Digital Commons Network^™

Intentional Versus Unintentional Use Of Contingencies Between Perceptual Events, Kieth A. Carlson, John H. Flowers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In three experiments we studied human ability to use statistical contingencies between visual stimuli (flankers and targets) to improve performance in a letter–digit classification task. We compared the performance of explicitly informed subjects with that of subjects who were told nothing of the contingencies. Simultaneous presentation of flankers and targets (Experiment 1) produced evidence of unintentional contingency use by both informed and uninformed subjects. When stimuli on trial n predicted target stimuli on trial n + 1 (Experiment 2) there was no evidence of unintentional processes, but informed subjects showed strong evidence of using intentional prediction strategies. When flanker onset …

The Effects Of Task Demands On The Equivalence Of Visual And Auditory Representations Of Periodic Numerical Data, Kimberly D. Turnage, Terri L. Bonebright, Dion C. Buhman, John H. Flowers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The equivalence of visual and auditory graphical displays was examined in two experiments. In Experiment 1, multidimensional scaling techniques were applied to paired comparison similarity judgments of both auditory and visual displays of simple periodic wave forms. In Experiment 2, a subset of perceptually similar pairs of wave forms was selected as the stimulus set for an AB–X discrimination task in both auditory and visual modalities. Results suggest much greater apparent visual– auditory equivalence for the similarity rating task than for the more difficult discrimination task, implying that one should consider the demands of the task when deciding whether auditory …

New County Records Of Botrychium Lunarioides In Texas., L. H. Do, R. D. Gooch, Jeffrey R. Stevens, W. C. Holmes, J. R. Singhurst

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Recent collections of B. lunarioides in east-central Texas indicate that the species is more widespread within the state (Fig. 1). Other than for Navarro County, the new records are in the Post Oak Savannah Region of the state, with the Navarro County location classified as being within the Blackland Prairie Region or in part of an extension of the Post Oak Woods/Forest in the Blackland Prairie Region. All specimens previously cited by Thomas (1979) and Thomas et al. (1981) were from the eastern part of the Pineywoods Region. The San Augustine site is about 32 km from the state line …

Herland, By Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Herland is the first half of a witty, sociologically astute critique of life in the United States. This story concentrates ostensibly on three men-Van, Jeff, and Terry-who discover a small, uncharted country called Herland which, by force of an unusual accident of nature, has been governed and populated for two thousand years solely by women. Biological reproduction occurs miraculously by parthenogenesis (that is, without insemination). Charlotte Perkins Gilman exploits this contrived situation in order to contrast and compare the social features of a hypothetical woman-centered society to the harsh realities and crushing inequalities of everyday life found pervasively in male-dominated …

Timing Of First Sexual Intercourse: The Role Of Social Control, Social Learning, And Problem Behavior, Lisa J. Crockett, C. Raymond Bingham, Joanne S. Chopak, Judith R. Vicary

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Prior research has pointed to several distinct processes that may affect the timing of first intercourse among adolescents. In the present study, the role of six hypothesized processes was assessed in a sample of 289 rural adolescent boys and girls. Results support the importance of family socialization and problem behavior for both sexes, the role of biological factors for boys, and the role of social control processes for girls. Two other hypothesized influences--social class and poor psychosocial adjustment--were not supported in either gender. These results indicate that multiple processes influence the timing of first intercourse; thus, they underscore the need …

Predicting Cognitive Capacity From Natural History: Examples From Four Species Of Corvids, Russell P. Balda, Alan Kamil, Peter A. Bednekoff

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Birds have been studied for centuries because they are numerous, conspicuous, and aesthetically pleasing to humans. Despite their overall regard for birds, historically, many ornithologists have considered birds as instinct-driven organisms of little intellectual capacity. For example, the ornithological textbook of choice from the 1960s states the following view of avian intelligence:

Flight has proven to be an enormously successful evolutionary venture, but one that has cost birds dearly in mental development. In effect, problems merely by flying away from them. … As a consequence, much [avian] behavior is, by mammalian standards, fragmentary, stereotyped, and at times amazingly stupid. (Welty, …

Designing Supportive School Environments, J. Ron Nelson, Geoff Colvin

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

There is no question that all students, especially those with serious emotional disturbance, benefit from a predictable, consistent, well-organized, and safe school environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an effective approach that has had positive results in achieving such a school environment. Specifically, the paper describes how to achieve effective ecological arrangements and common area routines across the school environment. In addition, we present a case study with preliminary results.

