Recent research in the area of individual differences in learning and memory is reviewed from a cognitive perspective. Using the two-state model of memory as a framework, individual variations in attentional, short-term store, and long-term store processes are discussed. (Editor)

Recent research has documented the variety of memory strategies children have in their repertoires at different ages and with different degrees of task experience. Of growing importance is understanding the processes by which children choose among available approaches. Evidence suggests that sociocultural influences shape individual repertoires of…

This discussion of phenomenological research methods examines the importance of secrets in children's development of self-identity, autonomy, independence, and maturity; the experience of recognition in children and its relationship to teaching, learning, and child development; and Alzheimer's dementia and the relationship between memory and sense…

The effects of pictorial illustrations on memory for text were studied in 144 college students. Two experiments indicated that illustrations serve a supplementary function; adjunct pictures alone, without special processing instructions, do not help learners encode information that is not normally encoded in the first place. (SLD)

The effects on mathematics achievement of having fifth graders engage in elaborative and integrative processing were studied using 121 students. Subjects were randomly assigned to cognitive-processing, fact-sheet, or control groups. Results show that cognitive processing is related to memory and understanding and is more effective for higher…

Examined whether speech rate is related to the amount recalled and if developmental increases in speech rate allow faster rehearsal with age, and hence, greater recall. Found that the group relationship was clear and replicable but that speech rates of individual children were not good predictors of those children's memory spans; age was found to…

Investigates how teachers' perceptions related to the reading process by examining their early recollections of learning to read. Uses comparative analysis between reported positive and negative recollections, yielding highly significant findings related to the variables of setting, age, most significant other, and locus of control. (SR)

The performance of two groups of chemistry students, one taught using the traditional lecture method and the other interactive, in solving stoichiometry problems is described. The interactive instruction appears more effective for students who are less adept at information processing. The interaction apparently does not challenge better students,…

A study of 82 Canadian college freshmen investigated working memory, verbal ability, and prior knowledge as predictors of quality of students' lecture notes, lecture summaries, and content recall. Students with higher working memory benefitted more from listening to the lecture than from listening and taking notes. Quality of summaries predicted…

Adaptive cognitive-based selection is recognized as among the most significant open issues in adaptive web-based learning systems. In order to adaptively select learning resources, the definition of adaptation rules according to the cognitive style or learning preferences of the learners is required. Although some efforts have been reported in…

Attention acts as the mind's "gatekeeper" by regulating and prioritizing the stimuli processed by the central nervous system. It is essential for cognitive performance, memory, and behavior, and we know that even slight deficiencies in attention compromise learning. Basic neuroscience research further indicates that attention consists of (fairly)…

It has been suggested that retrieval during a nonreinforced test induces reconsolidation instead of extinction of the mnemonic trace. Reconsolidation would preserve the original memory from the labilization induced by its nonreinforced recall through a hitherto uncharacterized mechanism requiring protein synthesis. Given the importance that such a…

We investigated whether postextinction administration of methylene blue (MB) could enhance retention of an extinguished conditioned response. MB is a redox compound that at low doses elevates cytochrome oxidase activity, thereby improving brain energy production. Saline or MB (4 mg/kg intraperitoneally) were administered to rats for 5 d following…

The cAMP/PKA pathway plays a critical role in learning and memory systems in animals ranging from mice to "Drosophila" to "Aplysia." Studies of olfactory learning in "Drosophila" suggest that altered expression of either positive or negative regulators of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway beyond a certain optimum range may be deleterious. Here we…

The interactions of three factors that may be involved with the memory for pattern or sequence in visual materials were investigated in this study: (1) arbitrariness of representation; (2) task; and (3) ability of students. The subjects, who were 29 graduate students in education, were pretested for general ability and randomly assigned to four…