Self-regulation, motivation, and math achievement in middle school: Variations across grade level and math context

The current study examined grade level, achievement group, and math-course-type differences in student self-regulation and motivation in a sample of 880 suburban middle-school students. Analysis of variance was utilized to assess group differences in student self-regulation and motivation, and linear regression analysis was used to identify variables that best predicted students' use of regulatory strategies. A key finding was that although seventh graders exhibited a more maladaptive self-regulation and motivation profile than sixth graders, achievement groups in seventh grade (high, moderate, low) were more clearly differentiated across both self-regulation and motivation than achievement groups in sixth grade. The pattern of achievement group differences also varied across math course type, as self-regulation and motivation processes more consistently differentiated achievement groups in advanced classes than regular math courses. Finally, task interest was shown to be the primary motivational predictor of students' use of regulatory strategies during math learning. The study highlights the importance of identifying shifting student motivation and self-regulation during the early middle school years and the potential role that context may have on these processes.     

The development and validation of the Self-Regulation Strategy Inventory—Self-Report

The primary purpose of this study was to develop and gather initial psychometric information regarding the Self-Regulation Strategy Inventory—Self-Report (SRSI-SR), a self-report measure of students' use of specific self-regulation strategies. Information regarding the scales' factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, differential validity, and internal consistency was gathered using a sample of 142 ninth and tenth grade students in an urban high school. Principal component analysis of the SRSI-SR yielded a three-factor structure: (a) Seeking and Learning Information, (b) Managing Environment/Behavior, and (c) Maladaptive Regulatory Behaviors. Internal consistency for the overall SRSI-SR was high (alpha = .92), with the subscales ranging from .72 to .88. A second principal component analysis indicated that the three subscales of the SRSI-SR converged onto one higher-order factor but discriminated from two motivation beliefs (i.e., task interest, perceived instrumentality). In addition, ANOVA procedures revealed that the SRSI-SR reliably differentiated high and low achievers. The implications of the results and potential avenues for future research are presented and discussed.     

Detecting analogical resemblance without retrieving the source analogy

We examined whether people can detect analogical resemblance to an earlier experimental episode without being able to recall the experimental source of the analogical resemblance. We used four-word analogies (e.g., robin-nest/beaver-dam), in a variation of the recognition-without-cued-recall method (Cleary, 2004). Participants studied word pairs (e.g., robin-nest) and were shown new word pairs at test, half of which analogically related to studied word pairs (e.g., beaver-dam) and half of which did not. For each test pair, participants first attempted to recall an analogically similar pair from the study list. Then, regardless of whether successful recall occurred, participants were prompted to rate the familiarity of the test pair, which was said to indicate the likelihood that a pair that was analogically similar to the test pair had been studied. Across three experiments, participants demonstrated an ability to detect analogical resemblance without recalling the source analogy. Findings are discussed in terms of their potential relevance to the study of analogical reasoning and insight, as well as to the study of familiarity and recognition memory.     

The Minnesota interactive statistical system

The Minnesota Interactive Statistical System (MISS) is reviewed as a successful application of on-line minicomputing in an instructional and research context. The MISS system is described with regard to (1) the instructional and research needs which prompted its development, (2) its programming design, (3) its operating system, (4) its computer hardware requirements, and (5) the continued innovative minicomputing development that it has inspired.     

Burying by rats in response to aversive and nonaversive stimuli

Previous investigations have shown that rats bury a variety of conditioned and unconditioned aversive stimuli. Such burying has been considered as a species-typical defensive reaction. In the present studies, rats buried spouts filled with Tabasco sauce, or condensed milk to which a taste aversion was conditioned, but did not bury water-filled spouts or spouts filled with a palatable novel food (apple juice) to which a taste aversion was not conditioned. However, in other experiments rats consistently and repeatedly buried Purina Rat Chow, Purina Rat Chow coated with quinine, and glass marbles. This indicates that a variety of stimuli, not all aversive or novel, evoke burying by rats. Whereas the behavior may reasonably be considered as a species-typical defensive behavior in some situations, the wide range of conditions that occasion burying suggests that the behavior has no single biological function.     

Group interventions for patients with cancer and HIV disease: Part I: Effects on psychosocial and functional outcomes at different phases of illness

Group interventions for individuals facing cancer or HIV disease have drawn considerable attention among researchers and clinicians over the past 20 years. There is growing evidence that group services may be helpful, but which interventions are most effective for participants at which phases in the trajectory of disease has been less clear. Moreover, professionals working in different intervention settings (e.g., primary prevention vs. clinical care) and different disease sites (cancer vs. HIV disease) often have little awareness of relevant advances in other fields. Efforts to integrate findings in the literature may accelerate research and advance the standard of clinical care. The current article, the first in a series of four special reports, critically evaluates the efficacy of group interventions led by professional or trained facilitators for individuals confronted by cancer or HIV, across the spectrum of illness from elevated risk through advanced disease. We examine psychosocial and functional outcomes for different interventions directed toward different patient subgroups, trace common themes, highlight limitations, and offer recommendations for further research.     

Group interventions for patients with cancer and HIV disease: Part II. Effects on immune, endocrine, and disease outcomes at different phases of illness

There has been great interest in the potential impact of group interventions on medical outcomes. This article reviews the effects of professionally-led groups on immune activity, neuroendocrine function, and survival among patients with cancer or HIV disease. We examine findings concerning different types of group services at different phases of illness. Results are mixed, but the most prominent changes in immune and endocrine activity were associated with structured group interventions for patients with early-stage disease. These findings offer provocative illustrations of relevant mind-body interactions, but their clinical importance has yet to be demonstrated empirically. Group interventions have not been tied consistently to improved survival rates for patients with advanced cancer; few studies as yet have focused on survival outcomes among patients with early-stage cancer or HIV disease.     

Group interventions for patients with cancer and HIV disease: Part III. Moderating variables and mechanisms of action

Growing evidence supports the value of group interventions for individuals who are at risk for or have developed cancer or HIV disease. However, information is more limited concerning how these services can be delivered in an optimal manner, and what processes contribute to their benefits. Parts I and II of this review examined the efficacy of different interventions for individuals at different phases of illness, ranging from primary prevention to late-stage disease, in both psychosocial and biological domains. The current paper examines some of the factors other than phase of illness that might influence group treatment effects (e.g., intervention parameters, participant characteristics), and explores mechanisms of action.     

Recognition without picture identification: Geons as components of the pictorial memory trace

Participants viewed a list of black-and-white line drawings and were then presented with a picture fragment identification task in which half of the fragments corresponded to studied pictures and half corresponded to unstudied pictures. In addition to trying to identify each picture fragment, participants gave a rating to indicate the likelihood that the fragment came from a studied picture. When participants could not identify the picture fragments, they were still able to discriminate between fragments that came from studied pictures and fragments that came from unstudied pictures (as shown by their recognition ratings), but only when the fragments contained information about the geometric components (geons) that underlay the original pictures. No recognition without identification was found when the fragments contained only line segment information.