Innovative knowledge Utilization through information transfer: A new relationship between libraries and user organizations

In our rapidly changing environment, both profit and non-profit organizations confront an increasing demand for technological, economic, and social innovation. In response to this demand, organizations are taking on the role of “change agents” by transforming existing practices into innovative action. Libraries, as centers that accumulate and disperse knowledge, can support these organizations in their “change agent” roles. This paper delineates the way public libraries can help organizations meet the increasing need for external information associated with innovation. Policy issues concerned with efficient information transfer to user organizationss are specified, and two concrete examples of information transfer systems are described. In order to best utilize existing knowledge,personal-professional assistance in selecting potentially innovative,impersonal written materials is recommended. Dr. Celeste P. M. Wilderom is an assistant professor at the School of Economics of the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and a research associate in organization behavior at the School of Management, S.U.N.Y., Buffalo. NY 14260. Her Ph.D. is in organizational psychology from S.U.N.Y., Buffalo, Where she taught in the Schools of Management and Social Work. Dr. Wilderom's research interests are behaviors in service and nonprofit organizations, problems of cross-cultural managemet and educational issues in the social sciences.     

The Utility of Problem-solving Training that Emphasises Selfmanagement Principles

This study examined the usefulness of an 8-week applied problem-solving training program. Specifically, the study examined (a) whether problem-solving training that emphasised self-management principles would be useful, (b) if the effects of training would persist over time, (c) whether an individual difference variable (problem-solving appraisal) would affect training outcomes, and (d) whether the cognitive responses of the subjects during the course of training were related to their problem-solving appraisal or the change process. Results indicated that problem solving training was effective at enhancing students’ problem-solving appraisal, and that the self-report changes were maintained at a 1 year follow-up. In particular, training seemed most useful for students who initially appraised their problem solving very negatively. Finally, the results suggested that the process-oriented cognitive responses were related to students' initial problem-solving self-appraisal as well as the impact of training. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of counselling interventions, problem solving training, the interpersonal influence process, and future research.     

Measurement of activity in small animals using a microcomputer-controlled system

A computer-controlled system that detects spontaneous activity (locomotion and rearing) and diurnal activity rhythms in small animals is described. Automatic recording of subtotals during test periods provides data about habituation (nonassociative learning). The system is relatively inexpensive to construct. Fabricated from highly reliable circuit components, it provides replicable measures that enable comparisons between different experimental treatments to be made using parametric statistics.     

Production and control of auditory signals in attention research using the Apple-Psych system

A technical issue in auditory spatial attention research is how best to provide low-cost, accurate control of the frequency, duration, and location of acoustic signals. Three solutions to the problem are compared: use of the internal oscillator of the Apple lIe, use of a Mountain A/D+D/A card, and use of an external oscillator chip. The unique advantages and drawbacks of each system are discussed. All share some common problems of external speaker interface, timing control, and interface with the software. Hardware and software solutions implemented on the Apple-Psych system are discussed, along with data that demonstrate the precision control achieved with the system.     

Repairing the Microsoft BASIC RND function

Difficulties with the Microsoft BASIC function for generating random numbers (RND) are cited and new problems reported. Fixes are suggested that allow use of some of the speed of the original function and that produce greatly improved pseudorandom numbers. A published generator is combined with the RND function as a compromise solution.     

Social sensitivity in adolescents and adults with learning disabilities.

This study investigated social sensitivity and self-concept in students with learning disabilities (LD) and their non-learning-disabled (non-LD) peers. Thirty students each from public junior and senior high schools and a community college participated in the study; at each grade level, half were identified as learning disabled and half experienced no learning problem. Students were individually assessed in 30-minute interviews for their accuracy in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of actors in tape-recorded stories depicting two adults in happy angry, anxious, and sad interactions. A questionnaire assessing four dimensions of self-concept in learning situations (motivation, task orientation, problem-solving ability, and class membership) was also administered. LD students at all grade levels were significantly less accurate at interpreting social situations than were their non-LD peers, and had significantly lower self-concepts. These results support the need for remediation efforts specifically aimed at social skills for overcoming social deficits in adulthood.     

Differences in school behavior and achievement between children from intact, reconstituted, and single-parent families.

Differences in school behavior and achievement between students from intact, reconstituted, and single-parent families were analyzed. Students from intact two-parent families had fewer absences and tardies, higher grade point averages, and fewer negative and more positive teacher behavioral ratings than did those from reconstituted and single-parent families.     

A comparison of the psychological profiles of teenage mothers and their nonmother peers: I. Ego development.

Two projective techniques were employed to explore the psychological characteristics of teenage mothers who were found, in a previous study, to have experienced more traumatic childhoods than the nonmother control group. Part I, presented here, investigated ego development using the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test. (Part II, responses to a set of TAT cards, will appear in a subsequent issue of Adolescence.) In comparison with the nonmothers, teenage mothers demonstrated more mature ego development. This is in distinct contrast with most reports in the literature, and the ramifications of these results are discussed. In addition, content analyses of the responses to the Sentence Completion Test confirm the highly involved mother-daughter and negative father-daughter relationships found in the previous study with this sample.     

Runaway girls in distress: motivation, background, and personality.

This paper deals with girls aged 13 to 21 who have run away from home. Social workers who work with such girls point out that they are not a homogeneous population and that their motives can be very different. This study divides their motives for running away into two types, "running from" and "running to," and describes the specific personality traits associated with each. Findings indicate that girls who "run to" are younger, more impulsive, have an internal locus of control and a history of more runaways and longer periods of staying away from home. Girls who "run from," on the other hand, are older, more reflective, have an external locus of control and a history of fewer runaways and shorter periods away from home.