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The present study examined the 2017 Times Higher Education annual rankings for Japanese institutions of higher learning. Based on the analytic model as mapped out previously using Canadian data, we offered a similar protocol for the top 100 institutions of higher education in Japan. Three analyses showed that: (a) overall rank correlated with individual index ranks for 9 of the 13 indices, (b) the schools appearing among the top institutions overall ranked significantly better on 8 of the 13 indices compared to schools appearing among the bottom institutions overall, and (c) schools were empirically grouped into four meaningful families or clusters whose constituent members shared a comparable profile of indices. We offer a juxtaposition of the present results to annual evaluations from Canada's institutions of higher learning. The wider implications include an international comparison of institutions of higher learning, a proposed analysis protocol that Japanese education administrations may further pursue, and a categorical breakdown of educational institutions in Japan. Directions for future research are outlined.

Based on analyses of Maclean's ranking data pertaining to Canadian universities published over the last 24 years, we present a summary of statistical findings of annual ranking exercises, as well as discussion about their current status and the effects upon student welfare. Some illustrative tables are also presented. Using correlational and cluster analyses, for each year, we have found largely nonsignificant, inconsistent, and uninterpretable relations between rank standings of universities and Maclean's main measures, as well as between rank standings and the many specific indices used to generate these standings. In our opinion, when assessed in terms of their empirical characteristics, the annual data show generally that this system of ranking is highly limited in terms of its practical or academic value to students. Among other difficulties with the interpretation of ranks, we also discuss the possibility that ranking exercises have unintended, though potentially serious, negative consequences for the intellectual and personal welfare of students.

We present a data-based perspective concerning the recent "Maclean's" magazine rankings of Canadian universities, including cluster and other analyses of the 2007 and 2008 data. Canadian universities empirically resemble and relate to each other in a manner different from their formal classification and final rank ordering in the "Maclean's" system. Several pitfalls in ranking procedures, related to invalid and unreliable relationships among indices underlying the final ranks, are outlined, along with relevant findings from previous studies. In their present format, although they have become increasingly publicized and promoted, data based on the "Maclean's" system are of limited practical use to students. Perhaps more important, ranking exercises have unintended though potentially serious consequences in terms of the intellectual and personal well-being of students.

Undergraduate classes typically involve a professor lecturing to 100 or more students. Too often, this results in minimal opportunities for student participation. Positive reinforcement was used to promote student participation (i.e., defined as relevant comments or questions) in a second-year psychology class (N = 97). Class participation was measured for five weeks in two 80-minute lectures per week. Baseline was collected in two lectures. In the unaware phase for two lectures, paper tickets were given without explanation to students who participated. Students were then informed that tickets were given for class participation, and would be entered into a draw for gift certificates. Data were collected for four lectures in this informed condition. Final baseline consisted of two lectures with no tickets distributed. Student attendance was recorded. Frequency of instructor questions remained relatively consistent. Class participation rose from 38 relevant comments and questions per week during initial baseline, to 47 during the unaware phase, 52.5 during the informed phase, and 60 for final baseline. Positive reinforcement was associated with increased class participation overall, but with little change for students with high initial participation. Students said they enjoyed and benefited from the class participation activity.

We further evaluated the Virtual Lecture Hall (VLH) (Cramer, Collins, Snider, & Fawcett, in press), an instructional computer-based platform to deliver PowerPoint slides threaded with audio clips for later review. Students from either an in-class or online section (ns = 810 and 74 respectively) of introductory psychology had access to live recorded lectures via the VLH, made available through the course Web site. Approximately 45% of in-class and 78% of online students used the resource prior to each of two course midterms; 32% of in-class and 50% of online students completed a five-item survey assessing student perceptions of whether the VLH enhanced learning or increased grades, and whether they wanted the resource in other courses. Number of VLH accesses and total duration were calculated. Results showed that regardless of course section, greater VLH use was linked to higher midterm scores, and student perceptions of the VLH were highly favorable. Curiously, whereas in-class students' VLH use and duration were negatively related to expected grade, that same link was positive for online students. Directions for future research in resource development and implications for educators are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Undergraduate students evaluated one of their professors on sensitivity to students' needs, quality of teaching, course structure, and treatment of designated group members (e.g., visible minorities). Found differences related to student gender and academic discipline; ratings also correlated with how often a professor met with students outside of class, when the class was scheduled, and class size. (EV)

As in most disciplines, the typical introductory class presents topics to students in a linear fashion, beginning (to use psychology as an example) with the history of the field, research methods, brain and neurons, sensation and perception, and so on. This study examined the impact of topic sequence on student achievement. The same professor taught two different sections of an introductory psychology university course during one semester. One section of the course received lectures in the standard linear order, while the other section received lectures in a nonlinear order, beginning with memory and consciousness, followed by history and research methods. Nonlinear-delivery students scored significantly higher on their midterm for four of the seven assigned chapters and performed better overall for the final examination than did linear-delivery students. Nonlinear-student attrition was also significantly lower (7.1% vs. 16.9%). These findings suggest that presentation of material in a nonlinear order better lends itself to student understanding.

