Michigan State University

About: Michigan State University is a education organization based out in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 60109 authors who have published 137074 publications receiving 5633022 citations. The organization is also known as: MSU & Michigan State.

Tools for Inventing Organizations: Toward a Handbook of Organizational Processes

Abstract: This paper describes a novel theoretic al and empirical approach to tasks such as business process redesign and knowledge management. The project involves collecting examples of how different organizations perform similar processes, and organizing these examples in an on-line "process handbook." The handbook is intended to help people: (1) redesign existing organizational processes, (2) invent new organizational processes (especially ones that take advantage of information technology), and (3) share ideas about organizational practices. A key element of the work is an approach to analyzing processes at various levels of abstraction, thus capturing both the details of specific processes as well as the "deep structure" of their similarities. This approach uses ideas from computer science about inheritance and from coordination theory about managing dependencies. A primary advantage of the approach is that it allows people to explicitly represent the similarities (and differences) among related processes and to easily find or generate sensible alternatives for how a given process could be performed. In addition to describing this new approach, the work reported here demonstrates the basic technical feasibility of these ideas and gives one example of their use in a field study.

Does stereotype threat affect test performance of minorities and women? A meta-analysis of experimental evidence.

Abstract: A meta-analysis of stereotype threat effects was conducted and an overall mean effect size of |.26| was found, but true moderator effects existed. A series of hierarchical moderator analyses evidenced differential effects of race- versus gender-based stereotypes. Women experienced smaller performance decrements than did minorities when tests were difficult: mean ds |.36| and |.43|, respectively. For women, subtle threat-activating cues produced the largest effect, followed by blatant and moderately explicit cues: ds |.24|, |.18|, and |.17|, respectively; explicit threat-removal strategies were more effective in reducing stereotype threat effects than subtle ones: ds |.14| and |.33|, respectively. For minorities, moderately explicit stereotype threat-activating cues produced the largest effect, followed by blatant and subtle cues: ds |.64|, |.41|, and |.22|, respectively; explicit removal strategies enhanced stereotype threat effects compared with subtle strategies: ds |.80| and |.34|, respectively. In addition, stereotype threat affected moderately math-identified women more severely than highly math-identified women: ds |.52| and |.29|, respectively; low math-identified women suffered the least from stereotype threat: d |.11|. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Does evolutionary theory need a rethink

Abstract: Nobel physicist talks plants with a waiter, then what? p.168 ENERGY Don't assume that renewable energies are problem-free p.168 AGEING Atul Gawande's call to action on end-of-life medical care p.167 HEALTH Lasting legacy of wartime battle against malaria p.166 Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? Researchers are divided over what processes should be considered fundamental. I n October 1881, just six months before he died, Charles Darwin published his final book. The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Actions of Worms 11 sold briskly: Darwin's earlier publications had secured his reputation. He devoted an entire book to these humble creatures in part because they exemplify an interesting feedback process: earthworms are adapted to thrive in an environment that they modify through their own activities. Darwin learned about earthworms from conversations with gardeners and his own simple experiments. He had a genius for distilling penetrating insights about evolutionary processes — often after amassing years of observational and experimental data — and he drew on such disparate topics as agriculture, geology, embryol-ogy and behaviour. Evolutionary thinking ever since has followed Darwin's lead in its emphasis on evidence and in synthesizing information from other fields. A profound shift in evolutionary thinking began C harles Darwin conceived of evolution by natural selection without knowing that genes exist. Now mainstream evolutionary theory has come to focus almost exclusively on genetic inheritance and processes that change gene frequencies. Yet new data pouring out of adjacent fields are starting to undermine this narrow stance. An alternative vision of evolution is beginning to crystallize, in which the processes by which organisms grow and develop are recognized as causes of evolution. Some of us first met to discuss these advances six years ago. In the time since, as members of an interdisciplinary team, we have worked intensively to develop a broader framework, termed the extended evolutionary synthesis 1 (EES), and to flesh out its structure, assumptions and predictions. In essence, this synthesis maintains that important drivers of evolution, ones that cannot be reduced to genes, must be woven into the very fabric of evolutionary theory. We believe that the EES will shed new light on how POINT Yes, urgently Without an extended evolutionary framework, the theory neglects key processes, say Kevin Laland and colleagues.