Something Is Terribly Wrong Here: Vernonia School District 47j V. Acton, 115 S. Ct. 2386 (1995), Sherri L. Toussaint

Nebraska Law Review

This Note takes the position that something is terribly wrong here, not only with the Court’s decision in Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton sanctioning suspicionless testing but also with the public’s strong support of these testing policies. The first part of this Note reviews the drug-testing policy of the Vernonia School District and the Court’s holding regarding the constitutionality of such a policy under the Fourth Amendment. Then, this Note explores some of the issues implicated by the Court’s holding and how they have evolved. Finally, this Note examines what appears to be the legacy of the Court’s decision …

Joan Huber, Irving Louis Horowitz, And The Ideological Future Of Objectivity In American Sociology, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The occasion of this essay is an unsolicited but welcome invitation to comment on Irving Louis Horowitz's (1993) most recent book, The Decomposition of Sociology, a work that is generating considerable discussion (e.g., Bauer Mengelberg 1995; Chriss 1994; Goldman 1994; Horowitz 1994, 1995; Pizzorno 1994; Wagner 1994). An invitation to discuss a book by Horowitz in a public forum-to which he is invited to respond-is a genuine honor eagerly accepted here with what is undoubtedly a too small twinge of apprehension, a twinge of the minimally regarded kind that allows proverbial fools to rush into intellectual tight spots from which …

First Report Of Wolffiella Lingulata (Lemnaceae) In Western Mexico, T. L. Morgan, Jeffrey R. Stevens, W. C. Holmes

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Recent field collecting yielded specimens of Wolffielia lingulata from four different locations in Jalisco, thus the genus may now be considered as part of the flora of Nueva Galicia. In the following list of exsiccata, geographical coordinates and elevations were taken with a global positioning system. All CES numbered specimens were collected under the supervision of W. C. Holmes by the aquatic botany class of the Chapala Ecology Station (CES). The Chapala Ecology Station is operated by the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and Baylor University.

Partners In Pedagogy: Faculty Development Through The Scholarship Of Teaching, Gabriele B. Sweidel

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The Partners in Pedagogy project uses a three-pronged plan of action to address faculty development through the scholarship of teaching: a) the formation of faculty pairs to conduct classroom observations of each other's teaching, b) interviews with three of each other's students, and c) collegial discussion, both between faculty pairs and cross-discipline at monthly meetings. The combination of monthly meetings to discuss pedagogy, feedback from peers concerning teaching methods and techniques unrelated to evaluations, student interviews, and cross-discipline participation contribute to the powerfulness of this campus-wide program.

Monitoring The Pulse Of The Faculty: Needs Assessment In Faculty Development Programs, Jon E. Travis, Dan Hursh, Gentry Lankewicz, Li Tang

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Although needs assessment is a common and necessary element of faculty development programs, the process never seems to be as easy or as effective as we might like it to be. Sadly, the literature is relatively weak in this all-important area of responsibility. Such a problem, no doubt, is due in part to the individual environment of each institution. Based on a presentation at the 1995 POD Conference, this article reviews a number of institutional approaches to gathering data from faculty, which may suggest some options for the reader.

A Gene Correlate Of Geotaxis Near Adh (2-50.1) In Drosophila Melanogaster, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Jerry Hirsch

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

As part of a long-term study (38+ years) to identify genetic correlates of geotaxis in Drosophila melanogaster, the investigators report the results of allozyme-level analyses of 2 lines derived from hybridizing high- and low-selected lines that have evolved stable, extreme expressions of geotaxis. Allelic variation at Adh was associated with geotactic performance in 1 hybrid-derived line, but not in another, after 66 free-mating generations beyond the F₂ generation. A second-chromosome gene correlate of geotaxis may lie within 1 map unit of Adh. Population genetic analyses suggest that there were different selection pressures on the hybrid-derived lines and …

The Effects Of Environment Dynamism And Heterogeneity On Salespeople's Role Perceptions, Performance And Job Satisfaction, Ravipreet S. Sohi

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

This article develops a structural equations model which examines the effects of environmental dynamism and heterogeneity on salespeople’s role conflict, role ambiguity, performance and job satisfaction. The model is tested with EQS, using data collected from 230 salespeople in multiple companies and industries. Indicates that environmental dynamism reduces satisfaction and performance, and increases role conflict and ambiguity. Notes that environmental heterogeneity also reduces performance and increases role conflict, but does not have a significant effect on role ambiguity.

