One theoretical model for understanding the visual event suggests that a visual event has both a surface (descriptive) and a deeper (experience) level of understanding. Both levels are needed to comprehend and appreciate images, with each level affecting the other. A person's perspective is an important part of the visual event, which depends upon…

This study determines whether children who see an object hidden in a location in one space can retrieve an analogous object hidden in an analogous location in a different space. Participants were 16 31-months-old and 16 38-months-old children. After a familiarization experience, half the children observed a stuffed dog hidden in a room, tried to…

This bulletin concerns the role of memorization in mathematics instruction. Sections of the bulletin are devoted to discussions of: old math vs. new math; the importance of memorization ability on mathematics learning; misconceptions about memory; how to enhance the memory, including short-term vs. long-term memory systems, attention, interest,…

Experimentally induced rehearsal and clustering strategies facilitated the performance of slow-learner, average, and gifted third graders on a visual short-term memory task. Self-pacing was superior to experimenter pacing of successive object presentation. (Author)

A central theoretical issue is that of the cognitive status of imagery. Detractors emphasize the merely-sensory aspects while proponents emphasize the also-symbolic aspects. Examined with reference to this issue are the theories of Piaget and Bruner, recent studies of concept learning and representation, and studies related to the Craik and…

Recognition memory performances of preschool children were compared in nine combinations of visual-only, verbal-only, and combined visual-verbal presentation test conditions. Subjects generally performed at a high level of correct responding. Verbal-only presentation resulted in less correct recognition than did either visual-only or combined…

Describes two experiments which investigated the use of distinctive feature codes in the storage of phonetic encoding information by 6- and 7-year-olds during short term memory tasks. A total of 106 children were presented with 30 lists of consonant-vowel syllables for recall. Data indicate that children encode the consonantal phones into sets of…

The aim of this study was to explore the aesthetic impact of a literary text on the human mind and to extend the knowledge on how and when the information from a book enters the human brain, and if and when it starts to be processed and, possibly, memorized. Readers' responses to aesthetic texts were measured through a series of biometric…

Although techniques of autosuggestion in personal development have a long history in some Eastern cultures, suggestibility as a character trait first came into focus in the West with the "animal magnetism" of Franz Mesmer. The uncovering of the nature and phenomena of hypnosis resulted in a steady and enduring interest in this state of…

A psychological model can show the technical writer how to present information for effective communication by explaining how readers perceive, understand, learn, and remember. The principles underlying the model are the reader's psychological set, the mind's pattern-forming tendencies, the span of short-term memory, and the mind's need for…

A study tested the assumption found in schema theory that scripted knowledge automatically provides specific content details about scripted activity, thereby biasing a reader's immediate interpretation of a text. The study measured how quickly and accurately 16 college students could verify script related words. Subjects listened to four scripted…

Data from three general psychology classes were used in a study of the chunking method of teaching and studying. Two classes participated in a study on chunking study outline (CSO) length, and one in a study on retention rates. Results of students with high and low cognitive processing capacities (CPC) were also compared. It was found that a CSO…

A study examined the effects of within domain processing on the recall of idea units as well as the potential reversals in performance resulting from the passing of time. Subjects for the experiment were 89 undergraduate students randomly assigned to six conditions related to target words in a reading passage: counting e's, determining the…

This report discusses research and theory that explore relationships between comprehension and knowledge acquisition. Studies are reported that indicate the lack of a one-to-one correspondence between initial comprehension activities and abilities to remember. It is noted that the value of comprehensive activities depends on how people must later…

The results of this study support the assumption that long-term memory is not modified when a person performs a task utilizing an automatic process. Twelve university students performed an incidental learning task which consisted of scanning lists of words for either their own name, first names other than their own, words representing a unit of…