The purpose of this article is to provide an alternative interpretation of the National Reading Panel's meta-analysis on phonics instruction. The NRP based its conclusion that phonics instruction was superior to other approaches on the interpretation of mean effect d statistics reported in its meta-analysis. In addition to looking at these d's, we…

With the increasing focus on issues pertaining, for example, to race, class, and gender, social science studies have increasingly relied on postmodern theory. Postmodern critiques have enlarged in scope and increasingly confronted traditional social scientists with challenges: epistemic, methodological, and moral. This paper asserts that while…

The use of stepwise methodologies has been sharply criticized by several researchers, yet their popularity, especially in educational and psychological research, continues unabated. Stepwise methods have been considered particularly well suited for use in regression and discriminant analyses, but their use in discriminant analysis (predictive…

Message processing literature could conceptualize process in one of two distinct ways: a single over-time process as described by J. N. Cappella, versus several processes as described by D. K. Berlo. An examination of literature finds that theories are based on both forms of these over-time processes. However, operationalization rarely measures…

To explore controversial findings concerning some of Piaget's claims, four experiments investigated conditions under which children use a criterion of movement in attributing life to objects. In the first experiment, children ages 4 through 7 participated in a recognition task involving the identification of objects to which they attributed life.…

If research is to be truly integrated throughout the entire spectrum of nursing education, then graduate education must use the resources and potentials of nurse researchers more productively and more constructively. (Author)

The use of a university exam to test the effects of ESP produced essentially overlapping distributions of performances by the experimental and control groups. (Author/KM)

A rationale is presented for the systematic evaluation of gifted/talented education programs, citing the consequences of failure to carry out such evaluation. Historically, evaluation of gifted programs was not emphasized, as the evaluation process involved experimental designs, control groups, and parametric statistics which could only be…

The use of multivariate statistics in behavioral research is investigated, with emphasis on the reasons why multivariate methods can be so important. The concepts of testwise and experimentwise error are explained, and it is noted that multivariate methods can be used to control the inflation of experimentwise Type I error. It is also noted that…

A family resemblance model of emotions is proposed which uses Darwin's discussion of emotions and Eleanor Rosch's and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's work on family resemblances. In Darwin's discussion of emotions, certain core features are thought to be widely shared by the members of the respective families of emotions, and more marginal…

The subliminal psychodynamic activation method (SPA), used in testing psychoanalytic propositions, has been subject to recent criticisms regarding methodological weaknesses. A review of the literature relating to this method can be helpful in determining the validity of these criticisms and the potential usefulness of the SPA method in testing…

The mood-dependent retrieval hypothesis states that mood will enhance recall by acting as a recall cue if the stimuli have been learned initially in the same mood. Material learned in a happy mood will be best recalled when the person returns to a happy mood; the same holds for a sad mood. Mood-dependent retrieval effect has been regulary…

Statisticians can help to improve human rights reporting. The statistician's approach to measurement, summary, and interpretation is needed to understand and help reduce human rights violations. Statistical problems in the measurement and analysis of human rights violations include: lack of agreement on the definition; great difficulties in…

This paper addresses a variation of the traditional validity question asked of qualitative researchers. Here the question is not "How do we know the qualitative researcher's question is valid?" but rather, "How does the qualitative researcher choose from among a multitude of apparently valid or at least plausible…