Altruism and Voluntary Provision of Public Goods.

We study how people's predisposition towards altruism, as measured by tools developed by psychologists, affects their behaviour in a voluntary contributions public good environment. Earlier experiments provide evidence against the strong free rider hypothesis; however, contributions to the public good decrease with repetition. We investigate whether a high level of contributions can be sustained in groups of subjects who have been pre-selected on the basis of their altruistic inclinations. In the first stage of the experiment, each subject responds to a psychology questionnaire that measures various dimensions of one's personality. The subjects are then matched in groups according to their altruism scores, and engage in a voluntary contribution game. We consider whether the levels and dynamics of group contributions differ significantly between the groups with altruists and non-altruists. We find that subjects' altruism has a weak but positive effect on group behaviour in the public good game.PUBLIC OWNERSHIP ; BEHAVIOUR ; GAMES

Extending an Effective Classroom-Based Math Board Game Intervention to Preschoolers’ Homes

The preschool years are a critical time for math development. Unfortunately, children from low-income backgrounds often enter kindergarten with lower math skills than middle-income peers, perhaps due to less math exposure at home. Few home-based math interventions are available for preschool age children; those that do exist are costly and difficult to implement. Interventions conducted in children’s schools using linear numeric board games developed by researchers have been particularly successful with low-income preschool children. Researchers have suggested they may be adapted for home-use by using commercially available board games, such as Chutes and Ladders, and teaching parents how to play. The two studies described in this paper explored the effectiveness of using Chutes and Ladders with a specialized counting procedure with Head Start families. Implementation proved to be challenging and children did not improve as much as in previous classroom-based interventions

Additional Phase II Testing at 41BX323 in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio (CAR-UTSA) conducted eligibility testing on the southeast portion of 41BX323, Bexar County, Texas from September 6 to September 14, 2007. CAR was contracted by Lake/Flato Architects to conduct eligibility testing on a previously uninvestigated portion of site 41BX323. Lake/Flato Architects have been contracted by the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for the construction of a proposed parking garage facility. The proposed improvements will be impacting the southeastern portions of State Archaeological Landmark (SAL) site 41BX323. The primary goal of the excavations was to determine if the proposed impacts would adversely affect deposits that contribute to the site’s SAL eligibility. A second goal was to better define the southern boundary of the site. Testing by CAR concluded that the site boundaries need to be extended further south than previously recorded. CAR concludes that the cultural material recovered during excavations likely represents a Late Prehistoric to Archaic occupation of the site. CAR identified no significant data, within the tested portion of the site that would contribute to the understanding of prehistoric Texas. No intact features were identified although small pieces of fire-cracked rock was quite common on site. Following the review of the draft final report, the THC reviewer, Mark Denton, requested that the City Parks and Recreation Department coordinate with the THC regarding the movement of the maintenance facility found within the boundaries of the project area. In addition, the THC requested that Lake/Flato Architecs coordinate with the THC regarding the relocation of the mini-rail road from within the footprint of the planned parking facility. Since the new location will fall within the limits of site 41BX323, it is paramount that no subsurface disturbances occur during the reinstallation of the tracts. All materials recovered during the investigations and all project related documents are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research. CAR recommends that the tested portion of the site does not contribute to the site’s SAL eligibility