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Variations In The Finger Length Of The Human Hand, Elizabeth Barnard, G. Mendoza

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Although a great deal has been written concerning the occurrence of abnormalities of the hands and fingers, relatively few studies have been made to determine variations of the normal hand. The purpose of this study is to gather some valid statistics concerning the occurrence of variations in finger length within a segment of the general population. It is hoped that this study will serve as the beginning of a valid basis upon which a study of human inheritance can be built. Because the interindividual difference in the pattern of finger length consists in the relationship between the index and ring …

Is Age Kinder To The Initially More Able?, Duane E. Thompson

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Investigations concerning the effects of age upon mental ability commonly report that individual differences increase with age. (1, 2, 4) Further those authors who attempt an explanation of this increase generally attribute it to a differential gain or loss by initial ability level. Jones and Conrad (2) imply that increased variability with age of certain sub-tests of Alpha is attributable to a longer duration of growth for the more able than for the less able, and conversely that a decrease in variability is due to a longer duration of growth for the less able. A later investigation by Foulds and …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Verbal Responses And Responses To A Visual Perceptual Task, Frank R. Clarke

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

For some time, psychologists have postulated the existence of a relationship between responses to perceptual tasks and responses to tests proported to measure personality variables. As Thurstone (8) states, "The fundamental hypothesis involved here is that the dynamics of perception and other restricted functions are not isolated and that these several functions are so related that some characteristic of the person as a whole might be inferred from the dynamics of one of these functions." Responses in terms of color or form to an ambiguous stimulus are thought by many to be correlated with more global characteristics of the individual. …

Transfer And Retention In Performance On The Star Discrimeter, Don Lewis

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Performance on the Star Discrimeter has several interesting features, the most important of which have to do with retention and transfer. This paper summarizes recently obtained data and offers a tentative explanation. A brief description of the apparatus and the task that is learned should first be given. The Iowa model of the Discrimeter is basically like the original unit developed at Northwestern University (1). The subject learns to move a vertical wobble-stick rapidly into one of six horizontal channels, depending on the color of the light that appears on a stimulus panel 30 inches away at eye level. The …

Accuracy Of Clinical Judgments Of Attrition And Survival Of Students In Engineering Training, Albert B. Truesdell

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Clinical tests have received widespread acceptance as tools for predicting and assessing human potentialities. A casual review of the testing area reveals the existence of a large number and variety of such instruments. In the use of tests, the counselor is the common denominator-he is the one who clarifies, interprets and makes recommendations to the counselee. Sherman (1) found that experienced clinicians, using Kuder profiles, could more accurately predict curricular appropriateness in the physical and biological sciences than in English. Appropriateness is defined as grade point average. If a student gets a higher grade point average in English than chemistry, …

The Changing Status Of The Country Superintendent Of Schools In Iowa, Dwight Gene Bode

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The county superintendent has long been recognized as part of the of the educational organization in the United States. The mixed ancestry of the office of county superintendent has resulted in a position whose functions and responsibilities differ widely from state to state.

The forty-eight states may be grouped into three general categories with reference to the county as a school unit: states having no county school organization, county-unit states, and states in which the county is the intermediate agency. There are nine states having no county school superintendent. Six of the states having no county superintendent are organized in …

A Beginning Class Method For Elementary School Children Of Varied Abilities Playing Heterogeneous Instruments, Frank Peter Comella

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since the introduction of instrumental music into the public schools there has been a noticeable lack of suitable literature for the beginner at the elementary level in class-type instruction, especially for those groups in which miscellaneous instruments are included and where the players possess a wide range of abilities. Further, the difference in rate of learning among children and the relatively small amount of time which one may justifiably devote to such group serves only to point up the need for music literature arranged and designed especially for the beginning player at the elementary level. It is the purpose of …

Proceedings Of The Sixty-Sixth Meeting Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Held At Iowa State College, April 30 And May 1, 1954: Minutes Of The 1954 Meeting

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Reports: The Secretary; The Treasurer; The Editor; Committee Reports

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Officers, Past Presidents, And Members, Iowa Academy Of Science

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Development And Preliminary Evaluation Of A Test Of Mechanical Ingenuity, Harold Martinek

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

There are many phases of industry that need the maximal use of high level personnel. Perhaps the most important of these is engineering, particularly machine design engineering. Although there are many machine designers, only a small percentage can be described as truly creative; these few individuals, however, are among the most important men in industry whether the nation is at war or at peace. Some men may have been "born creative", but they probably did not reach their maximum usefulness until they had received experience or training or both. If industry could predict who is potentially creative without waiting some …

