Effects of home nest odors on black-white preference in the developing rat: implications for developmental learning research

Developing animals 17 and 30 days of age were tested for black-white preference in the presence of either clean shavings or soiled bedding material from the home cage. Home nest shavings markedly reduced dark preference in 17-day-old rats but had no effect on dark preference in 30-day-old rats. Because many developmental studies have used two-compartment, black and white chambers to study the effects of familiar home nest shavings on learning and memory, it may be that differential preference for black influenced the results obtained. The apparent alleviation of learning and memory deficits produced by the presence of home nest shavings may have been the result of changes in black-white preference rather than differences in learning and memory per se. Similar influences may underlie the effects of home nest stimuli on other learning tasks such as spatial alternation.     

Sex differences in a simulated classroom economy: Children's beliefs about entrepreneurship

The purposes of this study were (1) to measure sex differences in children's perceptions of entrepreneurship and occupational sex-stereotyping and (2) to assess sex differences in children's risk taking, persistence, and economic success. For 10 weeks 938 children in grades 3–6 participated in Mini-Society, an experience-based economics education instructional program. Child self-report measures and teacher ratings were utilized. Before Mini-Society children reported entrepreneurship to be primarily a male domain. There was less entrepreneurial stereotyping after Mini-Society, especially in favor of girls. Children's occupational sex stereotyping also decreased following Mini-Society. Finally, there were no sex differences in the children's risk taking, persistence, or economic success during the Mini-Society experience.     

Guidelines for clinicians considering family therapy research

This paper is written by clinicians for clinicians who are thinking about or planning to evaluate family therapy. The basic premise is that to be successful a research project must be built from the beginning on a very solid foundation. This foundation is built from a careful consideration of various research problems which are interrelated yet which can be solved when addressed in a particular sequence. The paper describes eight stages which must be followed in any research project. The authors illustrate these stages with examples from their own experience with a family therapy process research study lasting five years. This project did not produce reliable results, but the authors learnt important lessons about such things as the way a particular theory may lead a researcher to select data which cannot be reliably observed; and the way in which practical constraints can erode the reliability of the outcome. Discussion of why and where the project went wrong offers direction and warnings for the prospective clinician/researcher.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN'S PREFERENCE FOR THEIR OWN COUNTRY

Des groupes d'enfants, de 6 à 12 ans, sont testés dans six villes européennes (Oxford, Glasgow, Leyde, Louvain, Naples et Vienne) pour voir s'ils montrent une préférence pour leur propre nationalité. L'étude utilise une méthode nouvelle et simple qui garantit sans ambiguïté la comparabilité des données pour tous les âges et pour tous les pays. Les résultats montrent que (1) à l'exception du groupe de Glasgow, tous les enfants manifestent une préférence marquée pour leur nationalité; (2) à l'exception du groupe de Louvain, cette préférence est plus forte avec l'âge. Lorsqu'on compare les données obtenues à Naples avec celles des autres villes, on constate qu'un stéréotype physique national se développe chez les enfants à mesure qu'ils grandissent. Les implications théoriques des résultats et des exceptions que représentent les groupes de Glasgow et de Louvain sont commentées.     

Effect of communication discrepancy and ambiguity on placement and opinion shift

Analyzed social judgment theory of attitude change and studied placement of a communication and opinion shift in an experiment on visual perception. In a 3 × 3 design plus a control group, 110 undergraduate college students (50 men and 60 women) received a communication after estimating the number of dots on 14 slides. The communication varied at three levels of ambiguity and three levels of discrepancy. Ss gave estimates of the communication from memory (measuring assimilation) and gave a second set of their own estimates (measuring opinion shift). Assimilation varies directly with ambiguity (p < .00l) but is unrelated to discrepancy. Opinion shift varies significantly as a function of discrepancy (p < .00l) but is unrelated to ambiguity. Authors hypothesize assimilation and opinion change may be negatively correlated at small discrepancies but directly correlated at large discrepancies.     

Forest before trees? It depends where you look

Because it may be deduced from the more elementary principles of visual processing, global precedence (Navon, 1977) is not a primary perceptual principle. Subjects were presented with a large letter made out of small ones and asked to make an identification response on the basis of either the large or small letter. When fixation was controlled to provide adequate stimulation from the small letter, there was no difference in reaction time (RT) between the large and small targets. Also, there was no difference in interference due to response incompatibility of the unattended letter based on target size. However, when the stimulus was presented peripherally, unpredictably to the right or left of fixation, RT was faster to the large target and interference was substantially greater for the small target. Functions for the development of associative strength and associative interference are presented. Global precedence is dependent on factors tending to degrade small stimuli more than large ones.