This paper calls into question prevailing approaches to educational research (contrived experiments) and proposes a new perspective in method, theory, and substance (natural experiments). (MM)

To initiate their study of competency-based teacher education programs, authors investigate the area of desired pupil outcomes. They find significant agreement among college professors, public school teachers, and between these groups concerning the priorities of specified pupil behaviors. (Editor/RK)

A monthly guide to help teach the basic subjects. Here are suggestions for teaching language arts, science and mathematics. (RK)

Describes the use of computer-assisted graphical displays in experiments to determine the order and activation energy for a chemical reaction. (MLH)

A college level psychology course is described in which students were trained by both traditional and experimental methods to administer individual intelligence tests. Comparative analysis of performance by each group indicates that student motivation and performance is not greatly influenced by teaching method and that videotape demonstrations…

Described is an in-class demonstration of mass reaction time which measures the speed of nerve impulses and the duration of various cognitive processes. A simpler version of the experiment for at-home use is described. (Author/DB)

The ventral eye of "Limulus" (horseshoe crab) contains only one type of photoreceptor. Behaviors mediated by the ventral eye provide an unambiguous representation of the function of that single-receptor type. Compares such behaviors with results of acute, single-cell investigations to assay for the contributions of candidate neural codes in the…

Research suggests that we process information by way of two distinct and functionally separate coding systems. Their location, somewhat dependent on cerebral laterality, varies in right- and left-handed persons. Tests this dual coding model. (Editor/RK)

Two experiments compared three alternative hypotheses concerning differences in attraction to a person across interaction settings: a "compartmentalization" hypothesis, an "intimacy dominance" hypothesis, and an "intimacy threshold" hypothesis were evaluated. (Editor/RK)

Describes an advanced inorganic chemistry experiment in which students prepare two coordination compounds and study their stereochemistry using infrared spectroscopy. (MLH)

Describes an experiment in which nitric acid is synthesized from ammonia on a small scale to illustrate a major industrial process. (MLH)

Assesses the influence of model consequences on perceived model affect and, conversely, assesses the influence of model affect on perceived model consequences. Also appraises the influence of model consequences and model affect on perceived model attractiveness, perceived model competence, and perceived task attractiveness. (Author/RK)

Describes a method for experimenting with both whitening and deacidifying old newspaper clippings using sodium borohydride bleaching. Clippings are soaked in distilled water then immersed in sodium borohydride for 15-20 minutes. After rinsing with distilled water, the paper is washed with saturated Ca(OH)2 solution. Readers should not begin…

Describes a project designed to introduce infrared spectroscopy as a structure-determination technique. Students are introduced to infrared spectroscopy fundamentals then try to determine the identity of an unknown liquid from its infrared spectrum and molecular weight. The project demonstrates that only rarely can the identity of even simple…