The role of the "foraging" ("for)" gene, which encodes a cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG), in food-search behavior in "Drosophila" has been intensively studied. However, its functions in other complex behaviors have not been well-characterized. Here, we show experimentally in "Drosophila" that the "for"…

Visual short-term memory depends upon an ordered two-dimensional array of locations for its existence, whereas associative memory relies on associations between character representatives. (CK)

The effect of labels influences nursery school children to process or store information about associated pictures more effectively than they would have done in the absence of labels. (Author/DEP)

The relationship between visual recognition memory and performance on a paired-associate task for good and poor readers was investigated. Subjects were three groups of 21, 21, and 22 children each, with mean IQ's of 98.2, 108.1, and 118.0, respectively. Three experimental tasks, individually administered to each subject, measured visual…

Humans conduct visual search faster when the same display is presented for a 2nd time, showing implicit learning of repeated displays. This study examines whether learning of a spatial layout transfers to other layouts that are occupied by items of new shapes or colors. The authors show that spatial context learning is sometimes contingent on item…

Evidence is presented to demonstrate that arranging word lists on distinctive visual patterns results in better recall performance than does presenting the same word lists on a pattern that is always the same. Results of three experiments using college age students are reported. (Author/LMO)

The ability to remember visual stimuli over a short delay period is limited by the small capacity of visual working memory (VWM). Here the authors investigate the role of learning in enhancing VWM. Participants saw 2 spatial arrays separated by a 1-s interval. The 2 arrays were identical except for 1 location. Participants had to detect the…

The author describes his research experience in identifying potentially unique learning characteristics of gifted students. Visual imagery, mnemonics, spatial organization, and higher level verbal learning strategies are explored. Among broad conclusions reached is the perception of gifted students as active learners who spontaneously transform…

A battery of memory tests was administered to 243 male university students. Factor analysis with oblique rotation of factors revealed five factors: (1) associative memory (particularly important in paired-associate tests), (2) short-term visual memory (the ability to derive information from briefly presented visual displays), (3) meaningful memory…

Specific comparisons for a categorized set of items indicated that recall of detailed drawings and outlines was superior to recall of words. For an uncategorized set, outlines were recalled significantly better than pictures and both were recalled better than words. (Author/PN)

The methods outlined in this guide offer teachers a variety of ways to stimulate interest, enhance concentration, increase understanding, and improve memory in their students. Chapter 1 discusses the LEARN (Learning Efficiently And Remembering Mnemonics) system, a set of strategies that help students use a variety of processing styles to a greater…

To assess the importance of visual attributes relative to acoustic and semantic attributes in children's encoding, a 64-item recognition test was administered to first- and sixth-grade children. Recognition items were linedrawings of simple objects accompanied by aural labels. By manipulating the picture, label, and referent in various…

Presented are suggestions and 330 lesson plans for the improvement of visual skills of 3-to-7-year-old perceptually handicapped children. Suggestions for the reading program include large screen presentation and use of the Language Master. Possible designs for a classroom learning center for independent learning tasks are suggested. Seven areas of…