Science Aptitude Research Articles

Identifying Factors Influencing Computer Science Aptitude and Achievement

This paper considers the effect of eight factors on computer science aptitude and achievement. Aptitude is measured by a computer science aptitude test and achievement is measured by a final examination. High school performance was the first factor selected for both aptitude and achievement by a stepwise regression procedure. The high school mathematics background as well as any university mathematics background were the next two factors selected for computer science aptitude. Previous computer science education and the age of the student were selected on steps two and three, respectively, for computer science achievement.

Group Differences in Computer Science Aptitude

AbstractA computer science aptitude pretest was given to 183 students enrolled in Introduction to Computer Science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The aptitude variables of the pretest included reading comprehension, sequence completion, logical reasoning, algorithmic execution, and alpha-numeric translation. The purpose of the study was to identify group differences in computer science aptitude based on the following factors: age, sex, year in college, hours worked, previous computer experience, estimated high school performance, and estimated current college performance. Significant group differences were found in at least one aptitude variable for the factors age, previous computer experience, estimated high school performance, and estimated current college performance.

Unaccepted applicants to medical school as a health resource.

The career decisions of national samples of male and female unaccepted applicants to the 1971-72 entering U.S. medical school class are studied in order to determine whether the increasing number of unaccepted applicants is a potential manpower pool for alternative health occupations. The dominant response to rejection among respondents is reapplication to medical school in subsequent years, and the principal determinant of reapplication is receiving postrejection support (usually from family or friends) of the original career intentions. Most of the respondents who do not gain admittance to medical school on reapplications still aspire to doctoral-level degrees, but only half remain in the health area. Those respondents who had formulated contingency career plans in the professions and who had high science aptitude but low math aptitude tended to remain in the health area. A service orientation toward occupations is not associated with remaining in the health area.

Predictive Validity of the American University of Beirut Trial Aptitude Battery

On the basis of student scores on a battery of tests given at the time of their admission to the American University of Beirut and their subsequent college grades, the validity of the three new tests for predicting college grades was obtained. The results in general suggested a low to moderate predictive validity for each of the tests. Suggestions for test revision were based on item analysis and on classification of the items in terms of both the factors of science aptitude and the subject matter each item represents.

Responsivity to incongruent verbal and non-verbal communications and A-B therapist type.

The premise that particular personality characteristics of the psychotherapist interact with those of the patient to influence therapeutic outcome has stimulated research. The major part of this has concerned the A-B therapist type variable (2). Although the early studies of the A-B variable involved actual therapists and actual patients, further research has regarded the A-B variable as defining male characterological types, a position having empirical support (3). Viewing the A-B dimension as charanerological has resulted in a burgeoning of research designed to define rhe A and B cype male. Smith (5) summarized this research as suggesting that A males, relative to Bs, tend to be socially cautious, inhibited, desiring of social approval, highly verbal, uninterested in mechanics and mechanical activities, field-dependent, trusting, intropunitive, and collaborative in stress situations, and low in extrapunitive reactions to frustration. In contrast to the A, the B tends ro be risk-taking, socially affiliative, masculine, high in namral science aptitude, interested in engineering, field-independent, suspicious, extrapunitive, and avoidant in stress situations, and extrapunicive in situations of frustration. The present research is an outgrowth of Smith's (5) work, in which he found that As and Bs exhibited significantly different postural and gestural behaviors during dyadic interviews (As being more subtle and cautious than Bs). Based on the over-all pictures . of the A and the B it was hypothesized that As relative ro Bs are more sensitive to the subtle non-verbal channels of communication. If this is true, As and Bs should react differentially to communications in which the verbal and non-verbal channels are incongruent, i.e., As will react more to the non-verbal, Bs to the verbal. Two instruments were employed to investigate the hypothesized differential reactions of As and Bs to incongruent communications. First, was a standardized paper-and-pencil scale (4) in which line drawings depicting emotional states were to be matched with written statements. The second instrument ( I), consisted of videotaped statements of an actor, in which his verbal and non-verbal statements were either congruent or incongruent (the statements involved the dimensions of happy-sad and of superior-inferior). Fifty-eight male undergraduates, designated as As or Bs on the A-B scale, rated the videotaped scenes as to their message, and then were given the Shapiro scale. An analysis of variance gave no differences between As and Bs on either the videoTape ratings or scores on the Shapiro scale. The consistent lack of differences between As and Bs on the two methodologically diverse instruments suggests strongly that the hypothesis is not valid. The data suggest rhe conclusion that As and Bs are. not (as groups) differentially sensitive to non-verbal channels of communication.

The Epsat as a Predictor

Summary Two independent studies were done, both indicating that the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test (EPSAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) offer promise in prediction of performance in graduate statistics courses.

Typology as a Moderating Variable in Success in Science

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was examined for its utility as a predictor of intellective behaviors. For beginning, intermediate and advanced high school students measures of GPA, IQ, science achievement, and science aptitude were obtained. MBTI subscales were dichotomized and criteria were analyzed relative to the resultant eight groups. MBTI subscales provided evidence that typology may well be a moderating factor in intellective performance. The intuition (S-N) scale provided consistent indication of typological differences moderating performance. MBTI appeared to be more appropriate for heterogeneous groups and lost its discriminatory utility with homogeneous groups.

Identifying Technical Institute Dropouts

In an investigation of the characteristics which differentiate the technical institute dropout from the persisting student, the combination pattern of the mathematics portions of the Engineering Physical Science Aptitude Test (EPSAT‐M) and the score on the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA) was found most effective in discriminating between the two groups. These findings may provide counselors with a better understanding of some of the problems faced by the institute student. The results indicate the need for further investigation in and improved understanding of the factors influencing institute success.

