PUPILS' SELF-SCORED ARITHMETIC PERFORMANCE: A PRACTICAL PROCEDURE FOR MAINTAINING ACCURACY1

Scoring of student performance is often costly in teacher time. Self-rating may be a practical alternative, if ratings are accurate. Some conditions affecting self-rating accuracy were examined in two special-education classes in two experiments. The first assessed the separate effects of submitting self-ratings to the teacher and token reinforcement for those ratings. Actual and self-rated performance during daily 20-minute arithmetic assignments were observed in a class of four boys with an average age of 10 years, four months. Subjects answered assignments in pen for later detection of falsified answers. At the end of the session, correct answers were projected and papers self-scored in pencil. During class dismissal, the experimenter surreptitiously scored actual performance. Three experimental conditions were introduced in an A B C B A design. During A, subjects self-rated but submitted no report, nor received token reinforcement. During B, self-ratings were reported to the teacher on a folded slip of paper, without reinforcement. During C, points were awarded for self-reported scores based on changes in individual performance from the prior condition and later exchanged for prizes. Subjects self-rated accurately during A, with little change during B. However, awarding points for self-reported scores in C, produced highly exaggerated performance. There was little change in correct arithmetic performance throughout the experiment. The second experiment examined a low-cost procedure to produce and maintain a low level of exaggeration in a class of 17 boys with an average age of 15 years, three months. Continuous, then intermittent checks on the accuracy of self-rated arithmetic performance were assessed in a multiple-baseline design across groups of subjects. Following a condition where subjects' self-reported performance was reinforced as in the first experiment, the self-rating accuracy of all subjects was checked publicly and a penalty applied for inaccuracies or bonus points for accuracies (Maximum Checks). During Minimum Checks, the self-rating accuracy of one randomly selected subject was checked. The reduction in checking frequency was gradual for one group and abrupt for the other. When self-reports were reinforced, 13 of the 17 pupils submitted ratings discrepant with actual arithmetic performance by more than two problems per session. Maximum Checks reduced discrepancies below two problems per session for 15 of the 17 pupils. This same low level of exaggeration was maintained during Minimum Checks for 14 of the 17 pupils. Correct arithmetic performance showed no systematic change. Teachers reported that self-rating resulted in time savings over their usual methods of scoring. The results indicated that pupils exaggerate when rewarded for self-ratings. Exaggeration was reduced and maintained at low levels by infrequent accuracy checks.     

IMPROVING THE GENERALIZED MNEMONIC PERFORMANCE OF A DOWN'S SYNDROME CHILD1

A training program was conducted to improve the generalized mnemonic performance, or memory, of a Down's Syndrome child. Training was directed at digit-span performance with generalization from training determined by responses to untrained mnemonic performance probes. The digit-span items varied in length from three to five digits. Each length constituted an item class, with each class trained within the framework of a multiple-baseline design. Probes consisted of untrained digit-span items, grammatical sentences, nongrammatical sentences, and match-to-sample items. A training procedure, in which 15 items from each class varied continually from trial to trial and from day to day, resulted in the percentage of correct responses to both training and probe items increasing to levels substantially above baseline. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the training procedure in improving the generalized mnemonic performance of a Down's Syndrome child.     

Clustering in the output of behavior

Pigeons exposed to fixed-interval schedules of 3, 5, 15, 40, and 120 minutes all maintained considerable variability in daily response rates for as many as 104 sessions. However, variations did not occur at random. Instead, rate in a session appeared dependent on those occurring previously. The series displayed a wave-like form arising because a group of high rates was followed by a group of low rates and vice versa. These sequential relations produced a curve having irregular periodicity, sometimes superimposed on a declining or rising linear trend. Whether grouping of response rates stemmed from experimental or extra-experimental sources was not determined. If the phenomenon was either totally or partially produced by the schedule itself, it suggests that response rate is determined by a combination of positive and negative feedback. Control by factors extrinisic to the experiment itself implies that response rate may be influenced by some rhythmic physiological process.     

