Eight experiments are described in this report. In experiment 1, four and five year olds were presented four verbal discrimination (VD) lists. For three of the lists all correct items were either conceptually, acoustically, or affectively similar. The fourth was a control list. The conceptual list facilitated VD learning. Experiment 2 indicated…

This paper analytically reviews the literature on cognitive development, particularly as it relates to the acquisition of language. Of primary concern are the basic cognitive processes of perceptual groupings, concepts and relations, and memory. Discussed are the acquisition of language, some aspects of the nature of language and language…

This profile of significant research findings comprises a framework for analyzing and synthesizing information on the cognitive development of children. The variables used to systematize the literature search were: perception; motor development; language; conceptual activity; and learning, memory, and problem solving. The findings are arranged…

Cognition, not to be confused with perception, reception, or stimulus detection, is defined as relationships of sensory experiences in single-loop matrices. The reticular system of the upper brain stem is centered upon as the likely locus of sensory filtering and modification that can modulate language usage. That is, higher cognitive functions…

This study is an attempt to identify one source of individual differences in the extent to which readers learn from text and the means for accommodating it. Eighty college students were administered a series of aptitude tests and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. The subjects then received six passages, each passage followed by a…

A survey of the literature concerning the mental processes used in reading reveals a proliferation of molecular theories which explain only a small (and frequently neurological) component of the reading act. Enough information exists, however, to sketch an integrated, molar model of the reading process, which stresses the interrelationships…

The two studies outlined in this report gauged college undergraduates' ability to learn and to recall the content of certain passages when provided with "directed perspectives" or context clues. In the first study, 63 subjects were divided into three groups, were asked to read two stories, and were assigned a perspective (home buyer,…

Investigated were the effects of two types of stimuli, preferred and non-preferred, on the free recall and clustering of 16 moderately and severely retarded children (mean IQ = 39.12, mean CA = 10.84 years) who were enrolled in public schools. An empirical determination was made as to whether to classify a particular conceptual category of stimuli…

This study of problem solving and conceptual tempo had two objectives: (1) to begin to clarify the underlying deficiencies which contribute to the less efficient information processing of impulsive children (as compared with reflective children) during problem solving; and (2) to demonstrate the utility of using a task analysis as a…

Two studies were carried out demonstrating the interaction of intonation grouping and meaning relations between words in free recall. When the intonation grouping is in phase with the word relations, recall is facilitated. When it is out of phase, recall is lowered. (Author/RM)

An experiment, involving 37 deaf and 36 hearings Ss (aged 10-12 and 15-18 years), was conducted to determine the role of visual and auditory processing in deaf and hearing children using a short-term memory paradigm. (Author/SBH)

Good and poor readers' visual and auditory memory were tested. No group differences existed for single mode presentation in recognition frequency or latency. With multimodal presentation, good readers had faster latencies. Dual coding and self-terminating memory search hypotheses were supported. Implications for the reading process and reading…

Investigates the relationship between memory for prose and the structural characteristics of the semantic representation proposed by Kintsch. Results extend the generality of Kintsch's model across a wide range of ages, and indicate that a proposition is more likely to be recalled when its superordinate is also recalled. (EJS)

An experiment is described that involved presenting sentences to the subject for study and then testing single words for recognition (the subject had to decide whether the test word was in one of the study sentences). A large priming effect was obtained. (Author/RM)

Presents electrophysiological and behavioral evidence for a neural process related to storage in short-term memory. Predicting recall performance on the basis of the storage component of brain responses is presented. A list of references is also included. (HM)