Science activities for young children

Science for young children, and older ones as well, should be a blend of development of science content, science processes, and positive attitudes toward science. When educators stress development and learning in these three interrelated and complementary areas, children learn how to explore science as they develop skill in using science processes such as observing, communicating, predicting, and inferring.Jean Shaw is Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of Mississippi. Sally Blake teaches at Kentucky Wesleyan College. The late Mary Jo Cliatt taught at the University of Mississippi.     

Policy and Partnerships for the Development of the Infoculture — Information at the Centre of a New Form of Solidarity

The development of digital technologies for the production, processing, dissemination and use of information is leading to the emergence of a new society based on a far reaching transformation in the relationship between people and institutions and on a radical change in many professional, economic, educational or cultural practices. The crucial question facing us today is whether our traditional societies are ready for such a shift in ways of thinking, communicating and acting. Are people sufficiently aware and adequately equipped to become citizens of this new information society? Are they prepared to be active, efficient and responsible participants in the new communities living on information exchange? Are we really ready to be part of a new culture based on a swifter and broader flow of information, ideas and knowledge? The development of that special culture, or infoculture, depends first and foremost on education, both general and vocational, and on initial and continuing training as well as on raising awareness among the public at large. Achieving a real infoculture calls for full-scale mobilization of all those who in their various ways are involved in the information society. Partnerships must be encouraged; national, regional or world projects must be given support; there is more than ever a need for a new form of solidarity to develop the infoculture.     

PUBLIC OPINION AND CONFLICTS: A THEORY AND SYSTEM OF OPINION POLLS

Some years ago, major French firms and institutions joined forcesto develop the AGORAMETRIE system, which analyzes and followsup public opinion about controversial matters in French society.The system is based on annual comprehensive surveys of representativesamples of the French population. We present here the theoreticalbasis of the system, and its application as a decoding toolto the analysis of specific social problems, by consideringthe following points: the modelling of public opinion througha constructivist approach; questionnaire design and interpretationof structural factors; evolution of public opinion, effectsof date, age and generation; and the ‘grafting’procedure and its application, illustrated by opinion aboutAIDS.     

Age factors in sex differences in open-field activity of rats

Male and female Long-Evans rats were given open-field tests at 30 and/or 120 days of age. At 30 days of age, males and females did not differ in their open-field behavior. At 120 days of age, however, females locomoted more, reared more, and showed less wall-hugging than males, regardless of whether or not the animals had received tests in the open field at 30 days of age. The appearance of sex differences was due to an increase in the scores of the females between 30 and 120 days of age.     

Runway behavior of Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens,for aggressive display and food reinforcement

Learning & Behavior - Fish were allowed to choose, in a T-maze, between various combinations of goalboxes containing either food or a mirror, or nothing. Only food and a mirror maintained...