Frequency And Types Of Violations Of Iowa Motorists, Elmer B. Siebrecht, Richard Clark Bennett

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

In recent year various studies have been made of the personal characteristics and driving habits of motor vehicle operators. Of these perhaps the most extensive is the five-year study being conducted at Iowa State College. One purpose of this study is to determine the effect of training on accidents and violations in relation to age, sex and type of training of drivers. Preliminary reports on certain aspects of the general problem have already been made. From the first sampling made in 1950, some of the published contributions are those of Lauer (2), Lauer and Schumacher (4), Siebrecht (5) and Siebrecht, …

Vocational Interests Of High School Seniors In Cedar Falls, Iowa, Donald L. Hanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purposes of this study are to (1) discover the vocational interests of the high school seniors in Cedar Falls, and (2) determine the influence of various factors on their vocational choices. Although it is not a purpose of this study, it is expected that a basis for follow-up studies of this same group will be provided. This study does not attempt to evaluate the schools' curriculum in view of their vocational assistance to students. Neither will it attempt to evaluate the occupational opportunities of the city when compared to students' vocational interests. But, through this study, the situation …

Address To The Academy: Characteristics Of The Driving Population With Respect To Age, Sex, Driving Habits And Accident Involvement, A. R. Lauer

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Since the year 1500 science has progressed at an accelerated pace. Almost every known type of problem has been experimentally attacked and methods have been developed for unravelling the riddle of particular phenomenon in question. The scope of scientific research extends from the investigation of the innermost secrets of the nucleus of the atom to the classification of facts known about ultrastellar space. This relentless discipline has probed into the secrets of living organisms and the gamut extends from explorations of submicroscopic, the nonfilterable virus, to the courtship and living habits of the stone-age man of New Guinea. However, homo …

Q And L Difference Scores On The A.C.E. Test, Martin F. Fritz

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Those who have used the American Council on Education Psychological Examination (A.C.E.) will, no doubt, have noted that in a number of cases there is considerable difference between the Quantitative (Q) and the Linguistic (L) centile ranks. This report is concerned with an investigation to determine in a limited way, what significance there might be in the disparity of such scores. In the fall of 1953, 2500 new students entered Iowa State College for whom scores on the A.C.E. were available. From this group, all cases were selected where the Q and the L centile ranks differed by 50 or …

Apparatus For Measurement Of Reaction Time To Complex Differential Stimuli Presented As A Standard Rate In Nonrepetitive Series, Robert G. Pfefferkorn

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

The development of reaction time measurement methodology from the experimentations of Donders has been distinguished primarily by inventions of more accurate and reliable measuring instruments (5). Methodology and content have been changed but little and in fact have been simplified and condensed from the elaborate formulations of early psychophysics. On logical grounds speed of reaction has been postulated as an important trait positively related to the successful performance of certain psychomotor skills, e.g., driving a motor vehicle. However, experimental evidence to support this hypothesis has been inconsistent. Mostly the relationships to such performance have been found to be low. One …

Stability And Validity Of The Strong Vocational Interest Blank In The Prediction Of Success In Veterinary Medicine Curriculum, T. E. Hannum, John R. Thrall

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

That indices of mental ability alone do not predict scholastic achievement adequately is a well-known fact. It would seem a reasonable hypothesis, then, that non-intellective influences, notably motivation or interest, are operative. This being the case, consideration of a measure of interest along with the more customary employment of some measure of academic aptitude could be hoped to enhance prediction of scholastic success. Further, selection only on the basis of ability to complete the curriculum is a short-sighted goal for administrators, especially in professional curricula such as Veterinary Medicine. They might well be equally concerned about choosing those students who …

Studies In Intolerance Of Ambiguity, Ii: The Effects Of "Set" On The Decision-Location Test, Eugene E. Levitt

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Recent interest among personality theorists has centered around the proposed variable tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity. Tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity or simply intolerance of ambiguity as it is commonly called, was put forth by Frenkel-Brunswik as the unifying concept of the syndrome of the so-called authoritarian personality (Frenkel-Brunswik, 19+9). According to Frenkel-Brunswik, the individual who is intolerant of ambiguity tends to use "black-white" solutions of problems, both cognitive and interpersonal, and to subdivide the phenomena he encounters into strict categories and dichotomies rather than to view them as continua. He has a tendency to avoid ambiguous and unstructured situations, but upon finding himself …

A Comparison Of Absolute Overlearning On The Retention Of Fast And Slow Learners, Albert R. Rustebakke, Robert Kreider, Charles F. Haner