3.6 Minutes per Day: The Scarcity of Informational Texts in First Grade.

Abstract: Although scholars have called for greater attention to informational texts in the early grades for some time, there have been few data available about the degree to which informational texts are actually included in early grade classrooms, and in what ways. This study provides basic, descriptive information about informational text experiences offered to children in 20 first-grade classrooms selected from very low- and very high-SES school districts. Each classroom was visited for four full days over the course of a school year. On each visit, data were collected about the types of texts on classroom walls and other surfaces, in the classroom library, and in classroom written language activities. Results show a scarcity of informational texts in these classroom print environments and activities—there were relatively few informational texts included in classroom libraries, little informational text on classroom walls and other surfaces, and a mean of only 3.6 minutes per day spent with informational texts during classroom written language activities. This scarcity was particularly acute for children in the low-SES school districts, where informational texts comprised a much smaller proportion of already-smaller classroom libraries, where informational texts were even less likely to be found on classroom walls and other surfaces, and where the mean time per day spent with informational texts was 1.9 minutes, with half the low-SES classrooms spending no time at all with informational texts during any of the four days each was observed. Strategies for increasing attention to informational texts in the early grades are presented. [Note: This article is reprinted in Promisng Practices for Urban Reading Instruction, www.reading.orgpublicationsbbvbooksbk518.] Si bien, desde hace algun tiempo, los investigadores han mostrado la necesidad de prestar mayor atencion a los textos informativos en los grados iniciales, se dispone de pocos datos acerca del grado en el que efectivamente se incorporan textos informativos en las aulas de grados iniciales y de la forma en que son utilizados. Este estudio proporciona informacion basica, descriptiva acerca de experiencias con textos informativos llevadas a cabo con ninos de 20 aulas de primer grado seleccionadas de distritos escolares de nivel socioeconomico (NSE) muy bajo y muy alto. Se visito cada aula durante cuatro dias completos en el curso del ano escolar. En cada visita se recogieron datos sobre los tipos de textos que aparecian en las paredes del aula y otras superficies, en la biblioteca del aula y en las actividades de lenguaje escrito. Los resultados muestran una escasez de textos informativos en las escrituras del medio y en las actividades; habia pocos textos informativos en las bibliotecas de las aulas, pocos textos informativos en las paredes del aula y otras superficies y una media de solo 3.6 minutos por dia dedicados a textos informativos durante las actividades con el lenguaje escrito. Esta escasez fue particularmente aguda en el caso de los distritos escolares de bajo NSE, en los cuales los textos informativos constituian una pequena proporcion en las ya pequenas bibliotecas de las aulas. Asimismo, era poco probable encontrar textos informativos en las paredes de las aulas y otras superficies, el tiempo promedio por dia dedicado a textos informativos fue de 1.9 minutos y en la mitad de las aulas de bajo NSE no se trabajo en ningun momento con textos informativos durante los cuatro dias de observacion. Se presentan estrategias para desarrollar la atencion hacia los textos informativos en los grados iniciales. Obgleich die Wissenschaftler seit einiger Zeit fordern, den informativen Texten grosere Beachtung in Anfangsklassen zu widmen, sind nur wenige Daten uber das Ausmas verfugbar, in welchem informative Texte tatsachlich in Anfangsklassen integriert werden und auf welche Weise dies geschieht. Diese Studie liefert grundlich dargelegte Erkenntnisse uber die Verwertung informativer Texterfahrungen, die Kinder der ersten Klasse in 20 ausgesuchten Klassenraumen von sehr niedrigen bis zu sehr hohen sozial-okonomischen {SES=SocioEconomic Status} Schulbezirken machten. Jeder Klassenraum wurde fur einen vollen Tag an insgesamt vier Tagen im Verlauf eines Schuljahres besucht. Bei jedem Besuch wurden Daten uber die Art der Texte an Klassenraumwanden und anderen Aushangflachen, in der Klassenraumbucherei und bei schriftlichen Klassenraumaktivitaten gesammelt. Die Resultate zeigen einen Mangel an