(RE)Inventing Scheffler,or, Defending Objective Educational Research

Israel Scheffler's book Science and Subjectivity (1967) was prescient: His criticisms of attacks on the traditional notions of objectivity and truth that underlie modern science are still relevant nearly thirty years later, when postmodernism and some varieties of feminist epistemology are winning many adherents. Two aspects of Scheffler's book are singled out for discussion – his philosophical style, which is marked by careful, well-developed, and detailed argument (in contrast to many contemporary writers in education who have postmodernist leanings, who merely make assertions about objectivity and so forth); and the actual content of the positions for which he argues.     

Participatory Action Research (PAR) in Middle School: Opportunities, Constraints, and Key Processes

Late childhood and early adolescence represent a critical transition in the developmental and academic trajectory of youth, a time in which there is an upsurge in academic disengagement and psychopathology. PAR projects that can promote youth's sense of meaningful engagement in school and a sense of efficacy and mattering can be particularly powerful given the challenges of this developmental stage. In the present study, we draw on data from our own collaborative implementation of PAR projects in secondary schools to consider two central questions: (1) How do features of middle school settings and the developmental characteristics of the youth promote or inhibit the processes, outcomes, and sustainability of the PAR endeavor? and (2) How can the broad principles and concepts of PAR be effectively translated into specific intervention activities in schools, both within and outside of the classroom? In particular, we discuss a participatory research project conducted with 6th and 7th graders at an urban middle school as a means of highlighting the opportunities, constraints, and lessons learned in our efforts to contribute to the high‐quality implementation and evaluation of PAR in diverse urban public schools.     

Phencyclidine (PCP): A Dangerous Drug,but Useful in Schizophrenia Research

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a dangerous drug, and the federal government has placed it on Schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act (see http://www.mninter.net/～publish/csa2.htm#Schedule%20III). Typically, users smoke PCP, and it is often mixed with parsley, marijuana, or cocaine. Most researchers have conducted experiments on animals rather than on people, and a few have been done on persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, so answers to questions about its addictive potential or development of tolerance are not clear. In healthy volunteers, PCP can induce symptoms that mimic those of schizophrenia, lasting from a few days to more than a week. The neurotransmitter glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) appear to play a role in the mechanism by which PCP induces positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms and cognitive defects (D. C. Javitt & S. R. Zukin, 1991; A. Lahti, B. Koffel, D. LaPorte, & C. A. Tarnminga, 1995; T. W. Robbins, 1990). Because PCP can induce symptoms that are almost indistinguishable from those associated with schizophrenia, further research may lead to new medications that could be helpful to people who do not respond to neuroleptics that are currently available.     

Tempests, Teapots (and Research Design): Rejoinder to Stanton and Todd

Four major issues raised in Stanton and Todd's critique are discussed. These comprise: (a) the inclusion criteria of the review; (b) statistical procedures and research design; (c) the alleged bias of the review; and (d) design problems in Stanton and Todd's own study.     

Piagetian Research (Book)

Data on a brief mental status schedule (Memory Check) and a behavior rating scale of mental impairment (Functional Behavior Survey) are presented which support the use of these instruments in research and survey work with both community and institutionalized aged. Based on a factorially derived concept of mental competence, the two instruments showed a satisfactory relation to clinical judgment of degree of competence, and also to composite measure of nine test used in assessing mental competence. The sample consisted of 68 community measure commonly and nursing home residents between the ages of 60 and 80 who ranged from those who were unimpaired to those judged clinically to be grossly mentally impaired.     

应对的研究设计、测量、类别及未来研究方向

应激和应对是现代心理学研究中最广泛的一个主题, 但是目前此领域的研究存在着停滞不前的情况。应对的研究设计、测量和类别三方面是应对现有研究中具有挑战性的问题, 研究设计方面提倡纵向的动态设计, 注重情境因素的作用; 测量方面提倡加大对应对的生态瞬时评估、叙事方法的研究, 且要注意根据研究内容的需要选择合适的方法; 应对类别方面注重对意义应对的研究。应对领域未来研究方向主要包括面向未来的主动应对、二元模式的应对、应对与积极情绪三个方面。     

Fast Mapping and Exclusion (Emergent Matching) in Developmental Language,Behavior Analysis,and Animal Cognition Research

The Psychological Record - Researchers from behavior analytic, developmental, and comparative perspectives have all investigated the conditions under which new arbitrary (symbolic)...     

Theory,Philosophy, and Descriptive Research

Abstract

With its international constituency, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has a large a membership that primarily comprises non-native English speakers. Students have had challenges in understanding and appreciating the writings of one of the church’s co-founders, Ellen White. The purpose of this study was to analyze the Testimonies for the Church and to quantitatively identify the difficulties with comprehending White’s writing. The results reveal that the readability is consistent with a middle school reading level; the text is moderately formal in nature; the sentiment of the text is neutral; and White’s writing style varies little over time.     

Self-Efficacy in Service-Learning Community Action Research: Theory, Research, and Practice

The purpose of this article is threefold: In the first section, an overview of research and theory on the self-efficacy construct is provided, and the central role of self-efficacy in service-learning community action research is demonstrated. The second section reviews over 10 years of research validating the Community Service Self-Efficacy Scale (CSSES), which measures the individual’s confidence in his or her own ability to make clinically (meaningfully) significant contributions to the community through service. Within the context of this review, recent (previously unpublished) validation research is also reviewed. Alternate versions of the CSSES, each of which was developed for a specific purpose, are presented. The third section provides recommendations for further research focused on (a) validating the CSSES and (b) examining self-efficacy as an outcome, moderator, and mediating variable in service-learning community action research.     

科研伦理委员会(REC)

1背景 (1)生物学、生物医学和行为学研究中动物的使用 用动物做研究在道德方面一直并将继续存在争议.生命伦理学的辩论主要是基于动物承受的痛苦和折磨以及夭折,尤其是灵长类动物.