A modal model of information processing was defined, and nine tasks that could be completed by persons with mental retardation were developed to operationalize the model. Results showed that individual differences in higher mental processes are highly dependent on basic cognitive abilities and can be predicted from them. (Author/JDD)

This study of the choice behavior of 14 adults with severe disabilities in residential programs found that 24 staff members correctly predicted the individuals' choices 78% of the time, when compared to choices made by the individuals themselves. (Author/DB)

A choice assessment was used to categorize reinforcers as high, middle, and low preference with 4 males (ages 7 to 19) with multiple disabilities including severe/profound mental retardation. High-preference stimuli consistently functioned as reinforcers for all subjects whereas low-preference stimuli did not function as reinforcers. (Author/DB)

Related research suggests that children may show some simple understanding of event covariations by the early elementary school years. The present experiments use a rule analysis methodology to investigate covariation judgments of children in this age range. In Experiment 1, children in second, third and fourth grade judged covariations on 12…

Reports a study that examined the influence of authoritarianism on the formation of behavioral intentions by female college students. High authoritarians took subjective norms less into account relative to low authoritarians, providing support for the theory that personal and subjective norms can be distinguished empirically. (LS)

This article comments on the reporting by Douglas Detterman and others (EC 604 995) of a larger magnitude of g among young adults with mental retardation. Reliance on g-based measures for screening and diagnosis may thus be misleading, by implying that those tested were less differentiated than may be the case. (JDD)

Past research indicates poor agreement about strategies people use to assess covariation between events. This research investigates method of assessment as one possible source of this low consensus. A set of problems was developed in such a way that different judgment rules would produce different decisions about the relationships between events.…

Four strategies used in judgment patterns were explored. Problem sets in which each solution strategy produces a unique solution pattern are depicted. Several experiments had been conducted using rules in this way with subjects from grade 4 through college. Problems were set in the context of concrete events which could be related, and subjects…

This report provides an overview of eight experiments on covariation judgment training. Included are a literature review, rationale, and description of the rule-analytic approach used in all experiments. Experiment 1 identified undergraduates' understandings of rule use, finding self-report a poor method for diagnosing sources of error. Experiment…