Transactions Of The Nebraska Academy Of Sciences Table Of Contents: Volume 23 (1996)

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Editorial Contents

Nebraska Academy of Sciences Officers, Policy Committee .................... ii

Editorial Board .................... iv

Membership Objectives and Friends of the Academy .................... v

Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science .................... vi

Preparation of manuscripts .................... inside back cover

Papers

Environmental impacts in the vicinity of Spencer Hydropower Dam during sluicing activities in the Niobrara River, Nebraska (Michael P. Gutzmer, Justin W. King, and David P. Overhue) .................... 1

Inventory and floristics of Sandhills fens in Cherry county, Nebraska (Gerald Steinauer, Steven Rolfsmeier, and Joyce Phillips Hardy) .................... 9

Xylem pressure potential of two perennial grasses, Bromus inermis and Andropogon …

One-Trial Context Fear Conditioning As A Function Of The Interstimulus Interval, Rick A. Bevins, John J. B. Ayres

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In two experiments, we examined the effects of a wide range of interstimulus intervals (2.5, 15, 45, 120, 135, and 405 sec) on one-trial context fear conditioning with rats. Here, the interstimulus interval (ISI) denotes the time between placement in a conditioning chamber and the onset of a single footshock. On the conditioning day, we observed that the rats’ behavior at the time of shock onset varied systematically across ISI values. On the subsequent test day, we used context-evoked freezing as a measure of context conditioning and found the well-known inverted U-shaped ISI function. We also found that conditioned freezing …

The Impact Of Humor On Energy, Tension, Task Choices, And Attributions: Exploring Hypotheses From Toughness Theory, Richard A. Dienstbier

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Hypotheses derived from toughness theory suggest that nonaggressive humor should lead to increased feelings of energy without influencing tension, to preferences for studying materials that require more effort and energy, and to ratings of mundane laboratory activities as more challenging but not more threatening. Eighty-one college-age men and women were randomly assigned to watch a 12-minute video of Bill Cosby's humor or to watch a nonhumorous control video that analyzed the Cosby comedy routine. The humor condition resulted in significant increases in feelings of energy but not in feelings of tension. The other hypotheses were also confirmed except that performance …

Family Relationships And Estate Transfer – What Should And Can We Do?, Robert J. Fetsch

Range Beef Cow Symposium

"How do we transfer information, values and the land to the next generation of agricultural producers?" is a question often asked. This is an especially important question today as agriculture wrestles with a complexity of stresses and strains as described by Knox (1995):

Agriculture is in the midst of a major transformation from how to produce more to how to produce more efficiently in an evermore competitive and global market. Agricultural production systems must be economically profitable, while at the same time environmentally compatible and socially acceptable. The primacy of the consumer is recognized and is driving the need to …

Metacognitive Theories, Gregory Schraw, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper proposes a framework for understanding people’s theories about their own cognition. Metacognitive theories are defined broadly as systematic frameworks used to explain and direct cognition, metacognitive knowledge, and regulatory skills. We distinguish tacit, informal, and formal metacognitive theories and discuss critical differences among them using criteria borrowed from the developmental literature. We also consider the origin and development of these theories, as well as implications for educational research and practice.

Pod Network News, December 1995

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: POD Network News

From Shining Sea to Purple Mountains' Majesty

Celebrations

Core Committee Report

From the President

To Improve the Academy

An Opportunity for Future Conference Leadership

Diversity Internship Grants

Getting Involved

Web pages

POD Authors

Meetings

Position Available

Renew Your Membership

Member News

Call for Manuscripts for the 1996 Edition of To Improve the Academy

Manuscript Cover Sheet 1996 To Improve the Academy

POD Core Committee, 1996-1999 Self-Nomination Form

1995 Bright Idea Award Entry Form

Call for Proposals

Celebrate Us!

Communication Flows In Distribution Channels: Impact On Assessments Of Communication Quality And Satisfaction, Jakki J. Mohr, Ravipreet S. Sohi

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

We develop and test a model of the relationships between: (1) norms of information sharing and communication flows of frequency, bidirectionality, and formality, (2) these communication flows and dealers’ assessments of the quality of communication and satisfaction with communication; and (3) formality of communication flows and dealers’ distortion and withholding of information. Based on data collected with a survey mailed to a national sample of computer dealers, our findings offer insight on channels communication to both researchers and practitioners. By examining the impact of communication flows on summary judgments of communication, managers can focus their efforts on vital communication flows …

Democratic Participation In A Community Of Learners: Loris Malaguzzi's Philosophy Of Education As Relationship , Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

We consider relationships to be the fundamental, organizing strategy of our educational system. -- Loris Malaguzzi, 1993, p. 10.

