A study was conducted to determine whether academic performance could be predicted on the bases of the constructs need for cognition (NFC) and academic self-efficacy. Two hypotheses were generated: Positive correlations will be found between academic selfefficacy, NFC, and grade point average (GPA); and efficacy and NFC will serve as significant predictors of GPA. The path mediation technique recommended by Baron & Kenny (1986) for testing mediated relationships was also performed in order to assess the causal direction of the NFC and academic self-efficacy variables. Participants were 138 undergraduate students. The first hypothesis was generally supported in that significant correlations were found between NFC, efficacy beliefs, and GPA. In support of the second hypothesis, path analysis revealed that NFC and academic self-efficacy were significant predictors of GPA. Furthermore, the NFC-GPA relationship was shown to be mediated by efficacy beliefs.'The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Russell Cropanzano in conducting the path 2Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Steven M. Elias, Department of analysis reported in this study.Psychology,

For over a century, authorities have recognized cultural and psychological benefits of preserving national parks and wilderness areas. Yet, with increasesin visitation and mechanized travel, air and noise pollution are intruding moreand more into preserved natural areas. Psychological research shows that humans can detect very lowlevels of these pollutants in natural and laboratory settings, that air and noise pollution detract from the enjoyment of the visitor experience, and that people place a high value on naturally quiet, pollution-free settings. This article discusses how psychological research is essential for a more complete understanding of the value and the influence of both visibility and quiet surroundings with a focus on applied, field-based research in national parks and wilderness areas. The article concludes with recommendations for future directions in research in these areas and argues that implications of psychological research results should be addressed in the natural resource policy-making process.

How instructors' gender and race impacts their ability to gain compliance in the classroom when utilizing various bases of social power was investigated using a 2 × 2 × 3 between‐subjects design. Male and female participants (n = 297) completed the Interpersonal Power Inventory while viewing a photo depicting an instructor. The instructors depicted were male or female of varying ethnicities (Caucasian, African American, and Latino). Results indicated that instructor gender and race influenced student compliance rates when soft (subtle and noncoercive) bases of power were utilized. With regard to individual power bases, student gender, instructor gender, instructor race, and the Instructor Gender × Instructor Race interaction were found to impact compliance rates. Implications for classroom instructors, as well as other powerholders, are discussed.

Two studies were designed to investigate the role of immersing design techniques in determining museum visitors' experience. Study 1 observed visitor behavior in a museum hall at the Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH) in Denver, Colorado, before and after renovation. The study found that after the design changes, visitors attended more to the exhibits. Study 2, a post hoc survey analysis complementing Study 1, discriminated which particular design features were responsible for eliciting a high degree of sensory contact from visitors. The survey was administered to visitors at the DMNH after they had been exposed to a specific exhibit space. The survey measured visitors' sense of immersion, psychological flow, and the perceived presence and strength of different design features. Analyses revealed that interactive components, multisensory stimulation, and dynamic displays influenced flow and immersion. Results are discussed in terms of exhibit attributes that optimize the visitor experience.

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Eight studies assessed the motive for sensory pleasure (MSP) involving a general disposition to enjoy and pursue pleasant nature-related experiences and avoid unpleasant nature-related experiences. The stated enjoyment of pleasant sights, smells, sounds, and tactile sensations formed a unitary construct that was distinct from sensation seeking, novelty preference, and need for cognition. MSP was found to be related to (a) enjoyment of pleasant nature scenes and music of high but not low clarity; (b) enjoyment of writings that portrayed highly detailed nature scenes; (c) enjoyment of pleasantly themed paintings and dislike of unpleasant paintings, as distinct from findings with Openness to Experience; (d) choice of pleasant nature scenes over exciting or intellectually stimulating scenes; (e) view duration and memory of artistically rendered quilts; (f) interest in detailed information about nature scenes; and (g) frequency of sensory-type suggestions for improvement of a museum exhibit.

The cost-effectiveness of total maximum daily load (TMDL) programs depends heavily on program design. We develop an optimization framework to evaluate design choices for the TMDL for the Potomac River, a Chesapeake Bay sub-basin. Scenario results suggest that policies inhibiting nutrient trading or offsets between point and nonpoint sources increase compliance costs markedly and reduce ecosystem service co-benefits relative to a least-cost solution. Key decision tradeoffs highlighted by the analysis include whether agricultural production should be exchanged for low-cost pollution abatement and other environmental benefits and whether lower compliance costs and higher co-benefits provide adequate compensation for lower certainty of water-quality outcomes.

This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government.