Conditioned defeat is a model wherein hamsters that have previously experienced a single social defeat subsequently exhibit heightened levels of avoidance and submission in response to a smaller, non-aggressive intruder. While we have previously demonstrated the critical involvement of the basolateral and central nuclei of the amygdala in the…

Whether the density of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium release channels/ryanodine receptors in the heart declines with age is not clear. We investigated age-related changes in the density of [3H]-ryanodine receptors in crude ventricular homogenates, which contained all ligand binding sites in heart and in isolated junctional SR membranes.…

Even with all the external elements of school reform in place, educators can end up spinning their wheels. To make progress, schools must identify the nonnegotiable key elements of their reform plans and use the habits of highly effective schools to turn them into school practice. These habits are: (1) demonstrate high expectations and a vision…

Analysis of Conrad Hilberry's poem Hamster Cage". (SP)

Reviews several studies that examine the climate of feeling surrounding training courses for college teachers and the general social atmosphere of the job into which the trainee is being initiated. (JT)

Provides an activity that enables students to learn and remember the names of the original thirteen states in the United States. Uses a humorous story that incorporates a mnemonic (a memory aid) strategy. Includes a copy of the story and a map of the original thirteen states in 1776. (CMK)

Describes the data collection and interpretation project of primary grade students involving predicting, graphing, estimating, measuring, number problem construction, problem solving, and probability. (MKR)

Diagrams and explains construction of an actograph which quantitatively records daily movements of animals for a 24-hour period. Combines use of a kymograph and the teetering box of Palmer. Biorhythm activities with fiddler crabs, cockroaches, and hamsters are suggested. (CS)

Noting that the ways children encounter and use print in the classroom can be examined as surface and organizing content of curriculum, this article provides descriptions of innovative uses of print in the kindergarten and elementary school classroom. Curriculum "surface content" includes activities, use of classroom space, display, and…

This paper briefly traces the history of 4-H youth development programs, explains what youth development is, and shows how the experiential learning model is used in 4-H. Begun over 75 years ago as a means of extending the learning of the land-grant university to rural youth, 4-H is part of the Cooperative Extension Service. The curriculum…

The author suggests eight ideal classroom pets: hamsters; turtles; snakes; spiders; frogs and toads; fish; and birds. For each he gives suggestions on selecting the pet and housing and feeding it in the classroom. Desert terrariums and home pet care training are also discussed. (SJL)

Notes that rodents and rabbits share many characteristics that make them suitable classroom pets and gives background information on rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Offers advice on buying a classroom pet, the pet's home, feeding, helping the children handle the pet, and pet health and family planning. (TJQ)

There has been considerable interest lately in cases where instrumental conditionability appears to depend on the reinforcer used. Here the effects of Pavlovian conditioned stimuli (CSs)on golden hamster behaviors was observed. The intent was to see whether previously reported differences among the behaviors produced by food reinforcement and…

Discusses the benefits of a classroom pet. Presents guidelines to determine whether a classroom pet is really needed and some suggestions for improving existing conditions for animals you may already have. Includes chart for choosing the right pet, which compares the life span, size, diet, and pros and cons for guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits,…

Examined English-speaking preschoolers' level of writing and their performance on oral-segmentation tasks. Found a close relationship between children's levels of writing and their levels of oral segmentation on a writing task in which they were asked to write four pairs of words, for example, "ham" and "hamster." Concluded…