A comparative study of conventional instruction and individual programed instruction in the college classroom.

The traditional college classroom teaching method of lecture and assigned readings was compared with an individual programed instructional method utilizing a programed text. 21 pairs of Ss, matched according to sex, age, intelligence test score, and hours of formal training in the biological sciences, were 1st tested upon completion of the physiological portion of an introductory psychology course. They were then retested 6 wk. later. No significant differences were found in performance on Test 1. However, the level of performance on Test 2 was significantly higher for the program-instructed group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training time and programed instruction.

The hypothesis was tested that training time can be reduced by means of programed instruction, without loss in training quality. 226 USN and Marine Corps trainees in electronics fundamentals served as Ss. A matched group design was used in which a 31% time saving on the part of the programed instruction group was an integral part of the experiment. On the 2 measures of learning, which followed the instruction, the programed instruction group scored significantly higher (p     

A comparative study of programed and conventional instruction in industry.

"Programed textbooks containing 719 frames were prepared covering the introductory 15 hours of a 16-week course for trainees in a 7070 Data Processing System servicing course. Achievement test scores for six experimental classes (n = 70) who used these programed texts were compared with those of two control classes (n = 42) taught by the lecture-discussion method. Significant gains in achievement and reduction of training time were found for the experimental classes. Student reaction to programed instruction as measured by a questionnaire was found to be favorable." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4KC25H. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Typographical cuing in conventional and programed texts.

This study assessed the instructional effectiveness of simple and complex forms of typographical cuing in both conventional and programed texts. 118 pretested, 8th-grade students read an 8th-grade history lesson and were later retested. Analysis of gain scores revealed that: (a) simple typographical cuing distinguishing core from enrichment content enhances the ratio of important to unimportant content learned without affecting the total amount learned; (b) complex typographical cuing distinguishing 5 categories of lesson content fails to increase learning of either core or enrichment content; (c) the programed or quizzed text is more effective than the conventional text; (d) the effects of simple typographical cuing and programed quizzing appear independent and additive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An industrywide study of programed instruction.

In November 1963, this Association completed a study of the effectiveness of a 1625-frame, self-instructional text on life insurance fundamentals, developed in cooperation with the American Institute for Research. The 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design involved: use of a review book, availability of confirmation for each response, and response mode. Over 1500 people in 7 companies in classroom and field settings participated as well as home office employees in an 8th company to study 4- and 16-week retention. The use of a comprehensive review program resulted in slightly and reliably greater achievement on both immediate testing and retention tests 4 and 16 weeks later. Trainees receiving confirmation of the accuracy of their responses were generally, and sometimes significantly, inferior in achievement to trainees not receiving confirmation. Trainees did not differ in achievement or attitude toward the program depending on writing, saying their answers, or choosing either of these response modes; those who said their answers took less time than the others. Pretest individual differences were not reduced by exposure to the programed texts. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of multimedia-enhanced instruction on the vocabulary of English-language learners and non-English-language learners in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

This study compared traditional and multimedia-enhanced read-aloud vocabulary instruction and investigated whether the effects differed for English-language learners (ELLs) and non-English-language learners (non-ELLs). Results indicate that although there was no added benefit of multimedia-enhanced instruction for non-ELLs, there was a positive effect for ELLs on a researcher-designed measure and on a measure of general vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, for children in the multimedia-enhanced condition, the gap between non-ELLs and ELLs in knowledge of instructional words was closed, and the gap in general vocabulary knowledge was narrowed. The multimedia support did not negatively impact non-ELLs, indicating the potential of multimedia-enhanced vocabulary instruction for ELLs in inclusive settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of students' attitudes toward television as a medium of instruction in a psychology course.

74 students enrolled in an elementary psychology course taught through 2 weekly television sessions and 2 weekly discussion-group sessions were asked (1) whether they would take another course using television and (2) whether the on-campus discussion added anything. 70% of the Ss answered YES to the first question, and 42% answered YES to the second. Open-ended responses revealed reasons for the answers given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of experience in telecourses on attitudes toward instruction by television and impact of a controversial television program.

4social psychological measurement devices were used to compare certain attitudes of an experimental (N = 24) and a control group (N = 33) of college students. "The contention proposed here is that, if all related variables (e.g., attitude toward the instructor, the subject matter itself, general motivation arousal characteristics of the course) could be held constant, television as a teaching medium would take its place along side other educational media; this is, they are all equally well received in proportion to the extent that effective learning principles are implemented in their use." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2KC11E. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Similarity and assumed similarity of attitudes between husbands and wives.

Similarity of attitudes, interpreted as reward via consensual validation, has been found to exert a positive effect on interpersonal attraction. It was hypothesized that with respect to relatively important topics, husbands and wives have similar attitudes. Working from Newcomb's A-B-X model, it was further hypothesized that assumed similarity of attitudes is greater than actual similarity. Ss were 36 married couples who responded to Rokeach's Left Opinionation, Right Opinionation, and Dogmatism scales as they themselves felt and as they guessed their spouses would respond. As predicted, significant husband-wife correlations were found for all 3 scales. Further, the correlations indicating assumed similarity (the relationship between self-scores and assumed spouse scores) were significantly larger than the actual husband-wife relationships, regardless of length of marriage. (30 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation in formal and informal campus diversity experiences: Effects on students' racial democratic beliefs.

