This study examined the effects of a dependent group contingency to increase positive verbal interactions among nine middle school-aged males in a self-contained classroom. Prior to implementing the group contingency, the students received social skills instruction. A withdrawal experimental design was then used to evaluate the effects of the…

The paper is a methodological inquiry into the interpretation of qualitative data. It explores a grounded-theory approach to the synthesis of data and examines, in particular, the construction of categories. It focuses on ways of organizing and attaching meaning to data, as research problems embedded in a cultural context are explored. A…

The 47 references, dating mostly from 1976 to 1990, in this annotated bibliography provide information about the effect of humor in written and spoken messages and its role in interpersonal relationships, especially within the context of small groups and organizational environments. The materials in the bibliography are cited according to academic…

What a multivariate contrast analysis should entail and how such an analysis should be conducted are discussed. The three questions encompassing a contrast analysis are: (1) whether the contrast effects are generalizable; (2) which variables contribute most to the contrast effects; and (3) what is the construct underlying the contrast effects.…

Three interrelated processes; storage, retrieval, and judgment, are distinguished in an attempt to describe stereotype formation. The results of four experiments are described. These experiments were designed to answer some of the questions about what information is learned, how it is stored, how it is retrieved, and, once retrieved, how it is…

This module is designed for students with a high school algebra background. The goal is to present the elements of the group idea, primarily by way of a geometric model, and to see its application to the study of kinship relations within certain human groups. The material opens with a presentation of clans in a hypothetical society in an early…

Biased tests systematically favor some groups over others as a result of factors not part of what the test is said to measure. Bias is basically a problem of differential validity. Validity can be discussed in terms of either the procedures for establishing it or test use. Both ways clarify bias in any test. For content and construct validity, the…

This research on 12 States' gubernatorial involvement in State educational policy formation investigates four functional stages of that involvement--issue definition, proposal formulation, support mobilization, and decision enactment. Drawing on the Educational Governance Project information and interviews, a gubernatorial involvement index was…

Scores on standardized tests may be expressed in a variety of different modes. Raw scores, grade equivalents, percentile ranks, stanines, and standard scores are the major types in use today. The study investigated whether the mode or scale used to express scores affected the magnitude of group statistics, specifically, t and r (the t-test of the…

This study investigated: (1) the differences in competition-cooperation behavior of male and female children in a two-person game; and (2) whether sex differences in behavior were affected by either the sex of the game partner or by instructions. Subjects were 72 urban, middle class boys and girls. Their mean age was 7 years 11 months. Children…

Responds to article "Comparing School Systems to Explain Enduring Birth Date Effects". Addresses article in relation to England and Wales. Refutes argument that selective promotion is a mechanism for the continuation of the birth effect in schools. Agrees that this phenomenon is worthy of further research. (CAJ)

Discusses children's age and academic performance within the school year. Reveals early differences show disadvantage among the youngest in the year groups. Attributes this difference to biology or individual psychology. Argues there is no explanation for why the youngest are disadvantaged in some countries but not in others. (CAJ)

Presents a cross-section of categories of Internet sites that deal with human rights issues: (1) gateway sites; (2) sites that focus on particular broad groups; (3) international organizations; (4) human rights documents; (5) regional and country sites; and (6) news services and periodicals. For each site, information on the sponsor(s), contents,…

The relations between examinee background characteristics and performance on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test were studied through structural equation modeling for 3,145 examinees. Findings regarding examinee characteristics underscore the importance of socioeconomic status and intervening process variables in research on group…

Argues that Jensen's article contains an inaccurate and misleading account of Spearman's work and distorts the basic concepts of factor analysis. The target article has failed in all its main objectives; its major failing is a result of the irrelevance of factor analysis to the study of group differences. (SLD)