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This study investigated the extent to which differences in implicit and explicit math--language gender stereotypes, and essentialist beliefs among preservice teachers affect tracking recommendations for math/science versus language-oriented secondary schools. Consistent with expectations, the results suggest that student's gender influences preservice teachers' school career recommendations: Boys are more likely to be recommended for a math/science-oriented secondary school, whereas girls are more likely recommended for a language-oriented school. Both implicit math-language gender stereotypes and beliefs in genetic determinism (reflecting essentialist beliefs) predicted the stereotypicality of school career recommendations, whereas explicit measures did not. The results suggest that more closely investigating factors contributing to stereotypical behavior in teachers might help to minimize biased actions and decisions in the educational context.

Our study investigated whether problem-oriented designed ecology lessons with phases of direct instruction and of open experimentation foster the development of cross-domain and domain-specific components of "experimental problem-solving ability" better than conventional lessons in science. We used a paper-and-pencil test to assess students' abilities in a quasi-experimental intervention study utilizing a pretest/posttest control-group design (N?=?340; average performing sixth-grade students). The treatment group received lessons on "forest ecosystems" consistent with the principle of education for sustainable development. This learning environment was expected to help students enhance their ecological knowledge and their theoretical and methodological experimental competencies. Two control groups received either the teachers' usual lessons on forest ecosystems or non-specific lessons on other science topics. We found that the treatment promoted specific components of experimental problem-solving ability (generating epistemic questions, planning two-factorial experiments, and identifying correct experimental controls). However, the observed effects were small, and awareness for aspects of higher ecological experimental validity was not promoted by the treatment.

KIS (knowledge and intentions in social dilemmas) is a process model of a cognitive-motivational theory of acting in a three person commons dilemma. The model provides an experimental tool to study how ecologically harmful actions evolve in commons problems by having differently parameterized variants of KIS interact with each other and with human subjects. KIS models the application and acquisition of ecological, social, and practical knowledge using a motive-driven decision procedure. To test this model, 42 subjects played a commons dilemma game in an unselfish or greedy social environment. Both environments were realized by pairs of appropriately configured KIS variants. Subjects did not recognize these co-players as being artificial and judged their motives accurately. Subjects' behavior in the unselfish environment was well predicted, however, in the greedy environment subjects based their decisions more on the state of the resource than was expected. To further test the model, we constructed a KIS variant for each subject with respect to the assessed individual motive structure and knowledge. These variants played the same in the same environments. Their actions were compared to the subjects' on both an aggregate and individual level. We obtained good fits in the unselfish environment. Systematic deviations in the greedy environment revealed that under this condition behavior was more determined by ecological aspects than by social comparison.

Using a process model of skill acquisition allo-wed us to examine the microstructure of subjects'performance of a scheduling task. The model, im-plemented in the Soar-architecture, fits many qua-litative (e.g., learning rate) and quantitative (e.g.,solution time) effects found in previously collec-ted data. T h e model's predictions were testedwith data from a new study where the identicaltask was given to the model and to 14 subjects.Again a general fitof the model was found withthe restrictions that the task is easier for the m o -del than for subjects and its performance impro-ves more quickly. T h e episodic memory chunks itlearns while scheduling tasks show h o w acquisitionof general rules can be performed without resortto explicit declarative rule generation. T h e modelalso provides an explanation of the noise typicallyfound when fittinga set of data to a power law —it is the result of chunking over actual knowledgerather than "average" knowledge. Only when thedata are averaged (over subjects here) does thesmooth power law appear.

The article addresses the social, psychological, cultural and ethical aspects that influence decisions, attitudes and behaviors about environmental risks and which have received less attention in the past. Risks to the natural health and productivity of environmental systems and risks to human health stemming from alteration of these systems, are among the greatest challenges facing societies in the new century. Some environmental risks are obvious direct, immediate and occur in defined areas, such as urban air pollution. Others are hidden, indirect, delayed and have world-wide consequences, such as global warming, ozone depletion, and the extinction of species. Virtually all ecological risks are anthropogenic, although the links to human actions are often complex and difficult to ascertain. The need of the hour is to develop a concern about risk perception, communication and management in the area of environmental risks, as well as with the cognitive and social construction of environmental problems.