Deference and essentialism in the categorization of chemical kinds

Psychological essentialism has been subject to much debate. Yet a key implication – that people should defer to experts in categorizing natural kinds – has not been widely examined. Three experiments examine deference in the categorization of chemical kinds. The first establishes borderline cases used in the second and third. These latter show limited deference to experts, and some deference to non-experts. These data are consistent with a perspectival framework for concepts in which categorization is sometimes based on micro-structural properties and sometimes on appearance and function

GED Issues Brief #1

In March 1998 the Center for Impact Research (formerly Taylor Institute), along with Women Employed Institute, published a research report, (A Second Chance: Improving Chicago's GED Performance), detailing the low number of Chicagoans each year who either try for or pass the GED examination. GED, which stands for Tests of General Educational Development, is a 7.5 hour- test that enables adults who have not succeeded the first time around in school to obtain a high school equivalency certificate. The GED was developed in 1942 as a response to an emergency -- the return of World War II veterans who had not earned a high school diploma before they left to serve their country, and who faced economic hardship as a result.The report found that only 2.15% of those needing the GED took the test in Chicago in 1996. Chicago's percentage equals the national average, although higher percentages tried for the credential in three cities -- Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami. However, only 64% of those who took the GED test passed in Illinois in 1996, ranking the state 42nd worst. Chicago's 46% pass rate considerably lagged behind the state rate and puts Chicago near the bottom when compared with ten major U. S. cities.In focus group discussions, Chicago adult literacy and job training groups were asked why more adults don't take and pass the GED in Chicago. The groups consistently sited four factors: length and inflexibility of most GED prep classes in Cook County; lack of up-front diagnostic information to help adults decide whether they are ready to take the test; long waits to take the GED test; and low number of accessible GED testing sites in Chicago, with no downtown Chicago site. A January 13, 1998 telephone call to the Cook County automated GED information system revealed that the next open test date at any of the Cook County GED test locations was more than a month away. Of these sites, only three were in the city itself. These were Daley College (75th and Pulaski), Olive-Harvey College (103rd and Woodlawn), and Wright College (Montrose and Narragansett), all sites in far-flung locations difficult to reach for many test-takers. At the closest site, Daley College, the wait was almost four months long

RXTE Observations of 1A 1744-361: Correlated Spectral and Timing Behavior

We analyze Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array (PCA) data of the transient low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) system 1A 1744-361. We explore the X-ray intensity and spectral evolution of the source, perform timing analysis, and find that 1A 1744-361 shows `atoll' behavior during the outbursts. The color-color diagram indicates that this LMXB was observed in a low intensity spectrally hard (low-hard) state and in a high intensity `banana' state. The low-hard state shows a horizontal pattern in the color-color diagram, and the previously reported `dipper QPO' appears only during this state. We also perform energy spectral analyses, and report the first detection of broad iron emission line and iron absorption edge from 1A 1744-361.Comment: 20 pages, 4 tables, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Libertarianism With a Twist

Review of SIMPLE RULES FOR A COMPLEX WORLD. By Richard A. Epstein. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1995. Pp. xiv, 361

Certified Teacher Beliefs on The Use of Teacher Talk

Teachers' belief is becoming important to research as it reveals the decision made by the teachers in teaching learning process. It will also explain the way the teacher behave and talk with it. This research will explore 1) whether or not the certified English language teacher beliefs on the use of Teacher Talk (TT) show parallelism with their actual practices, and 2) the contribution of English language teachers' experiences to the construction of their beliefs regarding the use of Teacher Talk. Mixed research method was implemented to explore the quantitative and qualitative inside of the topic. This way was considered to be effective to meet with the expected answer for this research. Taking place at a suburb area, group of certified teachers became the subject for the research. The researcher utilized questionnaire, observation checklist, audio-video recording, interview guide and, document as the instruments. The result shows that the more the teachers beliefs on the TT, the more practices of TT in the teaching learning process. Another finding reveals that particular teachers experiences contribute a positive impacts on the the construction of teacher beliefs dealing with the management of TT in the class

Social support for and through exercise and sport in a sample of men with serious mental illness.

Social support is important for people experiencing serious mental illness and is also important during the initiation and maintenance of exercise. In this article we draw on interpretive research into the experiences of 11 men with serious mental illness to explore four dimensions of social support both for and through exercise. Our findings suggest that informational, tangible, esteem, and emotional support were both provided for and given by participants through exercise. We conclude that experiences of both receiving and giving diverse forms of support in this way are significant for some people living with and recovering from serious mental illness

Are labour relations and leadership styles significantly associated? An empirical study in ten manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka

It was theoretically argued that Labour Relations (LR) and leadership styles of managers were associated. An empirical study was conducted to test whether the variable of leadership style of managers was significantly associated with the variable of LR in manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka. The study was conducted in ten Sri Lanka manufacturing firms, which were listed unionised companies. The unit of analysis of this study were manager. The results indicated that leadership styles of managers and LR were not significantly associated suggesting that LR is independent of leadership styles of managers in the manufacturing firms studied in Sri Lanka