A multi-purpose logic module for behavioral experiments

A notational system has been developed that can be used to describe most reinforcement schedules or other sequential procedures by appropriately interconnecting the basic notational units. The notational language has been applied in the past to develop a user-oriented computer program for behavioral experiments. The present paper describes a digital logic module designed to be isomorphic with the basic unit of the notational language, thus permitting rapid programming of new experiments directly from the notational system. The major advantage of the new module is that it requires no electronic sophistication on the part of the user, since the one module serves as the basic unit of all experiments.     

Initial Primary Teacher Education Students and Spirituality

In recent years there has begun to be a resurgence of interest in educating the whole child in response to an over emphasis on basic skills teaching. In the study reported in this article, initial primary teacher education students at a regional Australian university were asked to explore and discuss their beliefs about the notion of spirituality. A survey was one of the instruments used and the responses obtained were placed into one of five categories or dimensions of spirituality. These included spirituality and self (reflection); religion; nature (environment/universe); relationships; and major life events (birth/marriage/death). Each of these categories are discussed in relation to a similar study conducted in the United Kingdom. Some implications for teacher educators and their initial primary teacher education students are discussed. These implications are able to help both groups work towards a more spiritually sensitive curriculum which seeks to recognise spiritual development as integral and central for providing a holistic education for all children.     

The relation between women's body esteem and friendships with gay men

Women who associate with gay men are often portrayed as physically unattractive and lacking in both self-confidence and attention from straight men. However, many women report enhanced self-esteem and feelings of attractiveness as a result of attention from their gay friends. It is well established that body esteem can be negatively impacted by certain peer processes, yet there is a dearth of quantitative research on positive peer influences on women's body esteem. We tested two hypotheses: (a) women with gay male friends have poor body esteem and are rejected by heterosexual men, and (b) more contact with gay men is positively related to body esteem. Participants were 154 heterosexual women, who completed measures of their friendships with gay men, straight men and women, body esteem, relationship involvement and break-ups. Results supported the hypothesis that women's body esteem, specifically feelings of sexual attractiveness, is positively associated with friendships with gay men.     

A factor analysis of the most frequently used Korean personality trait adjectives

We tested the cross‐cultural generalizability of personality structure by factor‐analysing self‐ratings of 435 Korean university students on the 406 most frequently used Korean personality trait adjectives. A plot of eigenvalues and a test of factor replicability both suggested a four‐factor solution. The four varimax‐rotated factors showed strong correlations with the first four factors of the Big Five (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability), as measured by markers selected a priori from the pool of 406 adjectives. We also investigated a five‐factor solution, in an attempt to recover an Intellect factor. The five varimax‐rotated factors corresponded closely to the classic Big Five, but with a minor difference in the rotation of the Conscientiousness and Intellect factors. Solutions involving six and seven factors were also investigated, and these solutions produced a Truthfulness factor similar to some previously discovered lexical factors. The results of the study were discussed in relation to the lexical hypothesis and to previous studies of personality structure in East Asian languages. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of maternal and infant imitation during play

In contrast to recent experimental studies that have sought to establish the infant's ability to imitate, the goal of the current study was to establish the actual performance of imitation by infants and their mothers during episodes of face-to-face play. Three-min play episodes of 20 mothers and their 13- to 16-week-old infants were videotaped. Instances of mouth openings, lip movements, tongue protrusions, smiling, and vocalizations by both partners were coded. Sequential analyses revealed stochastic patterns of imitation by both interactants. Mothers contingently imitated initiations by their infants and were more likely to make like initiations during action in the same category by their infants. Infants did not show onset-to-onset imitation but did show an increased likelihood to initiate actions when their mothers were engaged in a like action. That imitation by the mother is a pervasive characteristic of such interactions is consistent with earlier suggestions of its role in the acquisition of social and emotional skills. The results suggest that infants also display patterns of matching in early social interactions.