Two experiments were carried out in order to test the effects of task sequence on the speed of rule learning and problem solving. Experiment I involved numerical rule-learning tasks and Experiment II tested the effect of task difficulty and task precedence using problem-solving tasks. (Editor/RK)

A mechanism for augmenting the relevance of instruction in laboratory animal medicine is suggested: the identification of practice-relevant content. This identification helps foster a positive attitude toward the subject and facilitates the retention of information. (LBH)

Investigates the possibility that memory for the conditioned response (CR) may be subject to the same sorts of interference that have been found to operate in verbal and perceptual-motor memory situations. Considers the implications for developing a general theory of memory. (Editor/RK)

Considers whether students will remember only the meaning of a lecture or the meaning plus the actual words used and if there is a difference in the amount of memory for various types of statements. In particular, are topic statements remembered better than mere illustrative material and is there preferential memory for extraneous statements…

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that proactive interference over a series of Brown-Peterson trials results from a combination of the subject's failure to transfer information to a permanent memory state and failure to retrieve information from permanent memory. (Editor)

The possibility that the so-called physical attractiveness stereotype may contain a "kernel of truth" was investigated in a study where college students interacted with opposite sex partners whom they could not see. (Editor)

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sex of subject, stated sex linkage of task, and task outcome on causal attributions of an actor's performance. Suggests that the differences between males and females in performance evaluation and self-attribution occurs most strongly in response to failure and on masculine tasks.…

Describes laboratory techniques designed to familiarize students with meiosis and how microscopic preparations of meiosis are made. These techniques require the use of fresh or fixed flowers. Contains 18 references. (DDR)

Reports on a series of studies related to seeking a more effective role for laboratory experiences in science instruction. The study addressed the status of laboratory-based instruction in chemistry at the beginning college level. This study should be of value in the continual search to seek effective means of reforming beginning college-level…

Traces the history of the observation of the production of electric sparks and the early history of battery design. Detail is provided about laboratory experiments performed by Robert Bunsen, who spent a great deal of time developing an efficient and comparatively cheap battery. (36 references) (DDR)

Presents a detailed procedure for finding an empirical formula from ion exchange chromatography and colorimetry. Introduces students to more varied techniques including volumetric manipulation, titration, ion-exchange, preparation of a calibration curve, and the use of colorimetry. (JRH)

Presents an investigation, applicable for grades 3-6, that focuses on the concept of randomness and encourages children to conjecture and to conduct experiments which verify or contradict their intuitions. Involves using hands-on explorations, collecting data, and drawing conclusions on the basis of the information. (JRH)

Presents results of a controlled experiment comparing the conceptual mechanics learning gains as measured by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) between two laboratory groups. One group completed cookbook labs while the other completed Interactive-Engagement (IE) labs in RealTime Physics. Suggests that laboratory activities should engage students in…

Asserts that experimental designs are the gold standard for research, addressing common criticisms of the application of experimental designs to education research, discussing why they have not been applied in education as frequently as they have been in other fields, examining circumstances under which experiments are appropriate, and offering…

Recounts a study documenting the actual learning trajectory of the classroom community and the diversity in eighth-graders' reasoning as they participated in the classroom mathematical practices that constituted this trajectory. Describes the learning of the research team by documenting conjectures about students' statistical learning and the…