-13, and adiponectin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

A statistically significant difference between groups was observed for MMP-2 concentration. The median MMP-9 concentration was higher in the obese group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Median MMP-13 concentrations did not differ between groups. Serum adiponectin concentration was insignificantly higher in the non-obese group.

Conclusions

The elevated serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 concentrations in obese individuals may be related to the higher incidence of incisional hernias in this population.