The observational study of effective instructional processes in kindergarten by DeVries and others is critiqued. It is maintained that (1) the study takes a narrow approach to constructivism that does not reflect current thinking; (2) there are flaws in the coding system used; and (3) the understanding of instructional issues involving minority…

Presents chapter one of V. V. Davydov's 1986 monograph, "Problems of Developmental Teaching." Examines the dialectical-materialist sources of the psychological concept of activity; and activity, the mind, and consciousness. Building from Lev S. Vygotsky's work and within a Marxist-Leninist framework, explores relationships among…

These articles contain responses from several scholars on the issue of field systems analysis (FSA). The scholars offer critiques from their sport pedagogy perspectives, a reaction relating FSA to personal examinations of teaching expertise, and a discussion of how computer simulation informs the study of expert teachers. (SM)

This review focuses on 15 general applied multivariate textbooks that were published in the 1980s and have potential for in-class use by social and behavioral science students. The review covers content, information on previous book reviews, computer use coverage, reliance on matrices, and quality ratings. (TJH)

Investigates the effects of early tobacco and alcohol use on adolescent sexual behaviors 2 years after initiation among 73 adolescent girls, 79 adolescent boys, and their parents. A relationship exists between age-related deviant behaviors and sexual activity and the effects of early transitions to adult behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use.…

Presents information about and ideas for teaching an evolutionary view of ethics. Argues that when behavioral and moral aspects of human evolution are presented in biology courses in lieu of anatomical and physiological aspects, students may become more accepting of evolutionary theory. Contains 16 references. (WRM)

Examines the historical and conceptual foundations of friendship research. Areas addressed include functions of friendship, study of peer relations and peer systems, associated methodological and measurement challenges, and the study of friendship today. The discussion is framed around the "Harry Potter" (by J. K. Rowling) phenomena. (SD)

Discusses methodological issues in empirical studies of information-related behavior in six specific research areas: information needs and uses; information seeking; relevance judgment; online searching (including online public access catalog, online database, and the Web); human-system interactions; and reference transactions. (Contains 191…

Two experiments were conducted using match-to-sample methodologies in an effort to model lexical classes, which include both arbitrary and perceptual relations between class members. Training in both experiments used a one-to-many mapping procedure with nonsense syllables as samples and eight sets of abstract stimuli as comparisons. These abstract…

This study is an empirical examination of possible differences between female and male accounting majors' managerial motivational traits, perceptions of ethical issues, ethical judgments, and ethical behavioral intentions regarding ethically equivocal business situations. Subjects were presented with two scales to measure their motivational…

The primary core deficit in autism spectrum disorders is social development. While frequently acknowledged as a critical aspect of intervention for improved functioning, research on the specifics of social development and effective models of intervention is not commensurate with the acknowledged importance. We present a model of social competence…

Joint attention (JA) initiation is defined in cognitive-developmental psychology as a child's actions that verify or produce simultaneous attending by that child and an adult to some object or event in the environment so that both may experience the object or event together. This paper presents a contingency analysis of gaze shift in JA…

The undermining effect of extrinsic reward on intrinsic motivation remains unproven. The key unresolved issues are construct invalidity (all four definitions are unproved and two are illogical); measurement unreliability (the free-choice measure requires unreliable, subjective judgments to infer intrinsic motivation); inadequate experimental…

Describes various computer conferencing systems and discusses their effectiveness in terms of user acceptance and reactions to the technology. The methodology and findings of an experiment in which graduate students conducted a computer conference using a local area network and produced an electronic journal of the conference proceedings are…

Proposes the dialectical perspective as offering fertile ground for the integration of child and family research and training. Defines the dialectical perspective and then discusses its applicability in a department of child and family studies. (Author)