Protocols (n=149) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised that were completed by 22 graduate students were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of practice administrations in developing examiner competence. Even completing 10 administrations did not reduce errors students made, suggesting that careful training is required. (SLD)

Individual differences in procedural and declarative learning of a sequence-learning task by 455 adolescents were measured and compared to one another and to scores on a performance battery. A framework is proposed to explain the results based on a combination of approaches to explain dissociations found in memory. (SLD)

Notes advantages of using dynamic models to understand cognitive functioning: (1) they are specifically intended to represent changes that systems undergo as they evolve; (2) they can capture change in a continuous fashion; (3) they can account for development of behavior that appears orderly at times and disorderly at others, and (4) chaotic…

The influence of graphic patterns and their interpretive context on learning accompanying prose was studied with 128 undergraduates. Results suggest that maps, unlike diagrams, are sequentially encoded and that abstract graphic displays can adopt map-like characteristics as a result of the context in which they are presented. (SLD)

Evaluates John B. Watson's contributions to developmental psychology. Watson's insistence on objective methodology in psychology retains its influence, but his extreme environmentalism has been rejected. His concern with the principles of learning is reflected in the work of Hull and Skinner. (BC)

This study of 20 3-month-old infants with Down's syndrome and 20 nondisabled infants found that both groups were successfully trained to produce movement in an overhead crib mobile by kicking, and displayed long-term retention a week later. Conditioning and retention-test performance of the two groups did not differ. (Author/JDD)

The intercorrection matrices of the standardization sample (n=1,460) of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (D. Sheslow and W. Adams, 1990), a measure of memory function in children, were submitted to hierarchical exploratory principal factor analysis. Results suggest that subtests be interpreted as unique entities first, and then as…

Investigates the interobserver agreement of the Learning Behavior Scale (LBS) by educators (n=16) observing students in special-education classes (n=72). No significant observer effect was found. Moreover, the LBS produced comparable levels of differential learning styles for assessments of individual children. (Author/MKA)

To educate themselves, a group of 16 Massachusetts school leaders has devoted an afternoon monthly during the past year to examining, describing, and wondering about student work. The Collaborative Assessment Conference protocol has revealed that educators hold different, often contradictory, assumptions about teaching and learning. (MLH)

Using an embedded case-study design, examines what factors motivate (high-school) teachers to engage in professional-development activities, how they experience professional learning, and how work context influences their learning experiences. A complex nesting of work contexts limits types of learning activities and knowledge available to…

Reports on two studies in which high school students were forced to process a text containing a geographical map. Shows that, in both studies, the effectiveness of directed, forced processing of texts and maps depends upon the level of processing encouraged and the ability of the students concerned. (CMK)

Discusses work by Arthur Jensen in addition to his well-known work on the genetics of intelligence. Includes studies of learning, memory, the cumulative-deficit hypothesis, Spearman's hypothesis, and the speed of information processing. (SLD)

In a Texas study, six successful women superintendents identified vision, passion and commitment, promotion of leadership in others, integrity, knowledge, and stamina as important leadership qualities. Family support, varied work experiences, mentors, formal education, turning points, and failure played important roles in their leadership…

Discusses the elements of an interactional theory concerning content-related learning in classroom situations. Clarifies the concept of culture and outlines the narrative character of the reconstructed classroom culture. Presents empirical results to create elements of a theory of interaction of content-related learning. (Contains 37 references.)…

Examines the critical components of effective "practice" in the fields of instructional technology and human performance technology, as well as barriers to successful practice. Describes how to cope with these obstacles and ensure inclusion of relevant practice in instructional programs. Concludes with a true story that illustrates how…