Small Changes In Behavior Research Articles

Enhancing Sensitivity of Assessment Instruments for Children: Graded Multidimensional Scoring

A comparison was made between two methods of scoring the Gestural Approach to Thought and Expression (GATE), a communication assessment for young children with visual impairments. The first method was a standard system of “correct” versus “incorrect” for each item. The second method of scoring used was the graded multidimensional scoring system (GMSS). This system provided a graded rating of frequency of response, generalization of response, initiation of response, and fluency of response for each test item. Ten children were administered the GATE as a pretest-posttest measure. When the correct versus incorrect scoring method was used, no significant difference was found between pretest and posttest. When the GMSS was used, significant differences were found for the four factors of frequency, generalization, initiation, and fluency. This suggests that the GMSS is more sensitive to small changes in behavior.

Effects of agricultural drainage on streamflow in the Middle Thames River, Ontario, 1949–1980

The effects of surface and subsurface agricultural drainage on streamflow in the Middle Thames River have been studied through the analysis of changes in the volumetric response, changes in the seasonal distribution of streamflow volumes, and changes in the time distribution of runoff response of the Middle Thames in the period 1949–1980.The results indicated that only small changes in streamflow behaviour occurred in the Middle Thames for the period studied. There is evidence of a reduction of less than 25% in the time-to-peak of storm hydrographs on the watershed, but with little change in peak flow rate or centroid-to-centroid lag time. This is consistent with increased channel velocities in hydraulically improved municipal drains, coupled with an increased proportion of storm flow being diverted from overland runoff to rapid subsurface runoff through subsurface pipe drainage. There is no evidence of appreciable changes in volumes of runoff for individual storms or as annual total streamflow or changes in seasonal distribution of streamflow. Key words: agricultural drainage, streamflow, unit hydrograph, storm runoff.

Steroid hormone influences on the mating behavior of vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops)

Eight ovariectomized female vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops) were tested in heterosexual and isosexual pairs, under estradiol and testosterone treatments. Pairs were tested under two different experimental situations in which the male was either restrained or left free. There were only small behavioral changes across the treatments, involving mainly male responses. Erection time, frequency of intromission, ejaculation, and olfactory investigation increased during estradiol treatment whereas during administration of testosterone erection time, the number of approaches, contacts, and olfactory investigations decreased. Female behaviors were relatively independent of hormone treatment showing only the disappearance of negative responses with estradiol and an increase of yawns with testosterone. Female behaviors were performed at a higher level with male partners than with other females, and the frequencies of spontaneous presents varied with the sex of partner. It is suggested that in vervet monkeys both estradiol and testosterone affect female attractivity, estradiol further influences receptivity, whereas proceptivity appears to be less directly involved in sexual interactions and more related to social context.

Assessing and Developing the Communications Abilities of Deaf-Blind Children

The Assessment-Intervention Model for Deaf-Blind Students (AIM) was field tested with 37 deaf-blind students, and their progress was compared to that of 40 students in schools using other curricula. Newly developed assessment techniques show that AIM is an effective means of educating deaf-blind students. Analysis of the assessment using the Behavior Rating Instrument for Autistic and Other Atypical Children (BRIAAC) supports claims for AIM's sensitivity to the small behavioral changes typical of these children. The results support the approaches to assessment and instruction exemplified by AIM and BRIAAC.

Microstructures and behavior near the Curie temperature of Gd and GdC alloys

Measurements have been made, in the neighbourhood of the Curie temperature, of heat capacities and electrical resistivity coefficients of Gd with controlled C impurities added. In the present communication, the microstructures of the GdC specimens are studied, both to explore the role of microstructure in critical behavior near magnetic transitions and to find a basis for anomalous behavior of the 1% C specimen. Relatively small changes in critical behavior among the alloys is accompanied by remarkably great differences in microstructure.

Effects of social factors on response to unfamiliar environments in Gallus gallus spadiceus

Chicks raised either in social isolation or in small groups were tested either in social isolation or in small groups either in their home cage or in a strange environment. Social and isolated birds that were reared and tested in their home cages showed essentially identical behaviour. Socially raised birds tested in isolation showed marked changes in shrill calling, preening, pecking and sleeping regardless of where they were tested, while birds tested in the unfamiliar environment in groups showed only small changes in behaviour regardless of how they had been reared. A second experiment showed that these effects were not due to the sounds made by the social companions.

Cotton Quality and Fiber Properties

A serious problem in single-fiber testing is the preparation of a homogeneous sample from which fibers may be selected in a random manner. Mechanical blenders, of the type developed for cotton by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, greatly improve the homogeneity of a bulk fiber sample. In the present work tests were made to show what changes in single-fiber proper ties result from the mechanical action of such a blender. Relatively small changes in mechanical behavior of the cotton fibers were observed as a result of blending. With the conventional three passes through the blender a small decrease in break ing load (less than 10%) was found, with corresponding changes in breaking stress and energy to break. A reduction of fiber crimp with a slight increase in fiber length by the fiber array method was also noted.

An investigation locating the strongest of the bronzes

<dm:abstracts xmlns:dm="http://www.elsevier.com/xml/dm/dtd"><ce:abstract xmlns:ce="http://www.elsevier.com/xml/common/dtd" view="all" class="author" id="aep-abstract-id13"><ce:section-title>Publisher Summary</ce:section-title><ce:abstract-sec view="all" id="aep-abstract-sec-id14"><ce:simple-para id="fsabs002" view="all">The most important criteria in selecting a material are related to the function of the part qualities such as strength, density, stiffness and corrosion resistance. For sheet material, the ability to be shaped in a given process, often called its formability, should also be considered. To assess formability, one must be able to describe the behavior of the sheet in a precise way and express properties in a mathematical form; one also needs to know the properties that can be derived from mechanical tests. As far as possible, each property should be expressed in a fundamental form that is independent of the test that is used to measure it. The information can then be used in a more general way in the models of various metal-forming processes. It is seen that the properties that affect material performance are not limited to those that can be measured in the tensile test or characterized by a single value. Measurement of homogeneity and defects may require information on population, orientation, and spatial distribution. Many industrial forming operations run very close to a critical limit so that small changes in material behavior give large changes in failure rates. When one sample of material will run in a press and another will not, it is frequently observed that the materials cannot be distinguished in terms of tensile test properties. This may mean that one or two tensile tests are insufficient to characterize the sheet, or that the properties governing the performance are only indicated by some other test.</ce:simple-para></ce:abstract-sec></ce:abstract></dm:abstracts>