A Monte Carlo simulation was used to ascertain the degree of inflation that can occur in regression estimates when samples contain randomly occurring instances of a pattern among correlations called cooperative suppression. Ten thousand samples of scores on three variables were randomly drawn from a population in which the correlations among the…

The state of the art in observational studies is discussed, with emphasis on explanatory research--studies of program effectiveness in which an attempt is made to explain the reasons for the results as well as describing the results. In addition to the collection of data and presentation of statistical facts, the explanatory study involves the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of protagonist's sex on moral reasoning ability. The moral reasoning of 335 white, middle class high school and college students was assessed by Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT), in either its traditional format (all male protagonists) or an experimental version (all female protagonists).…

The findings from two studies (Pre-Post and Matched-Pairs) suggest that the mini-instructional system that was designed to provide teachers with training in the analytic-pluralistic approach to classroom management did have a very positive impact on those teachers who received this training. The mini-instructional system is one in which classroom…

The issues of treatment assignment is ordinarily dealt with within the framework of testing aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) hypothesis. ATI research mostly uses linear regression techniques, and an ATI exists when the aptitude treatment (AT) regression lines cross each other within the relevant interval of the aptitude variable. Consistent…

A multiparameter, programmable model was developed to examine the interactive influence of certain parameters on the probability of deciding that an examinee had attained a specified degree of mastery. It was applied within the simulated context of performance testing of military trainees. These parameters included: (1) the number of assumed…

Analyses of data obtained from 790 questionnaires collected from a sample of public high school seniors in a relatively low income, sparsely settled county in northern New York State in May, 1962, revealed some of the effects of 2 family systems--the immediate family and the extended family--on the migration planning of high school seniors.…

Variations in the level of female political participation were examined in the context of the "standard" model of political participation (higher socioeconomic status, urbanism, living at society's center, increased participation) and the "decline of community" model (decreased group membership, increased mobility, decline of…

Time-lapse photography was used to record the gross play activity of preschool children, rated according to three measures of equipment use and three measures of movement. The definition and derivation of these measures was outlined, and five hypotheses were presented and tested concerning the variability and interrelation of the measures.…

A Monte Carlo technique was used to investigate the small sample goodness of fit and statistical power of several nonparametric tests and their parametric analogues when applied to data which violate parametric assumptions. The motivation was to facilitate choice among three designs, simple random assignment with and without a concomitant variable…

In order for research on the educational utility of simultation games to advance, there must be some stipulation of a set of significant variables. This, in turn, requires the building of testable theoretical models and the formulation of strategic propositions to test their validity. An example of the process involved is as follows. Focusing upon…

The necessity of evaluating research methodology is discussed, and a profiling approach is proposed. Explanatory statements about the research process, directions for doing the actual profiling of the research report, a research profiling flow chart, a research profile sheet, and two additional graphic aids to understanding are included. The…

The authors offer proposals for studies of human behavior in the courtroom, with respect to communications interaction among jurors and source credibility of attorneys. They refer to innovations in videotaping procedures, which make it possible to examine communications principles and dynamics in the courtroom situation. The first proposed study…

A field study to describe common characteristics of three "most successful" vocational programs in each participating northern California community college is presented. The study was divided into distinct phases. In Phase I, a procedure for identifying three "most successful" programs on each college campus was developed and…

The effects of two social contexts on the risk -taking behavior of elementary boys on a shuffleboard task were investigated. It was predicted that Atkinson's motive-probability-incentive (M-P-I) model would be supported in the peer-competitive context, in that the success-oriented subjects would choose more goals with median Ps values than the…