The compound nature of Gagne's original definition of learning hierarchies leads to two methods of validation, the positive and negative methods. Sections of a hierarchy that had been validated by the negative method were subjected to test by the more cumbersome positive method, and again were found to be valid. (Author/RD)

The responses of 322 beginning first graders to the six subtests of the Metropolitan Readiness Test were factor analyzed. A single General Readiness factor appeared to best describe the instrument. Implications for use of the Metropolitan Readiness Test are briefly discussed. (Author)

Eleven to fourteen year olds judged the size of eight angles. Subjects were grouped according to reading ability and their nonverbal intelligence was measured. Significant differences in performance were found in relation to age and ability variables, and between the angle-size ranges of 0 to 90 degrees and 90 to 180 degrees. (Author/RD)

Undergraduate students' perceptions of causes of their performance in a course were related to their ratings of the course and instructor in order to explore convergent and discriminant validity of such ratings. Regression analyses indicated that attributional judgments about causes of student performance were related to evaluations of…

The role of feedback, opportunity for text review, and confidence in subjects' responses was examined using a 25-frame program on heart disease. Undergraduates participated in a pre- post-test design; all subjects received an immediate post-test. Results replicated and extended a model relating feedback, confidence, and post-test response.…

Kindergarten and first-grade children listened to a narrative passage under one of five experimental conditions. Prelearning imagery instructions did not facilitate subsequent recall of story information. Similarly intermittently provided pictures did not produce recall gains for unpictured story information, but had a positive effect on recall of…

This study investigated undergraduate teacher education students' inclusion of males and females in selected generic nouns. The effects of test form (Masculine/Generic, Neutral/Generic); sex of student; and categories of items were tested. Significant effects for test form but not sex of student were obtained. (Author/RD)

Classrooms for mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, and average students were studied to identify which rules of formal logic teachers and students employ. Results indicated that teachers and students use extralogical reasoning significantly more often than formal logical rules. This was true for three grade levels and all…

The effects of interpersonal cooperation, competition, and individualistic efforts were compared on math and reading drill-review, story problems, sequencing, triangle identification, and visual sorting according to attributes tasks, using first-grade students. The cooperative group achieved higher scores and found the tasks easier than the…

Four levels of notetaking (summary, paraphrase, verbatim, and letter search) were used to control depth of processing of a prose passage with high school students, who then either reviewed their notes or read an interpolated text. Results favored groups with deeper levels of processing on two post-tests. (Author/RD)

Students were administered either conditional syllogism, biconditional syllogism, or conditional and biconditional syllogism tests. Analyses confirmed a tendency towards biconditionality. With conditional syllogisms, results indicated variations across forms of both major and second premises and a reversed developmental trend on problems which…

The influence of televised modeling and modeling plus direct instruction was examined on the induction of complex forms of seriation behavior. The television only and TV plus direct instruction groups made significant gains from pre- to post-test, which were maintained during retention testing. Theoretical and training implications were…

Children's ability to produce and use natural language mediators on a paired-associate recall task requiring self-generated elaboration was analyzed. Elaborations were recorded and classified according to a semantic-syntactic scheme. Comparisons between grades were made to determine the effectiveness of elaboration categories in facilitating…

Fifth graders read lessons dealing with a geometry rule. Half received preinstruction on the concepts related in the rule in either a logical or random order. Learning was measured on a rule attainment test. Only subjects receiving preinstruction on the concepts prior to rule instruction performed better than a control group. (Author/RD)

Tasks graded in terms of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration of responses were administered to fourth graders in order to identify relationships between these measures of creativity, intelligence, and evaluation skills. With intelligence controlled, the relationship between creative thinking scores and evaluation ability was near…