Observers frequently commit the fundamental attribution error by failing to make adequate allowance for contextual influences in favour of dispositional explanations. The present experiment tested whether people would attribute a quizmaster's knowledge of the quiz topic to personal factors (personally knowing the answers) or to situational factors (reading the answers), and whether this varied by the gender of the topic. Participants listened to a staged quiz show that varied the sex of the quizmaster (male or female) and the stereotypical gender of the quiz topic (masculine or feminine). When the topic was masculine, female quizmasters were rated as having less knowledge and expertise. Male participants rated female quizmasters as less knowledgeable than male quizmasters, regardless of the topic. (Contains 1 note.)

We present a data-based perspective concerning recent (e.g., 2008) "Maclean's" magazine rankings of Canadian universities, including cluster analysis of the 2008 data. Canadian universities empirically resemble and relate to each other in a manner different from their formal classification and final rank ordering in the "Maclean's" system. Several pitfalls in ranking procedures, related to invalid and unreliable relationships among indices underlying the final ranks, are outlined, along with relevant findings from previous studies. In their present format, although they have become increasingly publicized and promoted, data based on the "Maclean's" system can seemingly be of only limited practical use to students. Perhaps more important, in our opinion, ranking exercises have unintended though potentially serious consequences for the intellectual and personal well-being of students.

We presently introduce the Virtual Lecture Hall (VLH), an instructional computer-based platform for delivering Microsoft PowerPoint slides threaded with audio clips for later review. There were 839 male and female university students enrolled in an introductory psychology class who had access to review class lectures via the VLH. This tool was made available through the course website following the first midterm. Approximately 20% used the resource, and 18% completed a five-item survey tapping their perceptions of whether the VLH enhanced learning or increased grades; and whether they wanted the resource in other courses. The total number of student accesses was calculated, as was the total duration (in minutes) that students used the VLH. After accounting for initial midterm test score differences, results showed that students who used the VLH for 100 minutes or more scored, on average, 15% higher in their second midterm. The student perceptions of the VLH were also highly favourable. Directions for future research in resource development and implications for educators are also discussed.

A summary and update on recent research by the authors and others concerning rankings of Canadian universities is presented. Some specific data are reported in regard to the 2005 and 2006 ranking data published by "Maclean's" magazine. Some criticisms and difficulties with the use of rank-based data are outlined with regard to the issues of university selection and the interpretation of commonly used ranking indices. Also, aside from statistical and related matters, several implications of ranking exercises for the personal and academic welfare of Canadian students, at all educational levels, are described.

Parents of 209 children (162 males and 46 females) with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome or learning disabilities ranging in age from 4 to 21 years were surveyed about their perceptions of the education of their children. Items on the survey were categorized into 7 areas: school personnel's knowledge about the disability, best practices, behavioural concerns, parent/school collaboration, education team, individual education plan, and miscellaneous other items. Group differences were observed on a number of items and in almost every case parents in the learning disabilities group rated the items significantly lower than one or more of the other groups. In addition, numerous items were paired such that parents were asked to rate if a certain educational "best practice" was being utilized with their child and if they felt their child required it. Examination of the paired items indicated many significant differences between what parents felt was being offered their child, and what their child needed to achieve their maximum potential across diagnostic groups. The implications of these and other results are discussed. (Contains 5 tables.)

Six love styles have been theorized to be related to several personality constructs (e.g., self-esteem) (Lee, 1973). Despite the interpersonal nature of love, investigations have yet to evaluate related variables and their association to love styles in romantic relationships. As a stable cognitive schema, silencing the self is proposed to account for gender differences in rates of depression. To augment the validity of this construct, the present study examined the relationship between Lee's love styles and silencing the self for men and women. A sample of 826 male and female introductory psychology students completed the Love Attitudes Inventory and the Self-Silencing Inventory. Stepwise regression analyses were conducted separately for men and women to assess the relative prediction of self-silencing from the six styles of love. Self-silencing was significantly predicted by mania for men, and by ludus, mania, eros, and agape for women. We discuss the sociocultural explanations for gender differences in love styles associated with self-silencing and potential implications for counselling individuals in romantic relationships. (Contains 1 table.)

