Researchers have examined inductive reasoning to identify different cognitive processes when participants deal with inductive problems. This article presents a prescriptive theory of inductive reasoning that identifies cognitive processing using a procedural strategy for making comparisons. It is hypothesized that training in the use of the…

Much recent research has been directed at illuminating the role of education in major conflicts between ethnic groups. It is increasingly well understood that education does not necessarily have a positive, peace-supporting influence, but that the wrong kind of education can serve to reinforce divisions. However, in many conflicts there are…

If drama theorists are to improve the profession at large, they need to put their own house in order first. Too often drama theorists rely on intuition, tolerating the unexplained and the unsystematized. They could learn from theorists in other fields, such as physics and the "hard" sciences, by organizing the facts of their field of knowledge and…

Most theatre people (academic and professional) are disdainful of dramatic theory and related matters. Teachers of theory, criticism, and history assert the importance of their studies but do not demonstrate that importance. It is easier for teachers to expose students to explicit material on theory and test them to see if they remember it than to…

Argues that selecting data according to expected information gain, as proposed by M. Oaksford and N. Chater (1994, 1996), leads to suboptimal performance in Bayesian hypothesis testing. Procedures are presented that are better justified normatively, their psychological implications are explored, and a number of novel predictions are derived under…

Argues that Klauer's proposal (1999) and proposal presented are equally well justified from a normative perspective and that, where the predictions of the two approaches diverge, the existing empirical evidence is consistent with the information gain approach. Recommends that more empirical research is required to decide between these two…

Using correct statistical concepts is an important component when conducting quantitative research. Ideas such as power, effect size, and confidence intervals need to be addressed appropriately every time a research study is initiated. The intent of this review of the literature is to reacquaint faculty, practitioners, and graduate students with…

Several aspects of interview research heretofore receiving little attention are discussed. A brief description of the different types of interview formats and levels of analysis is presented. Following a discussion of the problem of analyzing protocol data, some suggestions are offered about analysis procedures that derive from constructionist…

This paper examines the biophilia hypothesis put forth by E. O. Wilson, which asserts the existence of a fundamental, genetically-based human need and propensity to affiliate with other living organisms and lifelike processes. It reviews research by Wilson and others that supports the biophilia hypothesis, and examines some of the issues and…

D. Robinson and J. Levin (1997) proposed what they called a two-step procedure for analyzing statistical data in which researchers first evaluate the probability of an observed effect statistically (i.e., statistical significance), and, if and only if, it can be concluded that the underlying finding is too improbable to be due to chance, then they…

Experimental data on human reasoning in hypothesis-testing tasks is reassessed in light of a Bayesian model of optimal data selection in inductive hypothesis testing. The rational analysis provided by the model suggests that reasoning in such tasks may be rational rather than subject to systematic bias. (SLD)

Three articles in this special issue explore issues related to the use and misuse of statistical significance testing, the major methodological issue in current educational research. Comments on these articles and rejoinders by the authors of the first three articles explore additional aspects of statistical significance testing. (SLD)

Expresses a "middle-of-the-road" position on statistical significance testing, suggesting that it has its place but that confidence intervals are generally more useful. Identifies 10 errors of omission or commission in the papers reviewed that weaken the positions taken in their discussions. (SLD)

The present case continues the series of anomia treatment studies with contextual priming (CP), being the second in-depth treatment study conducted for an individual suffering from semantically based anomia. Our aim was to acquire further evidence of the facilitation and interference effects of the CP treatment on semantic anomia. Based on the…

Using data from a random sample of 580 midwestern women, the authors explore the association between lifetime infertility and life satisfaction. Past research shows lower life satisfaction among those seeking help for infertility. The authors find no direct effects of lifetime infertility, regardless of perception of a problem, on life…