The author found through experimentation that a person's tolerance for ambiguity alone is not sufficient to predict his attraction to a group discussion task since the amount of existing conflicting information will mediate evaluation of the task. (Author)

Presents an experiment that uses a unique acid-base indicator--the odor of raw onion--to indicate the end point of the titration of sodium hydroxide with hydrochloric acid. Allows the student to detect the completion of the neutralization reaction by olfaction rather than sight. (JRH)

Proposes group mean centering as a solution to the problem of pooling data from multiple sites. Uses California's Work Pays Demonstration Project to illustrate three analysis strategies for data from multiple sites. Discusses considerations in choosing the centering strategy. (SLD)

Two experiments presented infants with artificial language input in which at least two generalizations were logically possible. The results demonstrate that infants made one of the two generalizations tested, the one that was most statistically consistent with the particular subset of the data they received. The experiments shed light on how…

When researchers carry out an experiment, they do so in a systematic and regulated manner, attempting to note all of the circumstances and outcomes very carefully, so that they can come to some firm conclusions about causes and effects. Sometimes, however, unaccountable outcomes do occur. Researchers are clearly very interested in such events and…

A thin layer chromatography experiment of medical importance is described. The experiment involves extraction of lipids from simulated amniotic fluid samples followed by separation, detection, and scanning of the lecithin and sphingomyelin bands on TLC plates. The lecithin-to-sphingomyelin ratio is calculated. The clinical significance of this…

Hierarchical control of cognitive processes was studied by examining the relationship between sequence- and task-level processing in the performance of explicit, memorized task sequences. In 4 experiments, switch costs in task-switching performance were perturbed by sequence initiation times that varied with sequence complexity, preparation time,…

Experiments are performed to establish the changes of pH during the precipitation of potassium hydrogen tartrate, with its unfavorable impact on the stability of wine. Students, thus, obtain a clearer understanding of the interplay between a variety of chemical equilibria within a single medium.

The origin of the "proof" system for measuring the ethanol content of alcoholic beverages is presented. The proof system was originally established for purposes of taxing liquors according to their alcohol content and is different in different countries.

Rats received different schedules of pre-exposure to a compound flavor (AX) and to one element of that compound (X). In Group ALT, exposure consisted of alternating trials with AX and X; Group BLK received a block with all AX trials before a separate block with all X trials (or vice versa). Discrimination between AX and X was assessed then by…

We report an experiment that evaluates whether "BLANK" or an unrelated prime is a more suitable baseline for assessing priming for an ERP study. Sixteen subjects performed a lexical decision task with a 1 s prime-target stimulus onset asynchrony. Increased amplitude for the N400 was observed for targets in the unrelated prime condition whereas…

Every year, teachers, principals, superintendents, and other educators have to make hundreds of decisions of potentially great importance to students. What reading program is most likely to ensure high reading performance? Should "social promotion" be used or should retentions be increased? Should summer school programs be provided to struggling…

Paradoxically, fear conditioning (odor-0.5 mA shock) yields a learned odor preference in the neonate, presumably due to a unique learning and memory circuit that does not include apparent amygdala participation. Post-training opioid antagonism with naltrexone (NTX) blocks consolidation of this odor preference and instead yields memory of a learned…