According to the classical working memory perspective, tasks such as command and control decision-making should be performed less effectively if extraneous material must be retained in short-term memory. Only marginal support for this prediction was obtained for a simulation involving scheduling trucking and transportation missions, although…

"Tell-A-Phone" is a role-play game which involves language-impaired children in executing or answering telephone calls, in order to learn to use language effectively in a social context. The game format establishes a setting for increasing use of skills in the areas of semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology. The clinician directs or modifies…

Currently, the reliance on intelligence tests as the primary criterion for the placement of children in school programs has been challenged. Much of the controversy focuses on the insensitivity of these instruments to individual cognitive styles for different subgroups of children. While the issue of whether intelligence tests measure skill…

Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects on decoding mistakes and comprehension of text passages at fastest and slowest reading rates. Subjects included 181 Israeli first graders and 60 American first graders. Subjects reading at their normal maximum speed averaged fewer errors and higher comprehension. (Author/LMO)

A study focused on students' retention of experiences associated with an interpretive school field trip. Third- and fourth-grade students from a rural Midwestern elementary school took an interpretive field trip to a local park to learn about their local environment. A survey was administered to the 71 students 1 month and 18 months after the…

Two studies assessed the impact of short-term memory on English as a Second Language learning. The first involved 20 graduate students at a Taiwanese university, who were randomly divided into treatment and control groups. It investigated differences in the performance of phrase recollection when the information was chunked versus unchunked.…

A study of foreign students' English acquisition used short-term memory tasks to determine if phonological encoding of visually presented verbal material occurred during reading. Students not using oral repetition in English showed greater phonological interference and longer reaction times. Correlation with reading proficiency was small.…

Describes an information processing model which can be used to make operating instructions and reference manuals easy for customers to understand and remember. Long-term and short-term memory, readability of text, the use of graphics, and providing cues to improve retention are discussed in terms of the model. (EJS)

Obtained normative data from 305 children on a Coding Recall Measure adapted from the WISC-R. Although coding recall has face validity as a visual memory measure, there are some contradictions to such clinical use in view of possible lack of representativeness of the sample and limited reliability and validity. (Author/JAC)

Discusses recent studies of aphasia from the perspective of theories of normal language structure and processing. Patterns of language breakdown are considered to reflect the componential structure of the language system. Brain damage is seen to fractionate language along lines suggested by existing psycholinguistic models. (Author)

Analyzed WISC-R profiles of 42 conduct problem children to generate hypotheses concerning the children's intellectual strengths and weaknesses. Used a variety of subtest groupings to interpret ability patterns. Findings revealed relative strengths in perceptual organization skills, and weaknesses in skills that involve sequencing, memory, and…

Accounting for verbal reports requires explication of the mechanisms by which the reports are generated and influenced by experimental factors. We discuss different cognitive processes underlying verbalization and present a model of how subjects, when asked to think aloud, verbalize information from their short-term memory. (Author/GDC)

Discusses students who have memory dysfunction, examining issues related to learning and short-term memory, memory in progress, and long-term memory. The paper describes how to explain the brain to help students understand the difference between memory problems and overall intelligence. Suggestions for training teachers and administrators are…

Examined 4-year-olds for effects on IQ of prenatal cocaine exposure, exposure to other substances, risk factors, and neonatal medical problems. Found that maternal verbal IQ and low environmental risk predicted child IQ. Cocaine exposure negatively predicted children's overall IQ and verbal reasoning scores for boys only. Maternal harsh…

Discussion of the integration of school library media programs into the curriculum highlights comprehension and inference generation as links between human information processing and subject area methodology. Long-term and short-term memory are discussed, and instruction in inference using narrative fiction is explained. (15 references) (LRW)