Reported is a study of the activities and performance of institutional review boards to protect human research subjects. Institutional review boards had some direct impact on half of the proposals reviewed. The data raised questions about the effectiveness of some review board action. (Author/MP)

The Scottish Council for Research in Education recognized in 1971 that research in the field of adult education could not be divorced from the associated employment and training of young workers. A program was developed that was designed to illuminate the complex variety of associations between education and aspects of employment and training.…

This note suggests a solution to the problem of achieving randomization in experimental settings where units deemed eligible for treatment "trickle in," that is, appear at any time. The solution permits replication of the experiment in order to test for time-dependent effects. (Author/CTM)

An examination of the concept of external validity from two theoretical perspectives: a traditional mechanistic approach and a dialectical organismic approach. Examines the theoretical and methodological implications of these perspectives. (BD)

This paper illustrates an application of Efron's bootstrap to the repeated measures design. While this approach does not require parametric assumptions, it does utilize distributional information in the sample. By appropriately resampling from study data, the bootstrap may determine accurate sampling distributions for estimators, effects, or…

The authors present a plan for vocational education research that could help decision makers focus on critical research areas. The plan is described in a schematic format that highlights the critical nature of vocational education research planning. A blending of policy and programmatic considerations is suggested. (Author/CH)

Uses Plato's "Meno" paradox to support the conclusion that atheoretical science is impossible. Argues that theory provides the foreknowledge of the objects of inquiry that makes it possible to recognize what one is looking for. Considers attempts at atheoretical inquiry to be bad science. (DMM)

A FORTRAN 77 program is described that computes both the different response success-error patterns and their summary statistics for learning and forgetting in fixed trial experiments using a two-stage Markov model. (Author/GDC)

A complete package for Markov model-based fixed trial learning experiments contains four FORTRAN 77 programs. Two of the programs deliver likelihood and parameter estimates of one- and two-stage learning models, and two may be used for hypothesis testing of parameter differences between and within experimental conditions. (Author/GDC)

The article describes three aspects of negative reinforcement as it relates to applied behavior analysis: behavior acquired or maintained through negative reinforcement, the treatment of negatively reinforced behavior, and negative reinforcement as therapy. Current research suggests the emergence of an applied technology on negative reinforcement.…

Uses an experience from a senior-level research design class to disprove textbook suggestions that the illusory movement of the autokinetic effect is susceptible to suggestion. Cautions instructors not to use these misleading textbook accounts simply because they are a "grabber." (Author/GEA)

Presents the use of a poster session as an integral part of an experimental design course. Describes how the principles of experimental design are demonstrated when undergraduates design and conduct original experiments, using radishes as subjects, and present their results in a poster session. Discusses the benefits of using radishes as subjects.…

The locally best invariant test statistic for testing sphericity of normal distributions is shown to be a simple function of the Box/Geisser - Greenhouse degrees of freedom correction factor in a repeated measures design. Tables of the critical values of the Box/Geiser - Greenhouse correction factor are given. (Author/BW)

Examines the schism of values between qualitative and quantitative social science researchers. Focuses on some practical methodological issues which face researchers wishing to adopt a qualitative-interpretive approach. (JDH)