Describes a perceptual illusion, the Janus mask, for use in introductory psychology demonstrations. Suggests using a motor or videotaped image to rotate the mask, giving the impression that the mask is following a moving observer or oscillating. Recommends the illusion to show that perception is usefully conceptualized as hypothesis testing. (DK)

Investigated 4-6 year olds' ability to compare the distances covered by a direct and an indirect route to a location. Although many children believed that both routes covered the same distance, about 40% of the four year olds could explain why the direct route was shorter. (MDM)

Summarizes two Israeli case studies concerning an internal curriculum coordinator functioning as a school staff member and an external curriculum coordinator delegated by a national project. The schools had similar (participative) educational philosophies. Studies highlighted the principal-coordinator relationship, personal factors affecting the…

Before "unstructuring" or "restructuring," a school or district or state should think first about students, adopt successful learning as the criterion for judging the appropriateness of all daily activities, expect all adults to be successful learners, and identify the rules, roles, and relationships (the social structure) needed to support…

Effective principals pay close attention to body language and other subtle actions that are constantly read and interpreted by staff and students. Principals must not only talk the talk of an instructional leader but also walk the walk of a committed instructional leader. Specific suggestions are provided. (MLH)

This study examined the impact of maternal labeling of children as gifted on the sibling relationship in 144 pairs of firstborn and secondborn siblings classified as both gifted, firstborn gifted, secondborn gifted, or neither gifted. Five aspects of the sibling relationship were examined: warmth/closeness, status/power, conflict, maternal…

Used data from infants in operant head-turning procedure to examine effects of structure and redundancy of speech context on discovery of two target syllables. Clustering strategy, which presupposes basic element of perception and aggregates these elements to form units, may complement bracketing strategy, which presupposes endpoint cues and…

Visual learning, the capacity to construe meaning from visual images and to create meaningful visual forms, distills complex information and presents information directly. It plays an important role in development of the ability to abstract and decode. (SK)

Examined ethnic diversity of the grandmother role and implications for strengthening support networks of older African-American women. Findings from 79 African-American grandmothers and 87 white grandmothers 65 years of age and older showed cultural distinctions in grandmother role. Results have important implications for strengthening the natural…

Tested infants' remembrance of the orientations and angular relations of line segments. In one experiment, infants "dishabituated" to a change in orientation but not a change in angle. In two further experiments, infants familiar with either an acute or obtuse angle gave strong novelty preferences to a different angle. (BC)

Attitudes toward rape were examined by assessing the reactions of 95 male and female college students to scenarios about couples in varying degrees of acquaintanceship. Males had more rape-supportive beliefs. It appears that college students view date rape as an extension of traditional male-female sexual interaction. (DM)

Two experiments investigated the possibility that three year olds would do better on tasks in which belief cues were stronger than on standard false belief tasks, in which the children could reason backward to the belief from its effects. Findings provided strong support for the view that three year olds do not fully understand the…

Examined how fathers (n=32) of young children shaped fatherhood roles according to models in their lives. Respondents' own fathers were not seen as good role models. Fathers tended not to model behavior after particular individual but to select particular behaviors to incorporate into their roles. Subjects placed emphasis on providing role model…

Interviewed 114 grandparents. Found three major grandparent roles: custodial, living with grandchild, and day-care roles. Found that custodial grandparents often obtained that relationship because of severe problems in nuclear family. Day-care grandparents provided regular help to grandchild's nuclear family. Decision to provide care was often…

Argues for a mathematics education that interprets the word "theorem" in a sense that is wide enough to include the visual aspects of mathematical intuition and reasoning. Defines the term "visual theorems" and illustrates the concept using the Marigold of Theodorus. (Author/MDH)