Wisdom Of Hindsight Research Articles

An Attempt to Measure the Logical Consistency of a Theory of Academic Motivation

This paper is concerned with measuring the logical consistency of a theory of academic motivation which involves three classes of phenomena: personality dispositions, values, and situational variables. Two hundred boys and 194 girls completed a motivational exercise under non-test and test conditions, and, by means of path analysis following regression analysis, an attempt was made to assess the consistency of the theory. The model stood up to the empirical test well, but the amount of test motivation that was explained by the independent variables (39.17 per cent) was modest. With the wisdom of hindsight, some suggestions are made for the improvement of the model.

Recent Relations between the States of East Africa

In the Nairobi Declaration of June 1963 the political heads of the three East African mainland states publicly committed themselves to federation; in June 1965 they were beginning to prepare the public for a substantial reduction in the area of functional co-operation that had been established prior to 1963. With the wisdom of hindsight we can perhaps see that the reasons for this development are fairly obvious. This paper chronicles some of them. Although the East African states had so much in common they had some very important differences. The optimists pointed to what they had in common and the pessimists to the differences. Optimists noted: (1) strong historical and cultural links, deriving from common history slavery and Swahili and British administrative institutions and education which were particularly important in elite circles; (2) far-reaching functional links common market, common services, free personal movement (more or less), common currency, etc.; (3) common economic and political interests the advantages of a large East African market for industrialization, diplomatic influence, etc. The pessimists noted: (1) differences in the character of the political systems of the three states, especially the constraints imposed on Uganda by Buganda's longstanding hostility towards East African union; (2) the tensions caused by conflict of national economic interests in operating the common market. It is possible to see very clearly now that the optimists, who argued that Wheare's classic statement of the prerequisites of federation was fulfilled and that it should therefore be possible to establish it without further ado, were victims of some large

THE QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION AND THEORETICAL GEOGRAPHY1

RÉSUMÉAu cours des dix dernières années, un phénomène qu'on pourrait appeler “révolution quantitative” a transformé radicalement esprit et objet de la géographie. Initiée par des physiciens et des mathématiciens, cette révolution n'a pas changé que la géographie, mais les autres sciences également.auteur décrit influence de cette révolution quantitative sur la géographie et ses rapports avec le déterminisme. Il est avis que ces transformations résultent un besoin élaborer des théories scientifiques. Les recherches géographiques feront de plus en plus usage des méthodes mathématiques et on accordera une plus large place à la construction et à application expérimentale de modèles théoriques. Ceci n'obviera pas au besoin études idéographiques, mais ces dernières pourront ětre étayées par des énoncés théoriques.

The Yunnan Myth

The diplomats, business men and publicists who were actively engaged in the penetration and exploitation of China during the latter part of the nineteenth century most frequently offered economic explanations for their actions. References to the commercial opportunities to be found in China appear with almost wearisome repetition in diplomatic correspondence, in treaties and conventions and in the press. Armed with a more complete knowledge of the situation, recent commentators upon European imperialism in China have been prone to discount this interest, and it is true that the China trade did receive notice that was out of proportion to its importance. However, the wisdom of hindsight may sometimes be misleading and unless we know the general opinion of the China market as it was expressed in the eighteen-eighties and eighteen-nineties the strong interest displayed both by governments and individuals in tapping that market is largely incomprehensible to us.