REINFORCEMENT OF DISTRESS VOCALIZATION BY PRESENTATION OF AN IMPRINTED STIMULUS

For one group of ducklings distress calls were reinforced using brief presentation of an imprinted stimulus as the response contingent (reinforcing) event. For a second group of ducklings presentation of an imprinted stimulus was contingent upon a more traditional operant (the pecking response). Regardless of which response was being reinforced, the same pattern ensued. Bursts of responding were separated by periods of little or no responding. When subsequently subjected to repeated presentation and withdrawal of the imprinted stimulus under conditions in which neither response was being reinforced, ducklings with a history of reinforcement for distress calls emitted many more calls than ducklings with a history of reinforcement for pole pecks.     

Is there a case for the freshman women's residence hall?

Because most institutions are experiencing student migration from residence halls, the educational function of the halls is being promoted, resulting in numerous variations in design and staff organization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the merits of one of these variations—the all-freshman women's residence hall. Freshman women in three types of halls (all-freshman women, all-undergraduate women, and coeducational) were compared on the basis of academic achievement, attitudes about the campus environment, and conduct. Results indicated that on those factors, no case can be built in support of housing women in an all-freshman women's hall.     

Emotional Stress: Investigating the Restrictiveness of Residential Security and the Pains of Juvenile Incarceration

The authors found significant differences in emotional stress levels experienced by juvenile offenders confined to facilities having higher degrees of security and structure.     

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF SELF-APPRAISAL-BASED PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

This study investigated the effectiveness of a self-appraisal-based performance evaluation system (SABPE) that incorporates self-assessment into traditional supervisory evaluation procedures. Its subject sample consisted of 88 faculty members and their chairpersons at a land-grant state university. Results indicated that (1) there was high congruency between self- and chairperson ratings, (2) both ratings had moderate to high levels of criterion-related validity, and (3) both faculty members and chairpersons reported high SABPE acceptance. The implications of these results for future self-appraisal research are discussed.