Can resources save rationality? ‘Anti-Bayesian’ updating in cognition and perception

Resource rationality may explain suboptimal patterns of reasoning; but what of “anti-Bayesian” effects where the mind updates in a direction opposite the one it should? We present two phenomena — belief polarization and the size-weight illusion — that are not obviously explained by performance- or resource-based constraints, nor by the authors’ brief discussion of reference repulsion. Can resource rationality accommodate them

Hank Aaron

The author remembers Hank Aaron

The Impact of Pear Deck on Student Achievement and Perceptions

This research determined the impact of the interactive technology Pear Deck on student achievement and perceptions of learning. Existing peer-reviewed research on the topic is limited. In this action research, the researcher had one 10th grade Global Studies class learn the subject matter from a traditional teacher-led lecture, while the other class learned the same content using a student-paced Pear Deck. The next class day, both groups took the same assessment to measure their achievement levels. The Pear Deck group also completed a brief survey on their perceptions of learning with Pear Deck. The results of the research revealed the Pear Deck group performed significantly better on the achievement assessment than the control group and had a very favorable perception of learning with Pear Deck. The outcome of the research provides positive quantitative evidence in favor of a shift away from teacher-led social studies lectures and toward a more student-centered classroom involving the use of interactive technology

Analysis of induced gamma oscillations with a data alignment technique in autism and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

Introduction: Children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often lack the ability to recognize and properly respond to emotional stimuli. These emotional deficits are also observed in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but are often overshadowed by the focus on limited attention span. A growing body of research suggests that there may be links between ASD and ADHD, which requires further study. Investigation of this hypothesis often relies on the Theory of Mind (ToM) construct to frame experiments that explore the relationship between these two conditions. Many experiments utilize electroencephalographic (EEG) data to quantitatively assess brain activity. The emotional deficits in ASD and ADHD may cause a difference within the induced EEG gamma wave burst phenomenon (35-45 Hz) produced approximately 300-400 milliseconds following an emotional stimulus. Because induced gamma oscillations are not fixed at a definite point in time post-stimulus, analysis of averaged EEG data with traditional methods may result in an attenuated gamma burst power. Two hypotheses were proposed in this study. First, a software based data alignment technique could be employed to reduce the attenuation observed in the analysis of these phenomena. Second, improvement of the attenuation would better elucidate similarities and differences to stimuli in an experimental study comparing ASD, ADHD, and control subjects. Methods: A study was designed to test the response of a subject to emotional stimuli, presented in the form of expressive facial images. In a four part experiment, the subjects were instructed to identify gender in the first two blocks of the test, followed by differentiating between basic emotions in the final two blocks (i.e. anger vs. disgust). EEG data was collected from ASD (n=10), ADHD (n=9), and control (n=11) subjects via a 128 channel EGI system, and processed through a continuous wavelet transform and bandpass filter to isolate the gamma frequencies. Data alignment was then employed by using a custom MATLAB code to align the individual trials between 200-600 ms post-stimulus for each subject, EEG site, and condition by maximizing the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between trials within these groups. The gamma power for the 400 ms window of maximum induced gamma burst was then calculated and compared between subject groups. Results: Significant main effects for the alignment condition were present across all subject groups, experiment conditions, and EEG channels. Significant main effects also existed for the experimental condition and subject groups. Condition (anger/disgust recognition, gender recognition) x Alignment x Group (ADHD, ASD, Controls) interaction was significant across the parietal topographies. These interactions were better manifested in the aligned data set. Conclusions: Both hypotheses were supported by the obtained results. The employed data alignment technique significantly reduced the amount of attenuation observed in the averaged signals. Additionally, further analysis showed that significant interactions were more easily observed in the aligned dataset, which suggests that this technique may be beneficial for furthering the comparison of the emotional deficits in ASD and ADHD

Identification by X-ray powder diffraction of various copper arsenide minerals from Keweenaw County, Michigan

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No direct translation : the other immigrants in a Mexican community at an American school

In this action research project the author employed a qualitative, case study approach to interview seven parents/guardians of extreme language minority students who attended the elementary school at which he worked. Because the community was composed of mostly Mexican immigrants, the needs of those students whose first language is neither English nor Spanish were often overlooked. Both professional and popular literature are reviewed in the relevant areas: language diversity and policies, demographic trends in the U.S., relative effectiveness of language programs in schools, transfer of skills from L1 to L2, culture\u27s effects on learning, comparative learning styles, SES\u27s effects on academic success, immigrant status\u27 effects on scholastic achievement and diversity between and within ethnicities. Using a grounded theory approach, five themes emerged from the interviews: immigration (reasons, assimilation), language (loss of L1, value of English), education (satisfaction with academics, dissatisfaction with lax discipline), culture (value of additive, hybrid identity) and expectations (pride in good behavior and academic success). Conclusions and recommendations are offered

Alternative male life histories in Bluegill Sunfish

Male bluegill sunfish are shown to have two alternative mating strategies: cuckoldry or parental care. Cuckolder males first mature at age 2. They follow a developmental sequence of sneaking and then mimicking female behavior to deceptively gain access to spawnings. Males who become parentals (construct nests, attract females, provide brood care) delay maturation until age 7. The parental investment of these males is parasitized by the cuckolders. This system is an example of a truly parasitically dependent mating strategy in vertebrates. A natural selection model is developed to predict the equilibrium frequencies of the two male types. A preliminary test of the model provides qualitative agreement

Our Cities as Economic Engines

Focusing on newly released data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Sougstad and Abrahamson unpack the trends and look at Rapid City and Sioux Falls in the context of the northern Great Plains region

Prospective observational study of point-of-care creatinine in trauma.

Background:Patients with trauma are at risk for renal dysfunction from hypovolemia or urological injury. In austere environments, creatinine values are not available to guide resuscitation. A new portable device, the Stat Sensor Point-of-care (POC) Whole Blood Creatinine Analyzer, provides accurate results in <30 s and requires minimal training. This device has not been evaluated in trauma despite the theoretical benefit it provides. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical impact of the POC device in trauma. Methods:40 patients with trauma were enrolled in a prospective observational study. One drop of blood was used for creatinine determination on the Statsensor POC device. POC creatinine results were compared to the laboratory. Turnaround time (TAT) for POC and laboratory methods was calculated as well as time elapsed to CT scan if applicable. Results:Patients (n=40) were enrolled between December 2014 and March 2015. POC creatinine values were similar to laboratory methods with a mean bias of 0.075±0.27 (p=0.08). Mean analytical TATs for the POC measurements were significantly faster than the laboratory method (11.6±10.0 min vs 78.1±27.9 min, n=40, p<0.0001). Mean elapsed time before arrival at the CT scanner was 52.9±34.2 min. Conclusions:The POC device reported similar creatinine values to the laboratory and provided significantly faster results. POC creatinine testing is a promising development for trauma practice in austere environments and workup of a subset of stable patients with trauma. Further study is warranted to determine clinical impact, both in hospital-based trauma and austere environments