The detection of vulnerable road users by younger and older drivers

The detection of vulnerable road users (VRUs), especially under time constraints, may be impaired in elderly drivers, due to their visual and cognitive decline. This represents a major concern for road safety. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of aging on the detection of VRUs. A further aim was to investigate the impact of external factors on VRU detection. Twenty-two young adults, 20 younger-old adults, and 32 older-old adults were included in the study. A series of photographs were displayed for 500 ms. Participants were asked to detect the VRU, which could be a motorcyclist, a cyclist, or a pedestrian. The VRU was located at one of two distances (near/far), one of two locations (off-centered/centered), and in two car-DRL (daytime running lights) environments (on/off). The ability to correctly detect a VRU was measured. An eye-tracker was used to record eye movements. The main findings showed that VRU-detection performance decreased with aging, even in the younger-old group (ages 55–68). The ability to correctly detect a VRU by older-old adults was poorer particularly when the VRU was a motorcyclist or a cyclist. As a whole, the older-old adults made more fixations to correctly detect the VRU than the other two age groups did. Moreover, the visual angle between the gaze of the participant’s last fixation and the target in the older-old group was lower than in the other two groups, particularly when the VRU was off-centered. This finding suggests that older-old adults compensated for their visual-field decline by doing more visual exploration than the other two groups did to correctly detect the VRU. The results are discussed with regards to age-related cognitive and visual deficits.Word count: 279.     

多层次知识隐藏行为的形成与后果:基于地位竞争的视角

知识隐藏指组织中个体面对同事知识请求时故意隐瞒或刻意掩饰的行为, 具体包括拖延隐藏、装傻和合理隐藏。知识隐藏不利于个体间知识分享行为的产生, 是知识领域的反生产行为, 对组织效能具有严重破坏作用。针对这一问题, 基于调节定向理论, 从动态视角出发拟通过探究地位动机的维度结构并开发测量工具来探究个体和团队层次中知识隐藏的心理机制及边界条件, 以有助于深化对知识隐藏的规律性认识, 有利于组织更好地应对知识隐藏现象。     

Does instrumental motivation help students with low intrinsic motivation? Comparison between Western and Confucian students

The research examines possible differences in the mutual reinforcement (i.e. multiplicative) effect between intrinsic and instrumental motivation on academic performance across different cultures. Eight representative countries and economies from two large-scale databases—the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012—were used, respectively. Results showed that among the Confucian economies, instrumental motivation was more helpful in improving the mathematics performance of students with low intrinsic motivation than for those with high intrinsic motivation. This was shown by the multiplicative effect between intrinsic and instrumental motivation. Despite the difference, students in both Confucian and Western cultures with high intrinsic motivation had better mathematics performance than students with low intrinsic motivation.     

Incremental Validity of Locus of Control After Controlling for Cognitive Ability and Conscientiousness

This research examined the criterion-related validity of work-specific locus of control in predicting job performance, including incremental validity after controlling for cognitive ability and conscientiousness. Data from a student sample and from a large employee sample were used to evaluate the scale properties of measures of locus of control, conscientiousness, and cognitive ability. Two concurrent criterion-related validation studies were then conducted to evaluate the incremental validity of locus of control. In both validation studies, locus of control demonstrated overall and incremental relationships with performance after controlling for ability and conscientiousness, such that employees with higher internal locus of control performed more effectively than externals.     

The Development and Validation of a Personological Measure of Work Drive

Using six studies based on 23,823 individuals in diverse settings, we developed and validated a personality measure of Work Drive—a disposition to work long hours and extend oneself for one's job. The factor structure was confirmed in four settings. Work Drive was related to job performance showing incremental validity beyond cognitive aptitude and Big Five personality traits in five validation studies. It predicted academic performance at six different grade levels, even beyond Big Five traits. Construct validity was examined via work values, job involvement, normal personality scales, satisfaction measures, and cognitive ability. Little adverse impact was found. Occupational groups differed on Work Drive. Overall validity and areas of application were discussed.