Several methods of constructing confidence intervals for Spearman's rho (rank correlation coefficient) (C. Spearman, 1904) were tested in a Monte Carlo study using 2,000 samples of 3 different sizes. Results support the continued use of Spearman's rho in behavioral research. (SLD)

In one seminar, 39 occupational and 34 physical therapy students interacted with a simulated patient; in another, they viewed a videotape of a simulated patient and clinician. Student identification of patient problems tended to agree with experts in the first seminar; more student treatment plans agreed with experts in the video seminar. (SK)

Four experiments examined 6-year-olds' performance on intentionality stories and one false belief story. Children answered according to their own knowledge in an intentional context, even though they responded by choosing a picture to insert into a protagonist's thought bubble rather than reporting the belief verbally. Children could correctly…

Studied whether ordered latent class models can be used as nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) models to scale polytomous models. Simulation findings show that the Bayesian estimation method presented can handle the inequality restrictions on the parameters and the sparseness of the data quite well. (SLD)

A local government administrator used her work experiences to create simulation exercises for public administration students. Advantages that such practitioners bring to the classroom include "inside" information, organizational management skills, budget knowledge, and the ability to provide networking opportunities for students. (JOW)

Many problem-solving activities include mathematical principles but students do not use them during the design and experimentation phases before creating a prototype or product. Restricting the amount and/or type of materials available to students will require them to calculate and requisition the materials needed. (JOW)

Nursing students (n=47), entry-level nurses (n=48), and expert nurses (n=54) viewed and analyzed simulated nursing incidents. Findings determined that critical thinking and decision making increased with the level of clinical expertise. Grade point average was also correlated with critical thinking and decision making. (Contains 22 references.)…

Investigates the standard rounding rule for multiplication and division including its derivation from a basic assumption. Uses Monte-Carlo simulations to show that this rule predicts the minimum number of significant digits needed to preserve precision only 46.4% of the time and leads to a loss in precision 53.5% of time. Suggests an alternative…

Describes a simulation card game involved with the dumping of hazardous wastes that was designed to explore the trade-off between industrial competition and social concern. Steps of play are described for the game, which is called GARBAGE, and debriefing techniques are suggested, including an affective phase and a cognitive phase. (LRW)

The construction of visual and manipulative aids, clear resin blocks with root-canal-like spaces, for simulation of root canals is explained. Time, materials, and techniques are discussed. The method allows for comparison of canals, creation of any configuration of canals, and easy presentation during instruction. (MSE)

The SeLective Attention Model (SLAM) performs visual selective attention tasks and demonstrates that object selection and attribute selection are both necessary and sufficient for visual selection. The SLAM is described, particularly with regard to its ability to represent an individual subject performing filtering tasks. (TJH)

A Monte Carlo simulation study compared the power and Type I errors of the Wilks lambda statistic and the statistic of M. L. Puri and P. K. Sen (1971) on transformed data in a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. Preferred test procedures, based on robustness and power, are discussed. (SLD)

Describes two exercises in which undergraduates from abnormal psychology courses act as role-play clients for graduate counselor-trainees. Finds that the exercises seem to be educationally beneficial and may also help decrease undergraduates' negative stereotyping of persons with psychological problems. (KO)

A method for multidimensional scaling that is highly resistant to the effects of outliers is described. Some Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the efficacy of the procedure, which performs well with or without outliers. (SLD)

Describes the use of cases in technical writing and ancient exercises of impersonation and "suasoria." Discusses similarities between the two, and argues that the historical tradition both validates and broadens the uses of this modern methodology. (RS)