Behavior in a psychology laboratory?constrained by the need to efficiently replicate tasks, record individual responses, and avoid contamination from external factors?is different in systematic ways from behavior within an everyday environment where similar tasks are undertaken and problems solved. This article describes a program of research that…

Presented is a collection of abstracts of selected technical reports, journal articles, and other documents resulting from research supported by the directorates of the National Science Foundation. Reports are grouped by sponsoring directorate: Biological, Behavioral and Social Sciences; Engineering; and Scientific, Technological and Industrial…

Important new medical findings and advances in heart, lung, and blood research with goals of encouraging practical applications are presented in this supplement to the 12th report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council. The findings are the result of a 10-year research program directed to the highest identified priorities in…

In this article, we examine the role that different participant structures can play in supporting inquiry-based science learning. We frame mastering scientific inquiry as mastering the "what," "why," and "how" of the cultural tools that scientists employ. We present a participant structure we call the teacher as partner and show how it renders the…

This information packet on quasars consists of an introductory paper, four articles from "Mercury," a journal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and a bibliography. Methods used to measure distances in the universe and the nature of quasi-stellar objects (QSO's), the name preferred by many workers in the field, are discussed in…

Summarizes recent research on the formation of galaxies and clusters, focusing on research examining how the materials in galaxies seen today separated from the universal expansion and collapsed into stable bodies. A list of six nontechnical books and articles for readers with less background is included. (JN)

Examines ways in which behavioral and social science can contribute to the stability of the modern partnership between government, academia, and science. Stresses the role researchers can play in the legislative process. Summarizes related articles in the same journal issue. (KH)

Describes (in separate articles) 25 developments in science, technology, and medicine that have potential impact on the near future. They include discoveries related to space butterflies, drugs, twenty-first century software, experimental mathematics, brain drugs, egg development, ultrasmall microchips, the biology of birth, cancer-causing genes,…