The effect of certain methodological changes on the fit of the Wyer subjective probability model and the effect of belief change on cognitive structure were investigated. Using syllogistically-related proposition sets of the form "A,""If A then B,""If not A then B,""B," it was found that certain…

Four papers discuss research exchanges between the United States and the USSR and East Europe. The first paper considers the evolution of perceptions of social scientists in these countries during the Cold War and Detente. The dominant view of American researchers during the Cold War was that the United States, as the most modern society, was the…

Research methodologies are "word-specific," that is, they assume frames of reference which do not include all of reality. They are like the "sets" in mathematics in which axioms apply only within certain realities. (Parallel lines do converge, for example, on the horizon; the geometric postulate that says they do not holds only for the set of a…

Community data concerning drug and alcohol usage patterns was assessed via a unique "personal delivery" system. The system, which can be used for collecting other community data produced a return rate of 45% and was very economical. This system largely overcomes the main drawback of the mailed questionnaire (low return rate) by (1) having…

The relationship between the values of society as reflected by the education system is considered with particular emphasis upon the difficulty faced by educators when social values are confused and ambiguous. It is pointed out that the primary task for schools is to produce literate citizens, able to read, write, manipulate symbols, and develop…

Perhaps due to misunderstandings of the nature of the research task in visual communication, findings of empirical research in that field have been highly inconsistent. Historically, there has been little serious systematic empirical investigation of visual communication. One difficulty is that it is not always possible to measure nonverbal…

Although the federal role in education has expanded over the last ten years, critics have only recently begun to examine what this means to educational policy-making. Theorists, empirical researchers, and policy-makers need to examine a number of questions. (1) Why and how does the national government involve itself in public education? (2) What…

Meta-analysis techniques for integrating research findings are utilized in this report to determine the magnitude of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Also investigated are the factors which contribute to the large amount of variance in previously reported correlations between these two variables. Over…

This document contains the proceedings of a workshop conference sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held at the Institute of Man and Science in Rensselaerville, New York, in May 1976. The proceedings include presented papers, discussions, and comments of the participants. The conference had two sets of…

Research has identified a number of effective means of maximizing returns to mailed questionnaires. The accompanying cover letter, the first contact with the potential respondents, may be the most important aspect of the survey. Studies indicate that the most effective cover letters incorporate personalization with an altruistic and/or egoistic…

Three methodological improvements were incorporated into a two-channel study that tested the relationships between communication cues, dynamic/conversational delivery styles, and four dimensions of source credibility--dynamism, competence, evaluation, and trustworthiness. The methodological improvements included a molar rather than molecular…

In a study that examined the conditions that were likely to facilitate error detection, it was hypothesized that poor readers' comprehension monitoring abilities would improve if they were given assistance in selecting the appropriate schema for understanding a passage. When the hypothesis was tested with 20 sixth grade students in an error…

The randomized response technique, constructed by Warner (1965), was designed to reduce the number of untruthful responses to sensitive questionnaire items. The present study investigated the effectiveness of this technique for groups differing in the tendency to give socially desirable responses to questionnaire items. A questionnaire concerning…

This paper takes the position that theories about individual differences in childhood and theories about cognitive development both would be enhanced if the two lines of research were integrated. The heuristic value of this position is illustrated in the context of analogical reasoning tasks. A general model of analogy solution and potential…

This monograph is part of a series of reports focusing on women's studies in higher education. After summarizing the historical growth of continuing education for women and women's studies, this monograph describes the implementation of a study by the U.S. National Institute of Education on re-entry women and the field of women's studies.…