informativen Texten in dieser fur Gedrucktes und ahnlicher Aktivitaten vorgesehenen Klassenraumumgebung-es fanden sich relativ wenige informative Texte einschlieslich der Klassenraumbucherei, wenig informativer Text an Klassenraumwanden und anderen Flachen, und wahrend der Sprachaktivitaten im Durchschnitt nur 3.6 mit informativen Texten verbrachte Minuten pro Tag. Diese Einschrankung war besonders bei Kindern im unteren SES-Schulbezirk akut, wo informative Texte einen noch weit geringeren Anteil bilden, bei ohnehin kleineren Klassenraumbibliotheken, wobei solche informativen Texte weit weniger an Klassenraumwanden oder anderen Flachen zu finden waren und wo im Tagesdurchschnitt 1.9 Minuten mit informativen Texten verbracht wurden, wobei die Halfte der niedrigen SES-Klassenraume uberhaupt keine Zeit an nicht einem einzigen der vier observierten Tage mit informativen Texten verbrachten. Strategien fur eine gesteigerte Bedeutung hin zu informativen Texten in den Anfangsklassen werden dargelegt. Bien que les chercheurs aient propose depuis un certain temps quelon fasse d'avantage attention aux textes informatifs pendant les premieres annees d'ecole, on dispose de peu de donnees relatives a la place qui est faite aujourd'hui aux textes informatifs dans les premieres classes et a la facon dont on les utilise cette recherche allorte une information descriptive de base sur l'experience des textes informatifs qui est offerte a des enfants de 20 classes de 1a annee issues de circonscriptions tres favorisees et tres defavorisees. On a visite chaque classe pendant une journee entiere a quatre reprises au cours d'une annee scolaire. A chaque visite, on a recueilli des donnees relatives aux types de texte se trouvant sur les murs de la classe ou d'autres supports, a la bibliotheque de la classe, et dans les activites de langue ecrite de la classe. Les resultats montrent la rarete des textes informatifs dans l'environnement ecrit de ces classes et dans leurs activitesily a il y a relativement peu de textes informatifs sur les murs de la classe ou les autres supports, et une moyenne de 3.6 minutes par jour ou des textes informatifs sont utilises au cours d'activites d'ecrit. Cette rarete est particulierement criarde pour les enfants des circonscriptions de milieu defavorise, ou les textes informatifs sont en pourcentage encore beaucoup plus petit dans bibliotheques deja plus petites, ou la probabilite de trouver des textes informatifs sur les murs de la classes ou sur d'autres supports est encore plus petite, et ou le temps moyen consacre chaque jour a des textes informatifs tombe a 1.9 minutes, tandis que la moitie de ces classes de milieu defavorise n'utilisent pas du tout de textes informatifs pendant les quatre jours ou elles ont ete observees. Nous presentons des strategies afin que l'on accorde plus d'attention aux textes informatifs.

Detecting and Deterring Insufficient Effort Responding to Surveys

Abstract: Responses provided by unmotivated survey participants in a careless, haphazard, or random fashion can threaten the quality of data in psychological and organizational research. The purpose of this study was to summarize existing approaches to detect insufficient effort responding (IER) to low-stakes surveys and to comprehensively evaluate these approaches. In an experiment (Study 1) and a nonexperimental survey (Study 2), 725 undergraduates responded to a personality survey online. Study 1 examined the presentation of warnings to respondents as a means of deterrence and showed the relative effectiveness of four indices for detecting IE responses: response time, long string, psychometric antonyms, and individual reliability coefficients. Study 2 demonstrated that the detection indices measured the same underlying construct and showed the improvement of psychometric properties (item interrelatedness, facet dimensionality, and factor structure) after removing IE respondents identified by each index. Three approaches (response time, psychometric antonyms, and individual reliability) with high specificity and moderate sensitivity were recommended as candidates for future application in survey research. The identification of effective IER indices may help researchers ensure the quality of their low-stake survey data. This study is a first attempt to comprehensively evaluate IER detection methods using both experimental and nonexperimental designs. Results from both studies corroborated each other in suggesting the three more effective approaches. This study also provided convergent validity evidence regarding various indices for IER.