The process of remembering pictures

Eight experiments were carried out to investigate processes involved in remembering pictorial stimuli. Because of difficulties encountered in measuring memory for this kind of material, previous investigations in the area (reviewed in Chapters One and Two) have not successfully estimated the capacity of memory for pictures or specified the nature of its encoding processes. A new recognition paradigm, the exclusion set method, was developed in order to measure the accuracy of the subject's memory for representational drawings. It was used to refute two hypotheses: (1) that memory for pictures has a phenomenally high capacity (Experiment 1), and (2) that encoding of pictures is an automatic process (Experiments 2 and 3). Another method of recognition testing was then devised to examine the constructive nature of the encoding process in more detail, in a study of memory for abstract shapes (Experiments 4 to 8). Experiment 1 tested subjects' memory for pictures after delays of one two, seven and 60 days. There was evidence that memory is limited in capacity, since subjects were not accurate on the recognition task. Memory declined after one week's delay and again after two months. To determine whether the elaboration of subjects' encoding strategies affects memory for pictures, intentional and incidental instructions were manipulated in Experiments 2 and 3. Three instructional groups were tested in each experiment: (1) an Incidental group not told of the memory task and instead given a picture classification orienting task,(2) a Control group given the orienting task but told about the memory requirement, and (3) an Intentional group allowed to view the pictures freely without an orienting task. In Experiment 2, no differences between any of the groups was found, suggesting that despite subjects' different encoding strategies, all had encoded the same amount of information from the pictures. In Experiment 3, the Intentional group was altered to include a practice trial for this group only. Intentional subjects given practice recognized more pictures than Incidental or Control subjects. This showed that different encoding activities carried out during presentation of a list of pictures can be variable and under the subject's control, rather than an automatic registration of information into memory. Since encoding did appear to be a function of the subject's encoding activities, it was hypothesized that recognition would be affected by the amount of time subjects were given to process each picture. In particular, it was predicted that temporal variables would affect subjects' tendency to encode only parts of a stimulus without adequately encoding their combinations. The presence of inter-picture confusions in previous studies suggested that a "fragmented memory effect is a common outcome of subjects' inadequate encoding activities Experiment 4 found no effect of longer presentation time or ISI on recognition of shapes, but the fragmented memory effect was demonstrated empirically. The methodology of this experiment was improved and it was found that five seconds of presentation time led to more accurate recognition than two seconds (Experiment 5), though increasing the ISI from 1.5 to seven seconds had no effect (Experiment 6), and that subjects given two seconds of either presentation time or ISI performed more accurately than subjects 0.5 seconds (Experiment 7). Presentation time was found to be more beneficial than ISI, given the same total time. Thus, memory for whole shapes improved with longer presentation times and also with longer ISI's of short duration. A final experiment (Experiment 8) was carried out to see whether the fragmented memory effect could be altered, during fast presentation of pictures, with different perceptual strategies. Strategies altered the attention to different parts of the shapes but did not affect fragmented memory. The encoding process was discussed as a sequence of acts of attention to parts of pictures followed by an integration which is not always successful

The Career Destinations of Open University Secondary Postgraduate Certificate of Education Students

The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of and commentary on recruitment and entry to the teaching profession in England of mature trainees during a decade and a half between 1993 and 2008. It seeks to answer the question of the extent to which mature entry to the profession is able to contribute to teacher supply in England. While a number of national data sets include data on age, and there have been a number of studies and some media reporting in relation to mature entry, there has been, to date, no full account of mature entry to teaching. This thesis aims to fill that gap by providing a synthesis of the available information, interrogating that synthesis and identifying policy implications and questions for further research. The thesis explores the rhetoric and reality behind the efforts made to attract older entrants to teaching, considering the evidence base on which such campaigns were based. It considers the extent to which policy aims have been successfully met in respect of the employment and retention of those trained as mature trainees, and looks at implications for the future

The Instant Society and the Rule of Law

Originally presented at the American Bar Association Conference on the Role of the Judge in the \u2780s, June 19-20, 1981, in Washington, D.C

Gender, work and domestic practices in 21st century UK families: implications for family well-being and child development

The diversification of modern family labour patterns exemplifies a socio-cultural shift away from strongly gendered work and family role attitudes. This research explores the gender division of labour and gender attitudes amongst parents in a recent UK cohort study, and the associations between parental gender attitudes and behaviours with family well-being and child cognitive development. Paid labour, gender attitudes and household socio-economic characteristics were explored as predictors of the division of domestic labour to understand trends in how labour was divided by two parent families in the Millennium Cohort Study. Associations between the division of paid and domestic labour and gender attitudes were then examined as predictors of parental psychological distress and relationship satisfaction using logistic and linear regression respectively. Next, using the gender attitudes and behaviour variables of interest, children’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire across childhood and cognitive development at age 7 were investigated using multilevel mixed effects and linear regressions. Associations were found between parents’ paid labour, gender attitudes and domestic labour. More egalitarian divisions of labour and gender attitudes were associated with better mental health and relationship satisfaction for parents. Negative attitudes towards maternal employment were associated with increased behavioural difficulties. Although, gender attitudes and the division of labour were associated with children’s cognitive outcomes, they were largely explained by differences in parental education and income. However, some significant interactions remained, including finding that gender differences in word reading at age 7 were concentrated in households with non-egalitarian maternal gender role attitudes. This research explores the impact of gender on family relations in contemporary UK households. It provides considerable evidence for associations between gender attitudes and behaviours and family well-being and child cognitive development. In particular, the gendered home environment and gendered beliefs can be useful predictors for understanding inequalities in well-being and social-emotional and cognitive development

The Instant Society and the Rule of Law

Originally presented at the American Bar Association Conference on the Role of the Judge in the \u2780s, June 19-20, 1981, in Washington, D.C