Improving assignment preference through interspersing additional problems: Brief versus easy problems

College students were exposed to a control mathematics assignment containing 16 three-digit by two-digit multiplication (3×2) problems and two experimental assignments that contained 16 equivalent 3×2 problems and six additional interspersed problems. On one experimental assignment, 4-digit plus 4-digit problems (4+4) were interspersed. On the other experimental assignment, 2-digit divided by 1-digit with whole number answers problems (2/1) were interspersed. When given a choice, significantly more students choose the 2/1 assignment over the control and 1+4 assignment. Students also ranked the 2/1 sheet as requiring less time to complete than the control or 4+4 assignment but no differences were found on assignment difficulty rankings between the 4+4 and 2/1 assignments. No differences were found on accuracy levels or rates of responding on the target 3×2 problems across assignments. Results showed that interspersing additional problems that take relatively less time to complete may be more important for altering student preference for assignments than interspersing easier problems. Discussion focuses on schedules of reinforcement and resource efficient procedures for increasing student preference for assignment without compromising curricula integrity.     

Exploring the Individual's Perception of Sources and Credibility of Feedback in the Work Environment

This study reports on the construction of an instrument to assess individuals' perceptions of feedback from various sources in a work environment, and to investigate the effects of the sources' credibility on those perceptions. Six dimensions were found to reflect the sources of feedback and the type of information they convey, and 10 dimensions were found to represent the degree of credibility the individual attributes to the sources of feedback. Data collected from a heterogeneous sample of 706 employees in the UK and Brazil were analysed to establish the reliability and construct validity of the questionnaire.     

Job demands,supports, and constraints as predictors of psychological strain among schoolteachers

The literature on occupational stress contains two relatively independent bodies of literature, one of which shows that stress results from high work demands and the other which indicates that stress is associated with low levels of autonomy/discretion. Recent work has also shown that social support moderates the relationship between environmental stress and psychological strain. This paper uses a model of stress which assumes that stress is a function of the balance of demands, supports, and job constraints. The model is tested on a homogeneous professional group of workers because a previous study had suggested that models of this kind are powerful enough to detect differences in psychological strain when unskilled groups are compared with managers, but not when managers are compared with managers. The empirical results of this study of teachers show very modest support for the model, but confirm that the percentage of variance accounted for by these sorts of measures is rather small.     

The role of category information in word identification: A parallel decision model

Four experiments consider the role of semantic category information in word identification using a serial classification reaction time paradigm. Experimental variables were manipulated by varying the semantic properties of blocks of trials and the target search instructions. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 investigated the facilitation on target word recognition of manipulating the categorical homogeneity of the nontarget words. An homogeneous nontarget set facilitated the classification of unrelated target words. This category contrast effect was obtained in all conditions, although its magnitude depended upon target search instructions. Experiment 3 also investigated whether word identification was inhibited if subjects were prevented from utilizing the category information to distinguish target from nontarget words. Target and nontarget word identification was slower under such conditions. Experiment 4 demonstratd that both the category contrast and category interference effects were dependent upon the use of short response-stimulus intervals to define a functional semantic background. This suggests the category effects are perceptual in nature. Current models of word recognition cannot easily explain the findings. A committee decision model is outlined to accommodate the data; the model proposes that visual analysis, identification, and categorization proceed in parallel.     

TRAINING COUNSELING SKILLS: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS AND SOCIAL VALIDATION

A community development perspective suggests the value of using local resources to solve local problems. Two low-income staff of a community service center served as nonprofessional counselors after receiving a training program consisting of written instructions, practice, and performance feedback. The effects of the 40-hour training program were positive for both counseling and problem-solving skills. There was also evidence of generalization of counseling performance across clients, problems, and time. In addition, expert judges' ratings of performance were obtained as a measure of social validity. These findings suggest that the training procedures are effective in enhancing the counseling and problem-solving skills of low-income nonprofessionals.     

Effects of Photographic Evidence on Mock Juror Judgement1

Effects of three levels of photographic evidence (color, black & white, no photograph) on 144 female subjects' monetary awards to an injured plaintiff were investigated in a 3 × 2 × 3 factorial design. Also manipulated were two levels of the severity of the plaintiff's injury and three levels of defendant blame. As predicted, a significant three-way interaction was observed such that the magnitude of the difference in monetary damages awarded the more and less severely injured plaintiff was greatest in the presence of the color photograph depicting injuries and when defendant blame was high. An emotional arousal interpretation for the effects of photographic evidence is tentatively offered.