Student perception of academic grading: personality, academic orientation, and effort

Factors influencing student perceptions of academic grading were examined, with an emphasis on furthering understanding of the relevance of effort to students’ conceptualization of grading. Students demonstrated a conceptualization of grading where effort should be weighted comparably to actual performance in importance to the composition of a grade, with the expectation that grade allocation should reflect this perception. Students suggested a compensatory effect of effort in grade assignment, where a subjectively perceived high level of effort was expected to supplement low performance on a task. Furthermore, students perceived professors as less fair and less competent when they were perceived to not be able to adequately account for students’ subjective perception of effort. In addition, student perceptions of grading were examined in relation to student-possessed learning orientation (LO), grade orientation (GO), and aspects of personality. Prototypically, individuals high in LO tend to be motivated by the acquisition of knowledge, while those high in GO tend to be driven by the acquisition of high grades. Conscientiousness, openness and age contributed significantly to and positively predicted LO. Inversely, conscientiousness, openness and age contributed significantly to and negatively predicted GO while neuroticism positively predicted this orientation. Students appear to place a heavy amount of importance on professor consideration of effort, despite recognizing the realistic difficulties in determining effort. The potential for an emerging student mentality is discussed, where students’ perception of grading is distorted by a subjective appraisal of their own effort

Fusing art and science

In this thesis, I will demonstrate how I incorporate scientific theory to produce varying aesthetics in my artwork. By discussing the foundations on which I have built this notion, in addition to my childhood interests, I will assert that my artwork is firmly grounded and entrenched in my interests in both science and art

Propensity of predator mimicry in wild Steller\u27s jays

Avian vocal mimicry has been described in a variety of contexts, suggesting its function is multifaceted within and across species; however, basic empirical data describing mimetic signal prevalence and context is lacking for numerous species. I examined occurrence and context of mimicked red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) calls over a 12-month period in a wild population of 49 individually color-marked Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and reviewed the occurrence of the behavior in historic re-sight data. I documented mimicry of red-shouldered hawk calls in 14 of 49 (28.6%) jays during the study. Hawk mimicry occurred more often during the early breeding season when jays were within home territories, while mates were present and aggression was absent. Younger, larger, and bolder jays were most likely to perform imitations. These results suggest jays individually vary in mimetic propensity, and individuals’ proclivity for mimicry may be influenced by social and ecological contexts, physical characteristics, and personality traits

Stanford-Binet Profile Differences between Normative Children and Those with Learning Disabilities or ADHD

The prevalence of learning disorders (LD) and attention-deficit disorders (ADHD) in school-aged children has received a great deal of interest for decades. The history, defining characteristics and methods of assessment remain relevant as many school-aged children continue to receive these diagnoses. The assessment of LD and ADHD can be a difficult and time-consuming process which involves numerous testing instruments and clinical interviews. Both diagnoses typically require intelligence testing, achievement testing, personality assessment and behavioral or syndrome specific testing. The current study sought to develop subtest profiles for the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition that would serve to streamline the assessment battery for each diagnosis. Specific subtest profiles were constructed and found to have significantly different strengths and weaknesses as compared to those in normative control samples. However, due to variability within the clinical and control samples, the usefulness of the profile patterns or composites should not be used in isolation. Instead, subtest profiles should be used in conjunction with other measures of behavior, achievement or syndrome specific tests to establish clinical hypotheses of the presence of LD or ADHD

Nonsulfide flotation technology and plant practice

Book ChapterThere are hundreds of nonsulfide mineral flotation plants throughout the United States, and most have a plant design that depends upon the specific ore characteristics and the market specifications for their product. There is no common thread of technology between the design and processing of different nonsulfide minerals, or even between processing minerals of the same kind. Although most nonsulfide processing plants utilize flotation, other mineral separation techniques are often necessary to yield a marketable product. Typical beneficiation techniques used in conjunction with flotation include gravity separation, magnetic separation and chemical leaching. Sometimes several different flotation systems are used in the same processing plant, such as the flotation of mica, quartz and feldspar from pegmatite ores. Usually there is a primary material produced at a nonsulfide processing plant with other mineral products sold as by-product material. Often the economics of a facility is dependent upon the by-products and sometimes the by-products become the most profitable commodity produced at a plant. The stone, sand and gravel industry is the exception and is not included in this chapter. This nonsulfide mining industry is huge, exceeding all the metals industry and fuel industry tonnage combined. These mining operations do not beneficiate their material by flotation nor do they normally use any other mineral separation process. This industry mines a one-component deposit that only requires removal of fines and clays to produce a saleable product

