Nine studies are summarized which investigated the relation between attributes of performance as perceived by the subject and corresponding objective measurements. The attributes studied were: (1) intellectual activity perceived to be involved when dealing with a task (Studies 1 and 2), and (2) perceived difficulty (Studies 4 to 9). Study 3…

The job performance of men in four different occupational specialties (Vehicle Repairman, Supply Clerk, Armor Crewman, and Cook) was measured by intensive Job Sample Tests of 4 to 5 hours in length and by more conventional Job Knowledge Tests. Curves have been derived that provide estimates of how job performance can be expected to vary as a…

The intent of this study was to determine the relationship of the independent variables of task difficulty and memory support for high and low anxious subjects on certain dependent variables: correct task performances, measured anxiety level, and self-estimated competency rating. A further purpose was to investigate the relationship of obtained…

A review of the literature on cooperative, competitive, and independent reward structures and performance is presented, and conclusions are drawn which reformulate current beliefs about the interaction between reward structure and task structure. A brief theory of reward structure and performance is described, and conditions under which…

Competency-based vocational education is based on the following three essentials: specifying job-related tasks in advance, providing instruction in the tasks, and measuring and certifying that students can perform the tasks. This article focuses on measuring and certifying student competencies by addressing several related questions. (BM)

The longitudinal interrelations among age, visual and auditory short-term memory, and the concrete operational tasks of class inclusion and combinatorial reasoning were investigated over four testing occasions in a sample of 134 students, initially ranging from 5 to 12 years in age. The Piagetian task battery involved placement of colored…

Seeking to determine the training methods that can most effectively develop highly proficient performance, this report describes the molecular analytic techniques currently used in the Air Force (the instructional systems (ISD) approach based on breaking a complex task into discrete steps) and presents the limitations of these techniques for…

A set of procedures for validating the Army's Skill Qualification Tests (SQT) are described. Three phases are discussed: (1) the selection of tasks, (2) the selection of specific content for hands-on performance test items, and of written self-evaluation components, and (3) the establishment of content validity of the hands-on component. The task…

This paper examines the subject of "contract teaching", particularly as it relates to the field of instruction for physical education majors. Essentially, contracting for grades includes, "...an agreement between a teacher and a student at the beginning of a course as to the grade the student expects to receive and the amount and quality of work…

Ninety-two subjects solved a series of problems without enough time to finish and worked at a pace and in an order determined by the experimenter (Experimenter- Paced) or at their own pace and order under self-administered time deadlines (Self-Paced). Self-pacing resulted in superior performance on rote and poorer performance on cognitive problems…