Objective: The aims of this study were to examine (1) the psychometric properties of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire [CTQ; Bernstein, D., Fink, L., Handelsman, L., Foote, J., Lovejoy, M., Wenzel, K., Sapareto, E., & Ruggiero, J. (1994). Initial reliability and validity of a new retrospective measure of child abuse and neglect. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 1132-1136; Bernstein, D., & Fink, L. (1993). Manual for the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript. Bronx, NY: VA Medical Center] in an undergraduate sample and (2) the prevalence of abuse and neglect in this sample. Method: Principal components analyses (PCA), coefficient alpha, and correlations were used to analyse data for 470 undergraduate students from a mid-western Canadian university. Cut-offs from a short-form of the CTQ [Bernstein, D., & Fink, L. (1998). Manual for the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. New York: The Psychological Corporation] were used to estimate prevalence. Results: PCA yielded a five-factor solution comprised of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as emotional, and physical neglect. All factors, except physical neglect, demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. This factor structure largely replicated results reported for an adolescent clinical sample [Bernstein, D., Ahluvala, T., Pogge, D., & Handelsman, L. (1997). Validity of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in an adolescent psychiatric population. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 340-348], with the exception of the physical neglect factor which was comprised of considerably different items. Rates of childhood trauma were largely comparable to those reported for community and student samples in more densely populated regions of North America. Conclusions: The CTQ appears to be a valid measure of abuse and neglect in student samples, although experiences are somewhat differentially identified as different types of abuse and neglect depending on age and patient versus nonpatient status.

Parents of 69 students with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) were surveyed about their perceptions of, and their satisfaction with, educational services. Parents of nonverbal children rated classroom environment and education team variables more highly, as did parents of younger children and parents of more than one child with PDD. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Reanalyzes data predicting likelihood that psychology undergraduates will seek psychological help. Results found that individuals are more likely to seek counseling when distress is high and attitudes toward counseling are positive; distress is higher when social support networks are impaired; and individuals who conceal information often have negative attitudes toward counseling and impaired social support networks. (Author/JDM)

Whether the one- or two-factor Wechsler or weighted sum scores (WSS) structural models adequately fit the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC-III) covariance matrices was studied with samples of 2200 and 1118 children from previous studies. Both the WSS and supplemented models provided better fit than Wechsler's model but still required modification. (SLD)

To assess whether the Group Environment Questionnaire is applicable to athletes in co-acting sports such as track and field, the factor structure of the Group Environment Questionnaire among a heterogeneous sample of 199 co-acting team sport athletes was investigated. A confirmatory factor analysis did not support the hypothesized four-factor model. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis yielded two independent factors that had no interpretable pattern of the four Group Environment Questionnaire factors within them. While this finding requires replication and confirmation, the four-factor model of the Group Environment Questionnaire does not appear to be as valid for co-acting sports as for interacting sports.

The present study evaluated the hypothesis that those who prefer solitude should perceive social isolation as a positive experience. 391 university students volunteered to complete the Preference for Solitude Scale and a battery of social adjustment (e.g., Gough Creativity, Life Satisfaction, and Rosenberg Self-esteem) and maladjustment scales, e.g., Fenigstein Social Anxiety, Spielberger State Anxiety, and Social Isolation. Results provided partial support with correlations for solitude with social anxiety, social loneliness, and alienation but not with several other measures of social functioning.

The present study examined the relation between two Snyder Hope subscales (Agency: goal motivation; Pathways: goal planning) and adjustment problems (a composite of seven MMPI-2 clinical scales). Each of 354 university students completed both the Hope Scale and the MMPI-2. Whereas scores on Hope, Agency, and Pathways subscales were each negatively related to the maladjustment composite score, the relation was significantly stronger for the Agency than for the Pathways subscale. For individual clinical scales, the Agency subscale offered better prediction than the Pathways subscale for all selected clinical scales except Hysteria and Psychopathic Deviate. The Agency subscale also offered better prediction than the Hope Scale for Psycbaesthenia and Schizophrenia. Applications for health professionals and directions for research are discussed.

Participants provided with clear descriptions can avert fake bad validity indices for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory more than participants with unclear character descriptions. The Fake and Fake bad scales give the best overall discrimination between authentic and simulated profiles though both the Fake-Bad scale and the F-K index are better equipped for more refined discriminations.