Anniversary Dinner 1951

The Anniversary Dinner for 1951 was held at the Dorchester Hotel on St Andrew’s day. The toast of ‘The Royal Society of London’ was proposed by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Portal of Hungerford, K.G., O.M., who said : ‘ Mr President, Your Excellencies, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen : ‘ I feel very greatly honoured by your invitation, Mr President, to propose the toast of the Royal Society of London, and I thank you most sincerely for the privilege. ‘ To one like myself who has always been conscious of an even greater lack of aptitude for science than for other kinds of learning, the occasion must be rather formidable, but I can at least truthfully claim to share the general feeling of respect and pride, almost of reverence, in which this ancient and most illustrious of scientific bodies is held throughout this country and the civilized world. ` I had every chance to appreciate, during the war, what the application of science meant to the power of the fighting services, in, for instance, electronics, jet engines and '' operational research ”, and then, in 1946, the Government put me in charge of the atomic energy project in this country, which gave me the opportunity and the privilege of associating for more than five years with some of our most distinguished men in nuclear physics and other fields of science.

Review of Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test, Revised Manual.

Review of Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test, Revised Manual.

An Investigation of the Reliability and Validity of the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test

Each year thousands of young people enter colleges of engin eering in the United States; but less than one-half of them suc cessfully complete engineering training at the school which they entered. The majority of the drop-outs occur before the begin ning of the sophomore year. Furthermore, most of these first year drop-outs have substandard grades. Educational guidance personnel and prospective engineering students alike would welcome the availability of a brief, inex pensive, dependable instrument for the prediction of scholastic performance in colleges of engineering. While several avail able instruments contribute to predictions in this area, none ad equately satisfies all of the above qualifications. Although the prospect of striking success in the development of a single in strument to fulfill these requirements coinciden tally is not au spicious, the worth of any improvement, however slight, just ifies efforts directed toward even a partial solution. The principal purpose of the investigation reported herein was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scores obtained in an administration of a predictive instrument in this area.

Use of the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test as a Predictor of Academic Achievement of Freshman Engineering Students

In the fall semester of 1947 all entering engineering students, 240 in number, were administered a battery of tests which included the American Council on Education Psychological Examination (1945 edition), the Iowa Silent Reading Examination (Advanced Form AM) and the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test. It had been previously found that the first two of these tests1 and the H. S. percentile rank2 were of some value in predicting academic achievement. A need wras recognized for a predictive instrument in the field of engineering, and it was decided to investigate the value of the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test.

Predictive Values of the Stanford Scientific and the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Tests

Predictive Values of the Stanford Scientific and the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Tests

An engineering and physical science aptitude test.

An engineering and physical science aptitude test.

Major Leonard Darwin

WITH the death of Leonard Darwin on March 26, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, has passed the last of the five sons born to Charles Darwin. Taking the five sons in the order of their birth, William, the eldest, showed no aptitude for science ; the second, George, the third, Francis, and the fifth, Horace, were gifted with creative faculties of a high order, all three becoming fellows of the Royal Society. Leonard, who came fourth in the series (he was born at Down House on January 15, 1850), although he did much to' further the cause of science, manifested none of those creative gifts which had been so liberally bestowed on his father and three brothers. Yet, in physical appearance, especially in later years when he grew a beard, in his attitude to life, and in the disposition of his mind, he bore a closer resemblance to his father than did any of his brothers. He had his father's honesty of expression, openness of mind, charitable disposition, subjugation of self,an excess of candour (“d--d candour” his father named it on a certain occasion when irritated by unfair criticism) and also his father's happy sense of humour. He was completely devoid of personal ambition. There were not a few, however, who were ambitious on his behalf and felt that his services to science should have been recognized by election to the Royal Society. The University of Cambridge rightly bestowed on him an honorary doctorate of science.

Science and Leadership

SOME instruction in science is now provided at most of the secondary schools in Great Britain. Such instruction, in the case of the boys' schools, usually takes the form of an introduction to chemistry and physics, while in girls' schools botany and chemistry are frequently the only branches of science taught. JFor various reasons, which have so often been the subject of reference in these columns that they need not be repeated now, those pupils who show any aptitude for science are mostly led for the last two years at school to tread the path of specialisation on their journey to the universities. They arrive at the universities embryo chemists, physicists, or botanists, where they are hatched out as full-fledged specialists destined to act as guides to others along the same narrow paths, or to apply their specialised knowledge to industry or in one or other of the public services. Only the comparatively few forsake the paths of specialisation and find scope in leadership and control for the exercise of the particular qualities of mind engendered by the study of science.

In Memoriam: Richard Reynolds, F.C.S.

Mr. Richard Reynolds, who was elected a member of this Society in the year 1864, served as a member of its Council since 1870, and was elected a Vice-President at the Annual Meeting at Bradford in 1894, died at his house, Cliff Road, Hyde Park, Leeds, on April 5th, 1900. He was known and valued by all students of science in Leeds, and one might almost say in Yorkshire. A short account of his useful but unostentatious career will be of interest to those who worked with him for so many years. Mr. Reynolds came of an old Quaker stock, being descended from John Gurney, the “prisoner of Norwich,” who was shut up during three years in gaol for refusing to take a prescribed oath. He was born at Banbury in 1829, being the eldest son of an apothecary, who died when the boy was only four years old. At fourteen Richard Reynolds left school, and was apprenticed to James Deane, a chemist on Clapham Common. Had his training been prolonged he would have made an excellent scholar, for his aptitude for science was remarkable, and his knowledge of books was in after years that of a cultivated man. In spite of a scanty education he was able to take the first places in both botany and chemistry at the very first examination held by the Pharmaceutical Society. This early distinction, and some relationship between the Deanes and the Harveys, may have brought Reynolds to Leeds, where he soon became ...