From evolution to Larry P., or what shall we do about IQ tests?

IQ tests are a dilemma in that great morality play. “Who Shall Enjoy Society's Privileges?” Legal authorities battle over IQ tests as heroes or villians. The stages are courts around the nation jammed with plaintiffs whose test scores were used to reject them from desired educational and occupational positions or whose scores exceeded those of others who were selected for desired positions on nonintellective bases. Larry P. Bakke, and Griggs are but a few of the plaintiffs whose names may become household words in the late '70s. Judges know little about the technical construction of IQ tests, their appropriate use and interpretation, and about the underlying issues of inequality that bring the adversaries to court. But the judges will decide how, when, and for whom IQ tests may be used to make life decisions.     

Sex differences in perceptions of familial and occupational roles

Women's lower achievement level in the professions is explained by the Multiple Role Negotiation perspective as resulting from the difficulty in balancing the “active” or demanding roles of wife/mother and a high level professional role. The Value Difference perspective, on the other hand, explains this differential achievement as resulting from differences in degree to which women value professional roles and their familial role, with perceptions of “demand” serving only as “excuses” to mask values. To explore the assumptions of each position three research questions are posed and 33 first-year students in a professional program are surveyed. The findings reveal that neither males nor females perceive the female familial role as the “more active” one; females, however do anticipate less career advancement, value the higher level role less, and also perceive it as a more demanding role than the lower level role.     

Theory of learning mathematics with computer-assisted instruction: Hierarchical and nonhierarchical options

The learning of arithmetic problems is assumed to be a Markov process involving conditioning of a set of k subskills, each consisting of one or more productions. An axiom set is provided, with the choice between two options for one axiom controlling which of two models results. Model 1, which assumes that every subskill is attempted on every occurrence of a given problem, is a nonhierarchical model. Model 2, which assumes that every subskill in the temporal sequence for a problem is attempted until one is failed, is a somewhat unconventional hierarchical model: It is hierarchical in the sense that conditioningor chance success at one level is prerequisite to performance of the next subskill (next level) in the problem. As the value of the guessing parameter, g, declines, Model 2 leads to less efficient learning than Model 1.     

The paired associate learning task: Is it an externally valid instrument for assessing methylphenidate response in children with attention deficit disorder?

The Paired Associate Learning Task (PAL-T) is a laboratory-based instrument commonly used for assessing psychostimulant response (and specifically cognitive nonresponse or toxicity) in children with Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity (ADDH). The present study examined the PAL-T's sensitivity in detecting overall and between-dose methylphenidate (MPH) effects, its operating characteristics, and its relationship with academic performance in 36 children with ADDH who underwent a placebo controlled trial of MPH at four dose levels. Children's PAL-T performance under active medication resembled but was uncorrelated with direct observations of their academic performance in the classroom. Negative predictive power (NPP) rates indicated that cognitive nonresponse to MPH did not portend a poor response in children's academic efficiency under identical dose conditions in the classroom. Clinical implications are discussed.The authors are grateful to the undergraduate and graduate student members of the Children's Learning Clinic who assisted with the conduct of this study.     

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO SEEK INFORMATION-ACQUISITION OF NOVEL INFORMATION AND GENERALIZATION OF RESPONDING

A time delay procedure was used to teach 3 children with autism to ask the question “What's that?” when novel stimuli were presented during an instructional task. Once the ability to ask the question was acquired, the children's ability to learn novel information by asking the question was assessed. The children were then taught to ask the question within a less structured context. All three studies used a multiple baseline across participants. Generalization was assessed in a different room, to a new person, and to novel stimuli. All of the children learned to ask the question within the instructional context, while on a walk in the school building, and to request information about three-dimensional objects. The acquisition of novel information was consistent for receptive and expressive tests for 2 of the children, with varied results for the 3rd. These studies indicate that children with autism can be taught to ask questions that lead to the acquisition of new information.     

The effect of Person on cardiac and motor responsivity to shock in dogs

Interaction between effect of social stimulus (Person) and a faradic shock on heart rate and motor response (leg flexion) in four dogs was observed and recorded. The trials during which the shock and petting were presented simultaneously showed a significant suppression of heart rate increase to shock when compared to the shock alone trials. The lack of this suppression effect in the motor response to the shock is discussed in relation to the concept of schizokinesis. The importance of controlling prior experience of subjects is also discussed.     

The Ethics of Teaching Rhetorical Intertextuality

Journal of Academic Ethics - Three approaches to intertextual writing are available to college instructors: mechanical, ethical, and rhetorical. The mechanical approach, a staple of writing...