The authors examined the influence of participation in formal campus diversity experiences (e.g., courses and workshops) and interracial friendships on 2 specific democratic racial beliefs among a racially diverse sample of freshmen (N = 589). Using separate path analyses for each outcome, the authors examined the effects of diversity experiences and friendships on universal diverse orientation (UDO) and color-blind racial ideology over the course of an academic year. While controlling for sex and entrance attitudes, the authors found support across racial groups for models predicting UDO and racial color-blindness. Furthermore, participation in formal diversity experiences and interracial friendships mediated a number of the associations. The authors also tested 2 causal mediation models examining the influence of 1 racial belief at entrance on the other racial belief at follow-up (e.g., UDO at entrance on racial color-blindness at follow-up) and found that the model predicting color-blind racial ideology provided an adequate fit to the data for White, Black, and Latino/a students; participation in formal diversity experiences mediated this association among White students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work attitudes and decisions as a function of manager age and employee age.

Research has shown the importance of employee age relative to coworker age in determining attitudes, performance, and career-related opportunities. The authors used chronological and subjective measures of employee and manager age to determine whether employee age relative to the manager has an impact on these same outcome variables. One hundred eighty-five managers and 290 employees completed surveys. The strongest and most consistent age effects were observed for interactions between employee and manager chronological age. Both the magnitude and pattern of the employee-manager age interactions varied by self- and manager-rated outcome measures of work attitudes, performance and promotability assessments, and developmental experiences. Results are discussed in light of the relational demography and career timetable literatures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of closed-circuit television in university resident instruction.

"It is now obvious that we can link any number of classrooms together, put one or more TV receivers in each, and let one good professor lecture over the television system to multiple groups of students." Experiments "… or demonstrations could be performed and televised… ." Initial cost, installation and maintenance, operation, flexibility and pictures are discussed. "… TV exists as an aid to, and not a replacement for, the instructor… ." Faculties should "… begin now to coolly appraise TV for its strengths and its weaknesses, and to determine in what ways and under what conditions TV can make a contribution to resident university instruction." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationships between defenses and experiences of depression: An exploratory study.

This study examined the relationships between defenses and depressive experiences. Two questionnaires, in counterbalanced order, were administered to a community sample of 205 adults: the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; S. Blatt, J. D'Afflitti, & D. Quinlan 1976, 1979) and the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI; D. Ihilevich & G. C. Gleser, 1986). Although turning against self related significantly to both depressive experiences of dependency, especially the less mature neediness in comparison with the more mature connectedness, and self-criticism, other types of defenses, as measured by the DMI, differentiated between interpersonal and self-critical experiences of depression. Results are discussed from psychodynamic and developmental perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of reading and spelling abilities in first- and second-language learners.

This study examined the basic literacy skills and related processes of 1st- through 4th-grade children speaking English as a 1st language (L1) and English as a 2nd language (ESL). The performances of the L1 and ESL children on phonological awareness, word and pseudoword reading, and word and pseudoword spelling tasks were highly similar. The ESL children were at an advantage with regard to lexical access but performed more poorly on verbal working memory and syntactic awareness tasks. The results suggest that the main processes underlying L1 children's basic reading ability in Grades 1 and 2, namely phonological awareness and lexical access, are of equal importance for ESL children. Phonological awareness remained the strongest predictor of word reading ability for L1 and ESL children in Grades 3 and 4. However, the processes involved in L1 and ESL word reading and spelling appeared to vary at other points. Verbal working memory and syntactic awareness were found to be of importance for the word reading and spelling abilities of L1 children but not for ESL children. Lexical access was found to be of more importance for ESL children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of first-grade reading in Spanish-speaking English-language learners.

Longitudinal prediction of English and Spanish reading skills was examined in a sample of 249 Spanish-speaking English-language learners at 3 time points in kindergarten through Grade 1. Phonological awareness transferred from Spanish to English and was predictive of word-identification skills, as in previous studies. Other variables showing cross-linguistic transfer were letter and word knowledge, print concepts, and sentence memory. Expressive vocabulary tended to show language-specific relationships to later reading. Oral-language variables predicted reading comprehension more highly than word identification. Classification of good and poor readers in 1st grade was found to be comparable with studies that used monolingual readers. Results broadened the range of variables showing cross-linguistic transfer, at the level of both predictor and outcome variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assuming preferential selection when the admissions policy is unknown: The effects of gender rarity.

One hundred thirty-five undergraduates indicated the degree to which they believed gender played a role in the selection of an applicant for a graduate degree program. Both the gender composition of the cohort and the selection policy (explicitly merit-based, explicitly affirmative action, or ambiguous) were varied. Results indicated that preferential selection on the basis of gender was assumed when women were solos and explicit information about the selection policy was not provided and that these assumptions were as strong as when an affirmative action policy was explicitly stated. This did not occur when the female selectee was not a solo or when a male selectee was a solo. Evaluations of qualifications and prediction of success paralleled the preferential selection assumptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing creativity: A comparison between effects of an indicative instruction “to be creative” and a more elaborate heuristic instruction on Chinese student creativity.

This study consisted of an experiment conducted with a sample of 180 Chinese high school students, designed to scrutinize the effects of prompting and instructing students to be creative in their creative performance in the domains of art and literature. The results of the study reveal that students’ creativity benefited from receiving appropriate strategies or more elaborate instruction (as induced by instructing), but not by merely being motivated (as induced by prompting) to be creative, regardless of the task domain. Gender differences in creativity were found only in the domain of literature, in favor of female participants. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)