The metaphor of education as relationship provided Loris Malaguzzi with the fundamental premise for his philosophy and pedagogy. The child--seen as powerful, rich in resources, competent, and social--seeks from the beginning of life to find out about the self, others, and the world through interaction: knowledge is co-constructed. Education, hence, must focus not on the child considered in isolation from others, but instead on the child seen as interconnected with particular others in nested communities: home, classroom, school, neighborhood, city, region, …

Nebline, September 1995

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Horticulture

Rural $ense

Family Living

4-H & Youth

Environmental Focus

Community & Leadership Development

Extension Calendar

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

Nebraska Association for Family and Community Education News

and other extension news and events

The Nebraska Department Of Communication Studies Story: There Are Happy Endings That Go Beyond Football And A Good Crop Year, William J. Seiler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The following essay discusses the proposed targeting of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Communication Studies for total elimination. The essay describes the department’s demographics, the university’s budget crisis, and the department’s status at its time of peril. The essay reveals how the department learned of the proposal to eliminate it, how the department reacted to the proposed cut, how the administration established an appeals process to the proposed cuts, what explanation and criteria were used to target the department, how the department responded to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affair’s (VCAA) criteria for targeting the department, how the VCAA …

Relationship Among Adolescent Reports Of Social Anxiety, Anxiety, And Depressive Symptoms, Heidi M. Inderbitzen, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study examines the relationship among self-reported symptoms of social anxiety, anxiety, and depression in the context of Clark and Watson’s tripartite theory of anxiety and depression for a sample of adolescents. Four hundred and twenty-eight 10th-grade students completed three measures: the Social Anxiety Scale for Children–Revised, the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Children’s Depression Inventory. Results suggest that symptoms of social anxiety are distinct from symptoms of depression and unspecified anxiety. In addition, results indicate that in comparison to males, adolescent females report higher levels of social anxiety, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Conceptual and methodological implications …

Experiments On Chemical Control Of Behavior In Brown Tree Snakes, David Chiszar, Gordon H. Rodda, Hobart M. Smith

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis), accidentally introduced on Guam shortly after World War 11, is the target of extensive efforts aimed at reducing populations and preventing their spread to other Pacific islands. Chemical attractants and repellents have been investigated, and this paper presents an overview of current knowledge. In particular, chemical cues that have strong effects in laboratory tests have had only modest (though significant) effects in field tests on Guam. Reasons for the different outcomes of laboratory and field studies are discussed along with recommendations for the redesign of laboratory experiments.

Contributors

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

Contributors

Norway Rats' Communication About Foods And Feeding Sites, Bennett G. Galef Jr.

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

After interacting with a recently fed "demonstrator" rat (Rattus norvegicus), a naive "observer" rat exhibits substantial enhancement of its preference for whatever food its demonstrator ate. Such social effects on food preference in rats are surprisingly robust and able to reverse both congenital flavor preferences and poison-induced, learned flavor aversions. Analysis of the pheromonal signals emitted by demonstrator rats that alter the food preferences of their observers indicates that experience of CS₂ (a substance present in rat breath) together with the odor of a food is sufficient to enhance an observer rat's subsequent preference for the food. …

Repellents: Integrating Sensory Modalities, Michael L. Avery

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

Recommendations for managing wildlife damage situations often involve application of multiple methods or techniques. The basis for such recommendations is unclear as there is little evidence that such combinations of methods work more effectively than the individual methods alone. In order to improve beyond hit or miss repellent applications, we should adopt principles exhibited in nature and develop repellent treatments based on the design of signals used in animal communications. In particular, characteristics that increase detectability, discriminability, and memorability should be identified and incorporated into repellent design. To do so, the sensory capabilities of the target species need to be …

Repellency Of Plant, Natural Products, And Predator Odors To Woodchucks, N. Jay Bean, Wyatt L. Korff, J. Russell Mason

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

Woodchuck (Marmota monax) damage to lawns, gardens, orchards, and other agricultural areas is of concern to homeowners and fanners throughout the northeastern region of the United States. Currently, the only effective control methods are live-trapping and relocation, shooting, or lethal trapping. Each of these techniques, though effective, has drawbacks that limit its use in residential areas. Using odors to repel the animals could provide a nonlethal option to help mitigate the vegetation and property damage caused by these animals. For this reason, we studied the repellency of several commonly available odorants to repel woodchucks. Nine different burrow sites …