A developmental sequence in preschool children's acquisition of reading readiness skills and print awareness concepts

While various attempts have been made to explain the relationships among preschool children's acquisition of various aspects of print-related knowledge, studies have generally employed statistical procedures appropriate for linear relationships. Yet the relationships among measures of print-related knowledge may not be linear. One technique that has not been employed in this area but which provides a means for identifying nonlinear hierarchical relationships among measures is order analysis. The purpose of this paper was to examine empirically the acquisition of preschool children's print-related knowledge through order analysis. A data set that consisted of 60 preschool children's performances on five measures which assessed concepts about the purposes and processes of reading and the reading readiness skills of letter naming and visual and auditory discrimination was reanalyzed using ordering procedure. A multivariate analysis indicated a multidimensional relationship among the three reading readiness and two print awareness measures that differed across the three age groups. The hierarchical orderings of the five measures indicated that mastery of the reading readiness skills occurred prior to the mastery of the print awareness concepts.     

The timing of shifts of head postures during conservation

The timing of shifts of head postures in relation to speech during conservation was investigated by continuously monitoring, with a polarised light goniometer, the head movement of four subjects engaged in conservation.Postural shifts (PSs), defined as wide, linear movements, were found to occur primarily towards the initiation of speech, be it between speaking turns, or between syntactic boundaries inside speaking turns. This suggested that PSs are involved in regulating turn taking and marking syntactic boundaries inside speaking turns.Also, PSs usually started prior to and continued till after speech onset. This suggested a possible involvement in speech production, probably in helping to regulate the complex motor processes of beginning to speak.It is suggested that interactive, linguistic and speech productive functions may combine together to create a movement pattern by mutually constraining head movement.     

Use of an ambiguous-sample procedure to establish a cue to forget in pigeons

Pigeons were trained on a variation of the matching-to-sample task in which on double-sample trials two samples, one associated with each of the comparison stimuli, were presented successively. Responding to the comparison associated with the first sample was reinforced on half the double-sample trials, and responding to the comparison associated with the second sample was reinforced on the remaining half. One of two postsample stimuli was presented following the termination of each colored sample. A vertical line was presented after a correct or target sample, and a horizontal line was presented after an incorrect or interfering sample. With extended training, each bird demonstrated above-chance accuracy on double-sample trials, providing prima facie evidence that one or both of the postsample stimuli exerted control over matching behavior. Experiment 2 provided evidence that the horizontal line functioned as a cue to forget the code activated by the preceding sample stimulus. It was concluded that a condition sufficient to establish a postsample stimulus as a cue to forget is that the postsample immediately follow presentation of a sample that, if it were to control test responding, would lead to nonreinforcement.     

The possible interaction of Harderian material and saliva for thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

Self-grooming in Meriones unguiculatus is associated with saliva spread and the release and spread of Harderian material from the external nares. Saliva spread results in evaporative cooling and Harderian spread insulates the pelage. Two experiments tested the predictions that (1) saliva production and Harderian material decrease systematically following a self-groom, (2) high ambient temperature (34 degrees C) increases saliva production but decreases Harderian release, and (3) low ambient temperature (7 degrees C) decreases saliva production but increases Harderian release. The predictions were generally confirmed, suggesting that short-term and long-term thermoregulatory reactions are differentially affected by ambient temperatures. Thus, an animal will tend to emphasize saliva production when evaporative cooling is needed and will exaggerate Harderian release when insulation of the pelage is required.     

Right of active duty military personnel to refuse psychiatric treatment

Under Federal Court precedents, mentally ill patients have a qualified right to refuse treatment. The amount of due process that may be required to override treatment refusals by active duty military patients is discussed. Due process for these individuals need not be judicial, since medical review satisfies federal requirements. Involuntary administration of medication to active duty military personnel is justified in some circumstances. Specific criteria for overriding treatment refusals are suggested. A sample protocol for overriding the treatment refusals of active duty personnel is offered.     

Prospective versus retrospective assessment of Menstrual cycle symptoms and moods: Role of Attitudes and beliefs

Prospective vs. retrospective self-reports of menstrual cycle symptoms and moods in users and nonusers of oral contraceptives were investigated. Subjects, aged from 17 to 27 years, included 56 women on the pill and 47 nonusers. The Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) quantified physical symptomatology, while the Differential Emotions Scale (DES-IV) measured emotional states. Prospective reports suggested less discernible symptom and mood effects than did retrospective reports. Physical symptoms were significantly higher menstrually than premenstrually, whereas negative affects increased premenstrually. Women on the pill reported significantly fewer symptoms and negative moods than nonusers, although there were no significant differences in positive mood states. Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) scores suggested that nonusers of oral contraceptives found menstruation more debilitating than those on the pill. Based on a paper presented at the 5th Biennial Conference of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, July 22–26, 1991.     

The relationship between plaintiff gender and just cause determination in Canadian dismissal cases

Widespread concern has been expressed recently over the differential treatment of women by the courts and various arbitration and adjudication proceedings. Based on data obtained by content analysing 367 Canadian dismissal cases from 1980 to 1993, this study examines the relationship between the plaintiff's gender and the court's ruling regarding the existence of just cause for termination. The results indicate that female plaintiffs are more likely than men to succeed in their court action. However, in comparison with their representation in the Canadian workforce, a relatively small percentage of women are plaintiffs in wrongful dismissal actions. Possible explanations for the study's findings are discussed.Funding for this study was provided by a Saint Mary's University Senate Research Grant to the first author. The very capable research assistance of Nancy Canavan and Jane MacNeil is gratefully acknowledged.