Useful Field of View Impairments in Drivers with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

As a group, drivers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased risk for motor vehicle crashes, but determining individual crash risk is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that drivers with OSA have impaired visual attention, as indexed by reduced useful field of view (UFOV), a predictor of highrisk driving. Forty-one drivers with untreated OSA and 50 comparison drivers were assessed by UFOV. OSA drivers performed significantly worse than controls on all UFOV subtests and had reduced UFOV as indicated by a higher mean total UFOV score (p = 0.0017). However, only 4 OSA and 2 control drivers had values indicative of high crash risk (UFOV reduction \u3e23%). Drivers with OSA have reduced UFOV compared to drivers without neurological or sleep disorders. However, as UFOV identifies few high-risk drivers, its role in assessing crash risk in an unselected population of drivers with OSA appears to be limited

Audience Response to Photovoice as a Mental Illness Antistigma Intervention

The present study examined the effectiveness and efficacy of a novel antistigma intervention in reducing mental illness stigma, as well as the role of audience empathy as a mediator of stigma reduction following antistigma intervention. Study 1 examined the effectiveness of an antistigma intervention developed through grassroots collaboration between the Canadian Mental Health Association and individuals that have experienced mental illness. This intervention was unique in that it featured a multimodal format that combined psychoeducation, live contact, and a Photovoice video, which has not been examined as an antistigma intervention in the literature to date. Fifty-two students viewed the intervention and completed measures of mental illness stigma at both pre- and post-intervention. Results showed that participants reported decreased mental illness stigma from pre- to post-intervention. Study 2 built off of these findings to examine the efficacy of the Photovoice video as a standalone online antistigma intervention. Online antistigma videos have not been widely researched in the literature, despite the low-cost and dissemination benefits associated with an online video format. Three hundred and three students were randomly assigned to either the Photovoice video (n = 156) or a control video (n = 147). Results indicated that the Photovoice video was efficacious in reducing mental illness stigma, including reduced fear, anger, perceived dangerousness, and desired social distance between pre- and post-intervention, relative to the control. In addition, 104 participants (Photovoice = 56; control = 48) returned to complete follow-up measures at 1-month post-intervention. Photovoice was efficacious in maintaining reduced desired social distance relative to the control, indicative of a continued willingness to interact with individuals that have a mental illness. Finally, viewer empathy was found to mediate the relationship between the Photovoice intervention and reduced mental illness stigma, suggesting that the Photovoice video reduced mental illness stigma by eliciting empathy in the viewer. Implications for the development of antistigma interventions are discussed, as well as limitations of the study and directions for future research

Variability of Driving Performance During Microsleeps

This study aimed to evaluate the value of measuring microsleeps as anindicator of driving performance impairment in drowsy drivers with sleepdisorders. Drivers with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea/hypopenasyndrome (OSAHS) are at increased risk for driving performance errors due tomicrosleep episodes, which presage sleep onset. To meet this aim, we tested thehypothesis that OSAHS drivers show impaired control over vehicle steering, laneposition and velocity during microsleep episodes compared to when they aredriving without microsleeps on similar road segments. A microsleep is defined asa 3-14 sec episode during which 4-7 Hz (theta) activity replaces the waking 8-13Hz (alpha) background rhythm. Microsleep episodes were identified in theelectroencephalography (EEG) record by a neurologist certified by the AmericanBoard of Sleep Medicine. Twenty-four drivers with OSAHS were tested usingsimulated driving scenarios. Steering variability, lane position variability,acceleration and velocity measures were assessed in the periods during amicrosleep, immediately preceding (pre) microsleep, and immediately following(post) microsleep. In line with our introductory hypothesis, drivers with OSAHSdid show significantly greater variation in steering and lane position during themicrosleep episodes compared to the periods pre and post microsleep. The resultsindicate that identification of microsleep episodes can provide a marker fordeclining vehicle control of drivers with OSAHS