Non-traditional courses recommended for the general education package at Los Medanos College are described. It is suggested that the core curriculum be six intra-disciplinary packages covering Behavioral Sciences, Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Language Arts, and Humanistic Studies. Each semester, students would be…

The document reviews the basic question whether the Army could administer a modern day version of the Civilian conservation Corps (Domestic Service Corps) without reducing its contribution to the national defense effort. The Domestic Service Corps (DSC) would combine unemployed youth and Army managerial talent to resolve the urban and…

Research constructed a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) tutor which could transmit problem solving heuristics, choose examples, handle examples from a range of students, and learn superior student heuristics. Using a student subject model and tutorial strategy, an experiment was conducted with 284 problems. Subject response data indicated the…

The capacity to appreciate and produce metaphoric language is thought to develop at adolescence. Yet metaphors are frequently noted in the speech of preschool children. To resolve this apparent contradiction, a test probing metaphoric capacity was devised. Matched groups of subjects ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 19 were required to indicate…

Seventy-two preschoolers and 72 second graders observed a model choose his "favorites" in a series of common object trios and were then asked to recall the model's choices. Children at each age witnessed the procedure under a fixed level of distraction, under instructions either to 'look' or 'remember,' and under one of three vicarious consequence…

Six studies relevant to the analysis of generalized imitative behavior are described. The first examined the role of verbal instructions in generalized imitation by comparing the use of a "do this" instruction with no such instruction and the use of positive reinforcement with no reinforcement. The tenacity of generalized imitation in this study…

A report is presented which relates to a general hypothesis suggested by previous data on visual response to faces that in the first weeks of life infants develop expectations regarding the human face. Three predictions were made: (1) Silent human faces would elicit less direct regard than faces accompanied by voices; (2) A familiar face would…

The relationship between social class and patterns of reinforcement used by pre-school Israeli boys and girls and their mothers was investigated. Thirty lower and 30 middle class mothers instructed their own four year old in a simple task. These four year olds had previously taught a three year old a comparable task. Middle class children used…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between gain on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test (S-B) in compensatory prekindergarten programs, and scores on the New York State Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP), Reading Section, over three years later. Four hundred and five subjects showed a correlation of 0.42 for the pre-post S-B…

According to the cognitive-congruency principle, humor appreciation peaks when the cognitive demands of the stimulus are congruent with the cognitive level of the child. This study tested the principle with jokes based on concepts associated with concrete operational thinking, conservation of mass and weight. This method provides a satisfactory…

Results from a study of family background variables as related to third graders' performance on non-verbal tests of creativity provide suggestions to teachers concerned with creating a climate conducive to originality. Sex did not differentiate the sample, but children from large, working class families appeared less original. This was also true…

Research on the health effects of oxides of nitrogen and on the role of oxides of nitrogen in producing photochemical smog effects is presented in this report. Prepared by the California State Department of Public Health at the request of the State Legislature, it gives a comprehensive review of available information, as well as the need for air…

An evaluation among parents and teachers of an Experimental Progress Report Card was conducted. The study was carried out in eight elementary schools where the Report had been used to report student performance during the 1971-72 school year. A total of 53 teachers and 38 parents were included in the inquiry. Responses of both teachers and parents…

Relationships among Philosophic Mindedness (PM) (a measure of cognitive flexibility), Intellectual Self-Confidence (ISCS), ACT English (ACT-E) and the ability to reason deductively (PCRT) were obtained for 46 female and 45 male undergraduates. ISCS and PM both correlated with total PCRT performance as well as or better than ACT-E for females.…

During the 1971-72 school year, Minneapolis secondary students were released from their classes every Tuesday at 2:00 to allow secondary staff members to participate in staff development activities. The purpose of the released time program was to give secondary personnel an opportunity to work on common concerns and objectives. Based on…