Bruce B. Henderson

Academic Interests and Perceived Competence in American, Japanese, and Korean Children

Children in Grades 2 through 5 from Korea, Japan, and the United States reported on their interests and perceived competence in a variety of academically and socially related domains and indicated their views on gender advantages in areas of interest. Comparisons by country, gender, and age were conducted. Children made many similar responses across countries. Predicted differences suggesting greater academic interests and perceived competence among children from Korea and Japan and social interests among children from Japan were only partially supported. In many cases, the responses of American and Korean children were most alike. American children generally had the highest perceived competence. Interest in words and numbers but not ideas declined with age across countries. Gender differences were common and often stronger than differences between countries or ages. Across countries, boys showed more interest and perceived competence for numbers and things, whereas girls showed more interest and perceived competence for words.

A Fuzzy Trace Analysis of Categorical Inferences and Instantial Associations as a Function of Retention Interval.

Abstract Two experiments on childrens inferences and associative memory provided a test of predictions from fuzzy-trace theory. Specifically, it was expected that gist-based false recognitions would increase with age and that false recognitions would be uncorrelated with verbatim memory. In Experiment 1, children in Grades 1 through 5 heard lists of category labels, clustered instances from categories, and individual instances. On an immediate test, children indicated whether or not they had previously heard a series of individually presented test words. This list consisted of old words, new words, or words that were categorically or semantically related to the studied word clusters. Children made more false recognition errors for instances than for categories. Verbatim memory and inferences were unrelated. In Experiment 2, the effect of a test delay on categorical inferences and associated instances was examined with children in Grades 1 to 6. With delay, false recognition of associated instances declined for children at all grade levels. In contrast, categorical inferences increased with delay for older children. Verbatim memory and inferences were uncorrelated under immediate and 1-day delay conditions, but there were some low but significant correlations across grades under the 7-day delay. The results of the two experiments are interpreted as supporting fuzzy-trace theory.

Intelligence and curiosity in preschool children

If response to novelty is a major source of continuity in intelligence, it is reasonable to expect significant correlations between measures of exploration and intelligence. Multiple indicators of exploration of novel objects and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) were administered to a group of 41 preschool children. Canonical analyses failed to reveal a significant correlation between measures of exploration and intelligence. Simple correlations indicated low but significant correlations between comments about novel objects and some K-ABC global scales. Alternative explanations for these results and a proposal of a predictive relationship between curiosity and intellectual growth are discussed.

Mission Creep and Teaching at the Master's University.

Abstract The accusation of mission creep at masters institutions is not erroneous. It has been occurring for decades. The imitation of the research universities by other institutions is not good for the institutions, for their faculty members, or for the cause of college teaching. Research and scholarship need to be differentiated so that scholarliness, not research activity, is seen as the foundation for good teaching. The model masters institution professor will engage in modest amounts of disciplinary research, as a complement to, not as a support or replacement for, scholarly teaching and scholarly engagement with the community.

Individual Differences in Exploration: A Replication and Extension

Abstract Under this heading appear summaries of studies which, to 500 words or less, provide useful data substantiating, not substantiating, or refining what we think we know. Additional details concerning the results can be obtained by communicating directly with the investigator or, when indicated, by requesting supplementary material from Microfiche Publications.

The Costs of Texting in the Classroom

Many college students seem to find it impossible to resist the temptation to text on electronic devices during class lectures and discussions. One common response of college professors is to yield to the inevitable and try to ignore student texting. However, research indicates that because of limited cognitive capacities, even simple texting can reduce comprehension of class material at a rate of 10–20%. We review that research and present our study of the effects of texting on comprehension. Proposed alternatives to ignoring texting or outright bans include using smartphones for classroom exercises, educating students about the dangers of multitasking, and the use of “technology breaks.”

Relationship of psychological, demographic, and legal variables to court decisions of competency to stand trial among mentally retarded criminal defendants

Abstract Competency to stand trial is a constitutional requirement of the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In the criminal justice system, psychologists play a crucial role in the determination of a defendant’s competency whenever the issue is raised during a criminal trial. This study of 288 criminal defendants diagnosed as mentally retarded explores the construct validity of competency to stand trial by examining the potential contributing factors in psychologists’diagnoses of mental retardation and its relationship to the judges’decisions on competency to stand trial. The results showed that the most important predictor of judges’ decisions on competency to stand trial was psychologists’ evaluations. Defendants’ criminal history and prior experience of incompetency adjudication were also correlated with judges’ adjudications on competency of current charges. A defendant was less likely to be adjudicated as competent to stand trial if he or she previously had been found incompetent to stand trial. Demographic variables such as race had no relationship to judges’ decisions.

Individual Differences in IQ, Daydreaming and Moral Reasoning in Gifted and Average Adolescents:

Previous research found factorial independence between IQ and daydreaming in both gifted and average children and adolescents, supporting Hogans (1980) three-dimensional model of intelligence. The present study was designed to replicate and extend these findings to older adolescents. The second aim of this research was to relate the decline in guilt and fear of failure daydreams that has been found in studies of children, adolescents, and college students to the development of moral reasoning ability. A total of 98 gifted students and 104 average students in grades 9 through 12 completed a revised form of the Imaginal Processes Inventory and the Defining Issues Test. Measures of daydreaming style were again found to be independent of intelligence. The gifted group was also found to have fewer guilt and fear of failure daydreams and more positive-constructive daydreams than the average group. No relationship was found between moral judgment and guilt and fear of failure daydreaming.

The Role of Psychology Departments in Supporting Secondary School Teachers of Psychology

Providing continuing education for secondary school teachers may be more important to the improvement of high school psychology than are changes in teacher preparation and certification. The special role that college and university departments of psychology can play in providing this education and supporting these teachers is illustrated in a brief history of one departments work with teachers in North Carolina.

Environmental Influences on Children's Fantasy

A new scale, the Environmental Support for Fantasy Scale (ESFS) was developed to assess factors within the home environment which correlate with measures of childrens fantasy. The sample consisted of forty preschool children and their parents. Three scales were derived from the ESFS; a measure of parental attitude, parental control, and environmental fantasy stimulation. A significant first root canonical correlation was found between the three scales of the ESFS and three measures of childrens imagination. Parents who provided a role model, were supportive of their childrens fantasies, exerted less control over their childrens time and activities, and used learning approaches to discipline had children who were more frequent and fanciful fantasizers.