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Various studies on the relation of speed of learning to retention have been reported (2) (3) (4). Many such studies are subject to the criticism that the degree of learning of fast and slow learners was not equated. Gillette (1), using the method of "adjusted learning", found that fast learners retained more than slow learners as measured by both recall and relearning. Her study has set the pattern for subsequent investigation. A question may be raised, however, as to whether the degree of learning is actually equated by the method of adjusted learning. The acquisition curve for the fast learner …

Analysis Of Automobile Accident Trends Of Temporary Nature, Joseph N. Stone

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

This study is an attempt to gather statistics relative to the accident situation in Iowa for the month of July, 1953, in order to compare these with other months and other years and to ascertain, if possible, any factors which may have been introduced to account for the unusually large toll. It would be advisable to make comparisons on the basis of numbers and trends but this is beyond the scope of the present study. Some basic facts will be reviewed inferences that may be warranted which may help reduce accidents or at least contribute to clearer thinking in accident …

A Survey Of Sales Training Programs Of Selected Department Stores In Iowa With Implications For Distributive And Business Education, Rea Erwin Cunningham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study of department store sales training programs was undertaken to determine the areas of training and the methods of training employed by department stores in Iowa cities having a population of 10,000 or over and the implications these training programs have for distributive and business education.

The Status Of Certain Aspects Of Guidance In One Hundred Seventy-Three Selected Iowa Public High Schools, Eldon Merle Gade

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Despite the fact that there has developed an increased awareness of the need for organized guidance in Iowa, far too little has been done about obtaining a comprehensive picture of the status of guidance in the public schools. Information I received from the State Supervisor of Guidance Education Department of Public Instruction, indicated that no comprehensive guidance study of a representative nature had ever been conducted in the public high schools of Iowa. The writer contends that this paucity of information about guidance in Iowa's public high schools constitutes a very serious impediment to the improvement of guidance. If Iowa …

The Evaluation Of Their High School Experiences By The Alumni Of Shell Rock High School, 1945-1950, Sylvester L. Houdek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purposes of this study were (1) to ascertain to some degree, from the opinions and judgments of former Shell Rock High School students the value of subjects taken and activities participated in while in school; (2) to find out how generally effective t he school was in meeting student needs, and in preparing students to solve their problems after leaving school; and (3) to determine how better cooperation and understanding between the school and community might be developed.

Iowa State Teachers College Schedule Of Classes, Fall 1953, Iowa State Teachers College

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the Iowa State Teachers College.

The Alumnus, V37n3, September 1953, Iowa State Teachers College

The Alumnus

Inside This Issue:
-- New Alumni Director
-- 'Protecting Our Schools' is Theme for Lively Sessions at PR Workshop
-- Homecoming Set for Weekend of Oct. 31
-- Name New Associate Dean, Librarian
-- See You at ISEA Convention!
-- News Briefs
-- Staffers Assist in Publication of Series Dealing with Atomic Energy Education
-- Alumni Reunion Draws 252 to Campus
-- Keeping up With Alumni
-- Marriages
-- Births
-- Deaths
-- Mail Box

Iowa State Teachers College Schedule Of Classes, Summer 1953, Iowa State Teachers College

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the Iowa State Teachers College.

The Alumnus, V37n2, May 1953, Iowa State Teachers College

The Alumnus

Inside This Issue:
-- 70th Annual Spring Reunion May 31
-- Investigation at T.C. Explained
-- Issues Statement on Investigation
-- Statement from A.A.U.P.
-- Emeritus Professor Pioneered Study in Electron Theory
-- Chicago Alumni Meet at Palmer House
-- Alumnus of '05 Writes Reminiscent "Ode" on the Last Rites for Major Dinwiddie
-- PMS & T at the I.S.N.S.*
-- Panther Sports Parade
-- Keeping up With Alumni
-- Marriages
-- Births
-- Deaths
-- Mail Box
-- Friends in Service

The Sixty-Fifth Session Of The Iowa Academy Of Science And The Twentieth Convention Of The Junior Academy Of Science Of Iowa, April 17 And 18, 1953, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

No abstract provided.

Iowa State Teachers College Schedule Of Classes, Spring 1953, Iowa State Teachers College

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the Iowa State Teachers College.

Training Tv Teachers, Martin F. Fritz, John A. Greenlee

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

The high hope that is being placed in television as an educational medium makes it desirable that we examine the training needed to fit teachers to this medium. Many questions can be asked such as, can only certain persons teach successfully by TV? How long does it take to train a TV teacher? Is a very special kind of training necessary? What are the peculiarities of TV a teacher must recognize? In the past several years, considerable information has accumulated on how to teach by television. Most of this information is empirical but some has resulted from situations involving a …